Unovia's Alpha Sapphire "Forest Ranger & Birch Run"

[Unovia]

After some thought, I brought Geodude, Aron, & Makuhita into this Exam. I swept through the trainers here, with the most challenging portion being the electric "rope" puzzle. Once I got to Wattson, I kept Geodude in front. He opened with Magnemite (Level 19). Magnemite was faster than Geodude, hitting with a Tackle first. Geodude used Smack Down to do a little bit of damage so that if Magnemite had Sturdy (it probably did), when I would use the Ground Type moves on it, it would fall easier. Magnemite struck with another Tackle, and Geodude struck with Bulldoze, ending Magnemite. Magneton (Level 21) was next, and I considered sending out Makuhita, but decided against it since Geodude had barely taken damage. A combination of Magnet Bomb and Supersonic almost took Geodude down, but Geodude took out Magneton. Voltorb (Level 19) fell in an OHKO to Bulldoze. With Wattson defeated, I was elevated to Senior Forest Scout and got access to Fire & Ground Types. It was much easier than I expected.

Now with access to Rock Smash, I decided to head back to the Trick House and see what I could do. In the next Log, we will do so. Until next time, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

With Wattson defeated and access to Rock Smash secured, I decided to take on the Trick House. At first, I was not sure if I would need it, but it was confirmed I would when I first walked in. I left for a little bit to train up some of my Pokemon. My training got Taillow up to Swellow, Surskit to Masquerain, and most significantly Shroomish to Breloom. I gave Breloom Rock Smash, and then went back to the Trick House. There were multiple rocks and the good thing is that they are empty (no items or Pokemon in these Rocks). I turned off the Exp. Share, then took down all of the trainers, getting a few Pokemon trained. The Trick Master gave me a reward for succeeding, then I departed.

Mauville has 4 paths out of the City. South: Slateport West: Route 117 East: Route 118 North: Route 111 In the next Log, we will go East out of Mauville, exploring Route 118. Until the next time, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

Originally, I had planned to only cover Route 118 in this post, but as I was playing, I found it easier to cover all of the directions through Mauville.

Going East through Mauville, I arrived at Route 118. There isn't much here other than a few trainers and a beach. Route 118 is split in half by water. I cleared out the trainers, then decided to go west across Mauville to Route 117. Route 117 has its major feature of the Pokemon Daycare of Hoenn. There are a lot of trainers here, including a Double Battle. It was a good spot to train a lot of my team, allowing for me to evolve several of my Pokemon. Continuing west, I arrived in Verdanturf Town, the town that Wally and his family live in. The air is very clean here, perfect for his health. I saved a Shroomish for a little girl and also went back into Rusturf Tunnel, breaking rocks that were separating a karate man and his girlfriend, who is Wally's sister Wanda.

Eventually, I decided to go north on Route 111. This Route has a desert splitting it, but the initial area of interest is the Winstrate Family, a 4 person gauntlet, though there is another family member that could be out "battling the Elite Four". This battle can be very challenging, especially if you are not ready, but I sailed through it smoothly.

Also on this Route, I am introduced to the interviewing team of Gabby & Ty. I defeated them, then sat for an interview. After I did that, I moved on. The Desert is too harsh to go to yet, so the only direction we can take is going west through Route 113, which will take us to Fallarbor Town. I also ran into May, who gave me Strength, then departed. In the next Log, we will check out the grass in this area and Route 112. Until then, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

Route 112 is a Route that connects a number of locations, though right now, we are catching a Numel and Machop. The Route also contains the Cable Car, which Team Aqua has blockaded right now. If I was able to access the Cable Car, I could go up to Mt. Chimney. I could go into Fiery Path as well, but I wanted to level them up for a bit before we move on into Fiery Path. I left there, leveling up Numel and Machop.

I hope we will be able to access the Cable Car soon. In the next Log, we will go backtrack to Granite Cave, as there is one Pokemon we can get there in one of the lowest areas of the cave, Nosepass. Until then, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

Here we go. Back to Granite Cave. This should be the last time we are here, since this is the 3rd Time. The area where you can get a Nosepass is the same area where we caught Aron and Sableye, though we couldn't get there until we beat Watson and were able to use Rock Smash, since Nosepass is only catchable in this area through Rock Smash. After I beat the trainers here and caught Nosepass, I escaped.

I also decided to backtrack, continuing to try to capture Minun back on Route 110. Luckily, I was able to get one using my Masquerain, since it has Sweet Scent, which triggers 5 Pokemon, a Horde, in areas where Hordes are capable. Eventually, I found it. While I was in the area of Mauville City, I attempted to catch a Illumise using the Horde Mechanic on Route 117, but was unable to right now. It was frustrating to try to wade through the catch.

In the next Log, we will go through the long road to Fallarbor City. Until then, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

Back in Mauville City, I pushed north through Route 111. The desert is still inaccessible, so I traveled back through Route 112, beat the Hikers, then traveled through Fiery Path.

	The Fiery Path is extensive, and I was able to get a Grimer, Koffing, Slugma, and Torkoal here. I will be training them up soon enough, but I am a bit exhausted with having to break rocks to swap out some of my team members, so I decided to move past here to the rest of Route 112 and 111, where I continued to train my more trained up Pokemon.
	On Route 112, I found Aarune, a "Secret Base Expert" from Unova. He showed me the Secret Base Mechanic, establishing it for me. After he said goodbye, I moved onto Route 113, which has a lot of ash from Mt. Chimney. Once you get the Soot Sack, you can actually use Soot payments to get several items from the glass blowing business in the area. I also caught a few Pokemon here, including Sandshrew, Spinda, and Skarmory. Skarmory took me a bit to find and catch, but I eventually did. I also beat the trainers here and finally moved onto Fallarbor Town.
	Stopping into the Fallarbor Town Pokemon Center (FINALLY!, I ran into a girl named Lanette, who is the one who works on the PC System. She invited me to visit her on Route 114 at her house. Then I met up with May, who pulled me into a house in the town, where she asked me to help her save Professor Cozmo, who was captured by Team Aqua due to his research on Meterorites. I felt bad for his wife. I am going to go help May and Cozmo soon enough, but I have a few Pokemon I want to train up before we go do this next part. These include: Magnemite (that I got in a Horde on Route 110) Marill Slugma Grimer Koffing In the next Log, we will go off to Meteor Falls. Until we are ready, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

With my team ready, I switched out to a team that could be my major team, at least for a bit:
Grovyle
Manectric
Numel
Hariyama (Makit)
Tentacool
Swellow

This woman named Shelly who is part of Team Aqua teamed up with a random Grunt. She came with a Mightyena and Carvanha, while the Grunt had a Grimer. All 3 were Level 23. May teamed up with me, and I did the majority of the work against them.

Suddenly, another team, this one dressed in red, showed up, calling themselves Team Magma. They also want to take over Hoenn. Great. Another team I have to defeat. For now, Maxie decided to insult Archie and then depart. May and I helped Cozmo go back home, then May invited me to go to Mauville City with her. Apparently, she decided to take on the advancement exams as well. We split ways, and I decided to go back to the Cable Car going up to Mt. Chimney, considering that Team Aqua and Magma were both going for the meteor. In the next Log, we will go up to Mt. Chimney, go after Team Aqua, and go down Jagged Pass. Until then, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

As I was walking at the peak of Mt. Chimney, I saw Team Magma and Team Aqua facing off. I changed out my Team to a team in training (my "Main Team" was mostly at Level 28, which was at a limit) and I took out Shelly once again. Her team was Grimer & Carvanha, both Level 24. It didn't take me too long to defeat her, since most of my team was able to stomp her.

As promised, Archie decided to battle me. He warned me in Slateport that he would battle me. His team was Mightyena (Level 25), Golbat (Level 25), and Sharpedo (Level 27). It didn't take too long for me to defeat him using Breloom for Mightyena and Sharpedo. Golbat had to go down with Kirlia, but it was easy. How is he the boss of anything? Archie threatened to use his Mega Stone, but he was called by his Admin about a place called Mt. Pyre. He then departed. Once he left, I took on Jagged Pass, which the only thing I had to catch here was a Spoink. Strangely, there are rocks that can be jumped on using the Acro Bike. Unfortunately, I don't have that bike right now (I have the Mach Bike). One day, when I have the other bike, I will hop down to my hearts content. I arrived in Lavaridge Town. in the next Log, we will look at Lavaridge Town. Until the next time, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

Exhausted after all of that travel, I was relieved to finally rest in a Town. Lavaridge Town is famous for its hot springs, available through the Lavaridge Town Pokemon Center. Upon talking to an old woman, she offered me an egg she was having a hard time hatching. The good thing is, I have Slugma, which has Flame Body. Flame Body is an ability that, other than having a 30% Chance of Burning a attacking Pokemon, it also makes it easier to hatch eggs.

Unfortunately, I don't know what is in this egg, but I am hoping to use Slugma to hatch the egg so I can find out what this Egg is before I go take on the next Exam, which is in this town. Speaking of this next Exam, I think that because of the hot springs, it only makes sense that the next Exam is Fire Type. I have to do some planning, and in the next Log, we will post our plan for how we will move ahead. Until the next time, we will see you, but I am going to rest in the Hot Springs while I plan!

 

[Unovia]

This next Exam is Fire Type. It has many types that it is strong against, and very few that it is weak against. I will have a few Pokemon that I will be able to use in this Exam. In addition, I am including a list of Pokemon I could use but they are not leveled with the others.

Fire Type: Strengths: Bug, Grass, Ice, & Steel Weaknesses: Ground, Rock, & Water Pokemon I Can Use: Lombre Graveler Goldeen Tentacool Aron Numel Pokemon I Could Use (but the Levels are Too Low): Pelipper (Level 25) Masquerain (Level 22) Gyrados (Level 20) Azumarill (Level 18) Nosepass (Level 15)

In the next Log, I will be taking on the next Exam. I will be half way to proving myself as a Senior Forest Scout. Until the next time, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

How did Wally beat me here?! This is the first Exam he beat me to. How did he do that?! I went in with Lombre, Graveler, Goldeen, Tentacool, Aron, & Numel to a spa that doubles as a Exam location. I defeated all of the spa patrons, then I left to get my team down to Lombre, Tentacool, & Numel into the final battle with Flannery. She opened with Slugma (Level 26) and I opened with Tentacool (Level 28). One Bubblebeam lead to an OHKO of Slugma. She then sent out Numel (Level 26), and Tentacool stayed out, striking with another Bubblebeam, which OHKOed Numel. Flannery was now down to her last Pokemon, Torkoal, and at first I kept out Tentacool, using Bubblebeam at first, but Torkoal then used Sunny Day, which decreased the effectiveness of Water moves. I switched to Numel (Level 28), which took damage from Body Slam. I retaliated with an Earth Power, ending the fight with Flannery! As I left, I ended up meeting with May, who gave me the Go-Goggles and invited me to go travel back to Petalburg with her. I am not sure what I want to do. In one hand, I want to go with May and check in with my Dad. In the other hand, I want to use the Go-Goggles to explore the desert finally and see what secrets are there. In the next Log, we will make a determination of what we want to do. Option 1: Explore the Desert of Route 111 using the Go-Goggles. Option 2: Go back with May to Petalburg City. Until the next time, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

	At first, I traveled back with May to Petalburg City, but I did not stay there long, deciding to take the opportunity to go to the desert. Finally, I arrived at the Desert of Route 111, with the Go-Goggles. It took multiple trips to check out the desert. On my first trip there, I caught Cacnea, Baltoy, & Trapinch. On the second trip, I beat all of the explorers here. On the third trip, I encountered two Fossils.
	One Fossil looked like a paw, while the other looks like a flower. The paw is the Claw Fossil, while the flower is the Root Fossil. Facing a decision, I ended up picking the Claw Fossil, while the Root Fossil disappeared into the sand, to be lost forever. When I was on Route 114, I ran into a fossil maniac who told me about these fossils. I also remembered that in Rustboro City, there is a scientist in the Devon Corporation that restores Fossils. With that remembered, I headed off to Rustboro City.
	Once I was in Rustboro City, I got the fossil restored. I was surprised at what came out of the restoration process... an Anorith, which once swam in Hoenn's prehistoric seas. Luckily, it came at Level 20, so I can train it up pretty easily. I then finished my excursion back to Petalburg City. It's time to plan for the Normal Type Exam. In the next Log, we will discuss the plan for that Exam! Until the next time, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

As I was training, I used Slugma to hatch the egg, eventually producing a Wynaut. Wynaut is the pre evolved form of Wobbefett. I placed Slugma in the box and considered my next move. Normal Types Weaknesses: Fighting Immunity: Ghost Fighting is the only Type Weakness that Normal Types have. Luckily, I have 3: Breloom Machoke Hariyama

In the next Log, we will take on the Normal Type Exam. Until the next time, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

The Normal Type Exam is hosted by my Dad, Scout Leader Norman. While going through the rest of the trainers with my Fighting Types, I let Wynaut stay in my Team to level it up (eggs start in at Level 1) until I got to my Dad, after which I put it in the box. Before I started this battle, I gave each of my Fighting Types Chesto Berries, a Berry that allows for waking up. I also bought a few Awakenings. This is due to my experience with the Slaking evolutionary line. Dad opened with a Slaking (Level 30), and I did with Breloom. Breloom hit first with Mach Punch, which caused a bit of damage. Slaking retaliated with Retaliate, which did a lot of damage to Breloom, but Breloom countered with the Effect Spore Ability, which put Slaking to sleep. That, combined with the Truant Ability, stalled out Slaking. Breloom used Force Palm, which took out Slaking. Dad sent out Vigoroth (Level 28) and I switched to Machoke. Vigoroth used Retaliate, and Machoke used Wake Up Slap, OHKOing Vigoroth. Down to his last Pokemon, Dad used another Slaking (Level 30), and I switched to Hariyama. Hariyama used Force Palm, which almost took out the Slaking, but Slaking used Chip Away. Hariyama ended the battle with another Force Palm. I got my 5th Badge, and am now a Junior Forest Ranger! I now get access to Dragon Types.

After I got the badge, Wally and his Dad met up with me, giving me Surf. Wally, excited, took me back to Mauville City so he could see Route 118. I also lost access to Mr. Briney taking me across the water. I have a few Water Types where this could be used that are in the proper Level structure that I can use to continue exploration. These are: Lombre Tentacool Goldeen In the next Log, we will go across Route 118. Wouldn't be surprised if there are a Fisherman fishing on the other side. Maybe I can get an upgrade to my Old Rod. Then we will fish for a while. That will allow me to explore some of the old fishing spots before we move on to explore more. Until the next time, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

As I crossed over the water separating the two sections of Route 118, I met a fisherman who gave me the Good Rod. Unfortunately, there aren't many Pokemon that I could get from the Good Rod that I had not gotten from the Old Rod. In the next Log, we will use our newly gained Surfing ability to explore Southern Hoenn. Until then, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

Departing from Slateport City, I explored Routes 108 and 107, both of which were bypassed when Mr. Briney took us places in his boat. Off of Route 108, I ran into a shipwreck called Sea Mauville.

This is a MASSIVE ship! I decided to bypass it for now, thinking about going back after I get all of the Exams completed. What shipwrecked it? What connection does this have with Mauville? Who established the ship? What Secrets does it hold? We continued onto Dewford Town, mysteries swimming in my head. In the next Log, we will finally go across to Eastern Hoenn, the unexplored part of the Region. Until the next time, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

	Finally traveling across to Eastern Hoenn, we run into Steven again, who we had not seen since Granite Cave. He talked to me, asking what my goals were. He also encouraged me to continue my dreams until we reached the top, hopefully the Pokemon League.
	Suddenly, a blue Pokemon appeared before us. It is Latios, a Legendary Pokemon. He came to ask Steven and I for help with latias, his sister and other Legendary Pokemon. Latios flew us to an island, apparently called Southern Island. In the next Log, we will explore the island and work to save Latias! Until next time, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

On Southern Island, Steven & I uncover what is going on and why Latios needed help. Team Aqua is on the island, and they are holding Latias hostage! We teamed up to battle the Team Aqua Admin and another Grunt. Steven brought into the fight his Metang, the Admin had a Sharpedo, and the Grunt had a Grimer. I had a team in training with me, since I didn't want to get my major team up to Level 35, my limit up to this next Exam. Steven and I beat them, they departed, and a grateful Latias joined my team. Steven also gave me access to Mega Evolution. Soon I will be able to use it on my team. In the next Log, we will explore the forested area to the north on our way to the next city, Fortree City, Route 119. Until next time, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

Hoenn's Route 119 is a long, rainy Route. There is so much to explore here, and the long grass and constant rain makes movement a bit slow. I defeated all of the trainers, including some other Forest Rangers there. It kinda made me nervous because of the others who I am basically competing against. If the Forest Rangers are here, wouldn't that suggest that they may have 5-6 Badges? I know Wally does since I get regular updates through my Buzz Nav. The most prominent feature on this Route is the Weather Institute. By the time I got there, I felt completely soaked. I wish I had been able to get an umbrella! Eventually, I got to the Weather Institute, which allowed me to rest and dry my clothes. I think something is going on here, since I can see Team Aqua Grunts. In the next Log, we will clear out the Weather Institute. Until next time, we will see you!

 

[Unovia]

Well now we are in the Weather Institute, fully rested from my time on Route 119. I battled all of the Grunts while training up my various Pokemon so I could continue running my Birch Run. Once I beat the Grunts, I had to beat Shelly to liberate the Institute. It didn't take me too long, though my Lairon got frozen by Shelly's Sharpedo and stayed frozen through the entire fight. It took my entire team to defeat her, but I did. After Team Aqua departed, the grateful people at the Institute gave me a Pokemon called Castform.

Castform Castform is a unique Pokemon, perfect for a Weather Institute. Castform has 3 other Weather Forms. Sunny Sunny Form Castform is a Fire Type. This form occurs during Harsh Sunlight. Rainy Rainy Form Castform is a Water Type. This form occurs during Rain, such as on Route 119. Snowy Snowy Form Castform is an Ice Type. This form occurs during Hail. I don't plan to use Castform, so I just decided to keep it in my box. There is a lot to do to make Castform battle ready. In the next Log, we will finish exploring Route 119 and finally cross into Fortree City. Until the next time, we will see you!