TINA's Nuzlocke Series

[There Is No Arceus]

I cut my southern trip short and head back north to go train my new team. On Route 7, i encounter a guy who is willing to trade me an Emolga if i give him a Boldore, so i trade away NoGraveler to get some more type diversity on my team. Welcome to the crew, Minipete. I guess i should properly introduce my other team members too; they are Soeq the Deerling, Leonardo the Tirtouga, Dolores the Audino, Past the Frillish and Koesneeuw the Minccino. Anyway, time to begin my training. After training Koesneeuw up a bit, i decide it's time to give it a shiny stone and evolve it into Cinccino.

After training for some time, i decide to call it a day.
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My current team:

Soeq (Deerling) lv 23
Minipete (Emolga) lv 31
Dolores (Audino) lv 30
Koesneeuw (Cinccino) lv 30
Leonardo (Tirtouga) lv 26
Past (Frillish) lv 30

 

[There Is No Arceus]

During training, Soeq evolves into Sawsbuck. After i've finally finished my training, i decide to call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Dolores (Audino) lv 35
Koesneeuw (Cinccino) lv 35
Minipete (Emolga) lv 35
Past (Frillish) lv 35
Soeq (Sawsbuck) lv 35
Leonardo (Tirtouga) lv 35

 

[There Is No Arceus]

With my training done, i embark on a new southern tour. I make a stop in Nimbasa City along the way, where someone gives me HM04 Strength, which is very good as my normal types now have a powerful STAB move. well, they would, if anyone in my party other than Leonardo could actually learn it. so yeah, Leonardo gets strength and no one else does. My next stop is in Striaton City, where i catch myself Red the Basculin. From here, it's a straight shot to route 1 and from there west onto route 17. This route reminds me of the routes west of Pacifidlog in Kyusyu - sorry, "Hoenn" - due to all the strong currents that are constantly pulling you in various directions. I catch another Frillish here and name this one Present. Eventually, the currents bring me to an island called Route 18. I enter the tall grass and promptly run into a Watchog, which i catch and name Irritant. In the resting house here, there is a guy who offers to give me a pokemon egg, but my party is full so i have to go all the way back and forth to Accumula Town to make room for it. remember, i still cannot fly. Before i do that though, i explore the island a bit further and find HM06 Waterfall. haven't found any waterfalls yet anywhere in America, but i'm sure it'll be useful.

I lose my way as i'm heading back and end up at a place called the P2 Laboratory, where i catch myself Bolt the Herdier. When i do finally reach Accumula, i decide that Bolt is probs more useful than Koesneeuw, so i let it onto the team. Sorry Koesneeuw, but if i'm gonna have 3 normal-types on my team, they're at least gonna be good ones. I also leave Soeq behind for now so i can pick up the egg. I head back to Route 18 Island to get the egg, then i stick around a bit for some training. While i'm training Bolt up, it evolves into Stoutland.

When i'm done training, i head back to the mainland and call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Bolt (Stoutland) lv 36
Leonardo (Tirtouga) lv 36
Dolores (Audino) lv 36
Past (Frillish) lv 36
Minipete (Emolga) lv 38
Soeq (Sawsbuck) lv 36

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Time to head back north. On my way, i make a stop in Wellspring Cave to exact some sweet sweet revenge. The Gurdurr goes down to an acrobatics from Minipete, and the Sawk cannot hurt Past in any way. This truly feels awesome; my old team has been avenged. I kill another trainer here, but then it's time to move on. When i reach the Skyarrow Bridge, i decide to hop on my bike and cycle back and forth a few times to fully take in the view. As i'm doing this, my egg hatches into a Larvesta, which i name Vuurmot. It's going in the box though; Soeq is coming back. I continue my journey on to Mistralton Cave; i have Strength now, so i can actually explore it. While i'm fighting the trainers here, Leonardo evolves into a Carracosta, granting my team some great physical bulk. I don't find anything of note though, so i just head on through Chargestone Cave to Mistralton, and from there on to Twist Mountain.

In Twist Mountain, i manage to catch myself another Boldore, which i nickname Meh. As i head on, i run into Cheren and Clay, the gym leader from Driftveil. Clay tells us that the gym leaders have decided to form a united front against Team Plasma, but that they currently do not know where they are. He doesn't involve us though, so Cheren and I are free to explore the mountain as we please. This mountain really seems to be a mone, with lots of twisting tunnels going through as well as outside areas where one can take in the view from up high. When i reach the other end of this cave system, i see that Cheren has just found and beat up a team plasma member. another grunt comes in the moment i approach, and mentions that they have found what they wanted and are now heading for a tower. I decide to chase them as they leave the cave, but Cheren opts to behind to reflect the words of wisdom Alder has told him.

When i step outside, i'm greeted by Cedric Juniper. He asks whether i've heard of a place called Dragonspiral Tower. I haven't, so he explains that it's some sort of ancient structure where the legendary pokemon sleep or come to life, just past Icirrus City. Apparently no one currently alive has ever entered the building, but professor Juniper wants to investigate it for some reason. Anyway, i'm in Icirrus City now, which is more a swamp with a few houses than it is an actual city. I catch a Stunfisk here, which i name Plat. Probs gonna take Plat onto the team once i'm done with the gym here, but for now, i'm calling it a day.
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My current team:

Leonardo (Carracosta) lv 37
Dolores (Audino) lv 38
Past (Frillish) lv 38
Bolt (Stoutland) lv 38
Minipete (Emolga) lv 39
Soeq (Sawsbuck) lv 38

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Gym time. This is an ice gym, so Soeq and Minipete will be sitting this one out. Instead, i'm bringing Belle the Minccino and Vuurmot the Larvesta, as death fodder. The gym puzzle is the kind of ice sliding puzzle we saw in the cold storage as well as in other ice gyms like Snowpoint. I manage this and make my way to the gym leader, Brycen. He leads with Vanillish and i lead with Past. He wastes time setting up Acid Armor as i two-shot him with Surf. Brycen then decides to bring out his ace, Beartic, so i switch to Bolt to get the intimidate in. Strength doesn't do all that much and he swaggers me, so i have to switch. Leonardo comes in on an icicle crash, but gets hit by swagger the next turn. The increased attack from this means waterfall OHKOs, and last is Cryogonal. I decide against switching, but after he sets up reflect and i hit myself, i decide it might be better to send out Dolores. Dolores does far less damage than i thought she would though, so i decide to switch Past back in. Past doesn't deal much damage either, but Cryogonal cannot do anything in return, so i eventually take him down. Seven badges in hand.

When i step outside the gym, i run into Cheren and Bianca. We chat a bit and reflect on how we've changed since we set out on our journey. The gym leader then comes out and starts talking to shadows, telling them to reveal themselves. The Shadow Triad jump out; they have a message for me from Ghetsis: he wants me to come to the Dragonspiral Tower. N will be waiting for me there. The shadow triad then disappear and Brycen and my friends decide to also head for the Dragonspiral Tower. I'm not heading there immediately though; first, i'm letting Plat the Stunfisk onto the team and train him up. I wasn't sure who i was going to leave behind, but the recent gym battle made it clear: sorry Dolores, you're out.

I head up north, where Bianca and i run into Cedric Juniper; Cheren and Brycen have gone on ahead. Juniper tells us that team plasma have broken through the wall of the dragonspiral tower and went inside. Cheren and Brycen then chased them in, but Cedric isn't sure they were successful. Bianca then asks the professor about this structure's history; the structure is apparently home to the dragon pokemon of legend. Bianca then decides to stay back here and guard the professor as the stronger trainers head in and handle the situation. I leave them behind and head into the ancient structure. I encounter a Golett here, which i name Talos after my old teammate back in Britain. Talos is going in the box for now though. Anyway, as i proceed, i hear some sort of rumbling coming from the top of the tower. I proceed onward and find Cheren and the gym leader fighting off a bunch of grunts. I go on ahead and fight my way through all the other grunts. Near the top, i run into one of the seven sages, who tells hus grunts to take me out, but i overpower them and head up the final stairs to meet N.

I find N standing there, alongside a giant white dragon. it seems he managed to get his hands on the legendary dragon pokemon Reshiram, and will now use it to force everyone into releasing their pokemon. can you imagine, a world where pokemon can live their lives in freedom rather than being forced by humans to fight each other to the death? the horror. N tells me that in order to stop him, i also have to get the power of a legendary pokemon behind me. We need to find a pokemon called Zekrom, which is apparently waiting in the form of dhe Dark Stone. N then flies off on the back of his dragon, toward the pokemon league, which he intends to challenge to assert his dominance and enforce his will on everyone. Cheren and Brycen then come in and express their disbelief at what just happened, and we all decide to go back to town together to consult with Cedric Juniper. As we're discussing what to do next, Champion Alder approaches us and tells us that the stone we're looking for is likely in the Relic Castle, in the desert in the middle of Manhattan.

I think i'll call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Plat (Stunfisk) lv 39
Past (Frillish) lv 39
Bolt (Stoutland) lv 39
Leonardo (Carracosta) lv 40
Soeq (Sawsbuck) lv 39
Minipete (Emolga) lv 40

 

[There Is No Arceus]

well, time to make the trek all the way back to route 4. When i finally get there, i run into Cheren at the entrance to the relic castle, and he tells me that Alder has gone on ahead. We follow, but i end up losing Cheren in the ruins, and i get stopped by Ryoku of the seven sages. He tells me that it's time for another test of my strength; guess i have to fight off a bunch of plasma grunts before i can get the dark stone and ensure my pokemon's eternal servitude. On the bottom floor, Cheren finally catches up and we run into Alder and Ghetsis. Ghetsis informs us that the dark stone is not here, and encourages me to keep looking as N has chosen me to be his nemesis. It appears that Team Plasma does not see Alder as a worthy adversary; only I can apparently stop them. i guess i am the champion of 6 regions and Alder only of 1, so it makes sense.

We head outside and i get a call on my Xtransceiver. The professor wants me to head to the museum in Nacrene City immediately. not sure what's so urgent, but we have no clue where to look for the dark stone anyway, so i might as well. Alder also decides to come over, so he hops on his pokemon and flies there. wish i could do that. When i do finally manage to get over there, i run into Bianca and Cedric Juniper there too. The gym leader Lenora comes out to me and presents me with a stone that her people found in the Desert Resort a few years ago. Cedric Juniper confirms that this stone is from the same time period as the Dragonspiral Tower, so this must be the Dark Stone of legend. I take the dark stone with me for if Alder fails to stop N from becoming the new champion, though i'm not yet sure how i can revive the legendary dragon from this stone. Alder tells me that the gym leader in Opelucid City might have the answers i seek, as they are a dragon-type gym leader.

So i trek all the way back to Icirrus City and head east onto route 8, where i catch myself another Stunfisk and name it Ughvis. However, i get lost in these fetid swamplands, and end up in a place called the moor of icirrus. Here, i catch myself a Shelmet, which i name Blargh. As i'm fighting some trainers and looking for a way to get back to the civilized world, Past evolves into Jellicent, which will bring some useful bulk to my team as i try and stop N. When i do finally make it back to route 8 and the gate to the Tubeline Bridge, i run into Bianca, who says she wants to battle me so she can become more like Professor Juniper. Does she really think i have time for this? i have an evil team to stop. But he insists, so i send out Soeq while she leads with Stoutland. Because of her intimidate, my double kick does very little, so when she uses a Work Up, i opt to switch Bolt in to get an intimidate of my own. I decide to set up a work up, then i bring her to the red with take down as she also brings me to the red. Bianca heals the next turn and my strength doesn't do half, so i have to switch to Leonardo. It's raining, so a waterfall is more than sufficient to take the big dog out. Bianca's Samurott is up next, so i switch to Minipete, who one-shots with electro ball after aqua jet triggered static (no idea whether the paralasys-induced speed drop actually influences electro ball damage). Simisear then comes out, and i send out Past, who in her newly evolved form easily one-shots the thing with a rain-boosted surf. Last is Musharna, so i keep Past in and two-shot with shadow ball as Musharna misses a hypnosis. Girl, if you want to become like the professor, you're gonna have to try harder.

After encouraging me to defeat team plasma for the sake of all trainers who want to keep their pokemon, Binaca heads off, and i decide to call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Soeq (Sawsbuck) lv 41
Bolt (Stoutland) lv 40
Plat (Stunfisk) lv 40
Leonardo (Carracosta) lv 41
Past (Jellicent) lv 41
Minipete (Emolga) lv 42

This part of the game is probably a lot more engaging if you can fly

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I head onto the tubeline bridge and head across, when the Shadow Triad show up and take me to their leader, Ghetsis, who was standing just a few meters away. Seriously guys, i have feet. i can walk. Anyway, Ghetsis gives a speech about how he disagrees with N about there needing to be a duel between us. He rants about how if his plan came to fruition, only Team Plasma would be allowed to have pokemon, and everyone else would be at their mercy. I knew no sane person could possibly think that pokemon deserve to be free of human cruelty. N still seems to believe it though. Anyway, Ghetsis and the Shadow Triad then head off, and i proceed onto route 9. However, here, something very bad happens. I make a missplay in a double battle against two scraggys and switch Soeq in on a Hi Jump Kick, which costs him his life. Rest in peace Soeq, you will be missed. Guess this means Dolores the Audino will be making her return.

I catch a pawniard on this route and name him Nobunaga, but he's going in the box. There's also a shopping mall here on the route, but i don't have time to go shopping right now. I head into Opelucid and run into Alder there. We arrived just in time to listen to Ghetsis make a public speech about how everyone needs to release their pokemon. Fortunately, while some people actually buy into his crap, very few actually release any pokemon. The crowd disperses, and only four people stick around, myself and Alder included. To my surprise, one of the others is Iris, the girl who helped Bianca way back in Castelia. She's accompanied by an old guy named Drayden. These are apparently the gym leaders here, so Alder asks them about the legendary dragon pokemon. We explain the situation, and Alder then heads off to the Pokemon League to stop N. He invites me to come challenge him there as well once i have the badge from this city

Alder and Iris then take me to their house so they can tell me all about the legendary dragon pokemon. Apparently Reshiram and Zekrom were once the same pokemon or something, but it split itself as the result of familial infighting. They nearly destroyed all of New York with their conflict long ago, so Iris and Drayden are terrified about these two dragons being forced to battle each other again. They don't know how to reawaken Zekrom though, so i guess we were just wasting our time here. Guess i'm just gonna have to beat the gym and then beat N to the pokemon league without the help of a legendary pokemon. Drayden tells Iris that she is to be my opponent in the gym, so i guess it's time to start my training for that.

After training for a bit on route 9, i head back into Opelucid City. I wish i had the time to admire thic city's ancient architecture, but i'm afraid i have to make haste to stop N, so i head right for the gym. This is a dragon gym, so no one will have to sit this one out, but no one works particularly well against it either. The gym puzzle revolves around navigating two dragon statues. However, as i'm progressing through this puzzle, an enemy Druddigon manages to kill Minipete with a crit Revenge. This one really hurts, as she was the main mon that helped me recover after the massacre in Wellspring Cave, training up the others with the exp share. What makes this even worse is that i have very few good mons with which to replace her. Another critical hit from an enemy Deino then cleanly takes out Bolt after a work up, bringing me into even hotter water.

I make it past the puzzle, but with a weakened team like this, it's probably best to not challenge Iris immediately. Instead, i head to the pokemon center to decide who to put on my team. I opt to bring Koesneeuw the Cinccino back, and to also carry around Red the Basculin as death fodder. After i've trained Koesneeuw up, i head back to the gym. This is gonna be tough, but we'll see how it goes. Iris leads with Fraxure and i lead with Past. She sets up a dragon dance while i hit her with a shadow ball that lowers special defense. I risk a crit from assurance, but i survive and kill the fraxure with a second shadow ball. Up next is Druddigon, for which i send out Plat. Plat gets quite a few mud bombs in and even gets an accuracy drop, but eventually i have to switch out. I anticipate Iris's Hyper Potion and switch directly to Leonardo. However, Leonardo does not do nearly as much as i thought it would while revenge almost two-shots me, so it's clear that this is not the way to go. I opt to sacrifice Red to bring Koesneeuw in and get off a powered-up retaliate. This does not kill, but Revenge misses so Koesneeuw gets to retaliate again as Iris uses another healing item. I then opt to sing the big dragon to sleep and proceed to spam him with a few more retaliates. When he wakes up though, he immediately kills Koesneeuw with Revenge. At this point, i decide to bring Plat back out and just use healing items; if Iris can do it then so can I. Two more mud bombs and the dragon is dead. Last is what's probably Iris's scariest pokemon; her Haxorus. I send out Dolores and immediately hit the thing with an attract as he sets up a dragon dance. She gets many more dragon dances in though, but Dolores takes her out without taking a single hit. Funnily enough, the infatuation never prevented the Haxorus from moving; she just set up three dragon dances, missed a dragon tail and then moved last due to trying another one, granting me enough time to take her down. (also, yes, Dolores is male)

I got the eighth badge, but this is no time for celebration. Not only have i lost three dear friends in this gym, there is also the looming threat of N and his league challenge to consider. As i step outside the gym, Professor Juniper is there waiting for me. She apparently found out how to revive Zekrom; guess there's some good news in these trying times. It apparently wakes up when it deems someone worthy, whatever that means. Guess i have to become worthy. She also gives me a master ball for when i do manage to meet the legendary dragon. Good thinking; we don't want it to KO a bunch of pokemon while we try to catch it.

I go through my box and decide to let Lumiere the Litwick onto the team; the other spot will be filled with death fodder for now. I'll train Lumiere up next time though; for now, i'm calling it a day.
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My current team:

Past (Jellicent) lv 42
Leonardo (Carracosta) lv 42
Plat (Stunfisk) lv 42
Dolores (Audino) lv 42
Lumiere (Litwick) lv 26
Blargh (Shelmet) lv 30

Did not realise this gym was going to be so tough. I know it looked like i didn't play around the crit enough, but i really had no other options.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Before i start Lumiere's training, i make a quick trip onto route 10 and catch myself a Foongus, which i nickname Item. Item will be joining my team after i train it up alongside Lumiere. During this training, Item evolves into Amoonguss and Lumiere evolves into Lampent, and then into Chandelure after i used the dusk stone i found in Mistralton Cave.

After my training is done, i decide to call it a day.
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My current team:

Lumiere (Chandelure) lv 41
Item (Amoonguss) lv 41
Past (Jellicent) lv 43
Dolores (Audino) lv 43
Leonardo (Carracosta) lv 43
Plat (Stunfisk) lv 42

 

[There Is No Arceus]

With my training done, i head onto route 10 towards Victory Road. As i cross the bridge on this route, Cheren and Bianca come up to me; Drayden told them i'd be heading this way. Cheren has apparently decided that he needs to test whether i'm truly ready to take on Alder and/or N at the pokemon league. Seems like a waste of time since i've beaten him in all previous battles, but whatever. He leads with his Unfezant and i lead with Plat. Two discharges fell the big bird as he goes for taunt and razor wind. Simisage then comes out, so i switch out to Lumiere, who one-shots the monkey with ease. Third is Liepard, for which i send in Dolores. Take Down two-shots, and last is Cheren's Emboar. I switch to Leonardo and hit him with a waterfall, followed by two aqua jets as just one of them barely wasn't enough. Guess this means i'm strong enough to fight N or something. Cheren fully heals my pokemon, then he and Bianca leave so that i can deal with the Team Plasma situation.

I head through the badge check gates and into Victory Road, where i catch an Excadrill and name it John. Considering the levels of the pokemon here though, it's probably better if i train everyone up a bit more before i push through. When i'm done training, i decide to call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Dolores (Audino) lv 45
Past (Jellicent) lv 45
Lumiere (Chandelure) lv 45
Leonardo (Carracosta) lv 45
Item (Amoonguss) lv 45
Plat (Stunfisk) lv 45

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Time to make my way through the road of victory. This version of Victory Road is more than just a cave; there are outdoor areas where you have to navigate by sliding down the mountainside, making this labyrinth even more labyrinthine. However, as i am traversing this maze, an opposing Gigalith lands a critical hit Earthquake on Plat, killing him. Rest in peace Plat, you did good. After a short funeral, i decide to just keep going and decide on a replacement once i've made it through these caves (in no small part because i do not remember the way back).

When i finally do make my way through to the league, i decide that Ughvis the other Stunfisk is the only replacement that makes sense considering the rest of my party composition. So now my training for the league begins. After training for quite some time, i decide to call it a day for now; will finish up this training next time.
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My current team:

Past (Jellicent) lv 46
Lumiere (Chandelure) lv 47
Ughvis (Stunfisk) lv 46
Dolores (Audino) lv 46
Item (Amoonguss) lv 47
Leonardo (Carracosta) lv 46

 

[Braxtonbegaming]

I am sorry that I didn't come across your journey sooner, you are an amazing storyteller. I've never been much of a speedrunner or a nuzlocker but reading up on your journey and the passion you're putting forth has kind of intrigued me and given me an idea. RIP Minipete and Plat.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

After finishing up my training, it's time to head for the league. My first opponent will be Caitlyn, the psychic-type user. She leads off with reuniclus and i lead with Lumiere. One shadow ball later and Caitlin's Musharna comes out. I opt to stay in and hit it with a shadow ball, which doesn't one-shot. that would have been bad if her shadow ball crit me, but i escape unpunished and kill the thing with another shadow ball. Up next is Sigilyph, for which i switch to Ughvis. This goes very wrong however, as Sigilyph's ice beam crits and kills me before i can do anything. Leonardo comes in for vengeance, but gets hit by a hard psychic and i have to switch. I send out Dolores on a psychic, then i risk a crit as i set up attract. I do not get a crit, but attract misses so i decide to resort to healing items. I risk a bunch more crits, but eventually i get an attract off so i can start dealing some damage in the safe turns. turns out i took unnecessary risks as a crit double-edge one-shots. Last is Gothitelle, against which i decide to switch to Past. She lands a nasty thunderbolt while i bring her over half damage, but then i decide switching out is probably wisdom since a bad range would kill me, let alone a crit. Dolores comes in on a soft thunderbolt, then i heal as she goes for a psychic, but said psychic lowers my special defense so the next one would kill. To combat this, i try to switch back and forth to Past, but she gets another crit and Past goes down. Dolores comes out, but her moves just bring the enemy to healing range. I land an attract and heal as gothitelle is in love, then i start beating away until i get the victory. That was a rough start, but we will see how the rest of the E4 goes.

For my next opponent, i pick Shauntal, the ghost user. She leads with Cofagrigus and i lead with Dolores. I hit her with an attract on turn one, then i start surfing away, with the occasional healing item. no shame in using them; winning the league challenge with just 4 mons left is hard enough already. Shauntal also uses all her full restores here, so i won't have to worry about those going forward. When the big ghost finally does go down, Shauntal sends out her Golurk, so i switch to Item. She halves her own HP with curse, after which Giga Drain kills. Chandelure is third, which looks like a job for Leonardo. Waterfall brings him down to a sliver as he does over half to Leonardo, then an Aqua Jet finishes him off. Last is her Jellicent; having this big blob used against me kinda adds insult to injury regarding Past's fate. I switch to Item and hit her with a giga drain, but cursed body disables giga drain so i can't hurt her now. To combat this, i switch Dolores in on a shadow ball and then switch Item back in on a Surf. My next giga drain then kills, granting me a deathless victory. Hope the next two go so well, but we'll see.

My next fight is against Grimsley, the dark-type user. He leads with his Scrafty and i lead with Item. I immediately poison him with Toxic as he lowers my defense with Crunch. I switch back and forth to Dolores to get rid of the debuff, but i get hit by a sand-attack upon switching back. After a second sand attack, i decide to switch back and forth again; Grimsley has at this point used a full restore. I toxic him again and heal up, then i use a combination of giga drain and synthesis to stall him out; i toxic again after the second full restore. Next is his Liepard, for which i switch to Dolores. i heal up as he fakes me out, then we both attract each other. Dolores proves to be the more pragmatic of the two lovebirds and manages to take the liepard out, but it's still sad to see true love hampered by the reality of war. Krookodile is up next, so i switch back to Item. Giga Drain brings him to the red, but since Earthquake does a lot more than i thought it would, i opt to switch in Leonardo and finish him off with an aqua jet. Last is Bisharp, and i bring Lumiere in for a very risky strategy. i outspeed and Flame Burst OHKOs, but had either of those things not happened, i'd have lost another mon. no matter though, three elite four members down.

Last is the elite four member i was most worried about: Marshall. He leads with Throh and i lead with Item. Poisoning him is not a good idea due to guts, so i just badger him with Giga Drains and the occasional Synthesis. My effect spore does poison him though, but it's not a problem as his PP for Stone edge was already gone and he can't hurt me otherwise. Sawk then comes in and i can safely poison this one, after which i essentially do the same thing as against Throh. My PP for Synthesis does run out here, so i have to use full restores. Third is his Conkeldurr and i again keep Item in. This one is a lot stronger than the previous two, so there isn't much chance to giga drain between my healing items; i just let the poison do its work. Marshall has already used all his healing items though, so it goes a lot quicker. Lastly, Marshall sends out Mienshao and i switch to Dolores. I immediately switch Lumiere in on a Jump Kick, causing Mienshao to lose half its HP. I switch back and forth again between Dolores and Lumiere, and Mienshao goes down. We've beaten the elite four, though we did lose two friends along the way. Rest in peace, Ughvis and Past. Time to head into the champion's room and challenge Alder, who i'm sure has dealt with N by now.

However, when i step into the champion's room, i see my worst fears play out in front of my eyes: N has beaten Alder. Now there is only one person left who could prevent the liberation of pokemon from being forced into battle for human amusement: me. However, N decides that the champion's room is not a suitable place for a conflict between us: instead, he summons a castle from the ground that chains itself to the pokemon league through a ton of staircases. makes sense, i guess for someone who would use a title as archaic and medieval as "king" to be so stuck in the past that he thinks castles are buildings that matter in this day and age. As N heads up one of the staircases into his castle, Cheren comes into the champion's room; he has apparently also beaten the elite four.

As i pursue N into his castle, i find six of the Seven Sages there, ready to stop me. They apparently disagree with N that there should be a final showdown. However, just as i'm about to take them on in a 6v1, all the gym leaders come rushing in to occupy these so-called wise men while i proceed onward. On the second floor, a member of the Shadow Triad points out a room where i may rest my pokemon. I make use of this feature, but when i meet a grunt who offers to return me to the pokemon league, i gladly accept; it's probably not a good idea to challenge N with only 4 pokemon; i need one more. I decide to take Present the Frillish onto the team. five mons is probably enough, as i still have faith that the legendary dragon will intervene in my favor. I'll train Present up next time though; for now, i'm calling it a day.
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My current team:

Item (Amoonguss) lv 51
Lumiere (Chandelure) lv 51
Dolores (Audino) lv 52
Leonardo (Carracosta) lv 50
Present (Frillish) lv 5

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I've changed my mind about Present. Instead, i'll be training up John the Excadrill. After his training is finished i head back into N's castle and to the top floor. Just as i am about to enter the room where N awaits, Ghetsis comes out of it and tells me that there is no way i can win, as N has the legendary dragon. He claims Team Plasma will rule over everything because only they will have pokemon. It seems to me that Ghetsis does not truly share his lord N's vision, but that's a matter for a later date. I head into the room to confront N and save the world from his whackadoodle cult of animal rights. N goes off about how Zekrom has yet to recognise me as a hero and how i cannot win, and even calls in his legendary dragon to prove that. Just at that moment though, i get a weird sensation from the Dark Stone resting in my bag. It's drawing in some kind of energy. When it is done, it actually transforms into the legendary dragon, Zekrom. It has finally recognised me as a worthy partner. I deftly fling my Master Ball it's way and catch the giant dragon in time for the final showdown of liberty versus oppression (with me standing for oppression, of course).

Immediately after, N challenges me to a battle. He leads with Reshiram and i lead with Zekrom, whom i have nicknamed Kitty. N's Fusion Flare crits, but by dragonbreath gets the paralasys on him. I decide it's probably wisdom to switch, so Leonardo comes in as he is fully paralyzed. I then land a Rock Slide, which flinches the big white dragon, but N then uses a full restore as i was about to finish it off. I take a nasty hit and a flinch from the extrasensory that follows, but i stay in and land another rock slide. I finish the dragon off with an aqua jet, and Klinklang comes out next. This is a job for our newest recruit, John. well, that would have worked if Klinklang didn't outspeed and one-shot with focus blast. Instead, i send out Lumiere and hit the thing with a flame burst. At this point i realise i'm actually dealing with a Zoroark, as he brings Lumiere to a sliver with night slash. This is a big problem; it hits everyone super effectively. I switch Dolores in on a night slash, then Item on a missed Focus Blast. Item tanks a flamethrower, then takes the big fox down with a giga drain. My next opponent is Vanilluxe; i send Lumiere out and use a full restore tot ank the incoming flash cannon. Flame Burst is a two-shot, but not before he sets up Hail. N then decides to go for his Carracosta, but rather than send out my own to prove its superiority, i opt for Item. I heal up, but Stone Edge does over half to me and i probably don't outspeed, so i have no choice but to keep healing and hope he doesn't crit. After his PP for stone edge runs out, i kill with a giga drain since the hail already took care of sturdy. Next is the real Klinklang, so i send out Lumiere. a crit flame burst one-shots, so at least this one isn't a problem. Last up is his Archeops, for which i send Leonardo back in. I heal and then kill the thing with a waterfall, granting me the victory.

After this showdown, N finally realises he was wrong for shoving his ideals down people's throats. However, while he is having a moment of deep introspection about whether his path was the right one, Ghetsis comes barging in and starts scolding N. Ghetsis reveals that he set N on this path so as to make sure that he could rule the world with his pokemon. it was never about ideals or truth, it was all a big lie. Ghetsis then threatens to kill me because i heard this conversation between them, but Cheren and Alder come in just in time to stop this. However, he still decides to take all his anger over his failed plans on me in a battle.

Ghetsis leads with Cofagrigus and i lead with Kitty. Fusion Bolt is a three-shot, but i end up poisoned with very low HP. Bouffalant is up next and i switch to Leonardo. Wild Charge brings me in crit range, so i send out Item on another one. Item takes way more damage from a head charge than i expected but does bring the enemy into the red. I opt to send in Dolores as Ghetsis heals, and i use the free turn to heal Item. At this point, i decide the only real option i have is to use healing item strats until he KOs himself with head charge recoil. When this finally happens, it's time for the next big threat: Ghetsis's Hydreigon. My best option here is to switch back and forth between Item and Lumiere until he's out of Fire Blasts. This does not go as planned though, as he often goes for different moves if my HP is low. I have to heal up in between, and i'm running low on healing items. Lumiere ends up biting the dust from an unexpected surf. I also end up having to sacrifice Kitty to this monster. When he's out of PP though, i get a Toxic off and start stalling with Synthesis. My next opponent is Eelektross and i honestly see no path to victory. I have no more healing items and flamethrower does over half. After a toxic, I sack Dolores to get some more poison damage in, and then Leonardo for an aqua jet, but their sacrifices are in vain. another flamethrower takes out Item. I've lost.
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This is very bad. I can try to build a new team, but honestly, i have very little to rebuild with. And even if i do decide to rebuild, i have to safely get to a place where i can train them, since i still cannot fly away. Repels won't work since i'm lower level than everything. It's quite possible that this run simply ends in a failure.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Fearing for my life, i rush out of N's castle, not even taking the bodies of my fallen comrades with me. I'll never forgive Ghetsis for this. Mark my words old man, you may have won this battle, but you have not won the war. Blargh the Shelmet and Irritant the Watchog sacrificed their lives to get me through Victory Road, but i've made it to safety and can now begin training up a new team for my revenge. Looks like Present the Frillish is joining the team after all, and will be joined by Nobunaga the Pawniard, Vuurmot the Larvesta, Talos the Golett, Meh the Boldore and Belle the Minccino.

After Belle learns Wake-Up Slap, i give it a shiny stone and it evolves into Cinccino. I think i'll call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Belle (Cinccino) lv 31
Vuurmot (Larvesta) lv 1
Meh (Boldore) lv 32
Nobunaga (Pawniard) lv 34
Present (Frillish) lv 5
Talos (Golett) lv 33

Mommy didn't raise a quitter. only have a single Watchog left in the box now though; if this team falls, that's it.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

During training today, Present evolved into Jellicent. a while later, i decide to call it a day.
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My current team:

Belle (Cinccino) lv 38
Vuurmot (Larvesta) lv 1
Talos (Golett) lv 37
Nubunaga (Pawniard) lv 38
Present (Jellicent) lv 40
Meh (Boldore) lv 38

 

[There Is No Arceus]

After some more training, Talos evolves into Golurk, which means i finally have a pokemon that can learn Fly. I train for a while longer, then i decide to call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Present (Jellicent) lv 42
Vuurmot (Larvesta) lv 1
Talos (Golurk) lv 43
Nobunaga (Pawniard) lv 42
Meh (Boldore) lv 42
Belle (Cinccino) lv 42

Yes, Golurk can learn Fly. Don't ask me.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Today, as i was healing off some damage sustained from training, Nurse Joy alerted me to the presence of tiny micro-organisms on my pokemon known as Pokerus. She immediately reassured me though that this disease is harmless, and that it even makes my pokemon grow exceptionally well. With this good news, i continue my training until it's time to call it a day.
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My current team:

Talos (Golurk) lv 49
Vuurmot (Larvesta) lv 48
Belle (Cinccino) lv 50
Present (Jellicent) lv 50
Nobunaga (Pawniard) lv 50
Meh (Boldore) lv 50

Yup, i just got pokerus. Not gonna use it since i don't bother with EVs and everyone probs has full EVs already anyway, but still, it's pretty cool.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

On this fine first day of summer, another evolution took place in my team: Nobunaga is now a Bisharp. After this evolution, i decide to call it a day for now and proceed with my training next time.
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My current team:

Present (Jellicent) lv 51
Vuurmot (Larvesta) lv 54
Nobunaga (Bisharp) lv 52
Meh (Boldore) lv 52
Talos (Golurk) lv 52
Belle (Cinccino) lv 52

 

[There Is No Arceus]

During training today, Vuurmot finally evolved into Volcarona. However, i then made a very big mistake. I forgot about Swarm and left Nobunaga in against a Durant, thinking it could take a crit. It could not. Rest in peace, my friend. You made it possible to escape from victory road and start this training in Twist Mountain. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.

Guess this means Rioolrat the Watchog is back on the team after a very long time. I continue training for a bit, then it's time to call it a day.
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My current team:

Belle (Cinccino) lv 56
Present (Jellicent) lv 56
Vuurmot (Volcarona) lv 59
Meh (Boldore) lv 56
Talos (Golurk) lv 56
Rioolrat (Watchog) lv 34

This is bad. Not only will it make my training take even longer, it also means Ghetsis's Cofagrigus won't be nearly as free as i expected it to be.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

With my training finally done, i head back into N's castle. The others have fortunately managed to keep Ghetsis here all this time, but he immediately challenges me to a battle the moment i enter, without even saying a word. He leads with Cofagrigus and i lead with Rioolrat. Crunch takes away half the mummy's health as he poisons me with toxic. He protects for some poison damage, but my next crunch kills. Up next is Hydreigon, the slayer of legends. I opt to switch Vuurmot in, but to my surprise i don't outspeed and a critical hit Surf OHKOs my big bug. This means Present will have to do it all; his dragon pulse does more than my sludge bombs, so i have to resort to items. Ghetsis also uses his healing item here after i deal some damage, after which i decide to use Recover to stall out his PP for dragon pulse as my healing items will be insufficient otherwise. The moment i see fire blasts, i once again hit him with sludge bombs until he goes down, though i do get burned. Bouffalant is up next, which is Talos's job. I did not expect to outspeed, but i do, and Hammer Arm OHKOs. This brings out Seismitoad, so i switch back to Present. I use my last full restore as he hits me with an earthquake. He then opts for a rain dance as i recover, which is what i was hoping for. Surf brings him into the red, and another surf gets the kill. Ghetsis then sends out his Eelektross, the monster that killed me last time. Meh comes out and takes less than half from a wild charge while dealing decent damage with Smack Down, which also cancels Levitate. I hit a Bulldoze on the next turn, which kills. Last is Bisharp, so i switch to Belle, who outspeeds and one-shots with a technician-boosted Wake-Up Slap. It may have taken a while, but revenge is a dish best served cold.

Ghetsis apparently can't deal with the fact that he's lost, and goes on a rant calling N a freak without a human heart. Alder and Cheren then arrest Ghetsis and take him away, leaving me and N by ourselves. N then tells me why he's singled me out as his nemesis; when we first met in Accumula Town, he heard my pokemon say that it likes me. What a good time that was; i wish Poison Ivy had lived to see these developments. Anyway, this challenged N's view that pokemon were more than slaves, a view he now appears to be ready to break with. Glad to see he's finally seen the light. After our chat, he flies off into the distance on... Kitty the Zekrom? Apparently it wasn't fully dead when i fled and N nursed it back to health to replace the Reshiram i killed. Regardless, i'm glad i got through to this boy and i hope we will meet again in the future.

I head back to Nuvema Town and stay another night in the room i rented there. The next morning though, there seem to be two versions of "mom" waiting for me downstairs. One of them reveals himself to be Looker in disguise. It's great to meet up again with my old friend from France and Hawaii; i wonder what the international police is looking for this time. He reveals that he wants my help in finding and taking down the Seven Sages; they have gone into hiding since i beat N, and now they need to be brought to justice. I agree to help, and as a thank-you gift, looker hands me... a fishing rod? eh, i'm sure it'll be useful. Looker then leaves, and i step outside to follow him when i run into Cheren and Bianca. Bianca apparently arrived late on the scene at N's castle because she went to get the Striaton Gym Leaders and thus missed the main event. that's ok, but what Cheren says thereafter is harder to forgive: he let Ghetsis escape when the Shadow Triad created an opening. All this effort, and the big bad is still on the loose. Well, i am going to catch that man if it's the last thing i do! he deserves to be behind bars for all time. While we're talking about this Cedric Juniper comes out of the Professor's lab and notices us, so he heads over and hands all of us a National Dex. Whatever, i'm not working on these dex things.

After all of them head off, i decide to call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Rioolrat (Watchog) lv 60
Present (Jellicent) lv 60
Talos (Golurk) lv 60
Meh (Boldore) lv 60
Belle (Cinccino) lv 60

N actually flew off on his Reshiram; i just changed it to Zekrom so that it'll make more sense that he has that when i get to Black 2