Okay, so the guy at the start of the pathway to the mansion said the way back was harder, but it’s really a very optional harder. Still, into the tall grass! It’s extra tall and very nice looking. I’m reliving my found memories of running around in marshes when I was little.

Oddish
During the day, it stays in the cold underground to avoid the sun. It grows by bathing in moonlight.

Oddish is yet another critical capture.

Fletchling hit L17 and is evolving! Into Fletchinder. And it learned ember. And Squirtle’s evolving too. And stupid fairy type.

Fletchinder!

From its beak, it expels embers that set the tall grass on fire. Then it pounces on the bewildered prey that pop out of the grass.

Floette

It flutters around fields of flowers and cares for flowers that are starting to wilt. It draws out the hidden power of flowers to battle. And dammit it looks like it evolves again.

Wartortle
When tapped, this Pokemon will pull in its head, but its tail will still stick out a little bit.

Espurr caught in a pokeball on the first throw.

The organ that emits its intense psychic power is sheltered by its ears to keep the power from leaking out. You mean its brain? And it is apparently the “restraint pokemon”. Huh. Looks cute!

Nincada
Because it lives almost entirely underground, it is nearly blind. It uses its antennae instead.

Sentret
When acting as a lookout, it warns others of danger by screeching and hitting the ground with its tail. That seems dumb, because it’s supposed to be on a lookout by standing on top of its tail.

Metapod’s evolving into butterfree.
It loves the honey of flowers and can locate flower patches that have even tiny amounts of pollen. So man, Nindendo really doesn’t understand what honey is.

One of the trainers says I’m so good they should add me to the guidebook. Yay praise!

Kecleon. Goes right into the pokeball.
It can freely change its body’s color. The zigzag pattern on its body doesn’t change, however.

Kakuna’s evolving into beedrill. I wish the pokedex entry would just appear when you evolve a pokemon.
It has three poisonous stingers on its forelegs and its tail. They are used to jab its enemy repeatedly. Yes, obviously.

Honedge

Apparently, this Pokemon is born when a departed spirit inhabits a sword. It attaches itself to people and drinks their life force. Steel/ghost type.

Boy, unfortunately. How does this thing even have a gender?

You know, when we first started getting object pokemon, I thought it was really stupid and lazy. But then I learned in Japanese culture object spirits are a thing, so it’s actually based on long established traditional monsters. But it’s still a very distinct shift from the original ones, and I think the difference is, strangely enough, plausibility. The original games had all sorts of bizarre monsters, but they were supposed to be more interesting takes on our real world animals. You had some things based on legends, like magikarp to gyarados, but it’s a fish turning into a bigger fish there. Even the ghosts turned out to be faking it, except for the one real ghost who was uncatchable and unique. And the ultimate god monster there was created by man – in the second generation, the legendary birds are established legendaries, in the third they’re world-creating gods, and in the fourth universe-creating gods, then BW goes sideways on this issue and creates pokemon that are straight-up godly avatars of a concept. (You know, the plot of those things may have been a mangled disaster but damn did they have some nice pieces in there.)

Or I guess another way of putting it is like how back in the first season of the show, there were regular fish swimming around. Pokemon has moved further and further away from its original grounding in our world, it just wasn’t obvious because we started off with thundershocking mice.

As to if it’s a good or bad thing, I don’t know. Like I said, BW going full tilt for mythological stuff was actually pretty good, since kids with god monsters is always great, but I do miss the different sort of mystery you had in the very first generation, where it was taking place in a much more naturalistic world and things just were as they were, no spiritual judgement to keep things on track. The legendary pokemon were powerful because some pokemon are stronger than others, and you were powerful if you could find them and make them yours.

…

But back to this game, where I haven’t even made it to the second badge. There’s two routes into the high marshy area, and it’s time to check out the second.

Okay, a pair of people just challenged me to a battle. They say they can tell that I love my pokemon. One of them says I’m confident that you’ll love your Pokemon even more after we’re done. That’s creepy.

Oh dear lord they’ve given their poodle dogs dyed coats.

And girl honedge now! So I’ll be raising that if I raise one.

Time to wake up a snorlax. It’s a girl too!
It is not satisfied unless it eats over 880 pounds of food every day. When it is done eating, it goes promptly to sleep.

Then the rich guy shows up and says the guy can keep the pokeflute and something about how he’s a better player and I guess this is making up or something but I thought he actually took it for legitimate reasons in the first place and also Pinkie’s not impressed.

Now, to that daycare!

Hoppip. My ancient nemesis.

Its body is so light, it must grip the ground firmly with its feet to keep from being blown away.

Oh! Bunnelby is evolving now that she’s L20. You’ve really grown on me, Bunnelby.

Holy shit and now I’m fine kicking you off my team again. Ugly animals I’m okay with, but that thing has gone into the uncanny valley. It looks like a fat pervert in a furry suit. Dammit, why would you do this?

Anyway, Orange is in the grass. When I talk to him, he’s amazed I have Dunsparce. What would the dialogue be if I didn’t?

Volbeat.

It communicates with others by lighting up its rear at night. It loves Illumise’s sweet aroma.

Roselia! No budew? Maybe now I’m meant to breed them.

It uses the different poisons in each hand separately when it attacks. The stronger its aroma, the healthier it is.

Smeargle.

It marks its territory by using its tail like a paintbrush. There are more than 5,000 different marks.

Hey, just noticed ralts are now psychic/fairy. So do they lose that type if they evolve into gallade?

Illumise. Ah, the two of these were just such a waste of potential. Why not bug/electric? If a lightning bug isn’t part lightning, what is?

She goes right into the pokeball.

Its fragrance attracts a swarm of Volbeat, so they draw over 200 patterns in the night sky.

That’s awfully specific. Also, rather low for how many patterns you’d think a swarm could create.

Talking to Greenbox, he wants to compare pokedexes. I win and he doesn’t even tell me how many he’s seen. No! Bad! Gary mocked me with how many pokemon he had and named an impossible-for-me-by-then number, dammit! He’s also pleased I’ve seen a ralts too, so many there’s one on his team. No way to know for sure because apparently none of my stupid rivals but Pinkie understands rivals are supposed to fight you.

Swirlix. That sure is a whatever the fuck that is.

…ooh, but it’s got little fangs hidden behind the dopey smile.

It’s apparently the “Cotton Candy Pokemon” and a fairy type.

To entangle its opponents in battle, it extrudes white threads as sweet and sticky as cotton candy.

They really need to stop brainstorming pokemon while hungry.

Hm, though. There’s a blank spot after it in the pokedex. And it does have that unevolved look to it.

Huh, a flabebe with a blue flower just appeared. I think there’s actually a couple different colors. Does this mean anything?

Ooh, ducklett.

When attacked, it uses its feathers to splash water, escaping under cover of the spray.

Croagunk. Goes right in.

Its cheeks hold poison sacs. It tries to catch foes off guard to jab them with toxic fingers.

And now abra’s evolving.

When it uses its psychic power, it emits strong alpha waves hat can ruin precision devices.

I’ll stick my new kadabra into the GTS now.

OMG you can manually enter a pokemon name now. And maybe this will improve people’s spelling.

Alakazam:

Its brain cells multiply continually until it dies. As a result, it remembers everything.

I’m going to now offer my new alakazam for a slugma, since apparently my eevee’s already laying.

And now there’s another egg. I’m going to see if anyone’s given me a slugma.

…they have! Thank you, Japan! Right, time to backtrack in earnest.

Okay, I think I’ve got all the trees now. While I’m back here, I buy Serena a pokeball cap. I think it goes better with her jeans outfit.

Also, let’s check out the double battle place.

Huh, L10 monkeys. Eh. Still, with the amulet coin I’m making more money than it costs. Plus all those tiny mushrooms I’m getting for some reason afterward, And then there’s a 1-star version? But it’s the same thing. They’re also creepily servile, talking about making sure to wash the path I take and stuff.

Also, I should check out that castle now. It really is pretty empty, though at least now the glass case in the front has something in it, the pokeflute. There’s bookshelves above, but they apparently just have magazines. Further on, I find Blackbelt, who comments on how impressive it is the bridge even held the snorlax. Indeed. Also, he explains he doesn’t care about stuff so much.

First egg hatching!

Wow, eevee lays fast. Now I’ve got five eggs. Really annoying I can’t just trade them.

OH! I can trade eggs if I do an actual person to person trade. Thank god, all problems solved now. Except the problem that most of the time when I ask the other person ignores it but still pretty good.