Pfff, the first non-Red Gyarados shiny that I ran into in my entire time playing the Pokemon games was a Hariyama in Sapphire.
...
It knew Whirlwind. And proceeded to use it.
I could have cried, although I didn't quite do so.
Soooo, fast forward about three or four years, and nothing more has appeared to me in my many hours of playing. One day, I'm doing research and I come across the chaining method. I try it, and get myself to 40 a couple of times, only to accidentally mix up the chain right around that time, with mis-steps and bad decisions and such. More research later, I ask my friend to suggest a chain. She wants a Hoppip.
I chain.
I hit 40.
Suddenly, I'm swimming in shiny Hoppip. The time between the first 4 or 5 shiny Hoppip were ridiculously fast, like, 3 to 10 resets apiece, perhaps to make up for my horrid luck with Hariyama.
Over the next 4 to 5 months, I proceed to fill my boxes with suggested and self-sought chained shinies, with three and a half boxes filled up with nothing but shinies. I then considered myself a veteran of chaining, in a way.
Fast forward a few more months, maybe six, and HG/SS comes out. I'm playing my HG game, and maybe 5 to 10 hours in, I happen upon some ludicrous luck and a Spinarak appears one night that's a beautiful bright blue. I caught it that instant and proceeded to use it for the rest of the game, even though I almost never use poison or bug types.
This is one of many firsts: The first Pokemon I didn't evolve as I played through the game (I preferred the blue rather than Ariados's colors.) The first non-Red Gyarados shiny I got to raise on my team from near the beginning of the game. It was pretty fantastic. Today, he's at level 54 and growing as I make my way through Kanto.
His name? BlueBeetle.
Alrighty, my epic story is done. :3
- Tyros