[Gen 6] Pokemon Y Mono-Fairy Run (in French)

\(^u^)/ Lately, I've reset Y a couple times for different playthroughs. (Is that even a word?) Simply enough, I've always wanted to try a mono-Fairy run; a celebration of our newest type, if you will. But then, as I was starting a new save file, it occurred to me that I've also always wanted to play through a Pokemon game in a language I don't understand. So I smooshed the two ideas together to get this unconventional run! This is also my first journal - I'm really branching out, here!

*~*~*~*~**~*~*~**~**~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~**~**~*~*

I choose a male character, with the palest color scheme, and name him "Seeley" (found on a baby name website). I have my friends call me "Fair One" so not to incur my wrath. I choose Fennekin ("Feunnic"), since it's my favorite and it doesn't matter anyway...Except, I later realized that my decision will cause Shauna to pick Chespin (evolves into a Fighting type) and Serena to pick Froakie (evolves into a Dark type), so I've given myself the advantage. LOL oops

Another oops...I thought you could catch a Flabebe as soon as you reached Santalune City, but it turns out you have to get the badge from Viola Violette first. I buy as many Potions as I can, with plans to sell them back later, and plow through the gym with my illegal starter.

And then...

Alexa (?) lets me through to Route 4.

I make a mad dash for the nearest flower patch.

And there, I meet my partner...


*FANFARE*

She is a level 7 Flabebe, holding a lovely red flower, and her name is Mimi. :3 (No special reason - it's just a name I gave to a Flabebe in another playthrough I never finished.)

Fuenicc, having so diligently helped me out, is released into the wilds surrounding Santalune City ("Neuvartault"), where he will live a life of freedom and romps through the flower patches. Thanks, little guy. <3
Currently I'm level-grinding Mimi (as well as petting her wittle head and feeding her Pokepuffs). More next time, and hopefully more exciting stuff!

(...I can't wait 'til I get to Drasna. :evil-smirk:)

Remember when I said I was level-grinding Mimi? Well, I lost patience and flitted off to Lumiose City (Illumis) instead. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Hey, wanna know what I did in Lumiose?...

...NOTHING. I went to see Sycamore ("Platane"), met up with Serena in the cafe, and got the psyduck out of there. That place is bewildering enough in English. The professor offered me a Kanto starter; I can't use any of them, but I detected a glint of wanderlust in the Bulbasaur's eyes, so I took him and set him free when no one was looking.

So, then I went to Route 5 to battle Tierno, and...*Sigh* all right, I'm just gonna admit it: it took several tries for me to beat him. :shaking-head-no: I have literally never made it to this point in the game without a party of 3 Pokemon before. It's...a humbling experience. But anyway, I trained to level 13 and won the battle. While grinding, Mimi learned "Air Veinard"...I could have just looked up what that was, but I'm going to try not to do that with moves and such, just to make things more interesting. It was a Normal type status move, and the word "critique" appeared in its description, so I correctly deduced that it was Lucky Chant. Meh, not that useful; but at least she has four moves now. (Tackle, Fairy Wind, Vine Whip and Lucky Chant.)

So, I head over to Camphrier Town ("Fort-Vietas") and Shabboneau Castle ("Fort de Vanitas"). You know how it goes - ran into a sleeping Snorlax ("Ronflex"), went off on a sidequest to Parfum Palace ("Palais Chaydeuvre")...The "corner-the-Furfrou" puzzle is just as annoying as I remember it, but the language barrier didn't make it particularly worse.

...Seriously, does that Furfrou mix Carbos into its morning kibble? Why is it so fast?!

After wrapping that up and watching a lovely fireworks display with my friend, I receive the TM for...uh...It's completely slipped my mind which TM you get here. It's called "Abri", and it's a Normal type status move...I stare at the description for a while, but I'm not catching on. Then I notice that Mimi can learn it...hmm...
PROTECT! That's what it is. :laugh-squinted: I go ahead and teach it to Mimi in place of Lucky Chant.

Time to hit Route 7...I'm not overly ashamed to say that I ended up running from the Snorlax. The thing is OP at this point in the game. >:/ I've always beaten it before, but that was when I had multiple Pokemon. I gave it a try, it OHKOd Mimi (who was at an equal level), and I just decided to wash my hands of the whole thing. But that's not what's important. What's important are those flower patches further down on the route.

Or, more accurately, what lives in them...


YESSS SECOND POKEMON! There's just one problem...I'm currently not in a position where I can trade with anyone, directly or over Wi-Fi, so she won't be able to become an Aromatisse in the forseeable future. But I'm not going to worry about that right now! Her name is "Potpourri" - a bit cliche, but it suits her! :3

That's all for now. See you next time!

****
So, now that I've had time to really get into this run, I'd like to reflect a bit on what it's like. I've never done a monotype challenge before, and it's...harder and more limiting than I expected. x.x At least in the early game. But, on the other hand, it makes it even more special when you get to catch a new Pokemon!

As for playing the game in a foreign language...It's not that hard, since I still remember the game pretty well. It adds a whole new level of fun to the game, not knowing what moves, etc. are called, and having to puzzle things out from the information you have. It's also a whole different experience playing without understanding any of the dialogue - you have no choice but to focus on the battling aspect.
(Also, Bulbasaur's French name is "Bulbizzare". That's not really relevant, but I wanted to share. )

(Sorry for the gap - last night, as I was about to write this, I fell asleep. :blush:)

Next up I went to Ambrette Town ("Roche-sur-Gliffe"), which was largely uneventful, and Glittering Cave ("Grotte Étincilante) - which happens to be my favorite place in Kalos. It's surprising, since I usually hate cave areas, as well as Lumiose-esque confusing camera angles; but it's just so beautiful in there that I don't even mind if I get lost. It feels like being engulfed in a dream~

As most of you know, there are dark spots scattered throughout Glittering Cave, which you can walk into for a wild Pokemon encounter. Most of the time, it's something like Machop, Cubone or Onix; but on rare occasions, you can find...


Not Cacnea
MAWILE!!! :D ("Mysdibule") My third Pokemon, and quite a good one at that. Named her Belladonna, for her combination of beauty and deadliness. <3 (I've only caught females so far...I'll bet Seeley feels pretty outnumbered. )

Belladonna got herself some experience against the Team Flare grunts, who thought they could get one over on me by using Poison Pokemon, and I progress to the back of the cave. I'm offered my choice of fossil; once again, it doesn't matter which one I pick, so I take the Jaw Fossil ("Fossile Mâchoire). Thanks, fossil guy. Maybe I'll make jewelry out of it.

I Escape-Rope out of there and make the short journey to Cyllage City ("Relifac-le-Haut"), where I get a yellow bicycle. I don't use it much in these games - I prefer the roller skates - but it's good to have it. At first I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get it, since you have to answer a trivia question; but then I remembered that the question was "do bicycles come in different colors", and the answer options basically boiled down to "oui" and "non". :laugh-squinted: Next time I'm playing in English, I need to deliberately answer that question wrong, just to see how the guy reacts.

For a nice change of pace, you can go to Route 10 as soon as you reach Cyllage City, with no badge-related roadblocks...Which means, before taking on the gym, I get to add two new members to my team! :boogie:
The first is...

Snubbull! I've always had a soft spot for this Pokemon, but this is the first time I've gotten to use one. I named her "Gladys".

And the second is...

...Orrr at least he will be a Sylveon ("Nymphali") as soon as possible! Named him "Dandy", after a Sylveon I had in that unfinished playthrough. I now have five Pokemon!

I'm gonna end the update here and go systematically cuddle Dandy until he evolves. Next time: my Fairy team's first gym battle!!

All right, here we go!! FIRST canonicalGYM BATTLE!!
My team is as follows:

Yep - Dandy, Mimi and Gladys evolved! Everyone is around level 22. Seeley has changed clothes for the first time, swapping out his Calem-tastic blue jacket for the white t-shirt you have by default, and his boots for a snazzy new pair of red sneakers. I'm so excited, I'm going to skip straight to the battle, which I will be documenting as it unfolds.

*/VS. LINO/* (Grant)

He sends out Amaura ("Amagara"), I lead with Potpourri - I have a plan, here.

Amaura uses Thunder Wave, paralyzing Potpourri. She manages to use Sweet Kiss anyway, but it misses. Next turn, Amaura uses...something, but whatever it is misses, and Potpourri successfully get a Sweet Kiss in!

I switch in Belladonna, as my plan was just to see if I could confuse it before starting on the offense. Amaura uses...that same attack, I keep pressing A too fast to catch the name. Whatever it is, it's not very effective.

Next turn, Amaura uses what appears to be Aurora Beam; Belladonna shrugs it off and uses Bite. (Yeah, maybe not the best move to use; but since she doesn't have any Steel moves yet...)
Then, Amaura uses another Aurora Beam, and I try a Fairy Wind; it does less damage than Bite did, presumably because it's coming off of Mawile's lesser attacking stat. (Remind me to replace that, like, as soon as possible.)
Amaura uses Aurora Beam again - like it's not even confused - and Belladonna survives with 9 health and uses Bite. I'm slowly beginning to chip away at Amaura's health.

I use a Super Potion on Belladonna, and...this is getting really boring. :/ Long story short: Aurora Beam/Bite/Aurora Beam/Bite/Aurora Beam Bite Aurora BeamBiteAuroraBeamBiteAuroraBiteaarrrggh...*Deep breath* Amaura faints!! \O/

Next, he sends out Tyrunt ("Ptyranidur"); I swap in Dandy. This is not the first Dragon-type I've fought in the game - that honor goes to a trainer's Axew on some random route - but it is the first one I've fought in a major battle. I feel the urge to giggle maniacally. I assume that's normal for runs like these.

Dandy outspeeds, surprisingly, and brings Tyrunt down to yellow HP with Draining Kiss. Tyrunt uses Rock Tomb, doing a moderate amount of damage and lowering Dandy's Speed...darn. Dandy has Quick Attack in his moveset; but that probably wouldn't be enough to take Tyrunt out - I'm going to chance it and use Draining Kiss again.

Tyrunt outspeeds...

It uses an unknown, neutrally effective attack, animated as an orange blur flattening Dandy...

Dandy...

...

...Survives at yellow health, uses Draining Kiss and knocks out Tyrunt. We win!!!! :boogie: :boogie: :boogie:

(That may have been a bit too dramatic, seeing as I still had 4 other Pokemon to use if he'd fainted; but I wanted my new teammate to have a moment of glory, dang it!)

With the "Badge Mur" tucked safely in my case, I go back down the multi-story rock structure I just climbed via a flight of stairs, a sheer wall and two slides made entirely of dirt. On my way out the door, I take a look at one of those statues.

"Aréne de Relifac-le-Haut
Champion : Lino
Dresseur certifié :
Seeley"

It's times like these that make it all worthwhile.

After my triumph at Cyllage City, I make the short journey over to Geosenge Town (Cromlac'h), and...Honestly, all I want is to get out of there as fast as possible. That place is depressing on repeat playthroughs. (Cool name, though)

As I'm leaving the little town with a terrible destiny, I run into Korrina ("Cornélia") - I'd forgotten that she shows up here and battles you with her two Lucario. I'm a bit nervous at first, but I end up winning fairly easily since neither Pokemon actually knows any offensive Steel type moves.

Next up are Route 11 and Reflection Cave ("Grotte Miroitante"), where I can catch some more Pokemon! :boogie: (In case you haven't noticed, I plan on taking every opportunity I get to recruit a new member to my little Fairy army. :3)
First is...

Dedenne! :D Another Pokemon I've never gotten to use before. Having an Electric type will certainly be useful! Her name is "Bruiser". She is very fierce. >:O

Then I take a few steps into Reflection Cave, where I find...

This one's from Shuffle
CARBINK!! ("Strassie") One of my favorite Pokemon, actually~ I mean, it's A) a tiny, floating geode pixie with a sweet li'l face, B) royal guard to a magical rock princess, and C) a super-ancient being (as per its Y Pokedex entry). What's not to love?! This is the third and final Fairy type I already used in the same playthrough as Mimi and Dandy. Her(?) name is "Cinders"! It's a pun on "Cinderella" - because of how Carbink is said to spontaneously turn into a princess - and also plays off of her mineral nature.

And finally...

Mr. Mime! ("M. Mime") He's not creepy, I swear! I'm so glad to have a Psychic type, both because it's my second-favorite type, and because it makes Poison types that much less formidable. Knowing how Mr. Mime loves to protect itself with invisible walls, I named him...Abri! I couldn't resist!

I wanted to try and use the new catches for a bit, to see what they're like; so, Gladys and Mimi will be vacationing in the picturesque meadows of box 1 for a while. Bruiser, Cinders and Abri are now in the party!

So, I can't avoid it any longer...I have to go through Reflection Cave. This place, I do hate. All the frustrating disorientation of a regular cave, now featuring mirrors that allow NPC trainers to see you from behind! Send help...

As a side not, Abri's default moveset was pretty terrible (Psywave, Encore, Reflect & Light Screen); so I rifle through my TM () pocket and give him a quick upgrade. I decide to get rid of the Dual Screen moves, because, in my experience, they're not all that useful in-game. I replace one with Protect, and - hold on a moment. Mr. Mime can learn Infestation?
...Okay, that's kind of creepy. Aaand also so weirdly amusing that I went ahead and taught it to him. ._.

I make it through Reflection Cave with my team mildly beaten up and my emotional stability plummeting into negative numbers, and I take my first shaky step into the bright light of Shalour City. ("Yantreizh") There are no Fairy types available in the area, so I head straight to the Tower of Mastery. All my friends are there as well, and me and Serena end up fighting over...a bracelet, I think. (Fashion is really important to us.)

I lead with Abri against her Meowstic ("Mistigrix"), who is about 4 levels above him. He uses Infestation, then manages to use Encore to lock Meowstic into Psybeam - twice in a row. The Psychic type attack barely scratches Abri; so while he doesn't have a lot of attacking power to deploy against Meowstic, he has no trouble using Protect every other turn until the kitty is felled by Infestation damage. (I am honestly pretty proud of that strategy, given that I only put that move on Abri for the lulz.)
Dandy takes out Absol using the power of kisses, and Bruiser, who is also underleveled, beats Froagadier ("Croâporal") thanks to the healing effect of Parabolic Charge. I win!

...Okay, as someone who has always played as the female character (and thus had Calem as a rival), I was not prepared for the face Serena makes when she loses. Oh my goodness.

I think I'll cut this update off here and go train the team a bit before the gym battle. See you!

Um.

You guys?...

...I just caught a shiny Tauros. :freaked-out:

Th-that's...awesome, and also exactly what I've worried about since I started this run? Haha. I don't want to break the rules, and I can't get him out of the game just now (don't have Bank); so I guess Moss will just have to be this run's "box cheerleader" until I figure it out?...I really didn't even need to tell you this; I hope it doesn't seem like I'm just bragging, but I wanted to give you guys all the information, and I'm still sort of in shock about it! LOL
(I encountered him late at night, and I remember staring at the screen for a while like..."this isn't actually green, right?")

EDIT: Ugh, so sorry about the sudden long gap :( I just...fell into a slump. I have been playing the game, and the next update will be here soon.

Here it is; sorry for dropping the ball on this. I can't guarantee that gaps like this won't happen again, but don't worry; I'm not giving up on this run!
~
After a rather shocking turn of events during training (:freaked-out: :freaked-out: :freaked-out:), I'm ready for the gym battle! It shouldn't be that hard, because of my type advantage; but I don't want to get cocky.
Here's a summary of my current team:
*Dandy is basically just a powerhouse with Draining Kiss, who always ends up being a little bit higher-leveled than the rest of the team. Yeah, I wasn't expecting it either. (His other moves are Bite, Quick Attack and Skill Swap.)
*Potpourri holds an Eviolite and has Draining Kiss, Calm Mind, Attract and Round - basically, her theme is "staying in battle as long as possible". I've gotten way more use out of Round than you would expect; one or two consecutive uses and she's off on a sweep.
*Abri...Well, you've already gotten a taste of his strategy during the last rival battle. His current moveset is Psybeam, Infestation, Protect and Substitute.
*Bruiser's moveset is Nuzzle, Charge, Parabolic Charge and Rest. I feel kinda bad having only Electric type moves on her, but I've just had so much success with the Nuzzle -> Charge -> Parabolic Charge combo! Healing moves are the best~
*Cinders has Sharpen, Reflect, Stealth Rock and Smack Down...Yeah, basically the moveset she came with upon capture. It worked pretty well in that other playthrough I keep mentioning! Her role is more "tanking hits and setting up for the rest of the team" than doing a lot of attacking, (although she can certainly wreck things after getting a few Sharpens in).
*Mimi has been put on the team in place of Belladonna, due to the latter's neutrality to Fighting. Her moveset is Wish, Fairy Wind, Magical Leaf and Grassy Terrain. She can do some attacking, but it's clear that healing (of herself and other team members) is going to be her main niche. i wasn't quite expecting my starter Pokemon to end up in that role, but there's certainly no shame in it!

And now...
*/VS. CORNÉLIA/*

I lead with Mimi against her Mienfoo ("Kungfouine"). I didn't get around to writing this until some time after the battle (sorry), so I don't remember exactly what happened; but I know that Mimi started by setting up Grassy Terrain, then 2HKOed Mienfoo with Fairy Wind. She took a surprising amount of damage from Mienfoo's NVE attacks, but manages to soak it up with Grassy Terrain healing and a Wish. Awesome.

Then the 5" muscle-bound beast that is Machoke ("Machopuer") comes out, and...is also felled by two Fairy Winds from my tiny Pixie. (Wasn't I just saying how attacking isn't her strong suit? :freaked-out:)

I leave Mimi in against Hawlucha ("Brutalibré"), but she's OHKOed by Flying Press. Time to send in one of the new recruits - Bruiser!

The little hamster skips out into the Grassy Terrain, which Mimi put up for a second time during the Machoke battle. She leads with Nuzzle. Hawlucha's attack (Flying Press, I think) didn't do a whole lot of damage, so I felt safe using Charge next. Three turns in, Bruiser pulls out her first real attack, a Charge-boosted Parabolic Charge, and...

...It takes out Hawlucha in one hit!! I win! (Man, I was wrong earlier - I totally could have gotten cocky if I wanted.)

Cornélia graciously hands me the "Badge Lutte" and directs me to the Tower of Mastery. (She also calls me "Super Rider", which is kind of adorable.) I head on over there, and roller-skate all the way up the steep and spiraling multi-story incline because I can. I meet the skate-y lady on the balcony for battle, and Seeley...

Seeley...

Throws out a Fighting/Steel Pokemon.

...Nooo!!! That is literally the opposite of everything he's supposed to stand for!! Why don't I have any other Pokemon in my party?! Cornélia?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FAIRIES?!

Okay, be cool, be cool...I use Metal Sound until I lose, and - yes! It's over!

...Wait...What's Cornélia saying? Wh-why is the battle starting over again? What did I do to deserve this? Am I dead?

I - I think she wants me to Mega-Evolve Lucario...Anything! Anything to end this! Lucario's Lucarionite is reacting to Seeley's Mega Bracelet! Lucario has Mega-Evolved into Mega Lucario! METAL SOUND METAL SOUND MET -
*$%^*%&*^*$%*&

...S-sorry about that, folks; guess it all got to be a bit much. Long story short, Seeley has been aggressively escorted out of Cyllage City and is currently on the shores of Route 12, hugging the life out of his Fairy friends and letting them know how much they are appreciated.

This could take a while, so let's focus on how I'm going to get to Coumarine City. None of my Fairies can learn Surf, so I'll need an "HM Mule" to do it who cannot be used in battle. Originally, I was just going to catch a Slowpoke or something off of Route 12…Until I remembered that Tauros can learn Surf. C'mere, Moss…

Out of Character:
I may have had a bit too much fun writing that Lucario bit >.> But it's true - as long as you Mega Evolve your Lucario during that battle, you can just use status moves until you lose, and Lucario will offer to come with you just like normal. I employed that exact tactic, just to be extra-dedicated to the monotype, and didn't take Lucario.

Haven't been in a good place lately. Stressed. Has it really been 9 days since I updated this? :( Ugh. One of my problems is that I've played ahead (currently at Lumiose City), so the events I'm supposed to be writing about are far away in my mind.
I've decided that the only way to continue this run is by making a quick, undetailed post summarizing things; then, once I'm caught up to my current point in the game, I will get back to my usual style. I thank you for your understanding, and hope that what I have to offer you throughout the rest of the playthrough will be enough to make up for this failure.
~
So, I surfed to Coumarine City ("Port Tempères") atop Moss, the shiny Tauros who is unusable in battle. No Fairy Pokemon can be found on Route 12, and the journey is largely uneventful. Upon setting foot in the city, I got a call from Serena challenging me to a "little fight" outside the gym. At the train station, I ran into the professor and...Diantha ("Dianthéa"), who I actually have never mentioned before in this run. Oops.

Before I left, I went and talked to the TM quiz girl; it turns out that if you answer her question wrong, you can just try again! I got...uh...Trick Room!

On the other side of town, I did the rival battle without too much trouble. I entered the gym and climbed precariously up to the top, battling trainers the whole way. (On a side note, the trainer with Ferroseed, Lombre and Carnivine was unexpectedly hard without a Fire type attack. I almost lost to him!) Then...
*Vs. Amaro* Ramos
This...is the first time I've ever faced this gym leader without having a massive type advantage. :freaked-out: Let's see how much I remember, in no particular order...I think my team was Mimi, Bruiser, Abri, Belladonna, Gladys (long time no see!) and Cinders. (Forgot to swap her out -_-) Weepinbell didn't give me much of a problem - I assume I used Abri against it. Cinders actually ended up taking down Jumpluff (who only has Leech Seed, Acrobatics and Grass Knot, when Carbink weighs only 13lbs). Gogoat...required my entire team to beat, as well as liberal use of healing items. :shifty-eyed: It's surprisingly powerful!

I won the battle and received the "Badge Végétal", then set off for the Power Plant. Lumiose Badlands...honestly might be the most annoying area in Kalos that's not a cave. A big, featureless desert with wind that slows your walking speed to a crawl, rollerskating tracks that only go one way, and wild encounters that literally chase you (and often have Arena Trap)...ugh.

But I made it to the Power Plant! If I may brag, I managed to immediately find the dropped pass without using the Dowsing Machine. :D (Keep in mind that I couldn't understand the grunt's oddly specific description of where it was!) I liberated the plant from Team Flare (including unmemorable lady scientist Aliana/"Ancolie"), using mostly Gladys.
On my way out, I run into AZ for the first time, and...I don't have anything funny to say. I just sincerely wish we got to see him more often in the game, you know?

So, I'm all caught up now. Next time, the Lumiose gym battle - and, this time I promise, better content. Once again, thank you so much for reading.

So, I make it to the newly-powered up Lumiose City, watch the ~*lighting of Prism Tower*~ with my friend, and meet Lem (Clemont) and his sister Clem (Bonnie). I step inside and go through the whole quiz - it actually wasn't that much harder in a foreign language, since it's mainly visual and I've gotten a feel for the French names of Pokemon. Now, let's do this.

VS. LEM
WITH CLEM AS AN AUDIENCE

I lead with Cinders against Emolga. Emolga Volt-Switches with Magneton (Magnéton), Cinders uses Stealth Rock (TAKE THAT EMOLGA). I switch in Bruiser as a "sacrifice" for Magneton's Steel attack; but surprisingly enough, she hangs onto almost half her HP! Next turn, I have her use Parabolic Charge just for the heck of it; Magneton uses Electric Terrain instead of finishing her off.
Bruiser uses a slightly-boosted Parabolic Charge; Magneton uses...an Electric attack, leaving her at 16 HP. :freaked-out:

I thought about using Rest just to prolong the shenanigans, but I reflexively clicked Parabolic Charge - Bruiser brings Magneton down to half health before she faints. I send in Abri next, and have him use Infestation. I have an inkling of doing a bit of Protect/Substitute stalling; but once I see how much damage a Terrain-boosted Electric attack does to Abri, I go ahead and attack with Psybeam. Abri outspeeds and KOs Magneton, yay! (I need to box Abri for a while, he's becoming OP…)

Next up is Helioptile (Iguolta). I send out Gladys, because I want to try something. Helioptile uses...uh...Thunderbolt; Gladys uses Roar, bringing Emolga out - straight into x2 Stealth Rocks. >:D Emolga uses Volt Switch, knocking Gladys out, but ensuring that it'll eventually have to take another hit from the pebbles. A little anticlimactic, but I've wanted to do something like this ever since Gladys learned Roar!

I send out Cinders against Helioptile. She's taking way more damage than she's dishing out, and when her HP is almost depleted, I use the turn to heal Abri. Cinders faints, and Abri comes out…

...Aaand promptly gets pounded into the ground by the sun lizard. To sum up, Abri takes a Thunderbolt, then uses Infestation. Next turn, I try to use Substitute, but it turns out that's stupid because Helioptile's next Thunderbolt leaves him at 5 HP.

I...do not know what to do. I drag it out for a bit with Protect and healing items, and Helioptile also gets healed at some point; but when Infestation wears off, I know I have to do something besides flail about aimlessly. I use a Revive on Cinders because why not, and Helioptile knocks out Abri with Quick Attack.

But I don't send Cinders in right away - I send out Potpourri. She has an Eviolite; maybe she'll fare better against Helioptile's attacks!

Nope. She only gets one Draining Kiss in before fainting. I send out Mimi, who uses Wish but gets knocked out before it can take effect. I'm beginning to realize...this is bad.

I send out Cinders and heal her, Helioptile uses...Quick Attack, doing, like, 4 damage. Huh? Next turn, it does the same thing.

Oh.

Oh.

At some point, while Helioptile was discharging a city's-worth of electrical power into my team, it expended the last of its Thunderbolt PP. Quick Attack is the best it can do, now.

Cinders. Is. Invincible.

I take this opportunity to raise Cinders' Attack 6 stages, heal her, then Smack Down Helioptile. Emolga comes back out - right into the Stealth Rocks, I might add - and use Volt Switch, but it's hopeless. One more Smack Down. Emolga's out. An unconventional way to win, but I'll take it! The "Badge Tension" is mine!
(Note: I swear I wasn't specifically trying to stall out its PP! I'm just not always good at Pokemon, haha.)

I'm back...Just a reminder, my Pokemon are MimI the Floette, Potpourri the Spritzee, Gladys the Granbull, Dandy the Sylveon, Belladonna the Mawile, Bruiser the Dedenne, Cinders the Carbink and Abri the Mr. Mime. (Plus Moss the unusable shiny Tauros.)
I forgot to mention this last time, but I picked up the Shiny Stone, and can now evolve Mimi at any time. :D I think I'll wait until she learns Moonblast...
~
When we last left Seeley and his fairy friends, they?d just secured a close victory at Lumiose Gym. Now, it?s time to head towards the next city - but first, the professor invites me to an overwhelmingly red cafe to meet some guy. Largely uneventful, but at least I got a King?s Rock out of it. Hahaha I?m being overly casual to disguise how hard this is on repeat playthroughs

Next up is Route 14, where I meet with Serena and Trovato (Trevor - have I really not told you his name before?!). The rival battle is unremarkable, then the rest of my friends show up...Ugh, this part always bums me out. Your rival is so upset about losing to you again that they miss out on a fun little outing with their friends - sure, they say it's because they "need to train", but we all know the real reason.

Anyway, we head over to the (not even remotely) scary house, and I learn how to say ?a horse of faceless men" in French, which is invaluable knowledge. UNE HORDE D'HOMMES SANS VISAGE! :disbelief:

Now, beyond the marshy path that is Route 14 lies a very special place?Laverre City! *~*~*~ The Fairy capital of Kalos!

The first thing I do is head to the Apparel Shop, where I get a new outfit for Seeley?

Yep, this one's a keeper. (I just wish I could get some white pants...)

I do some quick level-grinding, and make a disappointing discovery - Route 15 is blocked off until you get the badge, meaning I won't be able to use a certain type-advantageous Pokemon against Valerie. *Jingle jingle*

Oh well. I enter the gym with Cinders, Dandy, Abri, Mimi, Potpourri and *drumroll please* Belladonna! (It's a shame she won't get a Steel attack until either level 56, or when I reach the Move Reminder; but a resistance is a resistance!) I warp aimlessly through the human-sized dollhouse that is the Laverre Gym until I reach Valerie (Val?riane). (Side note: I always make sure to fight all 4 Furisode girls when I go through this gym, just to see their unique designs. ^_^)

Now...
VS. VAL?RIANE

She sends out Mawile; I lead with Cinders. Cinders sets up Stealth Rock and Reflect; meanwhile, Mawile gets two Iron Defenses up.

I switch into Dandy as Mawile uses Iron Defense again; but it doesn?t matter, because Dandy uses Moonblast. Mawile rather ineffectually uses Crunch, which happens to activate Dandy?s Cute Charm. Dandy uses another Moonblast; Mawile survives on like 1HP, but is too enraptured with Dandy's...delicately beautiful flesh-ribbons, I guess, to get an attack off.

I try to take Mawile out with Quick Attack, but Valerie uses a Hyper Potion - darn! Dandy uses Moonblast two more times; Mawile uses Crunch. (Top 10 Anime Betrayals) Cinders? Reflect has worn off by now, but it?s still not very effective, so it doesn?t do a lot of damage.

Valerie uses another Hyper Potion; I go for Draining Kiss because I never learn. Dandy uses Moonblast, Mawile breaks through infatuation to lightly tap him with another Crunch. Dandy takes Mawile out with another Moonblast.

Valerie sends out Mr. Mime, and I send in Abri. Both mimes are level 39. Abri uses Toxic, which I taught him in place of Infestation. Valerie?s Mr. Mime uses Light Screen. Abri uses Substitute; the opposing Mr. Mime uses...an attack that I later figured out was Dazzling Gleam, which breaks Abri?s Substitute. From this point on, Abri stalls out the Ms. Mime with Protect and Substitute, finally taking it out with Psybeam.

Valerie sends out Sylveon, I send out Belladonna - here we go. Pointed stones dig into Sylveon, and Belladonna gets an Intimidate off.

Sylveon uses Charm; Belladonna uses Power-Up Punch...aand Sylveon?s Cute Charm activates on contact. Now we're back to how things were at the beginning of the battle, only reversed! *Sigh*

I decide to swap into Mimi and back to Belladonna - I don?t want to deal with infatuation, and this way I?ll get another Intimidate up. Sylveon uses Dazzling Gleam, bringing Mimi down to about half health with a crit. Mimi outspeeds and uses Wish on the next turn; Sylveon Gleams again, but Mimi survives.

I swap in Belladonna, straight into an attack, but Wish gives back all her HP. Sylveon uses Dazzling Gleam; Belladonna uses Fairy Wind. Belladonna uses Power-Up Punch - I slapped the TM on her in place of Astonish. She uses it again, ending up at 9 health after Sylveon attacks. I use a Max Potion on her and use Return (another new TM). Sylveon uses Charm. Belladonna uses Return. Sylveon faints! I win!

Valerie gives me the "Badge Nymphe", and more importantly, the Dazzling Gleam TM! I teach it to Mimi, in place of Fairy Wind, and Gladys, in place of Rage. (Belladonna and Bruiser can't learn it, Cinders and Abri don't really have room in their movesets for a Fairy STAB, Potpourri sort of relies on Draining Kiss, and Dandy already has the more powerful Moonblast.)

Thanks for reading! Next time: the liberation of the Pok?ball Factory, and a new team mem*JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE*

I?ve gotten my 6th badge, but those stupid Flare grunts still won't let me through to Route 15. I tried to tell them I lost my keys in there, but no luck. Time to storm the Pok?ball factory! I put Gladys in my party - I'm not finding many opportunities to use her lately; but she was such a good help at the power plant, I think I'll bring her along for a rematch with Team Flare. >:3 My li'l brachycephalic superhero.

I get through the gauntlet of grunts with relative ease, finally teaming up with Serena to take down Bras?nie (Bryony) (the one with green hair) and Cyane (Celosia) (the one with purple hair who falls down). I receive the Master Ball and a Big Nugget; Serena gets the same (otherwise I would've thrown a fit).

Route 15 time! I crunch through the fallen leaves and enter the nearest patch of grass. Things go at a leisurely pace, I run from a few random wild encounters, then


What the - ?! It's a Klefki horde! :D
All 6 keyrings are female and level 19, so I use a random number generator to decide which one to catch - looks like Klefki #2 will be coming home with me! After her buddies use approximately 90,000 Prankster'd Metal Sounds and Spikes on Dandy

I name her Keke, which sounds like the word ?key", and also like evil laughter. Kekeke >:) She's a low level, and will need some training to catch up with the rest of the team, but...come on, how could I say no to a Klefki horde?! I love my little number two! Wait, I didn't mean it like that

Although that's actually a pretty good way to describe Klefki

Before I cap off this rather short update, I have one more little surprise?

...Mimi learned Moonblast.

Oh yes.


*FANFARE*
You're beautiful, my floral friend.

Hi all, I've just returned from a vacation! A lot has happened in the world of Pokemon during my absence; but back in Kalos, my fairies have a job to do. Rather short update, because I didn't get around to doing the Anistar Gym battle before I left:
***
Laverre City is a lovely place; but I've gotten everything I need from it. Farewell, city of fairies; next stop, Dendemille Town! The town of, uh, windmills, roller skating rails, a light dusting of snow...and most importantly, the Move Reminder! Belladonna finally gets Iron Head and Play Rough! I think she's officially...what's the word? Unstoppable.

I head on up to Frost Cavern real quick, only to discover an Abomasnow being terrorized by fourth and last Flare-scientist-Lady, Myosotis (Mable). (Looking at her is making me want a blue raspberry lollipop…) Me and Trevor shoo her and her grunts away...Side note, I'm sort of miffed that they set things up for a tag battle with Trevor in this bit, then went "LOL nope" and made it a regular single battle instead. Let me connect with my videogame friend, dangit.

I exit Dendemille Town by riding a Mamoswine across an incredibly frustrating, treacherous snow-and-rock-laden path, which helps me understand why so few people live in Dendemille Town. Serena calls and challenges me to a battle in front of the gym, which I decide to get out of the way immediately. It's largely unremarkable; I try to use Keke in the battle, but I have yet to optimize her moveset, so all she really gets to do is set up three layers of Spikes against Meowstic.

I may have won the rival battle, but I'm not quite ready to take on Olympia - I need to level grind a bit, and there's a certain TM I want that's only available in the morning. While grinding on Route 17, I catch a random Delibird (Cadoizo), because I'm sick of not having Fly (and apparently penguins can fly now). He'll be Moss's friend.

Next update: Anistar Gym battle!

Quick bonus before the gym battle - I went to the memory girl and got all my Pokemon's memories, which I put into Google Translate. :D
****
Mimi went with Seeley to a factory filled with strange machines. She vaguely remembers that it made her nervous. (The Pokeball Factory, perhaps?)

Potpourri met Seeley on a waterside path. She agreed to enter his Poke Ball, and that's how their friendship began. She remembers very well that it was not easy to accept. (Aww, Potpourri, I had no idea!)

Gladys was trained by Seeley and evolved in a field of raised stones. She remembers very well that it was tickling. (Physically, or in the sense of, "I'm just tickled to have evolved"? Either way, it makes sense! Also, she actually did evolve outside Geosenge Town.)

Dandy went with Seeley to a factory filled with strange machines. He vaguely remembers that it made him smile. (Dandy has a very different memory of this event than Mimi.)

Belladonna was with Seeley when this Trainer caught a Cadoizo (Delibird). She vaguely remembers that it made her smile.

Abri went with Seeley in a factory filled with strange machines. He vaguely remembers that it made him nervous. (Okay, this is starting to get creepy.)

Cinders went with Seeley to a cave that looked like mirrors and saw her reflection. She clearly remembers that it was soothing.

Bruiser went to a Pokemon Center with Seeley to buy a Max Potion. She remembers vaguely that it gave her a balm at heart. (Um...okay?)

Keke helped Seeley defeat a Leopardus (Liepard). She clearly remembers that made her nervous. (I DID have trouble with Liepards when I was training Keke! She may have had a type advantage, but they just had too much raw attacking power for her.)

Moss met Seeley on a path overhanging the sea. He agreed to enter his Poke Ball, and that's how their friendship began. He remembers vaguely that it made him happy.

Delibird met Seeley on a snowy path. He agreed to enter his Poke Ball, and so luer friendship began. He remembers vaguely that it gave him a balm to the heart. (Yeah. This is about what I'd expect from Google Translate.)

I've made all the preperations I need to - it's finally time to step inside the Anistar Gym! On a side note, I've always been fascinated by the implications of this gym - I mean, there's a whole freaky, nebulous pocket dimension contained in it! Did Olympia <i>create</i> that? If so, doesn't that make her the most powerful psychic in the series? Or did it already exist somewhere in the multiverse, and she just found a way in and decided it would be a novel place to build her gym? Oh my gosh - could this be somehow related to Ultra Space?! So many questions!!

But we're not here to explore the mysteries of the Pokeverse - let's get right to
Vs. Astra (Olypmia)
I lead with Bruiser against her Sigilyph (Cryptéro) - I've got a plan. Bruiser outspeeds and uses Nuzzle, paralyzing Sigilyph. Sigilyph uses Light Screen - anticipating Reflect next, I swap in Keke. I don't know if I was right or not, because Sigilyph is fully paralyzed - Keke swaps in without taking damage. Excellent.

Let me take a moment to tell you what Keke's current moveset is...Substitute, Double Team, Toxic, & Draining Kiss. >:) I'm looking forward to this.

Keke uses Substitute, Sigilyph uses Psychic, but it doesn't take out the Substitute. Keke uses Double Team. Sigilyph uses another Psychic, taking out Keke's Substitute - so I throw up another one. Sigilyph uses Reflect. Keke uses another Double Team, Sigilyph uses Light Screen (as the original one has expired).

Keke uses Double Team.
Sigilyph is paralyzed.
Double Team.
Psychic. Miss.
Double Team.
Psychic. Hit. Substitute still up.
Double Team.
Reflect, after the original one expired.

Now it's time to attack.

Keke uses 5 Draining Kisses on Sigilyph (restoring all her health) before it can land an attack on her. I have Keke use Substitute again; Sigilyph is paralyzed. 1 more Draining Kiss, then Olympia unfortunately uses a Hyper Potion. Draining Kiss, Draining Kiss, Draining Kiss, Draining Kiss and...I'm out of PP on my only attack, and Olympia uses another Hyper Potion.

This going to be obnoxious.

Keke uses Double Team again, but as I'd suspected, my evasion is already at max. Next turn, I use an X-Defense for the heck of it. Sigilyph is down to using Air Slash to attack - Psychic must've run out of PP. I use Toxic, even though Sigilyph already has a status condition. I throw a Pokeball at Sigilyph...and then realize that doing so doesn't actually consume the ball.

Oh, Olympia...you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into.

I stall out the Sigilyph's PP by uselessly throwing Pokeballs - really let that sink in, because you might never see anything like this again. Keke's Substitute fades 1 time in the process, and is quickly reinstated. Finally, Sigilyph begins to Struggle. It only takes three uses (and one extra Substitute) for it to faint.

In comes Meowstic (Mistigrix).

This one, I don't plan on forcing into struggle. Meowstic uses Fake Out on my Substitute, but it misses, and Kiki gets a Toxic up. I use an Ether on Draining Kiss because I don't want to throw anymore Pokeballs. (Or, I do, but I was beginning to feel a bit dirty doing that).

I rack up some damage with Draining Kiss and Toxic as Meowstic gets a few calm minds up - then Meowstic uses Shadow Ball and hits through my Substitute, which mildly freaked me out until I looked it up and found out that it has Infiltrator. Keke survives, though, and I use a Max Potion on her - Meowstic gets in another Shadow Ball before Toxic damage takes it out. Keke is still on the field.

Slowking's next. Another Toxic. Slowking (Roigada) uses Psychic repeatedly, to no avail - Keke is simply too evasive. Draining Kiss and Toxic damage fell the Slowking before it can land a single attack. I win!

Olympia gives me the Badge Psychisme and the TM for Calm Mind, and warps me back to the entrance (presumably, she can't wait for me to get out of here). I have triumphed over this gym in the most creative and least honorable way possible, and I am extremely proud! :boogie: Keke, I think you'll fit in well here...

...I didn't want to post again until I had an actual update, because I'm tired of apologizing again and again, but I just can't. I have to put this on hiatus for my own self-care. That's all I can really say about it.

Excuse me for putting this here, and I realise that this is almost a year old now, I just wanted to say that I enjoy seeing things like this. It's a nice change from the usual nuzlockes you see around.

This may never start up again, but I enjoyed reading what was already written. Thank you. ^-^)/

If this isn't allowed here, I will delete it if need be. Sorry if it isn't meant to be