[Challenge] Mono-Color Challenge

Chose Popplio as my starter who I called Ben and did all the beginning stuff also catching a Grubbin and called her Evie, headed to the trainer school and completed it and caught Jay the Alolan Meowth. Beat Ilima's trail with not much difficulty. Used the Island Scan and caught Diablo the Totodile in Seaward Cave as a temporary team member. Ended up having to fight Hala twice because his Crabrawler beat me the first time. After that, used Tauros to get the various TMs and other stuff on Melemele, and caught Gil the Roggenrola in Ten Carat Hill. Then headed to Akala Island and saved after the battle with Hau in Paniola Town.

Gil
Level: 18
Nature: Mild
Ability: Sturdy
Moveset: Tackle, Rock Blast, Mud-Slap, Headbutt


Evie
Level: 18
Nature: Rash
Ability: Swarm
Moveset: Spark, Bug Bite, Mud-Slap, Acrobatics


Diablo
Level: 19
Nature: Naughty
Ability: Torrent
Moveset: Metal Claw, Bite, Water Gun, Brick Break


Ben
Level: 19
Nature: Sassy
Ability: Torrent
Moveset: Aqua Jet, Water Gun, Echoed Voice, Disarming Voice


Jay@Soothe Bell
Level: 18
Nature: Docile
Ability: Pickup
Moveset: Scratch, Fake Out, Bite Echoed Voice

Did the stuff in the Iron Island, decided not to take the Riolu egg from Riley mainly because I really like my current team and don't wanna swap out someone. Beat Byron and did the stuff at the lakes against Team Galactic. Made my way up Mt. Coronet and made my way to Snowpoint City, with Ben evolving on the way into Glaceon.

Ben@Silk Scarf
Level: 38
Moveset: Bite, Return, Quick Attack, Shadow Ball


Gil@Quick Claw
Level: 38
Moveset: AncientPower. Pursuit, Assurance, Zen Headbutt


Harry Hook
Level: 39
Moveset: Defog, Brine, Surf, Flash Cannon


Mal@Dragon Fang
Level: 39
Moveset: Dig, Dragon Claw, Iron Tail, Fire Blast


Carlos@Magnet
Level: 39
Moveset: Thunder Fang, Bite, Shock Wave, Spark


Uma
Level: 36
Moveset: Ice Fang, Aqua Tail, Bite, Dragon Rage


Strength, Rock Smash


Fly

So I started up by getting Squirtle, and I got a NidoranF as well. Going through the trainers in Viridian Forest, I eventually made my way to Pewter City.

Brock: Squirtle took care of both his Pok?mon with Bubble. They took two hits each, but it wasn't groundbreaking at all. Nothing more to say. Next!

Afterwards there were more trainers to battle, and my two team members evolved in Mt. Moon. For a little while it was Wartortle and Nidorina vs the world, haha. But the only reason I didn't evolve Nidorina ASAP was because I didn't want her to be Ground-type and thus weak to Misty.

Second rival fight: This took two tries, because the first time, Pidgeotto scored multiple critical hits and Sand-Attack didn't help. I got Nidorina to poison the Pidgeotto, and I eventually got Wartortle to finish it off. That then took care of Abra and Rattata, and I got in a Tail Whip against Bulbasaur before it finished me off. Nidorina took a little while to take care of that.

Misty: This took three tries. On the third, she used X Defend on Staryu second turn and I got the poisoning while I had 4/5 health, then Wartortle was able to take it from there while ending that round with just under 2/3. Then for Starmie, she used the X Defend again as I switched in Nidorina once more, and she used BubbleBeam for over half my total health, and the next turn she used Tackle instead of killing me. Derp. And I poisoned her. Then she finished me shortly after. Long story short, Wartortle managed to finish her off with 9 HP in the end thanks to some Mega Punches and a crit. Also, I did this after the rival fight but before Nugget Bridge.

Afterwards, I went up Nugget Bridge, skipping a few of the trainers because of how high level I was getting, and eventually made my way into Vermilion City where I got the Magikarp. I had to do quite a bit of switch training to get its levels up against those trainers, but I eventually got it to Level 18 and used two Rare Candies to get it to become a Gyarados.

Third rival fight: Gyarados completely swept him. That's literally it. That being said, his Pidgeotto did miss with Sand-Attack, and that could have potentially ruined it if he had hit.

Lt. Surge: No joke, I used Gyarados against his first two. And his Voltorb used SonicBoom. And when I switched to Nidoqueen for Raichu, he used Growl. I think you can guess the rest from there.

Then I went through Rock Tunnel. I skipped SEVERAL trainers en route to Celadon, but the only reason I skipped them was because of how high level I was getting. I did get Vaporeon in Celadon, but I wasn't using it for anything, really.

Fourth rival fight: The only thing really worth noting here was that I used my own Gyarados to 2HKO his mirror-match. His Kadabra used Teleport against Wartortle. That basically sums it up. Next!

First Giovanni fight: Wartortle OHKO'd the two Rock-types and Gyarados took care of Kangaskhan thanks to Dragon Rage. Nothing else here. Next!

Erika: Gyarados started off by scoring a critical hit against Victreebel with Bite and she missed with Sleep Powder, so Dragon Rage finished her. As for Tangela, I switched to Nidoqueen and she missed with Bind, and I got her to half with two usages of Poison Sting, the first being a critical hit, and after I got her in finishing range with a Body Slam, she hit with Bind this time. Once that was done, another Body Slam finished her. Body Slam didn't do much to Vileplume, though, and her Mega Drain wasn't kind in my favor. But I scored a critical hit, then she used Petal Dance, which scored a critical hit and got me to 5 HP. I had Gyarados finish her with Dragon Rage.

Then I had to squirm through Pok?mon Tower, and eventually made my way to Fuchsia City. But the VERY first thing I did after saving Mr. Fuji was go to Silph Co and get TM26 for Earthquake, which I taught to Nidoqueen immediately. But I decided to save the rest for later. Then I got HM03 for Surf like right as I could, and taught that to my two main Water-types.

Koga: Gyarados 2HKO'd the first Koffing from Level 32 as he just used an X Attack. For Muk, I switched into Nidoqueen, causing his Poison Gas to fail, and Earthquake 2HKO'd even though he used Minimize. For the second Koffing, I switched in Vaporeon as he used Smog, and I was still faster and Surf did a little less than half. He used SmokeScreen, twice in fact, but even then I still 3HKO'd him with Surf. Weezing was last? And he used Self-Destruct turn one. Nice going, genius.

As soon as that was over with, I caught Tangela south of Pallet Town and wasted no time in adding it to my party. I also got Omanyte revived from a fossil in Cinnabar. I trained Tangela against a lot of those Swimmers. Then came the Gym.

Blaine: Yes, I actually did this before Silph Co (except to get the TM for Earthquake). I started with my Level 32 Omanyte, and Growlithe only used Agility while Surf was a 2HKO. Ponyta hit with Fire Spin first turn though, for 1 HP per hit? And he somehow used Super Potions even though he was at full health. Then he used a pointless Growl, as Surf did the same amount as it did to Growlithe. After another Fire Spin and another Growl, I finished him. Rapidash used Growl first turn and took over half from Surf, and used Tail Whip second turn before being finished. Arcanine was last, and that missed with Fire Blast first turn but Surf did less than half. He used a Super Potion, and I got him below half before he used Take Down for half my remaining health on the dot, then Surf finished him. Wow, Blaine. You just got swept by an Omanyte over 12 levels lower than your strongest one. That's sad.

Then I went through Silph Co, beating quite a few of the Rocket Grunts for EXP, and eventually I came to the big fights.

Fifth rival fight: Blastoise very nearly OHKO'd Pidgeot with Blizzard, but his Wing Attack was shameful and I finished him with Surf. I used my Gyarados against his mirror-match, and Thunderbolt was an OHKO. Omanyte took care of Growlithe. The only hard one was Alakazam, he scored a critical hit and confusion against Tangela before I could paralyze him, and although Blastoise's Mega Punch was about to 2HKO, he confused me AGAIN with Confusion before I could finish him. Afterwards Tangela paralyzed him this time and took it from there. Venusaur was last, and handled thanks to paralysis and Nidoqueen's Earthquake being a 3HKO, even with Leech Seed.

Second Giovanni fight: Omanyte took care of his first three effortlessly thanks to Kangaskhan being stupid and using Rage, and he used a Guard Spec. on Nidoqueen first turn. I 2HKO'd him with ease. Next!

Sabrina: I started with Blastoise against Kadabra, and she opened with?Recover. Of all things. Mega Punch got her pretty darn low. Then she used Psybeam for 1/3 before I finished her. For Mr. Mime, I stayed in and scored a critical hit Mega Punch to get her very low before she used Barrier, but it was too little too late. For Venomoth I once again opted to stay in, but Surf did a bit less than half as she paralyzed me. After a few turns of her using weak attacks, I managed to finish her. Alakazam was last, and I sacked off Nidoqueen to a Psybeam that got her low, then she used?Reflect? Earthquake did okay, and she missed with Psywave afterward and she had 1/4 left or so. She used Psywave again, and it left me with 6 HP. A third Earthquake finished her. My god.

That has to be the saddest thing ever, my god. And with seven badges under my helm, I decided to catch Articuno, thinking I may want it for what was to come. And I'll just let the next Gym talk for itself.

Third and final Giovanni fight: Rhyhorn was OHKO'd with Tangela's Mega Drain. Dugtrio used Growl and as he used a Guard Spec, I missed with Solar Beam because of the ****ing 99.6 rule. Then he scored a critical hit Slash for over 1/3, and I readied Solar Beam, then he used Sand-Attack, but I actually OHKO'd this time. Nidoqueen was OHKO'd with Gyarados' Surf thanks to a critical hit. He used a Guard Spec on Nidoking. Wow. That and Rhydon were easily bested.

Penultimate rival fight: His first two were easy work for Blastoise. I tried to have Tangela fight Gyarados, and while three usages of Dragon Rage finished me, I did score a critical hit Solar Beam to knock him low and let Blastoise finish that and then Growlithe. Alakazam, however, I switched to Gyarados as he used Reflect, and Psychic did EXACTLY half while my Surf didn't do very much. I brought in Omastar? Only for him to use Reflect first turn while I scored a critical hit that got him low, only for him to OHKO me with a critical hit Psychic. Nidoqueen was swiftly OHKO'd also. Blastoise took over half from Psybeam, then I was taunted with a critical hit Strength. For Venusaur, I had to use Articuno. Ice Beam was an OHKO.

Then I went through Victory Road and beat the trainers there, getting some much needed EXP. It didn't take long before I was at the league.

Time when I was all done with Victory Road: 9:02, team was all Level 41/42 except Articuno.
Time after finishing training for E4: 12:53.

Lorelei: I began with Gyarados against Dewgong, and Thunderbolt did plenty over half? And she used Rest. But I proceeded to 2HKO her with Thunderbolt.
For Cloyster, Thunderbolt 2HKO'd that too as she only used a Super Potion. Lolwut.
Then Slowbro, I switched over to Tangela to try to fight. She used Water Gun for a laughably weak hit, then she unfortunately used Amnesia before I hit with SolarBeam, but even then I still did quite a bit over half. I then used Bind and hit three times for a light amount, and then Mega Drain scored a critical hit and finished her before healing me to full.
Jynx came after, and I switched in Blastoise for that before she used Body Slam for a critical hit that did 1/4 and paralyzed me. Her DoubleSlap was pretty weak, while my Strength did a little over half. Then she used Thrash and was finished with another Strength.
Lapras was last up, and I stayed in just to gauge out her next action, and she used Confuse Ray. And I hit myself in confusion. I switched in Tangela as she hit with Blizzard, which left me with 14% or so. I hit with Sleep Powder, then hit for around 1/4 with Mega Drain as she snoozed more. Another got her below half, and I used SolarBeam and finished her.

Bruno: I began with Tangela against the first Onix, and Mega Drain OHKO'd and got me to 90%.
For Hitmonchan, I stayed in as he used Ice Punch for 1/6, then SolarBeam OHKO'd with a critical hit.
Hitmonlee was next, and that used Jump Kick for a little less than half my remaining health, and he used Focus Energy before SolarBeam OHKO'd that with a critical hit too. Dang!
I OHKO'd the second Onix with Mega Drain and was healed to 4/5. And grew to Level 51.
Machamp was last, and I hit with Sleep Powder, but he woke up before I hit with SolarBeam for 2/3 or so. He used an X Defend, but it meant nothing as I hit with Sleep Powder again and then finished him with another SolarBeam.

Agatha: I started with Nidoqueen against the first Gengar? And she immediately switched in Golbat, so my Earthquake failed. She hit with Supersonic, and I hit, but missed with Thunder. She used Supersonic again for whatever reason, and I snapped out of confusion only to miss with Thunder once more. She used Haze for whatever reason before I finally hit with Thunder for 2/3. Then she used Confuse Ray, but I hit with Body Slam and failed to finish her. She used a Super Potion but I hit once again. She used a Super Potion AGAIN, and I hit myself this time. She used Confuse Ray, but I snapped out of confusion and used Body Slam for a completely deserved critical hit to finish her off.
Then was Gengar again. She used?Dream Eater? It failed, and Earthquake OHKO'd. Next!
Haunter used Night Shade, but Earthquake OHKO'd that too.
For Arbok, I switched in Blastoise, thinking she may have Earthquake? But she used Glare, and hit. She used Screech and I was fully paralyzed, then used Bite for a critical hit and over 1/4. Surf did a little bit over half?
And she switched to her second Gengar!!! And I got fully paralyzed again!!! I switched in Tangela anticipating Mega Drain, but she used Confuse Ray instead. She used Dream Eater, for some reason, and I hit myself in confusion.
THEN SHE ****ING SWITCHED IN ARBOK AGAIN!!!!!!! But I hit with Sleep Powder, at the least. I switched in Blastoise once more, and as she snoozed, I finished her with another Surf.
Lastly was the second Gengar again. I stayed in and she used Night Shade for over half my remaining health, while Surf didn't do that much at all. I switched over to Tangela as she used Night Shade? And then Dream Eater? And I hit with Sleep Powder, but she unfortunately woke up as I switched in Nidoqueen. She used Confuse Ray, but I hit through it and finished her with Earthquake. Good riddance. Both Blastoise and Nidoqueen grew to Level 51.

Lance: For Gyarados, I started with my mirror-match, and Thunderbolt was an OHKO.
For the first Dragonair, I switched to Omastar as he used Dragon Rage. He used it again, and Ice Beam didn't quite OHKO. He used Dragon Rage again, and I had 25 HP left before finishing him.
The second Dragonair finished me with another Dragon Rage. I brought in Gyarados again, and Bite did okay, but his Slam scored a critical hit for a little less than half. Bite did over 1/3 again, but he used Agility. Same next turn, and Bite finished him and got me to Level 51.
For Aerodactyl, I brought in Tangela as he used a pretty weak Take Down (okay, a little over 1/4) followed by Bite for a crit and just over half my remaining health, while my Mega Drain did a light hit but healed me up some. Another Bite and another Mega Drain were exchanged, then a failed Supersonic and he was almost done after another Mega Drain. Then he missed with Hyper Beam (!!!), and Mega Drain healed me over 2/3?
But that didn't matter, because Dragonite was last. I stayed in and he used Barrier, but I hit with Sleep Powder and then proceeded to switch in Blastoise. As he snoozed, I was faster and hit with Blizzard, not quite OHKO'ing him, but he continued to snooze and Strength finished him (taunting me with the critical hit then, because of course it did) and ended the battle. And Tangela grew to Level 52.

I used a Rare Candy on Gyarados to prop it up to 52 and learn Hyper Beam, because I had a feeling that I would need that move for that Alakazam coming up. Would we? Only one way to find out. I healed everyone up, and went in for it!

Final rival fight:
I started with Omastar against Pidgeot, and as he used Wing Attack for a laughably weak hit, Ice Beam did plenty over half. Same thing next turn, then he was finished. Next!
Then we had Alakazam, easily the thing I'm most afraid of. He used Reflect, while my Hydro Pump missed. Then he used?Reflect again??? Hydro Pump hit this time for a little less than half. He used Reflect YET AGAIN and Surf had him low. Then he actually attacked with Psybeam for a little less than half my remaining health, and Surf finished him.
For Rhydon, I switched in Tangela as he used Leer, and Mega Drain OHKO'd.
Then we had Gyarados. I stayed in, was somehow faster, and hit with Sleep Powder. I switched in Nidoqueen as he snoozed, and Thunder hit and didn't OHKO. But he continued to snooze and Body Slam finished him.
Then we had Arcanine. I stayed in, he missed with Leer, and Earthquake did over half. He used Roar for whatever reason and was then finished.
Last was Venusaur. I decided to stay in, and as he readied SolarBeam, Earthquake didn't do that much at all. I switched in Tangela, and he used SolarBeam for a critical hit that dealt almost 2/3! Whoa boy! He used Growth, but I hit with Sleep Powder. Then I switched in Gyarados, and he continued to snooze. I hit with Fire Blast for over half his remaining health, and he snoozed, allowing me to finish him with Hyper Beam, ending the battle and completing the challenge!

So I was inducted into the Hall of Fame, even though that was pretty effortless haha.

Level 51
Stats: 160, 116, 129, 103, 104
Moves: Blizzard, Strength, Surf, Withdraw

Level 51
Stats: 171, 104, 115, 103, 104
Moves: Body Slam, Earthquake, Submission, Thunder

Level 52
Stats: 180, 159, 105, 118, 134
Moves: Fire Blast, Hyper Beam, Surf, Thunderbolt

Level 52
Stats: 153, 80, 146, 93, 136
Moves: Bind, Mega Drain, Sleep Powder, SolarBeam

Level 50
Stats: 145, 83, 158, 79, 131
Moves: Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, Surf, Withdraw

Level 50 (I used this thing in like two fights lol)
Stats: 165, 93, 110, 91, 145
Moves: Fly, Ice Beam, Peck, Sky Attack

After a little more training after I was done all the big trainers, I got my team ranged out between Levels 73 and 75. Three months later, after I beat the game in Blue, I decided it was time for me to take on the Elite Four rematches. I wanted this to be the very last thing I did to wrap it all up.

I decided I'd start with Caitlin.
I began with Brimstone against Musharna, and I hit with Stone Edge for slightly over half, while she missed with Hypnosis. I then hit with Stone Edge again and finished her. Okay, promising start.
Alakazam was next, though. I decided to stay in as she used Focus Blast?and missed, allowing me to freely get in Stealth Rock. She hit with Focus Blast this time, and got me to Sturdy, along with a pointless Special Defense drop, while I used Rock Blast? And it hit twice and left her with a little over 1/3. She used Charge Beam? And MISSED!!! I used Earthquake and finished her.
Gallade was next though, and after a tiny bit of Stealth Rock damage, she finished me with Close Combat, and cut her Defenses in the process. I brought in Pesto, and she used Close Combat again for literally one point over half, another drop on the Defenses, and some Rocky Helmet damage, before Power Whip finished her.
Then we came to Reuniclus. Giga Drain didn't do much at all, and even after healing some, she had me very low with Psychic, and got a Special Defense drop. I used Power Whip, and that got her pretty low, and Psychic scored an unneeded critical hit and finished me. She was gaining Leftovers, and as I brought in Icecap, Ice Beam finished her because it got her out of healing range.
Afterwards it was Metagross time. She took a tiny bit of Stealth Rock damage, and after wondering what to do, I switched in Ashigatana, and she used Hammer Arm for JUST over half, and took Life Orb recoil. I used Hydro Cannon, but it got her around 21% or so, then she finished me with Zen Headbutt. Not good. I brought in Circuit, and as she healed, I used that to my advantage and used Thunder Wave. ThunderPunch did around 1/4, then she used Zen Headbutt and did 2/3 thanks to the Life Orb, which she took recoil thanks to. I used ThunderPunch again, got her low, and she finished me with Hammer Arm, then Life Orb recoil got her into the red. I brought in Icecap, and Icy Wind finished her off. Whew!
Gothitelle was last, and she took Stealth Rock damage. I had to stay in, and she used Psychic for a little less than half, then I used Icy Wind for a pretty good amount. Ice Beam then finished her and got Icecap to Level 74.

So that fight was going pretty good until that Metagross came out, then it headed seriously downhill. But we had to keep going! I decided to take on Grimsley next. This took SEVERAL tries to have end right.
I began with Brimstone as he started with Honchkrow, which was pretty good on my end. As he used Psychic for 1/3, I used Stone Edge to OHKO him.
Scrafty was next up, and I had to stay in, but the Quick Claw allowed me to use Earthquake for a little less than 1/3 before he hit with Hi Jump Kick and finished me, and worse yet, Moxie boosted his Attack. Not good! I brought in Sapphire, and Aura Sphere finished him thanks to the Expert Belt backing.
Houndoom was next up. I decided to switch in Icecap to be OHKO'd by a Fire Blast, since he got plenty of action in the last fight. I brought in Ashigatana, and he used Sludge Bomb for a little over 1/3 before Aqua Tail thankfully hit and OHKO'd him.
Afterwards he used Krookodile for whatever reason, and he got off an Intimidate. I decided to stay in, and he used Earthquake, which got me into the red, but I used Hydro Cannon to slam him.
Tyranitar was next and summoned a sandstorm, and as I recharged he finished me with Dark Pulse. I brought in Circuit, and he was faster and used Stone Edge, but that got a well-deserved miss, as I OHKO'd him with Superpower, but that did cut my stats.
Last was Bisharp. I switched in Sapphire as he went for Guillotine (!!) which missed, and then he got the Quick Claw but missed with Guillotine again (!!), allowing me to OHKO him with Aura Sphere. Whew!

Now that was NOT pleasant. I decided that Shauntal would be next, because I felt more prepared for her.

I began with Sapphire against Cofagrigus, and Dark Pulse did over half thanks to the Expert Belt as she used Will-o-Wisp. After finishing her, I was out 1/4 my health.
Next was Gengar, unsurprisingly. She used Focus Blast and finished me. After thinking for a bit on who to use, I opted for Circuit, and she used Sludge Bomb for a little less than half before I used Crunch and OHKO'd her with a critical hit that might have mattered, I don't know.
Then she came to Golurk, and I'm like, what? Why would you do that? I brought in Pesto, and as she used Hammer Arm, I took that pretty easily, her Speed was lowered, and she took Rocky Helmet damage. Giga Drain got her into the red and got me near full, then she used Hammer Arm again and Rocky Helmet finished her off. I was out a little over 1/3.
Then she used her Froslass, and I brought in Icecap, my own Ice-type, to combat her Blizzard. That did less than 1/3. Her Shadow Ball did slightly under half my remaining health, but it got the Special Defense drop, so so much for that. I used Mirror Coat and got her near 30%. I tried to use Ice Shard in the hopes of finishing her off, but no dice, and Shadow Ball finished me. I turned over to Brimstone, and as she healed, Rock Blast?hit three times, and even scored a critical hit on the third for kicks.
And then it was Chandelure time. I decided to stay in, and the Quick Claw triggered, and Stone Edge was a clean-cut OHKO which got Brimstone to Level 74.
Drifblim was last. As I opted to stay in, she used Thunder for a little less than half, as my last Stone Edge sadly missed. But then she missed with Thunder, so, give and take. Rock Blast hit twice, the first hit scoring a critical hit, allowing me to finish her.

Last was Marshal, and it shouldn't be any surprise that I would come to him last. This took several tries, twice that stupid Lucario was the one that finished me.

I began with Pesto against Throh, and started the battle with a Tickle, so his Stone Edge did less than 1/6. I used it again, and after a Payback I was out a little over 1/4. Power Whip then finished him.
Sawk was next, and I decided to stay in. As he used Stone Edge, he missed, while my Power Whip got him around 30% or so. But then he hit with it and had me a little below half, so my I used Giga Drain and was brought a little above half and grew to Level 74.
Then we came to Mienshao. I decided to bring in Sapphire, and as he used Fake Out, I hoped that he would miss with Hi Jump Kick? But that was not the case, and it finished me. I brought in Circuit as he used Hi Jump Kick again, but MISSED!!! Haha, you deserve it!!! He took half his health in recoil, and Acrobatics finished him.
Then we had Conkeldurr. I brought in Brimstone as he used Hammer Arm to get me to Sturdy with a critical hit, and his Speed was lowered, then I used Earthquake for a light hit before he finished me with another Hammer Arm. I brought in Ashigatana, and then we BOTH missed with our respective attacks (Aqua Tail and Hammer Arm respectively) before burn got him below half. I missed AGAIN, but he hit this time, and I was only out 1/4 my health or so. Then I finally hit with Aqua Tail, finishing him. Circuit grew to Level 75.
Next we had Machamp. I had to bring in Pesto for this, as he used ThunderPunch for a pretty weak hit and some Rocky Helmet damage. But much to my shock, he was faster, and Stone Edge got me into the red before I used Tickle. He hit with Stone Edge again and finished me. I brought in Ashigatana again, and Aqua Tail finished him thanks to Tickle and the prior damage.
Lastly was Lucario. I opted to stay in, and as he used Aura Sphere?it finished me with a critical hit. No matter, because I had Circuit at full health ready! His Aura Sphere did SLIGHTLY under half, and Superpower?OHKO'd him! That ended the battle. Whew!

And with that, it was time for the Champion, Iris. I had quite a few preparations to make, because I knew that this was going to be brutal. I couldn't start with Icecap against Hydreigon, because Focus Blast was an OHKO without a critical hit. So I had to figure out the right strategy, and it took me three tries, but I eventually did it. First time after getting past Hydreigon, I managed to win. Time to fire up that disco dance track and let's rumble!

I began with Circuit against Hydreigon, and as she used Dragon Pulse, I was left with 1/3 of my health left, and I got in a Thunder Wave to paralyze her. I switched in Sapphire, and she used Dragon Pulse for over 1/3 my health despite being resisted! Whoa! But thanks to the paralysis, I was able to use Close Combat and OHKO her.
Salamence was next. Oh dear. She got off an Intimidate, and I switched in Circuit as she used Earthquake, but it failed thanks to Levitate. She used Draco Meteor, but it MISSED!!!!!!! OH MY FUCKING GOD!!!!!!! That allowed me to use Thunder Wave to paralyze her. I used ThunderPunch, and it didn't do that much at all (around 30%) and she finished me with Fire Blast, then Life Orb got her around 60% or so. I brought in Ashigatana and finished her with an Ice Beam, which got Ashigatana and Sapphire to Level 76 and 75 respectively.
Unfortunately, Lapras came next. I had to bring in Pesto, and she used Thunder, which didn't do very much at all, around 1/5. Sadly, she was faster, and Blizzard slammed me. But I brought in Sapphire and slammed her with Close Combat.
Then we came to?Aggron? Are you kidding me? I decided to stay in and use Aura Sphere, which OHKO'd her.
Afterwards was Haxorus. Ho boy! She used Outrage, which finished me despite resistance. I brought in Brimstone, and Outrage proceed to OHKO with a critical hit! Yikes! I had to bring in Icecap, and her Outrage got me to 1/3 and confused her, then Ice Beam got her to her Focus Sash. She healed, however, and I used Ice Beam again, and she didn't have her Focus Sash this time, allowing me to finish her.
Lastly was Archeops. I opted to use Ice Shard, which didn't get her below half. She used Stone Edge, and unlike last time, it hit this time, finishing me. Just like the first battle, it was Archeops vs Ashigatana at full health for last one. She used Stone Edge? Which did a little over half? And I used Hydro Cannon? And it hit, finishing her off and winning me the battle!!!!!!!

That was an absolutely stellar final fight. Quite a bit of luck on both sides, and I had to do a lot of strategizing, even if her bringing in Aggron against Lucario was all kinds of questionable. I knew that this was not going to be an easy fight, and yet, I managed to do it.

(M) ?Ashigatana?, Level 76
Nature: Hardy
Stats: 263, 213, 151, 183, 115, 137
Moves: Aqua Tail, Encore, Hydro Cannon, Ice Beam

(M) ?Sapphire?, Level 75
Ability: Steadfast
Stats: 224, 220, 144, 194, 134, 150
Moves: Aura Sphere, Close Combat, Ice Punch, Dark Pulse (that last slot was Psychic for Marshal then Rock Tomb for Iris, but I never used either so yeah)

(M) ?Brimstone?, Level 74
Nature: Hardy
Stats: 234, 242, 222, 124, 123, 78
Moves: Earthquake, Rock Blast, Stealth Rock, Stone Edge

(M) ?Icecap?, Level 74
Stats: 215, 115, 214, 231, 167, 133
Moves: Ice Beam, Ice Shard, Icy Wind, Mirror Coat

(M) ?Circuit?, Level 75
Nature: Serious
Stats: 241, 215, 140, 189, 149, 114
Moves: Superpower, ThunderPunch, Thunder Wave, Volt Switch (was Crunch before Marshal, then Acrobatics)

(F) ?Pesto?, Level 74
Ability: Chlorophyll
Stats: 260, 190, 191, 184, 117, 96
Moves: Bulldoze, Power Whip, Sleep Powder, Tickle (Bulldoze was Giga Drain before Iris, but I never used it)

So after quite some time I've finally gotten through another monocolor challenge on Y. This time I chose the gray color, and overall, it was an enjoyable playthrough. Once again, I don't have a lot of notes, but I'm hoping some will be sufficient:

I caught a Burmy to help me for the first part of the game, until I could catch my first team member. She took down Viola, and then I continued towards the second gym, catching Rubidium the Volbeat along the way.

Before taking on the 2nd gym, I went to Glittering Cave. In there, I caught two new team members, Feldspar the Machop and Gadolinium the Rhyhorn. Having Feldspar, defeating Grant was no difficult task.

Continuing to Shalour City, I went through Reflection Cave, home to my fourth team member - Mercury the Ferrothorn. Despite a good defense stat, Mercury didn't help much against Korrina. Instead, Rubidium and Garnet (Wormadam-Trash) had to do the job. I believe this was the final major battle where Garnet was involved. I was hoping Mercury could be of use against Ramos, but ultimately, it was Rubidium with Tail Glow and Bug Buzz who defeated him.

Having raided Team Flare's hideout around the Power Plant area, I challenged Clemont. My duo of Machoke and Rhyhorn worked wonders against his team.
For the sixth and seventh gym, my notes simply say "team effort", so I guess the leaders were difficult enough that I had to use my entire team, but they were not impossible.
With 7 badges in my possession, it was time to put a stop to Team Flare once and for all. Once Lysandre was down, not much stood in my way to become League Champion.

Before challenging the eighth gym, I caught my final team member, Technetium the Durant. Technetium swept Wulfric with the combination of Hustle, Hone Claws and Iron Head.

Victory Road down, Elite Four to go. Gadolinium and Feldspar ensured a win by making use of the Steel-types' weaknesses in Fighting and Ground.
Surprisingly enough, Rubidium helped a lot against Drasna. Citrine was also very useful, being part Fairy-type.
Siebold required a team effort, but Mercury received an extra gold star for sealing the deal.
The winning combo of Gadolinium and Feldspar proved to be very effective against Malva as well.
Citrine, Feldspar and Technetium were the MVP's facing Diantha. I believe Citrine and Feldspar pretty much took care of Technetium's major threats, and then it went to town with Hustle, Hone Claws and Iron Head.
Afterwards, I battled and won against AZ during the parade, thus completing this challenge.

Rubidium the ♂ Volbeat, Lv 65
Item: Mind Plate
Moves: Tail Glow, Return, Bug Buzz, Zen Headbutt

Feldspar the ♂ Machamp, Lv 64
Item: Black Belt
Moves: Cross Chop, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Dynamic Punch

Gadolinium the ♂ Rhyperior, Lv 62
Item: King's Rock
Moves: Rock Tomb, Hammer Arm, Strength, Earthquake

Mercury the ♀ Ferrothorn, Lv 65
Item: Rocky Helmet
Moves: Curse, Return, Power Whip, Iron Head

Citrine the ♀ Klefki, Lv 65
Item: Black Glasses
Moves: Toxic, Foul Play, Thunder Wave, Play Rough

Technetium the ♂ Durant, Lv 63
Item: Wide Lens
Moves: X-Scissor, Crunch, Iron Head, Hone Claws

Special contribution:

Garnet the ♀ Wormadam-Trash, Lv 45
Item: None
Moves: Mirror Shot, Metal Sound, Bug Bite, Psychic

Named myself Green and picked Chespin, whom I originally wasn't gonna use, but I named him Toothpick just because I thought it fit. Toothpick made Viola an easy battle thanks to Rollout, and having the first badge made be able to catch my first official team member, M. Geisha the Budew.

I trained M. Geisha on trainers I had previously skipped, and then skated around Lumiose for a while in order to raise her happiness. Once I made it to Camphrier Town, I was sent on a quest to retrieve the Poké Flute. Before doing so, I caught Paradox the Kecleon in the area around. It was around this time that I decided to use Toothpick, who had actually become a Quilladin at this point, thanks to the Exp. Share.

Once in Ambrette, I made a small trek to the Glittering Cave, and then I continued to Cyllage City to obtain my second gym badge. I had some pretty good coverage against Rock-types on my team, though I was worried about his Amaura. However, M. Geisha made quick work of it with its Giga Drain.

With the badge in my possession, I continued my journey, catching El Jefe the Hawlucha along the way. He was really great from the very beginning, especially against Korrina's 2 Lucario. So glad I finally get a chance to use it. I caught my fifth team member shortly thereafter, namely Guru the Solosis in Reflection Cave.

Making it out of there, I found myself in Shalour City. After a quick stop at the Tower of Mastery, I was ready to face Korrina for my third badge. She was fairly easy due to Guru and El Jefe having super effective moves, though M. Geisha did have to come in and help against Machoke.

Sorry about the size, this is my first post on mobile and I wasn't sure how to rescale it.

Toothpick the ♂ Quilladin, Lv 33
Item: None
Moves: Leech Seed, Bite, Needle Arm, Power-Up Punch

M. Geisha the ♀ Roselia, Lv 33
Item: None
Moves: Giga Drain, Toxic Spikes, Mega Drain, Stun Spore

Paradox the ♂ Kecleon, Lv 33
Item: None
Moves: Return, Shadow Sneak, Shadow Claw, Power-Up Punch

El Jefe the ♂ Hawlucha, Lv 31
Item: None
Moves: Flying Press, Roost, Aerial Ace, Rock Tomb

Guru the ♂ Solosis, Lv 30
Item: Mind Plate
Moves: Recover, Hidden Power (Bug), Psyshock, Charm

My next stop was Coumarine, and after a quick battle with my rival, I entered the gym and climbed the tree up to Ramos. I thought using Guru and El Jefe would suffice, but Paradox had to come in and help.

Afterwards, I entered the Power Plant and cleansed it of Team Flare grunts, defeating some admins at the end. With that out of the way, I was able to progress to Lumiose and challenge Clemont. Guru had to get rid of Emolga, and then Paradox somewhat painstakingly swept the rest of his team using Power-Up Punch.

After a short journey through Route 14, I could challenge the gym in Laverre City. Valerie was actually pretty tough - two of my team members were weak to Fairy, but it was the other typings of her Pokémon that were problematic. I had no real counter to Mawile, so Toothpick had to set up Leech Seed and use Spiky Shield to widdle it down. Luckily, she never used a Fairy move, so I could tank its Crunches easily. Mr. Mime's Psychic typing meant it had a super effective move against three of my team members, and Guru's HP Bug was only neutral due to its Fairy typing. Thankfully it's quite frail, so once it got hit it was damaged quite a bit. Sylveon was extremely easy, M. Geisha just used Toxic and Venoshock to bring it down. I had now acquired my sixth badge.

Following that were heaps of Team Flare battles. First in the Poké Ball Factory, which was raided quite easily since it's quite small. Before reaching Dendemille I had to traverse through Routes 15 and 16, and on the latter I obtained the Super Rod and caught my final team member, Murray the Basculin.

Up north of Dendemille was the Frost Cavern, home to some Team Flare admins right at the end. They provided no real challenge whatsoever, having only one Pokémon.

Once in Anistar, Serena challenged me to a battle, and she was not holding back, oh at all. I thought Murray, despite being a few levels lower, could deal some damage with Crunch against her Meowstic, but nope. Guru had to finish this one, which could've gone bad since she carried Shadow Ball. Absol was next and also next to go thanks to Hawlucha. Against Delphox I wanted Murray to redeem himself, and he did a hefty chunk with Aqua Tail, but just couldn't tank its Psychics at all. Thank goodness for Paradox' Shadow Sneak. I believe this is the first time in forever that the rival has a fourth Pokémon, but man oh man, it is a poor addition. Jolteon couldn't do squat against M. Geisha. It attempted dealing some massive damage with Quick Attack, but ended up getting poisoned thanks to my ability. Perhaps she was then hoping for a late-game sweep by using Discharge to paralyze M. Geisha, but the RNG gods just weren't with Serena this day (and quite frankly, never have been). A Giga Drain and a Venoshock were more than enough to emerge victorious.


I'll admit I was kind of nervous going up against Olympia. Half of my team is weak against Psychic-types, and I only have Guru who resists it (and Paradox if you count Color Change after having already taken a hit). Sure enough Murray had Crunch, but it underperformed on the trainers in the gym, so I sadly wasn't betting any money on it. I lead off with Paradox, and that may just have been the best decision I've made this entire playthrough. Her lead Sigilyph did put up Reflect, but I used that to my advantage to set up using Power-Up Punch in order to secure a KO with Shadow Sneak once Reflect was gone. Paradox' high special bulk allowed it to eat its attacks for days. Her remaining Pokémon went down to Shadow Claw. There really was no battle once I got that sweet Attack raise.

So the first battle against Lysandre in his labs was surprisingly difficult, or at least gave me more trouble than anticipated. Of all things his Murkrow proved to be a bother due to Foul Play and Aerial Ace in combination with Super Luck. Pyroar was a little trickster with high Speed and good Sp. Attack, but it went down to El Jefe. His other 2 Pokémon were no big threats. The following battles with him were easier, mostly because I knew his team better and was able to adjust accordingly. The rest of the admins were just plain weak, and I decided to just catch Yveltal in a Master Ball to wrap the plotline up quickly.

Before facing Wulfric I had some battles against Sycamore and my rivals, but they were nowhere near interesting enough to justify going through what happened. Pretty much all of their Pokémon were defeated within 2 turns.

So regarding Wulfric, Ice isn't exactly known as the best defensive typing. However, it is super effective against half of my team, and I only have one Pokémon resisting it. For Abomasnow I decided to send out Paradox, since I didn't really have a good counter. The AI was clever in its way of using Color Change against me - firing off an Energy Ball followed by a super-effective Ice Beam proved to be effective, but didn't KO Paradox due to its good natural bulk. Three Power-Up Punches took care of Abomasnow. Next up was Cryogonal, against which I used Murray. Its Waterfalls were just shy of a one-hit KO, as Wulfric kept restoring its health, ultimately to no avail. Lastly was Avalugg, and I used Guru's high Sp. Atk against Avalugg's low Sp. Def for an easy 2-hit KO. With the final badge in my hands, it was time for the Pokémon League.

Malva had more firepower (pun intended) than anticipated. Her Pyroar's Noble Roar put an end to my plans of a Waterfall sweep with Murray, so I had to rely on Guru to take out Talonflame - no easy task since its moves hit hard, but they did have the nice addition of recoil. Once Chandelure came out I thought Murray deserved redemption, but a confusion and burn meant I had to give the last battle against Torkoal to El Jefe.

We were off to a bit of a rocky start against Drasna. Ice Beam from Murray came nowhere near KOing Dragalge, and its wide movepool and pretty good Sp. Atk meant it dealt quite some damage against both Murray and Guru, who had to come in and finish it. The rest was a breeze - M. Geisha 2HKO'd Altaria and Druddigon with Dazzling Gleam, while Murray finally got some use out of Ice Beam against Noivern.

I didn't feel very confident about Wikstrom, either. Although I have two Fighting-types, the secondary typings of most of his Pokémon render those attacks neutral. I decided Murray was a good lead against Klefki, and it took it out fairly easily. Next was Probopass, and I wanted to try a Guru sweep once it had gotten enough Attack boosts from Power-Up Punch. I managed to get off around 4 of them, but he kept on healing and played smartly with Earth Power and Flash Cannon for super-effective hits every other turn. It eventually went down, but Aegislash knocked me out before I could even get a hit in. The remaining members of my team had to work together to defeat his two last Pokémon. He definitely was not a pushover.

Lastly, Siebold. Even though Water-types can have quite big offensive and defensive presence, he was the easiest yet. Seed Bomb from Toothpick took out Clawitzer, Paradox 2HKO'd Starmie with Shadow Claw, and Barbaracle went down after some Giga Drains (Light Screen from Starmie was up, so he kept surviving in the red). Gyarados became a little scary with 2 Dragon Dances up, but it went down to Guru's Psychics before it could attack.

Diantha was a little back and forth between how easy she was. Aurorus, Tyrantrum and Gourgeist were defeated in either one or two attacks. So was Hawlucha, but its firepower and wide coverage made it a bit trickier; I had to bait certain moves and switch out to take a hit and then defeat it with Guru. Goodra, being a Specially Defensive one, could eat up M. Geisha's Dazzling Gleam and Murray's Ice Beam like no one's business. I had to widdle it down to snag a KO. Mega Gardevoir was by far the hardest - I managed to Toxic it with M. Geisha, and then Paradox went in with its Ghost-type moves. It came just short of the KO, so Diantha healed and put a dent in my plans. Shadow Sneak meant I could outspeed it, so I kept dealing damage for some turns and then revived Paradox when he fainted. With that, Diantha was defeated (and AZ during the parade).

Some screenshots are missing, sorry about that.

Toothpick the ♂ Chesnaught, Lv 64
Item: King's Rock
Moves: Leech Seed, Strength, Seed Bomb, Hammer Arm

M. Geisha the ♀ Roserade, Lv 64
Item: Poison Barb
Moves: Giga Drain, Sludge Bomb, Dazzling Gleam, Toxic

Paradox the ♂ Kecleon, Lv 64
Item: Black Belt
Moves: Return, Shadow Sneak, Shadow Claw, Power-Up Punch

El Jefe the ♂ Hawlucha, Lv 64
Item: Sitrus Berry
Moves: Flying Press, Fly, Acrobatics, Rock Tomb

Guru the ♂ Reuniclus, Lv 64
Item: Mind Plate
Moves: Calm Mind, Hidden Power (Bug), Shadow Ball, Psychic

Murray the ♂ Basculin, Lv 65
Item: None
Moves: Double-Edge, Crunch, Waterfall, Ice beam

So I started the game, chose the girl and named her Fern. As the game began, Lillie proceeded to take Cosmog from the Aether Foundation, then we arrived in my home. I dressed up and headed outside, and going up Route 1, a wild Yungoos was about to charge out at me, but the starters came out and saved me! I decided to take Litten as my starter, even though it won't be on my final team. I then beat Hau's Rowlet, and followed Lillie up to Mahalo Trail, where Nebby let itself onto the bridge and I had to save it, even though it almost got me killed but Tapu Koko came to my rescue. And I received the Sparkling Stone! We then returned to Kukui, and he and Hala discovered of what went down. Then I received a Pokedex and was invited to their festival! The next day, Kukui showed me how to catch Pokemon, and after our first spotting of the Ultra Recon Squad, I went through the festival, where I received the island challenge amulet and the trainer passport.

The next day, Kukui added Rotom to my Pokedex and sent me off onto the island challenge for real. And there was a blackout! But from there we were invited to the Trainer's School. But now that all those things were taken care of, I was out to catch green Pokemon! On Route 1 I caught a Grubbin named Wired, a Caterpie named Pipsqueak, and a Spinarak named Officer. I allowed Litten to get them all to Level 6. Then we decided to take on the trainers at the Hau'oli Outskirts, and gained some EXP from them. And Pipsqueak evolved into Metapod! So with that, it was off to the Trainer's School. To start things off, I eventually caught an Alolan Grimer that I named Salvage. Then we took on the trainers! They weren't that tough, except maybe the last one with the Ekans, who then gave me TM01 for Work Up. And as for the teacher with the Popplio, her Water Gun did enough to 3HKO Officer, even after an Absorb (not helped by a critical hit), but Infestation tolled away at some of her health and got her to half. At least Wired was able to lower her Speed with String Shot and get her near 1/3 while her Water Gun did less than 1/3. But I sacked off Pipsqueak, and Salvage finished her. With that, we met with Ilima, and I had completed my lesson at the Trainer's School! And we met with that darn Tauros again. And from there, made entrance into Hau'oli City! Once we dealt with Team Skull, I did a tiny bit of training (thank Furfrou for giving big EXP) and took on Ilima. Officer wore down Yungoos with some Infestation, but Wired had to take it after he was down to half, and did thanks to a Bite flinch. As for Smeargle, I actually survived a Tackle from a little over half even with -1 Defense, allowing me to lower his Speed. I even got a Bite flinch, but Pipsqueak cut his Speed further and allowed Salvage to end it. We were then able to befriend that Tauros, and next was Route 2.

Where we beat a couple trainers, including an idiot Preschooler, and then saved the Mantine at Big Wave Beach from Team Skull. A few trainers later, we were at the Verdant Cavern. The first three Pokemon and the grunt with the Drowzee were simple, but then came the Totem! I started with Pipsqueak to use String Shot to lower its Speed as Super Fang cut me to half, and then I used another before I was soon after finished. I brought in Wired, and Bug Bite did a little less than half to Raticate and robbed it of its Pecha Berry, while Rattata used Pursuit for 1/4 as Raticate used Scary Face. Rattata used Quick Attack to get me near half before I finished it with Bug Bite. Scary Face got me to -4, evened out with Raticate, so I switched out to Salvage and took a weak Bite, leaving it to a helpless Poison Gas before it used Scary Face, allowing me to best it soon after for the win and Wired and Salvage growing to Level 14. Ilima let me keep the Normalium Z and then I learned about Z-Moves, and that we had to save Lillie. I progressed to Route 3, and before doing anything else, caught a Hawlucha that I named Salsa Verde. Then I trained him in the Melemele Meadow, beat two Ultra Recons with a Furfrou, and then took on Hau, who was nothing worth talking about. We were then invited to the grand trial!

But before doing that, I went back to catch a Petilil. I caught a good one eventually and named it Hula. Then I beat the trainers on Route 3 to get her some EXP. Dude with the Butterfree got the boost against Wired, but Salvage was able to Disable it and Pipsqueak lowered its Speed to -3 before that wore off. And even then he was still faster and got the boost a SECOND time and then finished Officer. Hula took it from there thanks to Leech Seed and poisoning. Then we returned to Iki Town, where Hala was waiting for us! This took multiple tries. I wanted this to be a team effort and not just a boring Hawlucha sweep.

I began with Pipsqueak against Metapod, and as I halved his Speed with String Shot, Revenge did over 1/3. Then I got him to -4 as he used Revenge again for half my remaining health. After a Tackle that barely scratched him, then he used Focus Energy. After another Tackle, he finished me with Revenge. I brought in Hula and hit with Sleep Powder, and he snoozed. I then hit with Leech Seed, and he didn't wake up?! I then brought in Officer as he woke up and used Revenge and scored a critical hit for less than 1/3. Leech Seed healed me right back up. I then used Scary Face before he once again used Revenge for 7 HP that was healed by Leech Seed. I then used Infestation to start whittling him down as he used Revenge for 14 HP, but Leech Seed healed me and Infestation sapped away at him. I then went for Poison Sting, and a crit Revenge almost finished me off, but I lived it and Leech Seed + Infestation ended him.
Makuhita came next and I switched in Hula once again as he used Fake Out for 1/4. Unfortunately, he was faster and hit with Sand-Attack, but even then I hit through it with Leech Seed, sapping away at him. I switched back to Officer as he used Arm Thrust and hit twice for 2 HP before Leech Seed healed me up. I then took 2 more HP and used Infestation and then he was near half. I then scored a crit Poison Sting (lol) and took 4 HP even with a crit before Leech Seed and Infestation continued to sap away at him. He healed, and Poison Sting got the poisoning, and he was outed over 1/3 his health in one turn. He then hit three times with Arm Thrust, doing 7 HP by somehow scoring two crits, but Leech Seed undid that as I hit with Absorb. After a meaningless Scary Face, he then did 2 HP and was finished and I was 1 point shy of full.
Crabrawler was last. I opted to stay in and use Scary Face, but not without him using Pursuit for less than half my remaining health. After two attempts at poisoning him, to no avail, he finished me with two rounds of Pursuit. I brought in Hula once again, but he was still faster and OHKO'd me with the Z-Move. Salsa Verde used Hone Claws and 2HKO'd him from there.

With that, I received the Fightinium Z and my first grand trial had been completed. And I received Tauros for my Ride Pager. And we were invited to the Alola Photo Club. We'll do that next time.

(M) "Pipsqueak", Level 11
Stats: 34, 12, 22, 12 11, 12
Moves: Harden, String Shot, Tackle

(M) "Officer", Level 14
Stats: 37, 24, 17, 16, 20, 17
Ability: Swarm
Moves: Absorb, Infestation, Poison Sting, Scary Face

(M) "Wired", Level 15
Stats: 43, 28, 21, 21, 22, 23
Moves: Bite, Bug Bite, Mud-Slap, String Shot

(M) "Salvage", Level 15
Stats: 53, 32, 18, 20, 25, 15
Ability: Gluttony
Moves: Bite, Disable, Harden, Poison Gas

(M) "Salsa Verde", Level 15
Stats: 49, 35, 30, 28, 24, 40
Ability: Limber
Moves: Brick Break, Hone Claws, Roost, Wing Attack

(F) "Hula", Level 13
Stats: 38, 13, 19, 25, 20, 14
Ability: Chlorophyll
Moves: Growth, Leech Seed, Mega Drain, Sleep Powder

After learning more about the Alola Photo Club and getting a picture taken, I was able to ride on Mantine and go to Akala Island. We met the trial captains, and Sina and Dexio, the former of whom challenged me. Wired took 1/4 from Powder Snow and I OHKO'd it with Bug Bite, but then as for Glaceon, she used? Quick Attack? That did okay and allowed me to cut her Speed with String Shot. Twice. Then she finished me with Icy Wind. I used Officer and Poison Sting failed to get the poisoning before she 2HKO'd me. I then brought in Hula and used Sleep Powder, and hit. As she snoozed, I got in a Leech Seed as she continued to snooze. Then I sacked off Pipsqueak, and Salvage got in a good hit with Bite and caused her to flinch, allowing me to finish her two turns later. After taking care of a couple other matters, I proceeded to Route 4. The trainers there weren't too tough, and as for Hau in Paniola, once his Dartrix was out of the way, Hula was able to set up on his Pikachu and take it from there since his Noibat never used a Flying-type attack. After checking out Paniola Town, we went through the ranch, where we got Stoutland for my Ride Pager and beat some simple enough trainers. I also got the Eevee egg and named it Leaf Blower. Then we beat Gladion, Zorua was OHKO'd with Salsa Verde's Brick Break, Zubat I had to let Salvage handle, and then Null I got a light hit on before it finished him. Hula got in a Leech Seed and was able to handle him from there. The only other particularly tough battle on the route was the Rising Star Duo right next to the PMC because of how weak to Flying my team was.

We soon after made our way to the trial site, and after receiving Lapras for my Ride Pager, I caught a Poliwag named Schroder. We then went through the trainers and the trial Pokemon along the way, some had minor annoyances but nothing serious. Along the way, Wired evolved into Charjabug. And soon, it was Totem Araquanid time!

I began with Salvage against it, and it used Leech Life for just over half as I got in a Poison Fang for barely anything. It then called its ally Dewpider, and I got the Quick Claw and used Poison Fang for a critical hit and Toxic, but it used Leech Life to undo most of the damage and finish me. I then tried Officer, who took a Bubble for 3/4 but was able to get in the Scary Face before the Dewpider finished me. I brought in Wired, and I was able to use Acrobatics for a decent hit before Bubble from Araquanid did less than half and Dewpider got me to 1/3. I brought in Schroder, and Water Absorb caused both their Bubble attacks to fail and Araquanid was brought to 1 HP. Bubble finished off Araquanid and barely did anything to Dewpider, and got Schroder to Level 19. Dewpider was simple from there; Schroder put it to sleep and it was an easy 2HKO with Hula's Giga Drain, and she grew to Level 20.

So I got the Waterium Z, and didn't even need Hawlucha for that fight no less. An interesting battle, that's for sure. And I got a Fishing Rod, too. Then we fought the Ultra Recon Squad and their Poipole, and thanks to getting in Leech Seed against it, some Poison resistance and Scary Face on behalf of Officer, and Night Shade whittling it down too, it wasn't anywhere near as cumbersome as it could have been. Wow. Get bested by a Petilil and Spinarak. Talk about comedic.

I then caught a Basculin at Brooklet Hill that I named Bass Groove. It won me the Battle Royale. And we went up Wela Volcano Park. Then it was time for Kiawe's trial! I intentionally flubbed both dances once each to get Bass Groove and the rest of my team some extra EXP, but soon we came to the real deal! However, I was completely curb-stomped. I tried again four days later, and this time led with Salvage and it used Detect to block a Poison Fang before calling upon Salazzle, and it was unable to do anything. Salsa Verde was able to get in a Rock Tomb on Marowak and Salazzle - the former for barely anything but the latter for half - before being finished. I then used Bass Groove and finished off Salazzle with Aqua Jet as Marowak wasted its Detect, and then Marowak was fish food thanks to the Z-Move.

So I got the Firium Z and Charizard for my Ride Pager. And Poke Pelago from Mohn. And beat some trainers on Route 8. And lower Route 5. And then entered Lush Jungle. And got all the right items. And then was met with Totem Lurantis!

I began with Officer, and after taking an X-Scissor for 1/3, started with Scary Face to undo its Speed boost. It called upon Kecleon, and after another X-Scissor, my Sitrus Berry propped me up to 2/3 again, and I used Scary Face once again to get Lurantis to -2? And Kecleon then used Sunny Day. I then got in another Scary Face on Kecleon for good measures before they ganged up on me with Dizzy Punch and Low Sweep to finish me. With an idea, I brought in Hula, and switched out to Salsa Verde as Lurantis used? Low Sweep? I was anticipating X-Scissor, and Kecleon used Dizzy Punch for a decent amount. Brick Break came short of the OHKO on Kecleon, who missed with Screech after Low Sweep got me right near half. I then finished off Kecleon, and Hula grew to Level 25, as Lurantis used another Low Sweep before the sunlight faded. I then used Roost? And it used Low Sweep once again, which I didn't resist, and I was now right near 2/3. Then it was Salvage's turn. After a Low Sweep for 1/3, it used X-Scissor, which got me to 1/5, and Poison Fang did okay, but no poisoning. I got the Quick Claw the next turn, though, and Poison Fang got it below half and the Toxic before it finished me with another X-Scissor. With an interesting idea in mind, I brought in Bass Groove. It called upon its ally Comfey, which used Floral Healing to heal half its health, before I used Soak to turn it into a Water-type. It then finally used Solar Blade, which had the Power Herb to remove the charge, and I lived it with 10 HP thanks to Soak. And yet, Comfey was still faster and got the KO with Magical Leaf as Lurantis readied Solar Blade. I then brought in Hula, only for Comfey to use Sunny Day. And yet, even with that, Giga Drain got it in KO range of Toxic, which finished it off after Solar Blade did 1/3. And Salsa Verde grew to Level 25. Comfey was easy enough from there.

So with that, we received the Grassium Z, and had cleared all three of Akala's trials! Kukui then invited me to the Dimensional Research Lab to prep for my grand trial up ahead!

(M) "Officer", Level 24
Stats: 56, 39, 27, 24, 31, 27
Ability: Swarm
Moves: Infestation, Night Shade, Poison Sting, Scary Face

(M) "Wired", Level 24
Stats: 69, 52, 56, 32, 47, 30
Moves: Acrobatics, Bug Bite, Spark, String Shot

(M) "Salvage", Level 24
Stats: 79, 49, 27, 30, 37, 22
Ability: Gluttony
Moves: Bite, Poison Fang, Poison Gas, Protect

(M) "Salsa Verde", Level 25
Stats: 77, 57, 49, 44, 38, 65
Ability: Limber
Moves: Brick Break, Encore, Hone Claws, Roost

(F) "Hula", Level 25
Stats: 64, 23, 34, 45, 36, 25
Ability: Chlorophyll
Moves: Giga Drain, Leech Seed, Magical Leaf, Sleep Powder

(F) "Bass Groove", Level 25
Stats: 76, 58, 45, 48, 33, 58
Ability: Rock Head
Moves: Aqua Jet, Aqua Tail, Crunch, Soak

So we made our return over to the Dimensional Research Lab, and after learning about the Ultra Wormhole, we saw one for ourselves. Then going through Diglett's Tunnel, there wasn't much to it. We beat some simple trainers, including Team Skull, and arrived in Konikoni City. And I got Leaf Blower to evolve into a Leafeon, just to have as a backup for the time I'll have to leave Hula behind. I checked out Olivia's shop and received an invitation to the Ruins of Life, so we waded through Memorial Hill and some strong trainers to get to it. And the Akala Outskirts, too. And there was Plumeria. As for her, I led off with Leaf Blower to use a Baby-Doll Eyes against Golbat before it used Confuse Ray. I tried to get in a Tail Whip before peaceing out, and Wing Attack did less than half, but I went 0 for 2 and was finished off. So I had to use Wired, who took less than 1/4 from Wing Attack and thankfully Spark did over half and got the paralysis. And even then she was still faster and used Confuse Ray, but Wired hit through this time and finished her. I then switched out for Bass Groove and took a Flame Burst for 1/4, then after a meaningless Poison Gas, the Z-Move OHKO'd her with ease. She left with a parting threat.

I then met with Lillie and Olivia at the entrance to the Ruins of Life, but wasn't quite ready for battle with her just yet. After a bit of mental preparation, we took her on. Salvage got in a light hit against Anorith before being finished (and burning through her Full Heal) and Bass Groove finished her despite somehow being slower. It then proceeded to turn Lileep into a Water-type and barely live a Giga Drain, and then Hula had her say against it, managing to best her thanks to absorptions, and Sleep Powder helped, too. As for Lycanroc, I sacked off Wired, and she didn't even need the Z-Move. Hula took almost 2/3 from Bite, but Giga Drain did half. Then she used the Z-Move, of course. It finished her off, but Salsa Verde did her in. Leaf Blower took 1/3 from Bite and Razor Leaf couldn't finish her off, and she healed with her Super Potion. But two more hits of Razor Leaf did her in, after another Bite. With that, I received the Rockium Z and was invited to the Aether Paradise.

Salvage was able to take Dartrix thanks to Poison Fang getting the Toxic, and Protect, and then Salsa Verde finishing it. I sacked off Hula to Raichu, Wired got in a Bug Bite for 3/4 before being finished, and Leaf Blower barely lived a Psychic to finish him with Bite. Bass Groove took care of Noibat, and Leaf Blower got in a Baby-Doll Eyes before being finished off. Salsa Verde had to take both Tauros. Unfortunately, a critical hit Horn Attack got me in KO range of Quick Attack from Vaporeon, losing me the battle. With that, I returned to Akala Island to add two new Pokemon to my team: a Comfey named Lightbeamer and a Larvitar named Dangerous. We met with the professor in Malie Garden, and beat some trainers to get Dangerous some EXP, including against those trash workers at the recycling plant. We then learned things at the library, and had access to Route 10. There we took on the trainers, and two Team Skull grunts, but it was then that I realized Comfey is garbage for most of the game due to the fact that it won't get good moves for a while and the Move Relearner being endgame. Anyway, we took the bus with Kukui up to Mount Hokulani and got a birdseye view of Mount Lanakila. We beat the trainers here, most of which weren't tough but the dude with the Minior was fascinating. And after beating the last one, Dangerous evolved into a Pupitar. Then we had the Veteran, who after a Fake Out for 1/4 of Wired's health, used Screech and was knocked near 1/3, only for Salvage to somehow miss Poison Gas twice in a row. At least he had a completely deserved miss with Screech against Leaf Blower and got a well-deserved critical hit Razor Leaf to finish him. I was able to survive the Z-Move with 10 HP and get in a Tail Whip, but he finished me with Quick Attack before I could use Baby-Doll Eyes. Wired and Bass Groove were both KO'd with critical hits, and Dangerous was almost OHKO'd without one, but I was able to get in a Rock Tomb for a little less than half, and Salsa Verde finished it.

So after that, Molayne gave me Steelium Z, and we had to find the remaining Charjabug before he would invite me to the trial. After dealing with two simple circuits, and another, Togedemaru tried to save us? But then another one swooped in. And first try I was absolutely man-handled thanks to a gang-up on Dangerous and then a Zing-Zap flinch against Bass Groove. Second try was also unsuccessful.

Third try, Dangerous was OHKO'd this time. Bass Groove narrowly survived a Zing-Zap and was able to use Soak. Skarmory used Tailwind, but I got rid of Sturdy thanks to Aqua Jet before being finished off. I brought in Salvage, and used Protect as Togedemaru readied Bounce and I blocked a Steel Wing. Bounce hit for less than 1/3, but paralyzed me, but I was able to get through all of that and use Poison Gas to poison Togedemaru, but not without Skarmory using Stealth Rock. I used Protect, and good timing as Togedemaru used Spiky Shield and Skarmory used Steel Wing. I was ganged up on with Zing-Zap and Steel Wing and unfortunately flinched. I was able to get in a Protect, but Togedemaru readied Bounce and Skarmory used Steel Wing. I was then fully paralyzed and finished before poison got Togedemaru to its Sitrus Berry. I brought in Leaf Blower, and used Baby-Doll Eyes to cut Togedemaru's Attack before it readied Bounce, and Skarmory used Tailwind. With Togedemaru at half once again, it hit me with Bounce for a weak hit as Skarmory used Torment. I then took advantage of Soak by using Razor Leaf to speed things up. As Togedemaru used Bounce, I used Tail Whip to weaken Skarmory's Defense after taking a Steel Wing. After poison damage and another Bounce?it scored a critical hit and finished me. But it was down to 1 HP and the Tailwind petered out. I brought in Wired and took some Stealth Rock damage, and Togedemaru used Bounce, while Skarmory used Torment before taking an okay Crunch. And Togedemaru was finished due to poison. Good riddance. And Wired grew to Level 32 and learned X-Scissor. Skarmory was finished off shortly after. Whew!

With that, we received the Electrium Z and had to check out the Battle Agency. I was then given the professor's mask. So I returned to Malie Garden, where Guzma showed up and was big talk. It was time to face our boy Guzma! I led off with Salvage against Golisopod and used Protect to block Razor Shell. I then used Wired, who took one for half on the dot. It then used Sucker Punch for over 1/4 in total, but Spark paralyzed it. Another got him to Emergency Exit, forcing him out to Masquerain, who I let sack off Wired to a Bug Buzz. So I tried Dangerous, who survived a Bug Buzz with 1 HP and OHKO'd with Rock Slide. Golisopod came out again, and I switched in Salsa Verde, who took over 2/3 from Razor Shell, and still lived an Aerial Ace even with over 1/3 remaining before finishing me. Salvage finished him with Knock Off and grew to Level 31 along with Dangerous.

Guzma then had his freak attack, and after he left, Lillie and Acerola came back from their shopping spree, the latter inviting me to her trial! After having to deal with a difficult Bewear on Route 11, and skipping most of the other trainers, I then reached Route 12, and Hapu added Mudsdale to my Ride Pager. I reached Blush Mountain and got the Sun Stone, then immediately returned to Malie City to get Hula once again. After beating a double battle on Route 11, I used the Sun Stone so she could evolve into Lilligant at Level 28 and learn Quiver Dance. We then continued to make our way through the trainers, none of them really proving much of a threat. And we made our way to Ula'Ula Beach and did a quick round of Mantine Surf. Oh yeah, and that "beat every other trainer" guy with the Pinsir did provide a decent challenge and very well could have swept me had I not gotten in a Poison Gas with Salvage AND had Salsa Verde.

So on Route 13 we met with Hau, and Gladion who warned us to protect Cosmog. And then we were at Tapu Village. And then we had to go to Aether House and meet with Acerola. And then we had to save Lillie from a Team Skull grunt. And then we beat some trainers on Route 14, including a Veteran whose Honchkrow was a complete dick first time. And then we entered the Abandoned Megamart for the trial. We beat the ghost trio and saw a cloned Acerola who urged me to get out, but Rotom busted her, because busting makes you feel good. Then we entered the back room, and Mimikyu was there!

As the Totem Aura boosted all its stats, I began with Wired. I got the Quick Claw, allowing me to use Spark and break its Disguise, before it used Play Rough for 2/3 and called upon its ally Banette. It then finished me with Play Rough. I then brought in Dangerous, and after Play Rough did slightly under half and got the Attack drop, and Banette using Feint Attack to get me below half, I used Bulldoze for paltry hits but getting rid of its Speed boost, but was then finished. So I used Bass Groove, who avoided a Play Rough, and Crunch came short of finishing Banette but not before it used Curse to kill itself. I then took Curse damage, and was then finished with Play Rough. So I had to use Leaf Blower, who, thanks to Leftovers, was able to get in five usages of Baby-Doll Eyes before being finished thanks to Leech Life. I then brought in Salvage, and after avoiding a Play Rough, used Poison Fang to deal a light hit and rid it of its Oran Berry. Play Rough did less than 1/4, and I got the Toxic again. I then switched in Hula, who took a weak Play Rough, and then Toxic got it to 2/3 and it called upon its ally Jellicent. So it was faster than me and used Leech Life for 18 HP, but I was able to use Quiver Dance, leaving Mimikyu to continue to be whittled down. I then OHKO'd Jellicent with Giga Drain (and Salvage grew to Level 34), leaving just me and Mimikyu left, who proceeded to use Leech Life for less than 1/5. Then I meant to use the Z-Move? But I accidentally misclicked and used it on my empty spot. Not that it mattered too much, though, because after Toxic damage it was finished next turn.

With that, I received the Ghostium Z, and Acerola said that her clone I saw in there was busted. So I was free to progress. It would pain me to part ways with Leaf Blower, but I didn't need two Grass-types, so I brought back Salsa Verde. I healed up and left this part off there.

(M) "Wired", Level 33
Stats: 92, 72, 76, 43, 64, 41
Moves: Acrobatics, Crunch, Spark, X-Scissor

(M) "Salvage", Level 34
Stats: 109, 70, 38, 43, 52, 30
Ability: Gluttony
Moves: Crunch, Poison Fang, Poison Gas, Thief

(M) "Salsa Verde", Level 34
Stats: 101, 78, 65, 59, 51, 89
Ability: Limber
Moves: Aerial Ace, Encore, Flying Press, Hone Claws

(F) "Hula", Level 34
Stats: 102, 45, 63, 87, 66, 74
Ability: Chlorophyll
Moves: Giga Drain, Leech Seed, Magical Leaf, Sleep Powder

(F) "Bass Groove", Level 34
Stats: 101, 81, 60, 65, 45, 79
Ability: Rock Head
Moves: Aqua Jet, Aqua Tail, Crunch, Soak

(M) "Dangerous", Level 34
Stats: 99, 72, 60, 56, 55, 48
Moves: Bulldoze, Dark Pulse, Rock Slide, Screech

- The Challenge ends when the Looker Missions are finished, not after AZ is defeated.
Kiloude City's services cannot be used, as they are available during the missions.
- No Legendary Pokemon at all. I don't think there are any I can get, but I just need to put it out there.
- Only Pokeballs and any pokeball with a decent amount of white on the top can be used.

I chose the male character and name him after my IRL name. I then go downstairs and meet the game's friends over in Aquacorde. I choose Froakie, beat Shauna, and peace out back home, before going back and stocking up on Pokeballs and Potions. I get through the tutorial and oh

The fun begins.

I quickly get my first two team members, Flitter the Scatterbug, and Otherfly the Caterpie. I also still have the Froakie, as the first PC is in Santalune. I then fight a close match against Youngster Austin and his Zigzagoon, and after sweeping my way through Santalune Forest, I realize my first two problems.
1. Tackle does about 1/7th to 1/10th to most opposing Pokemon.
2. Rising Star Louise's Litleo knows Ember. Which utterly decimated me the first time.

I decided to grind Otherfly in the Santalune Gym, and managed to grind him up to level 10. He evolved into a Butterfree and got confusion, allowing me to fully access Route 22.
After I finished grinding on Route 22, Flitter, now a Spewpa, is level 11, as well as Otherfly. After a few minutes more, my Spewpa was now a Vivillion and the Butterfly Squad was complete. I then went and challenged Viola for my first badge.

Gym Battle 1: Vs. Viola
It went without a major issue, which was both nice and expected.
Surskit dropped quickly to Otherfly, but her Vivillion proved much more of a challenge. The plan was to use Struggle Bug on Flitter and lower her Sp. Atk, but the opposing Vivillion had shield dust. WELP. Either way still fainted in the end, and the Bug Badge was mine.

Off to Route 4 where I caught... a Flabebe. I don't intend to use it, and I didn't bother to look for a Ralts as whenever I look for a Ralts, in never shows up. Ever.
I then went to Lumiose, where I met, and beat, Sycamore. Cool stuff.

TL;DR - I spent too long grinding for a single, average Litleo, Shield Dust is a cool ability.
I am a terrible storyteller

Team:
Otherfly the Butterfree - Lvl. 14

Naive Nature
Ability - Compound Eyes
- Infestation
- Poison Powder
- Sleep Powder
- Confusion

Flitter the Vivillion - Lvl. 14

Calm Nature
Ability - Shield Dust
- Struggle Bug
- String Shot
- Stun Spore
- Protect

So the first thing I did after defeating Totem Mimikyu was do some Mantine Surf so I could get an Ability Capsule and change Bass Groove's ability to Adaptability. I felt it was a good chance for me to get to that, considering having Starmie 720 made it much easier to accumulate BP. I then returned to Aether House, where Plumeria was ready to hold to her claims. I led with Wired against Golbat, and was able to slip out of her Golbat with Wing Attack doing less than half and Spark getting the 2HKO. I let Wired get sacked off to Salazzle, which was an OHKO with Flamethrower. Dangerous survived a Dragon Pulse for over 1/3 and OHKO'd with Bulldoze. So we had to save a little girl's stolen Yungoos, and after beating an Ace Trainer with two interesting foes, we received Sharpedo from Grimsley and I remembered there's another Pokemon I can get now that I have access to Haina Desert. It was a Trapinch, which I caught and named Allurement. I then proceeded to make our way through and take care of some trainers. One of them consisted of a very tough Mantine that I unfortunately came across after leaving Wired behind. The Veteran right outside the Tapu Village PMC was very tough, that came down to just Salvage and Allurement and I was able to finish his Sliggoo thanks to Salvage's good Sp Def stat, Poison Gas and Protect. After that, he evolved into Vibrava. And after going through the meadow, Salvage reached Level 38 off of the last trainer and evolved into Muk. Then we reached Route 17 and dealt with some Team Skull loons. Then Nanu was able to get us into Po Town!

I tried to waste as little time as possible and get to Guzma as quickly as I could, but I knew I was in for a brutal fight. I began with Hula against Golisopod, with a plan in mind. I immediately switched out to Salsa Verde anticipating First Impression. And I was right, it hit for just under 1/4. I then Encored him into the move, causing it to fail as I set up Hone Claws twice. As the Encore ended, I used Aerial Ace for a critical hit that almost got the OHKO. But then Emergency Exit forced him out to Masquerain, who got off an Intimidate. I then switched in Salvage as he proceeded to miss an Air Slash (I had the Lax Incense backing, which helped). Bug Buzz then did less than half, while my Poison Fang did decently and got the Toxic. Another hit got me low, and I used Crunch, but he survived Toxic with 1 HP. I switched in Allurement hoping he'd survive a hit… Nope! Bug Buzz got the OHKO before he was finished. Golisopod came next as I brought in Dangerous, who finished him with Dark Pulse. Pinsir was last, and a crit Storm Throw did over half while my Rock Slide did okay, and then Bass Groove took slightly less than half on the switch. Aqua Tail did okay, but then he was finished with X-Scissor. An Aerial Ace from Salsa Verde finished him. Whew!

So he had his freak attack, and let me have the Yungoos back. We met with Nanu and Acerola outside, and I made my way back to Aether House. We discovered that Lillie was missing, and Gladion was pissed and challenged us. Dangerous easily dealt with Golbat, having over half his health left after two hits. For Null, I switched Hula into an X-Scissor thinking it was Zoroark, but alas, it was not. I tried to blast it with the Z-Move, but it didn't even do half before he finished me. I brought in Dangerous again, who took an X-Scissor for over half his remaining health before using Bulldoze to slow him down. That meant nothing though as Bass Groove took an X-Scissor for over half to finish him with an Aqua Tail. Salvage almost finished Zoroark, but Hyper Voice was narrowly a 4HKO. Bass Groove finished him with an Aqua Jet, though.

Then we headed to the ferry terminal, where Nanu found us. After saving and putting Hula in front, I was ready for battle with him! Sableye started with a Fake Out as I switched in Bass Groove for a light Fake Out. I then used Soak to turn him into a Water-type and get rid of his STAB, leaving Shadow Ball to do less than half my remaining health. Crunch did okay, but Power Gem then got a min/max damage thing for the finish. I went back to Hula, and hit with Sleep Powder, but he used a Full Heal as I got in the Quiver Dance. I used another, and his Shadow Ball did 1/7. I got in a third and took another Shadow Ball to leave me below 3/4 before using Giga Drain, which was super-effective thanks to Soak, and heal myself to full. And along the way, Salvage reached Level 40 and learned Gunk Shot. Krokorok was then slammed with Giga Drain, and she grew to Level 40 along with Salsa Verde, who learned Feather Dance. Persian I blasted with the Z-Move after a weak Fake Out.

With that, he gave me the Darkium Z, and the grand trial was complete. Hau showed up in time for us to take the ferry to the Aether Foundation. We made our way through a few employees, some of which were pretty strong, but we soon reached Faba. His Hypno put Dangerous to sleep with Hypnosis, but then I had Shed Skin. Then he just went for it, and that allowed me to get in a Bulldoze. So I brought in Bass Groove, who took over half from Psychic, and used Soak before he finished me. That allowed Hula to nuke him from 3/4 with the Z-Move. Before taking the lift down, I healed up, and then we made our way down. And fight three alien suit men in a row. I then went back and beat the other employees on the main floor that I forgot so I could make my way to the Toxic TM. And then we waded through more employees and learned about Cosmog. And then we beat more employees. And then Wicke was happy to see us and healed us. And then we dealt with more employees, two of which we battled alongside Gladion. My two Ground-types were a help against their Fire and Electric-types. And then we had Faba once again, this time with his cohort. Allurement was able to paralyze his Claydol, and after both of the cohort's Pokemon were down, Hau's Decidueye was a help. He mostly carried that fight. After that was done, Allurement had passed Level 44, so I decided to use a Rare Candy to evolve him into Flygon.

As we made our way back outside, Gladion made his way straight to Guzma, and we beat two simple grunts before coming to a third who doesn't fight battles he can't win. And then our boy Guzma had bested Gladion. Time for our turn!

I began with Bass Groove against Golisopod, and switched out to Salsa Verde in anticipation of First Impression. And I was right, it did not even 1/5. I then Encored him into the move, and then switched out for Hula and got in a Quiver Dance before the encore ended. I then got in another as Razor Shell did almost 1/3 and a Defense drop. Then he failed with a Sucker Punch as I got in another Quiver Dance. And another one. And another one. Then he used Razor Shell again and got me into the red. Then I put him to sleep with Sleep Powder. Then he was OHKO'd and Giga Drain got me above 2/3. Masquerain was next and got in the Intimidate. Despite the 4x resistance, I went for Giga Drain, which did okay and healed me decently, then he used Icy Wind for 20 damage. And I used another Giga Drain to get him below 1/3 as he used another Icy Wind. Then he was finished. Vikavolt came next and I opted to bash that in the face with the Z-Move, which did indeed OHKO even with resistance and got Hula to Level 45. Pinsir was last, and Giga Drain almost OHKO'd, then he OHKO'd me with X-Scissor. Bass Groove finished him with Aqua Jet. Then he had his freak attack and stepped aside.

And then we had to deal with the Ultra Recon Squad and Poipole, who Dangerous took care of. Easy fight because she used a meaningless X Sp. Def and Bulldoze did over half and then 2HKO'd. Then they realized my ambitions, and it was time to deal with Lusamine, who wanted to use Cosmog's power. She challenged me to see if she could silence Lillie's last objections!

I began with Salvage against Clefable, and as she used a Moonblast for less than half, Gunk Shot got the OHKO. Milotic was next, and she used…Dragon Pulse? It did less than half my remaining health as I used Poison Fang hoping for the Toxic, but no dice as it did what looked like under 1/4. And she used it again, but I got the Toxic this time. She finished me with another Dragon Pulse… Uh, okay? I tried Salsa Verde, only for her to actually use Hydro Pump this time… Which I lived with 2 HP! That allowed me to finish her with High Jump Kick. Bewear was next and I opted to use Feather Dance before she finished me with Dual Chop. I switched in for Bass Groove and used Soak to turn her into a Water-type before she used Take Down for 1/3. I then used Crunch for a few turns before she finished me. I had to bring in Hula, and got in the Sleep Powder, which in turn allowed me to get in two Quiver Dances before she woke up and used Take Down for almost 1/3. I got in the Sleep Powder again and was able to get in two more Quiver Dances before avoiding a Zen Headbutt. Giga Drain then slammed her. Hula then reached Level 46 and learned Petal Dance, which I decided to drop Leech Seed for. Lopunny was next, and promptly smacked with Giga Drain. Lastly was her mirror-match, which I went all-in on with the Z-Move for the OHKO.

With that, Lusamine used Cosmog's power to open the Ultra Wormhole, and she and Guzma went in with their sights set on Necrozma. The Ultra Recon Squad were not pleased by what they had just seen. We stayed the night and then met with Lillie in her new Z-Powered form, and then thanks to Gladion, we got the Sun Flute and I got a Master Ball. And we went from there to Poni Island! Gladion and Lillie talked for a bit, and we met Mina there. Then we went through Poni Wilds and beat some trainers. Some of them were strong, others not quite as much, but once Ace Trainer's Granbull doing over half to Salvage with Play Rough kinda showed how vulnerable his -Defense nature has made him. As for Dancer Julia, Bass Groove dealt with her Fire-type Oricorio with ease, and after using Aqua Jet to break the Focus Sash on the Electric-type, Dangerous breezed through her from there, going 3 for 3 against confusion.

We then entered Ancient Poni Path and got Machamp from Hapu's gran, and were led to the Ruins of Hope, where we learned about the altar and the legendary Pokemon. And with that we headed back to Seafolk Village, where Mina was able to get arrangements for me to go to Exeggutor Island. I then warded off some Pinsir and reached the Moon Flute. We had our next objective, and that was to make our way to the Vast Poni Canyon… But we had Team Skull to contend with! After that, Plumeria took care of things for us and gave me Poisonium Z, which Salvage might appreciate later on. And next up was the Vast Poni Canyon…

…And there we met with the Ultra Recon Squad. This time, it was Allurement's turn to deal with that cutesy little Poipole. That's where I'll leave this round off.

(M) "Salvage", Level 48
Stats: 176, 128, 76, 87, 127, 69
Ability: Gluttony
Moves: Acid Armor, Crunch, Gunk Shot, Poison Fang

(M) "Salsa Verde", Level 49
Stats: 143, 118, 95, 88, 74, 130
Ability: Limber
Moves: Encore, Feather Dance, High Jump Kick, Hone Claws

(F) "Hula", Level 49
Stats: 144, 71, 93, 128, 96, 109
Ability: Chlorophyll
Moves: Giga Drain, Quiver Dance, Petal Dance, Sleep Powder (noticed I forgot to list Quiver Dance last part haha)

(F) "Bass Groove", Level 48
Stats: 140, 118, 85, 94, 64, 113
Ability: Adaptability
Moves: Aqua Jet, Aqua Tail, Crunch, Soak

(M) "Dangerous", Level 49
Stats: 140, 109, 88, 84, 80, 72
Moves: Bulldoze, Crunch, Rock Slide, Screech

(M) "Allurement", Level 49
Stats: 146, 113, 97, 88, 90, 116
Moves: Crunch, Dragon Claw, Earth Power, Earthquake

I originally planned for part 2 to go to the third badge, but I lost track of time.
After meeting Sycamore, I chose to tour the city, and then head to Route 5. On the way, I met many mysterious faces. Way too many. After hitting Route 5 I sprinted to the nearest patch of tall grass and looked for my new partners.

Obtained Bamboo the Pancham and Doodle the Furfrou.

I grinded them up a couple of levels, beat Tierno, and head to Camphrier town. And thus begins the tedious (at least for me) Parfum Palace/PokeFlute quest.

However, first came Route 6, and it gave me one more partner, Meowmere the Female Espurr.

After the quest, I tore through Route 7, and the double Rival battle, and went to Route 8. There I caught Katastrofe the Absol before arriving at Ambrette Town, and getting the TM for Rock Smash.
I then headed to the Glittering Cavern, beat up Team Flare, and got the TM for Shadow Claw, which is cool.

I went got to Cyllage City, where I trotted over to Route 10 and, to my satisfaction, quickly found and caught Chipp the Emolga, and sadly had to replace Otherfly.
I am always underleveled for Grant, and this was no exception. After grinding for a decent amount, I was ready for Grant.

Gym Battle 2: Vs. Grant
"I'm ready. This should be easy. Just beat his team with Bamboo and all should be OK." - My Pre-Battle Thoughts.
In my defense, it was a really good plan, until it turned out Amaura went first and OHKO'ed Bamboo with a Crit STAB Take Down, due to Refrigerate. I switched in Doodle and managed to take it out with Rock Smash. Grant sends out Tyrunt, I send out Katastrofe. Spitting in the face of fear, I used... leer. Katastrofe was KO'ed, and next was Chipp, who paralyzed it before he was KO'ed as well. Meowmere landed one Fake Out, and maybe a Psybeam, but it didn't matter as he used a Hyper Potion. Flitter managed to get a Psybeam in before being brutally smashed by a Rock Tomb, leaving just Doodle.

Doodle managed to get the ultimate luck, as Tyrunt got paralyzed, got a Defense drop from Rock Smash, and went down after a second.
After a hard-fought battle, the Cliff Badge was mine. And the TM for Rock Tomb. Can't forget that...
Next Time: Korrina and hopefully Ramos.

TL;DR: Team got big, then almost got swept. Almost.
I'm getting better at story telling. I think.

Flitter the Vivillon - Lvl. 23
Calm Nature
Ability - Shield Dust
Struggle Bug
Psybeam
Stun Spore
Protect

Bamboo the Pancham - Lvl. 23
Naive Nature
Ability - Mold Breaker
Slash
Karate Chop
Shadow Claw
Work Up

Doodle the Furfrou - Lvl. 22
Impish Nature
Ability - Fur Coat
Headbutt
Rock Smash
Bite
Return

Meowmere the Espurr - Lvl. 22
Relaxed Nature
Ability - Keen Eye
Light Screen
Disarming Voice
Fake Out
Psybeam

Katastrofe the Absol - Lvl. 23
Serious Nature
Ability - Super Luck
Feint
Leer
Quick Attack
Bite

Chipp the Emolga - Lvl. 23
Lax Nature
Ability - Static
Spark
Nuzzle
Pursuit
Double Team

Box:
Nicknameless Flabebe - Lvl. 6
Rash Nature
Ability - Flower Veil
Tackle
Vine Whip
Fairy Wind
----------
(I forgot to put this in part one. Oops.)

Otherfly the Butterfree - Lvl. 17
Naive Nature
Ability - Compound Eyes
Infestation
Poison Powder
Sleep Powder
Gust

I'm playing with Gen 7's coloring. This allows me to use Vivillon, but I can also only use female Espurr/Meowstic as Male Meowstic was recolored to blue in Gen 7.
I am 100% sure any reader will know this, but I felt the need to clarify.

I'm also not worrying about putting accents. It's just a pain on to do on my computer.

So now we had to go through Vast Poni Canyon. We made our way through the trainers. The Ace Duo with the Ice-type Alolan forms proved an inconvenience, and that female Veteran before the midpoint did as well with her Kangaskhan confusing Salvage. Thankfully, Lillie healed me shortly after that, and showing her own brilliance. Not a lot after that worth talking about, although that last female Veteran had her Talonflame miss with Will-o-Wisp against Dangerous. And her Glaceon's Frost Breath OHKO'd Hula with a critical hit despite a three level deficit. And the last Veteran's Slowking bested Salvage thanks to Tailwind, a Scald burn and Reflect. His Flygon wasn't pretty either, but Bass Groove was able to overcome it thanks to a Dragon Rush miss and the Z-Move. The Gengar wasn't tough either. Then Lillie showed up and healed me before I entered the trial site! After the first two were bested, we came to the Totem Kommo-o.

As the Totem Aura boosted all its stats, I began with Bass Groove. It opened the battle with Thunder Punch, which I avoided thanks to the Lax Incense, and used Soak to turn it into a Water-type. Then it called upon its ally Noivern. It used Thunder Punch… AND IT MISSED AGAIN! Noivern was luckier though and hit with Screech, as I used Soak to turn that into a Water-type as well. I then switched out for Dangerous, which caused Thunder Punch to fail and took barely anything from an Air Slash. Kommo-o then used Drain Punch for narrowly under half my remaining health, and Noivern used Screech to half that Defense stat, but I got in the Bulldoze to cut their Speed and do a small chunk to Noivern. Kommo-o finished me with Drain Punch and was healed back to full. I brought in Hula, and decided to use the Z-Move on base of Petal Dance, which got it into the red before it used Poison Jab for over half, as Noivern used Screech to half my Defense. Giga Drain finished Kommo-o and got Hula to Level 52 before Noivern used Air Slash, which I lived thanks to the Giga Drain healing. (Had I not got that in, it would have overkilled by one damage.) Petal Dance finished the Noivern for the win.

And with that, I got the Dragonium Z and proceeded onward to meet with Lillie and Hapu, the former of whom healed me. We made our way to the top of the altar, where Nebby evolved into Lunala. But just when we thought things couldn't get any crazier, Guzma and Lusamine fell out of the Ultra Wormhole… And so did Necrozma! The two legends duked it out, but Necrozma won and transformed. And called forth lots of Ultra Beasts! Then it was time for me to do battle with this thing itself! I decided to give Allurement a shot, and Crunch did narrowly over half (thank you Prism Armor), while its Psychic did just over 2/3. So yeah, that got the 2HKO.

But it wasn't done yet. It turned everything into darkness and then fled! The Ultra Recon Squad were right behind us, and Lusamine had to convince them to get back on her side. They also saw my Z-Crystals, and Guzma pointed out the irony that most big trainers focus on only one type. But we were on a mission! We said our final goodbyes in case I don't make it back in one piece, and I reached the white wormhole pretty quickly. That took us to Ultra Megalopolis, where they had already made it to. We progressed to Megalo Tower, where we watched Necrozma transform into its final form, Ultra Necrozma! Now we have to do battle against it! I made some adjustments to my team and then entered.

As its aura flared to life and boosted all its stats, I led with Salvage, who took a Dragon Pulse for over 3/4 but still lived and got in a Toxic, which started to chip away at it. I had an idea, and switched in Salsa Verde, who was OHKO'd by Dragon Pulse before it fell to 13/16. I used Protect to block a Smart Strike and it then fell to 5/8. I then switched in Bass Groove as it used Photon Geyser, which OHKO'd. I brought in Dangerous once again, and used Protect to block a Photon Geyser, leaving it with one more turn. I switched out for Salvage, who caused its Photon Geyser to fail, and it was finished by poisoning, ending the battle. And Dangerous grew to Level 53.

With that, it faded, and Lunala returned to form, and light started to spawn once again! The Ultra Recon Squad offered me their Poipole, but I passed on it. I then cried at the scene after, and then Mina invited me to her trial. Next thing you know, we were back on Seafolk Village. Then we had to face Mina to kick it off! I began with Allurement against Mawile, who despite Intimidate got an easy OHKO with Earth Power. Granbull got in another Intimidate, but I went for Earth Power, which did less than half, although I avoided a Play Rough. I switched out for Bass Groove, who avoided another Play Rough and then used Aqua Tail to finish her. Ribombee was last and I let Salsa Verde switch into a Pollen Puff for 28 damage, but she then used Dazzling Gleam for the finish. Salvage took a Pollen Puff for less than 1/3 before OHKO'ing her with Gunk Shot for the win.

And I received the Pink Petal. But that was just the beginning! I then had more captains to go after. Let's just run through them all fast:
Ilima: Salsa Verde got in one Hone Claws and swept him with High Jump Kick. Gumshoos did a little less than half with Hyper Fang. Next!
Lana: Hula nuked Lanturn with the Z-Move on base of Petal Dance, Cloyster was promptly slammed by Giga Drain, and as for Araquanid, I switched out for Salsa Verde, and after she used the Z-Move, Salvage got her in on the Toxic. And thanks to a critical hit Crunch on my end I was able to stall her out.
Kiawe: Bass Groove OHKO'd Arcanine with the Z-Move even with Intimidate, Dangerous took two hits from Talonflame and finished it with Rock Slide, and Salvage tried to take the Marowak but couldn't quite finish it. Bass Groove did with Aqua Jet. After this, I went back to Route 17 and Seafolk Village to get the two Rock-type TMs so Dangerous could have a better STAB, although he learned Earthquake then and there too.
Nanu: Dangerous got the Screech on Sableye and OHKO'd with a crit Earthquake. Salvage was able to handle the other two thanks to its great Sp Def for Persian and Gunk Shot poisoning. Gunk Shot didn't OHKO the Absol but it got the poisoning and that did it in.

As for Totem Ribombee, I knew my team was unbalanced for this job. And yet I made a desperation tactic. The totem aura boosted all its stats… And I led with Dangerous, who had the Scope Lens. Bug Buzz got me into the red, and I went for Stone Edge, which OHKO'd with a critical hit and had the Scope Lens backing. Whew! Said desperation tactic worked. With that, I got the Fairium Z, which I won't get to make any use of.

With that, Hapu invited me to the grand trial at Exeggutor Island. I turned the Exp. Share off and then met with her there, and after a bit of talk, it was time for battle! I led with Dangerous against Golurk, but then switched out for Bass Groove, as she used Stealth Rock. Aqua Tail came short of the OHKO, unfortunately, while her Earthquake almost got me into the red. Then she wasted her Hyper Potion as another Aqua Tail finished her. And then we had Mudsdale. Knowing Bass Groove was finished here, I used Soak to get rid of her STAB, before Earthquake finished me. I brought in Dangerous again, and then switched out for Salsa Verde, who avoided a Heavy Slam thanks to the Lax Incense. I got in a Feather Dance before Heavy Slam hit for over 1/3 my remaining health. I used another Feather Dance before she used Payback for a laughably weak hit. Then I used one more Feather Dance before taking another Payback. I then switched in Salvage, who took another weak Payback following some Stealth Rock damage. And then I used Allurement, and she used Heavy Slam there…? Okay? Then I switched out for Hula, who took a Heavy Slam for 25 HP. I put her to sleep and forced her to use her Full Heal as I got in a Quiver Dance. I used Giga Drain, which even with +1 she somehow lived, but no big deal because her Heavy Slam was weak. I finished her next turn, and two team members grew to Level 55. Gastrodon and Flygon were promptly finished, the former with the Z-Move on base of Petal Dance. And with that, Dangerous evolved into Tyranitar.

And we had completed our final grand trial and received the Groundium Z. With that, there was but one thing left to do: take on the Pokemon League! We'll do that later, though.

(M) "Salvage", Level 55
Stats: 201, 150, 90, 101, 146, 82
Ability: Gluttony
Moves: Acid Armor, Crunch, Gunk Shot, Toxic

(M) "Salsa Verde", Level 54
Stats: 158, 135, 107, 98, 81, 144
Ability: Limber
Moves: Encore, Feather Dance, High Jump Kick, Hone Claws

(F) "Hula", Level 55
Stats: 162, 83, 107, 146, 107, 125
Ability: Chlorophyll
Moves: Giga Drain, Quiver Dance, Petal Dance, Sleep Powder

(F) "Bass Groove", Level 55
Stats: 160, 139, 100, 110, 73, 132
Ability: Adaptability
Moves: Aqua Jet, Aqua Tail, Crunch, Soak

(M) "Dangerous", Level 55
Stats: 190, 182, 145, 130, 123, 94
Moves: Crunch, Earthquake, Rock Slide, Screech

(M) "Allurement", Level 55
Stats: 165, 131, 112, 101, 102, 133
Moves: Crunch, Earth Power, Earthquake, Stone Edge

So the first thing I did was do some Mantine Surf to get some BP and an Ability Capsule. It became easier once I busted the record on Poni Beach and got Over-The-Gyarados. I used that Ability Capsule on Hula to change her ability to Own Tempo. And then we made way to Mount Lanakila, where Gladion wanted to battle! I'll just blast through this: Dangerous OHKO'd Crobat with Stone Edge (with Expert Belt backing), and Lucario KO'd Dangerous with Aura Sphere (I stayed in because I thought it was Zoroark), but Allurement OHKO'd it with Earthquake after taking less than half from Aura Sphere. Zoroark finished me with the Z-Move, Salvage came just short of finishing Zoroark but then it was finished with hail the next turn, and I was able to survive Silvally's Multi-Attack with 6 HP and get in a Toxic before the hail finished me off. Salsa Verde was able to lock him into Multi-Attack and that allowed Hula to finish him off. With that, he gave me a PP Max. Sure, I'll take that!

And then it was time for some trainers. The first Ace Trainer had a Malamar that was stupid and used Night Slash against Salsa Verde after I missed with High Jump Kick, haha. And an Ace Trainer shortly after didn't use Spore on Salsa Verde and allowed me to take it with Fly. There wasn't a whole lot that stuck out though, until the last Veteran in the cave. Dangerous handled her Pyroar, but her Milotic took Allurement. Salvage finished it while Hula bested her Claydol. And then the double battle. There were a lot of misses that went on there on both ends, which allowed me to get rather lucky in that fight, including the Glalie missing with Blizzard as I switched in Allurement, but at least Dangerous grew to Level 56. The Veteran's last two being 4x weak to Fighting made for easy prey to Salsa Verde.

And with that, we were at the Pokemon League! Before going in, I decided to do some Mantine Surf to get more BP that I could trade for some Ability Capsules. And I got some Heart Scales, and then met with Kukui at the top. Then it was time for me to enter the league!

I decided Molayne would be first, because I was not looking forward to him. But I went in for it! I began with Bass Groove against Klefki, and he used Thunder Wave, but I had a Cheri Berry for that one purpose, and Soak turned him into a Water-type. I switched out for Hula, who was met with Spikes, and then paralyzed again, but Giga Drain got him into the red. He healed, but that was fine as another Giga Drain got him into the red. But then he switched out for Bisharp, who took 1/4 from Giga Drain. I brought in Salsa Verde, who took a Metal Sound, but then High Jump Kick proceeded to finish him. Magnezone came after and I switched back over to Hula, who took Spikes damage and a Thunderbolt for almost half my remaining health and then finished with Flash Cannon. I then went over to Salvage, who got in a Crunch for an okay hit and the Defense drop after he used Thunderbolt for less than half. He used another Thunderbolt before I got in a Memento to drop his stats. I then brought in Allurement and went for a Dragon Dance before he used Flash Cannon for 1/3. Earthquake then got the finish and got Allurement to Level 57. Metagross came next, and for that I opted to stay in and use the Z-Move on base of Earthquake for the OHKO. His remaining two followed suit.

With that, we got rid of the one I was most concerned with. And then we went for the one I felt the least concerned with - Olivia.

I began with Bass Groove against Armaldo, and Aqua Tail got the OHKO. Cradily came after, though, and I switched over to Salsa Verde, who was met with a light Energy Ball. High Jump Kick didn't OHKO, but she missed with Rock Tomb and wasted a Full Restore, so that worked. I got her into the red once again and I switched out for Salvage as she used her second Full Restore. Poison Jab did alright before her Rock Tomb did light. But then she switched out for Probopass to cause my Poison Jab to fail. And then she used Sandstorm, while my Crunch did okay before I took Sandstorm damage. I stayed in fearing Thunder Wave… And I was right, that was indeed what she used. Crunch got her right near half before Sandstorm got me below 2/3. I switched out for Hula and ate up an Earth Power, then hit with Sleep Powder. I got in a Quiver Dance as she continued to snooze, thankfully. A +1 Giga Drain…didn't even get her to the red from that health, sheesh. The next one did, thankfully. Gigalith was next up, and that set the Sand Stream back up once again. Giga Drain got her into the red, and she used Bulldoze for whatever reason. Another Giga Drain finished her and got Hula to Level 57. Lycanroc and Cradily were then finished thanks to Petal Dance (well, the latter with two rounds).

I knew that Acerola would be next up. I had plenty to handle her with.

I led with Dangerous against Banette, and as she used a weak Shadow Claw, Crunch got the OHKO. Dhelmise was next, and Crunch got her into the red and got the Defense drop, but unfortunately, she used Energy Ball and scored a critical hit, which got me below 1/4. She wasted her Full Restore as Crunch got the OHKO. Palossand was next, and I decided to use Screech before peacing out to an Earth Power. I used Bass Groove, and Aqua Tail got the OHKO thanks to that. The sandstorm then subsided. Froslass came in, and I opted to stay in, and I hit through her Confuse Ray with Aqua Tail for 2/3. I hit through it again with Aqua Jet for the finishing, and Bass Groove grew to Level 57. Drifblim was last, and I switched out to Allurement to get rid of the confusion. She used a meaningless Amnesia, as I went for Screech before she hit with Ominous Wind for an okay hit. I got in another Screech before she used another Ominous Wind, which scored a critical hit to get me below half, even after Leftovers. I switched back into Bass Groove, who took almost half from another Ominous Wind. The Z-Move on base of Aqua Tail got the OHKO.

And lastly we had Kahili. I felt like she would be mildly tough, but I had the proper tools for her. Or at least I hoped.

I began with Dangerous once again against Braviary, and that set up the sandstorm. Brave Bird did over 1/4, and she took a tiny bit of recoil damage, but Rock Slide "OHKO'd" it. Hawlucha was next, and I switched in my mirror-match as she used Flying Press, which unfortunately did over half. She used Flying Press again… AND IT MISSED!!! Wow I got lucky on that one. That allowed me to use Feather Dance to half her Attack. AND SHE MISSED AGAIN!!! I had the Lax Incense backing, for whatever that was worth. SHE MISSED A THIRD TIME AND THAT ALLOWED ME TO USE ANOTHER FEATHER DANCE TO GET HER TO -6. Then the sandstorm subsided. I switched Bass Groove into a Flying Press that hit this time for 1/6. She used it again for the same amount, and Aqua Tail did over half her total health. I used my Z-Move thinking she would heal… And she somehow didn't. I was right near half and my Z-Move was completely wasted. If I had used Aqua Jet, she would've healed. But I digress. Mandibuzz was next and I used Soak to turn her into a Water-type before she used Brave Bird for over half my remaining health. I decided to use Head Smash to peace out…or leave myself with 2 HP. She was out 1/3 and finished me with Brave Bird. I used Hula next and Petal Dance *****-slapped her. Toucannon was next, and Petal Dance did okay, but I was brought back to reality with the Z-Move, which got the OHKO. I brought in Dangerous again, who set up the sandstorm once more, as she used Screech, but Rock Slide finished her. Oricorio was last and after a Feather Dance, Rock Slide still got the OHKO thanks to the Expert Belt. And Dangerous grew to Level 57 and was caught up with the team.

With that, we had defeated the Elite Four! I made some adjustments and then entered the final room, where Kukui was ready to challenge me… Or not! Hau stepped up in his place! He was ready for a battle, and so was I.

First try was getting off to a promising start, but I reset after Salsa Verde missed with High Jump Kick against Crabominable. And I know that sounds uncouth, but in the final battle I want to make sure my entire team gets to do at least something.

I began with Allurement against Raichu, and he used Psychic for over half and the Special Defense drop, but Earthquake easily got the OHKO and got Allurement to Level 58.
Crabominable was next, and I used Fly for slightly over half before he finished me with Ice Hammer. Bass Groove was able to finish him with Aqua Tail.
Unfortunately, we had Decidueye next, and for that I brought in Salvage, who took the Z-Move, Bloom Doom, which even with resistance still did over half. His Leaf Blade did 1/3 my remaining health, but Crunch did handily over half but just enough to keep him out of Overgrow range. Another Leaf Blade did over half my remaining health, but I finished him.
Tauros then got off an Intimidate and finished me with Earthquake. I brought in Salsa Verde, and Double-Edge did 3/4, but I thankfully hit with High Jump Kick for the finishing and got Salsa Verde to Level 58.
Noivern was next and finished me with an Air Slash. I brought in Dangerous, who got the Sand Stream going, and I took a Dragon Pulse for over 1/4 before Rock Slide (with the Expert Belt) got the OHKO.
Vaporeon was last, and I knew he was faster than Hula, so I switched out for Bass Groove as he used Charm. We both took sandstorm damage, and I used Head Smash for an okay hit, but I took some recoil damage. Hydro Pump did almost half my total health despite resistance. I used another Head Smash and got him below half but was finished with recoil. That allowed me to bring in Hula, and after a meaningless Baby-Doll Eyes, Petal Dance finished him for the win.

And with that, we had completed the challenge! Certainly a fun one, I got to use some cool Pokemon and I liked all of them everything considered.

(M) "Salvage", Level 57
Stats: 208, 156, 93, 105, 152, 84
Ability: Gluttony
Moves: Acid Armor, Crunch, Memento, Rock Tomb

(M) "Salsa Verde", Level 58
Stats: 170, 148, 114, 106, 88, 155
Ability: Limber
Moves: Encore, Feather Dance, High Jump Kick, Swords Dance

(F) "Hula", Level 57 (was less than 50 EXP from 58)
Stats: 168, 87, 111, 152, 112, 129
Ability: Own Tempo
Moves: Giga Drain, Quiver Dance, Petal Dance, Sleep Powder

(F) "Bass Groove", Level 57 (was less than 500 EXP from 58)
Stats: 167, 146, 104, 114, 76, 137
Ability: Adaptability
Moves: Aqua Jet, Aqua Tail, Head Smash, Soak

(M) "Dangerous", Level 57
Stats: 198, 190, 150, 136, 128, 98
Moves: Crunch, Earthquake, Rock Slide, Screech

(M) "Allurement", Level 58
Stats: 174, 140, 119, 107, 107, 140
Moves: Dragon Dance, Earthquake, Fly, Rock Tomb

So, we started off the journey with everyone's favorite (except mine) starter, Charmander. After briefly kicking the ass of our rival's obviously inferior blue Water-type, we made it across the Viridian Forest and to Pewter City, grinding ourselves incredibly high and evolving into a Charmeleon to make sure that Brock wouldn't be a problem, considering all he had were Normal-type attacks.


However, this would be tougher with Misty, who had her Staryu and Starmie with Water Gun and Bubblebeam, making it an incredibly difficult fight for Charmeleon. As such, I opted to go catch a Paras in Mt. Moon, as you can see below.


After trekking back to Viridian Forest since poor Shroomy couldn't handle the wild Spearow near Mt. Moon's grass area, Shroomy worked and grinded until it got to level 19, where I felt it was strong enough to overcome Mt. Moon. We trekked through, defeating Rocket Grunts left and right and made it to Cerulean City. At this point, Shroomy and Vertress looked confident and strong, matching the levels of Misty's team, and Shroomy was incredibly self-sustaining because of Leech Life. This recovery combined with Starmie's weakness to Bug-type moves and inability to affect damage with Bubblebeam or Water Gun because of Blue's AI made this victory a cinch.

Misty gave us the Cascade Badge, but I figured it was time for a rest for my team and me. It's a pretty great to start to go through, and I'm excited that we're already 2 badges in out of 8.

There's too much that happened since early in the day, so here's the link to the Imgur album.

https://imgur.com/a/gshF8OB

After playing the game non-stop since I finished Blue with an All-Red team, I immediately hit the ground running. Here's an imgur of all of the special moments, and tidbits to show proof of completion, up to and including Red; it also showcases a general plotline, as well as the bottom featuring my team for this run!

https://imgur.com/a/AekC14h