Last time, I guess I was wandering around some route.

Lunatone! Another one I’ve never really messed with – really, that’s true for almost all pokemon that don’t evolve.

The phase of the moon apparently has some effect on its power. It’s active on the night of a full moon.

Shouldn’t it be powered up by crescent moons?

And now pelipper. It’s weird seeing all these evolved pokemon without ever seeing their unevolved forms.

Skimming the water’s surface, it dips its large bill in the sea, scoops up food and water, and carries it.

…carries it where? That sentence just doesn’t sound right.

Absol. I was just thinking it’d be interesting to raise one now that there’s the physical/special split. I raised one way back when, but of course it didn’t do much damage then with all its dark moves.

It appears from deep in the mountains to warn people about upcoming disasters it has sensed with its horn.

I still say the only good pokedex entry for these guys was the one that just said they showed up right before disasters and let people come to their own conclusions.

Someone gives me a red flute! Yay! And they say they hunt for treasures all the time and will give me more every day!

Hm, a tucked away house.

The creation of Poke Balls made it possible for everyone to be with Pokemon. Yes, everyone…

And why exactly were those necessary?

Other guy, anything to say on the subject?

I’m really annoyed by what Team Plasma said in the past. So, I live with Pokemon without putting them in Poke Balls!

Good for you! It’s nice to see someone actually trying to behave properly instead of just deciding moral is whatever they feel easiest.

But Panpour doesn’t listen to me at all…

Well, yes, that’s kind of the difference between an equal and a slave.

Onward, I see a cobalt lion and a narrow path. Narrow path has stable mulch.

Cobalt lion time.

Kawbraa! cries the spikey dialogue box.

…and it doesn’t move? Fight time?

Kawbraa!

Oh shit, it actually is. I wasn’t expecting that. In Crystal you see Suicune lots of times before you finally get a chance to fight it.

Actually, the battle goes perfectly. I whittle it down, then get it to almost nothing on the same shot I paralyze it. Am I supposed to be using the masterball here?

I guess I am pretty far along in the game. Even with all the pokemon switching, some of mine are approaching L50.

I use up all my ultraballs and start working through my miscelaneous pokeballs. It almost stays in the luxuryball, but at the last second pops out. Even the timerballs prove futile.

The part where it gets in the pokeball, though? That part has more problems.

Okay, I used up everything but the masterball. I’ll try again tomorrow, with more ultraballs.

Hey, Solrock!

Solar energy is the source of its power so it is strong during daytime. When it spins, its body shines.

Oh, also it’s possible to get to the cobalt lion without using cut. Excellent, if making me wonder what purpose the HM even has.

God damn it it’s knocked out before it’s paralyzed. Restart.

God damn it critical hit.

God damn it.

Okay, finally got it!

It’s iron/fighting? Huh, I was figuring it was dragon/something from the color.

It doesn’t look as cool close up, does it?

It has a body and heart of steel. It worked with its allies to punish people when they hurt Pokemon.

Its ability is Justified, which…raises attack when it’s hit by a dark move. Huh. I guess that makes sense given the dark types is just flat out the evil type in Japan, but I think it’d have been more fitting if it had some ability that designated whatever the first type to hit it as the evil type, since apparently this is pokemon is the incarnation of rightous good and anyone opposing it is probably doing it for a bad reason.

…which then raises the question of wait, was I supposed to catch it? I mean, sure, it showed up, but maybe it meant to talk to me and then was just defending itself from my attack! With the way the games work, it’s always been unclear what exactly a battle looks like. Is there some well known aggressive “hey, let’s fight!” signal? Do the pokemon initiate by sending an attack my way? Or am I attacking anything that holds still long enough for me to release a pokemon?

Okay, so, I think I’ll juggle pokemon now.

I’ll leave Cobalion off for the moment, since it’s L45 and most of my team is below that.

I’m done with my beheeyem. Serperior, pretty as it is, doesn’t seem particularly interesting. I may or may not keep zoroak, its moveset is probably the most boring of any of them.

Checking out the sun/moon pokemon. Looks like lunatone have the high special attack and solrock…high attack AND defense? Okay, maybe this is getting skewed by their IVs. Let me look this up.

Okay, so it’s supposed to be that lunatone are good at special and solrock at physical. Which is actually the better choice? I’d like to try one out at some point.

For now, I’ll try out a zangoose and serviper, and finally take out the escavalier I downloaded.

Wearing the shell covering they stole from Shelmet, they defend themselves and attack with two lances.

Huh, I was thinking it was some mutalist relationship but actually they’re basically preying on the other pokemon? Also how do you manage to steal anything while you’re being traded anyway?

No, wait, that means I still have no pokemon capable of surf. So grab a boring fish for that.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

I found a splash plate! The games sure do have a lot of redundancy, don’t they? Also, should probably have named the water plate after something other than the infamously useless move.

Frillish! A boy one, specifically.

FUCK it knows recover.

No wait, my gothorita blocks that.

And it’s fainted.

And hey, dark patches, so I guess Dive will be featuring.

My Pokemon and I saw it with our own eyes! I’m talking about the ancient ruins at the bottom of the sea near Undella Town!

So I guess Dive will be actually necessary.

Oh, hey, cave!

Inside is some guy surrounded by roggenrola.

Hm! If you want past here, you have to defeat me, and my Roggenrola! And we’re sturdy as rock!

Betting that you, personally, are just made of squishy, easily mauled flesh.

But my Roggenrola and I only battle strong Trainers.

Oh. Well, I was wondering which direction I should go in. I guess this way’s blocked off?

That is my, and my Roggenrola’s, policy! It’s as sturdy as rock!

I wonder why no one ever responds to this by ordering their pokemon to beat them up. It seems like that’s a better sign you’re strong enough, anyway.

Huh, he doesn’t even say what his criteria is.

Back out.

Finally managed to catch a frillish! A girl, and L39.

If its veil-like arms stun and wrap a foe, that foe will be dragged miles below the surface, never to return.

Yay murder!

My enthusiasm about raising one is pretty much gone after accidentally knocking out a dozen, though. They have a cool type combination, being part ghost, but apparently they’re super frail.

Hm. Looks like none of the pokemon I have access to learn Dive naturally, so I guess they’ll be giving me that HM later.

Hey, a mantyke!

The pattern on its back
varies by region. It often
swims in a school of remoraid.

I hope I can catch the adult form and not have to evolve it.

Beyond, there’s more land and trainers.

Whether they win or lose, Pokemon can become just a little bit stronger after each and every battle.

Pretty sure that isn’t true, unless there’s some new mechanic I’m not aware of.

Onward is some fisherman guy who tells me he’s gathered his pokemon from all over the region. He has two.

Okay, this place is weird, it’s all rivers and waterfalls. I’m not sure if I have to get the waterfall HM to navigate?

Altaria!

On sunny days, it flies freely through the sky and blends into the clouds. It sings in a beautiful soprano.

Meinfoo. Oh, you were a fun pokemon.

It takes pride in the speed at which it can use moves. What it loses in power, it makes up for in quantity.

And hm, looks like that’s it for Route 14, until I get a pokemon that can climb waterfalls.

I really wish they’d do something about the HM bloat. Do we really need two different TMs just to travel around on water? At least there aren’t whirlpools everywhere…

But anyway, continuing…

There’s a row of orange shirted, purple pants people.

Today, we’re dancing for no reason. Someday, we’ll disappear for no reason.

Christ, the game isn’t even trying.

Oh, my gothorita is evolving. Gothitelle.

I really feel like that’s a step down in design. Nothing about it looks right.

It can see the future from the movement of the stars. When it learns its Trainer’s life span, it cries in sadness.

I guess that’s why it’s more fitting as a pure psychic that uses dark moves, and not part dark itself.

Just got a medal rewarding me for boxing 120 pokemon? So I’m encouraged to capture them and let them languish forever.

Back to the cobalt lion area, there’s another house tucked away down by the beach. I get a power lens from a kid who says his wingull used to deliver mail.

Ooh, my frillish is evolving already. Jellicent.

That is a weird and ugly pokemon.

Its body is mostly seawater. It’s said there’s a castle of ships Jellicent have sunk on the seafloor.

Wouldn’t that be a fun place to explore.

And klang was well! Klinklang. Huh, so they evolve at L49? Weird.

The minigear spins at high speed. Then the energy from the red core charges the minigear to make it ready to fire.

Hey, that trainer near my cobalt lion’s former hangout has a larvesta. Can mine breed?

Huh, surf hits everyone in triple battles now?

And huh, looks like that was actually the end of the route. I’ve reached some new city.

Current team:

Escavelier L37
Seviper L48
Volcarona L39
Gothitelle L41
Jellicent L40
Klinklang L49

Definitely will be dumping the klinklang and possibly the gothitelle, I think I get how it battles well enough. May end up kicking the jellicent off as well, but I’d like to try it out more.