TINA's Nuzlocke Series

[There Is No Arceus]

Chapter 5: Diamond

Rules for this game are as follows:

1. The challenge is complete once i've defeated the pokemon league
2. The northern, southern and exterior portions of Mt. Coronet are considered separate areas in terms of encounters
3. I will not be making use of the game corner
4. I will not manipulate the time of day to get certain encounters

I normally include the postgame, but while this game's postgame is massive, it has no clear ending so i won't be including it.

Gen 4 is my favorite generation, though of course DP isn't why. still though, i think this game gets more hate than it deserves; it's flawed but not unplayable.
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My time in France is at an end; it's time to go back to Japan. I leave my pokemon in Matiere's care and head for the airport, where i share a tearful goodbye with Sana and everyone else. I hope we'll see each other again sometime.

Our house in Littleroot has unfortunately sustained damage from heavy rainfalls while we were gone, so we cannot move back to Kyushu - sorry, "Hoenn". Instead, my mom found a place to stay in the north of Japan, in Hokkaido - sorry, "Sinnoh". As we're moving in, i run into the neighboring kid, a guy named Michael. Guy's a bit hyperactive, but i'm sure we can be good friends.

Anyway, the next day, i watch a news broadcast about a red gyarados in the lake of rage. I then head downstairs and my mom informs me that Michael was looking for me. So i head over to his house and bump into him. He wants to see if there's something rare like the red gyarados in the nearby lake. So we head there together, and we spot this old-timer and some kid examining the lake. They leave, but they accidentally leave their bag behind. Michael wants to go get it and return it, but we'd have to go through the tall grass without a pokemon, which is essentially suicide. He convinces me however, and whadda ya know, we're attacked by a group of starly. I grab a poke ball from the bag, which happens to contain a Turtwig, and fend it off. Thanks, Michael, for almost making me throw my life away. The kid then comes back and takes the bag, and tells us the professor is probably going to be pissed that we used his pokemon.

As we head back home, we run into the professor. he's not pissed at all though, and he doesn't even ask for his pokemon back. He leaves, and his assistant tells us to come see them in the next town over. We first visit our homes again though to tell our moms what happened. My mom gives me a pair of running shoes to speed up my journey, and tells me to head over to the professor quickly. So i head through route 201 to Sandgem Town. I'm greeted by the professor's assistant Lucas, but when i'm about to enter the lab, Michael bumps into me again. He leaves pretty quickly, so i go in and talk to the professor. He sees that i've been treating my Turtwig well and lets me keep it. I name it Sekaigame. The professor then introduces himself as Professor Rowan. He apparently studies pokemon evolution. He wants me to help with this, so he gives me a pokedex to record all the pokemon i come across. Lucas then drags me around town to tell me what pokemon centers and poke marts are. dude, i'm the champion of four regions, i know this stuff.

When he finally leaves me alone, i head to the mart to buy some poke balls. I use them to catch Tatatori the Starly on route 201 and Mouhitotsu the other starly at lake verity. I also stop by home to tell my mom that i'm heading off again. Michael's mom then stops by looking for her son, and gives me something to give to him if i see him. I then head over to route 202, where Lucas decides to show me how to catch a pokemon. whatever, i'll just sit through this. After he's done, he gives me 5 poke balls, which i proceed to use to catch a Shinx. I name it Jskar and i decide to train it and Tatatori up a bit before i go on.

After i'm done training, i progress through the route and find myself in Sapporo - sorry, "Jubilife City" - Where i'm greeted by Lucas. He tells me that Michael went to the trainers school, but i'm not in the mood to go there; there's nothing they can teach me that i don't already know. Instead, i explore the surrounding areas. In the north on route 204, i accidentally kill a starly, but i have two of those already so who cares. There's a cave here; i enter and catch a Zubat, which i name Bruce. It's a dead end though.

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

Sekaigame (Turtwig) lv 8
Jskar (Shinx) lv 8
Tatatori (Starly) lv 8
Bruce (Zubat) lv 5
Mouhitotsu (Starly) lv 2

 

[There Is No Arceus]

It's about time to head to the trainers school. I find michael here and give him the package; two town maps. He only needs one, so he gives me the other one, then he heads off in the direction of oreburgh city. I should probably head in that direction too. As i head for route 203, a guy stops me to have me partake in some sort of challenge to get a poketch. he has me find 3 clowns around town. After i've found them all, the guy gives me a poketch and i can head on my way. On route 203, i run into Michael again, who challenges me to a battle. He leads with Starly and i lead with Jskar. We exchange weak hits, but i end up on top. His other pokemon is the Chimchar he got from the professor, for which i send out Tatatori. He gets a crit in, so i have to switch to Sekaigame, which is ok as he doesn't yet have fire moves. He keeps leering at me, but that doesn't stop me from tackling him to death.

I then encounter a shinx here on the route, which i catch and name Habasi. At the end of the route, i enter a cave called the oreburgh gate. i wonder whether this will lead to Oreburgh City? anyway, a guy here gives me HM06 Rock Smash, which i can't use until i have the first gym badge. I also catch an additional Zubat here and name it Batzo. On the other side, i do indeed find myself in Oreburgh City, where Michael is standing in front of the gym. He tells me the gym leader isn't here; he's working in the mine. I decide to go explore north of town to kill the time until he's back. I catch Tsuyoi the Machop on route 207, but it's a dead end so i turn back. The gym leader still isn't back, so i head into the oreburgh mine to go fetch him. I catch Teishi the Geodude while i'm here. Sure enough, Gym Leader Roark is here; he agrees to go back to his gym after i talk to him. Before i challenge him though, it's time to train Tsuyoi and Teishi up to a level where they'll be useful.

After i'm done training, it's time for the first gym of this region. This is a rock gym, so Tatatori will be sitting this one out. Instead, i'll bring Mouhitotsu, my other starly, as death fodder. the gym puzzle involves dealing with your disappointment about the fact that there is no gym puzzle. I just head up to Roark after dealing with the gym trainers and challenge him to a battle. He leads with Geodude and i lead with Sekaigame. I one-shot with razor leaf, and out comes Onix, which doesn't go down in one hit. He sets up stealth rock, then wastes a potion healing off the damage i can do in one turn. Finally, i kill him as he deals pitiful damage with rock throw. Last is Cranidos, for which i switch to Tsuyoi. He goes for a leer as i deal massive damage with a crit karate chop. I fear the damage his headbutt might now do, so i switch Teishi in, who takes moderate damage from it. I then finish him off with rock throw, earning me my first Hokkaido badge.

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

Sekaigame (Turtwig) lv 14
Tatatori (Starly) lv 12
Jskar (Shinx) lv 12
Tsuyoi (Machop) lv 13
Teishi (Geodude) lv 12
Habasi (Shinx) lv 4

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Now that i have the badge, i can use HM06 Rock Smash. I teach it to Tsuyoi and head out west, when Michael bumps into me and tells me that the next gym is in Eterna city. anyway, i head west to Sapporo and then try to head north, but on the north end of the city, i find the professor and Lucas being harassed by some weirdoes calling themselves team galactic. Why is it that everywhere i go, i seem to run into some terrorist cult? anyway, me and Lucas take them out together, and they head off. Apparently, they were after the professor's research notes about the energy produced during evolution. Anyway, the professor and lucas head on their way, and i head up north and use rock smash to progress through the cave that was once a dead end.

I progress through the route and find myself in Floaroma Town, a beautiful little town with flowers everywhere. They even have a dedicated shop here for berries so you can grow your own plants. Truly, this place is a must-visit if you ever find yourself in this part of Japan. After an extended period of sightseeing however, i head east onto route 205, where a little girl tells me that her dad was kidnapped while working at the valley windworks ahead. I catch a Shellos in the field in front of the windworks and name it Blubber. I find a galactic grunt guarding the entrance to the windworks, but after i beat him, he locks himself into the windworks. He did mention that his colleagues in Floaroma have the key though, so i head back there. I find them harassing some poor entrepreneur, so i beat them up and they fuck off. The guy they were harassing finds something they left on the ground; the key to the valley windworks. He also gives me some honey as a reward for saving him, which i can apparently smear on trees to attract pokemon. Sounds weird, but i might as well try it here.

Before i go deal with team galactic in the valley windworks, i first decide to train my mons up a bit, most notably my new team member Blubber. During this training session, Tatatori evolves into Staravia, adding some firepower to the team. When i'm done with my training, i head into the windworks. I force my way through several grunts and make my way to the admin, a woman named Mars. I challenge her to a battle to free the workers, and she leads with a zubat. I lead with Teishi, who fells the thing in one rock throw. Her other pokemon is Purugly, for which i send out Tsuyoi. Two low kicks almost take him out, but i end up having to switch back to Teishi, who takes it out with a rock throw and a tackle. The employee thanks me, when his daughter comes running in to greet her father. The two seem to not need me anymore, so i'll just take my leave and head up route 205, where i catch Buoy the Buizel.

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

Sekaigame (Turtwig) lv 14
Jskar (Shinx) lv 14
Tatatori (Staravia) lv 14
Tsuyoi (Machop) lv 15
Blubber (Shellos) lv 15
Teishi (Geodude) lv 15

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I head back to floaroma to the tree i smeared honey on, and find a wurmple in it. I catch it and name it Rups. Then it's time to head on my way again. I head through route 205, where Jskar evolves into Luxio. I make my way into Eterna Forest, which has mysterious vibes not unlike the Viridian Forest in kanto. I meet a woman named Cheryl here, who wants to travel together because of rumors of shady Team Galactic figures being about. We encounter a wild Budew and Buneary; i kill Cheryl's Chansey to prevent it from killing the enemies, then i kill the buneary and catch the budew. I'll name it Buddy. Then disaster strikes. I forgot that Beautifly can learn Absorb, so i kept Teishi in on one to kill it with rock throw. big mistake. Rest in peace, Teishi, you won't be forgotten. I have nothing good to replace Teishi with, so this spot on my team will be vacant for now; Mouhitotsu the Starly is coming along as death fodder.

We eventually reach the other end without ever encountering team galactic. I progress through the second section of route 205 and make my way to Eterna City. Here, i encounter a woman named Cynthia, a researcher of pokemon legends. She gives me HM01 Cut, which i cannot use until i get the gym badge here. Before i go challenge the gym though, i decide to to some sightseeing. There's a big statue of the legendary pokemon here, fully made of gold. really impressive. I also head east onto route 211 to take in the view of the majestic Mt. Coronet. According to legend, the peak of that mountain is where Arceus made the world, but that's just sillyness. Arceus is a myth. I encounter and catch a Meditite while enjoying the view here, and i name it Bukkyo. There's a cave here under the great mountain; I catch a Machop here and name it Koukan. It's a dead end though, so i'm heading back.

Bukkyo the Meditite will be taking the empty spot on my team. I'll train it up next time though; for now, i'm calling it a day.
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My current team:

Blubber (Shellos) lv 16
Sekaigame (Turtwig) lv 17
Jskar (Luxio) lv 17
Tsuyoi (Machop) lv 17
Tatatori (Staravia) lv 18
Bukkyo (Meditite) lv 12

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Time to train everyone up for the gym. During this training, Sekaigame evolves into Grotle. which is nice; we could use some more defense. After the training is done, it's time to go challenge the gym. This is a grass gym, so Blubber will be sitting this one out. Instead, we'll be joined by Mouhitotsu the Starly, as death fodder. This gym is essentially an indoor forest; the puzzle revolves around finding the trainers among the trees. After i'm done with said trainers, it's time for the gym leader Gardenia herself. She leads with Cherubi and i lead with Tatatori. One wing attack takes her out, and next is Turtwig, who gets the same treatment from a crit wing attack. Last is her ace, Roserade, for which i still keep Tatatori in. She paralyzes me with stun spore, but a single wing attack gets her health low enough for her to consume her berry. A second wing attack takes her out as she hits me with poison sting. the second badge is mine.

Now that i have the badge, i can use Cut to access the abandoned mansion i saw in the forest. I teach the move to Sekaigame and head in there. Place is super creepy; like a haunted mansion. there's even what seems like ghosts hanging around here. Unfortunately, i accidentally kill a gastly i encounter here, so no gastly for me. I search the rest of the house and find a few items, among them a plate with an inscription talking about the creation of the universe. religious nonsense; Arceus doesn't exist. Then i head on my way.

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

Blubber (Shellos) lv 19
Bukkyo (Meditite) lv 19
Sekaigame (Grotle) lv 19
Jskar (Luxio) lv 19
Tsuyoi (Machop) lv 19
Tatatori (Staravia) lv 20

Not much happened today. training takes long. doesn't help that DP is slow and my crappy emulator makes it even slower.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I head back to Eterna, and decide to check out the weird building blocked off by cuttable trees. Turns out this is a Team Galactic base. I assume the only reason the police haven't dismantled it yet is because they don't have the gym badge and can't use HM01. I guess it's once again up to me to clear a terrorist group from their base. I eventually fight my way through to the top floor, where the owner of the local bike shop is confronting commander Jupiter about the pokemon Team Galactic stole. I decide to step in and challenge Jupiter to a battle. She leads with Zubat and i lead with Jskar. One spark and he's down. Her other mon is Skuntank, and i switch to Tatatori to get the intimidate in. I get two wing attacks off and trigger his berry while he poisons me with poison gas and hits me with night slash. I have to switch now; Blubber comes in on a screech. It seems unwise to stay in with lowered defense, so i switch again, to Tsuyoi. After we exchange weak hits, Tsuyoi eventually takes it down.

Jupiter says something about how her boss wants to use the legendary pokemon to renew the world, and then leaves. The bike guy tells me to come to the bike shop for a reward, so i head over there. He gives me a free bike. Eh, i prefer to walk. still though, this allows me access to the bicycle road to the south, so i head there. When i approach the route though, a lady tells me i need to visit the guy living next to the pokemon center. whatever, i head there. Guy gives me a kit to access Hokkaido's subterranean tunnels and dig for treasure. I try it out and meet Gym Leader Roark in the tunnels. He explains to me how everything works here and how to dig for treasure. I find some cool stuff, but nothing really special, so i decide to go through the cycling road before i continue digging. When i reach the other end of the cycling road, i'm approached by Lucas, the professor's assistant. He gives me a VS seeker and a dowsing machine, two super useful tools. Thx dude.

I find myself back in Oreburgh and decide to start digging again. I actually dig up a fossil this time. I immediately bring it to the museum, where the guy revives it into a Cranidos. I name it Kishida and it will be taking Tsuyoi's place on the team. It's already the same level as everyone else, so i don't even have to train it. Sorry Tsuyoi, you did amazing work against Roark and against Mars's Purugly, but i need to cover my team's flying weakness and you have the least growth potential. Anyway, i now decide to go explore the route beneath the cycling road, and i catch a Stunky there. I name it Flower and head on. I find a cave on the far end of the route, but i'll explore that next time. For now, i'm calling it a day.
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My current team:

Bukkyo (Meditite) lv 20
Jskar (Luxio) lv 21
Sekaigame (Grotle) lv 21
Blubber (Shellos) lv 21
Tatatori (Staravia) lv 21
Kishida (Cranidos) lv 20

i hate the gen 4 underground. one of the few things BDSP did better.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I enter the cave and catch a Bronzor, which i name Kagami. It's very dark here though and this cave is a maze, so naturally i lose my way. I meet a girl named Mira here who is also lost, so we decide to look for the exit together. Eventually, we find our way out and go our separate ways. I decide to head through route 207 to once more gaze upon the majesty of Hokkaido's central mountain. I'll have to head through a cave underneath this magnificent mountain to progress to the next gym, so i head in and catch a Zubat, which i name Ed. I run into a weird blue-haired guy here who starts talking about how this mountain is where the world was created and how imperfect everything is. just some whacko cult guy i guess; the world wasn't created.

On the other side, i find myself on route 208, a route mostly consisting of bridges spanning above a stream with some beautiful waterfalls. I catch a Machop here and name it Meh. I make my way through to Hearthome, where a Buneary comes running up to me. Its owner soon follows and thanks me for tropping the buneary from running off. i didn't do anything, but whatever. The lady introduces herself as one of the judges of the contests held here in the city, and invites me to come to the contest hall. Sure, why not. In front of the hall, i meet the gym leader Melissa, who loves these contests. She claims i'm not yet strong enough to challenge her, which is absolute bullshit. it's your job as a gym leader to accept challenges, so fucking accept mine. anyway, i head into the hall, where i encounter the judge lady talking to my mother of all people. She said she wanted to come to Hokkaido to try out contests, but i didn't realise she had actually gained some success. my mom insists that i try out a contest, so i have Sekaigame partake in a coolness contest and win. whatever, still not my thing.

When i head south to leave town, i run into Michael, who challenges me to a battle. He leads with his Starly and i lead with Kishida. I take him out with one rock tomb, and next is Buizel, so i send out Jskar and kill him with a spark. Monferno comes out next, so i switch to Blubber. After i get him to red health with a crit water pulse, he switches to Roselia. I switch Tatatori in on a poison sting and kill back with wing attack. Up last, Monferno comes back out, so i decide to keep Tatatori in and kill with quick attack. After i beat Michael, he heads off to go challenge the next gym in Veilstone City.

As i head on toward route 209, a guy gives me an egg. I get so excited by the question of what's in it that i start hyperactively cycling through town, when it suddenly hatches into a Happiny. I name her Marie, but while my other Happiny/Chansey/Blissey had proved very useful back in Britain, i can't decide who to ditch from the team so Marie goes in the box for now. I think i'll call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Kishida (Cranidos) lv 22
Jskar (Luxio) lv 22
Sekaigame (Grotle) lv 22
Blubber (Shellos) lv 22
Tatatori (Staravia) lv 23
Bukkyo (Meditite) lv 22

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I head east out of town and onto route 209. A guy gives me the good rod here, but i opt not to try it out yet. I head into the grass and catch a Starly, which i name Bakatori. There's a graveyard-tower here akin to the one in Lavender Town in Kanto; I decide to go in and pay my respects to the departed. While i'm here, i meet a gastly and catch it. I name it Eus and continue my ascent. At the top, an old lady gives me HM04 Strength, but i can't use that one out of battle for quite a while. So i guess i'll just head up north now, to Solaceon Town.

Solaceon town is a quaint little farming town with a pokemon day care, but there isn't all that much to do for me in the town itself. So i head to the ruins east of town. These fascinating ruins have strange inscriptions on the walls, but i managed to figure them out and make my way to the lowest chamber. There's another of those plates here with an inscription detailing the local creation myth. the people who built this ruin must seriously have believed that nonsense. As i head back out though, i encounter one of the same creatures that inhabit the Tanoby Ruins in the Sevii Isles. I catch it and name it D. Anyway, i make my way out of the ruins and back to town.

I head north from Solaceon and onto route 210, a wilderness route with lots of tall grass. Lots of farmers here too for some reason. I catch a Ponyta here and name it Epona. I head north for a bit, but then the road ahead is blocked by a group of psyduck, so i cannot progress further north. Luckily, there is a cafe here where i can relax and battle some trainers. I think i'll hang around here for a bit and call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Kishida (Cranidos) lv 23
Sekaigame (Grotle) lv 24
Blubber (Shellos) lv 23
Bukkyo (Meditite) lv 24
Jskar (Luxio) lv 25
Tatatori (Staravia) lv 24

didn't the Solaceon ruins contain the HM for Defog? guess that's only in platinum. no idea where that HM is then lol

 

[There Is No Arceus]

After lounging in the cafe for some time, it's time to head off. I head east, where i'm met with a torrential downpour. Maybe i should have waited a bit longer for the rain to stop, but whatever, i'm already wet now. no point going back. I catch a Ponyta here and name it Arvak. I do eventually make my way through this rainstorm and to Veilstone City. The rain stops the moment i enter the city through some weird coincidence, so after i dry myself off, i do some sightseeing. There's a game corner here, but i don't gamble. the meteorites here are a sight to see though, as is the town itself, with its homes seemingly being hewn from the rock below. This region's dept store is also here, but i'm not in the mood for shopping. Instead, i'm going to train my team up for the local gym. However, during this training, things go horribly wrong. Bukkyo got hit by a crit magnitude 8 from a geodude, and was one-shotted from full health. Sorry i let you down friend. You had grown to be a powerful physical attacker. You'll be missed.

Taking Bukkyo's spot on the team will be Marie the Happiny, though of course she won't be partaking in the next gym battle. Still though, i train it up so that it won't lag behind. I give her an oval stone so she evolves into Chansey immediately. After quite some training, i decide it's time for the gym. This is a fighting gym, so as i said, Marie and Kishida will be sitting this one out. Instead, i'll be bringing D the Unown and Mouhitotsu the Starly, as death fodder. Before i ender the gym, i run into Lucas, who is apparently also here in town. anyway, i head inside and the gym puzzle here revolves around pushing sliding doors to create a path to the gym leader. However, against the gym trainers, things again go horribly wrong. a machoke's revenge one-shots Tatatori. The guy who single-handedly defeated Gardenia is now dead to a random gym trainer. rest in peace friend, you've earned it. Mouhitotsu the Starly will be taking its place on my team, but i'll train it up next time. for now, i'm taking time to mourn.
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My current team:

Marie (Chansey) lv 27
Mouhitotsu (Starly) lv 2
Blubber (Shellos) lv 27
Jskar (Luxio) lv 27
Sekaigame (Grotle) lv 27
Kishida (Cranidos) lv 27

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Time for training again. While i'm training Mouhitotsu up, it evolves into Staravia. When i'm done training, it's time for the gym again. Kishida and Marie are sitting this one out; D the Unown and Batzo the Zubat are joining as death fodder. I kill the last gym trainer, complete the gym puzzle and challenge the gym leader Maylene. She leads with Meditite and i lead with Mouhitotsu. One wing attack brings him down, and next is Machoke, for which i switch to Jskar. Jskar's first spark paralyzes him as he goes for a foresight. My second spark doesn't kill him and he does serious damage with cross chop, so i'll have to switch. I send out Sekaigame as Maylene goes for a super potion. Sekaigame crits with razor leaf as Machoke is fully paralyzed, but a second razor leaf just doesn't finish him off. Fortunately, he goes for foresight, allowing me to kill him the next turn. Last is her ace Lucario. I send out Mouhitotsu to get the intimidate in, then i sacrifice D to get Blubber in. Blubber deals some good damage with mud bomb, but i end up having to switch again. I opt to just switch Sekaigame in directly without a sack. This wasn't the best idea, as i end up having to switch again. I switch to Mouhitotsu and get another intimidate off, but i'm paralyzed by force palm on the switch in because i was again stupid enough to not just sack Batzo. it doesn't matter though; i finish him off with a wing attack. Victory is mine.

When i step outside of the gym, Lucas comes up to me and tells me his pokedex has been stolen by Team Galactic. So i help him out and we kick some grunts' asses and they give the dex back. I follow them into their warehouse but the door is locked. I do find HM02 Fly lying around, so i teach it to Mouhitotsu. I then use said HM to fly back to Eterna City and fish up a Barboach, which i name Namazu-E. Unfortunately, i cannot justify taking it on my team so long as i have Blubber, as they'd fill pretty much the exact same role.

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

Mouhitotsu (Staravia) lv 28
Marie (Chansey) lv 28
Blubber (Shellos) lv 28
Jskar (Luxio) lv 29
Sekaigame (Grotle) lv 29
Kishida (Cranidos) lv 27

 

[There Is No Arceus]

After catching this mon, i fly back to Veilstone and make my way south onto route 214, where Jskar evolves into its final form, Luxray. I also catch a Girafarig here and name it Nrikirin. Would have been super useful against the last gym, but eh, it may well be useful in the future still. for now though, it's going in the box. Time to head on; this route is the same kind of fence maze that we saw west of Lilycove in Kyushu - sorry, "Hoenn" - though there is a section on the west end where you can avoid the fence shenanigans. This section also has a small cave dug by a guy obsessed with unown. sorry to break it dude, but you're on the wrong side of this cliff; the unown are in the solaceon ruins. I catch a geodude here and name it Iwao, then i head further south.

I reach the Valor Lakefront and encounter a Geodude, but it blows itself up before i can catch it. This lakefront is essentially a town, but there's no pokemon center here for some reason. I try to go th the route east of here, but that's not allowed due to a blackout or something. So i just battle a bunch of trainers at the restaurant here. While i'm doing that, Marie evolves into Blissey, the ultimate special defense behemoth. After i've beaten them all, i head south out of the resort and onto route 213. This is a beach route, with several children playing in floating tubes near the water. There's also some weirdo here who wants to look at my pokemon's footprints, but i don't trust him. Toward the end of the route, i catch Flozi the Floatzel, then i head on into Pastoria City. the main tourist attraction here is the great marsh, a wildlife reserve similar to the Safari Zone back in Kanto. I head in and catch myself another Starly, which i name Birdo. A guy here also gives me HM05 Defog, which is nice. dunno what it does, but i guess i'll find out. There's also a gym here in Pastoria, but i think i'm first going to explore the routes west of here.

I head west onto the swamps of route 212 and catch myself Rose the Roselia. I think i'll call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Blubber (Shellos) lv 29
Mouhitotsu (Staravia) lv 30
Jskar (Luxray) lv 31
Marie (Blissey) lv 29
Sekaigame (Grotle) lv 31
Kishida (Cranidos) lv 29

 

[There Is No Arceus]

As i'm navigating through this rain-soaked swamp, Blubber evolves into Gastrodon. Appropriate that a pokemon i named after mud would evolve in a place like this. This also adds more defensive utility to my team, as well as STAB ground coverage. very nice. Kishida also evolves, into Rampardos, which adds some offensive firepower. As icing on the cake, my starter Sekaigame also evolves into its final form, Torterra. Half my team just evolved into their final form in the span of half a route. Now only Mouhitotsu has yet to reach her final stage. Anyway, i eventually make it out of the swamp and find myself in a well-maintained garden, that seemingly belongs to the giant mansion here. The mansion reminds me of the one me and Sana visited back in France, in that the owner clearly has far more money than they know what to do with. I decide to check out the mansion and the owner seems very proud of the rare pokemon in his trophy garden, so i check it out and catch a Staravia, which i name Futsuu. These things ain't rare, my friend.

I head on through the route and find myself in Hearthome City. the gym leader Melissa still won't fight me, so i decide to fly back to Pastoria and challenge the gym there. This is a water gym, so Kishida will be sitting this one out. Instead, i'm taking Batzo the Zubat, as death fodder. The gym puzzle here involves raising and lowering the water levels to create paths across to the leader. I eventually manage this and challenge the leader, Crasher Wake, to a battle. He leads with Gyarados and i lead with Jskar. One spark takes him out, and Quagsire is up next, so i send out Sekaigame, who one-shots with razor leaf. Last is Floatzel, for which i keep Sekaigame in. He goes for a brine while i deal serious damage with razor leaf. I then decide to switch because i fear an ice fang; Blubber comes in while Wake uses a hyper potion. I then two-shot with mud bomb. 4 badges in hand.

When i head out of the gym, i spot a Team Galactic member standing about. I confront him, but he runs off toward Lake Valor. As i'm giving chase, Michael suddenly runs up to me and challenges me to a battle. i'm kinda in the middle of something, but this guy won't take no for an answer. fine, we'll do battle. He leads with Starly and i lead with Kishida. One Rock Tomb takes him out, and next is Buizel. I send out Jskar and one-shot with Spark. Roselia is up next, so i switch to Mouhitotsu and one-shot with Aerial Ace. Last is his starter Monferno, for which i keep Mouhitotsu in and strike him down with a supereffective fly.

With Michael dealt with, i can finally continue chasing the grunt. I finally catch up to him in the Valor Lakefront and battle him. I beat the shit out of him, but unfortunately he gets away to Lake Valor. Said lake is currently closed to the public due to filming, so i cannot give chase. I do meet that Cynthia lady here again, who's here for research into the region's legends. She tells me about mysterious islands in each of the region's lakes that contain legends. After she's done talking, she gives me a potion to help the poor Psyduck blocking the way on route 210. not sure why she can't just head over there herself, but whatever.

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

Kishida (Rampardos) lv 30
Jskar (Luxray) lv 33
Mouhitotsu (Staravia) lv 31
Marie (Blissey) lv 31
Sekaigame (Torterra) lv 32
Blubber (Gastrodon) lv 30

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I head back to route 210 and give the psyduck their medicine, and they head off. Cynthia shows up and asks me to deliver something to her grandma in Celestic Town. Why can't she deliver it herself? do i look like a fucking errand girl? fine, whatever, i'll do it. I progress through the route to the north and find myself in a dense fog; i guess this is what that Defog move is for. I teach it to Mouhitotsu and use it to clear the fog, then i head on. I make my way to the other end of the route and find myself in Celestic Town. There's one of those Team Galactic terrorists here threatening to blow the town up with a bomb. So i beat the shit out of him to prevent a bloodbath, and he fucks off. Cynthia's grandma then comes up to me and thanks me for saving the town. I give her Cynthia's gift, which is some kind of charm used to venerate the pokemon that supposedly created this region. She then takes me inside the cave here to show me a mural depicting three pokemon and a dot in the middle, and tells me some of Hokkaido's legends. As thanks for listening to her story, she gives me HM03 Surf, which i immediately teach to Blubber, but i can't use it outside battle until i get Melissa's badge from Hearthome.

When i step outside the cave, i'm greeted by the same weird guy who ranted to be back when i passed through Mt. Coronet. He introduces himself as Cyrus, and talks about how he wants to create a world without strife. Then he just walks off. whatever, i guess. I fish up another barboach here and name it Jishingami, then i check out the route to the west to gaze at Hokkaido's magnificent central mountain once more. Truly a wonder of the natural world. While i'm here, i also catch a new Meditite and name it Shifu.

After admiring the beauty of Mt. Coronet for some time, i decide i should head back to Hearthome to see if Melissa will finally battle me. She will; this is a ghost gym, so nobody will have to sit this one out. I have two normal mons on my team and i taught Marie Shadow Ball, so i'm not remotely worried. The gym puzzle here is just math questions, so it should be easy enough if you know simple math. unfortunately though, i am very stupid. i get every question wrong not once, but twice. Couldn't have gotten a worse score if i tried. Some of thr trainers here carry a cute little pokemon called Drifloon. but i'm sure i'll see plenty of those throughout my journey. I'm this pokemon isn't exclusively seen by either visiting the valley windworks on a specific day of the week or battling a trainer you're encouraged to skip. Anyway, i do eventually make my way to Melissa and challenge her. She leads with Drifblim and i lead with Marie. Her gusts do next to nothing to me, but it takes a while before she goes down due to healing items and minimizes. Eventually i do take it out, and next is Gengar. I switch to Mouhitotsu, but i get outsped and hit with confuse ray as i go for fly. i hit myself in confusion in the sky, then his crit Poison Jab takes me out. Rest in peace, Mouhitotsu. You were essential for my victory against Maylene. I may have brought you along as death fodder several times, but you've definitely outgrown that designation. To avenge Mouhitotsu's death, i send in Kishida, who gets confused but hits hard with an assurance. I opt to switch Blubber in on a shadow ball to avoid losing another mon to confusion; he confuses me again but i hit through the confusion with surf and kill him. Last is Mismagius, for which i send Marie back out. Shadow ball does just under half, but his moves do next to nothing to me, so victory is easy but slow.

We got the badge, but we lost a good friend. This can only be called a pyrrhic victory. When i step outside the gym, Cynthia comes up to me and talks a bit about what happened in Celestic Town with team Galactic. then she tells me about the interesting books in the library in Canalave City. i guess i'll go there sometime. For now though, i'm calling it a day.
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My current team:

Marie (Blissey) lv 34
Jskar (Luxray) lv 34
Blubber (Gastrodon) lv 33
Sekaigame (Torterra) lv 33
Kishida (Rampardos) lv 33

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Taking Mouhitotsu's place on the team will be Bruce the Zubat, though instead of a training session, i'm just going to give him the exp share while i explore Hokkaido's waters. I first explore the area north of Floaroma called the Fuego Ironworks. What's with these Japanese people and building their heavy industry in places where you can only get by surfing? first the power plant in Kanto, now this place. Anyway, i catch a Shellos in the grass in front of the factory and name it Naranai. I then enter the factory itself, which has the sliding floor tiles that Team Rocket loves so much. anyway, i defeat all the trainers here and find some cool stuff, then i head on my way.

I then fly to Sandgem Town, the home of the professor. I head south from here onto route 219 and catch a Tentacool, which i name Octo. further south on route 220, i fish up a magikarp and name him Haru. I turn to the east here and encounter another tentacool, which i name Morwa. I eventually hit solid land and continue on foot. While i'm traversing this place, Bruce evolves into a Golbat. There's a place here called Pal Park. It's currently under construction, but when it's done, it will apparently be used to transfer pokemon over from Kanto and Kyushu. nice; i'd love to see the mons again that i left in professor Birch's care. I'm defs coming back here once it's done, but for now, there's little else to do here, so i fly over to Sapporo and call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Sekaigame (Torterra) lv 34
Jskar (Luxray) lv 35
Kishida (Rampardos) lv 34
Blubber (Gastrodon) lv 34
Marie (Blissey) lv 35
Bruce (Golbat) lv 24

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I head west to route 218, where i catch Hyoi the wingull. On the other side of this water route, i find Canalave City, the city with the library Cynthia told me about. In the city's entrance gate, the professor's assistant greets me and upgrades my pokedex so that i can check out alternate forms. Anyway, i enter the city proper, and just as i cross the bridge to the west side, Michael comes running up to me and challenges me to a battle. He leads with Staravia and i lead with Jskar. A single spark takes him out, and next is Heracross. I opt to stay in and three-shot with spark, but Jskar is now too damaged to contribute more. He sends out his Monferno and i send out Blubber. Surf takes him out, and Roselia is up next. I switch to Sekaigame, who outspeeds and OHKOs with earthquake. Last is Buizel, so i keep Sekaigame in and KO it. Victory is mine.

There's a gym here in town, but i decide to first take a little sightseeing detour to Iron Island. There's an old mine on this island; i decide to explore and catch a Golbat there, which i name Vamp. On the lower levels, i run into a guy named Riley, and we decide to go explore together. Toward the end, we run into two team galactic idiots and dispose of them. As thanks for helping him, Riley gives me an egg. The mystery of what's in it gets me so excited that i hyperactively cycle all across the region (specifically, Solaceon Town and the routes north and south of it). Eventually, the egg starts hatching. I can barely contain my excitement as a cute little Riolu crawls out of the egg. I Name it Riri and it's getting a place on my team. Sorry Kishida, but you're my least valuable team member, so you're out. Guess it's time for a training session now.

After training for a while, i decide to call it a day.
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My current team:
Bruce (Golbat) lv 33
Sekaigame (Torterra) lv 35
Jskar (Luxray) lv 36
Marie (Blissey) lv 35
Blubber (Gastrodon) lv 35
Riri (Riolu) lv 19

 

[There Is No Arceus]

After training for a long time, Riri evolves into Lucario. Unlike the one i used in France - sorry, "Kalos", this one unfortunately can't mega evolve since i misplaced the mega stone, but it's still a very good mon. Anyway, i think i'll just call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Riri (Lucario) lv 34
Sekaigame (Torterra) lv 37
Jskar (Luxray) lv 37
Marie (Blissey) lv 36
Bruce (Golbat) lv 36
Blubber (Gastrodon) lv 36

 

[There Is No Arceus]

After i'm done with my training, it's time for the Canalave Gym. this is a steel gym, so no one's gonna have to sit this out. The gym puzzle here consists of using elevator platforms to navigate between the different floors of the gym. I eventually manage this and make my way to the gym leader Byron. He leads with Bronzor and i lead with Jskar. 2 sparks bring him to a sliver, but then he confuses me, so i decide to switch to Marie while he heals. Marie shrugs off everything he can do; it just takes a while for her to actually do much back, with all the confusion and hypnosis flying around. Eventually i do take my opponent down, and next is Steelix, for which i switch to Blubber. A single surf takes him out. Last is his ace, Bastiodon. I send out Riri and she kills it with a single Aura Sphere. Six badges in hand.

When i step outside the gym, Michael's there waiting for me. He tells me to come to the library with him to meet up with the professor. So i head there, and the professor tells us that he wants help with his research into pokemon evolution; he wants data on legendary pokemon that don't evolve. He sends us off to the three lakes here in Hokkaido to find the legendary pokemon there; I'm sent to Lake Valor in the east, Michael to lake Acuity to the north, and Lucas will be looking at Lake Verity in the west. We then suddenly feel a tremor; we head outside and a guy tells us a bomb has been detonated at Lake Valor.

I head there immediately and find that Team Galactic is up to their terrorist shenanigans here. They dried up the whole lake with their bomb; the poor Magikarp are splashing about aimlessly, desperately trying to survive. In the cave here, i encounter Galactic commander Saturn, and challenge him to a battle. He leads with Kadabra and i lead with Marie. He goes down in one Shadow Ball, so Saturn sends out his ace, Toxicroak. I switch to Bruce and bring him to a sliver with Fly, then i finish him off with Wing Attack. Last is Bronzor, for which i send out Blubber, who takes it out with two surfs.

Bruce evolves into Crobat after the battle, but there's no time to celebrate. Saturn reveals that the battle was merely a way to bide for time while his allies hauled off the legendary pokemon of the lake. He mentions that they're also going after the pokemon of the other lakes, so i immediately head over to Lake Verity because i'm worried for Lucas's safety. When i get there, i find that the lake has indeed been overrun by the terrorists; the professor asks me to help Lucas take them down. I fight my way through several grunts and see Lucas losing to commander Mars. She seems to think Lucas and i are a couple or something. Ew no, i'm a lesb. anyway, we do battle; she leads with golbat and i lead with Jskar. He goes out in two sparks, and next is Bronzor. I keep Jskar in, but he confuses me after i hit one spark, so i'm switching to Blubber, who takes it out with a surf. Last is her ace, Purugly, so i send out Riri, who takes it out with one Aura Sphere.

I was too late here too; they have the legendary pokemon. Only one lake remains, all the way up north. I'm going there to help Michael, but for now, i'm calling it a day.
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My current team:

Jskar (Luxray) lv 38
Sekaigame (Torterra) lv 37
Blubber (Gastrodon) lv 38
Marie (Blissey) lv 37
Bruce (Crobat) lv 37
Riri (Lucario) lv 38

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I fly to Eterna City and head up to the cave in Mt. Coronet. Through that cave, i head north onto the wintry wonderland of route 216, where i catch Iwabaku the Graveler. I push my way through the blizzards onto route 218, another wintry snowscape. I normally love these landscapes, but i can't really waste my time on touristy sightseeing right now. I find HM07 Rock Climb in the snow outside some guy's house, but when i head inside to return it, he tells me to keep it. nice, free stuff. He also gives me one of those plates with creation myth inscriptions. it'd probably be rude to point out how nonsensical that myth is, so i just accept the gift. Later on the route, i catch Nyaru the Sneasel.

I eventually make my way to the Acuity Lakefront, where i catch Kung Fu the Medicham. The way to the lake itself is blocked by two team galactic grunts who won't budge no matter what i do. They say they'll let me in if i can show i've beaten the gym leader of Snowpoint, so i guess i'll head there even though it's probably just a ploy to waste my time. Snowpoint is a beautiful snowscape; i'd definitely recommend a visit if you enjoy wintry landscapes. The gym here is an ice gym, so Sekaigame and Bruce will be sitting this one out. Instead, i'm bringing Koukan and Meh the Machops, as death fodder. The gym puzzle consists of sliding on the icy floor to slam into and break giant snowballs. I make a big mistake while here though. I thought Quagsire was a special attacker, so i sent out Marie against it, only to be OHKO'd by an earthquake. Rest in peace girl, you will be missed.

I opt not to replace Marie yet and just continue on, taking Rups the Wurmple with me as death fodder. I make my way to the gym leader Suzuna and beg her to just lend me the badge so i can go stop team Galactic, but she insists on wasting my time with a battle first. She leads with Snover and i lead with Riri. One Aura Sphere takes her out, though she does get the hail up. Next is Medicham, for which i switch to Blubber. She switches to her Abomasnow though, so i sacrifice Rups to get Riri back out. One Aura Sphere takes out her ace. She sends Medicham back out, so i switch to Blubber again. A crit force palm does serious damage, so i have to switch again. I sacrifice Koukan to get Jskar out, then she heals as Spark doesn't do nearly as much as i hoped. A second spark paralyzes her as she goes for bulk up, and she ends up fully paralyzed as i bring her to a sliver. I finally manage to kill her off, in no small part because she likes to use Detect to rack up hail damage. Last is her Sneasel, so i bring Riri back out and OHKO with Aura Sphere. Seven badges. Whatever.

I head back to the lake, only to find that i'm too late. Commander Jupiter has taken out Michael and captured the legendary pokemon. Thanks, Suzuna, for wasting my time with that gym battle. If she'd just lent me a badge temporarily, i'd have made it in time. i'd have stopped this. I'm not saying that Suzuna is in cahoots with team Galactic, but that's totally what i'm saying. Anyway, Jupiter says that they're taking the legendary pokemon to their base in veilstone, so i guess i should head there. For now though, i fish up Koiqueen the magikarp and call it a day.
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My current team:

Sekaigame (Torterra) lv 38
Bruce (Crobat) lv 39
Jskar (Luxray) lv 40
Blubber (Gastrodon) lv 40
Riri (Lucario) lv 40

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Koiqueen the Magikarp will be taking Marie's place on the team. I'll have to train a bit though before i'm ready to launch a rescue mission for the legendaries. During this training, Koiqueen evolves into Gyarados. After some training, i decide to call it a day.
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My current team:

Koiqueen (Gyarados) lv 28
Bruce (Crobat) lv 39
Jskar (Luxray) lv 40
Blubber (Gastrodon) lv 40
Riri (Lucario) lv 41
Sekaigame (Torterra) lv 38

 

[There Is No Arceus]

When my training is finally done, i head back to Veilstone. I confront a team galactic member in front of their HQ; he remembers me smashing their operations in Eterna and runs off, dropping the key to their warehouse. The doors in the main building are locked, so i guess i'll infiltrate through said warehouse. This base employs teleporter pads similar to those seen at Silph Co in Kanto. I find the key to the main building here, so i head over there. I make my way to their leader's quarters; apparently Cyrus leads this organization. The same crazy guy i ran into twice who ranted about how the world should be remade. I didn't realise this organization had such a crazy person at its helm; i thought they were just regular troublemakers.

I challenge Cyrus to a battle and he leads with Murkrow. I lead with Jskar and take him out with a crit Spark. He then sends out Golbat, so i keep Jskar, and spark paralyzes and brings him to a sliver. Cyrus uses a super potion, but that doesn't stop me from killing him. Last is Sneasel, so i switch to Riri and kill it with an aura sphere. After i win, Cyrus tells me that the legendary pokemon are no longer needed so i can release them. He also gives me a Master Ball for winning. not sure why, but sure, i'll take it. He then tells me that he's going to climb Mt. Coronet as the final part of his plan; i guess i'll chase him there. First though, i need to release the legendary mons.

In the room holding the legendary mons, i find commander Saturn. He refuses to just release the pokemon they spent so much work catching, and wishes to battle me. He leads with Kadabra and i lead with Jskar. I take him out with crunch as he throws an embargo at me. next is Bronzor, so i send out Koiqueen. I bring him to a sliver, but he uses confuse ray so i have to switch to Blubber, who takes him out with a surf. Last is Toxicroak, so i keep Blubber in and two-shot with sludge bomb. After i win, he finally lets me free the pokemon and let them return to their lakes.

Time to climb the Hokkaido's magnificent central mountain. i've heard people say that in the 1800s some kid met Arceus here after calming Dialga and Palkia and settling the differences between the Diamond and Pearl clans that used to call this region home. of course, that's all myth; Arceus doesn't exist and Dialga and Palkia probably don't either. Anyway, I catch a snover on the slopes of this magnificent mountain and name it Yeto. I fight my way through many Team Galactic grunts and manage to reach the peak, where i beat two more grunts. As i approach Cyrus, he uses the red chain he got from the legendary pokemon to summon Dialga. turns out this creature is real. maybe there's some truth to the ancient legends after all. but that's something to worry about later; for now, Dialga is destroying the world and must be stopped.

As i approach Cyrus, Mars and Jupiter stop me and team up on me, but then Michael shows up and teams up with me to defeat them. I lead with Blubber, Michael leads with Munchlax and the enemies lead with two Bronzor. After two surfs, the enemies and Michael's Munchlax are all down to a sliver, and a third surf takes them all out. Michael sends out his Infernape and the enemies both send out Golbat. I opt to switch to Koiqueen on a Giga Drain that does next to nothing, get an intimidate off and then hit the giga draining golbat with Ice Fang. A second ice fang kills it while Michael brings the other golbat to a sliver. Skuntank then gets sent out, and i switch back to Blubber while Infernape kills the other golbat and gets killed by skuntank. The enemies send out Purugly and Michael sends out Staraptor, who intimidates the opponents. Staraptor one-shots Purugly with close combat while i deal over half to skuntank, but unfortunately he has a sitrus berry. The next turn though, both Staraptor and Skuntank go down.

It seems Cyrus's stalling was effective; Dialga begins to destroy the world as Barry flees the scene. But then the lake trio i saved show up and calm Dialga down. Mesprit from Lake Verity then appears before me, seemingly approving of my actions. Cyrus gets pretty pissed by this and challenges me to a battle. He leads with Honchkrow and i lead with Blubber. Blubber takes little damage, then a profoundly stupid ude of a super potion and a miss with steel wing allow me to kill him with about 3/4 health left. Next is Gyarados, for which i send out Koiqueen, my own Gyarados. We intimisate each other, so we now do next to nothing to each other. I switch Riri in on an aqua tail that did more than i expected, then i switch back to Koiqueen so as to shake off his intimidate and get another of my own in. He brings me to a sliver with two Giga Impacts, but i take him out. Up next is Weavile, for which i switch to Blubber. Blubber manages to activate his berry, but Weavile gets it down to a sliver so i have to switch again. I head for Jskar, but he takes over half from an ice punch so this isn't going well. I don't see a path to victory without a sacrifice here. i sack Koiqueen to get an intimidate off, then i send out Bruce. Bruce brings him to a sliver with Fly, but then Cyrus uses the super potion he apparently has while i go for wing attack. For some reason though, he's not using Ice Punch against me, instead using weak not very effective moves like Brick Break and X-Scissor, so i manage to kill it. Last is Crobat, for which i opt to keep Bruce in. He confuses me just as i go for fly, but i manage to pull it off. I then opt to switch to Riri though, but she takes serious damage from an air cutter. I use a max potion to heal Riri; if he can do it, so can i. I then confuse him with a rock climb; two more rock climbs and him hitting himself finish him off.

Cyrus tells me he's going to just make a new red chain and fucks off. Lucas and the professor then show up to congratulate me on defeating Cyrus and to encourage me to catch Dialga. So i walk up to the beast and throw my master ball at it. I now own Dialga, the god of time, and a being whose existence i doubted until a few moments ago. But it's ugly so i release it immediately. Now that the crisis is averted, i take some time to enjoy the view from the top of this great mountain and to mourn the loss of my friend Koiqueen. You weren't with us for long, but you made your presence known while you were with us. I think i'll call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Sekaigame (Torterra) lv 41
Blubber (Gastrodon) lv 43
Bruce (Crobat) lv 42
Riri (Lucario) lv 42
Jskar (Luxray) lv 43