My Pokémon Team In Pokémon Sun Upon First Completion + What Took Me So Long To Beat It

Well, I finally beat Pokémon Sun today. Yes, I know, I keep taking forever with these, but I kinda have a reason for that this time, and I’ll get to that at the end. For now, let’s go over my Hall Of Fame team upon beating the game the first time, starting with, of course, my starter.

Doctor Hoot the Decidueye

Yeah, you’re probably gonna notice one or two similarities to my X team, and one is that I chose the Grass-type Starter Pokémon. Doctor Hoot was Level 56 upon first completion of the game, carrying no items, and having the moves Leaf Blade, Spirit Shackle, Sucker Punch, and Acrobatics (hence the lack of items). He has a Relaxed nature, and characteristic is that he…likes to relax. lol While he didn’t use them in the League, he frequently used the Z-Moves Bloom Doom, Breakneck Blitz, Never-Ending Nightmare, and Sinister Arrow Raid. The Arrow Quill Pokémon was instrumental to my victories over the Kahunas Hala, Olivia, Hapu, and the Totem Pokémon Wishiwashi, as well as being the first Pokémon out for the championship match.

Lycanroc (Midday Form)

Not necessarily a Pokémon I was expecting to use on my team going in, but one I’m glad I decided on. Lycanroc was Level 54 upon initial completion of the game, carrying the Rockium Z, and knowing the moves Stone Edge, Crunch, Brick Break, and Stealth Rock. She has a Rash nature, and her characteristic is that she has good perseverance. Thanks to her Rockium Z, she can use the Z-Move Continental Crush on the really tough foes, though she’s also used All-Out Pummeling. The Wolf Pokémon mostly played support and backup in battles, but was a huge asset in battles against Guzma and Team Skull, once defeated a Lycanroc Midnight Form in one-on-one combat where both were at the same level, and was the one to score the final victory of the Alola League Championship match.

Raichu

Yup, once again, went with Raichu for my team. But, this time, with the reveal of the Alolan Raichu, more than a bit different from my X team’s Raichu. Raichu was Level 56 when I first beat the game, carried the Aloraichium Z, and knew the moves Thunderbolt, Psychic, Brick Break, and Nasty Plot. He has a Brave nature, and his characteristic is that he loves to eat. Through the power of the Aloraichium Z, he can use Stoked Sparksurfer, though he’s also used Z-Moves such as All-Out Pummeling, Gigavolt Havoc, Breakneck Blitz, and Catastropika during his time as a Pichu and then a Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon was a major player on my team for battles against the likes of Olivia, Team Skull, Kahili, Hau, and Hala.

Greninja

And, once again, I had a Water-type Starter Pokémon from a previous game who could perform a new, powerful transformation. lol Greninja was Level 57 upon the first completion of the game, carried the Waterium Z, and had access to the moves Water Shuriken, Night Slash, Aerial Ace, and Extrasensory. He is Naughty by nature, and has the characteristic of being alert to sounds. The Waterium Z allows him to use the Z-Move Hydro Vortex, and he’s also used Black Hole Eclipse on multiple occasions. Furthermore, Greninja has the Ability known as Battle Bond, allowing him to transform into Ash-Greninja. The Ninja Pokémon was a late addition to my team, but was instrumental in defeating many powerful foes, such as Nanu, Hapu, Acerola, and Olivia.

Mimikyu

Now HERE’S someone I knew I was going to add to my team from the first time I laid eyes on it. Mimikyu was Level 55 when I first became champion, was carrying the Fairium Z, and knew the moves Play Rough, Shadow Claw, X-Scissor, and Hone Claws. His nature is Sassy, and his characteristic is that he’s capable of taking hits…no doubt due to his Disguise Ability. lol Thanks to Fairium Z, he can use the Z-Move Twinkle Tackle, but has also used Never-Ending Nightmare in the past. The Disguise Pokémon’s unique typing made it one of my more useful team-mates, and he was a big help against all four members of the Elite Four and in the championship match.

Salazzle

Ah, the Pokémon who can only be female and runs its own reverse harem of male Salandit… … …I’m not even kidding. Look it up in the Sun version Pokédex. lol Salazzle was Level 53 when I first beat the game, carried the Firium Z, and knew the moves Flamethrower, Sludge Wave, Dragon Pulse, and Toxic, the last of which I made full use of due to her Corrosion Ability allowing her to inflict Poison status on ANY Pokémon, except those with Immunity. Her nature is Quirky, and her characteristic is that she has good perseverance. And, because she was carrying the Firium Z, she could use the Z-Move Inferno Overdrive, though I did occasionally have her use Acid Downpour. Despite being the lowest leveled Pokémon on my team most of the time, she was a big help against many foes thanks to her ability to poison almost any enemy, and was a major tide-turner against the Totem Pokémon Lurantis and in the final battle for the championship.

…So, let’s get to what I’ve been putting off saying for a while now. As I’ve alluded to a numbers of times, I’m a very old-school player of these games. My first Pokémon game was Pokémon Red, which I didn’t even own a Gameboy to play on, so I got a Super Gameboy to play it on my Super Nintendo. I had no one to trade or battle with, meaning I had to miss out on a big part of what made the game so special. When I finally got to enjoy that part later on, upon getting the Gameboy Color so I could play Pokémon Silver, I realized what an amazing game-changer this series was, and I’ve enjoyed damned near every step of my near two decade long journey…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… … …but this is my last stop. As I’ve revealed a while back on this blog, I’m currently on welfare and am unemployed. I can’t afford a new system, and it’s clear from playing this game that the Nintendo 3DS has been pushed to its fullest potential, meaning future Pokémon games in the main series won’t be released on it. If that changes someday down the road, and I am hoping it does pretty soon, great. But for now, I’m looking at this as my last journey, at least when it comes to the new games. And I have to say, while there are things I would change, and things I hope are added with the rumoured Pokémon Stars port for the Nintendo Switch, I really enjoyed Pokémon Sun. I don’t wanna spoil too much of the story, but I will say that a really gratifying part of it is watching the characters, one in particular, grow and change over the course of the game. And, you know, we’ve all grown and changed as we played along with these games, so it was a nice thing to see. And I hope that those who haven’t played through the game yet enjoy that aspect as well. If nothing else, though, I feel at least like, if this is the end of my journey, then at least it was here, in the game that celebrated 20 years of Pokémon. And so, with that said, I wanna take this time to thank one person in particular for changing my life, as well as the lives of many others: Satoshi Tajiri, creator of the initial concepts that led to the creation of Pokémon, and the current CEO of Game Freak. I don’t know how long you’ll continue to do this, but I hope it remains a hell of a ride, and I hope that you continue to inspire people and shape the world. In the end, Pokémon is all about friendships. It’s about people coming together and becoming something more by the experience, and I hope that never, ever changes.

… … … … … …Shut up, I’m not crying, YOU’RE crying. lol Anyway, feel free to leave your own memories of this and other Pokémon games, as well as your own Hall of Fame teams for Sun and Moon in the comments. Ja né, and train on.

Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Part 5

For those wondering, it wasn’t a quick victory. Raichu kept using Double Team over and over. I forget how many times Trinity missed before finally nailing the little bastard. 😛

Last time in the Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Challenge, I stepped on board the S.S. Anne looking for a party and instead found myself with a bunch of tough Trainers and my Rival all looking for battles. After beating them all and getting the HM 01 to teach my Pokémon Cut, I cut down the branches blocking the way to the Vermilion City Gym and challenged the Gym Leader, ultimately coming out with a win and the Thunder Badge. This time, before making my way to Rock Tunnel (because a certain lazy sleepyhead Pokémon was blocking the fast way to Lavender Town), I decided to trek through Diglett’s Cave to obtain HM 05, which would be necessary to traverse the dark tunnel.

Y’know what’s ironic? Nowadays, Flash has an accuracy of 100%, making it actually kinda useful. Naturally, now that that’s the case, it’s no longer an HM. I’m still waiting for Cut to have a new effect or whatever, only for it to be permanently replaced by Rock Smash. lol

After getting the Flash HM, I decided to go around looking for new items…

SO tempted to make the Pokémon cloned from this Amber part of my team when the time comes.

…visit move tutors I couldn’t reach before…

And yes, THIS is what I’ve been waiting to do with Buttery: Sleep Powder + Dream Eater.

…and decided to re-challenge old Trainers I fought back on Route 3.

Okay, I’m just gonna say this right now: Can you imagine going on a journey as long as this one for real, going through tall grass and rocky caves, in SHORTS?! o.O

At this point, I was feeling pretty good about myself and my team. In fact, as I was on my way back to Vermilion through Diglett’s Cave, because I don’t have anyone that knows Teleport or Fly, I was thinking to myself about how I’ve kept back-ups for my team in my box and at the Daycare, and how I might someday find myself in a situation where someone on my team is going to die and I’ll have to make a choice as to who that is, but ultimately realized that I couldn’t really consider letting any of them die. The six in my party currently had been doing such a good job, and other than for the sake of traversing certain areas or challenging specific Gyms, I saw no reason to split up a winning team and didn’t wanna see any of them die. And just as I was thinking that…

…This game is intent on giving me a heart attack. I just know it.

Fucking Dugtrio pops up outta nowhere. It had never even occurred to me that I might end up running into another one after Trinity. Heck, more often than not, I’ll usually only ever run into ONE Dugtrio in Diglett’s Cave one time and then never again. But now, here one was, at Level 29, facing down Milo, who was at Level 23. I couldn’t recall him, I couldn’t run away. For a few moments, I was frozen thinking that, because I’d chosen not to have a Flying-type out in front, Milo was about to die. And I just remembered thinking to myself about how, it doesn’t matter how prepared you think you are, how strong you think your team is, and how cool a head you can keep, sooner or later, in a Nuzlocke, somebody dies. And there’s no doubt in my mind that that’s the case. No matter who you are, in a Nuzlocke, someday, somebody will die… … … …but, then again…somedays, everybody lives. 🙂

CLOSEST. BATTLE. EVER.

Thank GOD I had an X Attack and an X Defend in my backpack and had neglected to sell them, because otherwise, there’s NO fucking way, with a 6 level difference and a mass power advantage, that Milo could’ve beaten Dugtrio! And as it was, I still ended up having to use a shit-ton of Potions to keep him alive! Also, not kidding here, the last attack before I took Dugtrio out was a Mud-Slap that nailed a critical and reduced Milo’s accuracy. Milo almost died from a FUCKING MUD-SLAP! That would’ve resulted in the worst eulogy EVER! XD Anyway, after that, I opted to move Edge to the front to deal with Diglett for the rest of the trip, and decided to teach Milo Water Pulse in case something like this ever happened again. Oh, and on top of all that, after surviving that battle, Milo proceeded to find a TM 10, which taught him Hidden Power, and apparently, his Hidden Power is Flying-type, meaning he now has a means of taking on Fighting-types. At this point, I might as well just call Milo the Flukemaster.

Oh, and funny story, Drakeman later took out Machop in a single turn with Bullet Seed. It’s almost like him and Milo are trying to out-fluke one another. 😛

So yeah, after all that, I made my way back to Cerulean City and Cut my way to Route 9, where another slew of Trainers were in my way to Rock Tunnel. So, of course, after a quick battle montage…

Yeah, when I’m paralyzed and still getting my turn ahead of you, YOU ARE FREAKING SLOW. lol

… … …KEEP YOUR FETISHES TO YOURSELF!

First time seeing Charmander, if I’m not mistaken. Awesome. ^_^

Y’know, I can’t help but watch this and cringe at the thought of the dental work poor Milo is going to require.

Suffice to say, Dream Eater? Working out well for me. 🙂

…I made it to Route 10 and the entrance of Rock Tunnel. Of course, this meant I had new Pokémon I could obtain, so I opted to take care of that first. Especially since I hadn’t caught anything in a while and still needed new Dex pages.

I was gonna call him Bolder, but I didn’t know his Nature. Wish we could check that stuff before giving nicknames. Also, I kinda forgot to get a picture of the other Pokémon I caught: A Voltorb I named Bro-Orb. I’ll include it in the next part. lol

With that out of the way, and having taught Flash to Bro-Orb, I made my way into Rock Tunnel. Unfortunately, I had to go sans Buttery, since I figured the mass number of Rock-types in Rock Tunnel could end disastrously for her, so she missed out on some training. Will have to make this up to her later. Anyway, I ventured into Rock Tunnel and had Bro-Orb hit the Flash…and I swear, somedays, I feel like we depend on Pokémon hidden techniques far too often to get around. You give me a lamp with plenty of fuel to keep it lit, and I’ll make it through this tunnel with little to no difficulty. But yeah, new dungeon meant another battle montage!

Y’know, I don’t really feel like arguing cute Pokémon vs big ones. I get the points on either side. Still, I’m just gonna say this: In a Nuzlocke, where you’re taking on progressively stronger opponents and criticals can equal death? Go big. There’re exceptions, of course, but for the most part? Bigger is better.

And another Charmander! Kinda weird place to train one, though.

Actually, I have a friend who once cosplayed as Eevee. Was adorable. lol

Heh, funny you should mention that…

And I thought cats hated water. 😛

Something that’s always bugged me about dungeons in Pokémon: Other than Strength puzzles, there aren’t a lot of dungeons that have traditional RPG puzzle solving. That’s more saved for the Gyms. What’s up with that?

So, one or two members of my team learned new tricks in the dungeon…

…I think they may have been concerned that Milo was showing them up. lol

FIRE AWAY! 😀

Okay, gotta ask: Do ALL creepy perverts in the Pokémon world wear bright red and blue? Am I just wearing the wrong clothes or something?

… … … … … …

… … … …Screw it. Pokémon MMD clips, I need you again!

Thank you!

Umm… … …no. lol

Oh hey, it’s one of the missing Dudley Boyz! I guess Big Daddy Dudley had some ‘close friends’ in Kanto, too. XD

Anyway, that was pretty much my trip through Rock Tunnel in a nutshell. Although, that said, just before I got out and into Lavender Town…

…Yyyeah, despite Oswald and Drakeman’s best efforts, I think it’s safe to say that Milo was the MVP of this part. lol Also, while I’m gonna miss him finding items all the time, immunity to paralysis is gonna be great.

But yeah, with that, I safely made it to Lavender Town and rested up my team. Next time, I’ll be checking the town out before heading to Celadon City and gaining my fourth badge, but not before I get a couple of things done, like getting a shot of Bro-Orb. lol Ja né!

For reference, this was my team at the beginning of Part 5…

…and this is my team at the end of it. lol

Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Part 4.2

My team at the beginning of this phase.

Last time in the Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Challenge, I arrived in Vermilion City, but in order to better ready myself both for the Trainers on the S.S. Anne and Lt. Surge, and to increase the number of pages in my Pokédex, I used my new VS Seeker to re-challenge Trainers I’d previously encountered for additional Experience in order to level up and evolve my team. This time, feeling ready for battle, I took my team to the S.S. Anne.

And for those wondering, who have never played these remakes of the original games, yes, the truck is still there, and NO, there is not a Mew under it…though you CAN find a Lava Cookie.

I quickly learned that, while the bulk of the party had ended, there were still a number of rowdy Trainers on board looking for battles. Feeling prepared, I took my team inside and unleashed hell upon the ship’s passengers and crew.

Wish I’d gotten a screenshot of this, but his Growlithe? First time I’ve ever seen Roar fail.

Yeah, I keep hearing about how Trainers on this ship found their Pokémon from all over the place, and yet I think I can count on one hand the number of Pokémon on this ship that you can’t catch or see up to this point.

Like this fellow, for example. ^_^

Or this one. Also, kinda surprised to see that this Tentacool could tank a Confusion as easily as it did. I think it only did like 50% of his HP, and then he smacked Buttery around for her lunch money for a few rounds before he finally went down.

Never has that been more true than in a Nuzlocke Challenge.

See now, this guy investigates Team Rocket from a luxury cruiser and barely gets anything done. If Looker was here with just a suitcase full of disguises, a single Pokémon, and a preteen sidekick, he’d have the organization on its knees by now. lol

Okay, who leaves a Hyper Potion just sitting around in a bucket??? o.O

So where’re Dewey and Louie? 😛 Also, gotta say, I prefer the older Sailor sprites. Made them look a lot more butch.

Oh God, could you imagine if there were only the first 100? There’d be only two Ice-types, seven Psychic-types, no Legendaries, no Eevee, Voltorb wouldn’t be able to evolve, and no Dragon-type Pokémon to speak of outside of Mega Charizard X. o.O

After a while, I managed to beat all the Trainers on board, so I decided to head to the Captain’s cabin, having heard that he was apparently some kind of sword-master who could teach Pokémon how to use Cut to go through branches blocking paths. However, as it turned out, I wasn’t the only one with that idea, as Tim was waiting for me on the way there and itching for a fight.

Okay, I know the idea is to make it seem like our Rival is WAY ahead of us, but I think if he had over 40 Pokémon, he wouldn’t have a team of FOUR.

*sigh* What could’ve been. I suppose I could always get an Abra at the Celadon Game Corner, though. Still, not like I could evolve it into Alakazam anyway…

Hey, you evolved your Starter Pokémon! And it only took you 3 badges and the majority of a lap around the western half of Kanto to do it. -_-

Anyway, having beaten Tim for…God, what is this? The fourth time now? And he’s still ahead of me? Whatever, I beat Tim and made my way into the captain’s cabin, where I-

OH, DEAR LORD, THAT IS THE MOST DISGUSTING THING EVER! WEEZING, MUK, AND GARBODOR ARE RECOILING IN DISGUST OVER THAT!

Oh God, the things I do to earn badges…T_T

After much deliberation, I decided not to make Hank my Cut Slave, since that’d mean either grinding him up in levels too or risking his death. Trinity’s a much better choice for now.

Y’know, I get why the original games do this, but why is it, in FireRed and LeafGreen, are you forced to leave the port after the S.S. Anne leaves and can never return to get that Lava Cookie?

So, with Cut in hand, I headed back to the Pokémon Center to heal up and plan for the Gym. With the Trainers inside focusing on Electric-type Pokémon, most of my team would be at a severe disadvantage. As such, I decided to go in with Drakeman, Oswald, and Trinity. With preparations complete, I entered the Gym and took on the slew of Electric-types.

Seriously, how the hell is America canon in the Pokémon World when no other real world country seems to exist? O_O

I’m not even touching this one. 😛

Admittedly, Trinity did most of the heavy lifting in this Gym, but Drakeman and Oswald DID see their share of combat.

Admittedly, I kinda wish Surge’s Raichu was more like it was in the anime: Possessing powerful attacks but lacking any kind of defensive moves.

Three badges, baby! 😀

So, with my third Gym Badge finally obtained, I decided to heal up and call it a day. Next time, I’ll be heading through Diglett’s Cave to go back and get some previously unobtainable items before trekking through Rock Tunnel to get to Lavender Town. Ja né!

Also, I taught Milo Cut since Trinity is instead going to be a back-up Ground-type for Oswald.

My Dream Pokémon Yellow Remake – The Gym Leaders

… … …Fuck it, Gym Leader time. lol Here’re the Gym Leaders in my dream remake of Pokémon Yellow.

Pewter City Gym Leader: Brock

Geodude

• Level: 12
• Attacks: Rollout, Defense Curl, Smack Down
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Sturdy

Onix

• Level: 14
• Attacks: Bind, Rock Tomb, Smack Down
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Sturdy

Cerulean City Gym Leader: Misty

Staryu

• Level: 18
• Attacks: Bubblebeam, Psywave, Swift, Scald
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Natural Cure

Starmie

• Level: 22
• Attacks: Camouflage, Bubblebeam, Recover, Scald
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Natural Cure

Vermilion City Gym Leader: Lt. Surge

Raichu

• Level: 26
• Attacks: Spark, Double Team, Feint, Volt Switch
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Static

Voltorb

• Level: 21
• Attacks: Rollout, Swift, Charge Beam, Volt Switch
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Soundproof

Magnemite

• Level: 24
• Attacks: Mirror Shot, Magnet Bomb, Thunder Wave, Volt Switch
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Sturdy

Celadon City Gym Leader: Erika

Tangela

• Level: 30
• Attacks: Stun Spore, Mega Drain, Sunny Day, Growth
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Chlorophyll

Weepinbell

• Level: 32
• Attacks: Sweet Scent, Sleep Powder, Sunny Day, Acid
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Chlorophyll

Gloom

• Level: 32
• Attacks: Giga Drain, Moonlight, Sunny Day, Poison Powder
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Chlorophyll

Fuchsia City Gym Leader: Koga

Weezing

• Level: 40
• Attacks: Explosion, Sludge Bomb, Double Hit, Toxic
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Levitate

Venomoth

• Level: 43
• Attacks: Signal Beam, Zen Headbutt, Gust, Toxic
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Shield Dust

Crobat

• Level: 46
• Attacks: Venoshock, Acrobatics, Confuse Ray, Toxic
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Inner Focus

Saffron City Gym Leader: Sabrina

Kadabra

• Level: 39
• Attacks: Psychic, Calm Mind, Reflect, Disable
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Synchronize

Mr. Mime

• Level: 43
• Attacks: Dazzling Gleam, Calm Mind, Substitute, Reflect
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Filter

Espeon

• Level: 46
• Attacks: Psychic, Morning Sun, Future Sight, Calm Mind
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Synchronize

Kadabra

• Level: 50
• Attacks: Psychic, Reflect, Recover, Calm Mind
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Synchronize

Cinnabar Island Gym Leader: Blaine

Ninetails

• Level: 48
• Attacks: Fire Blast, Nasty Plot, Safeguard, Confuse Ray
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Flash Fire

Rapidash

• Level: 50
• Attacks: Fire Spin, Bounce, Megahorn, Fire Blast
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Flash Fire

Arcanine

• Level: 52
• Attacks: Thunder Fang, Fire Blast, Roar, Extreme Speed
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Intimidate

Magmortar

• Level: 54
• Attacks: Sunny Day, Fire Blast, Confuse Ray, Solar Beam
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Flame Body

Viridian City Gym Leader: Giovanni

Dugtrio

• Level: 50
• Attacks: Dig, Earthquake, Sucker Punch, Stealth Rock
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Arena Trap

Persian

• Level: 53
• Attacks: Play Rough, Earthquake, Slash, Fake Out
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Limber

Nidoqueen

• Level: 53
• Attacks: Earth Power, Earthquake, Thunder, Poison Jab
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Poison Point

Nidoking

• Level: 53
• Attacks: Megahorn, Thrash, Earthquake, Thunder
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Poison Point

Rhydon

• Level: 55
• Attacks: Earthquake, Hammer Arm, Thunder Fang, Fire Fang
• Held Item: None
• Ability: Lightning Rod

Kangaskhan

• Level: 55
• Attacks: Earthquake, Aerial Ace, Giga Impact, Outrage
• Held Item: Kangaskhanite
• Ability: Scrappy

So, those are the Gym Leaders in my dream remake of Pokémon Yellow. Lemme know what you think I should cover next, and I’ll see y’all next time. Ja né!

My Pokémon Team In Pokémon X Upon First Completion (Plus Two Extras I Trained With A LOT)

So, it’s been a while since I talked Pokémon, and I thought that, having JUST finished Pokémon X today (I took a hiatus, leave me alone), I thought I’d talk a little bit about what my team consisted of, some of my favourite moments training with them, and a couple of Pokémon I caught along the way that I also did a lot of work with. So, let’s start with…

Pinhead the Chesnaught

Easily one of my favourite Pokémon of the Kalos Region, Pinhead was Lv. 72 on completion and holding a Miracle Seed, with the moves Wood Hammer, Rollout, Pin Missile, and Hammer Arm. My first Pokémon for this game, its always held its own against a number of tough foes, and thanks to moves like Rollout and Pin Missile, it can use its strength to power through opponents with type advantages. Despite type issues, Pinhead was able to defeat Viola on its own with ease as a Chespin, helped me plough through many a Team Flare member, was instrumental in defeating Elite Four members Wikstrom and Siebold, and toppled AZ’s Golurk. It wasn’t ALWAYS able to overcome its multiple weaknesses, but it always went down swinging with everything it had, proving itself as the muscle of my team.

Talonflame

Probably one of the most awesome early-to-find Flying-type Pokémon of recent years, Talonflame was Lv. 70 and holding a King’s Rock, with the moves Brave Bird, Fire Blast, Attract, and Steel Wing. Talonflame is an AMAZING Pokémon, though I wish mine had Gale Wings instead of Flame Body for its ability (though that DID make breeding Pokémon a LOT quicker). Talonflame naturally saw a lot of aerial combat in Sky Battles, as one of the only two Pokémon I used regularly that could enter them (though sadly, that meant it lost more than its fair amount due to being out-numbered and overwhelmed), and played a big part in defeating Korrina, Ramos, Wulfric, and Wikstrom.

Sylveon

A constant bringer of joy and victory, Sylveon was Lv. 74 and holding a Pixie Plate, with the moves Moonblast, Baby-Doll Eyes, Swift, and Calm Mind. I almost feel bad for using Sylveon, because it’s ridiculously cheap. Not because it has amazing stats or attacks, though they are respectable in my opinion, but because the high affection required to evolve it from Eevee makes it able to get critical hits easier, take damage better, even dodge from time to time. And the fact that is has Cute Charm, meaning opponents that attack it physically to get around its high Special Defense might get infatuated, means it has even more going for it. Sylveon has beaten some of my toughest opponents, namely defeating Lysandre’s Mega Gyarados, taking Drasna of the Elite Four’s team single-handed, helping against Diantha, and while it wasn’t the most type effective member of my team against Gym Leaders, it was almost always on my team for back-up against some of the strongest ones.

Raichu

One of my earliest catches, and quite frankly one of the last Pokémon I expected to be using in this game, Raichu was Lv. 69 and holding an Expert Belt, with the moves Thunder, Thunder Wave, Brick Break, and Return. I was insanely lucky when I caught Raichu back when it was a Pikachu, in that it had a Light Ball and was a pretty tough battler. When it had a child Pichu, I was planning to raise said Pichu with Volt Tackle into its parent’s replacement, but I just found that Raichu was still super strong, even with the lack of the power it got from the Light Ball. It was on my team for nearly every major encounter I had, doing extremely well against Grant, Korrina, Olympia, Wulfric, and Siebold with its Electric and Fighting-type attacks.

Michelangelo the Blastoise

The Pokémon I received from Professor Sycamore, Michelangelo was Lv. 70 and holding the Blastoisinite, with the moves Surf, Dig, Ice Beam, and Protect. I chose Michelangelo as my gift Pokémon from the Professor by logic of choosing a Chespin as my starter and receiving a Torchic as a Mystery Gift. Was definitely a worthwhile choice, though I will admit to never really taking advantage of its Mega form’s Mega Launcher. Still, was always a heck of a tank against strong opponents, especially after Mega Evolving, was my Surfer for pretty much the whole game, and pretty much totaled Malva’s whole team by itself.

Gengar

A pretty sneaky yet powerful Pokémon, Gengar was Lv. 71 and holding the Gengarite, with the moves Hex, Venoshock, Dazzling Gleam, and Toxic. Gengar was easily one of the most useful members of my team after being able to Mega Evolve, though its natural Ability, Levitate, made it an awesome Double Battle partner for my Tyrantrum. Gengar pretty much dominated foes like Valerie and Olympia, before defeating the ace of Diantha’s team, Mega Gardevoir, thus earning my position as the Champion.

Tyrantrum

The mother f’ing t-rex, Tyrantrum is Lv. 68 and holding a Rocky Helmet, with the moves Head Smash, Dragon Claw, Crunch, and Earthquake. Despite the new Fairy-types being a major problem for it, Tyrantrum was always a MAJOR powerhouse on my team, wrecking opponents like Clemont and Lysandre. However, because of its typing and lack of speed, it sadly had to sit out of my League Challenge team, though it still remains in rotation on my team for the foreseeable future.

Vivillon

A Pokémon that I’m sure many would recommend against, but I had a lot of luck with, Vivillon is Lv. 55 and holding a Sky Plate, with the moves Bug Buzz, Hurricane, Stun Spore, and Draining Kiss. And yes, as its appearance suggests, it IS a Polar Form Vivillon. It was on my team for a LONG time, helping to bring down opponents like Korrina, Ramos, and Olympia. Sadly, after that, it didn’t spend a lot of time on my team, and by the time I reached the Pokémon League, it was horrible under-leveled, so it sat out the League Challenge. Still, I have every intention to raise Vivillon back up to reach the others.

And that’s my team, all 8 of them. Leave your comments below, what you think of my team, what your own teams were when you first completed the games, and what you thought of Pokémon X & Y overall. Ja né!

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