6th Gen Travel Journal

[OffRoadSP]

I've finally started my playthrough of ORAS, so, I plan on continuing the story from the XY Travel Journal thread. As I've done since Diamond & Pearl, I'll write it as though I'm actually experiencing it, in a blend of real world/fictional world crossover. As such, since I've gone through Ruby & Sapphire, I'm changing certain elements of the story to make sense for the continuing saga. I try to keep it interesting that way. But, at it's core, it's still a story of my playthroughs. As soon as I saw the opening of the game I was excited, so off we go!

October 27, 2015

"The train from Couriway Town is leaving!" yelled Sina. "Steve, you're going to be late!"

"Ok, ok!" I shouted back as I was running from the Pokémon Center towards the train station. I was taking a train to a local airstrip that would fly me to the Hoenn region.

"This is the guy who took down Team Flare?" Dexio mocked.

"Funny, guys," I said as I was catching my breath. I looked over at the train in front of me. "So, you guys will take care of my Pokémon until I'm ready to have them sent over?"

"Don't worry!" assured Sina. "Cubone, Wingull, Pancham, and Delibird are in good hands."

"Thanks!" I said as I boarded the nearby train that was leaving. "I owe you both! Thanks for everything while I was in Kalos!"

The train pulled away, as Sina and Dexio waved. Then Dexio glanced at the schedule board next to him.

"Um… Sina? I think that was the wrong train…"


"Thank you for letting me ride in the back of your moving truck," I said gratefully. Having ended up in the complete wrong location, I found someone who was moving to the Hoenn region who was going to help me out by giving me a ride.

The ride was long and bumpy. I decided to look over a map of Hoenn while I waited. It's been a decade since I was in the Hoenn region, and I couldn't be more excited to go back. It was the region that introduced me to Pokémon Contests, and where I discovered how much I enjoyed being a Pokémon Coordinator. I definitely plan on entering my Pokémon in contests once I get going. And of course, I want to catch all the Pokémon in Hoenn and defeat the Elite Four, like I did over 10 years ago.

My first objective was to visit Professor Birch at his lab in Littleroot Town. The truck stopped in Oldale Town, where I got out and thanked the driver before he left for Vendanturf Town.

I walked south out of Oldale Town. Ah, Route 101 of Hoenn! I saw some familiar sights as several Poochyena, Zigzagoon, and Wurmple darted in and out of the tall grass. I knew it was a short walk to reach Littleroot Town from here. As I got closer to the town, I heard someone screaming.

"Help!" came the cry. As I ran towards the commotion, I saw a Poochyena chasing a man in lab coat.

"Seriously, is this how we're meeting again?" I said with a smirk as I crossed my arms.

"Hey, if it isn't Steve!" the man said as he continued to run from the Pokémon. "Um, any chance you can…?"

"Don't worry, professor, I got this." I reached for my Poké Balls. "Wingull, I choose… oh, wait, I don't have my Pokémon!"

"Blaziken, use Fire Pledge!" came a voice. The powerful flaming attack scared off the Poochyena. I turned to see who it was.

"May!" I shouted as she greeted me with a hug. "It's been a long time. Your Blaziken is looking good!"

"Thanks," May replied. "You weren't the only one getting stronger after all these years."

"Thank you both," said Professor Birch. "Let's head back to my lab, shall we?"

When we got to the lab, Professor Birch, May, and I caught up on what we've been doing over the last decade. Professor Birch has still been studying Pokémon habitats and distribution… usually first hand, which gets him in trouble, like with the Poochyena.

"So, Professor Birch," I began. "I was thinking of starting a journey here in Hoenn. I'm sure things have changed in the last few years."

"I think I can help with that," the professor stated. He started typing on his computer. "I received data from Bridgette and Professor Sycamore in Kalos regarding the Pokémon you caught there. You caught 453? That's impressive!"

"Thanks," I said. "It took quite a long time. I found four alternately-colored Pokémon, too. They helped me win the Kalos League."

"That's great! Well, if I take the data from Kalos and load it into this Hoenn Pokédex, let's see," Birch inserted the Hoenn Pokédex into the computer. "Amazing! It seems like you're going to be off to a great start, because you've already obtained 142 Pokémon in Kalos that are also native to Hoenn!"

"Wow. I wasn't expecting that many," I had a shocked look on my face. "Well, I'll focus on catching the other… how many are there now?"

"We've discovered a few new evolutions of Pokémon," interjected May. "So 208, not counting a few legendary and mythical Pokémon."

"I'll focus on those," I then turned to Professor Birch. "Professor Sycamore said you found an alternately colored Beldum with what you think might be a Mega Stone, is that true?"

"Yes, and I sent it to him to study, and he said it is indeed Metagrossite!" the professor responded excitedly. "I've never seen Mega Evolution. Did you find Pokémon that could Mega Evolve in Kalos?"

"Oh, I sure did! The Pokémon I had that could Mega Evolve were Lucario, Aerodactyl, Pinsir, Heracross, Venusaur, Blastoise, Ampharos, Charizard, which actually had two Mega Evolutions, Gengar, Abomasnow, and even the legendary Mewtwo."

"The only two of those Pokémon that are native to Hoenn are Pinsir and Heracross," May observed.

"Well, Professor Sycamore said there are probably others," I added. "Before I left Kalos, he said some of the other trainers had discovered Mega Evolutions for Alakazam, Kangaskhan, Gyarados, Scizor, Houndoom, Tyranitar, Gardevoir, Mawile, Aggron, Medicham, Manectric, Banette, Absol, and Garchomp. I had all of those Pokémon, but never found the Mega Stones needed to Mega Evolve them."

"Well, at least more of those are familiar," said May.

"There's also one you might be interested in, May," I motioned towards her Blaziken. "Professor Sycamore found a Torchic with a Mega Stone. Torchic aren't typically native to Kalos, but he said the stone was definitely Blazikenite."

"My Blaziken can Mega Evolve?" May exclaimed. "I have to see that!"

After chatting a bit more, Professor Birch presented me with two Poké Balls. "A new trainer already stopped by earlier today and chose Torchic as her starter Pokémon. But you are welcome to have these two."

"Thanks, professor!" I sent out the two Pokémon, and scanned them with the Hoenn Pokédex the professor gave me.

"Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokémon. Treecko have small hooks on the bottom of their feet that enable them to scale vertical walls. They are cool, calm, and collected, and do not panic under any situation. They attack by slamming foes with their thick tail. If bigger foes were to glare at them, they would glare right back without conceding an inch of ground."

"Mudkip, the Mud Fish Pokémon. Mudkip breathe in water using the gills on their cheeks. The fin on their head acts as highly sensitive radar. Using this fin to sense movements of water and air, they can determine what is taking place around them without using their eyes. If they are faced with a tight situation in battle, they will unleash their amazing power, which is crush rocks bigger than themselves."

143. Treecko

144. Mudkip

"This should help me get started," I said.

One of the professor's assistants came running in, saying that some of the Pokémon eggs in the lab were ready to hatch. One of the eggs hatched into a Torchic! Another egg nearby started to glow. It was separated from the others. Professor Birch said the unusual Beldum he mentioned earlier was staying at his lab for a while, and one day he discovered an egg near it. We watched as the egg hatched into a Beldum! The professor said I could have them both for my journey. I think I'm more than ready now!

"Torchic, the Chick Pokémon. Torchic stick with their trainers, following behind with unsteady steps. They have a place in their body where they keep their flame. They will glow with warmth when hugged. They are covered all over by a fluffy coat of down. They breathe fire of over 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, including fireballs that leave the foe scorched black."

"Beldum, the Iron Ball Pokémon. Beldum keep themselves floating by generating a magnetic force that repels earth's natural magnetism. Instead of blood, this magnetic force courses throughout their body. They communicate with others by sending controlled pulses of magnetism. When they sleep, they anchor themselves to cliffs using the hooks on their rear."

145. Torchic

146. Beldum

The professor also gave me a device called a PokéNav Plus. It's apparently a new and improved version of the PokéNav I used the first time I was in Hoenn. May accompanied me to Route 101 and demonstrated how it works. The DexNav app can detect nearby Pokémon and can even identify if rare Pokémon with special moves are hidden nearby. For example, it identified a Poochyena that knew Fire Fang, which a wild Poochyena doesn't typically know. I can't wait to toy around with that some more! Poochyena was already registered in my Pokédex, since I caught one in Kalos. However, I scanned a nearby Wurmple, since I didn't see those in Kalos!

"Wurmple, the Worm Pokémon. Wurmple are targeted by Swellow as prey. They will try to resist by pointing the spikes on their rear at the attacking predator. They will weaken the foe by leaking poison from the spikes. These spikes also allow them to peel the bark off trees and feed on the sap that oozes out. Their feet are tipped with suction pads that allow them to cling to glass without slipping."

We continued on through Oldale Town, exploring a bit of Route 103, then moving on to Route 102, where I battled few Pokémon trainers to give my new Pokémon some battle experience. I told May I was going to stay in Oldale Town for a bit. She said she was going on to Petalburg City. Before she left though, we saw some Beautifly flutter overhead!

"Beautifly, the Butterfly Pokémon, and a final evolved form of Wurmple. Beautifly have a long mouth like a coiled needle, which is very convenient for collecting pollen from flowers. This sweet pollen is their favorite food. They ride the spring winds as they flirt around gathering pollen. If you leave a potted flower by an open window, they are sure to be drawn to it."

I stayed at the Pokémon Center, leaving my young Pokémon with Nurse Joy to examine. Meanwhile, I plotted out my course for my journey through Hoenn.

 

[OffRoadSP]

October 28, 2015

I did a little late night exploring on Route 101. The DexNav started beeping loudly almost immediately. Apparently there was a fairly high level Poochyena nearby. It knew the move Astonish and apparently got a one-star ranking for its potential. I figured, what the heck? I caught it, and sent it to Professor Birch's lab.

After a lot of thinking (I've actually been considering this for months), this is how I will approach my Hoenn journey. I'm going to break my Pokémon into two teams. Treecko and Torchic will be the starting pair for Team Ruby, while Mudkip and Beldum will start Team Sapphire. I'll try to catch Pokémon as evenly as possible between the two teams.

So I left Mudkip and Beldum in Professor Birch's care for now, and took Team Ruby out to Route 101. We came across a wild Wurmple. I tossed a Poké Ball and caught it, making it the third Pokémon on my team!

147. Wurmple

I explored a bit of Route 103 also, and the DexNav kept finding rare Pokémon. I actually caught two Wingull to send to the professor, one that knows Brine, and one that knows Mist.

Once I woke up in the morning, I left Oldale Town and explored Route 103. At one point, the DexNav helped me find a Seedot! And this one was special, because it could use the move Bullet Seed! I tossed a Poké Ball and caught it, making it the fourth member of Team Ruby.

"Seedot, the Acorn Pokémon. Seedot look exactly like acorns when they are dangling from tree branches. They attach to the branch using the top of their head. They startle other Pokémon by suddenly moving. They suck moisture from the tree through the branch, and the more water they drink, the glossier their bodies become. They polish their bodies once a day using leaves."

148. Seedot

I continued to explore the route, resisting the urge to catch every Pokémon I found with a special move, because I would quickly run out of Poké Balls if I didn't. I did catch a Ralts that could use Grudge, but it took more Poké Balls than I would have liked.

I finally reached Petalburg City! I know there's a gym here, but I would like to train my team a bit more before I challenge any gym. I remembered a kid named Wally lived here, and how I helped him catch a Ralts many years back. I wonder if he's still on a journey somewhere.


Later in the afternoon, I left Petalburg City and headed west onto Route 104. Nothing too new was here; there were some wild Zigzagoon, Poochyena, Wingull, and Taillow living on this coastal route. I battled some trainers here as well. After a battle with a trainer's Seedot, my Wurmple finally evolved! I was anticipating what it would evolve into, and it looks like this one is a Silcoon!

"Silcoon, the Cocoon Pokémon, and an evolved form of Wurmple. Silcoon were thought to endure hunger and not consume anything before evolution. However, it is now thought that they slake their thirst by drinking rainwater that collects on their silk. They tether themselves to tree branches using silk to keep from falling. They hang there quietly, peering out of the silk cocoons through small holes."

149. Silcoon

I made my way into Petalburg Woods, where my DexNav went off and I caught a Slakoth! This is the first Slakoth I saw since the one I caught way back in the Dream World when I was in Unova.

"Slakoth, the Slacker Pokémon. Slakoth loll around for over 20 hours a day. Because they move so little, they do not need much food, and their heart beats just once a minute. Their sole daily meal consists of just three leaves. They are content to loaf around motionless, and it is rare to see them in motion."

150. Slakoth

Since that brings Team Ruby up to five members, I decided it was time to switch. Before I left the woods though, right outside the north end of the woods on Route 104, my DexNav went off. I found a ridiculously high level Wurmple. I caught it, and what's interesting is that it also has a high potential to develop its special defense. It was another Pokémon to send to Professor Birch.

When I finally reached the Pokémon Center in Petalburg City, I sent Team Ruby to the professor, and asked him to send me my Mudkip and Beldum. Time to work a little bit with Team Sapphire!

I went out to Route 102, and eventually found a powerful wild Surskit. It was very high level, and had a two-star potential… how could I not catch it? So I did, and found out its highest stat potential was in special attack, and then either hit points or speed. I think I need to turn the DexNav off if I want to get anything done…

I eventually found what I was looking for: another Wurmple! I caught it, making it the third member of Team Sapphire. Then I went out to Route 204 to do some training, and it quickly evolved into what I had hoped, a Cascoon!

"Cascoon, the Cocoon Pokémon, and an evolved form of Wurmple. Cascoon make a protective cocoon by wrapping their body entirely with a fine silk from their mouth. Once the silk goes around their body, it hardens. If attacked, they remain motionless however badly they may be hurt, because if they were to move, it could make their body weak upon evolution. But they will not forget the pain endured, and prepare for evolution inside the cocoon."

151. Cascoon

I then entered Petalburg Forest, battling wild Pokémon along the way, and soon ran into a Pokémon I haven't seen in quite a long time. I scanned it with the Pokédex.

"Shroomish, the Mushroom Pokémon. Shroomish live in damp soil in the dark depths of forests. They are often found keeping still under fallen leaves. If they sense danger, they shake their body and scatter spores from the top of their head. These spores are so toxic, they make trees and weeds wilt. They feed on compost that is made up of fallen, rotted leaves."

As I continued to explore the forest, I found a high-level wild Slakoth that knows Crush Claw. It knocked out my Beldum, so I caught it to send to Professor Birch. Seriously, I need to stop catching all these extra Pokémon.

October 29, 2015

Shortly after midnight, I finally found and caught a Shroomish in Petalburg Woods! The little bugger took two Poké Balls to capture.

152. Shroomish

I then returned to the Pokémon Center in Petalburg City, where I sent off my four Pokémon, and had my five Pokémon from Team Ruby sent back over to me. I think for the rest of the night before I go to bed, I'm just going to play with the DexNav over on Route 102.

In the morning, I continued on the path through Route 104, picking up a Wailmer Pail along the way to help water any berried I may grow. Then I finally reached Rustboro City.

October 30, 2015

I explored a little bit of Rustboro City, then started to prepare for my first Hoenn gym battle! Since the Rustboro Gym is a rock-type gym, I figured I was in good shape with two grass-type Pokémon on my team. So I took Treecko and Seedot out for some training!

 

[OffRoadSP]

October 31, 2015

Rustboro Gym Challenge
Vs Roxanne

"Welcome back to my gym, Steve!" Roxanne greeted as I entered the gym. "It's been quite a long time."

"Hi, Roxanne!" I said back. "I figured today would be a good day to challenge your gym, since the Trainer School would be closed!"

"Yes, and I will gladly accept your challenge," she responded. "Let's see how much you learned over the years, shall we?"

One of her student interns was the judge for the match. "This Rustboro Gym battle will be a two on two battle. The challenger may substitute Pokémon, the gym leader may not. Let the battle begin!"

"Ok, Seedot, you're up first!" I called on my first Pokémon.

"This strategy looks familiar," Roxanne commented. "But it did work for you last time. Geodude, I choose you!"

"Seedot, use Bullet Seed!" The super-effective attack landed, and because of the multiple hits, it overcame Geodude's ability of Sturdy!

"Geodude is unable to battle," the judge called. "Seedot wins!"

"Geodude, return," Roxanne called back her Pokémon. "I'm impressed, I haven't seen a Seedot that can use Bullet Seed in quite some time. Now try this Pokémon. Nosepass, I choose you!"

"Nosepass, I figured as much," I muttered. "Seedot, return, you did a great job out there. Ok, Treecko, maximize!"

"Now that's a Pokémon I'm used to seeing in this gym," commented Roxanne.

"Here we go, Treecko!" I yelled enthusiastically. "Use Mega Drain!"

"I expected as much." The attack was super-effective, but did not do as much damage as I would have liked. "Nosepass, slow them down with Rock Tomb!"

"Treecko, hang in there! Use Mega Drain to get some strength back!"

The attack absorbed some energy from Nosepass, but Treecko was moving slower now.

"Nosepass, use Rock Tomb again!" At this rate, Treecko was losing energy faster than it was gaining. But Nosepass looked pretty weakened, and Treecko was moving even slower, so I took a gamble.

"Treecko, finish this with Quick Attack!" The attack hit, but did not do enough damage.

"You're doing very well. I see you've definitely kept your skills up over the years. So let's make this a bit more difficult for you, shall we?" Roxanne called over to the judge to pause the battle, so she could give her Pokémon a Potion to help it recover.

"Treecko, are you ok? Can you still battle?" I looked over at my Pokémon, that nodded back to signal it was hanging in there. "Ok, then keep it up, use Mega Drain!"

Mega Drain siphoned off some of Nosepass's restored energy.

"Nosepass, keep the pressure on them, and keep using Rock Tomb!" Nosepass fired rocks at Treecko, making the battlefield harder to move around, and slowed Treecko down further.

"Treecko, you can do it! Mega Drain once more!"

"Not this time. Nosepass, finish it with Rock Tomb."

Treecko was not fast enough to get its attack in first, so Rock Tomb hit and finally knocked it out.

"Treecko is unable to battle," came the call from the judge. "The winner of the round is Nosepass!"

"Treecko, return," I had my fallen Pokémon called back into its Poké Ball. "You did great, your hard work won't be in vain. I don't plan on losing my first gym battle in Hoenn, either. Ok, Seedot, you're up again!"

Seedot took the field. Nosepass still had a good amount of energy left. This might come down to luck.

"Seedot, Bullet Seed, let's go!" I commanded. The barrage of seeds struck Nosepass for multiple super-effective hits, and Nosepass was finally knocked out!

The judge raised his arm. "Nosepass is unable to battle. The winner of this gym battle is the challenger and his Nosepass!"

Now, with the Stone Badge in hand, I feel like my Hoenn journey has officially started. I'm very excited to see what new wonders the Hoenn region has to offer!

I returned to the Pokémon Center, and gave my Pokémon to Nurse Joy. Seedot, Treecko, and the rest of Team Ruby earned a rest. I had Professor Birch send me Mudkip, Beldum, Cascoon, and Shroomish, so now it's time for Team Sapphire to travel with me! I then went back over the previous routes I've explored, harvesting berries and playing more with the DexNav. I'm limiting myself to only capturing Pokémon that I find that register as three-star potential, and I did find a few. But then it was time to put aside Pokémon training, and enjoy Halloween!

 

[OffRoadSP]

November 1, 2015

With my shiny new badge in my badge case, I explored a little of Route 116 near Rustboro City. I thought I saw someone running off in the distance in a blue uniform. Team Aqua can't still be active around here, can they? Now that I think about it, there was someone in a red uniform skulking around Petalburg Woods that looked like they could have been from Team Magma, but I thought I was just being paranoid after my recent run in with Team Flare in the Kalos region. Team Aqua and Team Magma broke up years ago… didn't they?

I found some trainers to battle against on the route. After a battle against another trainer's Silcoon, my Cascoon evolved into Dustox!

"Dustox, the Poison Moth Pokémon, and the evolved form of Cascoon. Dustox search for food using their antennae like radar. They are instinctively drawn to light. Swarms of them are attracted by the bright lights of cities, where they wreak havoc by stripping the leaves off roadside trees for food. When they flap their wings, a fine dust is scattered all over, and this dust is actually a powerful poison that can make even the healthiest person sick."

153. Dustox

I explored the rest of the route, then entered Rusturf Tunnel. I learned that the DexNav is a lot harder to use in a cave than in the field.

November 2, 2015

After exploring Route 116 and a bit of Rusturf Tunnel, I took a tour of the Devon Corporation in Rustboro City. I saw Mr. Stone, the CEO of Devon, who I helped out a few years ago. He upgraded my PokéNav Plus with a new app called the BuzzNav, which will report on what other trainers I pass by have been up to with their Pokémon training.

Then I returned to Route 104 and visited Mr. Briney and his Wingull nicknamed Peeko. I told them that I'll have to introduce Peeko the Wingull I caught in the Kalos region. I think they would get along great. Mr. Briney gave me a ride on his boat to the location of the next Pokémon Gym, which was in Dewford Town.

I arrived in the small island city, and it was just like I remembered it. Quiet, peaceful, and surrounded by the sea. Such a relaxing place to visit. I walked around the town a bit, and picked up an Old Rod to do a bit of fishing. Then I decided to think about my strategy for the Dewford Gym.

 

[OffRoadSP]

November 3, 2015

Dewford Gym Challenge
Vs. Brawly

"Hey, dude, I remember you!" the gym leader said when he recognized me. "You were here a long, long time ago. I think you spent a lot of time training in Granite Cave, right?"

"Yep, that was me, Brawly," I responded. "I was training all my Pokémon at the time. Dewford Island is such a peaceful place, and I don't think I realized how much I missed it."

"That's why I moved here from Kanto after I trained under Bruno," he said. "The waves are gnarly all year round here!"

"I see that." Then I decided to get to the point. "Any chance I could pull you away from your surfing for a gym battle?"

"You know it!" I followed him to the battlefield. His gym has definitely expanded since I was last here. He has a ton more work out equipment around.

One of the Battle Girls training at the gym acted as referee. "This will be a two-on-two battle, and only the challenger may substitute Pokémon."

"Ok, Beldum, maximize!" I sent out my first Pokémon.

"A Beldum?" Brawly said. "That's a pretty rare Pokémon. Let's see what you're made of. Machop, ride the wave!"

"Ok, Beldum, use Take Down!" My Pokémon used the only move it knows and launched itself at Machop.

"Machop, roll with the punches!" Brawly called out as Machop literally rolled as it got hit. "Use Bulk Up!"

"That'll increase its attack and defense," I observed. "Beldum, Take Down again!"

"Dodge, and use Karate Chop!" The attack missed Machop, but Machop used that opening to land a Karate Chop.

"Hang in there, Beldum!" I saw that it took a good hit. "Keep using Take Down!"

The attack hit this time! But Beldum took damage from the recoil. Thankfully, I had Beldum hold an Oran Berry before the battle, so it regained some strength!

"Not bad," Brawly complimented. "Machop, use Bulk Up again!"

After Machop increased its power further, Brawly paused the match to give Machop a Super Potion.

"I can't make it too easy on ya, dude!" Brawly then stepped back to his end of the battlefield. "But now you get a free attack, so go for it!"

"You got it, Brawly! Beldum, Take Down!" Sadly, the attack was no longer doing much, since Machop's defense was increased from Bulk Up.

"Way to surf that wave, Machop!" Brawly yelled to his Pokémon. "Now use Karate Chop!"

"Beldum, intercept that with Take Down!" Both Pokémon collided, and although by looks you would think Machop would have been hurt more, but Beldum took the brunt of that attack.

"Beldum, return!" I removed my Pokémon from the field. "You did great, but take a break. If physical attacks won't cut it, then… Dustox, maximize!"

"Great choice!" Brawly stated. "Machop, Karate Chop!"

Dustox had the distinct type advantage, and the fighting-type attack did very little to hurt it.

"Dustox, use Confusion!" The psychic-type attack hit Machop for super-effective damage, knocking it out immediately!

"Machop is unable to battle," the judge called. "Dustox wins!"

"Return, Machop! You were excellent!" Brawly was ready for his next Pokémon. "I've been churned through the rough waves of these parts! Now, Makuhita, ride the wave!"

"We're ready for this, right, Dustox?" I think I should be able to win this round easily. "Confusion, let's go!"

Confusion hit Makuhita for a large amount of damage, but it was still hanging in there!

"That's right, Makuhita! You can hang tough! Now use Sand Attack!"

Sand Attack hit, reducing Dustox's accuracy.

"Try to focus!" I encouraged my Pokémon. "Strike back by whipping up a Gust!"

Despite the sand in its eyes, the Gust attack struck its mark, and knocked Makuhita back!

"Makuhita is unable to battle," the judge said as she raised her arm. "The winner of this Dewford Gym battle goes to the challenger, Steve, and his Dustox!"

"Whoa, wow!" Brawly cried out as he recalled his fallen Pokémon. "You made a much bigger splash than I expected!"

Brawly came up to me and held out his hand. "I can see your talent becoming a giant wave that causes a storm of astonishments! This Knuckle Badge is yours! I look forward to the day when I can surf your giant wave again!"

That's badge number two in the Hoenn region! I won… a Knuckle Badge!

 

[OffRoadSP]

November 4, 2015

Since I was still caffeinated after midnight, I decided to do some more exploring. After having Team Sapphire treated by Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center, I contacted Professor Birch and had them swapped out for Team Ruby. I then did some training in Dewford Town at the gym, and my Silcoon evolved into Beautifly!

154. Beautifly

I then decided to check out Granite cave on nearby Route 106. There was a new section dug out that wasn't there several years ago. Inside a large chamber, I found Steven Stone, the Hoenn League Champion! He was examining a huge, ancient mural carved on one of the walls. The Pokémon depicted in the carving look somewhat like Kyorge and Groudon, the legendary Pokémon of the Hoenn region, but they look somewhat different than I remember them. Steven explained that these might be some newly discovered forms of these Pokémon, but he is still searching for all the details. I explained to him that I'm making another journey through the Hoenn region, and that once I get all eight gym badges, I'm coming to challenge him and defeat him again! He accepted my challenge, and said he looks forward to the battle.

Then I met Mr. Briney at the docks in Dewford Town, and asked him if he could take me to Slateport City. I'm anxious to check out the Pokémon Contest Hall there. Mr. Briney agreed, and after docking on Route 109, I finally arrived in Slateport City.

Since I still wasn't tired, I explored the large city. I found the market was still there, though closed for the night. And when I was walking around the stalls, I saw something glowing on the ground. I went over and picked it up. There's no mistaking that it was a Mega Stone! What's a Mega Stone doing in Hoenn? I pocketed the stone for now, and kept exploring.

I found the Contest Hall! Though there was no activity going on this time of night, it was still open and I was able to walk around inside a bit. I know I've said this a bunch already, but I can't wait to enter Cubone, Wingull, Pancham, and Delibird in some contests, once I have them sent here from Kalos.

I finally decided to turn in at the Pokémon Center for the evening after that.


In the morning, I decided to check out the Oceanic Museum while I waited for the Contest Hall to open. When I went inside though, I saw Team Magma there threatening Captain Stern, the curator of the museum. Of course, I jumped into action. They sent out their Numel to battle me. And it was at that moment that I realized that my team was quite ill-equipped to deal with fire-type Pokémon.

"Numel, the Numb Pokémon. Numel are extremely dull witted and don't notice being hit. However, they can't stand hunger for even a second. They store magma of almost 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit within their bodies. If they get wet, the magma cools and hardens. If that happens, their bodies grow heavy and their movements become sluggish."

It took all five of my Pokémon to take down two Numel and a Zubat, thankfully mostly to my Slakoth. After I defeated them, though, the leader of Team Magma appeared to call them off… Maxie! He recognized me from our previous encounters. He still has his cold, calculating demeanor about him. Team Magma retreated, and I helped to ensure Captain Stern was okay.

Finally, the time has come to see a Pokémon Contest! Apparently the Top Coordinator was at the Contest Hall giving a performance. Her name was Lisia, and she had a spectacular Altaria who she called Ali. They put on quite the show. I never made Top Coordinator when I was here last, but my Wailmer did win a bunch of Hoenn Contest ribbons back in the day. Someday, I'm bringing it here to finish the job, but for now it is safely in the Sinnoh region with my other Pokémon.

After Lisia's performance, she came out to the lobby to talk to her fans. She was also giving out Contest Passes to anyone who wanted to register for Pokémon Contests. I handed in my outdated pass and received my new one. Excited to enter a contest, I contacted Professor Sycamore in the Kalos region, and asked if he would be able to send me my Pokémon. He said that he would work with Brigette to do so, but they would only be able to send one. Out of my four shiny Pokémon, only one species is native to Hoenn, so I asked for Wingull.

Once I received Wingull, I gave it some time to fly around the Hoenn skies. It seemed to really enjoy the nearby beach. Then I entered the Contest Hall and registered for the Tough competition. Two of Wingull's moves seemed perfect for that type of contest. Unfortunately, we came in third place. The winner was a Makuhita who showed off some extremely appealing talents that got the audience excited.

I was a bit disappointed. I don't remember the introductory rank being so difficult. Lisia found me afterwards and talked to me about it. She even gave me some great advice. She said I really have to take the nature of my Pokémon into account. She advised that my gentle Wingull would have a hard time in a Tough contest. She suggested I start off with a Clever contest. I also received a Pokéblock kit from her. I had forgotten how important that was. A Pokémon Breeder that was friends with Lisia also gave me a little female Pikachu that was bred specifically for contests. The breeder had all sorts of costumes for this Pikachu, and that this Pikachu was special because it could learn moves that it can't normally know based on its costume.

So I decided to take some time to work on some contest preparations. I gave Wingull a green Pokéblock, and then we worked on some moves. We tried to makes its Hidden Power even as flashy as possible so it could excite the audience!

November 5, 2015

I took a break from contest training and went back to training my main team of Pokémon. I went to Route 109, and I let my Wingull fly around the beach as much as it wanted while I trained Team Ruby. After battling a handful of trainers on the beach, I found many more trainers ready for battle inside the Seashore House. These battles helped my Slakoth evolve into Vigoroth!

"Vigoroth, the Wild Monkey Pokémon, and the evolved form of Slakoth. Vigoroth are always itching and agitated to go on a wild rampage. They are simply incapable of remaining still, and can't tolerate sitting still for even a minute. Their stress levels rise if they can't be moving constantly. Even when they try to sleep, the blood in their veins grow agitated, compelling them to run wild though the jungle before they can settle down."

155. Vigoroth

I also registered for the Hoenn Medal Rally, and based on my journey so far, I have earned 33 medals. That's nearly a third of the medals I received in two years in Kalos! Although I think even then, I gained them quickly initially, and then it tapered off a bit.

Kind of boring to list them all, so I'll stick them in a spoiler tag.

Spoiler:

A2-001-1 Adventure Light Walker A Medal to praise light walkers who stepped on the land of Hoenn 5,000 times. 11/05/2015
A2-001-2 Adventure Middle Walker A Medal to praise middle walkers who took 10,000 steps on the land of Hoenn. 11/05/2015
A2-001-3 Adventure Heavy Walker A Medal to praise heavy walkers who took 20,000 steps on the land of Hoenn. 11/05/2015
A2-002-1 Adventure Step-by-Step Saver A Medal to recognize a newly started journey that has been recorded 10 times. 11/05/2015
A2-002-2 Adventure Busy Saver A Medal to recognize an energetic journey that has been recorded 20 times. 11/05/2015
A2-002-3 Adventure Experienced Saver A Medal to recognize a smooth journey that has been recorded 50 times. 11/05/2015
A2-002-4 Adventure Wonder Writer A Medal to recognize an astonishing journey that has been recorded 100 times. 11/05/2015
A2-003-1 Adventure Pokémon Center Fan A Medal given to kind Trainers who let their Pokémon rest at Pokémon Centers many times. 11/05/2015
A2-005-1 Adventure Old Rod Fisherman A Medal given to beginning fishers who caught a Pokémon for the first time. 11/05/2015
A2-009-1 Adventure Electric-type Catcher A Medal in commemoration of catching all the Electric-type Pokémon in the Hoenn Pokédex. 11/05/2015
A2-023-1 Adventure Fairy-type Catcher A Medal in commemoration of catching all the Fairy-type Pokémon in the Hoenn Pokédex. 11/05/2015
A2-027-1 Adventure Evolution Hopeful A Medal for promising Trainers who evolved a Pokémon for the first time. 11/05/2015
A2-033-1 Adventure Moderate Customer A Medal for rich people who spent $10,000 at Poké Marts. 11/05/2015
A2-034-1 Adventure Smart Shopper A Medal for thrifty shoppers who made bulk purchases and got bonus Premier Balls. 11/05/2015
A2-035-1 Adventure Sweet Home A Medal for those who love their hometown and went home to rest and revisit old memories. 11/05/2015
A2-036-1 Adventure First Encounter A Medal commemorating the first encounter and farewell with a fellow player. 11/05/2015
A2-036-2 Adventure Sociable A Medal commemorating turbulent encounters and farewells with 100 fellow players. 11/05/2015
A2-039-1 Adventure Egg Beginner A Medal to prove the fresh parental instincts of people who hatched a Pokémon Egg for the first time. 11/05/2015
A2-044-1 Adventure Super Sneaker A Medal to prove that the bearer has taken 1,000 sneaking steps. 11/05/2015
A2-046-1 Adventure Amateur Pokémon Seeker A Medal signifying that the bearer has found his or her first hidden Pokémon. 11/05/2015
A2-046-2 Adventure Casual Pokémon Seeker A Medal signifying that the bearer has found 10 or more hidden Pokémon. 11/05/2015
A2-046-3 Adventure Practiced Pokémon Seeker A Medal signifying that the bearer has found 50 or more hidden Pokémon. 11/05/2015
A2-046-4 Adventure Veteran Pokémon Seeker A Medal signifying that the bearer has found 100 or more hidden Pokémon. 11/05/2015
B2-001-1 Battle Battle Learner A Medal for courageous young Trainers who went through 100 battles. 11/05/2015
B2-001-2 Battle Battle Teacher A Medal for ferociously courageous Trainers who went through 200 battles. 11/05/2015
B2-002-1 Battle Link Battle Amateur A Medal to praise the fresh competitive spirit of Trainers who had a Link Battle for the first time. 11/05/2015
B2-024-1 Battle Rematch Amateur A Medal commemorating the first battle carried out using the Trainer's Eye app. 11/05/2015
B2-024-2 Battle Rematch Beginner A Medal commemorating 10 battles carried out using the Trainer's Eye app. 11/05/2015
E2-001-1 Fun Beginning Trader A Medal to commemorate the first trade of Pokémon by Link Trade. 11/05/2015
E2-001-2 Fun Occasional Trader A Medal to commemorate the rich experience of trading Pokémon 10 times by Link Trade. 11/05/2015
E2-002-1 Fun First Friend A Medal to honor the new friendship formed by registering a friend for the first time. 11/05/2015
E2-003-1 Fun Berry Gardener A Medal for those who have picked 10 Berries from Berry fields. 11/05/2015
E2-014-1 Fun Contest Spectacular Debut A Medal commemorating a Trainer's first entry in a Contest Spectacular. 11/05/2015

 

[Apollo]

I restarted OR a few months ago, and I've been kinda neglecting it until now. ^^; So far I have only have a Treecko who will be nicknamed once I get to Slateport, haha.

And since then I've made tons of progress. Right now, I'm in Lavaridge City attempting to raise the Pokemon-amie hearts of my current three Pokemon: Grovyle has sinced evolved from Treecko, named Pietro after Pietro Maximoff from the MCU, since Pietro is fast and swiftness can be associated with the Treecko line? I also caught a Tailow I nicknamed Iris, who is now a Swellow. Apparently Iris is a Greek wind lady, but I'm not too sure. Anyway, I like the name on Swellow so I kept it. I also caught Electrike who is now a Manectric whom I nicknamed Arya after Arya Stark from Game of Thrones... for some reason.

I've been debating whether to use a Numel for Flannery, due to the Ground typing. I taught Pietro dig, which isn't that practical, but eh. I also recklessly wasted 10,000 Poke on Bulldoze, only to find out that none of my Pokemon are able to learn it. I didn't sell it, however. My initial plan was to catch one Pokemon per gym and it would preferably have a type advantage against the type. Pietro faced Roxanne alone, and grass beats rock. Iris swept Brawly's team with Wing Attack. As for Arya, I made an exception for her.

The first thing that went on my head was a Water type. Azumarill, Gyarados and Tentacruel first came into my mind, but they were familiar to me already, and I wanted to try something new. I then thought of Milotic, Kingdra or Starmie.. but I wouldn't be able to get them until I reached around Fortree, which is awful far. Eventually, I found about Sharpedo and set off back to Mauville, although I was disappointed to find out that I needed a better fishing rod to find one. I still wanted a Sharpedo, so I decided not to catch a Pokemon for Flannery and make do with what I have. I entered her gym and almost got beaten by one of her trainers so I went back to the Pokemon center and do the amie-thing.

 

[OffRoadSP]

November 6. 2015

Wingull managed to win the Normal Rank Pokémon Clever Contest today! It's finally on its way to becoming a contest star.

November 9, 2015

I've been training with Wingull a lot over the last few days, and feeding it some Pokéblock as well. We entered a Super Rank Clever Pokémon Contest, and thanks to its appeal both in the primary round and the talent round, it gained a lot of points! Wingull even managed to pull off a spectacular talent, Clear Blessed Rain, which excited the audience enough to pull ahead of the other contestants! With two wins under its belt… er, wings, on to training for the Hyper Rank contest! We need to work on some moves I think, because the only Clever move it knows is Hidden Power. After the contest, I was introduced to Chaz, who is apparently Lisia's primary rival in Pokémon Contests. He did not seem happy that she was starting to see me as a rival as well.

Also, I gained a few more medals towards the Medal Rally!

E2-013-1 Fun Fledgling Photographer A Medal commemorating the first photo sent to the PGL. 11/09/2015
E2-007-1 Fun Pokémon-Amie Aficionado A Medal for Trainers who played with their Pokémon in Pokémon-Amie 10 times. 11/09/2015
E2-005-1 Fun Head It Fan A Medal commemorating a score of ★★★ in Pokémon-Amie's Head It Unlimited mode. 11/09/2015
B2-001-3 Battle Battle Veteran A Medal for tremendously courageous Trainers who went through 400 battles. 11/09/2015
A2-038-1 Adventure O-Power Lv. 1 A Medal to recognize a new current of power in using an O-Power for the first time. 11/09/2015


November 10, 2015

I decided to continue along on my Hoenn journey and explored north of Slateport City. Route 110 is very much like I remember it: a seaside route with an elaborate cycling road built above it. I decided to train my Pokémon against the wild Pokémon in the area. I found wild Electrike, Voltorb, and a whole bunch of Minun. And while we were battling, my Torchic evolved into Combusken!

"Combusken, the Young Fowl Pokémon, and the evolved form of Torchic. Combusken battle with the intensely hot flames they spew from their beak and with outstandingly destructive kicks. They toughen up their legs and thighs by running through fields and mountains. Their legs possess both speed and power, enabling them to dole out 10 kicks in one second. Their cries are very loud and distracting."

156. Combusken

November 11, 2015

I spent the day in New York City, but did squeeze in a bit of training after returning in the evening. I passed by the good ol' Trick House for now, and explored the eastern part of Route 103, battling a handful of trainers that were there. I also fed Wingull a bunch of Pokéblock, completely maxing out its Cleverness condition.

November 12, 2015

At the Pokémon Fan Club, I received a Green Scarf that I was told would help my Wingull with its Clever appeals in a Pokémon Contest.

November 16, 2015

After a weekend away at a board gaming convention, I returned to Slateport City to continue my Pokémon journey. While I continued along Route 110, I battled plenty of trainers and wild Pokémon to give my team some experience. One trainer had a Lombre and a Nuzleaf, which I easily defeated with Beautifly and Combusken.

"Nuzleaf, the Wily Pokémon, and the evolved form of Seedot. Nuzleaf live in densely overgrown forests. They occasionally venture out of the forest to startle people. They dislike having their long nose pinched. They can pull out the leaf on their head and make a flute with it. The sound of this flute strikes fear and uncertainty in the hearts of people lost in their forest."

 

[OffRoadSP]

November 17, 2015

I finally reached Mauville City. The city has grown since the last time I've been here! Most of the city is enclosed and has a few different floors and sections. After resting my Pokémon at the Pokémon Center I went exploring. In the middle of the courtyard was a monument resembling Prism Tower from the Kalos region. There was someone admiring it who said he was from Castelia City in the Unova region. Apparently, people come from all over to visit Mauville City. There sure are plenty of shops to attract people! However, I did find the old game corner had closed down. Rumor has it that gambling was frowned upon so it was phased out. I decided to eat in one of the food courts. Much like the restaurants in Lumiose City, the food court offered many opportunities to battle while you wait for your food.

After exploring as much of the city as I could, I decided to visit the Mauville Gym. Inside, I found that Wally, the little insecure Pokémon trainer I met years ago in Hoenn, finishing up a battle against Wattson. He was using a Ralts, but this one seemed different than the one he previously raised into a Gardevoir. After his battle with Wattson, he challenged me to a battle. It was my Treecko against his Ralts, but my Treecko easily won. He said he was on a journey to learn about Mega Evolution. He said he was off to visit his family in Verdanturf Town next.

I tried to think about which Pokémon I would use in my gym battle. Treecko and Seedot already battled at the Rustboro Gym, so I wanted to use my other three Pokémon. Beautifly is a terrible match-up against electric-types, so it will have to sit this one out. That leaves Vigoroth and Combusken, but I'll need a third Pokémon as well. Grass-types resist electric attacks, so I'll include Treecko in the line-up.

So I then entered the gym to do some training, and my Treecko evolved into a Grovyle!

"Grovyle, the Wood Gecko Pokémon, and the evolved form of Treecko. Grovyle adeptly fly from branch to branch in trees and are masters of climbing. In a forest, no Pokémon can ever hope to catch one no matter how fast they may be. The leaves growing out of their body are convenient for camouflaging them from enemies in the forest."

157. Grovyle

I also earned a few more medals over the last week:
A2-038-2 Adventure O-Power Lv. 2 A Medal to recognize a strong current of power in using 10 O-Powers. 11/17/2015
B2-006-1 Battle Supereffective Savant A Medal for Trainers who saw through many foes' weak points and battled to their best advantage. 11/12/2015
A2-032-1 Adventure Regular Customer A Medal for Trainers who kept going to Poké Marts and became regular customers. 11/12/2015


November 18, 2015

Mauville Gym Challenge
Vs. Wattson

Mauville City has something else in common with Lumiose City besides being the largest city in their respective regions: both have electric-type gyms! The gym leader here was a jolly fellow by the name of Wattson. He was always full of laughter, and hasn't changed a bit.

"I hope you're enjoying the redesigned city," Wattson began. "A lot has changed since you've last visited my gym!"

"Definitely!" I commented. "I love the open park on the top floor of the city. Very peaceful up there. I've been looking forward to this battle, Mr. Wattson!"

"Wahahaha!" The gym leader gave a huge belly laugh. "Then let's not waste any time! Watt, will you please judge the battle?"

"Certainly, sir," said Watt, as he took his position on the sideline of the battlefield. "This gym battle will be three on three. Only the challenger may substitute Pokémon. The battle is over when all three Pokémon on either side can no longer battle. Battle begin!"

"Here we go!" I yelled. "Vigoroth, maximize!"

"Magnemite, let's go!" Wattson responded.

"Vigoroth, start things off with Yawn!" I gave the first command.

"Oh, so we're going with status effects, eh?" Wattson observed. "Magnemite, Thunder Wave!"

Magnemite was looking drowsy, but Thunder Wave paralyzed Vigoroth, slowing down my normally speedy Pokémon.

"Wahahaha! Perfect!" laughed Watson. "Let's try a new move. Magnemite, use Volt Switch!"

Magnemite blasted Vigoroth with electricity, then returned to Wattson. In its place, Voltorb appeared!

"Right, that doesn't count as substituting," I commented. "I hope this doesn't end up like my last battle against Elesa from the Nimbasa Gym. Ok, Vigoroth, Feint Attack!"

Despite the paralysis, my Pokémon got in close and landed a solid hit on Voltorb.

"Good job, Vigoroth! Now return!" I decided to switch out my Pokémon. "Grovyle, maximize!"

"While they're switching, Voltorb, use Charge!" Wattson took the opportunity to power up for the next attack.

"Grovyle, use Giga Drain!" Somehow, my Pokémon was faster than his Voltorb, because the attack drained off the last of Voltorb's energy!

"Voltorb is unable to battle!" Watt called out. "Grovyle wins!"

"Wow, great job, Grovyle! You gained a ton of speed since you evolved!" I didn't think Grovyle would be a good match-up if Wattson sent his Magneton back out, so I recalled it.

"Take a rest, Voltorb," Wattson said as he sent his next Pokémon out. "Now, Magneton, let's electrify them!"

"Magneton, huh?" I was ready for this. "Combusken, maximize! Start things off with Flame Charge!"

Combusken charged into Magneton, landing a super-effective hit.

"We're ready for that," Wattson said. "Magneton, use Supersonic to confuse it!"

"Oh no! Dodge it, Combusken!" But it was no use. The attack landed, and my Pokémon was confused.

"Shake it off!" I yelled over to my Pokémon. "Use Double Kick!"

Combusken launched a powerful kick! Unfortunately, it was at the wall, and it hurt itself.

"Wahahaha! Told you it wouldn't be so easy! Now Magneton, use Volt Switch!" The electric attack blasted Combusken in the back, and did a lot of damage. Then Magnemite reappeared on the field in Magneton's place.

"Come on, Combusken! Use Double Kick!" But again, it just kicked the wall. However, it did manage to eat the Oran Berry I had it hold before the battle.

"Thunder Wave, Magnemite!" Wattson called out. Great. So in addition to being confused, Combusken is now paralyzed.

"You can do it, Combusken! Hang in there!" But the paralysis was slowing it down too much.
"Magnemite, finish this with Volt Switch!" Combusken was barely standing the way it was, and that attack finished it.

"Combusken is unable to battle," Watt said. "Magnemite and Magneton win this round!"

"Combusken, return." I looked a little disheartened. "Thank you, you did your best. Wow, Wattson, I never expected this. I thought Combusken could come in here and take sweep those two Pokémon no problem!"

"Having a hard time keeping up with my electrifying Volt Switch, I see!" Wattson was still smiling as always. "So how will you handle my Magneton now?"

"It took some damage, so I think we can beat it!" I sounded more confident than I was. "Grovyle, I need you again! Use Giga Drain!"

Once again, my Pokémon surprised me by being faster than its opponent. And Giga Drain absorbed the rest of Magneton's energy!

"Magneton is unable to battle. Grovyle wins again!"

"Magneton, return. Fantastic job out there." Wattson sent out his last Pokémon. "Magnemite, you're up!"

Neither Magnemite nor Grovyle have taken a single hit in the battle yet.

"Grovyle, use Giga Drain!" The attack did a lot of damage.

"Magnemite, slow them down with Thunder Wave!" Ugh, I'm getting tired of all my Pokémon being paralyzed. "Now, use Tackle!"

The Tackle hit, but did little damage. "Grovyle, finish this with Giga Drain!"

That was all it took.

Watt raised his arm in my direction. "Magnemite is unable to battle. The winner of the Mauville City gym battle is Steve and his Grovyle!"

"Wahahaha! I lost!" Wattson bellowed with a hearty laugh. "You electrified me once again. Now, take this badge! I always swell with optimism after battling a trainer like you!"

I earned my third Hoenn gym badge, the Dynamo Badge!

November 19, 2015

After winning my badge from the Mauville Gym, it was time to switch teams again. After being thoroughly treated at the Pokémon Center, I thanked my Pokémon, and transferred Grovyle, Combusken, Beautifly, Seedot, and Vigoroth to Professor Birch. Then I had Team Sapphire sent to me, which was Mudkip, Beldum, Dustox, and Shroomish.

I decided to return to Dewford Town to relax on the beach. While we were on Mr. Briney's boat, I thought about where I was ultimately headed next. Far to the north there's a gym in Lavaridge Town, but I'd have to cross some volcanic terrain. I looked up at my Wingull flying next to Peeko. I asked Mr. Briney if he would take care of Wingull for a while. He agreed, saying that it would make great company for Peeko. When we reached Dewford, I told Wingull where I was headed, and that I knew it would be happier here near the coastline, especially since it used to live on the coast of Fourrage Road in Kalos. I promised Wingull I would be back for her after my next gym battle.

 

[Apollo]

Spoiler:

And since then I've made tons of progress. Right now, I'm in Lavaridge City attempting to raise the Pokemon-amie hearts of my current three Pokemon: Grovyle has sinced evolved from Treecko, named Pietro after Pietro Maximoff from the MCU, since Pietro is fast and swiftness can be associated with the Treecko line? I also caught a Tailow I nicknamed Iris, who is now a Swellow. Apparently Iris is a Greek wind lady, but I'm not too sure. Anyway, I like the name on Swellow so I kept it. I also caught Electrike who is now a Manectric whom I nicknamed Arya after Arya Stark from Game of Thrones... for some reason.

I've been debating whether to use a Numel for Flannery, due to the Ground typing. I taught Pietro dig, which isn't that practical, but eh. I also recklessly wasted 10,000 Poke on Bulldoze, only to find out that none of my Pokemon are able to learn it. I didn't sell it, however. My initial plan was to catch one Pokemon per gym and it would preferably have a type advantage against the type. Pietro faced Roxanne alone, and grass beats rock. Iris swept Brawly's team with Wing Attack. As for Arya, I made an exception for her.

The first thing that went on my head was a Water type. Azumarill, Gyarados and Tentacruel first came into my mind, but they were familiar to me already, and I wanted to try something new. I then thought of Milotic, Kingdra or Starmie.. but I wouldn't be able to get them until I reached around Fortree, which is awful far. Eventually, I found about Sharpedo and set off back to Mauville, although I was disappointed to find out that I needed a better fishing rod to find one. I still wanted a Sharpedo, so I decided not to catch a Pokemon for Flannery and make do with what I have. I entered her gym and almost got beaten by one of her trainers so I went back to the Pokemon center and do the amie-thing.

Pietro evolved to Sceptile! I beat Flannery and Norman with relative ease thanks to Numel I caught. (who is currently unnicknamed still!) I said that I'd use Sharpedo now that I have the chance to catch Carvanha, but I realized I loved Azumarill too much to not use it, haha. I hunted the route east of Mauville for Marill, and I caught two to make sure one of them has Huge Power at least. They both had Thick Fat, but it turns out I had a Marill in the box who had Huge Power all along. :/ It had a Serious nature, but I didn't really care because I'm just playing the game anyway. So, I have a Level 13 Marill to add to my Level 30+ team. I did Amie for a while to make it easier, with the usual Heads Up x2, pet, feed loop. I got him up to two hearts before I trained him, thanks to rematches! I amie'd him again, getting him up to three hearts so he can match with Numel. I battled some more until I defeated all the trainers in the Day Care route.

My next course of action would be to go to Slateport City for the Name Rater via the Cycling Road, as I've not faced any trainers there yet, so it would be good training for Marill... who just evolved to Azumarill. Maybe I'll catch some Pokemon for my Pokedex progress. I don't feel like doing it right now so yeah, hehe.

(And a side-note: I just restarted Pokemon X for the third time. I'd like to document it into the travel journal and incorporate a more journal-y feel like OffRoadSP's entries. They're fun to read :D)

 

[OffRoadSP]

(And a side-note: I just restarted Pokemon X for the third time. I'd like to document it into the travel journal and incorporate a more journal-y feel like OffRoadSP's entries. They're fun to read :D)

Thanks, Apollo!! That was very nice to hear. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your adventures!

November 20, 2015

Mr. Briney dropped me off on Route 209 before leaving with Peeko and my Wingull. I decided to do some training at the nearby Seashore House. The owner, Mr. Sea, said he was giving a reward to any trainers who could win the most battles. I used my Mudkip primarily, and, after evolving into Marshtomp, it easily won every battle! We were awarded a six pack of Fresh Water.

"Marshtomp, the Mud Fish Pokémon, and the evolved form of Mudkip. Marshtomp are much faster at traveling through mud than they are at swimming. The surface of their body is enveloped by a thin, sticky film that enables them to live on land. Their hindquarters exhibit obvious development, giving them the ability to walk on just their hind legs. They like to play in the mud on beaches when the ocean tide is low."

158. Marshtomp

November 21, 2015

While I was walking the streets of Slateport City, I saw a group of people in blue uniforms near the Oceanic Museum. Great, Team Aqua is back at it too? After defeating a few grunts, their leader, Archie, showed up and reintroduced himself to me. He went on about the sea for a bit, then left with the rest of his team.

December 1, 2015

After a busy Thanksgiving week, I'm finally able to get back to training my Pokémon. While I was out battling on Route 110, my Beldum evolved into Metang! Finally, now it can use attacks other than Take Down.

"Metang, the Iron Claw Pokémon, and the evolved form of Beldum. Metang are formed when two Beldum fuse together. The brains of the Beldum are joined by a magnetic nervous system. They can generate strong psychokinetic power, and will turn their arms to the rear for traveling at high speed."

159. Metang

Later that evening in Mauville City, I registered Team Sapphire for the Hoenn Medal Rally. I'd love to combine the two teams, but I can't think of a simple way to do that. So, we started off with 34 medals, quite close to where Team Ruby started.

Boring list in spoiler tag:

Spoiler:

A2-001-1 Adventure Light Walker A Medal to praise light walkers who stepped on the land of Hoenn 5,000 times. 12/01/2015
A2-001-2 Adventure Middle Walker A Medal to praise middle walkers who took 10,000 steps on the land of Hoenn. 12/01/2015
A2-001-3 Adventure Heavy Walker A Medal to praise heavy walkers who took 20,000 steps on the land of Hoenn. 12/01/2015
A2-002-1 Adventure Step-by-Step Saver A Medal to recognize a newly started journey that has been recorded 10 times. 12/01/2015
A2-002-2 Adventure Busy Saver A Medal to recognize an energetic journey that has been recorded 20 times. 12/01/2015
A2-002-3 Adventure Experienced Saver A Medal to recognize a smooth journey that has been recorded 50 times. 12/01/2015
A2-002-4 Adventure Wonder Writer A Medal to recognize an astonishing journey that has been recorded 100 times. 12/01/2015
A2-003-1 Adventure Pokémon Center Fan A Medal given to kind Trainers who let their Pokémon rest at Pokémon Centers many times. 12/01/2015
A2-005-1 Adventure Old Rod Fisherman A Medal given to beginning fishers who caught a Pokémon for the first time. 12/01/2015
A2-009-1 Adventure Electric-type Catcher A Medal in commemoration of catching all the Electric-type Pokémon in the Hoenn Pokédex. 12/01/2015
A2-023-1 Adventure Fairy-type Catcher A Medal in commemoration of catching all the Fairy-type Pokémon in the Hoenn Pokédex. 12/01/2015
A2-027-1 Adventure Evolution Hopeful A Medal for promising Trainers who evolved a Pokémon for the first time. 12/01/2015
A2-033-1 Adventure Moderate Customer A Medal for rich people who spent $10,000 at Poké Marts. 12/01/2015
A2-034-1 Adventure Smart Shopper A Medal for thrifty shoppers who made bulk purchases and got bonus Premier Balls. 12/01/2015
A2-035-1 Adventure Sweet Home A Medal for those who love their hometown and went home to rest and revisit old memories. 12/01/2015
A2-036-1 Adventure First Encounter A Medal commemorating the first encounter and farewell with a fellow player. 12/01/2015
A2-038-1 Adventure O-Power Lv. 1 A Medal to recognize a new current of power in using a O-Power for the first time. 12/01/2015
A2-039-1 Adventure Egg Beginner A Medal to prove the fresh parental instincts of people who hatched a Pokémon Egg for the first time. 12/01/2015
A2-044-1 Adventure Super Sneaker A Medal to prove that the bearer has taken 1,000 sneaking steps. 12/01/2015
A2-046-1 Adventure Amateur Pokémon Seeker A Medal signifying that the bearer has found his or her first hidden Pokémon. 12/01/2015
A2-046-2 Adventure Casual Pokémon Seeker A Medal signifying that the bearer has found 10 or more hidden Pokémon. 12/01/2015
A2-046-3 Adventure Practiced Pokémon Seeker A Medal signifying that the bearer has found 50 or more hidden Pokémon. 12/01/2015
A2-046-4 Adventure Veteran Pokémon Seeker A Medal signifying that the bearer has found 100 or more hidden Pokémon. 12/01/2015
B2-001-1 Battle Battle Learner A Medal for courageous young Trainers who went through 100 battles. 12/01/2015
B2-001-2 Battle Battle Teacher A Medal for ferociously courageous Trainers who went through 200 battles. 12/01/2015
B2-001-3 Battle Battle Veteran A Medal for tremendously courageous Trainers who went through 400 battles. 12/01/2015
B2-002-1 Battle Link Battle Amateur A Medal to praise the fresh competitive spirit of Trainers who had a Link Battle for the first time. 12/01/2015
B2-006-1 Battle Supereffective Savant A Medal for Trainers who saw through many foes' weak points and battled to their best advantage. 12/01/2015
B2-024-1 Battle Rematch Amateur A Medal commemorating the first battle carried out using the Trainer's Eye app. 12/01/2015
B2-024-2 Battle Rematch Beginner A Medal commemorating 10 battles carried out using the Trainer's Eye app. 12/01/2015
E2-001-1 Fun Beginning Trader A Medal to commemorate the first trade of Pokémon by Link Trade. 12/01/2015
E2-001-2 Fun Occasional Trader A Medal to commemorate the rich experience of trading Pokémon 10 times by Link Trade. 12/01/2015
E2-002-1 Fun First Friend A Medal to honor the new friendship formed by registering a friend for the first time. 12/01/2015
E2-003-1 Fun Berry Gardener A Medal for those who have picked 10 Berries from Berry fields. 12/01/2015

 

[Sukyandaru]

I haven't played Pokemon Alpha Sapphire in a while and don't really feel like starting again, but I hope it would be okay to start my journey from part-way through? ^^; My first time doing this but, I hope it will be okay!

Scandal's Pokemon Alpha Sapphire Journal: Entry #1 (Dec 09 15)​

Where I'd last saved at was inside the Verdanturf Town contest hall, just after picking up a cosplay Pikachu. And so, my current team is:
Midoriko (Lv29♂ Grovyle), Skye (Lv27♀ Swellow), Coro (Lv24♂ Mightyena), Poplar (Lv22♀ Linoone), Iona (Lv21♀ Kirlia), Pisti (Lv20♀ Pop Star Pikachu).
Nothing too special, except that Skye has Scrappy and Boomburst ^_^. and sadly a Jolly nature too
And my boxed Pokemon:

Spoiler:

Captain (Lv5♂ Taillow), Falco (Lv15♂ Taillow), Toad (Lv9♂ Shroomish), Haruka (Lv3♀ Zigzagoon), Gulliver (Lv3♂ Wingull), Bill (Lv3♂ Lotad), Lily (Lv5♀ Surskit), Steph (Lv5♀ Poochyena), Sunny (Lv3♀ Wurmple), Pixie (Lv8♂ Skitty), Makit (Lv9♂ Makuhita).

And my player character is a girl named Kaori, with 3/8 badges!

Now here begins my travel journal, but how could I leave the town without doing a contest?
Seeing that all of my Pisti's moves were Cool except Draining Kiss, I quickly changed her to Rockstar Pikachu and entered a Super-rank Coolness Contest!
The competitors were:
Entry Number 1 Levi & Noone the Linoone
Entry Number 2 Gabriella & Leon the Kecleon
Entry Number 3 Bentley & Dodon't the Doduo
Entry Number 4 Kaori & Pisti the Rockstar Pikachu
And using a moveset of Quick Attack/Electro Ball/Thunder Wave/Meteor Mash, Pisti managed to outcool the competition!

Having unlocked the Hyper-rank competitions, I walked to the dressing room to meet Chaz and re-meet Lisia. Saving more contests for later, I decided to change Pisti to Belle Pikachu (gotta get that BoltBeam coverage!) and left the building. I talked to a little girl who lost her Shroomish and after I found it for her she bestowed upon me an Intriguing Stone, which I graciously accepted.

Afterwards, I walked through Rusturf Tunnel to Route 116 where I found Blackglasses and a HP Up. Pisti's first battle was against Hiker Mike in Rusturf Tunnel, where she defeated Geodude with one critical Icicle Crash, and then Machop with one Electro Ball :). After finding out that the couple in the tunnel needed the help of a Pokemon with Rock Smash, I quickly taught Rock Smash to Coro and came to their aid, receiving an Aggronite as a reward. I then caught Quiet (Lv9♂ Whismur) who was sent away to the PC.

On my way back through Route 117 towards Mauville City, I battled some trainers and managed to level up some of my Pokemon, as well as capturing Cresent (Lv12♀ Roselia), Doraemon (Lv11♂ Marill), Fire (Lv11♂ Volbeat), Fly (Lv14♀ Illumise), Moonlight (Lv14♂ Oddish), Goldenrod (Lv5♀ Goldeen) and Literal Karp (Lv10♀ Magikarp). There was a close call in a double battle, where Skye used Boomburst; it took out Zigzagoon and Makuhita, and left the slightly weakened Pisti on 5 HP ;~;.

Upon arriving at Mauville City, I healed my Pokemon and rested for the night.

~Recap~
Current Team:
Midoriko (Lv30♂ Grovyle), Skye (Lv28♀ Swellow), Coro (Lv25♂ Mightyena), Poplar (Lv23♀ Linoone), Iona (Lv22♀ Kirlia), Pisti (Lv22♀ Belle Pikachu).
Boxed:

Spoiler:

Captain (Lv5♂ Taillow), Falco (Lv15♂ Taillow), Toad (Lv9♂ Shroomish), Haruka (Lv3♀ Zigzagoon), Gulliver (Lv3♂ Wingull), Bill (Lv3♂ Lotad), Lily (Lv5♀ Surskit), Steph (Lv5♀ Poochyena), Sunny (Lv3♀ Wurmple), Pixie (Lv8♂ Skitty), Makit (Lv9♂ Makuhita), Quiet (Lv9♂ Whismur), Cresent (Lv12♀ Roselia), Doraemon (Lv11♂ Marill), Fire (Lv11♂ Volbeat), Fly (Lv14♀ Illumise), Moonlight (Lv14♂ Oddish), Goldenrod (Lv5♀ Goldeen), Literal Karp (Lv10♀ Magikarp).

If you managed to make it this far...Thanks for reading! <33 Please tell me whether or not you think I should continue! sorry for silly nicknames

 

[OffRoadSP]

Now that the holidays are over, time to get back at it!

December 2, 2015

I obtained a bike from Rydel's Cycles. I had forgotten that there are two types of bikes to choose from: a Mach Bike built for speed, or an Acro Bike built for obstacles. I chose the Acro Bike for now, and then decided to return to Route 110 to check out the Cycling Road. At the beginning of the path, however, I stumbled upon what looked like a Mega Stone! I stored it for the moment, then traveled along the road, battling plenty of trainers along the way.

I decided to bike all the way back to Littleroot Town, having some rematches against some trainers along the routes as I went. When I reached Littleroot Town, I stopped in to see Professor Birch. I showed him the Mega Stone I had just found. He said that he had been working with Professor Sycamore to identify the other Mega Stone I found in Slateport City, and it turned out that it was Alakazite! Sycamore apparently found some Alakazite in Reflection Cave in Kalos. I wanted to try it out on my Alakazam, but unfortunately, it seems the Key Stone I received in Kalos will not work in Hoenn. So I'll have to wait a bit longer to see what Mega Alakazam looks like.

While I got something to eat in town, the professors worked on what the new Mega Stone I found was, and they said it was similar to a Mega Stone that was found on Mélancolie Path in Kalos, and that one turned out to be Manectite. I thanked Professor Birch for his help, and then left to return to Mauville City.

Later that evening, I stopped by the ol' Trick House on Route 110, and took part in one of the Trick Master's challenges. There were a handful of trainers to battle while I was there, too.

December 3, 2015

I overheard some Team Aqua grunts talking about Mt. Chimney, and watched as they headed off in that direction. Since Lavaridge Town is in that direction, I decided to follow, and left Mauville City through the north exit and walked onto Route 111, which was a valley that cut through the mountains. I knew I was leaving the greener forests of Hoenn and starting to get into rougher territory. It's been a while since I've been here, and it brings back memories!

I battles a bunch of trainers on the route, and even stopped at the Winstrate House. They're a family of trainers who love to battle. They're made up of husband and wife Victor and Victoria; their daughter Vivi; and Grandma Vicky. I believe their strongest family member was a trainer I met on Victory Road years ago, too.

December 4, 2015

Continuing my journey to Lavaridge Town, I made it to Route 112. May was there doing some training with her Blaziken. I decided it was time to add to Team Sapphire. I turned on the DexNav and found a wild Numel! I had Shroomish use Stun Spore to paralyze it, and then two Poké Balls later, I caught a Numel! That's the fifth Pokémon for Team Sapphire, and I think it will be a huge help against the fire-type Lavaridge Gym.

160. Numel


January 1, 2016

Happy New Year! Last month I took a huge break from Pokémon training. I got a PS4, so that was getting a lot of my attention last month. But now, with the New Year, I'm determined to continue and complete my Hoenn journey… and eagerly awaiting what will come next!

To summarize the rest of early December, I crossed through Fiery Path, met a guy named Aarune who taught me about Super-Secret Bases, and then stopped at the rest stop on the northern part of Route 111. During this time, on December 8th, I encountered a single wild Pokémon while I was crossing the Fiery Path. It was a Koffing! (That was not the poison-type I was expecting to encounter first…) I managed to catch it, making Team Sapphire finally complete with six Pokémon!

"Koffing, the Poison Gas Pokémon. Koffing embody toxic substances. They mix the toxins with raw garbage to set off a chemical reaction that results in a terribly powerful poison gas. The higher the temperature, the more gas is concocted. If they become agitated, the toxic gas jets out from all over their bodies. They can also overinflate, and then explode."

161. Koffing

January 10, 2016

I finally picked up my Pokémon journey. I reached Route 113, heading towards Fallarbor Town, where a Pokémon Contest was scheduled to take place.

 

[OffRoadSP]

January 11, 2016

I reached Fallarbor Town, but before I could think about entering a Pokémon Contest, May came running up to me frantically. Apparently, Professor Cosmo, meteoriticist who lives in the town, has been kidnapped by Team Aqua and taken to Meteor Falls. So I picked up my Pokémon from Nurse Joy, and headed towards Route 114.

After battling several trainers along the route (and setting up a Secret Base in the nearby hills), I finally reached Meteor Falls. Inside, May was already confronting Team Aqua. One of the Admins from Team Aqua was there, a familiar face named Shelly. I almost didn't recognize her, since she completely changed her hair color and style. She battled alongside a grunt against May, so I joined the battle as well. My Koffing and Dustox helped defeat her Mightyena and Carvanha. The grunt, on the other hand, used a Grimer!

"Grimer, the Sludge Pokémon. Grimer emerged from the sludge that settled on a polluted seabed. Their sludgy and rubbery bodies constantly leak horribly germ-infested fluids, and can be forced through any opening, however small it may be. They love anything filthy and enter sewer pipes to drink filthy wastewater."

While we were battling, Maxie from Team Magma showed up. Shelly decided to make a tactical retreat, but not before stealing the meteorite from Professor Cozmo. Maxie pursued her with Team Magma. Meanwhile, May and I helped the professor back to Fallarbor Town. My Pokémon Contest here will have to wait, because I decided to follow Team Aqua and Team Magma to Mt. Chimney, the location that the professor said was where they wanted to take the meteorite.

So I took the cable car on Route 112 to the top of Mt Chimney, where I found many Team Aqua and Team Magma grunts battling each other. I eventually found Admin Shelly, and battled her again, except this time she used a Grimer. Then I found the head honcho himself, Archie. He was going on about how the meteorite could be a Mega Stone or Key Stone. It have to admit, it would be great to unlock Mega Evolution here in Hoenn. Archie battled me with his Mightyena, Golbat, and Sharpedo, but they were no match for my Dustox, Metang, and Shroomish. He got a call from someone named Matt and asked for a time-out. Apparently, whatever he's looking for, he found out wasn't here. Team Aqua took off, and Maxie ordered Team Magma to follow them.

January 18, 2016

After clearing Mt. Chimney of Team Aqua, I traveled down Jagged Pass. Not much here has changed over the years. There are still wild Machop, Numel, and Spoink that make their home here in the mountain. I battled a handful of trainers along the way, then finally reached my next destination: Lavaridge Town!

Lavaridge Town also hasn't changed much. There's still the famous hot springs next to the Pokémon Center, and a lot of little shops dotted around this quiet little town. It's actually surprising that a gym is located here; usually they're only located in cities. And speaking of the gym, it was time to decide who to take into the Lavaridge Gym.

The selection for my upcoming gym battle was actually fairly simple to decide. Shroomish, Dustox, and Metang are all at a significant disadvantage against fire-types, so I'm going in with Koffing, Numel, and Marshtomp. I'd like to say that the battle should be easy with that team, but I've been surprised before.


January 19, 2016

Lavaridge Gym Challenge
vs. Flannery

The Lavaridge Gym was like a giant hot spring. It had definitely changed since last decade, when it was still rocky and Flannery had just become Gym Leader. I'm happy to have a chance to battle her now that she has some experience under her belt!

"WELCOME!" Flannery screamed. "You've done well to make it this far!"

"Yikes, you don't have to shout like that, I'm standing right here," I said as I covered my ears.

"I'm just trying to copy my grandfather from when he was gym leader," Flannery laughed. "Anyway, time to show you the hot moves we've honed since our last battle!"

"I'm ready for you!" I replied confidently.

Flannery's grandfather acted as judge. "This Lavaridge Gym battle will now begin. Each side will use three Pokémon. The battle will be over when all three Pokémon on either side are unable to battle. Only the challenger may substitute Pokémon."

"Slugma, let's go!" Out came Flannery's first Pokémon.

"A Slugma, right," I said as I tossed my first Poké Ball. "Koffing, maximize!"

"Starting with a poison-type, interesting," the Gym Leader commented.

"Koffing, Sludge attack!" Koffing blasted the poison sludge at Slugma.

"Slugma, block that with Light Screen!" Slugma's response was slow, as expected, so it still took a good amount of damage before putting up the Light Screen.

"That's going to be a slight problem," I said, as I thought about how most of my Pokémon were packing special attacks.

"Now, it's our turn!" Flannery yelled. "Slugma, use Overheat!"

"Uh oh, that's a powerful move. Koffing, use Smokescreen to dodge!" My Pokémon responded first, and was able to cloak itself in the Smokescreen, causing the fire attack to miss!

"Good job, Koffing!" I encouraged my Pokémon. "Now use Assurance!"

Koffing attacked directly, and Light Screen was no use in blocking the physical attack!

"Slugma is unable to battle!" Her grandfather called. "Koffing wins the round!"

"Slugma, return, you did well," Flannery said as she recalled her Pokémon. "Not bad, Steve. Now here's my second Pokémon. Go, Numel!"

"I was ready for that," I stated. "Koffing, return, great job. Now, Marshtomp, maximize!"

"What's this 'maximize' stuff?" Flannery asked.

I tried to explain briefly. "Oh, well, back when I was traveling in Sinnoh it seemed a lot of Pokémon Trainers, especially Pokémon Coordinators, had a battle cry when they sent out their Pokémon. I tried to find one that suited me, so, I kind of tapped into one of my favorite TV series, and I kind of used it ever since."

"Wow," Flannery smirked. "It seems kind of corny if you ask me. Anyway, back to our battle!"

"Right! Ok, Marshtomp, let's finish this with a single move. Use Water Gun!"

The water-type attack was doubly super-effective against Numel! It should have knocked it out, but…

"Nice try, Steve, but Light Screen is still active!" Flannery reminded me. "Numel, use Earth Power!"

"Hang in there, Marshtomp!" My Pokémon seemed to take the hit no problem. "Water Gun, one more time!"

This time, the Water Gun smashed through the Light Screen, and knocked out Numel!

"Numel is unable to battle. Marshtomp wins!"

"Great job, Marshtomp!" I recalled my Pokémon.

"Thank you, Numel. Return, and take a rest." Flannery prepared her last Poké Ball. "Ok, Torkoal, uh… let's see… ignite fire! No, um…"

"How about this?" I said, as I sent out my third Pokémon. "Numel, flame on!"

"Good one!" Flannery laughed, getting the reference. Both Pokémon took the field, either way.

"After all these years, you still don't take this seriously, do you?" Flannery's grandfather scolded.

"Oh, I'm just having a bit of fun," she replied. "Torkoal, use Sunny Day!"

"That'll power up fire-type moves," I observed, "but we won't give you time to make use of it! Numel, Earth Power, let's go!"

The super-effective hit flipped Torkoal right onto its back!

"Torkoal is unable to battle!" Flannery's grandfather raised his arm. "The winner of this gym match is Steve and his Numel!"

After the battle, Flannery and her grandfather walked me to the exit of the gym. Flannery bowed to me. "Thank you, Steve. It was fun having an opportunity to have another battle with one of my first challengers. That was a scorching hot battle! You've earned this Heat Badge. Best of luck of the rest of your journey!"

I returned to the Pokémon Center, and gave all my Pokémon to Nurse Joy to treat. I also checked into the Pokémon Global Link and saw I earned a half dozen new medals over the last month!

A2-032-1 Adventure Regular Customer A Medal for Trainers who kept going to Poké Marts and became regular customers. 01/19/2016
A2-004-2 Adventure Easy Cycling A Medal given to casual cyclists who have ridden a Bicycle 30 times. 01/19/2016
B2-024-3 Battle Rematch Regular A Medal commemorating 50 battles carried out using the Trainer's Eye app. 12/03/2015
A2-038-2 Adventure O-Power Lv. 2 A Medal to recognize a strong current of power in using 10 O-Powers. 12/03/2015
A2-036-2 Adventure Sociable A Medal commemorating turbulent encounters and farewells with 100 fellow players. 12/02/2015
A2-004-1 Adventure Starter Cycling A Medal given to beginning cyclists who rode a Bicycle for the first time. 12/02/2015

 

[OffRoadSP]

A very exciting post for today!

January 20, 2016

With my fourth Hoenn League badge in hand, it was time to once again switch Pokémon teams. I had Professor Birch send me Team Ruby: Grovyle, Combusken, Beautifly, Seedot, and Vigoroth. I returned to past routes, re-challenging trainers I've met along the way, a few of whom had improved teams. While I was doing this, my Seedot evolved into Nuzleaf!

162. Nuzleaf

I met up with Mr. Briney, who was looking after my Wingull. I added Wingull to my team, since I think it's time we enter another Pokémon contest! Briney had to stop by Dewford Town for a while, so I took the opportunity to explore the deeper parts of Granite Cave on the island. There were no more apocalyptic murals, though I did find what appeared to be a Mega Stone on the lowest level of the cavern. I'll have to have Professor Sycamore identify it.

Once we left Dewford Island, we travelled back to Route 109, and then parted ways. I traveled north again, through Slateport City and Mauville City, and took some time to train in the Fiery Path cave. I eventually came across a wild Grimer that I wanted to catch. The first Poké Ball failed, so I had Vigoroth use Yawn and Feint Attack to weaken it. This time I caught it, and it became the sixth member of Team Ruby!

163. Grimer

I continued along the road until I reached Fallarbor Town. I turned over my six Pokémon from Team Ruby, and then took Wingull out for some Contest training. Up to now we've only entered Clever Contests. I wanted it to use a new move in the contest here in Fallarbor Town, so we worked on Steel Wing, so it could have a Cool move to use in other contest categories.

January 21, 2016

Shortly after midnight, Wingull and I started out by entering some Normal Rank Contests. I decided to start with the ones I felt would be more difficult. First up was a Beauty Contest. We tried out Steel Wing here, but it was a drastic failure. Combine that with Wingull becoming nervous a few times, and in the end we scored almost no points. The Coolness Contest went better, and Steel Wing was a complete success here. Next we entered a Cuteness Contest. This one I played very conservatively; I only had Wingull use Hidden Power, and it was enough to score a ton of points. The Toughness Contest was last, and it went extremely well, especially since Wingull pulled off an Intrepid Skies Spectacular Talent to gain a ton of points!

After warming up with those contests, we then entered the much tougher Hyper Rank Clever Contest. Wingull was able to just barely win this one, but it was an impressive win as two other opponents used Spectacular Talents. Lisia was among the spectators, and congratulated me on the win. Chaz was there too, but he seemed less thrilled with my advancement. Lisia encouraged me to enter the Master Rank Clever Contest, so I did. I knew well that Master Rank Contests require a good bit of timing and a little luck. Wingull seemed to have a bit of both, because it managed to pull off Clear Blessed Rain, a Spectacular Talent that gave it more than enough points to pull ahead and win! So, we won our first Hoenn Contest Ribbon, the Cleverness Master Ribbon!

2:00am:

So before heading to bed, I took Wingull out to Route 113 to relax a bit and spread its wings. I was tinkering with the PokéNav, and we found a few Skarmory among the ashy skies. Then, suddenly, I saw a sparkle out of the corner of my eye. Was it my Wingull? No, wait, that Skarmory's wings are green… it's a shiny Skarmory! I immediately sent out my Vigoroth, who I had use Yawn to put it to sleep. I didn't want to risk the chance of knocking it out by attacking it, so I started tossing Poké Balls. I know Skarmory have a low capture rate… maybe I should switch to Great Balls, or even Dusk Balls? No, I persisted with Poké Balls! It took somewhere around 20 tries, but… I caught a shiny Skarmory!!

 

[OffRoadSP]

January 22, 2016

I played a lot with my new Skarmory in some Pokémon Amie games at the Pokémon Center. I had Nurse Joy give him a full examination, and then treated him to a bunch of Poképuffs. While I was at work, I had him sent to Professor Birch, who had the night to study my new Pokémon. Skarmory has a quiet nature, but seems to like to fight. Living in the mountains must have helped him hone his attack power, but his special stats were as low as they could be, unfortunately. His other stats were fairly average, though even an average defense on a Skarmory is still exceptional. His moveset was standard, so we'll have to work on that: Peck, Sand Attack, Metal Claw, and Air Cutter. Since I already had six Pokémon with me on Team Ruby, I transferred Grovyle to Professor Birch's lab in exchange for Skarmory. Professor Birch would also take care of Wingull for me, so I could start working with Skarmory to prepare it to enter some Pokémon Contests.

January 24, 2016

Now that Skarmory and I have started to form a bond, it was time for some training. There was a Super Training Facility that opened near Fallarbor Town, so I visited it with Skarmory. (Clemont's vision reached the Hoenn region, it seems!) Based on Professor Birch's assessment of Skarmory's stats, I decided all of our training would focus on Attack and Defense, with the small remainder in HP. We spent the afternoon at the facility, and even my other Pokémon took part in some training. Once Skarmory was fully trained, we went out to Route 113 so it could practice battling some wild Pokémon. As we battled, Skarmory learned how to use Fury Attack, which will be slightly more useful than Peck.

Because of its quiet nature, Skarmory will likely do well in Beauty Contests, so I decided to plant some berries so I can start making some more Pokéblock for both Skarmory and Wingull. Next up, we'll train for some Pokémon Contests!

Skarmory seemed to really enjoy dry Pokéblock, so I used a lot of Chesto and Oran berries to make a batch. It doesn't seem to enjoy sweet flavors, so I avoided using any of the sweeter berries. Once I felt its Beauty condition was maxed, we entered the Normal Rank Beauty Contest. Unlike when I entered with Wingull, Skarmory won the contest with a ton of points, especially since it was able to pull off the Celestial Skies Spectacular Talent to really captivate the audience!

January 25, 2016

After learning the move Flash, I entered the Super Rank Beauty Contest with Skarmory, and we won with no problem. Afterwards, we went out to Route 114 to do a little more training with the rest of Team Ruby.

January 26, 2016

I worked on teaching Skarmory another move that would help in Pokémon Contests. I taught it to use Round, which will require a little bit of luck and timing to really show off a lot of appeal. Then we entered the Hyper Rank Beauty Contest. Skarmory used all of its moves to gain a lot of appeal, and it even got to use a Spectacular Talent twice! Luceat Lux Vestra was the talent, where Skarmory would start to spin very fast and pinball around the stage. Needless to say, Skarmory came in first place!

Later that evening, I decided to try for Skarmory's first contest ribbon by entering the Master Rank Beauty Contest. Chaz and his Machamp named Macherie were entered as well. Despite having successfully pulled off Luceat Lux Vestra early in the appeal round, Skarmory ended up short a few points of Macherie. Macherie performed Uplifting Dawn right at the end and won the contest.

I then decided to head out across Route 114 and go back to Meteor Falls. I once again ran into May here, but this time she was battling Team Magma! Apparently, Team Magna successfully stole the meteorite from Team Aqua. I almost didn't recognize him, but Team Magma's Admin was here too. It was Tabitha, and he definitely gained a lot of weight since I last saw him. Regardless, Skarmory and I jumped in to battle him. We were winning, but then one of the grunts with him had her Koffing use Explosion, and that covered their escape. Archie from Team Aqua showed up, saying that his team was trying to get the meteorite back from Team Magma. He warned May and I to stay out of his way, and then he left in pursuit of Team Magma.

I figured that maybe with both teams focused on each other, maybe I could get the meteorite back. I decided to backtrack to Mt. Chimney, but not before taking a small detour. I stopped in Slateport City for a few things. First, I received a Blue Scarf from the Pokémon Fan Club, which should help Skarmory in its Pokémon Contests. Then, my Skarmory was awarded an Effort Ribbon, for being a fully trained Pokémon! This is Skarmory's first ribbon, and hopefully there will be many more on the way for it!

I stopped by the Trick House on Route 111 to take one of the Trick Master's challenges, then travelled to Route 112, and took the Cable Car up to Mt. Chimney. Once again, Team Aqua and Team Magma grunts were fighting it out. I found Tabitha again, and easily defeated his Koffing and Numel. Then I found Team Magma's leader, Maxie, as he was standing next to a contraption that was piped right into the volcano. Through domed glass, I could see the meteorite in the machine. Maxie decided to battle me himself. My Grimer was able to poison and knock out the Mightyena he sent out, but then he attacked with his most powerful Pokémon, Camerupt!

"Camerupt, the Eruption Pokémon, and the evolved form of Numel. Camerupt have a volcano inside their body. Magma of 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit courses through them. The humps on their back are formed by a transformation of their bones. They sometimes blast out molten magma. They apparently erupt often when they are enraged."

Of all of my Pokémon, there's only one who has a chance of standing up to Camerupt. I sent out Vigoroth, who was able to use Yawn to put it to sleep, and then quickly defeat it before it woke up. With his best Pokémon defeated, Maxie sent out his Golbat to attack. Luckily, I also have air support, and I intercepted with my Skarmory. Once Skarmory took care of Golbat, I had it use Metal Claw to smash the glass on the machine, and snatch the meteorite back. Maxie was annoyed by this, but said his true objective was elsewhere. With no reason to fight anymore, both team retreated. I also took the opportunity to rest up in nearby Lavaridge Town.

At the Pokémon Center, I connected to the Global Link and saw I had earned quite a few more medals, not the least of which was one for finding my shiny Skarmory!

A2-004-2 Adventure Easy Cycling A Medal given to casual cyclists who have ridden a Bicycle 30 times. 01/27/2016
E2-016-1 Fun Normal Flag Collector A Medal to commemorate the first flag collected in another Trainer's Secret Base. 01/24/2016
E2-008-1 Fun Super-Training Instructor A Medal for Trainers who played with their Pokémon in Super Training 10 times. 01/24/2016
A2-047-1 Adventure Miraculous Meeting A Medal celebrating a Trainer's first meeting with a Shiny Pokémon in the wild. 01/21/2016
E2-014-2 Fun Normal Contest Star A Medal commemorating 10 entries in Contest Spectaculars. 01/21/2016
B2-024-3 Battle Rematch Regular A Medal commemorating 50 battles carried out using the Trainer's Eye app. 01/20/2016
A2-004-1 Adventure Starter Cycling A Medal given to beginning cyclists who rode a Bicycle for the first time. 11/19/2015

 

[OffRoadSP]

January 29, 2016

I got a pair of Go-Goggles from the Pokémon Center, and then left Lavaridge Town. I returned to Route 111, and decided to explore the dessert area carved into the mountains. Because of the way the wind moves around the area, there is constantly a sandstorm blowing in the area. Thankfully, I have Skarmory with me, and its steel body won't be affected by the harsh weather.

I didn't have to go far into the area before I had my first wild Pokémon encounter. It was a Baltoy! I tossed a Poké Ball at it, but it broke right out. So I had Skarmory weaken it with a few rounds of Round attacks, then I tossed another Poké Ball, and caught it with a critical capture!

"Baltoy, the Clay Doll Pokémon. Baltoy move by spinning on their one foot, and can cleverly balance on this foot to sleep. As soon as they spot others of their kind, they congregate and begin crying noisily in unison. Primitive wall paintings depicting these Pokémon living among people were discovered in ancient ruins."

164. Baltoy

January 30, 2016

I decided to do some more exploration of the desert before going into work. I remember that sometimes Pokémon fossils can be found among the shifting sands of the area. While I was wandering around, I did happen to find a Root Fossil! I'll have to take it to the Devon Corporation to have it revived. I continued to explore, finding a few items and battling a few trainers in the area. One of them had a Cacnea that they had caught in the desert!

"Cacnea, the Cactus Pokémon. Cacnea live in arid locations such as deserts. The more arid and harsh the environment, the more pretty and fragrant a flower they grow. They release a strong aroma from this flower to attract prey. When prey comes near, they shoot sharp thorns from their body to bring the victims down. They battle by wildly swinging their thorny arms."

Once I was done thoroughly searching the route, I returned to Fallarbor Town and left my Pokémon at the Pokémon Center before heading into work.

January 31, 2016

I wanted to go to Rustboro City next, so I left Fallarbor Town and entered Meteor Falls. As I explored inside, I found a Moon Stone, though I don't think I'll need to use it any time soon, since I caught a Wigglytuff in Kalos. After passing through that cave, I exited onto Route 115, which eventually led me into the north entrance of my destination city. I stopped at the Pokémon Center, and transferred Beautifly to Professor Birch in order to free up a spot in my team of Pokémon. I immediately went over to the Devon Corporation, and found the scientists who worked with Pokémon fossils. I handed over the Root Fossil. After a short procedure, I was given my new Pokémon, a Lileep!

"Lileep, the Sea Lily Pokémon. Lileep are ancient Pokémon that became extinct approximately a hundred million years ago. They attach themselves to rocks on the seafloor and intently scan for prey with their two eyes. They catch approaching prey using tentacles shaped like flower petals."

165. Lileep

February 1, 2016

While I was in Rustboro City, I contacted Professor Birch to see if he had learned anything about the Mega Stone I found in Granite Cave. He said that he had discussed it with Professor Sycamore, but the Mega Stone I found does not match any that they discovered in Kalos. If it's a new Mega Stone, I wonder what other Pokémon can Mega Evolve? That will have to wait until later, though, as I don't have a Hoenn Key Stone anyway.

I decided to do another round of re-battling trainers along all the routes I've been to so far. Many of these trainers' Pokémon became stronger and a few even evolved, including a few trainers whose Shroomish evolved into Breloom!

"Breloom, the Mushroom Pokémon, and the evolved form of Shroomish. Breloom close in on their foes with light and sprightly footwork, then throw punches with their stretchy arms. Their fighting technique puts boxers to shame. The seeds ringing their tail are made of hardened toxic spores. It is horrible to eat these seeds. Just taking a bite of the seeds can cause severe stomach pains."

As I traveled along, I decided to stop on Route 110 and take some of the Trick Master's challenges at the Trick House. Once I overcame all of his challenges, I continued my battling circuit. It was making some good training for my recently caught Pokémon.

When I reached Fiery Path, I found Aarune inside, digging out a new Super-Secret Base for himself. He said he's heading Fortree City, so I'm sure I'll see him again. As I explored more of the Fiery Path, I found a Fire Stone, which will be very useful as I know that Vulpix are native in the Hoenn region.

Finally, after completing the rematch circuit, I decided to backtrack to Mauville City, and this time head west onto Route 117. This short route leads to Verdanturf Town, where Skarmory's next Pokémon Contest awaits!

February 2, 2016

It's time for another Master Rank Beauty Contest! I entered the Verdanturf Contest Hall, and it appears Chaz was once again entering with his Macherie. This time, though, we're determined to beat them. The first few rounds went smoothly, although Macherie was getting most of the points. Eventually, Skarmory was able to perform Celestial Skies, which allowed it to catch up. Unfortunately, Macherie was also able to perform its Spectacular Talent, Uplifting Dawn. It's going to be close, I think. Skarmory managed to show off all its moves, and in the last round it used Round to score some big points. In the end, the winner was determined by a few points… but the winner was Skarmory! It earned its second ribbon, and first Contest ribbon, the Beauty Master Ribbon!

Now that Skarmory completed the category it excels in, it was time to decide which contest to pursue next. Since Cute is its least favorite, that leaves Tough, Clever, and Cool. Since Metal Claw and Air Cutter are moves that would do well in Cool Contests, I settled on that choice. So we went out to Route 117 to do some training. While we were practicing some combinations, Skarmory spotted something sparkling on the ground. I ran over to see what it was. It looks like a Mega Stone! I pocketed it for now, figuring I'll have the professors look at it later.

I then returned to the Pokémon Center to make some Pokéblock for Skarmory. For more efficiency, I decided to make Rainbow Pokéblock, so all its contest stats could increase. I avoided sweet berries, since I knew Skarmory disliked sweet flavors. Yache berries are dry and sour, so I included some of those. Shuca berries are sweet, but I was hoping the spiciness might be worth it. The strong bitterness of Rindo berries should balance it out, as well as add some sourness to it. I used some flavorful Razz berries to add drier, spicy flavor to the mix. The result was a batch of Pokéblock that were primarily sour, but overall balanced flavor, with only a hint of sweetness to them. And although it typically likes dry Pokéblock, Skarmory seemed to enjoy it. I finished with a batch of Red Pokéblock made from Cheri berries to help maximize its Cool contest condition.

I then returned to the Verdanturf Contest Hall and entered some Coolness Contests, and Skarmory easily cleared the Normal, Super, and Hyper Ranks. It learned to perform modified versions of its Spectacular Talents: Glorious Skies and Clarior E Tenebris. Soon, I'll have it enter its second Master Rank contest.

I decided to walk around the town since it was a beautiful day and the air was so clean and crisp. I found a girl who was searching for something and looked very upset. She said she had lost her Shroomish, so I took some time to search with her. We eventually found it, and as thanks, she gave me an Intriguing Stone. Afterwards, I decided I would travel through Rusturf Tunnel to take a shortcut back to Rustboro City. As I passed through, I found another Mega Stone among the rocks!

Once I reached the Rustboro City, I had Mr. Stone take a look at the Intriguing Stone I was given in Rustboro City. He cleaned it up and it turned out to be Mega Stone! So I went to the Pokémon Center and contacted Professor Birch. I showed him the three Mega Stones I obtained today. He cross-referenced them with the data he had from Professor Sycamore, but was only able to identify two of them. The one I found just outside of Verdanturf Town matched the Mega Stone that was discovered in Shabboneau Castle in the Kalos region, and was Mawilite. The one I picked up in Rusturf Tunnel was Aggronite, as apparently Grant, the Gym Leader from the Cyllage Gym in Kalos, found one just like it among the cliffs of his gym. The Intriguing Stone did not match any Mega Stones located in Kalos thus far. So it may be a while until it can be identified.

But now it's time to settle down a bit and think about my next gym battle. Petalburg Gym is up next. Being a normal-type gym, Skarmory should do quite well defensively. I think I'll also give Baltoy and Lileep a shot at the gym too, as they are also fairly strong defensively. I just hope I bring enough offensive power to win! I also wanted to pick a location for a Secret Base to train in, so I randomly decided on a spot deep in the Fiery Path. It should be a good spot to train for the gym!

I also picked up two more medals towards the Medal Rally today.

A2-041-1 Adventure Archeology Lover A Medal to prove the power of science that restored Pokémon from Fossils and brought them to the present time. 02/02/2016
A2-001-4 Adventure Honored Footprints A Medal to praise ultimate walkers who took 100,000 steps on the land of Hoenn. 02/02/2016

 

[Zeturic]

I decided that I wanted a Shiny Ponyta, so I traded for a Japanese Ditto on the GTS. I already had the Shiny Charm. ~300 eggs later, I got one.

Unrelatedly, I trained my team (of 3) up to level 100. They've been ~90 for a long time. This might sound ridiculous, but they're the 4th, 5th, and 6th Pokemon I've ever actually trained up to 100. My first was a Typhlosion from my first ever playthrough of Gold (it was also my first Pokemon period), second and third were a Blaziken and Flygon from my first playthough of Sapphire.

 

[OffRoadSP]

I spent a while preparing and decorating my Secret Base, and then started to make my way back to Petalburg City. I stopped in Mauville City, and stopped by a place called the Ritzy Ribbon. For a not-so-small entrance fee, you could have your Pokémon show off its contest moves. I had Skarmory use some combinations of Flash and Round that it used to win its previous ribbon, and it earned itself the Gorgeous Ribbon, making it Skarmory's third ribbon!

I finally reached Petalburg City, left Nuzleaf, Vigoroth, and Grimer at the Pokémon Center, and entered the Petalburg Gym. Lileep, Baltoy, and Skarmory got some battle practice by fighting the handful of trainers in the gym. Tomorrow, it's time to win our fifth Hoenn League badge!

February 3, 2016

Petalburg Gym Challenge
Vs. Norman

Norman's Petalburg Gym hasn't changed much over the years. The layout was the same as I remembered it. I walked over to my side of the battlefield. May was there to watch as well, since it was her father I was battling.

"So the world traveler has come back to visit Hoenn," teased Norman. "Let's see what all that experience has taught you about battling!"

"I'm ready for you!" I exclaimed confidently.

"Then here's my first Pokémon," the gym leader said as he tossed his Poké Ball. "Slaking, let's go!"

"He's leading off with Slaking?" I said, shocked, as I pulled out my Pokédex. "Maybe I forget his line-up after all…"

"Slaking, the Lazy Pokémon, and the evolved form of Vigoroth. Slaking spend all day lying down lolling about. Rings of over a yard in diameter appear in grassy fields where they live. These rings are made because they eat grass growing within their reach while lying prone on the ground. If they eat all the grass they can reach, they reluctantly move to another spot."

"Well, they may be lazy, but I also remember them being strong," I threw my first Poké Ball. "Ok, Lileep, maximize!"

"Hm, I can't say I've battled against many fossil Pokémon," Norman observed. "Slaking, start things off with your Feint Attack!"

The Feint Attack hit harder than I would have liked.

"Lileep, use Acid!" My Pokémon sprayed the poison-type attack at its opponent, but it merely splashed off its large body.

"I forgot how resilient Slaking could be too," I pondered my next move. "Lileep, gain some strength back with Giga Drain!"

Thankfully, Giga Drain did a bit more damage.

"Slaking, Feint Attack again! Keep up the pressure!" ordered Norman.

"Hang in there, Lileep! Use Brine!" Brine was extra effective since Slaking was starting to weaken. I thought it was over, but it got back up! Slaking was hanging in there!

"Time out for a Hyper Potion!" Norman called. That means I get a free use of an item as well.

"Darn, so close!" I said slightly annoyed. "We'll just use some of that restored power. Lileep, Giga Drain!"

My Lileep was able to use Giga Drain twice in a row, and regained all of its energy!

"Slaking, use Yawn!" Norman was trying to get in a status effect.

"Quick, Lileep, before you fall asleep, use Brine!" My drowsy Pokémon blasted the water-type attack, and it was enough to knock out Slaking!

"Slaking is unable to battle," came the call from the judge, "Lileep wins!"

"Great job, Lileep!" I started to say, but my Pokémon was falling asleep. I recalled it to its Poké Ball. "Well, I'd say take a rest, but it looks like you already might be."

"Well done," Norman also removed his Pokémon from the field. "That was a low key start, but let's speed things up a bit. I choose you, Vigoroth!"

"Now that's what I was expecting! Baltoy, maximize!"

"You might regret that," Norman cautioned. "Vigoroth, use Feint Attack!"

The super-effective attack hit before my Pokémon could dodge, but thankfully Baltoy's defense handled it better than I expected.

"Way to hang in there!" I yelled. "Now, use Extrasensory!"

"Vigoroth, no!" Norman called as his Pokémon was struck by the psychic-type attack.

"Now, let's slow them down," I said, seeing how Baltoy took more damage than it dealt. "Use Rock Tomb!"

"Nice try," scoffed Norman, "Vigoroth, use Encore!"

Baltoy went to use Rock Tomb, but it turned out to be Extrasensory instead! Not what I was going for, but still dealt significant damage. Vigoroth was really struggling.

"That will work," I said. "Baltoy, finish this with Extrasensory!"

"Look out, Vigoroth! Intercept with… what?" Norman was cut short, as the Quick Claw I had Baltoy hold kicked in, and caused it attack before Norman could respond!

"Vigoroth is unable to battle. Baltoy wins!"

"Good strategy," Norman recalled his fallen Pokémon from the field. "You've definitely become stronger. Now go, Slaking!"

"Another Slaking?" I tried to remember, were these the same Pokémon he used years ago? "Baltoy, return, you did great out there. For the final battle, I know who I want to use. Time for your gym battle debut. Skarmory, maximize!"

My new shiny Pokémon appeared with its usual sparkle.

"That's the Skarmory that defeated Macherie in the Fallarbor Pokémon Contest!" exclaimed May from the stands. "It's beautiful!"

"That it is," Norman stated. "But let's see if it does as well in a gym battle as it does in a contest. Slaking, Feint Attack!"

My Skarmory isn't too fast, so it wasn't able to dodge.

"Ready, Skarmory?" My Pokémon glanced back at me. "Just like we practiced. Use Flash!"

The bright light blinded Slaking! And since Slaking are so slow, Skarmory was able to use Flash a second time.

"Use Feint Attack again!" called Norman. Despite the lower accuracy, it managed to hit.

"Time for offense," I said. "Skarmory, use Metal Claw!"

Unfortunately, Metal Claw didn't do a whole lot of damage.

"Keep attacking with a string of Metal Claws!" My Pokémon went in for another hit.

"Right where we want you. Knock it out of there with Feint Attack!" Skarmory was too close, and Slaking landed a critical hit! So much for my idea of lowering its accuracy.

"Hang in there!" I called out to Skarmory, as it landed two more Metal Claw Attacks.

"Finish this, Slaking!" It landed another Feint Attack! Skarmory can't take another hit like that.

"I have faith in you, Skarmory! Keep up the pressure!" My Skarmory came through, and two more hits later…

"Slaking is unable to battle," the judge raised his arm, "the winner of the Petalburg Gym battle is Steve and his Skarmory!"

"I'd say it's impossible, but you've clearly come a long way, Steve," complimented Norman. "I gladly give you this Balance Badge. Good luck in your future endeavors!"

My fifth Hoenn badge! And in just a few months! Can't wait for whatever comes next in my journey!

February 6, 2015

After winning my fifth badge, I gave all of Team Ruby a rest. I contacted Professor Birch, and had Dustox, Shroomish, Numel, and Koffing transferred to me. I knew I would be adding some new Pokémon to Team Sapphire soon, so I left Marshtomp and Metang with the professor.

I traveled back to the desert on Route 111, and started battling some wild Pokémon. I soon came across what I was searching for… a wild Cacnea! A few Poké Balls later, and I caught the newest member of Team Sapphire!

166. Cacnea

I also managed to find another fossil near some quicksand. This time it was a Claw Fossil. With it, Team Sapphire will soon be back up to a full team of six Pokemon!

 

[OffRoadSP]

February 15, 2016

After a long week of overtime at work, I was finally able to get back to some training. I wandered around Hoenn, re-battling trainers I've met so far, and made a pit stop in Rustboro City. I took the Claw Fossil to the Devon Corporation, where the scientist there was able to revive it into an Anorith!

"Anorith, the Old Shrimp Pokémon. Anorith were regenerated from prehistoric fossils and are said to be a type of Pokémon predecessor, with eight wings at the sides of their body. They once lived in warm seas, and swam in the primordial sea by undulating these eight wings. They grip prey firmly between their two large claws."

167. Anorith

February 16, 2016

I continued to train Team Sapphire, and earned two more medals.

E2-016-1 Fun Normal Flag Collector A Medal to commemorate the first flag collected in another Trainer's Secret Base. 02/16/2016
A2-041-1 Adventure Archeology Lover A Medal to prove the power of science that restored Pokémon from Fossils and brought them to the present time. 02/16/2016

February 17, 2016

I decided it was time to explore some new areas of Hoenn. Since there are several areas that have, ahem, "too much water," I needed a Pokémon that I could Surf around with. I noticed a lot of trainers using Sharpedo or Wailmer to Surf, so I contacted Brigette and asked her to send me my Sharpedo that I had caught in the Kalos region. Since I already have six Pokémon with me, I sent Dustox to Professor Birch in exchange.

February 18, 2016

I started the circuit of re-battling previous trainers, but this time included the water routes on my travels. When I reached Route 104, I sent out my Sharpedo and traveled south onto Route 105. I battled the many swimming trainers along the way, and one of them used a Spheal!

"Spheal, the Clap Pokémon. Spheal always travel by rolling around on their ball-like bodies. When the season for ice floes arrives, they can be seen rolling about on ice and crossing the sea. When groups of them stop to eat, they all clap at once to show their pleasure. Because of this, their mealtimes are noisy."

February 24, 2016

I continued to Surf along the water routes with Sharpedo: Route 106, 107, and… when I reached Route 108, I saw what looked to be a sunken structure on some sort. I don't remember this being here years ago. I climbed aboard the half-submerged structure and started to explore it. There were a few people on board already. I was told that this structure is called Sea Mauville, and that it was once a scientific facility that was designed to extract the natural resources of the ocean. After an incident which caused the facility to half-sink, which people were oddly vague about, the structure was going to be demolished. Before demolition, many water-type Pokémon decided to make the abandoned structure their home, so now Sea Mauville is maintained as a natural preserve.

After battling a few trainers there, and exploring the rather unremarkable rooms above water, I left Sea Mauville and continued on my way through Route 108 to Route 109, and finally returning to land and briefly resting in Slateport City. I continued my circuit of re-battling trainers, and while on Route 110, my Numel evolved into Camerupt!

168. Camerupt

Continuing through the previously explored routes, I also explored sections where I needed Sharpedo to reach. I eventually reached Rusturf Tunnel, and in a secluded area of Route 116 up on a cliff, I built another Super Secret Base, this time for Team Sapphire.

I ended the night in Mauville City. Now that I have thoroughly explored the western side of Hoenn, it's time to head east. Next stop: Fortree City, and my sixth gym badge!

B2-024-4 Battle Rematch Master A Medal commemorating 100 battles carried out using the Trainer's Eye app. 02/24/2016
A2-004-3 Adventure Hard Cycling A Medal given to outstanding cyclists who have ridden a Bicycle 100 times. 02/24/2016
A2-001-4 Adventure Honored Footprints A Medal to praise ultimate walkers who took 100,000 steps on the land of Hoenn. 02/24/2016

February 25, 2016

I set out across Route 118. On the other side of the shore, I saw Steven Stone looking out across the ocean. When he saw me, he called me over. He said he thinks he sees a Pokémon flying off in the distance. I looked towards the south, and saw it. It was heading this way! It landed on the beach near us. It was the legendary Pokémon, Latios! It seemed upset. Steven suggested that it wants us to climb on it so it can take us somewhere. I figured, why not, and hopped on Latios's back with Steven. It soared backed to the south with us.

Latios landed on an island that Steven said is called Southern Island. He continued that his research about ancient Pokémon has led him to discover that the secrets of Mega Evolution here in the Hoenn region may exist on this island, and are guarded by Latios and Latias. Then we heard a Pokémon crying not far away. When we ran to see what the commotion was, we saw Team Aqua threatening Latias! This must be what Latios was upset about.

Team Aqua Admin Matt and the grunt with him were attacking with a Sharpedo and Grimer respectively. Steven and I got in between the enemy Pokémon and Latias, and decided to have a tag battle against Team Aqua.

"We have no time for you punks," Matt threatened. "We of Team Aqua are definitely gonna need the transcendent power of Mega Evolution to achieve our ambitions. How 'bout it? If you get out of our way, we won't rough you up."

Obviously, we did not get out of their way, and Steven sent out a Metang and I battled with Koffing. Metang easily defeated the Grimer with a single Zen Headbutt. Koffing was having a little trouble with Sharpedo, but then it evolved into Weezing! One Sludge Bomb later, and Sharpedo was defeated.

"Weezing, the Poison Gas Pokémon, and the evolved form of Koffing. Weezing alternately shrink and inflate their twin bodies to mix together toxic gases inside. The more the gases are mixed, the more powerful the toxins become. They love the gases given off by rotted garbage. They try to find dirty, unkempt places to make their homes. At night, while people are asleep, it will go through trash."

169. Weezing

Admin Matt and the Team Aqua grunt retreated after being defeated. As thanks for helping it, Latias led Steven and me into a grove where a huge glowing crystal protruded from the ground. I told Steven I recognized it, and that it looked like the Key Stone I had in the Kalos region. I placed a piece of it in my Mega Bracelet, and it started to glow brighter. Then I saw that Latias was holding a stone that began to glow in response to my Key Stone. I raised my Mega Bracelet, and Latias Mega Evolved! It looks like I discovered a new Mega Stone, Latiasite! Mega Latias flew us back to Route 118, but wouldn't leave. Steven said it looks like Latias wanted to come with me. So I held out a Poké Ball, and caught Latias!

"Latias, the Eon Pokémon. Latias is highly intelligent and capable of understanding human speech. It is also highly sensitive to the emotions of people. It is covered with a glass-like down. The Pokémon enfolds its body with this down and refracts light to alter its appearance. If it senses any hostility, this Pokémon ruffles the feathers all over its body and cries shrilly to intimidate the foe."

170. Latias

Mega Latias