TINA's Nuzlocke Series

[There Is No Arceus]

With our training finally done, it's time for Arme Nana and me to face our final test. I buy some last healing items, then i head into the pokemon league to challenge the elite four. My first opponent is Lorelei; she leads with Dewgong and i lead with Dr Snorlax. Two body slams get the kill, and next is Cloyster. I opt to send Arme Nana out for this thing, but while i get it to the red in one move, i get trapped in clamp for a few turns and have to heal. After the clamp ends though, i take it out. Third is Slowbro, so Dr Snorlax comes back out. I actually outspeed and his moves do next to nothing, so i take him out with ease. It's now time for Jynx, and i switch to Donatello. Two surfs is enough as she misses a move, meaning Lorelei is down to her last mon, her Lapras. I stay in here as she can do very little to me, but i can also do little to her. Lorelei uses a bunch of super potions for some reason, but eventually Lapras goes down. One elite four member down, three to go.

We Don't Talk About Bruno (From "Encanto")

See Disney’s Encanto now streaming on Disney+ ️✨Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto” tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who li...

www.youtube.com

Next up is Agatha. She leads with her Gengar and i lead with Konaan. I outspeed and kill with an Earthquake, and Agatha sends out her Golbat. This seems like a job for my trusted partner Arme Nana; after i get it to the red with a thunderbolt, Agatha somehow uses a super potion at the end of the turn. doesn't matter though; i just kill it with a second thunderbolt. Haunter is my next opponent, so i send Konaan back in and kill it with an earthquake, after which Agatha's Arbok awaits the same fate. Last but not least is her second Gengar, which is Dr Snorlax's task. My psychics unfortunately do less than half, and we both end up lowering each other's special. I have to heal up here though after i end up in crit range, but i get the kill after that. One elite four member to go.

In the final elite four room, i'm surprised to find that Lance occupies this position again. I guess someone beat me to becoming champion. Oh well, i'll just beat lance and then challenge that person. Lance leads with his Gyarados and i lead with Arme Nana. A single thunderbolt is enough to take him down, and up next is his dragonair. I decide that Konaan is the man for the job; i get him to the red in one earthquake, but a hyper potion at the end of the turn brings him back to full health. two turns later though, he goes down. Time for the second dragonair, which is a job for Dr Snorlax. I easily tank a Hyper Beam, and use the next two turns to take him out with a beam of my own, though this one is made of ice. Second last is his Aerodactyl, so i go for Donatello and take it out with a surf. Finally, for Lance's Dragonite, i send Dr Snorlax back in. A crit Thunder leaves me with a sliver, and i don't OHKO him with Ice Beam. I obviously have to heal now, and fortunately the next thunder misses. I tank a Blizzard and take him out with another Ice Beam. That's the elite four down. Only the champion remains.

To my surprise, when i walk into the champion's chamber, the person i find there is none other than Ruben, my asshat rival. Turns out he got here just before me. No matter though; i've never lost to him, and i'm certainly not losing now. He leads with Sandslash and i lead with Fushisaur. Razor Leaf crits as it always does, and takes him out. Alakazam is up next, so i switch to Dr Snorlax. Body Slam only just misses out on the one-shot, but it doesn't matter as he wastes time with Kinesis. For Ruben's Exeggutor, i send out Stinky, who two-shots with flamethrower. Fourth is Cloyster, and i decide it's Arme Nana's time to shine. Thunderbolt does not one-shot, and i would have been dead to a crit ice beam, but it does not crit. The second thunderbolt does get the kill, and next is Ninetales. Donatello comes in and two-shots with Surf, meaning Ruben is down to his ace, his Jolteon. I decide to give this job to the newest member of my team, and Konaan takes it out with a single Earthquake. I've won. I'm the champion.

After my victory, that senile professor from pallet town arrives; he came to congratulate his grandson, but Ruben already lost before he got here So instead, Professor Oak leads me through the hall of fame, where my team will be recorded for eternity. We did it, guys. With this achievement, i decide to take some time to commemorate those who lost their lives to allow for this outcome.

Vlieger the Pidgey. You weren't with us for long, but we appreciate your sacrifice in the second battle against Ruben. RIP.

Kutrat the Rattata. Your brave sacrifice against Brock allowed us to get the first badge. RIP.

Tori the Pidgeot. You were with us almost since the start and played an important role in more battles than i can count, most notably taking on most of Erika's mons. Then your life tragically ended when i played more recklessly than i should have against Koga. RIP.

John the Dugtrio. You joined us just before Lt. Surge, and singlehandedly destroyed him. After that, you repeatedly proved your worth against this region's many poison types. Unfortunately, Giovanni's Nidoqueen proved a bit too strong. RIP.

Special shoutout to Groentje the Butterfree. Without you, the early game would have been impossible. We owe our victory over Brock to you. Unfortunately, you started to fall off around the third gym, and we had to let you go. Have a good life.

As we're celebrating, i remember the original purpose of my trip to kanto; i had honestly completely forgotten about all the alternate universe shenanigans. I disguised myself as a boy to be anonymous, but now i've gone and made a name for myself in this disguise. Guess the only thing left to do now is go train at Mt. Silver again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The winning team:

Fushisaur (Venusaur) lv 55
Dr Snorlax (Snorlax) lv 56
Stinky (Charizard) lv 55
Konaan (Nidoking) lv 56
Donatello (Blastoise) lv 56
Arme Nana (Pikachu) lv 56

didn't expect i'd be able to keep Pikachu alive for the whole challenge. Anyway, Chapter 11: Sapphire will start in not too long.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Chapter 11: Sapphire

Rules for this challenge will be as follows:

1. The challenge is complete upon defeating the pokemon league
2. I will not be making use of the game corner
3. In terms of encounters, the underwater counts as a single area that is not part of the routes above it
4. This game will be played on a cartridge whose internal battery has run dry. This means time-based events like berry growth and the tides at Shoal Cave will not happen.

Time for the original nuzlocke. Well, not entirely, as i have Sapphire and not Ruby. I don't think there's any surprises this game can throw at me; i've played it a million times by now so i know it like the back of my hand. Anyway, let's get started.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As i was training on Mt. Silver, i once again came face to face with a very powerful trainer who slaughtered my team, including dear sweet Arme Nana. I can't bear to stay in Kanto after this devastating loss, so my mom and i decided to move again. Memories of all the good times i spent with Arme Nana flash before my eyes as i sit in the back of the moving truck towards our home in Kyushu - sorry, "Hoenn". All the gyms we fought, all the challenges we faced, only to be brutally parted like this.

When we finally arrive, i step out of the truck into Littleroot Town and into our hime, where the Machoke movers are busy getting everything in place. Mom tells me that Dad gave me a clock to commemorate my move to his region of residence, so i head upstairs to set it. When i get back downstairs, there's a news report playing from the Petalburg Gym, where my dad works. Unfortunately i just missed it though. Ah well, now that we live in the same region again, i guess i can meet him anytime anyway. I decide to pop over to my neighbor's place to introduce myself, and i meet this universe's version of Brendan. We don't have much time to get well-acquainted though, as Brendan has to go help out his dad Professor Birch.

Birch isn't in his lab when i go to meet him, so i opt to go explore north onto route 101, where i find Birch being attacked by a Poochyena. I quickly grab a poke ball from Birch's bag to save him; it contains a Torchic. This torchic is strong enough to make short work of the Poochyena, so as thanks, the professor takes me back to his lab and gives me the flaming chicken. I shall nickname it Benekiptus. Birch tells me that Brendan is out researching pokemon on route 103, and that i should now test my mettle against him to see who's stronger, so i head off through Route 101 and Oldale Town.

When i reach Brendan, he agrees to fight me to show me "what being a trainer is about". mate, i've become champion in numerous regions already. Whatever, i'll just fight him. Benekiptus makes short work of his Mudkip, but Brendan has no hard feelings and we head back to the professor's lab together. Here, the professor tries to get me to participate in his pokedex project and gives me one of the devices, but i see no reason to play his assistant. I've got aspirations of my own, and collecting them all isn't one of them. I do appreciate the five poke balls Brendan gives me to help though.

When i try to head out again, my mom stops me and gives me a pair of Running Shoes, which is great. Really can't run on those old shoes, after all. Anyway, i head onto route 101, and i accidentally kill a Zigzagoon there. I then head north of Oldale onto route 103, where i catch Ziggy the Zigzagoon. There's little of note on these routes though, so i set my course west towards Petalburg. On route 102, i catch another Zigzagoon and name this one Boet.

Before i head all the way through the route, i decide it is probably a good idea to train Ziggy up a bit. I train him for a while, then i head on. When i reach Petalburg, i of course immediately head for my dad's gym. I haven't spoken to the guy in a long time; we have a lot to catch up on. Just as i'm done telling him about everything that has happened, including all the regions i became the champion of and all the ultra wormhole weirdness, Wally comes in and asks my dad to help him catch a pokemon. Dad's too busy, so i opt to volunteer in his stead. I guide Wally through the process, and Wally ends up catching a Ralts of his own.

Back in the gym, we part ways with Wally; he's gonna live in Verdanturf Town with his uncle. Dad then tells me the location of the first gym leader; Roxanne in Rustboro City. I don't think i'm quite strong enough to take dad on yet, so it does make sense to go to Rustboro first. So i head onto route 104, where i manage to catch... another Zigzagoon. This one will be named Ziggo. In the middle of this route lies the Petalburg Woods, where i finally encounter something other than a Zigzagoon. I catch a Taillow here, who shall be nicknamed Birdyman. Birdyman will now undergo some training so that it gets at the same level as Benekiptus and Ziggy.

When this training is done, i proceed further through this dark forest. About halfway through, i run into a guy looking for Shroomish; unfortunately i can't help him, as i haven't seen any either. As we're talking though, a grunt from team Magma shows up. These guys were very helpful in taking down Team Magma all those moons ago, but when i ask him whether he's seen any of the mushroom pokemon, he doesn't answer and instead insists that the Shroomish guy hands over some Devon papers. This is not good; i step in to protect this poor employee and beat up the grunt. I really hope this was just a rogue grunt and that team Aqua has not gone evil.

After this encounter, the aqua grunt heads off north to Rustboro, and i opt to give chase. I head up north out of the forest, and through the remainder of route 104. When i reach Rustboro though, the trail goes cold. I can't seem to find the guy. Oh well. I don't think my current team is well-equipped to deal with the gym, so i opt to head onto route 116, where i actually find a Nincada. This little bug will be called Ninjutsu; he may well become a key player throughout this journey, even if he's not all that good against Roxanne.

After a while of training Ninjutsu up, i decide to call it a day for now.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Ninjutsu (Nincada) lv 10
Benekiptus (Torchic) lv 12
Ziggy (Zigzagoon) lv 11
Birdyman (Taillow) lv 11
Boet (Zigzagoon) lv 3
Ziggo (Zigzagoon) lv 5

No idea how i'm gonna beat Roxanne with this team. Nothing can hit rocks for even neutral damage. Even her gym trainers may well be tough.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

After training Ninjutsu up, i proceed through the rest of the route, but an encounter with a hiker and his three geodude makes me realise i'm not yet strong enough for Roxanne. So after a quick foray into Rusturf Tunnel where i catch Nanersbelt the Whismur, i proceed my training.

After my training is complete, i take on the gym. This is a rock gym, but given what mons i currently have, it makes little sense to leave anyone behind. The gym is very straightforward; no puzzles, i just have to beat up the gym trainers and make my way to Roxanne. I walk up to her and challenge her, so she sends out her Geodude. I lead with Ninjutsu and start by setting up six sand attacks. After that, i set up six hardens. With my setup done, it's time to start chipping away with Leech Life and Fury Swipes. Roxanne uses her potions here, prolonging the battle, but eventually the Geodude goes down. Roxanne sends out her Nosepass next and i sand-attack this thing six times too. , then i start chipping away with Fury Swipes. I do fall into crit range here so i use a potion, but Roxanne has been using them so it's ok if i do too. My PP for Fury swipes also doesn't appear to be sufficient to take it down, so i switch in Ziggy after it's done, but Ziggy immediately gets hit through the sand-attacks and lands in crit range. I heal him up, then it's time to start chipping again. Not long after, a crit Headbutt kills the Nosepass and wins me the battle.

As i step outside, i see the Devon employee from the petalburg woods chasing the Aqua Grunt i fought there; apparently the crook has stolen some goods from devon. I'll look into it, but first i pay a visit to the cutter's house here in town, and he gives me HM01 Cut. Ziggy will be learning this move, so that i can now clear small bushes in my path. With that out of the way, i give chase to the aqua grunt; i pursue him onto Route 116 and into Rusturf Tunnel. Seems he has taken Mr. Briney's pet Wingull Peeko hostage; i just charge in to free the bird and get the goods. Good thing this tunnel is still under construction in this universe; if it wasn't a dead end, he'd have gotten away. I beat him up, take back the goods and rescue the bird, but unfortunately i cannot stop him from just running out of the cave. No matter though; we have what we need. We can apprehend the crook some other time. I'll just clear out the northern section of Route 116 and then return the goods to Devon.

You'd think the president of this big company would give me a gift or something in appreciation of me saving his employee, but no. When i meet the guy, he just treats me like an errand girl, telling me to deliver a letter to Steven Stone in Dewford and the goods i just recovered to Captain Stern in Slateport. It will be nice to see Steven again, but i'm not doing this right now. Instead, i'm calling it a day.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Benekiptus (Torchic) lv 14
Ziggy (Zigzagoon) lv 14
Birdyman (Taillow) lv 14
Ninjutsu (Nincada) lv 15
Boet (Zigzagoon) lv 3
Ziggo (Zigzagoon) lv 5

I could probably have beaten the gym rather easily if i had leveled Benekiptus up to level 16 to evolve it, but i don't like overleveling past my problems.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Looks like i'm gonna have to cross the seas even though i currently cannot surf. Fortunately, Mr. Briney owes me a favor for saving his pet Peeko, so i go to his cabin south of the Petalburg Woods. He agrees to take me to Dewford, so now i can go look for Steven. While asking around town, a guy offers me his Old Rod, which i of course gladly accept. Lots of water in this region after all; plenty of spots to fish. I try it out immediately and land Blub the Magikarp. I opt to try it out again on the beaches of route 106, where i land another magikarp, which i will name Splasher. On this route, i also find the Granite Cave. Steven's fond of mining for rocks if i recall correctly, having a special fondness for Mega Stones. There's a decent chance he's again examining the rock paintings of Groudon found in this cave system.

So i head inside and catch Batterene the Zubat. It's too dark to properly explore though; a guy at the entrance is kind enough to give me HM05 Flash, but i cannot use it until i beat the gym here on the island. I'm not strong enough for that yet, so it's time for some training. While i am training up, Benekiptus evolves into Combusken, adding some much-needed strength to my team, as well as the ability to hurt rock pokemon.

When i'm done with my training, i head for the gym. This is a fighting gym, so Ziggy will be sitting this one out. Instead, we will be joined by Blub the Magikarp, as death fodder. The puzzle in this gym basically comes down to defeating the gym trainers to light up my path. I manage this and find my way to Brawly, so that we can do battle for the badge. He leads with Machop and i lead with Birdyman. Two wing attacks take him out as he wastes time with bulk up, so i'm still at full health for his other pokemon, his Makuhita. Makuhita does hit me with a sand-attack, but Birdyman hits through the sand for a two-shot. Victory is mine, without even taking damage.

With the badge in hand, i can teach Flash to my pokemon. Only Ninjutsu is able to learn it though, and i really don't want to waste a moveslot on one of my good mons, so i decide to just try and get through the cave in the dark. I do eventually stumble into steven, though i can't seem to find the room with the murals. No matter though. I hand the letter to Steven, and we get acquainted. He doesn't seem to believe me when i tell him about all the multiverse shenanigans and that i already defeated an alternate version of him in the championship battle, but no matter. With the letter delivered, i ask Mr. Briney to bring me back to the mainland so i can get my reward from Mr. Stone.

Mr. Stone gives me an Exp Share for my trouble, but then reminds me that i'm not yet done being his errand girl. He still wants me to take the Devon Goods to Slateport. I really should tell the old man to head there himself rather than treating me as his lackey, but i probs shouldn't upset this powerful man. For now though, i'm calling it a day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Ziggy (Zigzagoon) lv 17
Ninjutsu (Nincada) lv 17
Birdyman (Taillow) lv 18
Benekiptus (Combusken) lv 18
Boet (Zigzagoon) lv 3
Ziggo (Zigzagoon) lv 5

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Guess i should be heading for Nagasaki - sorry, "Slateport City" - now. Fortunately, Mr. Briney is still willing to sail me around, and we hit land on the beaches of Route 109. While i'm on this pleasant beach resort, i fish up yet another magikarp and name this one Parhuda. I lounge on this beach for a while and beat a bunch of trainers, then i head on to complete my mission in Nagasaki. I head into Captain Stern's wharf, but the captain is out and about. Guess i'll return later. I'll just spend some time perusing the city's marketplace and exploring route 110 just to the north. On this route, i manage to get my hands on an Electrike, which i nickname Perdita. I also decide to go fishing in Nagasaki itself, and i land another Magikarp. This one will be named Feesh.

I have time before Captain Stern comes back, so i opt to go and train Perdita up to the level of my other guys. When i'm done training though, Captain Stern still isn't back, so i decide to check out the city's oceanic museum. Lots of aqua grunts here; glad to see my old allies again, taking an interest in marine technology. On the top floor, i find mr. Stern and give him the parts, but we're immediately attacked by two aqua grunts who want to steal it from us. Guess the incident in Rustboto wasn't an isolated case. After i fight them off, Archie himself even shows up and threatens me to not interfere with Team Aqua's plans again. I always had a feeling that he'd be just as bad as Maxie if the tables were turned, but it still hurts to see that my former ally will most likely become my enemy now.

Anyway, with the goods delivered, i'm free to head off on my own accord again. I head north to route 110 and pay a visit to my old friend, the trick master. He has developed new puzzles since i last traveled this region, so i'm happy to take them on. For this puzzle, i have to navigate a bunch of cuttable bushes. After i manage this and get a rare candy as a reward, i opt to head west onto the eastern portion of Route 103, but this turns out to be a dead end. I think i'll call it a day for now.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Ninjutsu (Nincada) lv 18
Ziggy (Zigzagoon) lv 19
Birdyman (Taillow) lv 19
Benekiptus (Combusken) lv 19
Perdita (Electrike) lv 19
Ziggo (Zigzagoon) lv 5

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I decide to head through the path under the cycling road despite all the traffic noise coming from above, as it's the only place left to go. On this route, i actually bump into my old friend Brendan, who wishes to see whether i've been becoming stronger. He leads with Shroomish and i lead with Benekiptus. I kill him with two embers, though he does get the paralysis on me. No matter though; Marshtomp is up next. I decide it's probably wisdom to switch to Birdyman; i outspeed and get some damage in, then he goes for bide. This allows me to get off a focus energy and a growl, but while i crit on the next turn and bring him to the yellow, his water gun does way over half. I see only one safe option here; to sack Ziggo and bring in Ziggy. Rest in peace Ziggo, you found me many useful items. Ziggy's headbutt does not kill though, and he lowers my accuracy with mud shot. This ends up not mattering, as i dodge a crit water gun and hit a headbutt through the accuracy loss, which kills. Last is Numel and i bring Benekiptus back out. His moves do next to nothing to me, so i double kick him to death.

As a reward for this victory, Brendan gives me the Itemfinder, which i'm sure is gonna be very useful. Time to replace Ziggo though; fortunately i have another Zigzagoon who can serve as fodder and to supply us with pickup items. Boet is back on the team. I proceed onward after this, and a short while later, i arrive in Mauville City. This city doesn't at all look like how i remember it; i recall it essentially being a giant mall. This just looks like a regular city rather than the region's de facto capital. While here, i opt to feed Ninjutsu a rare candy so that it will shed its shell and evolve into Ninjask, but after this happens, i notice the shell still has life left in it, so i catch it in a Poke Ball. This strange life form shall be named The Shadow, but it's going in the box for now.

From here, i opt to go check on my old friends, the Winstrate family. They still enjoy themselves some good pokemon battles, so i fight them all in a row. During these fights, Ziggy actually evolves into Linoone. I do have to use a bunch of healing items though, and i end up having to sack Boet against the grandma's Meditite. I do eventually manage to take them all down though, and i hang around with them for a bit, discussing battle strategies and the such. Can't stay forever though; i'll make sure to battle these guys again if i ever make a third trip through Kyushu.

I could go and challenge the gym now, but i decide to wait a bit with that. Instead, i head west onto route 117 and catch an Oddish. This Oddish will be named Herb and it will join the team, though i'm not doing a training session right now. Instead, Herb will be holding the Exp Share for the time being. While exploring the route, in find that it is home to a day care center, but i've never seen the purpose of these institutions; i can raise my mons by myself just fine. When i finally reach Verdanturf Town, i decide to go visit Wally, but he doesn't seem to be home. Rusturf Tunnel's still blocked, so it's time to head back.

While hanging around Mauville for a bit more, i find a bike shop that's handing out free bikes. Eh, i prefer to walk, but this will let me enjoy the view from atop the cycling road on route 110. The view here over the water is quite a sight to behold, though it is unfortunate that you have to ride a bike in order to see it; guess letting pedestrians into traffic is generally not the best idea. I enjoy the view for a bit, but then it's time to heac back to Mauville to face the gym.

Before i can enter though, i see the reason Wally was not in Verdanturf: he's here. He's contemplating challenging the gym, but he wants to test his strength against me first. I lead with Ziggy, and he sends out the strongest Ralts i've ever seen. Ziggy only just manages to outspeed, and hits a headbutt that dissuades the ralts from continuing the battle. That was close; can you believe i survived that match with only 6 of my pokemon remaining at full health?

After this, Wally heads off and i'm free to challenge the gym. This is an electric gym, so Birdyman and Ninjutsu are sitting this one out. Instead, i'm bringing Blub and Parhuda the magikarps, as death fodder. The buzzle here is still the same as last time i traveled the region; you have to step on switches to turn the electric fences on and off. While fighting the trainers here, my newest teammate, Herb, actually evolves into Gloom to show us how powerful it can be. Not long hereafter, i make it to Wattson and challenge him to a battle. He leads with Magnemite and i lead with Benekiptus. Double Kick does not kill, and he hits me with a sonicboom. Wattson wastes his healing items here, but i do get hit by another sonicboom before Magnemite goes down. Next is Voltorb and i opt to switch in Herb. I go for a poisonpowder as he hits me with a crit spark. He then goes for selfdestruct, taking my dead sweet flower with him. Rest in peace Herb, you weren't with us for long, but you made your presence known. I send out Ziggy next as Wattson goes for his Magneton. I can barely hurt hum, and eventually i opt to sack Blub to get Benekiptus back in. I heal him up, but Shock Wave does over half even when it does not crit. So i sack Parhuda and get Perdita in, who can then paralyze the magneton. I stay in to use a full restore on Benekiptus, then i switch Benekiptus into a Sonicboom. I bring him to the yellow with double kick as he thunder waves me, but then Wattson heals as i hit another double kick, which does just over half. Thankfully, he is fully paralyzed the next turn, allowing me to dodge the crit and get the kill. That was a tough battle with many losses on my side, but we pulled through.

With that, i take some time to mourn Herb's loss and call it a day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Benekiptus (Combusken) lv 23
Perdita (Electrike) lv 21
Ziggy (Linoone) lv 21
Ninjutsu (Ninjask) lv 20
Birdyman (Taillow) lv 21
Feesh (Magikarp) lv 9

When i got the Nincada, i was really excited to be using Shedinja, but upon checking out the teams for most of the bosses, it seems like there's only a few where he can actually contribute, so it's not worth keeping him on my team.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

With this gym badge, i can now use HM06 Rock Smash, so i look around town to see if anyone has that HM. I eventually find it in a house on the southeast of town, and teach the move to Ziggy. This move allows me to head for Verdanturf Town and do my good deed for the day, clearing up the smashable rock and opening up Rusturf Tunnel for travel. The guy working here is so thankful that he actually gives me HM04 Strength. I cannot use it outside of battle yet, but it sure is a lot more useful than the Aggronite i got last time i did this. Come to think of it, i haven't come across any mega stones anywhere in this version of Kyushu, but i'm sure i will later.

I should probably check whether my old friend the Trick Master has something new; it's been a while after all. He does have something; this time i have to navigate a maze to activate switches and create platforms across gaps. When i reach the end, the trick master rewards me with a Timer Ball, and i head on my way.

The only place left to explore with the HMs i currently know is route 111, north of Mauville. I smash the rocks there and head north, but the sandstorm later on the route hurts my eyes so i opt to take the long way around. I head west onto route 112 and catch a Numel, which i shall nickname Vesuvius. Might be useful later, but i already have two ground weaknesses on the team, so it's going in the box for now. I battle the trainers on this hillside route, and while i'm doing so, Birdyman evolves into Swellow. This will give my team some firepower it desparately needs. When i arrive at the slopes of Mt. Chimney, i find Team Aqua blocking the entrance to the cable car, which can't be good. I wasn't heading in that direction though; instead, i head through the Fiery Path and catch Drab the Grimer along the way. Once i reach the other side of Route 112, i head back east to route 111, where i find a lone house with an old lady. She offers me and my pokemon some rest, which i gladly take, though i refuse her offers to rest longer. A guy here also offers us his TM for Secret Power so that i may build a secret base, but i don't care for homesteading.

To the northwest lies Route 113, where the ashfall from Mt. Chimney has created a beautiful landscape of ash-covered plants and buildings. Truly a sight to see if you ever travel through this region. I find a little Sandshrew scuttling through these ashy grasses, so i catch him and name him Tunnel Rat. He will be joining the team once we get out of the wilderness. Not all goes well on this route though. In the fight against a Ninja Boy, his Koffing landed a crit Selfdestruct on Ninjutsu, killing him from full health. Rest in peace Ninjutsu, we owe our victory over Roxanne to you. Things get even worse when another of his Koffing blows up on Birdyman, killing him too. Looks like we're going to have to halt our progress for now to train up some new team members.

Joining our team will be Feesh the Magikarp and Tunnel Rat the Sandshrew. A lot of training later, i decide to call it a day.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Tunnel Rat (Sandshrew) lv 19
Ziggy (Linoone) lv 23
Benekiptus (Combusken) lv 24
Feesh (Magikarp) lv 16
Perdita (Electrike) lv 23
Splasher (Magikarp) lv 10

 

[There Is No Arceus]

As i proceed my training, Feesh evolves into Gyarados and Tunnel Rat evolves into Sandslash. I finish up my training, then i proceed west through the ashes, but once i reach Fallarbor i decide to call it a day. I'll head further west next time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Feesh (Gyarados) lv 22
Tunnel Rat (Sandslash) lv 22
Benekiptus (Combusken) lv 24
Ziggy (Linoone) lv 23
Perdita (Electrike) lv 23
Splasher (Magikarp) lv 10

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I do the touristy things here in Fallarbor and check out the mesmerizing craters created by the debris from Mt. Chimney, then i opt to visit my old friend Professor Cozmo. He isn't home though; his wife tells me he went to Meteor Falls with people from Team Aqua. I should probably go rescue him. So i head west onto route 114 and i come across the Fossil Maniac's house. Guy's dug himself quite a tunnel, but unfortunately it seems he hasn't found anything. His little brother does give me the TM for Dig though, giving Tunnel Rat a good ground move.

I proceed further on the route and catch myself Leafhead the Lotad. Maybe i'll use him later, but not right now. I unfortunately do not have the time to admire the mountainscape in the south of the route, so i head straight into Meteor Falls and catch a Zubat there. This guy's name will be Battata. I do indeed run into Team Aqua, who took the professor here to steal a meteorite from him. Wasn't there something involving a meteorite last time i travelled through Kyushu? Eh, not important right now. I'm about to take these goons on, when my old enemy Maxie shows up and drives them off. Maxie tells me about how evil Team Aqua are and how destructive they can be, which is rich coming from the man who almost caused all the world's oceans to dry up. Still though, i guess we're on the same side now. Team Aqua has taken the meteorite to the peak of Mt. Chimney, so i guess i should be heading there too.

So i trek all the way back through Fallarbor, Route 112 and the Fiery Path to reach the cable car leading up the mountain. There, i find that Team Magma and Team Aqua are already engaged in some heavy battling, but it seems like Team Magma is outnumbered. So i'll have to step in and take out the Aqua bosses. First up is their admin, Matt. He leads with Carvanha and i lead with Perdita. A single spark takes him out, and next is Poochyena. This job goes to Benekiptus, who takes it out with a double kick. Last is a second Carvanha, so Perdita comes back out and kills the thing with another spark.

This allows me to reach the Aqua leader, Archie. I don't like having to take down an old ally, but he's forcing my hand here. He explains to me that he is trying to make the volcano become inactive so that its crater can fill with rain water and become a home for water pokemon. This sounds like a good idea on paper, but one must think of the ecosystems that will be destroyed. I've no choice but to take him on; he clearly cannot be reasoned with. He leads with Mightyena and i lead with Benekiptus. Because of intimidate, Double Kick only does half, and he lands a sand-attack. That doesn't stop a second double kick from killing though, so Golbat is next. I opt to send out Ziggy here, but after i crit a strength, he heals up. Archie goes all out on healing this golbat all the time, but since he just keeps on missing supersonic, i eventually whittle him down and take him out. Last is his ace, Sharpedo. Perdita comes out and oneshots with spark after he wastes time with focus energy, which means victory is mine.

Maxie congratulates me on my victory, but i really don't value praise from that man. Just because we were on the same side here does not make us friends. We did succesfully take out team Aqua though, so i grab the meteorite; I'll deliver it to the professor later. For now, i'll enjoy the magnificent view from atop this volcano. One can see all of Kyushu from here; views like these are the reason i set out on this pokemon journey to begin with. These beautiful memories can never be taken from me.

Can't stay forever though. After i'm done with the view, i head down the Jagged Pass and catch Chimney the Numel, named after the magnificent volcano i just visited. At the base of the mountain, i reach Lavaridge town, the town with the famous hot springs. While i am enjoying these springs, an old lady notices that i am a trainer and asks me to take care of a Pokemon Egg she was trying to hatch. I gladly accept and take the egg along as i start my training for the fire gym here.

After Perdita evolves into the mighty Manectric, i decide it's time to take on the gym. This is a fire gym, so no one will have to sit this one out, but i am leaving behind my egg in favor of Splasher the Magikarp, who will serve as death fodder. The puzzle here revolves around falling through sand and using trampolines to get back up, to navigate the gym's floors. I eventually manage this and challenge the gym leader, Flannery. She leads with Slugma and i lead with Feesh. I unfortunately do not know any water moves, so two dragon rages take it out, though i do get poisoned by Smog. Next up is another Slugma, and i opt to switch to Perdita for this one. Spark brings it down to a sliver as it sets up sunny day, after which Flannery repeatedly heals while i keep bringing her health back down. Eventually i get a high roll and Slugma goes down, so last is her ace, Torkoal. This is quite a scary enemy under the sun, but i decide that Tunnel Rat can probably handle it. I was wrong. Dig does manage to get him to half health, but i cannot tank a sun-boosted overheat. This one's wholly on me. I should have wasted more turns by sending something out that resists fire. I send Ziggy out, but after seeing how little strength does and how much flail does to me, i opt to switch to Feesh for an intimidate. White Smoke prevents that though, so i sack Splasher to get Perdita in. Perdita's Spark then finishes off the Torkoal.

I have no one but myself to blame for what happened here. I should have known i wouldn't get the kill, and that i can't take a sun-boosted overheat. When i step outside the gym, i run into Brendan, who gives me some Go-goggles to traverse the desert. I guess i'll go there next time. For now, i'm taking time to mourn.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Feesh (Gyarados) lv 26
Benekiptus (Combusken) lv 26
Ziggy (Linoone) lv 26
Perdita (Manectric) lv 26
Egg

not happy with myself right now

Also, in case you're curious why i trekked all the way back rather than using Rusturf Tunnel, it's because i really don't want an encounter from the rock smash rocks north of mauville.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

With my new goggles, i head to the desert on route 111 and catch myself Clay the Baltoy. Clay will be joining our team in Tunnel Rat's place. In this endless sea of sand, i also find a pair of fossils; i try to take both, but unfortunately the claw fossil here sinks into the sand the moment i grab the root fossil. Shame, but at least i got one. I conclude my business in the desert and take off these goggles, then i opt to go check on my old friend the trick master. It's been a while since i've visited him, so he probably has something new. Indeed he does; this time i have to use switches to open and close doors and navigate a maze. I eventually manage this, and he gives me a Hard Stone as a reward.

Up next, i think i should show my fossil to the folks at Devon; they'll know what to do with it. If i recall correctly, one of them was working on a device that can revive fossils. This does indeed turn out to be true; the man manages to revive my root fossil into a Lileep. This Lileep shall be named Lily and it shall join my team.

Time to train my two new team members up. While i am training, my egg hatches into a baby Wynaut, which i nickname WaaromNiet. It's going in the box though. A lot of training later, i decide to call it a day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Lily (Lileep) lv 24
Benekiptus (Combusken) lv 26
Ziggy (Linoone) lv 27
Perdita (Manectric) lv 26
Clay (Baltoy) lv 24
Feesh (Gyarados) lv 27

 

[There Is No Arceus]

With my training completed, it's time to head back to Petalburg. I have four badges now, so dad should be willing to battle me. He runs a normal gym, so nobody is going to have to sit this one out. The gym puzzle involves battling trainers in a bunch of rooms, but i don't get it so i just battle everyone. Eventually, i do make it through and challenge dad to a battle. I do not have an easy answer to Slaking this time, so i expect this to be tough. I lead with Feesh and he leads with his first Slaking. Facade brings me into crit range despite the intimidate, so i switch Benekiptus in as Slaking is loafing. Benekiptus does far less with double kick than i thought, and takes half from facade, so i'm going to have to rely on healing strats. I send Lily out and slowly whittle down the Slaking, healing up as needed. It takes a long time, but eventually he goes down and dad sends out his other Slaking. I switch to Ziggy for this one; he likes to spam focus punch, so as long as i keep up the offensive pressure, he cannot do anything. Last is Vigoroth and i send out Perdita. Things don't go to plan though once again; he brings me in crit range with just one slash. So i again have to rely on Lily and healing strats. I set up an ingrain since i don't plan on switching anymore anyway, but he repeatedly encores that move and forces me to use all my pp for it. After that though, i get a bunch of bullet seeds in and eventually reduce his HP to zero, earning me the victory.

I've once again proven myself stronger than my own father. The old man, the reason i got into Pokemon battling, has lost to me for a second time. The student truly has become the master. Anyway, dad tells me that Wally's parents asked for me recently, so i should head over to their house. Apparently Wally has been much happier and healthier since he moved to Verdanturf; his parents think he owes this to me, so they want to give me HM03 Surf as a gift. I thank the man and teach this move to Feesh, then i decide to call it a day.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Feesh (Gyarados) lv 28
Perdita (Manectric) lv 28
Clay (Baltoy) lv 28
Lily (Lileep) lv 28
Benekiptus (Combusken) lv 29
Ziggy (Linoone) lv 29

Going on vacation tomorrow, so i'm afraid this series will be put on hold for 3 weeks.

 

[FelipePR]

Going on vacation tomorrow, so i'm afraid this series will be put on hold for 3 weeks.

I do the touristy things here in Fallarbor and check out the mesmerizing craters created by the debris from Mt. Chimney, then i opt to visit my old friend Professor Cozmo.

That is a Quality vacation .

 

[There Is No Arceus]

That is a Quality vacation .

yup, that's what i was doing during my vacation. i was in hoenn checking out Fallarbor's craters.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

With Surf, i can now explore this region's many waterways. First though, i surf around on a pond here in town to catch myself Tommy the Marill. Little else to do in Petalburg though, so i head out southwest to explore the waterways around Dewford. I cross ways with a Tentacool whole exploring route 105, so i catch the little bugger and name him Hentai. Little of note on this route though; just some strange rock formations. So i just proceed through route 106 and Dewford Town to route 107, where Peckers the Wingull falls into my hands. I proceed even further through these seas onto route 108, where i catch another tentacool; this one will be nicknamed Herma-Mora. Unlike the previous, boring water routes though, this place has an actual interesting location to explore: the abandoned ship. There's just something exciting about exploring a shipwreck that has probably been here since well before i was born, and i might even find some worthwhile items that the ship's original occupants left behind. Among the things i find is another Tentacool, so i will be naming this one Octorok.

I search for treasure for some time, but eventually i tire of doing so and i head through the remaining water routes to Nagasaki. Since i'm in this area anyway, i might as well go visit my old friend the trick master. He has yet another challenge for me; this one involves pushing strength blocks around narrow corridors. I eventually manage this, and get a Smoke Ball as a reward. Whatever, the puzzle itself is the reward.

With that, there's just one thing i still want to do before i head to the eastern portion of Kyushu; i want to explore the northern part of route 115. There's this hidden piece of unkempt nature here that's really beautiful; i hear you can even find the elusive Jigglypuff here on occasion. I just find a Swablu though; it shall be named Cloudy. I think i'll stay here for a bit, enjoy the unkempt nature and call it a day for now.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Lily (Lileep) lv 30
Benekiptus (Combusken) lv 30
Feesh (Gyarados) lv 30
Perdita (Manectric) lv 30
Clay (Baltoy) lv 30
Ziggy (Linoone) lv 30

idk why, but it always feels kinda weird to return to a pokemon playthrough after a bunch of time has passed. everything that happened before kinda feels like a distant memory.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

After some time spent relaxing, i decide i should head on with my journey. I head to Mauville with the intention of going east, but i run into Wattson here. Guy has a favor to ask of me; he wants me to shut down the generator in the city's power plant, as it's been going haywire. The power plant, called New Mauville, is located on route 110, south of here. I head in and catch myself a Magnemite, which i proceed to name Magneto. This place reminds me quite a lot of the power plant in Kanto, with all the electric pokemon and the voltorbs masquerading as items. Unfortunately though, my old friend Arme Nana the Pikachu isn't here to explore with me this time. So i just head through by myself and turn the generator off. When i get back to Mauville, Wattson rewards me for my actions with a TM.

Time to head east. I surf across the river, and a guy on the other side gives me his Good Rod. This is nice, though i don't think i'll be using it right now. I also run into my old friend Steven Stone here. We chat for a bit about the philosophy of raising pokemon, but he's a busy man so he has to head off. This encounter reminds me of my previous journey through the region; wasn't this where me and Steven encountered Latios and Latias? I've unfortunately misplaced my Eon Flute, otherwise i'd summon Latios and soar a bit for old time's sake. Good times, good times. Anyway, i catch Pongo the Electrike here, then i head on.

I head east onto route 123, where i steal all of the berry master's crops. This is a dead end though, so i head back, and then north onto route 119. It's unfortunately raining here, which is just my luck, but it can't be helped i guess. Really hampers my enjoyment of this rugged terrain; the tall grass here would prove for an interesting hike if it weren't for the damn water falling from the sky. Anyway, i encounter an Oddish in this area, which i catch and name Vlaflip. I head on until i reach the weather institute; i head in to take shelter from the ongoing downpour, but when i enter, i find the place overrun by Aqua Grunts. These guys are most likely up to no good here, judging by their actions on Mt. Chimney, so i decide to take them on. I fight my way through to the top floor and confront their admin Shelley, who sends out her Carvanha. I lead with Lily and kill the think with two bullet seeds, which brings out Shelley's other pokemon, her Mightyena. I switch to Benekiptus to take this one on, but i get swaggered after hitting a double kick, so i have to switch. I send Feesh out on a bite, then i finish the big dog off with a surf, granting me the victory.

Team Aqua now sees they have no chance against me, and they fuck off. As a reward for saving them, one of the researchers here gives me a Castform, which i nickname H2O. The researchers unfortunately do not know what Team Aqua's reasons were for taking over and stealing their research, so that sucks. I should be heading on though. The rain is still pouring, but it doesn't look like it'll stop any time soon, so i'll just have to tough it out. As i proceed on towards Fortree, i actually run into my neighbor Brendan, who challenges me to a battle in the rain. I never shy away from a fight, so i lead with Benekiptus and he leads with Shroomish. My embers are weakened by the rain, but that doesn't stop me from three-shotting as he poisons and headbutts me. Next is Numel, so i send out Feesh and kill it with a rain-boosted 4x effective surf. Last is Marshtomp, which is a task for Lily. Two bullet seeds later and victory is mine.

As a reward for beating him, Brendan gifts me HM02 Fly. No one in my current party can learn this unfortunately, but i'm sure i can get something from the box when i need to fast travel. We should both be heading on our way though; i proceed through the rest of the route and to Fortree City. In this treehouse town, i decide to call it a day for now.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Feesh (Gyarados) lv 31
Clay (Baltoy) lv 31
Ziggy (Linoone) lv 32
Perdita (Manectric) lv 32
Lily (Lileep) lv 32
Benekiptus (Combusken) lv 32

Apparently there's no prompt to nickname the castform once you receive it; i had to trek all the way back to the name rater to nickname a pokemon i'm probs never using.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I try to make my way towards the gym, but there is an invisible obstacle in the way, so i opt to just head down route 120 instead. On the bridge here across the pond, i run into Steven again, and we catch up a bit on what's been happening. He tells me that the invisible obstacle in my way is actually a pokemon, and gives me the devon scope so that i may identify it. The startled Kecleon attacks me immediately, and in the battle that follows, things go horribly wrong. It manages to land a screech on Perdita, and then it kills with fury swipes, one of which crit. I do manage to catch the kecleon though; it will be named Cruella after what it did to my poor dog.

I mourn this loss for some time, but i cannot just sit around forever. I have gyms to beat. So i pick Magneto the Magnemite as a replacement for Perdita, and train it up for the upcoming gym. After Magneto evolves into Magneton, i decide it's time. I head back to Fortree and use my devon scope to identify the pokemon blocking the way to the gym. It's another Kecleon, but this one flees rather than attacking me, allowing me to get to the gym building. This is a flying gym, so Benekiptus will be sitting this one out. Instead, we will be joined by H2O the Castform, as death fodder. The puzzle here revolves around revolving doors, which i need to push a certain way to navigate my way through. I manage this and make my way to Winona so that i may challenge her to a battle. She leads with Swellow and i lead with Magneto. She gets a double team up, but that doesn't stop Magneto from one-shotting with a thunderbolt. Next up is her ace, the very same Altaria who slaughtered half my team all those moons ago, when i first came here. I give this job to Feesh; Ice Beam to my surprise does not one-shot, but two dragonbreaths from him only do about half so i kill the thing with little effort. No massacre this time. Pelipper is up next, so i bring Magneto back and nail the thing with a 4x effective thunderbolt. Last is Skarmory, but he too falls to a single thunderbolt. Victory is mine.

With this badge in hand, i teach Fly to Peckers the Wingull, and i immediately use this newfound ability to pay another visit to my friend the Trick Master. He has something new for me yet again; this time, my task is to answer trivia questions from his robots. So i put my IQ of 570 to use and get all the questions correct on the first try. As a reward, the trick master gives me TM12 Taunt. With that, i think it's time to call it a day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Clay (Baltoy) lv 31
Feesh (Gyarados) lv 32
Ziggy (Linoone) lv 32
Lily (Lileep) lv 32
Benekiptus (Combusken) lv 32
Magneto (Magneton) lv 32

i'll admit, i got very careless with that kecleon. It already had an intimidate from Feesh, so i thought it would be safe to stay in and thunder wave it despite the screech. Really hurts to lose a mon to your own stupidity.

also, i'd like to state that i did not look up the answers to the trick master's questions. I actually got them all first try (though i did take a lucky guess for one of them)

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Time to head on with my travels. I fly back to fortree city and proceed through route 120, past the bridge where that Kecleon killed my poor Perdita. Unfortunately, it starts raining pretty much immediately when i enter the area, which again is just my luck. I'd have a good time strolling through the route's strange grass patterns, but alas, the constant downpour ruins all the fun. Fortunately, the rain stops just as i reach route 121, which is one of those strange fence mazes. I never quite understood why one would arrange fences in this weird way, i thought they were primarily for containing stuff or demarcating one's property, but oh well. As i traverse this area, i spot a couple of aqua grunts heading towards Mt. Pyre; guess i should head there too. Not right away though; i first have an Oddish to catch here. I name it Plantenbak, then i decide to check out the region's Safari Zone. I'm sure that whatever Team Aqua is up to doesn't require my immediate attention. While playing the safari game, i manage to catch a Doduo, which i shall name 2.

When i'm done in the Zone, i opt to head further east to see if the folks in the Team Magma base in Lilycove feel like taking out Team Aqua. To my surprise though, i find that this is in fact a team aqua base in this universe; i don't think it's a good idea to go barging into a hostile base right now, so instead i head to the department store for some preparations before i assault the ecoterrorists at Mt. Pyre. Here, Brendan stands waiting for me, but before i can explain what's going on, he challenges me to a battle. He leads with Swellow and i lead with Magneto. Double Team doesn't stop me from nailing him with a Thunderbolt, so Brendan goes for his Marshtomp. I send Lily out for this task, and take him down with two bullet seeds. I really should get Lily some better moves, but i digress. Brendan goes for Shroomish next, so i go for Benekiptus. He gets a poisonpowder in, but that doesn't stop me from two-shotting with Ember. Last is his Numel, so i switch to Feesh and one-shot the thing.

With that distraction gone, i decide that i probably don't have the time to go shopping anymore. So i make my way to Route 122 and surf to Mt. Pyre, which serves as Kyushu's pokemon graveyard. I initially start by searching the graveyard's interior, catching Holy Ghost the Shuppet along the way. This yields no results though. At this point, i remember the orbs they keep at the summit, and i realise the situation is way more dire than i thought. Team Magma used them to awaken Groudon; would Team Aqua be planning something similar?

Sure enough, at the peak, i spot Team Aqua. They throw a bunch of grunts at me, but i eventually manage to make my way to Archie. Too late though; he has already gotten his hands on the Red Orb he wanted, so he and his goons just head off. The old couple here urge me to go after these terrorists, and they give me the Blue Orb they held here to counteract the Red Orb Archie stole. I should probably give chase to Team Aqua and retrieve the stolen orb; they mentioned going to Nagasaki, so i will also head in this direction. The fastest way is probably Route 123, a one-way ledge route. I catch a Wingull along the way, and nickname it Verenbaal.

When i finally reach Mauville, i realise i can just fly to Nagasaki. Hope this dawdling didn't cost me too much time. I look around a bit in Nagasaki, and i stumble upon a press conference being held by Captain Stern. He has apparently completed his submarine, and is going to use it to explore an underwater cavern on route 128, the very same route where team Magma found Groudon last time i was here. Things don't go to plan though; we hear voices coming from inside. It looks like Team Aqua has infiltrated the docks and has stolen the submarine. All we can do is watch as they take the sub to their hideout in Lilycove. I will of course give chase, but for now, i'm calling it a day.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Ziggy (Linoone) lv 34
Feesh (Gyarados) lv 34
Lily (Lileep) lv 34
Benekiptus (Combusken) lv 35
Clay (Baltoy) lv 34
Magneto (Magneton) lv 34

Saving the encounters in Lilycove and route 122 for when i have the Super Rod, so that i might find something i actually care about.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I fly back to Lilycove with haste, and head into the Aqua Hideout. For some interesting reason, Team Aqua has designed the place pretty much the same as Team Magma had, with all the teleporter pads strewn about. I stumble about for a while using these pads, but eventually i reach a room with four items, including a Master Ball. Two of the items turn out to be Electrodes though; i catch one of them and name him MasterBall. Anyway, time to head on. Some time later, i finally reach the room where the submarine is held, and i confront Admin Matt. He leads with Carvanha and i lead with Lily. It only takes one giga drain to take him out and heal back all the damage his crunch did to me. Next is Sharpedo, for which i'm switching to Magneto. I'm still paralyzed from a previous battle, but that doesn't matter as he just screeches and i one-shot. Last is Mightyena, which is Benekiptus's job. His intimidate does not stop double kick from doing half, nor does his super potion do anything useful as i just bring his health back down the next turn. He then swaggers me though, causing me to hit myself. I decide switching is wisdom, so i send out Ziggy on an Odor Sleuth. One Strength later and victory is mine.

Turns out this was just a distraction though. While we were fighting, Archie fiished his preparations, so once again i can only watch as he heads off with his submarine to who knows where. I'm not giving up the chase though; i hop on Feesh's back and start surfing across the sea, east of Lilycove. While passing through Route 124, i fish up Uruka the Magikarp. I eventually reach Mossdeep City, where i decide to pay a visit to Steven Stone and inform him of all the awful things going on. He helps me out by giving me HM08 Dive, so that i can search the seafloor for Team Aqua's submarine. I need this town's gym badge to use it though. As i continue looking around town, a guy gives me his Super Rod, which i immediately test out to net myself a Wailmer. It shall be nicknamed Werner.

Time to start training for the gym. For my training spot, i pick Shoal Cave, to the north of here. On my way on route 125, I manage to fish up a Sharpedo, whom i shall nickname Megalodon. When i finally reach Shoal Cave, i accidentally KO a zubat there. Oh well, i had plenty of those already. They say this cave changes with the tides; it's low tide now, so i'll have to come back some other time to see what it looks like when the tide is high. While i am training here, Benekiptus and Clay evolve into their final forms, respectively Blaziken and Claydol. This is great, as it allows Clay to actually pull its weight in the upcoming gym.

After my training is done, it's gym time. This is a psychic gym, so the newly evolved Benekiptus will unfortunately have to sit this one out. Instead, i'm bringing Hentai the Tentacool, as death fodder. The gym's puzzle revolves around the kind of floor tiles one might find in a team rocket base; the ones that move you around. When i finally make my way to the gym leaders Tate & Liza, i try to convince them to just give me the badge so that i can go fight the ecoterrorists, but just like Suzuna in Snowpoint, they insist on wasting my time by testing my strength first. As if these floor tiles weren't enough indication that they're evil. To make matters worse, this is also a double battle, which i suck at. They send out their Solrock and Lunatone while i lead with Feesh and Clay. Clay's Ancientpower does next to nothing against Lunatone as it misses a Hypnosis and Solrock sets up Sunny Day that weakens Feesh's Surf. Solrock knows Solarbeam, so i obviously cannot keep Clay in. I try to sack Hentai, but it just gets put to sleep by Lunatone as Solrock targets Feesh with Psychic, and i hit another surf. Lunatone is now at half health. The next turn, Hentai does die to a psychic from Solrock, so Ziggy comes in on a psychic from Lunatone that does over half. I have to take a gamble now; i switch Magneto in on one psychic; fortunately not two. The other enemy psychics Feesh and brings it into crit range, but Feesh's surf crits on Lunatone and kills it this turn. I'm in a bit of a predicament now, so i switch Magneto out for Clay to avoid a flamethrower, and i switch Feesh out for Lily to avoid a crit. What i had forgotten was that they could just use a Hyper Potion on this thing. The sun is down now, so i use Clay's turn to heal Feesh up while Lily hits a crit Giga Drain that brings him to the red in one go. They heal again, but a combination of ancientpower and giga drain bring him over half. The next turn, that same combination gets the kill. Seven badges in hand.

With that, i think i'll call it a day for now.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Clay (Claydol) lv 37
Feesh (Gyarados) lv 37
Ziggy (Linoone) lv 37
Magneto (Magneton) lv 37
Lily (Lileep) lv 37
Benekiptus (Blaziken) lv 37

 

[There Is No Arceus]

With my newfound ability to dive, it's time to go and explore the vast oceans. On route 127, i catch Kaas the Tentacool, but little else happens. South of here though, on Route 128, interesting things do happen. Not only do i catch a Luvdisc and name it Ai, i also find the submarine while diving. Good thing i can breathe underwater without scuba gear. I head up near the submarine and find myself in the same cave complex where Groudon once rested. Strange; would the pokemon that creates rain really be in the same place as the one that nearly dried up all the earth's oceans? Anyway, i head in and catch Sybil the Zubat. Place is swarming with Aqua Grunts, so i am absolutely in the right place. I fight my way through to Admin Shelley, who wants revenge for what happened at the Weather Institute. She leads with Sharpedo and i lead with Lily. I one-shot with Giga Drain, so she sends out her other pokemon, her Mightyena. This is a job for Benekiptus; i get an intimidate against me, but Double Kick crits so it doesn't matter.

This allows me to proceed further on; only a few strength puzzles stand in my way. When i reach the deepest part of the cave, i see a giant creature sleeping in the water. Archie then walks in and explains that this creature is the legendary Kyogre, the god of rain. Archie wishes to awaken this thing, but he has to get rid of me first. So he sends out his Mightyena and i send out Benekiptus. I take an intimidate, but double kick still does just over half. His potions also cannot save the big dog, and he goes down. Next is Crobat, so i send out Magneto. He confuses me, but that doesn't stop me from OHKOing with a Thunderbolt. Last is his ace, Sharpedo. He doesn't know any water moves, so i can just send Benekiptus in. Double Kick gets the OHKO (or the 2HKO i guess), granting me the victory.

The moment i grab my win, Archie's red orb suddenly starts glowing. This wakes Kyogre up, but contrary to Archie's expectations, he cannot control the creature and it just heads off. Archie then gets a call from his people outside that the rainfall is far worse than they anticipated, and that this may well end in catastrophe. At that moment, Team Magma come barging in, and that hypocrite Maxie starts lecturing Archie about how awful this catastrophic disruption of nature is. Bitch, you were doing the same thing with Groudon, don't get all holier-than-thou on Archie's ass now. Anyway, we all head outside and Archie finally sees the folly of his plans. The two ecoterrorists head off, just when Steven Stone comes flying in. He tells me that the clouds are concentrated over Sootopolis City, so he theorizes that something disastrous is going on there.

I should probably head to Sootopolis too. So i brave the storms on route 126, fishing up Pearl the Wailmer while i'm there. The only way to enter the city though is through diving, which must be a real pain for the people that actually live here. I manage to catch myself a Relicanth while beneath the waves, and i nickname it Oldtimer. If i had the time, i'd definitely explore the submarine beauty of the oceans here, but i'm afraid i do not have time. I make my way into Sootopolis, head up, and fish up Shan Yu the Magikarp. I proceed to look around the city for hints as to where Kyogre could have gone, when i run into Steven and the gym leader, Wallace. Wallace tells me that the torrential downpour is caused by an entity in the Cave of Origin. When he notices my Blue Orb, he takes me to said cave and grants me the permission to enter it.

So i head into the cave, where i encounter a Sableye. I catch it and name it Sapphire, then i continue on my mission. As i progress through this dark, intricate cave system, i feel rumblings coming from the depths. These are most likely caused by Kyogre going berserk, so i proceed downward, grabbing HM07 Waterfall in the process. No idea how that got down here, considering that this area is off limits for the public, but i'll take it. When i finally reach Kyogre's room, my Blue Orb suddenly starts glowing, which causes the big fish to attack me. I fling the Master Ball its way out of desparation to save my life, which actually works. I now have the god of rain at my disposal; the same creature that almost drowned all of Kyushu mere moments ago. But it's ugly so i release it immediately.

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

Clay (Claydol) lv 38
Feesh (Gyarados) lv 38
Ziggy (Linoone) lv 38
Magneto (Magneton) lv 40
Lily (Lileep) lv 39
Benekiptus (Blaziken) lv 39

Got real lucky with the rare encounters today. Then again, i'm not sure if catching Relicanth over Chinchou is actually good.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

To celebrate my saving the world once more, i decide to go do a bit of travel. I surf my way over to route 129 and catch Eeltpeer the Tentacool, then on route 130 i fish up Sharknado the Sharpedo. We then proceed on to Route 131, where Kabakasi the Tentacool joins the crew (the crew sitting in the box, that is). From this route, we can see the Sky Pillar, a place that brings back some fond memories. It seems like yesterday that i was flying into space on the back of Ray the Rayquaza. I wonder how Higana's doing. After all, that whole shebang was caused by her not wanting to send the meteor into another dimension without Mega Evolution. Like such a dimension wouldn't get hit with a meteor anyway.

I continue surfing west and eventually hit land in Pacifidlog Town. Well, "land" might not be the correct word for a town built entirely on driftwood. I really wonder how this town even stays in place, considering the strong currents just to the west of here. It really is something special to see. I catch myself a Wingull while surfing around town, and i name it Albatross. Unfortunately though, i get swept away by the aforementioned currents onto Route 132, where i catch Kurills the Tentacool. Lily evolves into Cradily while i am struggling here, which is good as it means my whole team is now in its final stage.

There's no way to return to Pacifidlog with these strong currents about, so i have no choice but to let the waves sweep me off to route 133, where i end up fishing up Zee-Epona the Horsea. Then on route 134, i catch another Horsea and name this one Hortsik, before i wash ashore in Nagasaki. Since i'm in this area, i might as well pay a visit to my old friend the Trick Master. He has something for me again; this time the puzzle consists of the same revolving doors seen in Winona's gym. I make my way through this puzzle, and the trick master rewards me with a Magnet, which will be useful against the upcoming gym.

I fly to Lilycove now to do some fishing, but after fishing up Patrick the Staryu, i grow bored of this, so i decide to just challenge Wallace's gym in Sootopolis. This is a water gym, so Benekiptus and Clay will be sitting this one out. Instead i'll be bringing Octorok the Tentacool as death fodder, and The Shadow the Shedinja as a trump card, if need be. Steven is waiting outside to wish me good luck, so i guess that's nice. I head in and tackle the gym puzzle; i need to walk over the ice so that all of it cracks but none of it breaks. Unfortunately, i fail each of these three puzzles at least once, but once i get the hang of it, i make my way to Wallace. He leads with Luvdisc and i lead with Lily. He infatuates and confuses Lily, but Lily pulls through and kills the love of her life with a miracle seed-boosted Giga Drain. Next is Sealeo, and i decide to switch Magneto in here. The magnet the trick master gave me allows thunderbolt to OHKO. At this point, Wallace displays his superior intellect by sending out what is objectively the single cutest pokemon of all time: Whiscash. I haven't been able to get one in a while, so it makes me happy to see his cute little whiskers here. Unfortunately though, we are enemies right now, so i send out Lily again and kill it with a Giga Drain. I'm sorry. Anyway, next up is Milotic and i decide this is Magneto's job. His water pulse does about half, and my thunderbolt does not OHKO. This is where The Shadow comes in; Milotic cannot hurt it, and neither can any of Wallace's other pokemon, so i can freely Screech its defense into oblivion and then Fury Cutter it down. Against Wallace's last pokemon, his Seaking, i send out Lily, whose Giga Drain does not OHKO as it sets up rain dance. I fear what a crit Water Pulse might do now, so i decide to go for The Shadow once more. Using the same strategy as against the Milotic, i kill the big fish and grab myself the win.

With all eight badges in hand, i decide to call it a day for now.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Clay (Claydol) lv 39
Feesh (Gyarados) lv 41
Ziggy (Linoone) lv 40
Magneto (Magneton) lv 42
Benekiptus (Blaziken) lv 40
Lily (Cradily) lv 42

i'd like to reiterate that my "not avoiding trainers" rule does not mean i have to go through the routes west of pacifidlog a million times to make sure i really got all of them.