The Genlocke Challenge in Pokémon Platinum






UPDATE 3
Continuing on, I quickly got through the most boring part of the game - fog routes. So,let's fastforward to Celestic Town and Cyrus encounter. I underestimated him, did some stupid plays (like leading with Torterra) and almost lost Hydra, Bokrug and Luzon 2 because of this. I think this was the first time in this run, where I was afraid of wiping. I ended the fight with everyone in red HP and was glad it was over. And this is the easiest Cyrus fight in the game. I'll have to up my game for our next encounter.
Barry's battle in Canalave City was breeze in comparison. I had strong counter against all of his Pokémon. This was also the time I noticed I wasn't really using Leyte 2. But looking at my box, I couldn't really find a good replacement at the time, so I kept Leyte 2 on my team.
Not that I would need any new Pokémon to beat Byron. My duo of Hydra and Oahu 2 easily took him down.
After clearing up Galactic mess, I went to snowy part of the region and got some sweet encounters. I did some thinking and decided to switch my team a little bit against Candice. I boxed Leyte 2 and put newly caught Uvhash the Sneasel on my team (which ended up being permanent change) and put away Maui 2 for Ponyta, which I forget the nickname of, that I used against Candice. I grinded Ponyta, while forgetting to grind Sneasel and challenged Candice.
The battle with Candice was not quite what I expected. Even grinded up, Ponyta had poor moves and could barely take down Candice's Pokémon. By the time Froslass cane out, I had to switch it out. But to whom? Froslass' Blizzard could tske out all my Pokémon easily, plus she was faster and had Shadow Ball. After some thoughts and calculations, I sent out level 33 Sneasel. Yes, my underleveled Pokémon. And it worked wonders. Froslass couldn't really hurt Sneasel, while he was slowly chipping away her HP.
After this, I decided to keep Sneasel on team and put Ponyta back to the box. Not for long, I actually brought her back for another Team Galactic segment, where it helped with Cyrus' Weavile.
One thing I hate about this part of the game is how many HMs it require to get past it. I had to box one of my Pokémon and put Bibarel on my team as HM slave, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to cross Mt. Coronet. Which also meant I had to face Cyrus for the final time with weaker team. Nonetheless, I beat him easily. I already knew what he will bring out and this time, so I was prepared for it.
And with that, I was getting to the endgame. The final badge awaited me and with Hydra on the team, there was no way for me to lose there.
After some more encounters I got to E4. Before challenging them, I had to put together my final team. My current plan is: Throughout the whole game, I didn't find time to evolve Sneasel, so I'll do that, because I want to use it here and in Johto. I decided to put Ponyta to the box and bring back Maui 2. I have to get her offsprings to Alola after all. I'll also scattered around Sinnoh and get some useful items.
And with that done, I'll be ready for the final battles...
Team

Hydra, Lonely Male Torterra
lvl 50, Overgrow
- Razor Leaf
- Curse
- Earthquake
- Leech Seed

Oahu 2, Relaxed Male Blastoise
lvl 50, Torrent
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Bite
- Withdraw

Maui 2, Hasty Female Pidgeot
lvl 40, Tangled Feet
- Fly
- Sand-Attack
- FeatherDance
- Quick Attack

Luzon 2, Hasty Female Alakazam
lvl 48, Synchronize
- Psychic
- Recover
- Calm Mind
- Reflect

Bokrug, Adamant Male Luxray
lvl 50, Intimidate
- Spark
- Crunch
- Swagger
- Tackle

Uvhash, Impish Female Sneasel
lvl 48, Keen Eye
- Faint Attack
- Metal Claw
- Avalanche
- Icy Wind