#ghost are weak to ghost. so i decide to teach one of my pokemon a ghost type move

[daisybell-on-a-carousel]

DASIY BELL I LOVE YOU SO MUCH

[askkrenko]

Krenko’s Guide to Pokemon: Gastly Line

I may or may not be afraid of some ghosts.

DESIGN: 

Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar are an interesting design combination of a creature being fully realized. Gastly is just a face, really, while Haunter has something of a proper head and hands, as well as the hints of a body. Gengar is then the full creature, with legs and everything. Meanwhile, Gastly has a very will-o-wisp look for a minor ghost, while Haunter is more actively ghostly. Gengar, meanwhile, is designed to be sort of an animated shadow of a nonspecific Pokemon that’s absolutely Clefable. It’s name, even in Japan, comes from the word Doppleganger, which is a magical being that looks like a copy of a real person. Basically your classic evil twin. 

All three designs are relatively simple, but I also think they get the point across. These things are spooks, and they’re all the same spook gradually getting stronger over time.

The only really weird and confusing thing about the trio is... Haunter is bigger than Gengar.  Forget the tiny Haunter you remember from the anime. 

Thanks, KlavernBoer for taking this picture. Haunter is 5′03″. or 1.6m. Seriously. It’s HUGE. It’s just only in the newer games that you can really tell. The anime’s wrong on other sizes, too, but the Haunter one is extra surprising because you can ride Haunter in Let’s Go.

So, the base three are fine, and then we’ve got two added forms. Mega Gengar, like many Mega evolutions, is just... X-TREME!

I don’t really have anything interesting to say about Mega Gengar. It’s just Gengar but spikier. It has a third eye for some reason... and if anything it feels like it’s devolving back toward Haunter with the forward-leaning pose and the lack of feet. It’s interesting for the Mega Evolution gimmick, but I’m really not feeling the design. You know what design I do feel, though? GIGANTIMAX GENGAR!

At over 65 feet tall, this thing is higher than many buildings, and it clearly just wants to eat everyone and everything into the netherworld that is its mouth.  According to the Pokedex, its mouth leads directly to the afterlife, and if you stand too close you’ll hear your loved one’s voices calling for you to enter. 

Those children are about to get eaten. That’s just what’s going to happen. Maybe they can fight it off, but if not, they’re snacks. I also love how Gigantamax Gengar sinks into the ground, making it even bigger than what we can see. It’s huge. It’s terrifying. I love it. EVOLUTIONS:  Gastly to Haunter at 25 is fine but I’ve already complained about how trade evolutions are kind of out of date and more of a pain than they are fun anymore. Back in they day they were fun, sure, but now it’s just a chore.  Mega Gengar was a bad idea. Many Pokemon needed Megas. Many Pokemon want Megas. Gengar was not one of them.  In fact, Gengar was so good even before getting a Mega that they had to nerf it by changing its special ability from a good one to a bad one, and it’s still an entirely solid Pokemon. Megas very clearly were distributed more on ‘what would be cool’ rather than ‘what Pokemon needs a boost’ and that makes me sad. Because part of the reason Gengar is so cool is that it really doesn’t need the boost.

Gigantamax Gengar is basically a straight upgrade from Gengar. Max Phantasm lowers an opponent’s physical defense, but Gengar’s special attack is literally twice its physical, so there’s no reason to use that. Instead, it gets G-Max Terror, which prevents the opponent from switching out. 

Art by please tell me if you can figure this out I’ve done reverse search and nothings turned up. It seems to be linked to https://theroaringtrainers.com/ but I can’t actually find it there.

TYPING:  Poison/Ghost was a really dumb thing back in Red and Blue. Ghost was the only thing good against Psychic, but there were no Ghost moves worth a damn and the only ghosts were Poison/Ghost, so they were weak to Psychic.  Now that the Psychic bogeyman’s a lot less of an issue, this type combo is a lot stronger. The Gastly line has four weaknesses, two resistances, two double resistances, and two immunities.  Six is a decent array of defensive types, and the fact that Normal, Fighting, Poison, and Bug attacks fall off Gengar like water off a duck’s back really helps.  Offensively, Gengar’s getting super-effective hits on only Ghost, Psychic, Fairy and Grass (two of which are getting super-effective hits right back on Gengar), but almost nothing resists Ghost, and Poison works just fine on most of the Dark and Normal types that do.

Grim Haunter by Dragolisco

STATS: 130 Special Attack, 110 Speed. Oh, you want to know about its other stats? ...Why? It has 130 Special Attack and 110 Speed. It usually goes first, and the other Pokemon often won’t survive. Okay, so, defensively, Gengar’s sub par at 60 HP, 60 Defense, and 75 special defense, but those stats aren’t so low that he’ll simply collapse to most hits. Just build for Special Attack and Speed, and swing for the fences. It’s not complicated. Mega Gengar has bigger numbers all around, with 170 Special Attack and 130 speed, with both defenses raised by 20. Look, if you have 130 speed and 170 special attack it doesn’t really matter what your other stats are. You’re a murder machine. 

Art by TsaoShin 

ABILITIES: Gastly, Haunter, and any Gengar in generations 3, 4, 5, and 6 has the ability Levitate. With a ground weakness and two pre-existing immunities, Levitate makes them particularly hard to stop. Shifting this line’s already defensive typing to include three immunities and four resistances with only three weaknesses is absurdly powerful, and the devs figured that out the hard way. As of generation 7, Gengar has the Cursed Body ability.

Cursed Body... is an ability that exists. It’s has a chance to disable any move that hits Gengar, and while that’s not garbage, Gengar’s relatively fragile body means you’re unlikely to see it trigger in a normal fight, except maybe on an attack you intentionally jumped in front of because Gengar’s resistant anyway and you’d rather they use again instead of switching attacks.  Yes, sometimes it’ll save your life, and sometimes it’ll really mess up someone using a Choice Band, but it’s not really a relevant part of the overall Gengar discussion. Mega Gengar has Shadow Tag which prevents the opponent from switching out.  Shadow Tag is a very powerful ability that makes sure Gengar gets to knock out what Gengar wants to knock out. There is no escape from Mega Gengar.

Pokemon x UNDERTALE: Chara and MegaGengar by Sa-Dui

MOVES:  Gengar is one of those early Pokemon that gets all sorts of moves that it has no reason to have. I have a theory that when TMs were first programmed into Red and Blue, every Pokemon could learn every TM, and then they decided that was silly and cut out the moves that really didn’t make sense... But any Pokemon programmed in after this was instead given TM moves case-by-case. My basic evidence for this is that the Pokemon that can learn Thunderbolt for no apparent reason are mostly Pokémon early in the Internal List.  I haven’t really gone on a deep dive, but this is my theory. Anyway, for attacks, every Gengar takes Shadow Ball.  Gengar gets it on level-up, it’s its best Ghost-type move.  The only bit of competition here is Hex, which requires either Hypnosis or Will-O-Wisp to set up.

Gengar’s other attacks have a lot of options. If you want a Poison move, Sludge Bomb. While Sludge Wave technically does more damage to a single target than Sludge Bomb, the added 20% chance to poison in Sludge Bomb is generally going to wind up being more damage than 5 more power. 

The only things that don’t take full damage from Shadow Ball are Dark and Normal, and while Sludge Bomb can work on them, they share a weakness in Fighting. With fighting ALSO being super-effective against Ice, Rock, and Steel, many Gengar trainers teach it Focus Blast, an absurdly strong albeit highly inaccurate attack.  Further, Gengar has plenty of special attack options like Dark Pulse, Thunderbolt, Psychic, Energy Ball, and Dazzling Gleam if you just want more options at Super-Effective damage.  If there’s a Pokemon you’re particularly worried about, Gengar probably has something it’s weak to.

But what sweeper setup would be complete without Sword Plot or Nasty Dance?  Get a moment to set up and Gengar can double its Special Attack, giving it an easy time tearing through anything that gets in its way.

On the other hand, maybe you’re a bit worried about backlash. With high speed, Substitute can make a good defensive measure and scout what the opponent’s doing.  And aforementioned Will-O-Wisp and Hypnosis can severely impact the opponent’s ability to smash your face in while also turning Hex into a 130 power attack. With Mega Gengar’s Shadow Tag, you can get even tankier. Disable and Taunt can severely inhibit a Pokemon that’s trapped in combat against it, and if you really just want to trade Megas, you can use Destiny Bond because they can’t exactly switch out.   Gengar has a lot of options, and it’s good at them.

Art by Nohbyl

OVERALL:  The Gastly line is great. They look cool, they’re powerful, they’re useful, and there’s actually a bit of a niche for Haunter to be used on its own due to having a different ability than Gengar, not that it’s a particularly good one.  GMax Gengar is great, too, though Mega Gengar is entirely unnecessary.  Gengar with Levitate was good enough before Mega Gengar existed, it’s weird to me that they added the Mega, then nerfed base Gengar. 

Anyway, Gengar’s in a great place, always has been, and I’m sure we’re going to keep seeing it for years to come. It’s also simple enough to easily show up in any region, and popular enough that they’ll never shelve it for long. 

[annsparksthegmr]

Pokemon Black Nuzlocke - Part 3

Continuing on with my Pokemon Black Nuzlocke for those interested. For a quick summary of my Nuzlocke so far in a nutshell: “I’ve got no Flying-Types and I swear Critical Hits are happening to me every other turn. Also by the way, can I mention how nearly all my Pokemon are females and I’m usually used to getting males?” But there had been progress made if you want to read it below. Because, quite a bit happens as I start off with Route 4.

So back to Pokemon Black Nuzlockes I go and my next encounter in Route 4 as a Darumaka. Never got to use one, let alone a female one. Her nickname is… well… *looks up random names that might fit*. Let’s call her Ramona. Who shall now be replacing Ghost Girl since as Liepard is not really pulling any weight. Also I kicked Cheren’s butt. Thus I fully went onto journeying through Route 4. Quick notes shall follow if anything of interest happened.

Fighting-Type Pokemon are the current bane of my party. I got no Pidove and thus no Flying-Type or anything super effective against them. Which is troubling when it comes to dealing with Timburr.

Went to visit the Desert Resort and get some encounters there. Just in case I suddenly have Pokemon faint during the upcoming battles. And I think giving Pebbles the Quick Claw is worth it, as having a Roggenrola who can outspeed others is fun. Captain finally evolved from a Tympole to a Palpitoad; meaning also I know have a Pokemon who is only super duper weak to Grass. My encounter for the Desert Resort turns out to be a female Sandile. Who I quickly just tossed the Quick Ball. Her nickname shall be Cassandra and she’ll chill in the Box in case I need.

Now considering the fact I could theoretically catch a Volcarona later on during the post game (depending on whether or not I decide to Nuzlocke post-game story.) I just decided to use Repels for the castle. But I managed to find the person with the fossils. And as much as I wanted to get the Tirtouga, I was considering getting Archen in case I could not find a Pokemon capable of using Fly later on. But I decided to screw my luck and took the Cover Fossil. Bias and planning be damned. (I shall revive it when I need the Pokemon and once I can learn Fly.)

I did some more grinding to get everyone up to Level 25 before heading into Nimbasa City. Pebbles evolved into a Boldore. Making her the last main evolution for the journey to Nimbasa City. But upon arriving in the city after getting free Ultra Balls, Team Plasma appeared harassing an old man. Which I had to beat up and got the bike! Hooray for faster travel! Got the Strength HM and decided between going to the Amusement Park and Bianca, I chose to ride with N in the ferris wheel. Because that sounded more exciting and as much as I’m poking fun at things, I really enjoy this game.

The ferris wheel ride ended as I faced off against N. Which could have been a challenge… if I didn’t have Captain. Like he quite literally just swept most of his team. Though I had Zigzapzop finish off the Sigilyph. Then I amused Bianca with the Pokemon Musical stuff. (Look, this was my jam back in the day. I used to be a master of these when I was younger. Too bad it doesn’t do anything in terms of Nuzlocke from my memories.)

Exiting the building is the sweet scene with Bianca, her father and Elesa. Like these moments are what I live for which Sword and Shield did not give me. Which is unfortunate. But in other news I decided to venture into the Big Stadium and Small Court to level my team up just a bit more for the upcoming Gym Battle. I was pretty confident with the current team I had. And getting them just a few more levels and getting some Amulet Coin boosted cash would work for my preparations. As Elesa literally swept my old team as a child. Which, since I mainly had Zipzagzop, Captain and Pebbles on my team, I was feeling pretty better about my odds.

With overconfidence and just now remembering Emolga is a Pokemon which exist, I waltz into the roller coaster Gym leading with Captain and Pebbles to take down Elesa. Which is troublesome considering the damage Volt Switch Emolga do. Though having Power Gem just fling out super effective moves does work out pretty well. Not to mention how Power Gem avoids the Static from Emolgas. Can I just say that the RNG Pokemon loves to toy with my emotions by having a Volt Switch nearly bring down Pebbles to 3 HP from a CRITICAL HIT. Poor Pebbles she did not deserve that. So for the second Emolga, I switched into Captain to prepare for the Zebstrika. He took it down with a Round, since Pebbles weakened both flying squirrels. Which left Captain to face down her ace Pokemon. And thankfully, because of the Water/Ground typing, made it a quick sweep of Captain defeating her Zebstrika. Plus it did help Elesa for some reason decide to waste her Hyper Potion on her Emolga.

Securing the fourth Gym Badge, needless to say I felt so proud of both Pebbles and Captain for cleanly saving my team from losing anyone else. I never got to use either Pokemon in my original run and I can’t help but be proud of them. If only I could say the same for Puppy. Sadly, a policeman on Route 16 decided it would be funny to take out my own Herdier with a CRITICAL HIT Take Down. Poor baby, I didn’t mean for her to take the hit but alas there goes my second death. I personally feel hurt about losing her to a random Trainer battle.

My Route 16 encounter was actually a double-battle one. But one was a Liepard - which I had. The other was a female Trubbish - which I chose as my encounter since I didn’t have one. I gave her the nickname of Trashie because I suck at nicknames at times. Though I don't have any real reason to truly keep Trashie around. Because looking at the moves she learns, she won’t be a decent-enough Pokemon to add for type coverage. All she’s good at is taking out Grass and Bug-Type Pokemon. Which, I have Ramona for. So I’ll deposit her into the Box for safe-keeping. But for HM Cut sake, Ghost Girl is returning to the team to fill that spot. And I don’t want to really teach that to my Starter Pokemon.

But inside of the Lostlorn Forest, I got another encounter. Being that of a Male Cottonee! Catching him, I named him Lowen. He now rests in my box since I already have a Grass-Type. Missed out on getting a Tranquill but I’ve managed so far without a Flying-Type. I just hope to get a Pokemon capable of learning Fly soon enough.

Then I had the match with Cheren on Route 5. Defeated him, chatted with the Champion before we bullied two children on his behalf. Zigzagzop evolved during this process as well. What I once feared as a child is now at my side. And on Route 5, at first I got a dupes Liepard which I chose to skip over. Though in a random trainer battle I lamented how I long my Puppy, as she was my main counter to Psychic and Ghosts. And I still have no plans of using Ghost Girl. Then came the dupes Trubbish. Which I also skipped. And after some more dupes of Liepards and Trubbishes, I got another double encounter. This time with another Liepard and a female Minccino. Who, despite how doubtful I am of being of use, I nicknamed Lady. Lady will be in the PC until I have a need for her. That or she’ll just chill out in there for the rest of the run.

Driftveil Bridge was opened up thanks to Elesa. And thanks to that and a bit of checking, a female Ducklett finally appeared!!! Finally giving me an encounter on the bridge (or at least I think is a proper encounter) which may grant me a Flying-Type to add to the party. I caught her immediately and named her Odette. Who shall be added to my team as soon as I arrive into Driftveil City. Clay was there to meet us and I already remember why I liked him. But I kind of have some fears about facing his team in a Nuzlocke.

And here’s where I’ll end things for this update. Going to probably grind a bit before continuing on with the story. But I will say some of my team is a bit higher than I thought. Considering I have to fight Clay and his Excadrill, though, I got a feeling I’m going to have to be very cautious. Because I have heard Clay is a run ender with his Excadrill. Though hopefully it won’t stop me! Here will be the team updates regarding what has befallen everyone. Next time, I plan to at the very least defeat Clay and depending on how that goes, hopefully reach Chargestone Cave for what I believe is to be the N fight. That is the plan but who knows what will happen.

Until next time, thanks for reading this lovely experiment of a Nuzlocke!

Team Recap:

Queen - Female Servine (Lvl 26)

Pebbles - Female Boldore (Lvl 29)

Zigzagzop - Male Zebrastrika (Lvl 28)

Captain - Male Palpitoad (Lvl 30)

Ramona - Female Darumaka (Lvl 25)

Odette - Female Ducklett (Lvl 22)

In Box/Reserve:

Ghost Girl - Female Liepard (Lvl 20)

Cassandra - Female Sandile (Lvl 21)

Trashie - Female Trubbish (Lvl 22)

Lowen - Male Cottonee (Lvl 20)

Lady - Female Minccino (Lvl 23)

Deaths: 2

Fountain - Male Sampour (Lvl 15)

Puppy - Female Herdier (Lvl 25)

[ghostmartyr]

Pokémon Black 2 Randomized Nuzlocke Run [Part 10]

Elite Four grind time.

With some time spent pushing rocks into holes, just in case I need to go places in the future.

Team:

Caspet (Gengar)

Nessy (Milotic)

Diego (Gardevoir)

Stormy (Metagross)

Vertex (Luxray)

Photon (Rayquaza)

So here we are, leveling up our team before our chaotic last stand, and that means... we’re in a new route. One more for the road.

What will it be?

It’s a Fire type!

I’m a moron!

No, Diego, no.

...

FUCK I HAD A MASTER BALL I COULD HAVE USED.

WHY DOES MY BRAIN CONSISTENTLY GO TO THE “yeah there could be a type problem but I’m sure it’ll be fine,” ARENA WHEN I’M TRYING TO CATCH THINGS. YOUR OPTIMISM IS KILLING THIS TEAM. KILLING IT.

IT’S CAUGHT ANYWAY.

I GUESS THE LITTLE MURDERER WHO’S LIKELY TO BE PART OF THE TEAM GETS A NAME.

YOU’RE DAMIAN. IN ALL CAPS.

I’m so sorry my optimism killed you, Diego.

I have a Dawn Stone now.

Maybe things would have gone better if I had it earlier.

I might be sorrier I have to grind something else. But I’m mostly just sorry.

-sigh-

Rest well, friend.

Now then.

Hey there. You’re Serious and often doze off.

I guess I’ll train you now.

We’ll be back when the demon child is up to 60!

Or when I’m in his patch of grass again and cool, Sunflora and Manaphy. Mareep is in more common grass. As is Rhyhorn and Manectric. Ninjask in the water. Look, the wild one live longer. Braviary is occasionally here too, with Marill in the deep spots.

Heeeeey, DAMIAN made it to 60 without dying! Also without anyone else dying! Nifty! We’re throwing Caspet back in front, handing the Exp. Share to Photon for now, and just going to go through this Victory Road.

What I assume to be Victory Road. This part of the game blends together for me even worse than the rest.

...Well, now I’m on it, so no matter!

Wait. We had a planned thing?

N, this is why there’s so much fanfic written about you. Thank you, friend. Even if it’s only because I remind you of your boyfriend from the last cartridge set.

What do I teach it to, though? It’s a physical Water attack. A very good one, but I don’t think any of my physical attackers can learn it. I might have to take something out of a box for it... In that case, I might as well also get something that can learn Cut. There are trees about.

Photon and Nessy are the only ones that can learn Waterfall. I don’t think I want it for either of them. To the nearest box!

I don’t know if this is a way to a box, but this is really, really cool and I dig it.

Okay, do I have anything that can learn both Cut and Waterfall? Mayhaps? Or Fly?

No, this isn’t going to be that straightforward. Nessy and Caspet are in the box since they need exp least. Replacing them temporarily are Amuro the Charmander (Cut), and Winn the Whiscash (Waterfall and Surf).

Photon’s in the first slot, Exp. Share moves to Vertex for now.

There’s this maze of Cuttable trees and trainers out before Victory Road proper. I don’t really understand what this gen likes so much about random maze areas, but I think most Pokemon games are into that on some level. It’s just annoying right now because Sun and Moon spoiled me. HMs are obnoxious.

On a related note, Winn now knows Strength.

There are also now Kabutops everywhere.

Having gone through the maze, I’m going down Victory Road with Nessy back in the party and Amuro back in the box. Thanks for your service, bud. Where we’re going, we don’t need Cut. ...I hope.

This gen’s needless drama makes me happy.

And the first pokemon of Victory Road is...!

Hi there. You’re gen appropriate. What are you doing here.

Quick Ball for a quick catch, and your name’s Kansas now. Get in the box.

Other possibilities that can no longer be counted as such are Lickilicky, Psyduck, more Psyduck, Aggron, Spheal, Smeargle, Dragonite, Dewott, Starly, Zweilous, Trapinch, Marill, Swellow, Mismagius, Weavile, Genesect... there were a lot.

Throwing the Exp. Share at DAMIAN for the now.

We’re secretly the same person.

The number of trainers on Victory Road who have history with Team Plasma one way or another is really satisfying. In this sequel game, the events of the game preceding it had an impact on NPCs. Delightful.

Also, I repeat my desire for NPCs to not be allowed to have things that have Sturdy. I hate Sturdy. It makes me sad. So do caves that need Flash to see in. Instead of teaching anything Flash, I’m going to stumble around in the dark. The dark that says this is probably an optional section.

I made my way to an outside!

Hmmm.

Russell?

Russell!

Fuck. Rival fights just when I’m really wanting to see a Pokemon Center are not my favorite thing. They are even less of my favorite thing when I have a  slot taken up by an HM slave.

!!!

Hey, this is the rival fight that starts with an Unfezant in this corridor!

It’s level 55, and Russell only has four pokemon, so this should be relatively okay. Bouffalant comes out as a result of Unfezant’s U-turn. Nessy deals with it, but is in the orange. Simisage is next, go DAMIAN. Samurott following, go Vertex. Samurott is level 57. Stormy goes in to finish the Unfezant since Stormy has a Quick Attack replacement.

And that’s the fight! Yay!

Pokemon Center?

Fine, I can take the Thunderbolt TM I guess.

Geez, what happened in the past two years, huh?

Oki doki, I’m going to go back through Victory Road and check out all the things I didn’t want to before finding the health point on the way out. When I’m done with that, I’ll look at the resting levels and decide what I think.

Stormy with the Exp. Share for the moment.

The heck.

Am I going to want to give something Flash?

Randomizer is fun.

Now then. What are you gonna do?

Nothing. Well great.

That kind of leaves with one thing to do, doesn’t it.

Yeah.

Soooo.

I think based on the levels I’ve been up against to get here, continuing to grind kind of defeats the spirit of the Nuzlocke. I also don’t have Fly, so I’m going to stick with what I have available here to construct team improvements.

To the TM page.

Nessy’s going to forget Twister for Ice Beam.

Photon’s going to... actually no.

DAMIAN’s ditching Crunch for Toxic just so someone knows it.

And that’s it for TMs that I could change up their movesets with.

Leftovers for Nessy, Magnet for Vertex, Wide Lens for Stormy, Charcoal for DAMIAN, Spell Tag for Caspet, and Razor Claw for Photon.

Going to spend most of my money on recovery items, and then. In we’ll go.

After giving Caspet all of my remaining Rare Candy. Caspet it level 69. Nice.

I think Fighting dude is to the far right. He’s been a problem in the past, so I’m going to go ahead and try to get that out of the way. Stormy up front because while Photon might have Air Slash and STAB, all these things are likely to have Stone Edge. The worst of everything. Next to Sturdy.

Yeehaw.

...Huh.

Well then.

So Marshal’s first pokemon is a level 56 Throh. At the risk of feeling very embarrassed in a few moments, I think I might be slightly overleveled for this. Uh. Stormy, use Zen Headbutt?

Bye Throh?

Mienshao is up next, and for that one I think I want to switch into Photon. Or do I. See, I can’t remember if Bug is super effective against Stormy or not. Steel clears up a lot of the Pyschic weaknesses, but I am not allowed to look things up, and gaaah.

Stormy can survive one hit of anything, probably. In Stormy stays.

One Zen Headbutt later, Stormy is also staying in to fight Conkeldurr. It’s level 58. It uses Bulk Up (yes, it lived. its berry even brought it back to orange!). Stormy uses Zen Headbutt. Conkeldurr is no more.

Next and last is Sawk. Let me guess. This is still the Sturdy version. It is. It uses Payback, which does a pathetic amount of damage. Stormy uses Bullet Punch to simplify the future, and Marshal Full Restores Sawk. Stormy uses Zen Headbutt.

Yay, I won.

...This is sincerely awkward. I thought they’d be in their 60s. And maybe they are for the second round, but I’ve spent so many hours in this gen that my plan is to call it after beating the Elite Four. So uh. This is my final battle.

To the Psychic room?

I like how two years later, the Elite Four has agreed to stairs instead of moving spiral stairs.

Caspet is up in front.

Caitlin sends out a level 56 Musharna. Caspet uses Shadow Ball. Musharna faints. Caitlin sends in a level 56 Reuniclus. Caspet uses Shadow Ball. Reuniclus faints. Caitlin sends in Sigilyph. Caspet uses Shadow Ball. Sigilyph faints. Caitlin sends in a level 58 Gothitelle. Caspet uses Shadow Ball.

And that’s Caitlin.

Ghost girl next because I already have Caspet up front.

Shauntal sends out a level 56 Cofagrigus. Caspet uses Shadow Ball. She’s about to send out a Golurk, and to keep from being too arrogant, I switch to Nessy. Nessy uses Surf. Bye Golurk. She sends out a Drifblim, I go back to Caspet. Caspet uses Shadow Ball. Nessy gets sent back in against a level 58 Chandelure. Nessy uses Surf.

Nessy’s level 67 now.

Three down.

Stormy, you can sit in front for this next one.

Grimsley sends out his level 56 Liepard. It uses Fake Out. Then it uses Night Slash. Stormy is at 156 HP out of 192. Stormy uses Hammer Arm. Liepard faints. Nessy comes out to handle the Krookodile. It uses Earthquake. Nessy uses Surf. One is left standing.

Scrafty is next.

I don’t have anything I’m super comfortable having out against it, so I think I’m going to go for an odder pick and have Vertex fight it. If nothing else, yay Intimidate.

Vertex uses Spark. Scrafty uses Rock Tomb. Vertex’s Speed is lowered, but Scrafty’s down to half health. Vertex uses Spark. Ugh, a sliver of health left. Scrafty uses Rock Tomb again and Speed is lowered again. Grimsely is going to use a Full Restore, so I’m going to use Charge.

Scrafty uses Crunch.

A moment of fear for Vertex. Yike.

Charged Spark takes out Scrafty, though.

Grimsley’s final pokemon is Bisharp. DAMIAN, this is your time.

DAMIAN uses Flamethrower. Bisharp faints.

4/4.

Yay.

The question now becomes what I want in front. If memory serves, Iris is now the Champion. I don’t know if her Dragon theme is changed up at all. I do know that her levels will be a bit higher than what these four fights have entailed.

I think I’ll put Caspet up front. She’s faster than anything, and does enough damage that unless something goes very wrong, she has an excellent chance of just nailing the first thing.

...On second thought, no.

Iris might have a Hydreigon. Likely not first, but I do not need to ever give a Hydreigon extra moves. So.

Stormy, I guess. Stormy’s reliable, and whatever happens, probably won’t die in one hit. Okay.

Hi I’m Iris and I’m extra af.

AF.

Oh, I don’t remember her theme music. Feels... prancy. I like it.

HEY WAIT LOOK I DID A SMART THING SHE DOES HAVE HYDREIGON FIRST.

STORMY USE HAMMER ARM AND PLEASE HIT.

(It’s level 57.)

Hydreigon uses Flamethrower. I figured there was a very good chance of that happening, but Stormy endures the hit in the green, and Hammer Arm hits.

Hydreigon down!

Stormy grows to level 65!

Aggron is next.

I don’t want to risk Earthquake, Nessy’s taking this.

Level 57 Aggron, Nessy uses Surf. No point wasting Hydro Pump on something likely to have Sturdy.

Okay so it doesn’t have Sturdy.

It’s also gone now.

Nessy’s level 68.

Iris sends out a Lapras, Vertex needs something to do. Vertex uses Charge as a safety measure/to see if I can one-shot the Lapras. Lapras uses... Ice Beam, I think, but I was typing in this window when the attack went off. Because this has my full attention.

Vertex uses Spark. Lapras faints.

Iris has a Haxorus. It is level 59.

Well, Nessy has Ice Beam.

Haxorus hits first with Earthquake. Nessy stays green.

IRIS WHY DOES YOUR HAXORUS HAVE A FUCKING FOCUS SASH COME ON I’M SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO LIKE YOU.

Siiiigh. Nessy gets to use another Ice Beam, likely after the inevitable Full Restore comes in.

Yes to both those things.

Haxorus faints.

Iris sends out Druddigon, Nessy stays in. Nessy uses Ice Beam. ...Druddigon survives with a sliver of red, but is frozen. Nessy uses Ice Beam again. Druddigon faints.

Last up is Archeops.

I am, at heart, a sentimental man.

Caspet. I believe in you. You, the closest thing to a starter this run had after the first hour.

Use Shadow Ball.

WE WIN.

That...

Geez, that certainly happened, didn’t it? I can’t say I’m disappointed, exactly, because I like winning too much, but. Outside of Vertex vs. Scrafty, there wasn’t much fear involved. Kind of anticlimactic.

And sad, to think that Diego could have been part of it if we hadn’t met DAMIAN first. He missed it by so little.

Iris.

Iris.

Please.

Wait, where’s the shot of my entire team? Game!

No.

Here are our available living pokemon in the box. Hark and rejoice, my friends I will never play with again. The friends most of you never met are victorious.

Here lie Dreamor, Tagg, Sylarana, Sasuke, Itsy, Stella, Puff, Boruto, Cerberus, and Diego.

Thank you, and farewell.

Final team:

Nice job, guys.

Caspet, level 70.

Photon, level 65.

Nessy, level 68.

Vertex, level 64.

DAMIAN, level 65.

Stormy, level 65.

Phew.

So all of the tension went out of order for this one. My starter died early, I was massively overleveled for the Elite Four and didn’t even expect to be fighting them this round, then I was, and meaningful deaths weren’t that common or devastating.

But I had fun, and I hope the two of you who sometimes read these enjoyed the adventure. I’m done with this gen for like. at least a year, but I have decided to do a Nuzlocke of either Fire Red or Leaf Green. I don’t know which, but I’m not going to Randomize the run. I am going to have one very specific rule changing things up to make going back to the gen three version of gen one hopefully very worth it, but yeah.

I don’t know when that will be happening, but I seem to enjoy having one of these going. Plus, I think the rule changes I have in mind would make my posts less meandering.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

[umbrahighpriestofgiratina]

Heroes After All Chapter 2

here's Chapter 2! It's alas a bit scrawnier than it could be because I had writers block trying to update Rude Awakening first and decided to get this out of the way, but I hope you enjoy what's there.

Chapter 2: Initiation

The cart rattled and shook, and Aaron braced himself. He took a deep breath, and looked around at the other children, about as nervous and confused as he was. He was about to ask where exactly they were going, but got the feeling from more than just his Aura senses that most of the others didn't know either. What he could tell was that many came from far from his home, and far from theirs as well. 

  And then the Rapidash pulling the cart finally stopped. The kids quickly but nervously filed out. Aaron was last, and gazed up at where they had arrived.

  Before them was a huge stone monastery, built into the mountain. Its spires and columns loomed over Aaron and made him feel small - not that that was a foreign feeling. He cowered slightly as they were led inside, through winding hallways, and finally into a courtyard, where the woman who had recruited him stood. Once all the children had gathered there she paced stoically before them.

  "Before you kids all crawl off to your barracks and attempt to get comfy," said Polly, "I've been put in charge of giving you a rundown of what you're here for, so sit your asses tight until I'm done!"

  Aaron gulped.

  "She said a bad word..." whispered one of the children.

  "So," said Polly. "Can any of you kids tell me what Aura is?"

  A child raised their hand. "It's a kind of life force, right?"

  "Correct," said Polly. "All living beings have it in some form, and in particular in combination with other forces it's what gives Pokemon their powers! Their individual Auras express themselves in tandem with the Pokemon's biology to give them their typings and attacks."

  She held up her palm and conjured a pink orb. "But sometimes, certain humans, like me and all of you, can tap into those same forces. The only known ways they crop up correspond loosely to the powers of certain Fighting, Ghost, Psychic, and Dark types. Now can anyone tell me what the terms for these powers in humans are?"

  Another child raised their hand. "Aura, Psychokinesis, and the two kinds of Obscura, right?"

  "Correct," said Polly. "Aura is just called Aura because among most people it's thought to be the only "real" kind of Auric power. Any actual Aura Guardian or even hedge Auric knows that's bullshit." 

  She sighed. "Of course, we're here to educate you. But that's not all we're doing."

  She brandished her staff. "We're Aura Guardians, who use our powers to defend the weak and innocent! Granted, we can't really go it alone..."

  She tapped the staff on the ground. A sphere of light emerged from the crystal at its tip, growing and stretching to congeal as a Metagross. The children gasped, murmuring among each other as the Metagross looked them over.

  "This is Metagross, one of my Pokemon partners. Your powers alone won't be able to get out of every scrape. For the rest, you have your Pokemon. And they're especially helpful because if it comes to a human against a Pokemon, the Pokemon always wins."

  One of the kids piped up. "I can take your Metagross!"

  "Really?" said Polly, smirking. "Come up here."

  The child did so, fists swinging eagerly. 

  "Now hit him," said Polly. "With your powers, preferably."

  The child, without hesitation,  yelled and rushed Metagross, their hands glowing. Without removing his eyes from Aaron, Metagross immediately sidestepped, knocked the child over with one of his legs, then pinned them to the ground telekinetically. The child just kind of stared upward, slowly registering their defeat, before Metagross let them go and they ran hurriedly and sheepishly back into the crowd.

  "And that is why you kids need training! This is why you need partners!" said Polly. "Sure you could make it on your own if you got lucky, but as you are?" You'd be dead the moment you cross any human or Pokemon enough, powers or no. And I nor anyone else here could bear to have that happen."

  The children had fallen into stunned silence. Aarons stared in horror. The Metagross kept watching.

  "Anyway, that is your first lesson," said Polly.. "I'll take you to Vince and he'll show you to your dormorotories."

  She walked off. The children silently shuffled after. Aaron remained where he was a long while before realizing he should probably get going and started to head after.

  It was then he noticed the Metagross was still staring at him.

  "Uh... Hi?"

  He almost jumped out of his boots upon hearing the voice of a reply in his head.

  ~Hey. Are you OK, kid?~

  "Uh, y-yeah, I'm OK... Wait, you can talk? But you're a Pokemon!"

  ~All Pokemon can talk. Just only some of them in a way most humans can understand.~

  "Woah, that's so cool!" said Aaron, eyes sparkling. He paused, then looked in the direction Polly went. "Why was Polly so mean? She was nice before..."

  ~Polly's like that. I've known her since she was a child.~

  "Really? You gotta tell me more!"

  ~Not right now, kid,~ said Metagross, starting to trudge off. ~I have things to do.~

  "Wait! But there's so much I wanna know!"

  ~Due time, rookie, due time.~

  And Metagross walked away. Aaron paused, sighed, then scurried off after the others.

  ---------------

  In the forest, the trees swayed, the branches shook. On a clearing the Riolu stood with his father.

  "Alright, then!" said Ginji. "Today I'm going to teach you some important things, things the rest of the pack would rather I not."

  The Riolu shuffled nervously. "What, Dad?"

  Ginji made a dramatic flourish with his claws.

  "About humans !"

  Riolu blinked. "What are those?"

  Ginji shrugged. "On the immediately visible end, not much. Weird two-legged apes that aren't even Pokemon and only rarely even know any attacks of like... Four types. Some more cynical Pokemon say Arceus messed up some perfectly good monkey mons."

  Riolu tilted his head. "Then why do I have to learn about them, Dad?"

  "Because despite all that, they're special! They create things and ideas it takes ages for most Pokemon to figure out! They're masters of tactical thinking! And most importantly of all we Pokemon made a special promise to them! One of friendship!"

  "A... Promise?"

  Ginji grabbed a stick and started drawing in the dirt. "Long ago, humans first came to this world, and they and Pokemon were divided. Then one day, in the Sinnoh region, there was a great meeting! One where humans and Pokemon came to terms, and decided to help and not hurt one another."

  By now he had drawn a circle in the dirt.

  "This agreement was known as The Vow; a promise to work toward humans and Pokemon being stronger together than apart."

  He drew a line through the circle, then a smaller circle in the center. 

  "Wow..." said Riolu. 

  He then noticed the top half of the bigger circle was somehow red.

  "...Dad? How did you get color with a stick?"

  Ginji winked. "I learned it from my old Trainer."

  "Trainer?"

  "That's part of the Vow, son. Human Trainers use their quick wits to coach teams of Pokemon in sporting battles and other activities! It's really fun!"

  "Wow!" said Riolu.

  He frowned. "Why don't you have a Trainer anymore?"

  Ginji looked at him for a minute, then sighed.

  "The Vow's not perfect, son. My old Trainer, he... He died trying to protect me from another Pokemon."

  "Oh..." said Riolu.

  He paused, then cautiously went up and hugged his dad's leg. "I'm sorry, Dad..."

  Ginji smiled. "Heh, thanks, son. Now come on, we've got to go do hunting and battle practice with your mom."

  "Okay dad!"

  And they headed off.

***

  Well, that's that for now. I'll hopefully get a meatier update once I finally friggin update Rude Awakening. See you then!

[parnelbedlam]

Detective pokemon teams

Thought I’d do something fun and try and work out what kind of team each of my detectives would have if they were pokemon trainers (turns out it took a little more thought then I assumed). I ended up giving each a few types I think they would lean towards and suited their personalities.

If I get the time I might draw all of them, that would be nice.

Gale

Honest, Closed-off, Imaginative, Quiet, Nature-like, Stubborn

(Psychic, Ghost, Grass)

Mismagius (ghost), Meowstic (psychic), Decidueye (grass/ghost), Lycanroc (midday or dusk) (rock), Reuniclus (psycic), Zoroark (dark)

Given Gale has a very keen intellect I thought she would probably lean towards using psychic types; Meowstic as Gale likes cats and Reuniclus as it doesn’t use its psychic powers quite like others of its type and I think that would interest Gale. Plus the child-like temperament of it would be a balance to Gale’s quieter nature.

The use of ghost types is meant to reflect how Gale tries to hide her weakness’ and disappear from them. I ended up choosing Mismagius as it resembles a witch and Gale definitely has an interest in magic and Decidueye as it also shows Gale’s enjoyment of nature.

Lycanroc and Zoroark were chosen because I like the idea of Gale being partnered with a wolf (haha Mason has wolf-like features -_-) but also because of their temperaments. Both the midday form of Lycanroc and Zoroark are very protective of their pack or trainer. Midday Lycanroc is solitary but fiercely loyal to a trainer they acknowledge and Zoroark use illusions to protect their family. I think these match Gale’s personality pretty well and I think she’d find the illusions really fascinating.

Plus some of the first evolutions of these pokemon would definitely be cute to Gale (such as Zorua, Mespurr and Rowlet).

Gale probably wouldn’t go after badges but would still happily battle others if they wanted, she would probably be travelling for other reasons such as to explore regions or ruins. Her team would be her found family and it would definitely feel like one.

Mark

Fiery, Fighter, Open, Self-Improving, Independent, Loyal

(Fire, Fighting, Dark)

Arcanine (fire), Lucario (fighting/steel), Feraligatr (water), Mightyena (dark), Machamp (fighting), Krookodile (ground/dark)

Mark’s a fighter and always has been so his team would definitely have a few fighting types on it, I went with Lucario and Machamp and I could see Mark training alongside their first evolutions, sparing with them and teaching them how to punch/kick.

Mark also likes dogs (he’d have one if he could) so I ended up choosing a few that would fit that interest. Lucario, which is also a fighting type, Arcanine, who’s type matches Mark’s anger issues (he’s working on them) and Mightyena. All of their first stages in evolution being up Mark’s alley and he could have fun playing with them.

As with Gale, I chose a few pokemon that matched something about Mark’s personality, specifically his habit of intimidating others through his words and actions. Both Feraligatr and Krookodile look quite imposing (Arcanine can definitely look that way as well) but I could see them all having completely opposite personalities which match Mark.

Mark would probably go after badges, using it as a way to challenge himself and his team. He’s the kind of trainer who would spar with his fighting pokemon and train techniques with his team. There would be a kind of sibling feel to his team.

Evelyn

Professional, Elegant, Hard-working, Determined, Charming, Competitive

(Balanced)

Rosarade (grass/poison), Ninetails (fire), Froslass (ice/ghost), Garchomp (dragon/ground), Gardevoir (psychic/fairy), Milotic (water)

Rather than leaning towards a certain type, Evelyn would definitely try to have a balanced team so she could challenge any situation. She’s the kind of person who would look to have a mix that was hard-working but also probably match her aesthetic. Evelyn is an elegant person, while she’s not against getting down and dirty if she needs to she does like dressing up and carries herself well. This is reflected in the choice of pokemon as well, pretty much all of her pokemon bar Garchomp have an elegance to them.

Given how determined of a person she is, aiming to improve her own weakness’, I wanted to show this with her pokemon. I ended up deciding on Milotic as it’s both a very elegant pokemon but also evolves from a pretty useless Feebas, because of this it would take a lot of dedication from the trainer to evolve it.

Garchomp was chosen because, while Evelyn does like things to look nice, what matters most to her is hard work and a drive to succeed and improve, something that I think Garchomp suits pretty well. 

Evelyn is competitive so would definitely be training to collect badges, challenging herself and her team to improve. She’d work with her team to help them and be immensely proud of them when they pulled something off they had been struggling with (she’s a team mum).

Viola

Honest, Confident, Hands-on, Observant, Innovative, Independent

(Steel, Electric, Poison)

Luxray (electric), Hydreigon (dark/dragon), Mawile (steel/fairy), Toxtricity (electric/poison), Golurk (ground/ghost), Absol (dark)

Viola likes messing with machines and contraptions so an emphasis on steel and electric feels very fitting for her. I ended up choosing Golurk for a similar reason as it resembles a golem which fits with that interest.

With all the pokemon chosen, I feel they fit with Viola’s aesthetic. They all have a bit of a bite to their looks and feel like they’d be fine with a fight which matches Viola’s own personality and resting bitch face. But at the same time, I could also see the first evolutions for Luxray, Hydreigon and Toxtricity all playing around or helping Viola while she’s sat on the floor fixing something. 

I wasn’t really sure what to choose for her last one but I ended up settling on Absol. Absol is commonly misunderstood as a pokemon that brings disaster and I think that kind of matches how Viola is often misunderstood negatively as well (not quite to the same extent).

Viola’s definitely the kind of trainer who has mutual respect with her pokemon, fighting alongside them by identifying weakness’ they can exploit to win fights. She’d probably look to collect badges while also enjoying the road trip.

Edgar

Relaxed, Empathetic, Charming, Closed off, Joking, Caring

(Fairy, Water, Normal)

Primarina (water/fairy), Mimikyu (ghost/fairy), Beautifly (bug/flying), Lopunny (normal), Gallade (psychic/fighting), Ludicolo (water/grass)

Edgar is the kind of guy who wouldn’t really plan a team at all, he’s much more likely to just pick up pokemon he bonds with and bring them along. Primarina, Beautifly, Lopunny and Gallade all have first evolutions that he could bond with and bring along. 

I also ended up choosing quite a few pokemon that had elegant designs to them, Edgar likes to look nice and I think that would reflect in his pokemon. He’s definitely the kind of trainer who grooms their pokemon so that they can also look their best.

Mimikyu was chosen to reflect how Edgar hides his own fears and weaknesses behind a smiling face or jokes, I could definitely see him empathising with a Mimikyu and seeing a side of himself. Whereas Ludicolo reflects that humour he uses to calm down situations.

Edgar would be one of those trainers who aren’t really into competitions or battling, much more into having a fun journey and experience things with their friends. He and his team would definitely be pretty relaxed.

Robyn

Quiet, Awkward, Focused, Empathetic, Non-confrontational, Comforting

(Bug, Grass, Ground)

Galvantula (bug/electricity), Leavanny (grass/bug), Chimecho (psychic), Torterra (grass/ground), Marowak (ground), Slyveon (fairy)

Robyn’s team reflects their interest in biology, so a strong lean towards bug, grass and ground types. I though Galvantula, Leavanny and Torterra would be good ones as they all start off small in their first evolutions (especially Joltik). Robyn would definitely be intimidated to catch larger pokemon so would look for ones that are small.

Given how empathetic Robyn is I wanted that to show with their pokemon, they may be quiet but Robyn is very attuned to others emotions. As such, I went with Marowak and Slyveon; I could definitely see Robyn finding a Cubone and being gentle with it, empathising with its sadness and in turn the Cubone evolving to be a stronger protector of Robyn. Slyveon is one of those pokemon that only evolves with friendship and I think Robyn’s Eevee would evolve from that before they decided to use a stone. 

Not much thought was given to Chimecho really, I just thought it suited Robyn’s personality well, I could see one trying to soothe Robyn if they were struggling emotionally. 

Robyn is definitely the kind of trainer who gives a lot of love to their pokemon and tries to keep them safe when their small and in turn, they have a strong urge to grow so they can protect Robyn. They wouldn’t have any interest in badges or battling but travel around to learn about pokemon and their habitats.

[cometokagawa]

Yokai Adventure

Before I decided to make Shikoku, specifically Kagawa-en, my home, I was an academic and I had intended to be a professor of literature. I taught a few years in the university, both literature and writing classes, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I love literature. I love stories and folklore. Monsters, creatures, magic, ancient stories, gods, goddesses, creepy things that go bump in the night, I love all that stuff. Teaching at university was a wonderful time, and I greatly enjoyed learning along with my students.

As a kid I read all sorts of fairy stories, folklore, and mythologies. I later did my graduate work in Comparative Literature at the University of Alberta. I got to meet and study under some of the great folklore professors in the world. Professor Milan Dimic is forever one of my heroes.

So, coming to Japan, and learning more about the ancient literatures of this country I got a chance to do some study and research about the monsters and creatures that inhabit the imaginations of its people. And some of them are creepy beyond my imagination….

What is really cool is that the concept of “yokai” (妖怪), ghost, monster, apparition, creature, scary thing, is still very much in contemporary culture. Lots of Pokemon characters are based on yokai, lots of comics and anime also refer to them, and I think that is super cool. While maybe not “pure” in a literary sense, it opens the door to their imagination and they may choose to research more on their own. That is great.

Kappa

Kappa are one of the most commonly known yokai in the imaginary worlds of Japan. So it is good to start with this one. Living in rivers, the kappa are gollum like in appearance, often depicted with a turtle shell, green skin, and slimy complexions. They are both found to be evil and good, sometimes luring people to the water and eating them (usually livestock and kids), but also holding secret wisdom and information about agriculture and medicine. There are many stories of the kappa interacting with people in both an antagonistic manner, much like a Rumplestiltskin, or in a cooperative manner, bringing help when needed.

The kappa is a naturally strong creature, but has a critical weakness. It’s head, at the top, is concave, and when out of the river, holds water like a bowl. It is this water that keeps the kappa strong, so if the water should spill out, the creature will lose its power. In cases where a human is confronted with a kappa, it is good to greet it with a deep bow. Kappa, being very sensitive to cultural codes will return this gesture, and then may spill out the source of their strength in the process.

Kappa are very fond of cucumbers. There are many places in Japan where children will write their names on a cucumber and throw them into the river to appease the kappa so that they will not be kidnapped. Also, if you order a “kappamaki” at a sushi restaurant you will get the cucumber roll delivered to your table.

Kappa are curious creatures, and enigmatic, they can be your friend or your foe. Confronting one, and defeating it, or helping one in trouble will earn you a lifetime of loyalty. But not watching what you are doing near the banks of a river could bring you trouble if you not prepare yourself in advance.

Yokai: Kappa Yokai Adventure Before I decided to make Shikoku, specifically Kagawa-en, my home, I was an academic and I had intended to be a professor of literature.

[adrastiana]

Posted on GameFAQs 7/8/17

I don’t know what possessed me to do this. The realities of a ghost pokemon... Most people never think about it.

- - -

So your friend owes you 50 pokebux...

He said he'd pay you back next week. And that was two weeks ago. Pokemart doesn't sell stuff for free! You decide enough is enough and angrily march over to his house to demand your pokeyen! And in your haste and rage you fail to notice the pokeball truck headed straight for you. You are killed instantly. Limbs and pokeballs scatter all over the road. The carnage is horrible. Onlooking children and pokemon are scarred for life. You may be dead but your financial woes live on. Still tied to the world by the root of all evil, your soul becomes a Gastly. And while you can't make much use of those pokedollars in this form, that doesn't matter. Your soul literally cannot rest until you get that money back. You make a ghostly beeline to your ex-friend's house with the intent to terrorize him incessantly. You meet him in his front yard. He was on his way up the road to see what all the commotion was about. He sees you and exclaims "Wow! A Gastly! I don't have that one in my pokedex yet!" Your former friend throws a pokeball to the ground. "Go Sentret!" "Sentret?" You think, laughing. What a crappy pokemon. You always knew this kid had terrible taste. Plus it's a normal type and you are a ghost. It's a stalemate from the start. But the joke's on you when El Cheapo exclaims, "Sentret! Use flamethrower!" "Flamethrower?" You think, shocked by the absurdity. Who teaches a Sentret flamethrower? What a waste of a perfectly good TM. This kid is even dumber than you thought. But this is no time for pondering the nuances of TM management. You're about to be- In the blink of a Decidueye you're set ablaze. You didn't know that ghosts could burn! You fall to the ground, writhing in pain. Being a pokemon sucks more than getting hit by a truck. At least that was quick. This however is agony like you've never known before. You're all ready to meet Arceas when the true nature of your spectral rebirth kicks in. You have a grudge. A grudge worth 50 pokebills. Your business with this world is not yet done. That last HP refuses to deplete and you're just stuck there laying in the grass and wishing you never set out today to collect that debt. "Alright!" The kid cries out. "Great job Sentret! Let's catch it!" "Catch it?" You think. Wait a minute. You never even thought of this. The only thing on your mind was your money. It's the whole reason you revived as a Gastly in the first place. You have to get out of here! You struggle to levitate. But you just don't have enough energy. So you are forced to roll slowly along the grass. Very slowly. You've barely moved a few inches when you hear the kid sigh in disappointment. "Aww man! I forgot my pokeballs!" You'd laugh but you are in too much pain. At least you've escaped becoming the property of the cheapskate who owes you money. Everything seems swell until that kid's annoying voice beams out once more. "Hey look Sentret, a pokeball!" That TM wasting tightwad spotted one by the side of the busy road that he lived downhill from. How lucky. Within seconds you are caught, far too weak to even attempt to break free. Imprisoned within a pokeball that was ejected from the very truck that changed your life (and afterlife) forever. It was like the ultimate cosmic prank. Somebody up there must really hate you. And to make matters so much worse, the kid who caused you all of this trouble in the first place just chucks you into the PC and forgets that you ever existed. His cousin traded him a Gengar for his flamethrowing Sentret. Thus relegating you to the loser locker for all eternity. But you have no idea about any of that. Because you will languish alone in a PC box filled with other poke-rejects until the heat death of the pokeverse. Then maybe, just maybe, Arceus will have mercy upon your tortured soul.

[pyrodragon3993-blog]

Hoenn Saga Team Maqubi's Journal Final Day: Part 1 The Elite Four

Hey everyone, Skidds here. Well... looks like this is it... our Maqubi is finally going to challenge the best of the best. Can't help but feel nervous, looks like everyone else is the same. Maqubi has trained us all up to around lvl 55 and taught us all the best move set possible. In case anything went wrong, Maqubi has also trained up BiggleFoot and Alloy. Maqubi looked at everyone in the PC like this was her final time seeing them. Maqubi did a few more last minute preparations, such as teaching me Brick Break and forgetting Strength, and teaching Cotton Jim Dragon Claw and replacing Dragonbreath. Afterwards, Maqubi returned to Ever Grande City and entered the building. She showed the eight badges that she worked so hard to obtain to the two guards and they stepped aside to let her through. Maqubi took a deep breath and stepped through. This is it. This is what all that training has prepared us for. 

Maqubi entered the chamber of the first Elite Four member, the Dark-type master, Sydney. He was a tough guy and eagerly accepted Maqubi's challenge. Sydney's first Pokemon was Mightyena and I was able to beat it in one Surf. His next Pokemon was a Cacturne, considering it was also Grass, The Game was the better choice, and she beat it in one punch man! The third Pokemon was Absol. They have low defense, but really good offense, so we better beat it quick. The Game got in a Mach Punch, but the Absol survived and used that turn for a Swords Dance. Luckily thanks to Mach Punch, The Game will always attack first. Sydney didn't even use a Full Restore and instead let his Absol eat its Sitrus Berry. Big mistake since The Game finished it off. Up next was Shiftry which took a Mach Punch but was still standing. It used Swagger to confuse The Game, but boost her attack. Not wanting to risk The Game hurting herself, Maqubi blew the Yellow Flute to snap her out of it, and this time, Sydney used that chance to use a Full Restore. Didn't matter though, the attack boost from Swagger was enough to let The Game beat the Shiftry in one punch. Syndey's last Pokemon was a Crawdaunt, but it ended up like the rest... PAWNCHED! With that, Maqubi beat the first of the Elite Four. Despite loosing, Syndey was pretty chill about it and let Maqubi continue on wards. 

The second chamber held the Ghost-type master, Phoebe. I was so getting so anxious, that I didn't notice her skimpy outfit.... ( Slurp... ) Grampa is also a Ghost Pokemon, and ghosts have the advantage over each other, so instead, Maqubi decided that Cotton Jim should be up first. This Phoebe chick was apparently related to that old couple back at Mt. Pyre, but that doesn't mean we'll show any restraint! Phoebe led off with a Dusclops of her own. To start things off, Maqubi had Cotton Jim use Dragon Dance a few times to boost his stats. The Dusclops used Confuse Ray to confuse Cotton Jim, but Maqubi blew the Yellow Flute the next turn and at the same time, got the Dusclops to waste a Protect. Cotton Jim continued to jam out, until he was ready. The move that sent shivers down my spine, he used Earthquake. But just like Grampa, that Dusclops was really tanky. After another Yellow Flute play and some more Dragon Dances, Cotton Jim resumed the quaking. His stats were through the freaking roof and he ended just sweeping Phoebe's team! Dusclops? No problem! Banette? Back to the doll house! Sableye? ... Go eat rocks somewhere...? Whatever! What matters is that Cotton Jim exorcised those stupid ghosts! No offense Grampa.... With that, Maqubi already beat half of the Elite Four! Phoebe was pretty impressed and hulaed our of Maqubi's way so that she could leave the chamber. 

Before moving on, Maqubi decided to raise our PP (hehe...) to further prepare us for the next battles. Next up in the third chamber was the Ice-type master, Glacia... the cool beauty! It was cold as heck in this room, but do you know what happens to ice in the HEAT of battle? IT. FREAKING. MELTS. Well, in this case we don't have an Fire-types, so Shury, Ken will have to do. Glacia started off with a Sealeo... (I miss that fat lovable Bobo...) Since Sealeo was also a Water-type, Shury, Ken's Thunderbolt had no trouble taking it down. Next up was a Glalie, and these things are pure Ice-types, so Thunderbolt won't do as much as before, but Surf works just as well! With just two Surfs, the Glalie went down easily. To add insult to injury, Shury, Ken repeated the process with the next one, but not before it brought Hail into the room. The Hail might be a bit annoying, but Shruy, Ken can handle it... probably. Anyways, the fourth Pokemon was Sealeo who we thought would go down easily, but it somehow survived a Thunderbolt! It was able to get a Double Edge in and do some good damage to Shury, Ken, but not without some recoil taking itself out. Glacia's ace in the hole was a pretty buff looking Walrein. Not wanting to risk it, Maqubi healed up Shury, Ken just in case. The Walrein knew Body Slam and used it repeatedly and in return, Shury, Ken was blasting Thunderbolts everywhere. In a clutch turn, Shury, Ken, with very low health, was able to take down the big blue behemoth with a final Thunderbolt. What did I say? FREAKING. MELTED. Anyways, Glacia was pretty chill ( facepalm Arceus d**n it) about losing and walked out of the way. 

This is it, just one more Elite Four member left. All that was left was the Dragon master, Captain Drake! Shury, Ken staying up since it doesn't have a Dragon weakness like Cotton Jim. With a flex of his ab muscles, Drake challenged Maqubi to a battle. He started off small with a Shelgon that used Protect. It ended up being frozen cold by Shury, Ken's Ice Beam.  After all that, it was all downhill. Flygon? Frozen. Salamence? Out cold. Altaria? Frozen cotton candy... also don't look Cotton Jim. All that was left was that pesky Kingdra. A Thunderbolt or an Ice Beam would do neutral damage, so Shury, Ken used Psychic, which was boosted by its Psychic typing and was able to do a little more than half of its health in damage. During that turn, Kingdra used Dragon Dance. We better finish this on this turn! The powered up Kindra used Body Slam, but only did about a third of Shury, Ken's health. And with that, a final Psychic did that Kingdra in. We did it! We beat the Elite Four! Now... all that's left... is the Champion. Drake moved out of the way, and we could see the countless stairs leading up to the champ him or herself. Who could it be? Doesn't matter, we're on a roll, the champion WILL be Maqubi in the end. She has us after all.