Finally making progress on my Sapphire run again, after days of grinding to prepare for Norman. Finished grinding everyone up to level 32 earlier today, then went in. I'd already beaten the rest of the trainers, so I just went straight to Norman and dove in. And we made it through fairly easy, all in all, though I lost Irv the Dustox to a crit Facade along the way.
Then went next door and got the Surf TM from Wally's dad and went to the Pokemon Center, where I released Irv and pulled out the next one in the order - Daisy Mae the Magikarp. Taught Surf to Hazel the Marshtomp, slapped the Exp Share on Daisy Mae, then we made our way back home. Stopped in and said hi to mom and got an Amulet Coin, then worked our way back up to Petalburg. Surfed a couple of little ponds to get items but didn't encounter anything. Then set out from the beach with Lemmy the Loudred in the lead (who has Shock Wave from the TM). Encountered a Tentacool, but fainted it, then made our way out through the trainers and along the routes to Dewford, where we healed, then on to the Abandoned Ship. Fought all the trainers and got all the items in the first part there, then back out and finished up the swimmers on the rest of the route and finally limped into Slateport, with a full bag and low PP. And Daisy Mae evolved into a Gyarados along the way. Healed at the PC, then went up to the Trick House, where we're currently saved outside the door.
Current team:
Hazel the Marshtomp lvl 33
Clyde the Breloom lvl 33
John the Ninjask lvl 32
Sylvia the Linoone lvl 32
Lemmy the Loudred lvl 34
Daisy Mae the Gyarados lvl 23
Released:
Brenda the Mightyena
Vanessa the Kirlia
Irv the Dustox
*edit for an update*
Went through the Trick House and got a Smoke Ball. Put it in the PC with all the rest of the extra stuff. Then went up to Mauville and talked to Wattson and got the key to New Mauville, then back down and Surfed out to the entrance. Blew through New Mauville with Hazel Mud Shotting everything that came up (and caught a Voltorb and named it Frank), then back to Mauville, where we talked to Wattson again and got the Thunderbolt TM. Then it was off to the water east of Mauville, where we Surfed across (and fainted a Carvanha trying to knock it down low enough to catch it). Fought the trainers and Gabby and Ty (one of my favorite parts of RSE), then worked our way up Routes 118 and 119. I taught Daisy Mae Strength, so she had something physical with at least some decent power, and kept her in the lead most of the way. By the time we made it to the Weather Institute, she was handling pretty much anything that came her way, even without a STAB attack (which, after all, is what pre-gen IV Gyarados do). Went through the Weather Institute fairly uneventfully, though Shelly's Mightyena did provide a bit more challenge than I would've expected, but it ended up going down to a Clyde Mach Punch. Then we got the Castform, and it's automatically named Castform, which I'd never realized before. Then it was on to Fortree City - my favorite city not only in Hoenn, but in all of the Pokemon universe.
Went through town, talked to everyone, found the invisible thing we couldn't go past on the path to the gym, then swung out and down Route 120, where we caught an Oddish and named him Paul. Talked to Steven, got the Devon Scope and battled the Kecleon. Then, after grinding a bit on Route 120 to get Hazel up to level 36 and evolved to a Swampert, it was back to Fortree to chase away that Kecleon, and on to Winona's gym. Decided before going in to give Hazel Rock Tomb, which turned out to be a very good thing. We plowed through the underlings with Daisy Mae doing almost all the work, and Lemmy coming in on the Pelippers to Shock Wave them. Got to Winona with no trouble at all. Daisy Mae took down her Swellow with two Strengths, then I switched in Lemmy on the Pelipper, who one-shotted it with a Shock Wave. I left him in for the Skarmory, which he took down in two, taking only a single Steel Wing along the way. Then came the Altaria. I tried a Shock Wave on it on the first turn, just to check, and sure enough, it did minimal damage, while the Altaria countered with an Aerial Ace that took just a bit less than half off of Lemmy. Time to get him out of there. So I switched in Daisy Mae and she hit the Altaria with a Strength and took off a bit less than half of its points while it Dragon Danced. Hit it with a second one, hoping for a crit, but only took off a bit less than half again, which knocked it down into the red but not out, while it Dragon Danced again. Next turn, Winona healed it while Daisy Mae hit with another Strength and knocked it back down to just over half. Set up yet another Strength for the next turn, and the Altaria opened with an Aerial Ace, with a crit, that one-shotted Daisy Mae. I wouldn't have even thought that was possible from full HP, even with a crit and two DDs, but... So I switched in Hazel and hung on. Opened with Rock Tomb, which only took a bit over a quarter of the Altaria's HP, but did get the slow effect, though it still outsped her on the next turn. I gambled and had Hazel use Secret Power, and got the Paralysis effect out of it, and that's what shifted the tide of the battle. From then on, Hazel outsped the Altaria, so it was just a matter of outlasting it (of having more potions than Winona had) and avoiding another crit. And we did both, and finally won.
Went back to the PC and released Daisy Mae and collected the next in the order - Nan the level 7 Zubat. Put the Exp Share on her and went out onto Route 120, where Clyde knocked out Linoones and Zigzagoons and the occasional Absol until Nan got up to level 16 and got Bite, and now we're saved on the west side of Fortree, ready to make our way back down and across to Mauville and Route 117, so I can put a Soothe Bell on Nan and level grind her up to Golbat and Crobat.
Current team:
Hazel the Swampert lvl 37
Clyde the Breloom lvl 35
John the Ninjask lvl 34
Lemmy the Loudred lvl 37
Sylvia the Linoone lvl 35
Nan the Zubat lvl 16
Released:
Brenda the Mightyena
Vanessa the Kirlia
Irv the Dustox
Daisy Mae the Gyarados