[Challenge] Mono-Color Challenge

...which was in Couriway Town after defeating Olympia and thwarting Team Flare's plans. From there, I made my way to Snowbelle City and challenged Wulfric after finding him in the Pok?mon Village. Kills the Pangoro attempted a Power-Up Punch sweep with some success, but ultimately required team assistance in order to earn me the badge.

With all 8 badges in hand, I continued to the Pok?mon League through Victory Road. Side note: either my memory is failing me or I've progressively become worse at battling, but my oh my, my team wasn't as good as I remembered it. It did make for a pretty nice late-game challenge, though.

In the Pok?mon League, we first challenged Malva. Silly me thought Stefani the Swanna could sweep, but her Pyroar's Wild Charge shut down those plans real quick. I had to rely on the entire team to take her down.

Next up was Wikstrom. Stefani avenged herself by defeating Klekfi, and then Kills went to town with Power-Up Punch. After that, Pop Electric the Pachirisu and Honeysuckle the Florges teamed up to take down Siebold.

Finally, there was Drasna. Defeating Dragalge, Harajuku the Meowstic cleared the way for Honeysuckle to sweep with Calm Mind and Dazzling Gleam.

Diantha saw each team member bringing down one of hers (except Fozzi the Furfrou, that poor dog. I tried to Toxic stall her Gardevoir, but it didn't quite work), earning me the title of Kalos champion. After her, I quickly defeated AZ, where Fozzi also managed to grab a KO on his Sigilyph.

Feels good posting here again! Unfortunately, I have no idea when I'll start my next playthrough. As for color, I'm leaning towards gray or black, which will also be done on Y.

Please forgive the horrific quality, but I figured it was better than nothing.

Honeysuckle the Florges (?), Lv 66
Item: None
Moves: Calm Mind, Magical Leaf, Dazzling Gleam, Petal Blizzard

Kills the Pangoro (?), Lv 65
Item: Black Glasses
Moves: Strength, Power-Up Punch, Hammer Arm, Crunch

Fozzi the Furfrou (?), Lv 65
Item: King's Rock
Moves: Return, Protect, Toxic, Cotton Guard

Harajuku the Meowstic (?), Lv 65
Item: None
Moves: Shadow Ball, Psychic, Fake Out, Signal Beam

Stefani the Swanna (?), Lv 65
Item: Sky Plate
Moves: Surf, Fly, Ice Beam, Air Slash

Pop Electric the Pachirisu (?), Lv 65
Item: Zap Plate
Moves: Thunderbolt, Electro Ball, Nuzzle, Super Fang

Having bested Acerola's trial, I went back to Route 14 to beat a couple trainers, then I dealt with Plumeria on Route 15. She wasn't tough; Echo took care of her without any problems. Then we were assigned to go to Po Town and save a Preschooler's Yungoos! I met with Grimsley on the beach, who gave me Sharpedo for my Ride Pager. And I left behind Mittens, as I had used Alolan Persian not too long ago. But I soon left behind Echo instead, knowing we had some Water-type trainers coming up. I beat the trainers in the surrounding routes, and some of them had some cumbersome stuff. After getting through all of them, I brought back Echo and then took on the trial guide on Route 16, who had a pretty annoying Klefki, and her Skarmory proved no easy matter either. She did tear a major hole into my team, but afterwards, Cheery evolved into a Primarina, which is pretty awesome. Afterwards we went through the Ula'Ula Meadow and beat the trainers there, as well, some of which had interesting stuff.

Then we came to Route 17, where we waded through the rain and beat a bunch of Team Skull grunts. And I left Shrink behind for Echo again. Then, Nanu showed up and was able to get me into Po Town. When I'm here, I usually skip as many grunts as possible, but with how under-leveled I was thanks to never using the Exp. Share, I decided to take on as many as I could. And along the way, I found the Ice Stone, which I used to evolve Plowman into a Sandslash, which is good stuff. After beating all the grunts, I went back to the funny Pok?mon Center, where the rapping grunts took my small fee and healed me up. Then I proved that I was a real Team Skull grunt, and entered Guzma's room. He wanted to see if I wasn't messed up, so I had to prove that I wasn't!

I began with Snow White, and started with Protect, and he actually used First Impression this time. Acrobatics did less than half, but he only used Swords Dance, so it was all good. My next hit got him to a sliver of his health and caused him to switch to Ariados, who did almost half with Fell Stinger, and Acrobatics didn't OHKO, but I finished him next turn with Sucker Punch. Golisopod came in again, and I stayed in, used Protect to block his First Impression, then finished him with Acrobatics.

Guzma had his freak attack, and let me take the Yungoos back. Once we were back outside, Nanu healed me up before Acerola caught up with us and thanked me. Nanu then decided to have the same mentality as Team Plasma, wondering if we like being confined in our little worlds. But then we returned to Aether House, where we discovered that Lillie was taken away by Team Skull. Gladion came in, furious, and challenged me! Plowman had no problem with his Golbat, and OHKO'd Sneasel with Iron Head, but then Type: Null came next and I was at 1/3. I switched in Mittens, only to take 1/3 and a Defense drop from Crush Claw. After a Fake Out, I missed with Screech, and his X-Scissor left me with 2 HP (thank you, Fur Coat). I hit next turn, but then he finished me. I brought in Echo, was brought to 69 HP with his X-Scissor, and then used the Z-Move, Continental Crush, which?didn't finish him off. I switched in Blaster, and Cheery, so they could both gain EXP as they took okay hits, and then I had Snow White come in, take a Crush Claw for over half, and finish him with Sucker Punch. She, Plowman and Cheery all grew to Level 36. Gladion then dragged us to the pier at Malie, and I prepared before we had to take on Nanu. I decided that the one who would get the cut for this fight would be Plowman? But that aside, let's get to it!

I began with Echo against Sableye, and he used Fake Out for 3 damage, then Shadow Ball for over half my total health. Geez! Rock Tomb didn't do very much at all. I had to sacrifice Echo that turn to another Shadow Ball. I brought in Snow White, and used Yawn to make him drowsy before a Power Gem, which did 1/4 my health. I used Protect to block his Power Gem before he fell asleep. I used Acrobatics, which got him into healing range, unfortunately?or not? Another one finished him.
Krokorok was next. I stayed in, but he was faster and finished me with Earthquake. I used Cheery next, and he went for Swagger? But I hit through it and slammed him with Sparkling Aria.
Persian was last. Not sure what to do, I stayed in, but he used Fake Out. Power Gem did less than 1/3 my remaining health, and Sparkling Aria did over half his. Power Gem got me just out of Torrent range, and Sparkling Aria finished the job.

So he healed me up, I got the Darkium Z, and next thing you know, we were at the Aether Foundation. Once there, the very first thing I did was fire up my main copy of Sun and finally trade with that so I could get Echo to evolve into a Gigalith. But once that was done with, I returned to Malie, because there was an item I could've sworn I got earlier and wanted to - the Expert Belt at Seaward Cave. And on that note, TM27 for Return, which I could now get from the malasada shop. I did that, returned to Malie, and decided that the one who would get left behind was Shrink. Then we were ready, for real this time.

With that done, I beat all the Aether Foundation employees on the first floor, who had some interesting stuff. After I got TM06 for Toxic, I went to the next floor with Gladion and Hau, where we came to battling Faba. Echo handled his Hypno despite him hitting with Hypnosis first turn, as I woke up first turn and he missed twice. And now that I had access to a PC, I decided to leave Snow White behind for Shrink, at least for right now. Then we went down to the bottom where we discovered that their labs are Secret Lab A and B, but they were blocked by three Aether Foundation employees. I beat them, then progressed to Secret Lab B, where Hau and I fought two more. He did all the work as I switched my team members out for more EXP. I then learned more about Cosmog, and we knew that we had to head back up, but then we were met with MORE employees! Hau handled their Pelipper as I switched in Plowman, but their Mudsdale took care of his Raichu. He had a Leafeon, though, so I kept using that as an opportunity for more free EXP for my team members. Wicke approached us, healed us, and informed us of Lillie's whereabouts.

Before progressing, I decided to leave Mittens behind and bring back Snow White. Then after we realized how much of an idiot Faba is, I battled alongside Gladion, and the employees weren't too bad (another free opportunity to switch for extra EXP). Faba was next. Once more, Hau did quite a bit of the work. We got through him and his associate, then we were free to be back outside. Then we did so, and Gladion surged through the Team Skull grunts and came to Guzma. I had to battle two grunts, then Gladion was defeated by Guzma. Then it was my turn to swoop in!

I began with Snow White against Golisopod, and used Protect to block his First Impression, then used Acrobatics for less than half as he used Swords Dance, then another Acrobatics got him into the red and forced him out to Pinsir. Oh boy. I brought in Shrink, who took big damage from Brick Break, and was unfortunately finished with X-Scissor. Pinsir 2HKO'd Echo with Brick Break, but I did get in a Stealth Rock. I then used Blaster, and his X-Scissor did EXACTLY half, and Spark didn't do much at all but I paralyzed him. He was still faster, but I lived his X-Scissor with 3 HP and got him near half, then he finished me. I brought in Snow White again and slammed him with Acrobatics. Masquerain was next, and took half its health from Stealth Rock, but got off the Intimidate, so I switched to Plowman and took a Bug Buzz for more than enough for a 3HKO. He used it once more and got the pointless Special Defense drop, and two hits of Icicle Spear finished him. Golisopod immediately perished to Stealth Rock, and Ariados was last up. He finished me with Sucker Punch, and I brought in Snow White, and after a scare with Fell Stinger scoring a critical hit for 3/4 my health, I finished him from 3/4 with Acrobatics.

He stepped aside, and after healing, I entered Lusamine's quarters, where she was bemoaning Lillie and then noticed me. After she used Cosmog's power to awaken the Ultra Beasts, we all were prepared to take action! And I had to step up for battle!

I began with Plowman against Clefable, and I used Iron Head for over half, and she used Metronome and got Pain Split, which is rather coincidental and did around 1/4 my health. Another Iron Head finished her and got me to Level 40.
Bewear was next. I stayed in and used Bulldoze for an extremely weak hit but it lowered her Speed, and she used Hammer Arm, which finished me but made her even slower. After wondering which of my two Water-types to go to, I decided to take Cheery, and use the Z-Move, Oceanic Operetta, which?didn't finish her. And she used Take Down, which left me at 7 HP without a critical hit. My god. But at least she died from recoil.
Lilligant was next, and used?Teeter Dance? Okay, suit yourself? I hit with Sparkling Aria for a bit over 1/3, then she used Petal Dance and finished me. I brought in Blaster, and she used Petal Dance for less than half, as X-Scissor finished her.
Mismagius was next, and I switched to Shrink. But she used Shadow Ball for almost 2/3, and Power Gem finished me next turn. I brought in Echo, as she used?Mystical Fire? It didn't do much, and Rock Slide did 2/3 her health. Then she used Shadow Ball, which I survived with 6 HP.
Milotic came last, and finished me with Hydro Pump. I used Blaster next, and she used Safeguard for whatever reason, but Spark did less than half. She missed with Hydro Pump, but Spark left her with 1 HP!!! Gah! Almost there! She then used Flail for exactly half my remaining health, and another Spark finished her and got Blaster to Level 40. Whew!

So you all know what happens here, Nihilego disappears but Lusamine does too, and Cosmog evolves into Cosmoem. With that in hand, we departed from Lusamine's quarters, and stayed the night in the building. Then we were free to go. Lillie was then in her Z-Powered form, and Gladion said some stuff before giving me a Master Ball. Hau was here even though he hasn't even finished Acerola's trial somehow, and we were ready to go on to Poni Island!

Upon arrival, we received a new Pok?dex for the island, which is good stuff. After meeting with the chief of the seafolk, I bought some TMs, and found out that Primarina doesn't get Calm Mind even though I could've sworn it did, which is bull****. And I swapped Blaster for Mittens again. Then we headed north to the Poni Wilds. After an extremely cumbersome Ace Trainer with two very high level Poison-types, I went back and swapped Plowman for Blaster again. I had to heal after every trainer here. And before the last Dancer with the four Oricorio, I swapped Shrink for Plowman again. She took a while for me to get through, but most of my team members gained some EXP. Then we went to Ancient Poni Path, where Lillie and I met with Hapu, and her old gran registered Machamp to my Ride Pager. We made way to the Poni Breaker Coast, beat a Sightseer with Kanto forms, and entered the Ruins of Hope. After having Machamp shove some boulders, we met with Hapu, who educated us on the Ultra Beasts and the kahuna of the island.

Upon return to Seafolk Village, Lillie became overjoyed by Hapu's words, and we had to make way to Exeggutor Island. We dealt with an oversized palm tree, and Lillie started to ship tease. But then we found our way to the flute. Upon heading to Vast Poni Canyon, we met with five Team Skull grunts merged into one, and I got some EXP off of them before Plumeria said some stuff and gave me Poisonium Z, which I sadly probably won't get to use. Upon entering the Vast Poni Canyon, before doing anything else, I used a Rare Candy on Blaster to get him to evolve into a Vikavolt. Then I adjusted my moves, and decided it was time for me to take on the Grand Trial against Hapu. Alright, let's do this! (Also, while typing this I only then remembered that Blaster was male and not female.)

I began with Shrink against Dugtrio, and she used Sandstorm first while I used Aqua Tail, which OHKO'd. Then I took a round of sandstorm damage.
Mudsdale was next, and I brought in Snow White, as she used Counter for whatever reason. I used Yawn, as she then used the Z-Move, which OHKO'd me. I brought in Echo, and she used Earthquake to get me to Sturdy, while I used Rock Tomb for an extremely weak hit before she got a Stamina boost and fell asleep. I switched to Shrink, and as she snoozed, the sandstorm subsided. I then used the Z-Move, Hydro Vortex, on base of Scald, which slammed her and got Shrink to Level 42.
Flygon came up next. She used Earth Power for well over half my remaining health and a Special Defense drop, while my Scald did under half, but it burned her. I switched in Echo, who was finished off with an Earth Power. Burn damage brought her to half. I then used Plowman, and she went for Earth Power, but I had the Shuca Berry, which allowed me to survive it with 1/3 my health. Two hits of Icicle Spear finished her.
Lastly was Gastrodon. I switched into Blaster, causing her Mud Bomb to fail. I then brought in Shrink for a last bit of EXP, as she used Muddy Water?which killed me with a critical hit. I then brought in Cheery, and used Blizzard for a weak hit, but she missed with Mud Bomb, justly so. I then used Encore, locking her into Mud Bomb, and she hit for one point under 1/3 my health. I switched to Blaster, causing her Mud Bomb to fail. I then used Energy Ball, which finished her off for the win.

So she gave me the Groundium Z, and with that I had completed the Grand Trial. Then we were free to progress into the Vast Poni Canyon. But we'll do that next time, which should also be the end of this adventure.

(M) "Cheery", Level 42
Stats: 123, 71, 79, 118, 101, 69
Moves: Baby-Doll Eyes, Blizzard, Encore, Sparkling Aria

(M) "Blaster", Level 43
Stats: 124, 80, 94, 150, 84, 50
Moves: Crunch, Discharge, Energy Ball, Thunderbolt

(M) "Echo", Level 41
Stats: 123, 122, 127, 68, 73, 27
Ability: Sturdy
Moves: Mud-Slap, Rock Slide, Rock Tomb, Stealth Rock

(M) "Shrink", Level 43
Stats: 96, 35, 29, 35, 29, 51 (Schooling: 96, 150, 124, 134, 114, 43)
Moves: Aqua Tail, Brine, Scald, Tearful Look

(M) "Plowman", Level 42
Stats: 121, 91, 107, 38, 77, 66
Moves: Bulldoze, Icicle Spear, Iron Head, Swords Dance

(F) "Snow White", Level 41
Stats: 111, 111, 63, 75, 92, 73
Moves: Return, Sucker Punch, Wood Hammer, Yawn

Storage:
(F) "Muchacha", Level 24
(F) "Dabble", Level 27
(F) "Mittens", Level 42

So I started the game, chose the guy and named him Cyan. I did the opening stuff, and chose Totodile as my starter and named it Grinder. I got the Pok?dex and then went through Route 29, and arrived in Cherrygrove City where the Guide Gent gave me the Running Shoe. I then progressed to Mr. Pok?mon's house, and after some talk we discovered there was a disaster at the lab. On the way back, Passerby Boy challenged me with his Chikorita, but that became simple when I used Leer a bunch of times even as he used Growl. I returned to the lab and decided the guy's name was Orchid. Then after explaining of the Mystery Egg, I was then suggested to go after Gym badges.

I had to make my way through, skipping as many trainers as I could (there was one I couldn?t skip) until I arrived in Violet City. From there I immediately went to Route 32 and caught a Hoppip named Windmill. Then come night I caught a Wooper named Sleazy. I then went back to beat the trainers on Routes 30 and 31. Along the way, I had to go through the Sprout Tower. Interesting note, I was able to have
Windmill take on a few of the Bellsprout despite not having any attacks, due to them only having Vine Whip to damage with and me having Synthesis. We eventually reached the elder, and I don't remember exactly how that went but I did beat him. Thank you, Grass/Flying-type.

Afterwards it was Gym time. I beat the trainers, but after wiping first time I ended up training a few more levels, particularly to get Windmill to learn PoisonPowder. Then I went back to take on Falkner.

First was Pidgey. That took a few Water Guns from Sleazy before it was finished off.
Then Pidgeotto came out and finished Sleazy. I then got Windmill in, and Gust did over half, but I hit with PoisonPowder before he finished me. After I got in Grinder, he used Gust for 1/4 my health, then I used Leer. And then?he used Roost as I used Leer again. This literally went on for the next four turns, he used Roost even though he was almost at full health. After -6, Scratch was doing enough for a 2HKO so once he attacked I knew we had it won.

So I got the Zephyr Badge and TM51 (I think? Whichever one it is this generation) for Roost, and then went to the Mart to get the Egg from Elm's assistant. Afterwards we took to Route 32 again, and after wading through a couple trainers, I got the Old Rod in the Poke Mart and went back to Route 31, where I caught a Poliwag named Swirly. Then we went back through the route and beat all the trainers, getting EXP along the way. Then we went through Union Cave, and the trainers there had plenty of things weak to my team, so they were easy enough. I eventually arrived in Azalea Town, and after meeting with Kurt, I waited for nighttime, when I went into Ilex Forest and caught an Oddish named Adorabud. Then I went through the Slowpoke Well; the grunts there weren't too tough.

After that was over with, I battled Orchid, and for his Bayleef, I brought in Windmill, and poisoned him?only for him to realize he had the EXACT SAME STRATEGY as me, in PoisonPowder + Synthesis. But thankfully he was dumb and wasted his Synthesis PP by doing nothing but using it immediately, much like Falkner with Roost before, or this could've gotten annoying. But we took care of him, then it was Gym time. The trainers were simple enough, except for one dick with a Paras that got Windmill paralyzed and avoided three PoisonPowders from him, and he even scored two critical hits in a row. And to taunt me, I scored the critical hit on it with Grinder on the unneeded turn. No cool, bro. No cool at all.

As for Bugsy? This took several tries. I eventually decided to train up even further - including getting Adorabud to Level 15 - just because. Eventually, we had a run where everything clicked. Here's how it went.

I began with Adorabud against Scyther. He started with Leer while I got in a Stun Spore. Then I switched to Swirly, who was met with a U-turn and lived with 5 HP. He went to Metapod, which I would then put to sleep with Hypnosis. Water Gun did less than half, but he snoozed more. Water Gun got him to healing range, but he woke up and Tackle left me with 1 HP. He healed, and Water Gun again did less than half. I hit with Hypnosis, only for him to get Shed Skin. But then I missed, and he finished me with Tackle. So I had to go to Adorabud, and Acid...left him with 1 HP. Then his Tackle scored a critical hit. Absorb finished him.
Next was Scyther again. I switched out to Windmill, and he was almost OHKO'd with U-turn before he went to Kakuna. I used Sleep Powder, only for Shed Skin to activate. I hit once more, and he didn't wake up that turn. I decided to go for a Synthesis, and as he snoozed over the next two turns I healed to full health. Then I switched to Sleazy, and right after was when Shed Skin triggered. Then he used Poison Sting, and of course, poisoned me. Meanwhile, my Mud Shot didn't do that much at all. After three more turns, he was finished, and thanks to poison I was left at half.
Lastly was Scyther again, and I went for Tail Whip before he finished me with U-turn. Then I brought in Windmill, and wasted time using Bullet Seed, which hit three times before he used Leer. Then I hit three times again before U-turn was an OHKO with a critical hit that definitely did not matter (and that was without Focus Energy). I then went to Adorabud, and Acid didn't do much at all before U-turn got me to 5 HP. Then he finished me with Quick Attack. I only had Grinder left, and Bite got him below half, but his Sitrus Berry activated and he used Leer. Then I used Bite, which scored a critical hit (!!!) and got him into the red as he used Focus Energy. I used Bite once more, and scored another critical hit to finish him off. Served as a nice fuck you after how many tries it took (though at least one of them did matter barring a flinch or full para). And Grinder grew to Level 18. Whew!

And right after the battle, Grinder evolved into a Croconaw, which is definitely good news. So I got the Hive Badge and TM89 for U-turn. Glad we got that taken care of! I healed up and left it off there.

(M) "Grinder", Level 18
Stats: 55, 36, 36, 29, 28, 26
Moves: Bite, Leer, Scary Face, Water Gun

(F) "Sleazy", Level 15
Ability: Water Absorb
Stats: 46, 20, 20, 13, 14, 12
Moves: Mud Shot, Slam, Tail Whip, Water Gun

(M) "Windmill", Level 17
Ability: Leaf Guard
Stats: 41, 21, 20, 21, 24, 26
Moves: Bullet Seed, PoisonPowder, Sleep Powder, Synthesis

(M) "Swirly", Level 16
Ability: Damp
Stats: 42, 25, 18, 24, 18, 38
Moves: Bubble, Hypnosis, Water Gun, Water Sport

(F) "Adorabud", Level 15
Stats: 41, 21, 22, 30, 25, 16
Moves: Absorb, Acid, Poison Powder, Stun Spore

Having bested Hapu, it was time for us to enter the Vast Poni Canyon! But before doing so, I went back and grabbed Mittens again in place of Shrink, which, spoilers, would end up being the last time we see Shrink. Anyway, we began with a Veteran who went on about freedom but used two Fire-types. We did come across more trainers, including an Ace Duo who used the two Ice-type Alolan forms. They weren't terribly tough, and they didn't do that much damage (especially since I was able to Encore the Ninetales into Hail), but they did take a little bit of time to beat. We waded through a few more trainers, including one with a Lilligant that had Quiver Dance and Synthesis that went on for way too long, not helping was that it kept using Quiver Dance when Mittens was almost dead. It literally did not attack Mittens once. I only died because I hit myself in confusion twice, and spammed Snarl until that point. I got her asleep with Snow White and eventually got Plowman to hit with Icicle Spear and OHKO her within four hits. At least after I finished off her Weavile, Cheery grew to Level 44 and learned Moonblast. I then progressed. Despite Lillie claiming that I was making this place seem like nothing at all, that was far from true. She decided to cross a bridge as her own trial. Alright then!

Continuing to progress, as we beat a couple more trainers, we met with Mina and received the Fairium Z from her. Not bad. After one more trainer, we came to the final reach of the canyon, and used Machamp Shove to push the boulder near the entrance for a shortcut. I went back to grab some healing items, and then made our way through two strong Black Belts, and the final lane on the way to the altar. The trainers there did take a little while, but we eventually beat all of them and got some nice EXP along the way. Lillie met with me at the entrance of the trial site, healed me, and allowed me to progress.

For the Jangmo-o and Hakamo-o, Snow White, despite being sleepy, rammed into them with her Z-Power. But for the Totem Kommo-o, I had to prepare, as I knew we were in for a strong opponent!

As the Totem Aura boosted its stats, I began with Echo, who was knocked to Sturdy thanks to Sky Uppercut, but I used Mud-Slap to lower its accuracy before it called upon its ally. Hakamo-o used Bide, but Kommo-o finished him. I brought in Cheery, and used Baby-Doll Eyes on Kommo-o before it used Sky Uppercut for less than 1/3 my total health. I used it again, Hakamo-o failed to unleash anything, and Kommo-o used Sky Uppercut to get me near half. It then used Flash Cannon, which missed because of the accuracy drop from Mud-Slap, and I just went for Moonblast, which slammed it without a critical hit, even with the Sp Def boost. I'm not going to talk about the Hakamo-o, because you can guess how that turned out.

So I got the Dragonium Z, and the trial was complete. We progressed from there, to the Altar of the Moone. Lillie and Hapu were right behind, and after some talk, we were ready to head to the top! As I approached the top of the altar, I prepared my team for the Lusamine fight up ahead, and then Lillie and I took our places for the flute performance that would summon Nebby to the altar…and get it to evolve into the legendary Pokémon of the region! It took us to Ultra Space, where we discovered that it was full of Nihilego, Guzma having finally felt what fear feels like, and one far gone Lusamine. As she fused with Nihilego to become the Mother Beast, it was time. Well, I'm as ready as I can be… Alright, now it's just me and you!

I began with Plowman against Clefable. I opened the fight with a Swords Dance…which turned out to be a mistake, as she used Metronome, and got Force Palm, which did EXACTLY half (well, 68/135, you get my point). Iron Head OHKO'd, thankfully.
Bewear was next up, unsurprisingly. I decided to stay in and use Iron Head…which scored a critical hit for over 1/3? Alright, I'll take it! She used Pain Split for god knows what reason, and got herself a bit below half. I used Iron Head again, getting her near 1/3, as she used Pain Split again. Why? I had a bit less than 2/3 after that. I used Iron Head once more, no flinch, but she missed with Hammer Arm. Alright then! Iron Head got her into the red, still no flinch, and she used Pain Split once more for some reason. I had just over 1/3 my health left. I continued to have at her, and she once again used Pain Split. She was in the red, and I had just over 1/5 my health. I used Iron Head, which finished her off.

Just try to process that for a second: A Bewear, a Fighting-type, was defeated by a Sandslash, an Ice/Steel-type, that was three levels lower than it. If that doesn't define sad, I don't know what does. And on that note, Plowman grew to Level 48, which is nice.

Mismagius was next. I stayed in, ready for a Mystical Fire, but instead she used Pain Split to get herself below 2/3 as I used Iron Head to bust her. Geez, Lusamine, step up your game here!
Milotic was next up. She used Hydro Pump and killed me, with a critical hit that I highly doubt mattered. I brought in Mittens, used Fake Out for a light hit, and then she used Safeguard to block status while I went for Snarl for a pretty weak hit, but it did cut her Special Attack. Then she missed with Hydro Pump, and I got in another Snarl to get her near 2/3. She hit next turn, and even with -2, she still did just under 2/3 my health. I got in another Snarl, then she used Flail, but missed because of the Lax Incense, as I got in another Snarl. Unfortunately, she then used Recover. I got in another Snarl to cut her down even further, and her Safeguard was no more. I decided to switch in Blaster, as she used Safeguard again. She missed with Hydro Pump once again, as Thunderbolt finished her from 90% or so (I had the Expert Belt backing that).
Lilligant was last up. She used Leech Seed, and my X-Scissor did well over half, but Leech Seed healed her above 1/3. Then she used Teeter Dance… But I hit through that and finished her with X-Scissor for the win.

You all know what happens here, as Lusamine is about to deal her last stand, Lunala comes out and stops her. Then she realized that Lillie suddenly became beautiful. After we were out from Ultra Space, Hapu and Guzma took Lusamine off for treatment, and Lillie realized that Nebby wants me to be its trainer. I caught it, and after a heartfelt talk, Nanu was there and ready to take me to Mount Lanakila. And it was hailing there, which wasn't doing us any favors. Despite that, I adjusted my team a bit, and proceeded, as Gladion came down from the lift, ready for one last showdown with me. Alright, time to fire up that disco theme!

He began with Crobat, as I opened with Echo. He used Cross Poison for a pretty weak hit while Rock Tomb did well over half, but hail chipped away at us both…
But then he switched out to Lucario?!?! So my Rock Tomb was significantly weaker, but at least I lowered his Speed. I brought in Snow White, who was promptly slammed with an Aura Sphere. I then went to Blaster, and I got the Quick Claw, but that didn't matter as he still lived in the red and got off an Aura Sphere for just under 1/3 my health. Hail brought me to 2/3 though, and I used X-Scissor on the off-chance he would switch to Silvally… But I got the Quick Claw again and he was still finished off.
Silvally was next up. I got a third Quick Claw in a row, but it didn't matter as X-Scissor did less than half, while his Crunch did a moderate amount and Hail brought me to 1/4. I switched to Mittens, as he used X-Scissor for over half. Hail was continuing to chip away at us, but I used Fake Out to further damage him. But he was faster - why wouldn't he be - and finished me with another X-Scissor. I brought in Plowman, despite not really wanting to, and he used Crunch but missed - thank you Snow Cloak - as I finished him with Icicle Spear. Blaster grew to Level 47.
Weavile came after, and I decided to let Blaster get finished with a Night Slash. I then brought in Cheery, and after a weak Night Slash (by "weak" I mean "for just under 1/3"), I used the Z-Move, Twinkle Tackle, and finished him off.
Last was Crobat again. I switched to Plowman, so his Cross Poison failed. After another round of Hail damage and a pretty weak Acrobatics, I finished him with one more Icicle Spear. All three of my remaining members leveled up after that one was out.

Having been bested, Gladion was finally happy, and said some stuff about how he and Lillie consider me the best Pokémon trainer in the world, then gave me a Max Elixir. We parted ways, knowing we aren't enemies anymore, and hoped for me to win. Well, I'll have to do that! Anyway, you know how the scaling goes, I went up the mountain and got TM13 for Ice Beam along with the Icium Z. Not much more to it than that.

Upon arrival at the top, I realized I had no Heart Scales, so I went back to Malie City and got eight essentially for free by dining with Nanu. I retaught some moves, then was met with Hau, who wanted to see if he was ready to take on the Pokémon League!

I began with Mittens against his Raichu, but he had Focus Blast and OHKO'd me. I brought in Blaster and his Psychic did well over half, but Bug Buzz finished him.
Incineroar was next. He wasted his Z-Move, Inferno Overdrive, for whatever reason, and finished me off. I brought in Cheery, and I was faster, and used my own Z-Move, Oceanic Operetta, which slammed him.
Komala was next. I used Baby-Doll Eyes to cut him down a bit, as he went for Wood Hammer, which left me at 3 HP… But the hail finished me off. I brought in Echo, and he used Wood Hammer for a little over half, as he took recoil damage, and Rock Tomb got him low after hail damage. I switched to my mirror-match, and he used Wood Hammer for still over 2/3, but died from recoil.
Leafeon was last up. I switched in Echo and let her be finished off with Leaf Blade. As he took hail damage, I brought in Plowman, and he used Baby-Doll Eyes, but missed because Snow Cloak - good timing, as I got in a Swords Dance to double my Attack. He missed again, with Leaf Blade this time, as I used Icicle Crash and slammed him for the win.

Hau thanked me for my strength, and gave me a few Max Revives before heading off. After that was the first time I had to grind my Pokémon the entire game, to my recollection. I got my entire team to Level 51, adjusted my moves, and was ready.

After meeting with Kukui outside, I entered the league building, and after he wished me the best once more, I decided Kahili would be first up.

I began with Mittens against Skarmory, and started with Fake Out to break her Sturdy. Then I switched to Echo, as she used Steel Wing for JUST under half, but I had the Red Card to force her out to Oricorio. She used Air Slash for over half my remaining health, but I was still able to get in a Stealth Rock. She finished me off, but I brought in Cheery, avoided an Air Slash and used Sparkling Aria for the OHKO.
Mandibuzz was next up, and took Stealth Rock damage. Anticipating a Toxic, I switched to Plowman, but instead she used Brave Bird, which was still pretty weak. She was faster and used Flatter, but I hit through confusion and used the Z-Move, Subzero Slammer, which looks ****ing badass and…didn't finish her off?!?! (She had like 7% or so left.) I was legitimately stumped as to how that did not kill her. She healed, but I thankfully snapped out of confusion and went for Icicle Spear, which only hit two times and did around 1/4. Needless to say, she used Flatter again, but I hit through once more and went with Icicle Spear, and hit three times to get her around 40%. She used Brave Bird again for another weak hit, and I hit through confusion and used Icicle Spear, with three hits - the first scoring a critical hit - thankfully finishing her off.
Next was Skarmory again, who took Stealth Rock damage, so no Sturdy for you. I brought in Blaster, as she used Spikes. Then she used Slash for just over 1/4 before I slammed her with Thunderbolt.
Toucannon came after, and that took Stealth Rock damage. Anticipating the Z-Move, I switched to Mittens, who took Spikes damage - and I was right, she used Supersonic Skystrike, which killed me then and there, even with Fur Coat. Ouch! I brought in Snow White, who took Spikes damage, and she started to heat up her beak, while Return got her low, and Beak Blast missed because of my Lax Incense. Haha, suck it! She heated up her beak again, but Return finished her off.
Crobat was last up, and that took Stealth Rock damage. I stayed in, and she missed with Supersonic, and Return looked to do over half her total health. She healed, sure enough, and my Return did just over half. She used Air Slash for less than half my remaining health, and I finished her off with another Return.

After leaving her room and healing up, I decided Olivia would be next, as I had the most coverage for her.

I began with Blaster against Relicanth, as odd as it may seem to use a Bug-type here. She started with Ancient Power, which scored a critical hit for 3/4, which was scary, but I lived it. And I used Zap Cannon, which slammed her. Not often that Zap Cannon gets a lot of usage!
Lycanroc was next, and she used Stone Edge to finish me off. I brought in Echo next, and she used Stone Edge for less than half while I decided to go for Stealth Rock for the two team members she has that have Sturdy. Then she used the Z-Move, which finished me. With the Z-Move out of the way, I brought in Cheery, and she used Stone Edge for over half, while my Sparkling Aria didn't OHKO her, even with the Expert Belt (left her with 10% or so). Not thinking, I switched in Snow White, forgetting that she would heal, which she did. She used Stone Edge, which missed, as I went for the Z-Move, Bloom Doom, which didn't even get her into the red. She used Rock Climb, which did EXACTLY half, and confused me. Yet I hit with Return and got her into the red. Feeling afraid to stay in, I switched to Mittens, as she used Rock Climb and confused me AGAIN! I hit myself in confusion as she used Rock Climb once more for half my remaining health. I hit myself in confusion again, then she used Rock Climb and finished me off. I brought in Snow White again, and used Sucker Punch, FINALLY finishing her off.
Carbink came after. With a weird idea in mind, I switched in Cheery, as she used Reflect. That wasn't quite what I had in mind, but okay I guess? I used Sparkling Aria for what looked to be over half her total health before she used Moonblast and got me into the red - and likewise, triggered Torrent. I then brought in Plowman, as she used Moonblast for over 1/5 my health with a critical hit. Really??? With two more turns of Reflect on her end, I decided to go for Swords Dance before she hit me with Power Gem getting me right near half. Iron Head then finished her before Reflect wore off.
Probopass was next up. She took Stealth Rock damage, but even with +2, Iron Head did less than half, and she used Thunder Wave. Then she used Earth Power and finished me. I brought in Cheery, despite him being almost dead, and finished her with Sparkling Aria. And Cheery grew to Level 52.
Golem was last, and that took Stealth Rock damage too. Thankfully, Sparkling Aria took care of her. Whew!

Have I ever mentioned that I ****ing hate battling Olivia? Because that was just obnoxious. Anyway, I knew Acerola would be next.

I began with Blaster against Sableye. She started with Confuse Ray, but that didn't stop me from OHKO'ing her with Thunderbolt without a critical hit despite a three level disadvantage (I had the Zap Plate). And I grew to Level 52.
Froslass was next, though. I decided to stay in, but her Blizzard did 3/4 my health, while my Crunch did less than half but got a certainly welcome Defense drop. She hit with Blizzard again and finished me off. I decided to have Echo try to take it, but she used Confuse Ray, although I hit through it and finished her with Rock Tomb.
Dhelmise was next. Not wanting to stick around for that, I brought in Mittens as she used Energy Ball for over half, sadly. And Dark Pulse did less than half before she finished me off. I brought in Plowman, and used Icicle Crash, which didn't finish her off, but it did cause her to flinch. She healed, and Icicle Crash sadly did less than half. I used Icicle Spear, which hit four times and finished her off and got Plowman to Level 52.
Palossand was next up. I used Icicle Spear, which scored four hits - the first being a critical hit - to get her below half, but then she used Earth Power and OHKO'd me with a critical hit that I don't know if it mattered, but knowing this Elite Four, I don't think it did. I brought in Snow White, and used my Z-Move, Black Hole Eclipse, to finish her off, and that got me to Level 52.
Drifblim was last up. I decided to stay in as she used Amnesia, but I got in a Yawn. Now I knew there was no point in trying to use Sucker Punch, as her only attacking move was Ominous Wind, so I switched to Echo. She used Focus Energy, but then fell asleep from Yawn. But she used the Full Heal, unfortunately. But that did buy me some time to use Rock Tomb, which did less than half but got in the Speed drop. I switched back to Snow White, which caused her Ominous Wind to fail. I used Yawn again, as she used Amnesia once more, then I went back to Echo as she used it once again to max out her Special Defense before she fell asleep. As she snoozed, I used Rock Slide to finish her off for the win.

That was fun. But this next fight I was ready for the worst from, as my team was VERY weak to Fighting. Cheery is going to be carrying a LOT of weight in this fight. I slapped Toxic and Protect on a few of my team members for good measures, and was ready take on Hala. Well, here we go!

I began with Cheery against Hariyama, and he used Fake Out before I could get in Baby-Doll Eyes, dealing 1/5 my health. That worried me that he was faster, but thankfully he wasn't, so I used the Z-Move, Twinkle Tackle, which slammed him. Also, anyone else find the pose for the Fairy-type Z-Move kind of adorable?
Crabominable was next up. I decided to bring in Mittens, and he used Ice Hammer, which I barely lived, and his Speed was lowered. Then I accidentally mis-clicked and used Dark Pulse, which didn't do much at all, as he wasted his Z-Move, All-Out Pummeling, which finished me. I brought in Snow White, and used Yawn before he OHKO'd me with Close Combat. I brought in Plowman and used Protect to block another Close Combat before he fell asleep. I used Iron Head, which didn't kill him, but that was fine. Even better, he used his Full Restore, and Iron Head looked to just keep him out of healing range again as I finished him next turn.
Primeape was next up. He used Cross Chop but missed, while my Iron Head did over half. He hit next turn though, and OHKO'd me. I brought in Cheery again, and he missed again, allowing me to slam him with another Moonblast. And that got me to Level 53. That first Cross Chop miss did not matter (Primeape is not bulky, so it would've been slammed even at full health), and you'll find out shortly that the second one didn't, either.
Bewear was next up. I stayed in and used Moonblast, which OHKO'd him.
Poliwrath was last up. I stayed in and went for Baby-Doll Eyes, which lowered his Attack as he used Submission for a weak hit and some recoil damage. I used another, then avoided a Submission. And another Attack drop and a weak Waterfall. I switched in Echo just so she could gain EXP, taking over 1/4 her health from Submission. Then he used Waterfall to get her below half as I used Mud-Slap for not much beyond an accuracy drop. Then I brought in Blaster, avoided a Submission, and took a Waterfall from 1/5 even at -3, unfortunately flinching after. I avoided a Waterfall, then hit with Zap Cannon and slammed him. And Echo grew to Level 52. Good day.

With that, I had beaten the Elite Four! Yet there was but one more battle for me to take: the Champion. I was dreading this fight. But I had to try! I adjusted my moves yet again, hoping I'd be able to find a way through it. I made it to the chamber where Kukui discovered I had beat the Elite Four, and it was his turn.

This took several tries. I knew this was going to be tough, but I didn't realize until it was too late just how little I had for quite a few of his team members, Magnezone and Snorlax in particular. There was one in particular that was so beyond infuriating (it started off pretty promising, but I only had Plowman left and he had Decidueye below half, I just had to hit the Icicle Crash to win, and I missed and then lost). I had to adjust my team several times until I found a strategy that finally worked in my favor. This thankfully came right after that run, because I wasn't sure how much more of it I could take.

I began with Cheery against Lycanroc. He began with Stealth Rock, as I used Sparkling Aria for an OHKO.
Magnezone was next. I decided to switch out to Snow White, and he used Thunder Wave, but that failed thanks to Comatose. I used Bulldoze for what looked like exactly half… And he used Thunder Wave again!!! Oh my god!!! I used Bulldoze… And that got him to 1 HP!!! AND HE USED THUNDER WAVE AGAIN!!! He healed up, and Bulldoze did less than half this time. I used it once more, and he was still hanging on, and he ONCE AGAIN used Thunder Wave. Geez, professor, I thought you were supposed to be top-notch on Pokémon knowledge here! I should be questioning this, but after so many BS runs, I'm not complaining. I used Brick Break (in case he switched to Braviary) and finished him. And Cheery grew to Level 54.
Braviary was next. I switched to Mittens, took Stealth Rock damage, and he used Brave Bird for over half and some recoil damage. Then he used it again and finished me. I then brought in Blaster, and took some unwelcome Stealth Rock damage. He used Tailwind, but that's fine, as I used Thunderbolt and finished him.
Decidueye was next up. YOU!!!!!!! TIME FOR SOME REVENGE!!!!!!! I went for Bug Buzz, but first he used Spirit Shackle, for well over half my health. And I did less than half of his. Then he finished me. Despite not wanting to just yet, I had little choice, so I brought in Plowman, and took Stealth Rock damage. He used Spirit Shackle for over half my health, and I hit with Icicle Crash to beat him. Then the Tailwind petered out, but it wouldn't have mattered as he was faster anyway.
Snorlax was next. Feeling bold, I switched in Cheery, took Stealth Rock damage, and he used High Horsepower for not that much. I then used Reflect, and he used Body Slam for less than half my remaining health. Feeling I may actually have some time, I went for Sparkling Aria, which actually did a little better than I thought it would. But then he used Body Slam and scored a critical hit, finishing me off. I brought in Snow White and took Stealth Rock damage, then used Brick Break for less than half his remaining health. He used Heavy Slam for not that much, then I used the Z-Move, All-Out Pummeling, which finished him off.
Ninetales was last. Could we do it this time?!?! He missed with Blizzard, allowing me to get in a Bulldoze for less than 1/4 but it did lower his Speed before my Reflect wore off. He then hit that turn, leaving me with just Echo and Plowman left. I went to the former and took Stealth Rock damage. Then he used Safeguard, which is completely fine with me, and I used Rock Tomb…which finished him!!! And it scored a critical hit just to rub it in his face even harder.

So that was that, and I had finally been crowned Champion! Then during the festival, I battled Tapu Koko, and Cheery handled that - it survived an Electro Ball with less than 1/3, Moonblast did just under half, it used Agility and then I finished it with a Torrent boosted Sparkling Aria. And there you have it!

(M) "Cheery", Level 54
Stats: 156, 93, 112, 152, 130, 92
Moves: Baby-Doll Eyes, Moonblast, Reflect, Sparkling Aria

(M) "Blaster", Level 52
Stats: 149, 98, 117, 182, 101, 63
Moves: Bug Buzz, Crunch, Light Screen, Thunderbolt

(M) "Echo", Level 52
Stats: 155, 158, 162, 86, 92, 35
Ability: Sturdy
Moves: Mud-Slap, Rock Tomb, Stealth Rock, Toxic

(F) "Mittens", Level 51
Stats: 144, 80, 74, 97, 83, 145
Ability: Fur Coat
Moves: Dark Pulse, Fake Out, Nasty Plot, Thunder

(M) "Plowman", Level 52 (less than 800 EXP from Level 53)
Stats: 149, 116, 135, 47, 94, 81
Moves: Brick Break, Icicle Crash, Iron Head, Swords Dance

(F) "Snow White", Level 52 (less than 250 EXP from Level 53)
Stats: 140, 145, 83, 94, 116, 95
Moves: Brick Break, Bulldoze, Sucker Punch, Yawn

Other team members of note:
(F) "Muchacha", Level 24
(F) "Dabble", Level 27
(M) "Shrink", Level 43

With the Hive Badge in hand, I decided to catch a Rattata and name it Servant. Then I found the Farfetch'd in the Ilex Forest and got HM01 for Cut, teaching that to Servant. Then I went through the forest and taught Headbutt to a handful of my team members, and once I was on Route 34, avoided all the trainers so I could save them for when I had some new team members. I arrived in Goldenrod City.

After I was all settled in, I got myself a Bicycle. Then I returned to Azalea Town and eventually caught myself a good Heracross that I named Dwayne. Afterwards, upon return to Goldenrod City, I played some Voltorb Flip. And by that, I mean I played A LOT of Voltorb Flip. There were quite a few rewards I picked up, including a Wide Lens, a TM for Swords Dance, and an Abra that I can use Synchronize with. And a Dratini that I named Purity. I then finally got around to battling trainers on Route 34 and the underground to get Dwayne some EXP along the way. Then I met with Whitney at the Radio Tower and got her to return to the Gym. I took on the trainers there. Dwayne did all the work in that regard. Then I took on the Gym Leader!

I began with Dwayne against Clefairy, and used Swords Dance as she used DoubleSlap, which got three pretty weak hits. Then I used another Swords Dance, as she used Mimic and learned that off of me. Then I used Rock Smash and OHKO'd her.
Then we had Miltank. I stayed in, and she used Attract, so I couldn't get in a hit. She used Stomp for 1/3 my remaining health, and once again I couldn't hit her. Same thing next turn. Then she finished me. I brought in Windmill, but she used Attract again and my move failed. Stomp did almost half, and I flinched. I lived another Stomp, and used Sleep Powder, but she had the Lum Berry. Then she finished me. I brought in Adorabud, and Stomp did over half, but I got in Stun Spore and paralyzed her. I used Acid for a pretty weak hit, and she got fully paralyzed. Then I used another Acid before she finished me. I then brought in Purity, and used Dragon Rage to get her into the red… But she used Attract. I switched out to Swirly as she healed, and I went for Headbutt, which was pretty weak while Stomp did well over half. I used Headbutt again, but no flinch or paralysis, and she used Rollout. I went back to Purity, and used Dragon Rage to get her into the red… And she was fully paralyzed! She used another Super Potion, but that meant nothing, as two more Dragon Rages finished her off. And that got Purity to Level 16.

After Whitney got sad, she gave me the Plain Badge and TM45 for Attract. Then I played MORE Voltorb Flip! I got a couple more Synchronizers and another Wide Lens, and a TM for Thunderbolt, then caught a NidoranF on Route 35 named Marie, which I used said TM on. Before returning, I got some healing items at the Department Store and even the TM for Blizzard. We went through the rest of the trainers on Route 35, and she evolved into a Nidorina. After finishing up there, we had trainers in National Park to take on. They weren't tough, but Dwayne was faster than a Raichu of the same level, which was pretty interesting. After forgetting to get the Watering Can, I did so, after beating two simple enough trainers. I then did a bit of Rock Smashing at Ruins of Alph, but realized this wasn't where I can get Star Pieces. But I digress! I went through the trainers on Route 37, including those Beauties who I thankfully had Dwayne to make easier than they could have been, and then an extremely annoying Drowzee that managed to beat Windmill by me staying asleep the maximum amount of turns.

But I arrived in Ecruteak City, and met with Bill at the center. Then I went to the Burned Tower, where I met with Eusine…and Orchid. Grinder took care of Gastly (after being confused and cursed), Purity 2HKO'd Bayleef with Dragon Rage, and then Zubat despite being left with 1 HP thanks to confusion, and Marie was looking to 2HKO with Double Kick…but then paralysis, and SonicBoom, and full paralysis kicked in. Purity finished him off. After he was out of the way, I discovered the legendary beast trio in the basement, and Eusine talked about Suicune. Once I was done there, I picked up TM65 for Shadow Claw on Route 42, then got HM04 for Strength from a Hiker. Before getting too far ahead, I actually took to the Day-Care and dropped Dwayne in there for a few steps, just so he would reach Level 19 and have Rock Smash erased for Brick Break.

Then there was Route 38, where I beat the trainers there, they weren't very tough. And on Route 39 we met with Baoba, registered him, and took on the trainers. They weren't anything hard either, except a jerk Poliwhirl that used DoubleSlap and scored three critical hits in a row (on three turns). At least after beating him, Sleazy evolved into a Quagsire, which is a plus. Then it was the time I was certainly not looking forward to…training time. But at least I didn't have TOO much to do, and afterwards I actually went through Mt. Mortar into Mahogany Town, beating trainers on Route 42 and 43 (and one in the cave) to get some EXP. In that area, there was a Slowbro that looked a lot more menacing than it actually was, and a strong Gyarados. Once that was said and done, I decided to head for the Gym and at least take on the trainers there for right now. The second one used Curse at one point and the third one I had two team members share the credit between. The last one Purity handled with Dragon Rage spam and her being stupid.

After picking up a few Protect TMs… I did EVEN MORE Voltorb Flip!!!!!!! With the earnings, I was at over 25,000 again, so I got a Zoom Lens and decided to hold onto the rest in case I feel like I want another Swords Dance TM along the road. Afterwards, I decided to take on the Gym, just to see how well it would go. I slapped Shadow Claw on Dwayne in case, and thought, well, let's go for it!

I began with Grinder against Gastly, and he used Mean Look, but that was just fine, as Bite OHKO'd.
Gengar was next. He used Mean Look as well, and I used Scary Face...but missed. Then he used Hypnosis, but that missed too, and I hit with Scary Face. I used Bite for less than half, but he flinched. I used it again and got him into the red, but his Sitrus Berry healed him up, then Shadow Ball got me to 7 HP. I used Bite...and he didn't go for Sucker Punch, which was interesting, and I barely finished him off. Grinder grew to Level 24 and tried to learn Flail, which I passed on.
Next was the Level 21 Haunter, which put me to sleep with Hypnosis for whatever reason. Then he finished me with Dream Eater. I brought in Windmill, and got in a Sleep Powder. I then switched to Marie as he continued to snooze. He still snoozed as I used Thunderbolt, but even with the Magnet it still did less than half. Then he woke up and missed with Hypnosis, as I got him into the red with another Thunderbolt. He healed, and I used another Thunderbolt for less than half. I switched Purity into a Hypnosis, as he used Dream Eater for exactly half and healing him up. Shed Skin activated though, and he missed with Hypnosis and that allowed me to get in a Thunder Wave. I then used Dragon Rage, which left him with 1 HP as he used Hypnosis again but hit this time...only for Shed Skin to activate again. He didn't heal, so Dragon Rage finished him.
Lastly was the Level 23 Haunter. I stayed in, as he used Mean Look, but I used Thunder Wave to paralyze him. I used Dragon Rage for well over half, as he got fully paralyzed. Another Dragon Rage finished him. Not bad.

So I got the Fog Badge and TM30 for Shadow Ball, which I would definitely consider a success. After buying a few items, I knew what the first thing I wanted to do was. That would be going to the Ruins of Alph and accessing a Surf area then using Flash to get a Moon Stone, which I used on Marie to get her to become a Nidoqueen. Then I went to Dark Cave, where I was able to get to the back area and catch a Wobbuffet, which I named Test Dummy. Then I went to Olivine City, where Orchid was lurking about, and got the Old Rod. Then I scaled the Lighthouse. Not many of the trainers there really did anything. I met with Jasmine at the top, and she sent me to Cianwood to retrieve medicine for Amphy. So I went to Route 40, and beat all four of the trainers there. As for Route 41, I skipped the trainers there for the time being to make my way into Cianwood City. I got the SecretPotion, and then saw Suicune up front and that was when Eusine wanted to challenge me. He wasn't that tough, but his Haunter was definitely annoying to a degree.

With the SecretPotion in hand, I made my way back to Olivine, and gave it to Jasmine. She returned to the Gym. Afterwards I decided to head to the Lake of Rage, but before taking on the Red Gyarados, I found the Choice Specs, which I gave to Marie. But even with that and Poison Point, it wasn't finished off within one turn. I got the Red Scale from it, and met with Lance afterwards, who wanted me to check out the potential Team Rocket hideout. I met with Lance there, and he found the entrance. Before going in, however, I went back to get the Exp. Share from Mr. Pokémon. Along the way, I caught a Golduck on Route 35 named Kappa. Once I was back, I went through the Rocket Hideout, beating a lot of grunts along the way, until I came to Petrel, who wasn't tough. Then once Murkrow unlocked the transmitter room, we came to Ariana and another grunt. I'm not going to talk about them, because they were pretty easy. I then beat the Electrodes thanks to Leech Seed. Lance thanked me and gave me HM05 for Whirlpool. I left, healed up, and decided that's where I'll leave this off.

(M) "Grinder", Level 26
Stats: 75, 50 , 51, 40, 39, 36
Moves: Bite, Ice Fang, Scary Face, Surf

(F) "Sleazy", Level 25
Ability: Water Absorb
Stats: 91, 51, 55, 39, 41, 29
Moves: Headbutt, Mud Bomb, Mud Shot, Surf

(M) "Windmill", Level 26
Ability: Leaf Guard
Stats: 69, 35, 34, 35, 40, 54
Moves: Bullet Seed, Leech Seed, Sleep Powder, Synthesis

(F) "Marie", Level 26
Ability: Poison Point
Stats: 83, 54, 56, 51, 51, 51
Moves: Bite, Blizzard, Body Slam, Thunderbolt

(M) "Dwayne", Level 26
Ability: Guts
Stats: 87, 81, 52, 29, 60, 60
Moves: Aerial Ace, Brick Break, Shadow Claw, Swords Dance

(M) "Test Dummy", Level 26
Stats: 142, 26, 41, 21, 41, 27
Moves: Counter, Destiny Bond, Mirror Coat, Safeguard

Having dealt with Team Rocket in Mahogany, I discovered Suicine on Route 42, and then decided just to see how Jasmine would go even with my levels.

I began with Sleazy against her first Magnemite. She used SonicBoom, but I hit with a Choice Specs boosted Mud Bomb to OHKO her, and Sleazy grew to Level 26.
Steelix was next. She missed with Screech, while I used Mud Bomb for less than half. I switched in Windmill as she used Sandstorm, so I took damage. I hit with Sleep Powder, and as she snoozed, I used Leech Seed next turn. She continued to snooze, and Leech Seed got her to her Sitrus Berry. I switched back to Sleazy as she continued to snooze. After another round of Leech Seed, she woke up, but missed with Iron Tail, and Surf finished her before the sandstorm subsided.
Last was her second Magnemite. I switched in Windmill as she used Supersonic but missed. Then I accidentally mis-clicked and used Leech Seed, and she used Thunder Wave to paralyze me. Then she hit with Supersonic, which is why I didn't switch to Sleazy right away. Needless to say, I hit myself in confusion again. I brought in Sleazy again, as she used Thunderbolt, which failed. She hit with Supersonic again, and I hit myself once more. She was at half health, though. She used SonicBoom, and I hit myself again. I switched in Windmill once more as she used SonicBoom then was brought to 1/4. I switched in Sleazy again as her Thunderbolt failed. Leech Seed got her to healing range, so she healed, and I used Mud Shot, allowing me to finish her off. And Windmill grew to Level 27?

?And evolved into a Jumpluff! Very nice. So I got the Mineral Badge and TM23 for Iron Tail. Then we started to take on trainers on Route 41. They weren't tough, but some did take a little while. Then I made my way back to Cianwood City and took on the Gym trainers, two of which had annoying stuff. Then it was Gym Leader time!

I began with Sleazy against Primeape, and got in a Quick Claw, so Mud Shot lowered his Speed before he used?Rock Slide??? Are you serious, bro? Well, whatever. He tightened his focus, but I used Surf, so his Focus Punch failed. Same thing next turn. He healed, so I used Mud Shot again to lower his Speed once more. He used Leer, as I hit with Surf once again. Then he readied Focus Punch, only to be brought to 1 HP with Surf yet again. He didn't heal, but I finished him with Mud Bomb.
Poliwrath was next. I decided to stay in, and the Quick Claw triggered, so I got in another Mud Shot to lower his Speed before he used Surf, which failed because of Water Absorb. Then he readied Focus Punch, and I used Mud Bomb?only to miss, and be left with 4 HP. He readied Focus Punch again?and I missed with Mud Bomb again, so he finished me. I brought in Windmill, and managed to get in a Sleep Powder, so he snoozed. I then got in a Leech Seed, which started to sap away at him. Bullet Seed only hit twice, but he snoozed more. Then I hit four times, the first hit activating his Sitrus Berry, before he woke up and used Surf for less than 1/4. I wasted no time in using Sleep Powder again, and he was sapped. Bullet Seed then hit three times, and he snoozed, then Leech Seed?left him with 1 HP?!?!?!?! So he healed, and I hit three times, then he was at 3/4 or so. I then hit three more times, and he woke up and used Body Slam, which did enough for a 3HKO before Leech Seed. He used Surf for a weak hit, then I used Synthesis to heal to full. After another sapping, I took a weak Surf, then used Synthesis again. Body Slam did big, and I got fully paralyzed, but then he was at 3 HP. He used another Body Slam, but I used Synthesis and then he was finished with Leech Seed. Windmill grew to Level 28 and learned Mega Drain, which I dropped Bullet Seed for. Geez, this would've been great just five minutes ago! But I'll take it.

So I got the Storm Badge and TM01 for Focus Punch, which isn't very exciting. I left the Gym and received HM02 from Chuck's wife. Then we went through the Cliff Edge Gate and ended up on Route 47. I beat the trainers there, but the two double battles were quite annoying. Then I went to the Safari Zone and caught a Geodude for the Owner, then a Farfetch'd that I named Servant, just for Cut and Fly. That allowed me to return to Mahogany Town, where it was Gym time. I took on the trainers, and then I was left with the Gym Leader.

I began with Windmill against Seel, and started by missing with Sleep Powder, but he missed with Icy Wind in return. I hit next turn, and then used Leech Seed just because. Mega Drain got him to half, then he continued to snooze before being sapped again. Mega Drain finished him with a critical hit. Okay, I'll take that!
Dewgong was after, though. I decided to switch into Grinder, who took an extremely weak Ice Shard. Then he was faster and used Aurora Beam for noticeably more. He used Aurora Beam again to get me to half, as I then used Scary Face. Bite still wasn't doing a lot, while his Aurora Beam lowered my Attack. Not wanting any of that, I brought in Dwayne, as he used Aurora Beam for 1/4 my health. Brick Break finished him and got Grinder to Level 30, which allowed him to learn Crunch.
Piloswine was last. I decided to stay in and use Swords Dance, as his Blizzard did over half my remaining health. I OHKO'd him with a critical hit that definitely didn't matter, and Dwayne grew to Level 29.

After that, Grinder evolved into a Feraligatr, which is pretty awesome. Then I got the Glacier Badge and TM07 for Hail. Then I left the Gym to have Professor Elm call about the Radio Tower and Team Rocket.

With that, it was time to go through the Radio Tower. After the funny bit where Orchid rips off my disguise, I stormed through a marathon of Rocket Grunts who weren't very tough. Petrel wasn't that difficult either. I got the Basement Key from him, then went to the Underground Tunnel. There, I took on Orchid in a very not fun fight. Going through the basement, I beat the grunts there and found my way to the director, who gave me the Card Key. (I was away from my computer for everything in this paragraph before this point.) Then I beat Proton in a slightly annoying fight, and Ariana was a little worse but still doable.

Lastly was Archer. Sleazy handled his Houndour after a critical hit Faint Attack did 2/5 my health, then for Houndoom, I got the Quick Claw on the turn I used Mud Shot, which did around 1/3 before his Faint Attack did over half my remaining health? Then I got the Quick Claw again! Mud Shot got him lower and down to -2 before he finished me. Grinder finished that and the Koffing with ease and grew to Level 33.

After Archer had left, I received the Silver Wing from the Director. I then made my way out and it was time to ready myself for Blackthorn City. Right as I was about to end this update, I received the Choice Scarf from Mom's savings, so that was good.

(M) "Grinder", Level 33
Stats: 106, 80, 78, 64, 62, 59
Moves: Crunch, Ice Fang, Scary Face, Surf

(F) "Sleazy", Level 31
Ability: Water Absorb
Stats: 111, 62, 67, 48, 50, 36
Moves: Mud Bomb, Mud Shot, Surf, Yawn

(M) "Windmill", Level 30
Ability: Leaf Guard
Stats: 90, 46, 51, 46, 58, 81
Moves: Leech Seed, Mega Drain, Sleep Powder, Synthesis

(F) "Marie", Level 32
Ability: Poison Point
Stats: 100, 67, 69, 62, 61, 63
Moves: Bite, Blizzard, Body Slam, Thunderbolt

(M) "Dwayne", Level 31
Ability: Guts
Stats: 103, 97, 61, 35, 72, 71
Moves: Aerial Ace, Brick Break, Shadow Claw, Swords Dance

(M) "Test Dummy", Level 31
Stats: 168, 30, 51, 25, 50, 32
Moves: Counter, Destiny Bond, Mirror Coat, Safeguard

(I have other stuff in storage but don't feel like listing them at the moment)

After taking care of Team Rocket, we made our way to Route 44, where there were some trainers to deal with. I beat them (some of them gave Windmill a good chance to fight) and went through the Ice Path. Along the way, I got HM07 for Waterfall, and eventually came to Blackthorn City. I didn't waste much time before going into the Gym to at least take on the trainers for right now. They mostly had annoying stuff. Then I decided to see how the Gym Leader would go.

I began with Marie against Gyarados, and she got off a pointless Intimidate. She used Dragon Rage, then I used Thunderbolt, which didn't OHKO her. She used her Hyper Potion, and Thunderbolt was once again the same deal. She used Dragon Rage again, leaving me with 23 HP, and I finished her with another Thunderbolt.
Kingdra was up next. Ho boy! I decided to sack off Marie to a Dragon Pulse, and it was then time to bring in Test Dummy. She used Hydro Pump for over half, and I OHKO'd with Mirror Coat. How's that for you.
She then used her first Dragonair. I stayed in, but she used Thunder Wave, so my Mirror Coat failed. Then she used Dragon Pulse, which I lived with 15 HP, but ended up fully paralyzed, so she finished me next turn with a critical hit to really rub it in my face. I brought in Sleazy, and took a Dragon Pulse for slightly over half before I used Yawn. She finished me off, but then fell asleep. I brought in Dwayne and used Swords Dance as she snoozed. I then wondered whether to go for another Swords Dance and risk her waking up and paralyzing me, or go straight for the Brick Break? And I went with the latter, which turned out to be the right choice as it OHKO'd her.
Lastly was her second Dragonair. I stayed in, and Brick Break?left her with 1 HP as she used Thunder Wave. She used her Full Restore, and I got fully paralyzed. She used Dragon Pulse, which did less than half, and Brick Break thankfully OHKO'd this time, winning us the fight despite my entire team being Level 32/33.

Afterwards, Clair wanted me to prove I didn't have lazy ideals, so I was sent to the Dragon's Den. I went there, leaving Test Dummy behind for Kappa, the Golduck I caught not long after getting Surf, and taught it Whirlpool. After beating a few easy trainers, I came to the altar and took the test, then Clair was amazed at my success and gave me the Rising Badge. Later, I got TM59 for Dragon Pulse, which I probably won't use. Professor Elm then called and said he had something for me. I stopped by his lab and got the Master Ball! Then I was informed that I have to make do with the Kimono Girls. I returned to Ecruteak City, and watched Orchid lose to them. But I felt like I was NOT prepared, as there were a few moves I could get with a bit more training. For one, I got the Black Belt from Wesley since I was playing on a Wednesday. Then I went to Route 29 and took on the trainers there for some extra EXP. But it wasn't long before I went back and decided to have my shot.

First was Umbreon. I began with Windmill, and started with a Sleep Powder, which hit. I wasted no time in switching to Dwayne as she continued to snooze. Brick Break did over half, and she woke up and used Confuse Ray. I hit myself first turn, and she used a weak Dark Pulse, but then I hit and finished her.
Then we came to Espeon. I still had Windmill in front, and she used Psychic for over 2/3 my health and a Special Defense drop, but I got in Sleep Powder. As she snoozed, I got in a Leech Seed, allowing me to regain a bit of health. She continued to snooze, and I got in a Synthesis before Leech Seed healed me to full. I then switched in Test Dummy as she was still snoozing, then she fell to 5/8. She snoozed more, so my Mirror Coat had no effect. She woke up and used Swift for not much at all, as Mirror Coat finished her off.
Afterwards was Flareon. I switched out Windmill for Grinder as she missed with Fire Blast. I had the Choice Scarf, although that might not have mattered either way, but Waterfall?left her with 1 HP!!! And she burned me with Will-o-Wisp. Nevertheless, I finished her off.
Following that was Jolteon. She started off with Double Team, but I hit through that with Leech Seed (thank you Wide Lens) and that began to sap away at her. I switched in Marie as she used Double Team once more then was sapped down to 3/4. Despite a third usage of Double Team, I hit through it with Body Slam and then after Leech Seed she was below 1/3. After another Double Team, I finally missed, but then she was in the red. And she used it again. And I missed again but she was right on the edge. And she used Double Team once more, but it didn't matter, because Leech Seed finished her off. And Marie grew to Level 35.
Finally was Vaporeon. I started off with Sleep Powder, but missed. And Aurora Beam OHKO'd without a critical hit. I brought in Dwayne, and Brick Break did a little less than half as she used Surf for over half my remaining health. I then got her down very low before she finished me off. I brought in Grinder and finished her with Crunch, and Grinder grew to Level 35.

After that, they commended my strength and gave me the Clear Bell, then their little sister informed them that Lugia is abound. I healed up, and got the Focus Sash from Mom's earnings. It wasn't long before I made my way to the Whirl Islands and the Kimono Girls, who did their dance to summon Lugia. Then it was time! I began with Windmill, and as it opened with Rain Dance I started by getting in a Leech Seed. It then hit with Aeroblast, however, OHKO'ing me. I brought in Sleazy, and as it used Rain Dance and failed, I got in a Yawn before it dropped to 3/4. Then it used Rain Dance again, and I used Waterfall for a light hit. Leech Seed dropped it below half before it fell asleep, then I switched in Dwayne as it snoozed before the rain stopped. As it snoozed, I finished it off with Shadow Claw followed by Leech Seed. So there you have it! I used an Escape Rope to get out of there, and made my way back to New Bark Town.

So I went to Route 27, and I was in Kanto! After finding a Rare Candy, I went through Tohjo Falls and was back outside. Some of the trainers had some pretty annoying stuff, but we made it through them. My team was pretty dead upon making it to Route 28, but mostly Sleazy handled the ones there. There was an Espeon that came about but Grinder OHKO'd it with Crunch while holding the Choice Scarf despite being one level lower. We went through more trainers, with the very last one having a Flaaffy that paralyzed Windmill and literally had me hitting through paralysis two out of eight turns while I desperately tried to keep up using Synthesis. What on earth. In fact, she was the first time to my recollection that I have ever refused a trainer's number in this game. I was pissed off.

But I digress! We went through Victory Road, and at the end, Orchid was there. Dwayne took care of Sneasel, then Marie did just over half to Golbat with Thunderbolt and Grinder finished it. I tried to have Dwayne take on Meganium, but he scored a critical hit Petal Dance?and thankfully he hit himself in confusion, allowing my Aerial Ace to 3HKO him. Kadabra finished off Dwayne, but Grinder slammed him with Crunch. Sleazy took care of Magneton, even despite him surviving Mud Shot with 1 HP. Haunter did over half my remaining health, though, so I switched in Grinder and finished him off (taunting me with the unneeded critical hit, at that).

He said a bit of stuff and then left, leaving me free to come to the Pok?mon League! I had reached the Indigo Plateau, leaving only the final battles left. After some training, of course. Once I had returned to Johto for preparations, I decided to do something I don't usually do: I put Test Dummy in the Day-Care. Since he has no attacks and can't really fight wild Pok?mon reliably, I didn't have many qualms with it. Afterwards, I did a bit of Rock Smash stuff, traded some shards for berries, and then biked across the Day-Care and Goldenrod for an extended time. With all of that, I was able to get Test Dummy to Level 44, which I decided would be the level I would want to get everyone to.

The next day, I decided to catch a Lapras in Dark Cave, since it was Friday, just on the off-chance so I can potentially have something to keep around when I'm not in important battles and Wobbuffet won't be that great. I named it Oceania. Marie was the next to get to Level 44. I did do a bit of Exp. Share training for Oceania, then let her fight on her own for a bit as well. Afterwards, I trained my remaining four to Level 40, then for Dwayne and Grinder, I battled Hiker Anthony MANY times to get them up fast (1946 EXP per fight). That left just Windmill and Sleazy left, and after getting the former to Level 42, I completely forgot that the waterfall area on Route 47 was a thing. So I went there. That allowed me to get Windmill to Level 44, even with my patience being tested by wild Pok?mon always waking up after one turn. Finally was Sleazy, and for her I just stuck to battling Hiker Anthony again until she reached that point. Then, my team was Level 44. I adjusted my moves, and then it was time to return to Indigo Plateau for the league. Alright, time to go in there! First was Will.

I began with Sleazy against the first Xatu, and got the Quick Claw, allowing me to use Yawn before he got in Confuse Ray. I then switched in Dwayne, as it used Me First but failed. Shadow Claw got him into the red, and he healed, but it didn't matter because Shadow Claw 2HKO'd.
Next was the second Xatu. I switched in Test Dummy as it used a weak Aerial Ace. It used Confuse Ray, and it caused me to hit myself. It used Ominous Wind, which did a third of my remaining health?and I hit myself in confusion. It hit me with Ominous Wind again for just under half my remaining health, as I snapped out of confusion and got in Mirror Coat, which left it at 1 HP?before his Sitrus Berry healed him up. He used Ominous Wind again and left me with 9 HP, so another Mirror Coat finished him.
Then we had Exeggutor, who finished me with Egg Bomb. I brought in my own Grass-type, Windmill, and used Sleep Powder. Feeling bold, I switched in Marie as he continued to snooze. I hit with a Choice Specs boosted Fire Blast and OHKO'd him.
Jynx was next. I stayed in, but he was faster and got me into the red with Psychic, but Fire Blast OHKO'd that too.
Lastly was Slowbro. I switched in Windmill, and his Psychic did a little less than half. I hit with Sleep Powder and made him snooze. Then I used Leech Seed as he snoozed more, then was sapped. Giga Drain scored a critical hit that got him to KO range from Leech Seed, and he woke up, but only used Curse, and he was finished.

So that was one down. Then it was time for Koga.

I began with Grinder against Ariados. I decided to just get in a Hydro Cannon for the OHKO.
Then we had Forretress. As I recharged, he used Toxic Spikes. I used Hydro Cannon again, but even with the Mystic Water it wasn't an OHKO as he got in a second layer of Toxic Spikes. Then he healed as I recharged. I brought in Marie, and his Protect failed. Then he used it next turn and blocked my Fire Blast. I hit next turn and OHKO'd him.
Then we had Venomoth. He used Supersonic but missed, while I used my last Fire Blast, which OHKO'd him (still Choice Specs).
Then we had Muk. Feeling extremely bold, I switched in Windmill as he used Screech. I used Sleep Powder, which hit. Then I used Leech Seed, but he woke up first turn (because of course he did)?and missed with Gunk Shot before being sapped. Then it was time for me to switch in Sleazy, so his Gunk Shot did 1/5. But he had Black Sludge! Although Leech Seed slightly outdamages him. I got the Quick Claw, but it didn't matter because Earthquake got him to 1 HP. He missed with Gunk Shot again before Leech Seed finished him.
Lastly was Crobat. I decided to stay in and go for Yawn, but not without him using Double Team. Then I brought in Windmill again as he used Double Team once more before falling asleep. As he snoozed, I hit with Leech Seed, which is surely a plus. I brought in Grinder as he continued to snooze and was sapped more. He snoozed more, but Hydro Cannon missed. He woke up and used a weak Wing Attack as I missed with Hydro Cannon yet again. Then he was at half health. He used Double Team again, so I missed with Waterfall and I was healed to full?then he was sapped down to his berry. After another weak Wing Attack, I missed with Waterfall again. Then he was sapped down to half. After another Wing Attack, I hit with Waterfall, and got him into the red?then Leech Seed got him to 1 HP. I switched in Marie as he healed, much to my dismay. He was sapped, and then Wing Attack did a weak hit before he was sapped again after a Thunderbolt miss. Same thing next turn. Then he got me exactly to half?and I finally hit with Thunderbolt and finished him. Whew!

Then we came to Bruno. Alright, let's fight!

I began with Dwayne against Hitmontop. He used Quick Attack for a pretty weak hit, while Aerial Ace was a 2HKO. Was surprised he didn't use Counter.
Then we had Hitmonlee. Knowing a Blaze Kick was coming, I switched in Sleazy - and I was right, and it dealt a pretty weak hit. But then he used Swagger, and despite hitting myself, it didn't do as much as I thought. But then he used Focus Energy. But I hit with Earthquake and OHKO'd him.
But after that was Machamp. I got the Quick Claw, but it turned out to be for nothing as I hit myself, then Cross Chop got me to 9 HP. Then he finished me. I brought in Windmill, and Sleep Powder hit. Then I used Leech Seed, but he woke up and used Revenge for a tiny bit less than 1/4. I put him to sleep again, and he was sapped more. I then switched in Grinder, only for him to wake up first turn AGAIN, while Rock Slide did over 1/4. What the heck, dickface? After juggling between Waterfall and Hydro Cannon, I opted for the latter?and scored a critical hit that I highly doubt mattered.
Then came Hitmonchan. As I recharged, he used ThunderPunch for just barely less than half my remaining health, which is kinda sad when you think about it. But he was faster and got me to 12 HP, but even with Torrent, Waterfall couldn't OHKO him. I switched out to Test Dummy as he healed, and he used Fire Punch twice as Counter took care of him within those two hits.
Lastly was Onix. I switched in Windmill, so his Earthquake failed, and Giga Drain was an OHKO.

After that was Karen. Now I wanted to make sure I was adequately prepared for this one.

I began with Dwayne against Umbreon. Brick Break had the Black Belt boost and came darn near close to OHKO'ing, but she used Double Team. She healed, and I missed, but I hit the next turn and got her into the red before she used Double Team again. I used Aerial Ace?but that left her with 1 HP before she used Confuse Ray. Despite that, I stayed in and used Aerial Ace and finished her off.
Murkrow was next. I switched Marie into a Pluck that did exactly half with a critical hit, but it triggered Poison Point. She used Pluck for 33 HP (for clarification, I had 67/134 HP at that point), and Thunderbolt (Choice Specs boosted) finished her and got Marie to Level 45.
Houndoom was next and finished me with Dark Pulse. I brought in Grinder, who had the Choice Scarf, and Waterfall?did not OHKO her, but it got her to her berry, and she used Nasty Plot, so she was an easy kill next turn. That got Grinder to Level 45 and got him to learn Screech, which I decided to drop Hydro Cannon for.
Then we had Vileplume. I brought in Windmill, as she used Stun Spore and unfortunately hit, then Acid did not much less than half before I got fully paralyzed. Same thing next turn, and Windmill was outed without getting to do anything. She used Petal Dance last turn, weirdly. I brought in Test Dummy and took a Petal Dance for over 1/4?and Mirror Coat left her with 1 HP before she became confused. Thinking she would heal, I used Safeguard? But she hit through confusion and used Petal Dance for over 1/3 my remaining health. She snapped out of confusion, but thankfully I finished her with another Mirror Coat.
Lastly was Gengar. She missed with Focus Blast, but I used Destiny Bond in response. She left me with 11 HP with Focus Blast and I used Destiny Bond again. She hit next turn, and was thus taken down.

Then it was time for Lance. Oh boy, this is gonna be brutal! But we had to progress. I made a few adjustments, and entered his room. Alright, here we go! This was my second try, first time Windmill missed with Sleep Powder and was OHKO'd immediately with Ice Fang, so I reset the game. But I digress.

I began with Windmill against Gyarados, and he got off a pointless Intimidate. I hit with Sleep Powder and caused him to snooze. Then I got in a Leech Seed. I switched in Sleazy as he continued to snooze. He woke up and used a weak Dragon Pulse before I hit with Blizzard, then he was brought below half. He used Flail for a weak hit, then I used Waterfall for a weak hit myself. After Leech Seed, he healed, and THAT was the time to use Yawn. Leech Seed got me to full. Feeling extremely bold, I switched in Marie, as he used Flail for a laughably weak hit and got Poison Point. But that's not good, because now he can't fall asleep. I had to bring in Sleazy again, so his Waterfall failed. At least he was brought right near 1/3. He used a weak Dragon Pulse as I used Waterfall, but even with all of that he wasn't finished off. Thankfully I got in the Quick Claw and finished him with Waterfall.
Then he brought in his first Level 49 Dragonite, unbeknownst to me that it was the one with Thunder. I decided to stay in, and Dragon Rush did well over half, but I got in a Yawn. I got the Quick Claw? But Blizzard missed, and he finished me before falling asleep. I brought in Grinder, and as he snoozed, I used Agility. Then I got in a Screech. Then Ice Fang slammed him.
Next was his second Level 49 Dragonite. Fearing that it was the one with Thunder, I switched in Dwayne, knowing he'd be useless in this fight, as he used Thunder Wave. Well, it triggered Guts, at least?? After Dragon Rush, Shadow Claw did a bit less than 1/3. But he hit again and finished me. I brought in Marie, and he used Blizzard, much to my surprise. It missed, but my Avalanche didn't finish him off. I had an idea. I switched in Windmill as he?missed with Blizzard??? I thought for sure that he would heal. But I hit with Sleep Powder, and he snoozed. Then I used Leech Seed and he snoozed once more and was finished.
Then we had Aerodactyl. I wasted no time switching to Marie as his Rock Slide missed, then he got in Aerial Ace for over 1/3, as Avalanche with the Never-Melt Ice OHKO'd with a critical hit. It didn't desperately save me (he could've scored a critical hit though), but I'll take it.
Then we came to the Level 50 Dragonite. He used Outrage and finished me off, then I brought in Test Dummy. He hit for 2/3 my health, and activated my Sitrus Berry, then Counter OHKO'd him.
Lastly was Charizard. I stayed in, and he used?Air Slash. Joy. Of course that had to happen the turn I use Counter. I was like, darn it, I should've used Destiny Bond instead. Then he used Shadow Claw and finished me. I brought in Windmill, and used Sleep Powder for good measures. Then I got in a Leech Seed. I stayed in and used Giga Drain for a nonexistent hit as he snoozed more. After another super weak hit from me, he woke up next turn and OHKO'd me with a critical hit Air Slash that probably mattered, but that was fine. I only had Grinder left, and he used Shadow Claw for a pretty weak hit before I finished him with Waterfall, winning me the battle. There you have it.

And with that, we had defeated the Champion!

(M) "Grinder", Level 45 (super close to 46)
Stats: 142, 112, 111, 87, 84, 83
Moves: Agility, Ice Fang, Screech, Waterfall

(F) "Sleazy", Level 44
Ability: Water Absorb
Stats: 156, 90, 101, 67, 71, 53
Moves: Blizzard, Earthquake, Waterfall, Yawn

(M) "Windmill", Level 45
Ability: Leaf Guard
Stats: 132, 70, 85, 69, 85, 126
Moves: Giga Drain, Leech Seed, Sleep Powder, Synthesis

(F) "Marie", Level 45
Ability: Poison Point
Stats: 137, 95, 100, 96, 86, 92
Moves: Avalanche, Blizzard, Earth Power, Thunderbolt

(M) "Dwayne", Level 44
Ability: Guts
Stats: 142, 146, 92, 47, 101, 101
Moves: Aerial Ace, Brick Break, Shadow Claw, Swords Dance

(M) "Test Dummy", Level 44
Stats: 235, 43, 74, 35, 71, 44
Moves: Counter, Destiny Bond, Mirror Coat, Safeguard

Having beat the game, I received the S.S. Ticket from Elm, and returned to Blackthorn City to reteach Crunch to Grinder. Then I went to Olivine, where Professor Oak gave me the National Dex. On the ship, I dealt with the trainers there and found the old man's granddaughter, and we arrived in Vermilion City. We saw Suicune - and Eusine - again, then wasted no time in getting to the Vermilion Gym. In a double battle, Windmill was faster than all three Electrode used by one of the trainers, which was pretty interesting. After we were done with those guys, I took care of the switches and then it was time for Lt. Surge!

I began with Marie against Raichu, and he began with Double Team, but I hit through it with Earth Power (Choice Specs boosted) for the OHKO.
Then we had his first Electrode, which opened with Screech, but Earth Power OHKO'd that too.
Afterwards was Magneton. I stayed in and OHKO'd that with Earth Power.
Next was Electabuzz, which set up a Light Screen. Geez, don't know why you didn't do that in the fricken first place! Anyway, Earth Power did just near half on the dot before his Sitrus Berry healed him up. I switched to Sleazy, who took a light Quick Attack followed by a Low Kick and still had slightly under 2/3 before Earthquake took care of him.
Lastly was his second Electrode. I stayed in and got the Quick Claw, and OHKO'd him with Earthquake.

So I got the Thunder Badge and TM34 for Shock Wave, which isn't that exciting but alright. I went from there to Saffron City and then Cerulean City, where I made my way to the Power Plant. There, the manager informed us of how his generator had a part stolen, and then we discovered that a shady character was in Cerulean Gym. I went there and saw a Rocket Grunt, who fled off. Then I beat him on Nugget Bridge. I got the Machine Part and returned it to the Power Plant. I decided to make way into Celadon City so I could return there later. I also went down Cycling Road to get to Fuchsia City. And upon arriving…I discovered that Windmill was affected with Pokérus. How about that? This was the point when I wanted to start to grind a few shards so I could get Kelpsy and Hondew Berries to give my Pokémon (particularly Test Dummy). I did get two of both in my berry pots, then went to Saffron City and did the shenanigans to get the Train Pass. Then I went to Lavender Town so I could fly back there later, and more importantly, get my Pokégear upgraded.

I then went to Route 11 and encountered the Snorlax. Dwayne got it into the red with an Expert Belt boosted Brick Break, but I tried to use Heavy Balls to catch it just so I could get its Leftovers…to no success. None of my first three Heavy Balls even shook once, and the fourth was barely off. So I just said, **** it, I'm using the Master Ball. I did, and didn't nickname it. Then I got to Pewter City by going through Diglett's Cave, and went through the Gym…which I'm not even going to talk about because Windmill OHKO'd everything there with Giga Drain…

…Actually, the Omastar was NOT OHKO'd with Giga Drain, even with the Miracle Seed backing, and almost OHKO'd Windmill with AncientPower without a critical hit. He healed, I got in a Leech Seed, then OHKO'd him. Other than that, there was nothing to it. I got TM80 for Rock Slide from Brock and was on my way. I then returned to Johto for a couple things of little significance, including two more Fire Blast TMs for Marie. Then I went back to Fuchsia and decided to take on most of the trainers in the Cycling Road area for EXP. Then we took on the Gym! After wading through fakes, we came to the real deal, Janine herself.

I began with Sleazy against Crobat, and after a weak Wing Attack I got in a Yawn. I got the Quick Claw and hit with Blizzard, but it did less than half before she hit with Wing Attack again and got me below 2/3 before falling asleep. I switched in Marie as she snoozed, then she continued to snooze as I finished her with Thunderbolt.
Next came her first Ariados. I switched Test Dummy into a Scary Face, then she used Poison Jab for 1/5 my health…so Counter got her into healing range. I took that turn to use Safeguard, and she used Poison Jab again and scored a critical hit - which was actually for the better as that allowed Counter to OHKO her there.
Then she had her second Ariados. I stayed in and…she scored another critical hit and KO'd me this time. I brought in Dwayne and used Swords Dance as she used Night Shade. I opted for another Swords Dance as she used Night Shade again before the Safeguard wore off. Aerial Ace OHKO'd her.
After that was Venomoth. But I decided to stay in, and I was faster, and thus Aerial Ace OHKO'd her.
Lastly was Weezing. I probably could've stayed in, but I switched to Marie and took a weak Sludge Bomb. I decided to lock myself into Blizzard…which missed, as she hit with Double Hit. I hit next turn, though, and OHKO'd her with a critical hit, winning me the fight.

With that, she gave me the Soul Badge and TM84 for Poison Jab, which I could give to Marie but we'll see. Then I returned to Cerulean City, and it was time for Nugget Bridge. It was time for some trainers! We waded our way through them, and made our way to Misty and crashed her date, causing her to resentfully return to her Gym. I beat the trainers there, made a few preparations, and went back to challenge her. Here we go!

I began with Sleazy against Golduck, and she used Psychic for 1/4 my health as I used Yawn. I used Protect to block her Psychic before she fell asleep. As she snoozed, I used Earthquake for sadly less than half. Then she snoozed, and I used Waterfall because I didn't want to use Earthquake and get her into healing range. She snoozed once more, and I finished her with Earthquake.
Next we had Lapras. I decided to stay in, and she used Sing but missed while I counteracted with Yawn. I used Protect to block her Sing before she fell asleep. I switched to Dwayne as she snoozed, but I accidentally mis-clicked and used Shadow Claw for not much at all, but she didn't wake up. Brick Break got her to 1 HP, but thankfully she continued to snooze. As she healed, I took that opportunity to use Swords Dance, then OHKO'd her with Brick Break.
Afterwards was Quagsire. I stayed in and went for Brick Break, which OHKO'd her.
Lastly was Starmie. But she was faster and used Confuse Ray, and I hit myself for 1/3 my health. Yikes! She used Ice Beam for less than half my remaining health, but I hit myself again. She finished me with Water Pulse. I brought in Sleazy, and she used Confuse Ray again, and I hit myself again. She used Ice Beam for over half my remaining health, and I hit myself again. I got the Quick Claw, but it meant nothing as I hit myself again, then she finished me. I brought in Marie, and her Ice Beam did over half, but so did my Thunderbolt. It got her to her Sitrus Berry, though. She finished me with Water Pulse. I brought in Windmill, and she used Ice Beam, but I had a Yache Berry to weaken the hit…and it did 3/4 my health. Giga Drain didn't finish her off. She healed, so I took that turn to go for Leech Seed, which thankfully hit. She was downed to 7/8, but Ice Beam finished me. I brought in Test Dummy, and she used Ice Beam for 1/5 my health, and Mirror Coat got her to the range where Leech Seed finished her off. God bless.

So I got the Cascade Badge and TM03 for Water Pulse. Then it was time for Erika. I left Sleazy behind for Servant, as I needed Cut and knew Quagsire would be useless in a Grass-type Gym. I got in there and somehow managed to avoid all the trainers, and got to Erika.

This was my second try. First try I was missing so many attacks and it was just so annoying.

I began with my own Jumpluff, Windmill, against the mirror-match, as I was faster and got in a Sleep Powder. I switched to Marie as she snoozed, then as she snoozed more, I hit with Blizzard and slammed her. Thank you!
Next we had Victreebel. I decided to stay in and use Blizzard, which also slammed her in one hit. I'll take that!
Then we came to Bellossom. I switched over to Test Dummy as she used Giga Drain for just over 1/5 my health. Then she used Giga Drain again, as I used Mirror Coat to throw it back at her down to the red, before her Sitrus Berry healed her up. Then she used Sunny Day, so my Mirror Coat failed. She used SolarBeam, and did well over half my remaining health, but Mirror Coat finished her.
Lastly was Tangela. I switched Windmill into a very weak Giga Drain, and after Wring Out did just over half my remaining health, I missed with Sleep Powder. Then she used AncientPower, which finished me off before the sunlight faded. I switched in Marie, and Fire Blast OHKO'd her with a critical hit that did NOT matter. Test Dummy grew to Level 49.

So I got the Rainbow Badge and TM19 for Giga Drain. Before concluding this out, I went to kill a wild Houndour to get Marie to Level 50. There you have it for this update.

(M) "Grinder", Level 49
Stats: 155, 123, 121, 97, 92, 92
Moves: Crunch, Ice Fang, Protect, Return (pay this no mind; the lack of Water-type attacks was just there because they would be useless against two Gym Leaders)

(F) "Sleazy", Level 48
Ability: Water Absorb
Stats: 171, 100, 111, 74, 77, 60
Moves: Earthquake, Protect, Waterfall, Yawn

(M) "Windmill", Level 48
Ability: Leaf Guard
Stats: 141, 76, 93, 74, 90, 135
Moves: Giga Drain, Leech Seed, Sleep Powder, Synthesis

(F) "Marie", Level 50
Ability: Poison Point
Stats: 152, 108, 112, 109, 96, 106
Moves: Blizzard, Earth Power, Fire Blast, Thunderbolt

(M) "Dwayne", Level 48
Ability: Guts
Stats: 155, 161, 101, 53, 111, 113
Moves: Aerial Ace, Brick Break, Shadow Claw, Swords Dance

(M) "Test Dummy", Level 49
Stats: 260, 49, 85, 41, 81, 49
Moves: Counter, Destiny Bond, Mirror Coat, Safeguard

Two months after beating the game, I decided to pick it up just for fun. I received the National Dex from Cedric Juniper, then learned from Hugh that N's Zoroark was awaiting my arrival at his castle, so I went there and found N there. He led me to the deepest chamber of the castle, where he challenged me with Zekrom. I began with Pesto, and he used Dragon Claw for slightly over half, as he had Rocky Helmet recoil and I used Tickle to cut his stats. Then he used Imprison for whatever reason, and I used another Tickle. He used Dragon Claw and got me into the red, taking more Rocky Helmet damage, then I used a third Tickle. He finished me but was brought to half. Feeling like I wanted to try to be insanely hysterical, I switched in Ashigatana, and his Fusion Bolt came short of getting me to the red, but even then, Ice Beam didn't finish him off. He used his Full Restore, and I still didn't do much at all before he finished me with Dragon Claw. I brought in Sapphire, and he used Fusion Bolt for less than half, and I used Ice Punch, which…left him with 1 HP!!! He used another Fusion Bolt, which I survived in the red, then I used Aura Sphere to finish him off. And Sapphire grew to Level 59. N parted with Zekrom, and gave me the Dark Stone.

I then decided my next course of action would be to fly to Opelucid City and go from there to Route 8, where there were a handful of trainers to battle. Those included a Rotation Battle, and a Triple Battle that was rather touchy. But it wasn't long before I arrived in Icirrus City, and I quickly jumped into battle with the Shadow Triad. Sapphire OHKO'd all three of the first one's team and grew to Level 60 along the way. For the second one (the Triple Battle), Brimstone's Quick Claw activated against the Accelgor…and of course Rock Blast only hit twice, and it would then proceed to get Sapphire to 2 HP with Focus Blast. Sapphire OHKO'd the right Bisharp with Aura Sphere, and the left one only used Swords Dance, so we were fine…and Ashigatana finished off the Accelgor with Waterfall, taunting me with a critical hit there. Sapphire finished off the other Bisharp with Aura Sphere. For the last one (the Rotation Battle), I used Dark Pulse and it hit one Bisharp, which would then use Swords Dance. I then flinched another. But then it used Scary Face, and Sapphire was then finished. I had to bring in Circuit, but I turned to Ashigatana…who took a critical hit Iron Head for slightly under half AND a flinch. REALLY??????? Then he went to the one that had a Swords Dance, and Surf didn't finish it even with the rain, and he finished me with Night Slash. I turned to Brimstone, who was brought to Sturdy with a critical hit Night Slash before I finished it with Bulldoze. Banette used Psychic and finished off Brimstone, forcing me to bring out Icecap. I gambled, turning to Circuit…and he flinched me with Iron Head. Then he used Night Slash for a critical hit with just over half on Pesto, but I thankfully hit with Sleep Powder. Banette came in as I turned to Icecap, and Icy Wind did slightly less than half but lowered his Speed before he burned me with Will-o-Wisp. I stuck with Icecap, and finished off the Banette with Ice Beam, and Pesto grew to Level 60. That just left one last sleeping Bisharp, which Circuit slammed with Superpower.

Then I decided to take on some trainers in Twist Mountain. They had some pretty strong stuff, I won't deny, particularly the Veterans. However, we did come to a Triple Battle with one where I scored two critical hit OHKO's in one turn (Sapphire's Aura Sphere against his Tauros, and Ashigatana with rain boosted Waterfall against his Crobat at -1 after Intimidate). There were a few Winter-only trainers I couldn't fight, but whatever.

I also remembered that Alder at Floccesy Town was a thing, so I went back there to take him on. I led with Circuit against Accelgor, and he used Bug Buzz for over 1/3 as my ThunderPunch got him into the red and paralyzed him. Unfortunately, he used his Full Restore, and Thunderbolt got him low in the yellow. Then his Bug Buzz left me near 1/4, and I finished him with ThunderPunch.
Then we had Bouffalant. He was faster and used Megahorn, but missed, while I used Superpower, which got him near the red. Then he used Head Charge, which finished me but left him in the red. I brought in Icecap and finished him with Ice Beam, and Icecap reached Level 62.
Afterwards was Conkeldurr. I decided to stay in and use Ice Beam, which did plenty over half, but he used Stone Edge for a little over half (if he had Hammer Arm, it wouldn't have OHKO'd). Another Ice Beam finished him.
Then we had Braviary, which used Superpower and finished me, but it cut his stats. I brought in Brimstone, and he used Superpower for just over 1/3 as I used Stealth Rock. He used Aerial Ace for 10 damage, as Rock Blast missed. Really dude? I guess the miss evened it out. Then Superpower did just under half my remaining health, and Rock Blast finished him with two hits, the first doing like 2/3 because of all his stat drops.
Escavalier was next, and he took Stealth Rock damage. I got the Quick Claw (don't know if it mattered), and Rock Blast got three hits and got him slightly below half before he finished me with Iron Head. I brought in Sapphire, and used Close Combat to finish him, but it cut my defenses.
Lastly was Volcarona, which got kneecapped down by Stealth Rock, but he had a Sitrus Berry to heal that up. He missed with Heat Wave, interestingly, while Close Combat looked to do around half his remaining health. Then he hit with Heat Wave and OHKO'd me. I brought in Ashigatana, and he used Psychic for a little less than half, while Waterfall finished him off, and got the Flame Body. But there you have it!

Benga came in and talked about the Black Tower. I won't be doing that here, though. Then I decided to take on Hugh in Undella Town. After some behavior in denial, he gave me the HM for Dive, which I actually got to experience with that Wailord a while back, and challenged me. I began with Circuit against Unfezant, and he used Facade for a little less than half but Thunderbolt was an OHKO and got Circuit to Level 62.
Then we had Bouffalant. Except I was faster than this one, but Superpower OHKO'd with a critical hit.
Then we had Flygon. He used Dragon Claw and finished me. I brought in Icecap, and he used Fire Blast but missed, as my Ice Beam OHKO'd.
Afterwards was Simisear. I switched to Ashigatana, and he used Flamethrower for around 1/3…but he had to burn me AGAIN. Goddammit! Nevertheless, another Flamethrower got me into Torrent range and OHKO'd him, and Icecap grew to Level 63.
Afterwards was Serperior, who immediately finished me with Leaf Blade. I brought in Pesto, and as he used Coil, I decided to say screw you to that with Tickle. This went on for the next three turns. Then on the fourth, he used Dragon Tail for an insanely weak hit and some Rocky Helmet damage, but forcing me out to Icecap, which is perfect. His Leaf Storm did just over 2/3 my health, but Ice Beam (NeverMeltIce backed) slammed him.
Lastly was Eelektross. Unsure of if I'd be faster or not, I used Icy Wind, which did just under half and lowered his Speed before he finished me with Wild Charge. He took recoil damage, but Leftovers healed him. I brought in Sapphire and finished him with Close Combat.

After Hugh left, Zinzolin was right near and gave me the papers for the Abyssal Ruins, which I don't need right now. Then it was time to fly back to Castelia City and prepare to make my way to Southeastern Unova. Our first stop, after going through the Skyarrow Bridge, was going through Pinwheel Forest, where we explored with Cheren. There were some mildly tough trainers, but nothing drastically difficult, not even those two Veterans. Once we were done with that area, I beat everyone in outer Pinwheel Forest and made my way into Nacrene City. There wasn't much there to do, so I continued to Route 3, but not without making a quick stop to Route 15 where I beat a few trainers and got TM26 for Earthquake. The trainers there were all laughably easy, and we came to Striaton City. First I explored the Dreamyard and beat the trainers there, and there wasn't much to that either. So there you go for now.

Important trainers:
[X] Alder
[X] N's Zekrom
[X] Shadow Triad
[X] Hugh in Undella Town
[] Colress
[] Morimoto
[] Nishino
[] Cynthia

[] Elite Four rematches

(M) "Ashigatana", Level 67
Nature: Hardy
Stats: 229, 180, 132, 161, 102, 120
Moves: Ice Beam, Megahorn, Surf, Waterfall

(M) "Sapphire", Level 67
Ability: Steadfast
Stats: 198, 193, 127, 172, 118, 134
Moves: Aura Sphere, Close Combat, Dark Pulse, Ice Punch

(M) "Brimstone", Level 67
Nature: Hardy
Stats: 209, 216, 199, 111, 112, 69
Moves: Earthquake, Rock Blast, Sand-Attack, Stealth Rock

(M) "Icecap", Level 67
Stats: 191, 102, 190, 208, 151, 120
Moves: Ice Beam, Ice Shard, Icy Wind, Mirror Coat

(M) "Circuit", Level 67
Nature: Serious
Stats: 212, 187, 123, 167, 132, 102
Moves: Superpower, Thunderbolt, ThunderPunch, Thunder Wave

(F) "Pesto", Level 66
Ability: Chlorophyll
Stats: 231, 162, 170, 164, 103, 84
Moves: Giga Drain, Power Whip, Sleep Powder, Tickle

Badges: 8



Everything went great! The only concession I really made was not wanting to put the time to evolve my Zweilous into a Hydreigon and just going in with him unevolved. He still pulled his weight in a couple of the E4 battles.

The two MVPs of the E4 were definitely Metagross and Eelektross. Metagross completely swept the Fighting battle and Eelektross was just really bulky throughout all the fights and had really great coverage. Lapras was really great as well, Leftovers worked wonders.

Team:


Ringo the Heracross, Lv. 61 @ Expert Belt
Guts
-Megahorn
-Bulldoze
-Shadow Claw
-Brick Break

Thorim the Eelektross, Lv. 58
Levitate
-Crunch
-Fire Punch
-WIld Charge
-Acrobatics

ShenZin Su the Lapras, Lv. 59 @ Leftovers
Shell Armor
-Drill Run
-Rain Dance
-Ice Beam
-Waterfall

Sky Golem the Metagross, Lv. 60 @ TwistedSpoon
Clear Body
-Zen Headbutt
-Meteor Mash
-Hone Claws
-Shadow Ball

Hythreegon the Zweilous, Lv. 57 @ Wide Lens
Hustle
-Dragon Tail
-Thunder Wave
-Crunch
-Aqua Tail



HM Buddys:
Samurott- Strength, Cut, Surf
Ducklett- Surf, Fly

Having beat Erika, I decided it was finally time to take on some trainers before we get to the last three Gym Leaders who could actually be tough. I began with Route 8, and some of the stuff there was annoying but nothing groundbreaking. Then we had the Rock Tunnel side of Route 10, and Routes 12 (getting the Super Rod along the way) and 11. I then decided to wing it against Sabrina.

I began with Windmill against Espeon. I decided to open with Sleep Powder, which thankfully hit. Then I used Leech Seed, which also hit as she continued to snooze. I then used Giga Drain for a pretty weak hit before she woke up and used Skill Swap, which gave me Synchronize and left her with a pointless Leaf Guard. I unfortunately missed with Sleep Powder this time, and Psychic did over half, but Leech Seed got me to the point where Synthesis would JUST get me to full. I used just that, and then she used Psychic for over 2/3 my health. I wasn't quite near half this time, so it must have been a min/max damage thing. I used Synthesis again, as she used Psychic once more. After Leech Seed, I was just over 1/3. Knowing she would heal, I then went for Sleep Powder, which hit, before Leech Seed got me to half. I then decided to switch in Grinder, and she snoozed before Leech Seed got her to 3/4. With the Choice Scarf, I was faster, and Crunch finished her off. Alright, that's a relief! And Windmill grew to Level 51.
Next was Alakazam. After mulling over what to do, I decided to stay in? And she was faster than me anyway and used Reflect. But Grinder decided to say screw you to that and OHKO with a critical hit Crunch.
Lastly was Mr. Mime. I switched in Dwayne, and she used Light Screen. She used Psychic, but I had the Payapa Berry, and it still did over 1/3, so it wasn't of much use there. Shadow Claw did less than half thanks to Reflect. I decided to let Dwayne get sacked off to another Psychic, then I went back to Grinder. I was faster than this one, and Crunch did over half her remaining health while Psychic did JUST over half, as Reflect wore off. Crunch finished her off?also scoring a critical hit just for kicks.

So I got the Marsh Badge and TM48 for Skill Swap, which might be interesting. I left the Gym and healed up. Then I returned to Pewter City so we could head to Mt. Moon. Along the way, I beat a bunch of trainers on Route 3, and then we came to Orchid at the cave's entrance. Sneasel dealt a pretty weak hit to Dwayne with Shadow Claw, and I OHKO'd with Brick Break and grew to Level 51. Then I brought in Marie for Golbat, and after a weak Air Cutter, Thunderbolt left him with 1 HP and used Confuse Ray. I went back to Dwayne again, and Air Cutter got me to 1/4. I finished him. Then he used Alakazam, who finished me off with Psychic. I brought in Grinder, and he used Reflect, so Crunch didn't OHKO. But then he switched into Magneton, but Waterfall didn't do that much. I used Surf, which left him in the red, but he used Thunder Wave. Then he used Supersonic, but I hit through confusion and finished him with Surf. For Meganium, I switched in Test Dummy as he used Light Screen, and he used PoisonPowder, causing my Mirror Coat to do nothing. Then he used Petal Dance, but even then, Mirror Coat didn't OHKO him. Even worse, it activated Overgrow, so he did more damage, but I lived and finished him. He brought in Gengar and finished me with Shadow Ball. I used Windmill, and put him to sleep, then used Leech Seed. And he woke up first turn and used Mean Look. He was sapped, then I hit with Sleep Powder again. I used Giga Drain for a weak hit, then he WOKE UP ON THE FIRST TURN AGAIN and used Confuse Ray!!! Leech Seed brought him to half. At least I hit through it and hit with Sleep Powder again. I hit myself in confusion but he didn't wake up. I hit myself in confusion again, he woke up, and hit hard with Shadow Ball. I hit myself a third turn and he finished me with Shadow Ball. I had to bring in Marie, and he used Confuse Ray, but I hit through confusion and Marie grew to Level 51. Lastly was Alakazam again, who immediately finished me with Psychic. I brought in Sleazy, and he derped and used Disable, so I finished him with Earthquake. God bless.

Then we were on Route 4, and beat those trainers. I then returned to Pewter City, and from there to Viridian Forest, beating a bunch of Bug Catchers, including one with three Metapod that were over Level 50. I arrived in Viridian City, then wasted no time in going down Route 1. There were some trainers there to take (including a Starmie that hit all five of its ****ing Blizzard PP against me), and I made way into Pallet Town. I talked to Professor Oak and quickly headed down the sea routes into Cinnabar Island, beating a bunch of boring Swimmers and Fishermen along the way. After talking to Blue, I went through Route 20, avoiding the trainers there for no real reason. But I couldn't skip the trainers in the Cinnabar Gym, so we took care of them and made our way to Blaine.

I began with Sleazy against Magcargo, and after a Quick Claw that I doubt mattered, Earthquake OHKO'd.
Next was Magmar. He used Sunny Day, but Earthquake OHKO'd that also.
Lastly was Rapidash. I stayed in, and he used Bounce, causing my Yawn to miss?and I got the Quick Claw the one time I didn't want it to!!! He hit with Bounce for 1/5 my health. I got the Quick Claw again, actually working this time, and hit with Yawn. He readied Bounce, but that meant nothing, as I used Protect to block it before he fell asleep (along with ANOTHER unnecessary Quick Claw), and the sunlight faded. I got ANOTHER unnecessary Quick Claw as Earthquake got him into the red. Knowing he would heal, which he did, I used Yawn once more. I used Protect to block his Flare Blitz, then he fell asleep. I switched in Grinder, who had the Choice Scarf, and Waterfall got him into the red, and he snoozed more. He healed, and I got him into the red again. He healed AGAIN, and then I 2HKO'd him for the win.

So I got the Volcano Badge and TM50 for Overheat, which I won't be able to use. I then made my way back to Cinnabar Island, and Blue returned to the Gym upon seeing my eighth badge. I returned to Viridian City and take on the Gym just to see how it'd go at my levels. I beat the trainers, and then it was Gym Leader time. Here goes!

I began with Marie against Exeggutor, and used Blizzard, which had the Choice Specs backing, and OHKO'd. This was my second try, because first time I missed with Blizzard twice in a row and didn't know what to do.
Next came Gyarados?as figured. He got off a pointless Intimidate, and I switched in Sleazy as he used Dragon Dance. He used Waterfall, but Water Absorb caused that to fail, and I used Yawn. I went to Marie again as he used Dragon Dance again before he fell asleep. As he snoozed, Thunderbolt OHKO'd him, thankfully.
Then we had Rhydon. I unfortunately had to switch out, so I brought in Windmill, causing his Earthquake to fail. Giga Drain?left him in the red, and Stone Edge OHKO'd without a critical hit. I brought in Grinder, and as he healed, it meant nothing, as Surf OHKO'd.
Then we had Machamp. I brought in Sleazy, causing his ThunderPunch to fail. He used DynamicPunch, and did a little less than half?so of course I hit myself. Then he finished me. I brought in Test Dummy, and he used Earthquake for less than 1/3 my health?and Counter didn't finish him. Predicting he would heal - which he did - I took the turn to use Safeguard, so no DynamicPunch confusion for you. He used Stone Edge for over 1/3 my remaining health, and Counter left him with 1 HP. He used Stone Edge again, doing basically half my remaining health, before finishing him with Counter.
Afterwards was Arcanine, who got off a pointless Intimidate. I switched in Dwayne, as he used Flare Blitz, which OHKO'd, but he took big recoil damage. I brought in Grinder, and used Waterfall, which?left him in the red. Dragon Pulse did over 1/3 before the Safeguard wore off. He healed again, and Waterfall OHKO'd with a critical hit. Geez, could've used that last turn! But I digress.
Lastly was his Pidgeot. I had to stay in, and used Waterfall, which scored a second critical hit in a row for well over half, but his Sitrus Berry triggered. And Return got me into Torrent range. Waterfall got him in the red, then he finished me. I brought in Marie, and he healed again. My god. Thunderbolt thankfully did over half, while Return did slightly under half my health afterwards then I finished him for the win. Whew!

So I got the Earth Badge and TM92 for Trick Room, which I don't think I can use. I left the Gym, and Oak called asking me to come to his lab. I did just that, and he said he would make arrangements so I could go to Mt. Silver, and gave me HM08 for Rock Climb.

Well, next time we'll have Red to take on. I've got an idea for him, but it might be a crazy one.

(M) "Grinder", Level 53
Stats: 167, 135, 132, 109, 101, 100
Moves: Crunch, Ice Fang, Surf, Waterfall

(F) "Sleazy", Level 53
Ability: Water Absorb
Stats: 188, 113, 124, 84, 85, 68
Moves: Earthquake, Muddy Water, Waterfall, Yawn

(M) "Windmill", Level 53
Ability: Leaf Guard
Stats: 156, 86, 103, 83, 100, 150
Moves: Giga Drain, Leech Seed, Memento, Sleep Powder

(F) "Marie", Level 53
Ability: Poison Point
Stats: 161, 115, 120, 117, 103, 116
Moves: Blizzard, Earth Power, Fire Blast, Thunderbolt

(M) "Dwayne", Level 53
Ability: Guts
Stats: 171, 181, 114, 58, 122, 126
Moves: Aerial Ace, Brick Break, Shadow Claw, Swords Dance

(M) "Test Dummy", Level 52
Stats: 276, 53, 90, 45, 86, 60
Moves: Counter, Destiny Bond, Mirror Coat, Safeguard

So I went back to go through the Wellspring Cave and took care of the trainers there, including the Veteran with six Pok?mon and the Fighting-type trainers. And we went through Route 2, beating a ton of little ones that think they're cool because they spam early game derps. And two Veterans who did some damage. (Also, one of them did EXACTLY 1/3 of Sapphire's health twice.) But I arrived in Accumula Town. There wasn't a lot to do there, so I went through Route 1 and beat some easy trainers before meeting with Professor Juniper in Nuvema Town. Afterwards, I beat some trainers on west Route 1, including a jerk with a Durant that used Guillotine on Circuit. Then I went through Route 18, and there were some strong trainers there, that I can say definitively, particularly a Veteran with a Salamence, and the ones who did Triple and Rotation Battles. But after taking care of some adjustments, I made my way back there, and to the P2 Laboratory, where the Plasma Frigate was, and Colress was waiting in the helm, and challenged me.

I began with Brimstone against Magneton, and he started with Flash Cannon, which knocked me to Sturdy, as I used Earthquake and did the same to him. He healed, and I used Rock Tomb but missed. Then he used Volt Switch, finished me, and went to Rotom. For that, I brought in Pesto. He used Hydro Pump for almost half, but Life Orb drained his health down before my Giga Drain got him near 1/4. Then he burned me with Will-o-Wisp, but I finished him with another Giga Drain.
Afterwards was Magnezone. I stayed in, and he used Flash Cannon to get me into the red, but I got in the Earthquake, but because of burn it did less than half before I was finished off. I brought in Sapphire, and wasted no time in using Aura Sphere to finish him.
Beheeyem came after. I switched for Ashigatana as he used Calm Mind. I went for Waterfall, which did a little over half as Energy Ball OHKO'd. I don't know if Megahorn would have (would've been extremely close). I decided to use Circuit, and ThunderPunch finished him and got Circuit to Level 70.
Klinklang came next in line. I had to stay in, and he used Shift Gear, which is very scary. I had to go for Thunder Wave. Thunderbolt did BARELY over half and popped his balloon as he used Shift Gear again. I had to switch in Icecap, and he used Giga Impact, which?left me in the red? I was faster and used Ice Beam to get him into the red as he recharged. I finished him with another Ice Beam.
Afterwards, we had Metagross. I had to sack off Icecap, but he missed with Meteor Mash, which is pretty interesting, even if my Ice Beam didn't do very much at all. Then he missed with Zen Headbutt (?!?!) and I got him below half. He finally hit with Rock Slide of all things, finishing me. I brought in Circuit and took a Zen Headbutt for over half, but Thunderbolt finished him.
Lastly was Magneton again. If I hadn't missed that Rock Tomb earlier, this would be perfect? But I digress. I had to stay in, and he used Tri Attack, which got me into the red, as I used Superpower for plenty over half. Then he finished me with Flash Cannon, but I brought in Sapphire to finish the job with Close Combat. Whew!

So he talked for a bit and gave me another Master Ball, which is pretty cool, if I do say so myself. I decided that next up would be Morimoto. This was my third try. First time, Brimstone was offed by Liepard without getting to do anything, and second try was going alright but his Swoobat scored two critical hits in a row and left me unable to win.

I began with Circuit against Liepard, and he used Fake Out for a light hit. Then he used Sucker Punch to get me below half before I OHKO'd with Superpower.
Zebstrika came after, and finished me with Giga Impact. I brought in Brimstone, and got the Quick Claw, and Earthquake?didn't OHKO it, as he recharged. I got another Quick Claw as he healed, but I went for Rock Blast and got two hits for around 1/3. Then he used Wild Charge for over 1/3 before I finished him with Earthquake.
Simipour was next in line, and I brought in Pesto to take that. He used Surf for a little bit over 1/4, and then he used Acrobatics for slightly more than that, but he took Rocky Helmet damage. Then Giga Drain?left him with 1 HP!!! And his Petaya Berry activated, but at least I gained health. He used Surf and left me around 1/3, but Earthquake finished him off.
Then we came to Simisear, who immediately finished me with Flamethrower. I brought in Brimstone, and he used Flamethrower for JUST BARELY under half my remaining health?and I missed with Rock Tomb. Then I barely lived his Flamethrower, and Earthquake?LEFT HIM WITH 1 ****ING HIT POINT!!! And his Petaya Berry activated. Mercifully and justly, I got the Quick Claw, which allowed me to finish him with Earthquake.
Simisage came next and immediately finished me with Energy Ball. I brought in Sapphire and took an Energy Ball for over 1/4, and my Ice Punch got him around 1/4, but his Petaya Berry activated. Then he got me near 1/4 as I finished him with another Ice Punch, and Sapphire grew to Level 71.
Swoobat was last and immediately finished me with Psychic. I brought in Ashigatana as he used Psychic for BARELY under half, then Ice Beam got him into the red. I switched in Icecap, and Psychic did over 1/3, then Ice Shard finished him.

So we got that taken care of. Next was Nishino. This was my second try. First I had Circuit who was just about finished, Sapphire at full health, and Ashigatana around 2/3 and burned by Flamethrower against Alomomola, who I totally forgot was his last one. And he stalled me out because I thought an Aqua Jet would finish off Circuit from the health he was at, but then I switched him into an Aqua Jet only for that to not be the case, and he used it again. I couldn't do anything afterwards.

I began with Brimstone against Clefable. I got the Quick Claw to kick things off and use Stone Edge?for slightly under half as he used Cosmic Power then got Leftovers. Then I got a second Quick Claw?and Stone Edge scored a critical hit to say screw you to his Cosmic Power boost and finish him. And Brimstone grew to Level 70.
Azumarill was next. I switched to Pesto as he used Aqua Tail for a weak hit and took Rocky Helmet damage, but Leftovers healed a bit of that up. Then he used Double-Edge, and got me to half, but he took big recoil from both that and Rocky Helmet damage, then I used Tickle to cut his stats. He used another Double Edge and left me with less than 1/3, but he was below half with all that recoil, and I used Giga Drain to get above half and finish him.
Then we had Lickilicky, who immediately hit with Blizzard and finished me. I brought in Ashigatana and used Surf for not that much at all, and he used Power Whip to get me short of 1/3. I switched in Sapphire as he used Power Whip again for 1/6. Even after two round of Leftovers, I used Close Combat to finish him.
Snorlax was next up. I switched in Brimstone as he used Superpower, which did roughly 2/3 my health. Then he used it again and finished me, but now his physical stats were halved. I brought in Circuit and used Superpower, which slammed him.
Following was Wigglytuff. I switched in Icecap as he used Hyper Voice for over 1/3. Then he used Flamethrower?which did over half my total health and got me into the red, as I used Mirror Coat, which got him below half. Then I used Ice Beam to finish him. And Circuit reached Level 71.
Lastly was that stupid Alomomola. Time for revenge! I stayed in as he used Wish, while my Ice Beam did around 1/5. Then I switched to Ashigatana as he used Wish again for whatever reason and was healed to full. He used Aqua Jet for a very weak hit as I got in Toxic. Ha, have a taste of your own medicine! Then he used Aqua Jet again and got me into the red, but I used Surf for a decent hit. Toxic got him near half. I switched out for Circuit, as he used Wish again, then he used it AGAIN for whatever reason. Thunderbolt finished him. That was significantly simpler.

I also did the second battle against Hugh in Driftveil City. I was higher leveled, so I don't really have anything to say there. But I will say that it felt quite cathartic watching his Unfezant U-Turn into his Serperior only to get frozen by Ashigatana's Ice Beam. B)

And I decided to have a try against Cynthia, even though my entire team was Level 70/71. But I thought, hey, may as well go for it, right???

This took quite a few tries. First time was getting off to a promising start against Spiritomb, but it went significantly downhill and came down to Gigalith vs Glaceon both at full health, and after getting her low with two Stone Edges when she used Barrier twice, I just had to hit Rock Blast more than two times? And I hit twice and she lived with 1 HP. It was the most infuriating thing ever. I was so mad when I lost that fight. Unfortunately, I lost the long notes of the battle that I won thanks to me typing it up on a crappy program (I thought it had the notes saved on Clipboard, but apparently not). But here was a quick rundown of how it went:

Spiritomb was handled by some Water-type shenanigans from Ashigatana, even if it hit with Hypnosis twice. I woke up first turn both times (the first was after she used her Full Restore) and was able to handle her even though her evasion boosts.
Lucario finished off Ashigatana with Close Combat, did over half to Pesto with Flash Cannon and was OHKO'd with Earthquake.
Milotic finished off Pesto with Blizzard, and although it used Attract on Circuit, I hit hard with ThunderPunch, then as she used Rest I switched in Sapphire to get rid of the Attract, then I brought in Circuit again and she used Rest after I hit her with ThunderPunch, leaving her prone to a 2HKO right there.
For Garchomp, I switched Brimstone into a Dragon Rush for just barely under half, and I got the Quick Claw and used Stealth Rock before she finished me with Earthquake. Icecap took over 2/3 from Fire Blast but slammed her with an Ice Beam.
Togekiss took Stealth Rock damage and a little bit from Ice Shard, but did less than half to Circuit with Aura Sphere and was finished with ThunderPunch.
Glaceon took Stealth Rock damage and finished Circuit with Ice Beam, but Sapphire finished her with Aura Sphere for the win.

So we took care of that! I hadn't done Clay Tunnel at the time of this typing, but there's not much there except a bit of last minute EXP. I'll get to the Elite Four rematches soon.

Important trainers:
[X] Alder
[X] N's Zekrom
[X] Shadow Triad
[X] Hugh in Undella Town
[X] Hugh in Driftveil City
[X] Colress
[X] Morimoto
[X] Nishino
[X] Cynthia

[] Elite Four rematches

(M) ?Ashigatana?, Level 71
Nature: Hardy
Stats: 244, 193, 141, 171, 108, 128
Moves: Ice Beam, Megahorn, Surf, Waterfall

(M) ?Sapphire?, Level 72
Ability: Steadfast
Stats: 214, 211, 137, 187, 128, 144
Moves: Aura Sphere, Close Combat, Dark Pulse, Ice Punch

(M) ?Brimstone?, Level 70
Nature: Hardy
Stats: 220, 228, 208, 117, 117, 74
Moves: Rock Blast, Rock Tomb, Stealth Rock, Stone Edge

(M) ?Icecap?, Level 70
Stats: 200, 107, 202, 218, 158, 126
Moves: Ice Beam, Ice Shard, Icy Wind, Mirror Coat

(M) ?Circuit?, Level 71
Nature: Serious
Stats: 226, 200, 132, 178, 142, 108
Moves: Superpower, Thunderbolt, ThunderPunch, Thunder Wave

(F) ?Pesto?, Level 71
Ability: Chlorophyll
Stats: 248, 179, 184, 176, 112, 92
Moves: Earthquake, Giga Drain, Power Whip, Tickle

Badges: 8

The rest of the run went super great. Because I got my whole team so early, they really settled into a groove and got their movesets figured out pretty quick. It also meant they were getting levels really quick, but I turned off the Exp Share before it got tooooo obscene. Medicham was definitely the star of the run, totally OP.

The best part of the whole run was seeing Diantha's Mega Gardevoir get utterly stomped by a Wormadam. Worth.

Hall of Fame picture

The Team:

Cheniselle the Wormadam [Trash Cloak], Lv. 67 @ Rocky Helmet
Anticipation
-Psychic
-Iron Head
-Bug Bite
-Hidden Power (Ice)

Reptincel the Charizard, Lv. 68 @ Leftovers
Blaze
-Dragon Claw
-Air Slash
-Flamethrower
-Smokescreen

Charmina the Medicham, Lv. 70 @ King's Rock
Pure Power
-Thunder Punch
-Bulk Up
-Zen Headbutt
-High Jump Kick

Rexillus the Tyrantrum, Lv. 67 @ Expert Belt
Strong Jaw
-Crunch
-Draco Meteor
-Rock Slide
-Earthquake

?crapince the Crawdaunt, Lv. 66 @ Quick Claw
Hyper Cutter
-Ice Beam
-Crunch
-Crabhammer
-Swords Dance

HM Buddies:
Hawlucha- Fly, Cut, Strength, Rock Smash
Bibarel- Surf, Waterfall

Previous Members:

Badges: 3

Nothing unusual to report. My overabundance of grass types has yet to be an issue. It was pretty nice to get four whole team members before the first gym. Getting one of those hidden Lotads with Teeter Dance was particularly sweet. Dustox learning Venoshock so early was a nice suprise for me.

Team:

Mawile the Grovyle, Lv. 22
Overgrow
-Fury Cutter
-Leer
-Mega Drain
-Pursuit

Venomoth the Dustox, Lv. 21
Shield Dust
-Confusion
-Gust
-Venoshock
-Poison Powder

Spinda the Lombre, Lv. 21
Swift Swim
-Teeter Dance
-Echoed Voice
-Rock Smash
-Bubble

Shiinotic the Breloom, Lv. 24
Effect Spore
-Mega Drain
-Headbutt
-Mach Punch
-Leech Seed


HM Buddy:
Zigzagoon- Cut, Rock Smash

Saved at the end of the first island.

Not gonna lie, this first island was pretty rough. Having only a Ledyba/Ledian be the only mon to support Litten/Torracat did not give even remotely sufficient coverage. Have Reflect for the Hala fight /kind of/ made it worth it though. Having said all that, it'll never be as rough as having to solo Falkner with a Ledian like I had to do in HG/SS.

Just caught our Rockruff after the grand trial, so things should start to go a bit more smoothly here soon.

Team:

Liepard the Torracat, Lv. 18
Blaze
-Acrobatics
-Fire Fang
-Work Up
-Lick

Accelgor the Ledian, Lv. 18
Early Bird
-Brick Break
-Reflect
-Acrobatics
-Light Screen

Lunatone the Rockruff, Lv. 13
Vital Spirit
-Leer
-Sand Attack
-Bite
-Howl

Alright, so, long story short: I got my entire team to Level 75. For a quick recap of how easy everyone was to train up:
Marie was definitely the easiest. I got her up many levels thanks to rematching Firebreather Walt on Route 35 multiple times. In the time I had, I was able to get her to Level 68. The next day, I got Blaine's number and rematched him many times to finish the job.
Next was Grinder. That same Monday, I kept spamming battling Camper Tanner on Route 13. I also got him to Level 68 that same Monday. Then I used Blaine to finish up with him.
After I was all done with Marie and Grinder, I tried to have Sleazy up next in line. But I figured she was too low level at the time to fight Blaine on her own, so I trained in Moltres' chamber in Mt. Silver against a bunch of Steelix to get her up to Level 59. Then she was able to fight Blaine and get EXP easier, though later on I gave Windmill the Exp. Share to make getting him to catch up easier.
For Windmill, I had to be strategic since he only had one real attack. For some of my fights with Blaine I gave the Exp. Share so he would leech off a bit of the EXP on the way to getting Marie and Grinder to the top. Once they were both Level 75, he was Level 64. I then trained him in Moltres' chamber in Mt. Silver for a bit (because you can find Steelix there). And once he and Sleazy were near each other in levels, I gave him the Exp. Share, and once Sleazy was Level 75, he wasn't far behind at all so a quick round in Mt. Silver had him there.
For Dwayne, most of his EXP was against School Kid Alan on Route 36. His final team gives 7.83k, so he did give a lot of levels within a ton of rematches.
Lastly was Test Dummy, who I put in the Day-Care again for a while. I used most of my Rare Candies on him, but once Dwayne was Level 73 and Test Dummy was Level 56, I took him out of the Day-Care and used as many Kelpsy and Hondew Berries on him as I could, then EV trained him against some Tentacruel and Graveler with both the Macho Brace and Pokérus just to give him a last minute boost. I also found every Rare Candy in the game and used them to finish the job.

After finding two Heart Scales, I used my first to teach Close Combat to Dwayne, then went and got him burned against a wild Vulpix to trigger Guts. I also decided to just teach Rain Dance to Sleazy with the TM instead of wasting more time, since there was an idea I had planned.

Afterwards, I decided to try a combination of moves between my last Heart Scale for Windmill, and my needing Rock Climb to even get to Red. And with all my preparations done, I scaled the mountain and was ready. Alright, let's do this!

This took five tries. I really underestimated how little I had for both the Venusaur and the Blastoise beyond Wobbuffet. I had one run in particular that was just awful. The run after that was looking very promising, but then his Charizard avoided Sleep Powder from Windmill, then OHKO'd Grinder with a critical hit Air Slash. I was seriously on the verge of losing my mind after that. But here was the winning run!

I began with Marie against Pikachu, and he opened the battle with an Iron Tail, only to miss while I OHKO'd with Earth Power. The hail was there, though, so I was taking damage.
Next was Lapras. I decided to stay in and use Superpower, which did less than half (around 38% or so) and cut my stats before he KO'd me with Blizzard. I brought in Grinder, and Superpower finished him off (I had the Expert Belt backing), but it did cut my stats.
Then we had Venusaur. I brought in Windmill, only for him to use Sleep Powder, and successfully hit. Then he KO'd me with Sludge Bomb. Despite not wanting to, I switched in Dwayne, and used Megahorn, which KO'd him like it deserved.
But of course we can't have nice things, so Charizard was next. I switched in Sleazy, who took just under half from Air Slash, but the hail was enough to make it a 2HKO. But I got in the Quick Claw (!!!) and managed to use Rain Dance to get rid of the hail, and he finished me with Air Slash, but that's fine. Right??? I brought in Grinder, and he used Air Slash for JUST under half, oddly, but Waterfall slammed him thanks to the rain and the Expert Belt. Alright, no complaints there.
Following that was Blastoise. I brought in Test Dummy, and he hit with Focus Blast for a pretty weak hit - 1/10 my health, not helped by my Leftovers recovery. He used Blizzard and I still had over 3/4 my health left, while Mirror Coat did over half but kept him out of Torrent range. And on that note, he used Hydro Cannon, but missed, so my Mirror Coat failed, and the rain stopped. He used Hydro Cannon, which brought me below half, but Mirror Coat finished him.
Lastly was Snorlax. Juggling between what to anticipate, I decided to stay in and use Counter - and I was right, because he used Crunch, which got me into the red, and lowered my Defense no less. But Counter got him into healing range, which I wasn't thrilled about. He healed, and my Mirror Coat failed, but Leftovers brought me above 1/4. He used Crunch, which finished me off. I brought in Dwayne. Wanting this to be special, I used Megahorn, which got him into the red as he used Blizzard, which didn't do that much, but I was taking hail damage. He healed, but I hit with Megahorn again. He didn't heal, and I hit with Megahorn again, and even scored a critical hit to top it off. I really wanted Grinder to be the one to finish it, which is why I didn't use a Fighting-type attack, but I'll take it either way.

And there you have it!

(M) "Grinder", Level 75
Stats: 234, 192, 188, 152, 142, 142
Moves: Hydro Cannon, Rock Climb, Superpower, Waterfall

(F) "Sleazy", Level 75
Ability: Water Absorb
Stats: 262, 158, 173, 117, 119, 94
Moves: Earthquake, Protect, Rain Dance, Yawn

(M) "Windmill", Level 75
Ability: Leaf Guard
Stats: 217, 120, 144, 116, 140, 211
Moves: Bounce, Leech Seed, Memento, Sleep Powder

(F) "Marie", Level 75
Ability: Poison Point
Stats: 223, 161, 168, 164, 143, 163
Moves: Captivate, Earth Power, Superpower, Thunderbolt

(M) "Dwayne", Level 75
Ability: Guts
Stats: 238, 255, 160, 79, 171, 178
Moves: Brick Break, Close Combat, Megahorn, Swords Dance

(M) "Test Dummy", Level 52
Stats: 396, 67, 137, 55, 160, 84
Moves: Counter, Destiny Bond, Mirror Coat, Safeguard

Badges: 6

Things are still going pretty smooth. Trapinch/Vibrava has been a little annoying to catch up to the rest of the team since Trapinch's defense were so low, but it's been fairly worth it, since they've come in clutch in both the Norman (Dig to dunk on Slaking) and Winona (only thing not weak to flying; clutch Dragonbreath crit on Altaria) fights. Getting Hidden Power Electric on Dustox was also a sweet pickup, otherwise Winona's Skarmory would have been much more of a pain.

Team:

Mawile the Sceptile @ Sceptilite, Lv. 38
Overgrow / Lightingrod
-Slam
-Dual Chop
-Leaf Blade
-Pursuit

Venomoth the Dustox, Lv. 37
Shield Dust
-Hidden Power (Electric)
-Bug Buzz
-Venoshock
-Light Screen

Spinda the Lombre, Lv. 35
Swift Swim
-Teeter Dance
-Uproar
-Rock Smash
-Surf

Shiinotic the Breloom, Lv. 36
Effect Spore
-Mega Drain
-Headbutt
-Force Palm
-Leech Seed

Yanma the Vibrava, Lv. 38
Levitate
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-Dragon Breath
-Crunch

HM Buddy:
Latias- Cut, Fly

Just spent the whole of last night trying to beat Gardenia, ended up running out of money and healing items so I was using her Turtwig and Cherrim to train up my Gyarados to get it Dragon Rage to 2HKO all of her team on the next run, now it should be easier. Now to take on Team Galactic in Eterna City.

Names all come from the Descendants franchise

Gil
Level: 20
Nature: Sassy
Ability: Mould Breaker
Moveset: Focus Energy, Pursuit, Take Down, Scary Face


Carlos
Level: 22
Nature: Gentle
Ability: Rivalry
Moveset: Tackle, Bite, Charge, Spark


Harry Hook@Exp. Share
Level: 23
Nature: Brave
Ability: Torrent
Moveset: Pound, Peck, BubbleBeam, Metal Claw


Uma
Level: 23
Nature: Na?ve
Ability: Intimidate
Moveset: Splash, Tackle, Bite, Dragon Rage

HM Slave

Moveset: Tackle, Rock Smash, Cut

I've been getting really into this challenge, so I cleared the Galactic building in Eterna City, I caught a Gible in Wayward Cave and made my way over to Hearthome City where I took on the coolness contest and placed 1st as well as collecting the Eevee that Bebe gives you, I will be evolving him into Glaceon because I don't need another water type and it gives me another answer to dragon types. Anyways, beat Fantina first time with Gil landing a lucky crit with Assurance to KO her Mismagius. Beat my rival and then headed on to Solaceon Town, got Defog and caught a Staravia for a Fly slave. Made my way to Veilstone City did some stuff in the Game Corner and bought Fire Blast for my Gabite. Then I took on the gym and managed to beat Maylene fairly easily. Dealt with Team Galactic and got Fly, now I am making my way down to Pastoria City.

Gil
Level: 26
Moveset: Focus Energy, Pursuit, Assurance, Scary Face


Mal
Level: 27
Nature: Lonely
Ability: Sand Veil
Moveset: Sand Tomb, Dragon Breath, Shadow Claw, Fire Blast


Harry Hook
Level: 28
Moveset: Defog, Peck, BubbleBeam, Metal Claw


Uma
Level: 26
Moveset: Payback, Tackle, Bite, Dragon Rage


Carlos
Level: 26
Moveset: Tackle, Bite, Shock Wave, Spark


Ben
Level: 26
Nature: Serious
Ability: Adaptability
Moveset: Tackle, Return, Quick Attack, Growl

HM Slaves

Rock Smash, Cut


Fly

Saved right after Olivia.

This island definitely was a lot more smooth than the first. The team is almost all together, just one more bro to pick up on the next island. Bringing in Veni/Whirli/Scolipede through Island Scan was defnitely a solid choice, he's a beast.

The only really awkward fight was having to wait out Totem Lurantis' Sunny Day boosted Syntheses. Everything else went fine.

P.S. Acrobatics is a bonkers move to have access to this early in the game. OP

Team:

Liepard the Torracat, Lv. 30
Blaze
-Acrobatics
-Fire Fang
-Leech Life
-Bite

Accelgor the Ledian, Lv. 31
Early Bird
-Silver Wind
-Reflect
-Acrobatics
-Hidden Power (Grass)

Lunatone the Lycanroc, Lv. 29 @ Hard Stone
Vital Spirit
-Rock Tomb
-Bulk Up
-Bite
-Hidden Power (Fighting)

Donphan the Scolipede, Lv. 30 @ Poison Barb
Swarm
-Bug Bite
-Pursuit
-Iron Defense
-Poison Tail

Rapidash the Goldeen, Lv. 27 @ Eviolite
Swift Swim
-Aqua Ring
-Scald
-Fury Attack
-Smart Strike

Braviary the Fletchinder, Lv. 28
Flame Body
-Thief
-Acrobatics
-Work Up
-Flame Charge

Run Complete! (Hall of Fame)

Nothing major to report, everything went smooth for the rest of the game. Didn't feel overleveled either.

Xatu slid in perfectly to the team as a replacement for Dustox. Really good, needed coverage for a lot of the teams weaknesses.

E4 was super fine. No major crises and no excessive healing needed. Ludiocolo really pulled their weight throughout, something they hadn't really done the rest of the run, so that was nice.

Team:

Mawile the Sceptile @ Sceptilite, Lv. 56
Overgrow / Lightingrod
-Night Slash
-Dual Chop
-Leaf Blade
-X-Scissor

Spinda the Ludicolo, Lv. 56
Swift Swim
-ice Beam
-Grass Knot
-Brick Break
-Surf

Shiinotic the Breloom, Lv. 56
Effect Spore
-Seed Bomb
-Return
-Sky Uppercut
-Bulk Up

Yanma the Vibrava, Lv. 56
Levitate
-Earthquake
-Flamethrower
-Dragon Claw
-Crunch

Noctowl the Xatu, Lv. 56
Syncronize
-Dazzling Gleam
-Confuse Ray
-Air Slash
-Psychic


HM Buddies:
Latias- Cut, Fly, Soar
Wailmer- Waterfall, Strength, Rock Smash, Dive