Wings of Liberty [Altha's Hardcore Flying Mono-Type Run]

[Althah]

Hey everyone ! It's me Altha and although you might not know me, I already know some of you (#lurking).

After clearing my first normal run on Reborn, I decided to do a Dragon Mono-Type one which was... Kinda unbalanced, especially with a strong beginning team. Early levels were either way too fucking hard (Goomy is useless and stays useless a long time) or way too fucking easy (Dragon Rage level 10, top kek). Well, went through one way or an other, and of course lategame was a piece of cake. So... I got bored to death by it. This is why, after following a few Mono-Type runs and being mostly inspired by Drevance's Fire run, I decided to try it myself, on a different path than the one I first took. So :
- This run will be done on Hardcore difficulty. Cause heck, that seems fun af.
- I'll write down my progress in the best english I can deliver and with as many screenshots as I can provide (I'm a little french dude and am aware that my english isn't perfect so please don't rip your eyes out if you see typos/mistakes).
- No starting team will be asked from the Request-A-Mon thread.
- I am only allowed to use Pokémons which have the Flying type in their current state or in an evolved state they can reach. For instance, as a starter I can choose Charmander and can allow myself to keep it since when it will be a Charizard, it will be Fire/Flying. On the other hand, I can use a Scyther but never get it to evolve to a Scizor cause it wouldn't have the Flying type.

I hope you will enjoy following this run as much as I enjoy playing Pokémon Reborn !

EPISODE I

So... Let's hop of the train. First thing first, I grab a potion from this missy over here, after nearly getting blown up from a fucking terrorist attack. The weather is slightly windy.

Yeah, I do know. What I don't really know is how "Hardcore" this mode is. I'd better be prepared, then. Oh, my, my. Missing on the important duties. Meet our protagonist for this run, Altha.

Altha, tho a little emo, has worrying fashion tastes but seems kind, overall. Also, he likes trains planes. And Flying Pokémons, cause it allows him to woop Fern's ass and get it done with Victoria as well. About Cain, well... Meh, he won't matter. Always liked the guy, tho.

So, on with the starter, Charmander, of course, as it is the only one I could play. Got him decentish, with a notbadish nature and Blaze. Will do. Named him Apache because he identifies ximself as an Apache Helicopter.

Let's try him out. First battle is against Cain's Nidoran M.

VS

Scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch. I win. Me faster, you missing. Kek. Apache gets level 6. Dat waz izi.

And here comes the second fight.

VS

I open up with Growl. Scratch vs Tackle battle goes next. For a reason he's both stronger and bulkier, so I pussy out and use my sole Potion. HA, REKT ! Apache gets level 8 and learns Ember, which will come in handy.

I swoop around some trashy trainers until I notice this place is different from in my thoughts.

Niceeuuu ! Free new items at the beginning of an Hardcore mode ! And just a random dude with glasses (so he must be kind af) in front of it ! What could go wrong ?

That's ok. But I soon realize this Patrat is an HM slave to support the big deal. Praise him !

VS

Hell, it was a trap so obvious I fell for it. Well, I of course get destroyed and move on after soft resetting and careeeeefuuuuuuulllllyyyyyy dodging this guy. This one was obvious, but I wonder if there'll be more suprises like this around the road. I hope not. On the other hand, I am more than happy to find he was guarding a Lucky Egg and an Exp. Share. This. Will. Be. USEFUL. AF. Let's move on and bash some useless non-Flying Pokémons trainers and seek for some master race friends.

I do a bit of farming, and upon exiting a Pokémon Center, it starts thunderstorming.

That sucks, Ember being my main source of damage. But heck, there's no way I could change the weather, right ? So we continue, the rain wiping away our salty tears from our cheeks.

After a few research, let's face it, there are PLENTY of Flying Pokémons available (or at least that I can choose from) in the early Reborn wards. I was hoping to find a Wingull/Zigzagoon getting bullied by kids but it was a fucking Pachirisu so I let it drown and move on. Got access to some hidden garden where I could grab a bunch of Insect Pokémons I could take since their third form has the Flying type, but I'm pretty sure I don't really want/need them in my party. Also, I can find Noibats but I'm not sure if I want to have an useless bat until level 48. I'll get one later on, when its base level will be higher, I guess.

New friends, Mirage & Rafale. Their IVs are pretty bad, but a Simple Swoobat with Calm Mind and 31 Speed IVs could be pretty nice, especially because I fear Corey a lot. Better be safe than prepared, and since I don't think I'll have to build teams around Flobot and Shelly thanks to my natural master race type advantage, I'd better think a few steps ahead. Noctowl is a safe addition. Anyway, I accept them as they are, since I am really too lazy to soft reset wild encounters and that I probably won't drag them to lategame given the fact there are way stronger Flying type Pokémon later on.

I level up the new guys a bit, cleaning the streets of Peridot by destroying all that wretched youth and those thugs, then meet and face off to THE annoying Swag Jocker himself, Sir Fern ! I kinda always liked the dude, though.

VS

Already more challenging than on normal mode. Mirage takes out Lombre with several Gusts then is taken out by Servine. Apache goes in and Embers it to death after burning it, losing a lot of life in the process. Things are getting delicate, until Apache levels up and learns... Dragon Rage. Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh. Roselia gets almost one-shotted. Rafale finishes the job. All is well that ends well thanks to that early game overpowered ability again. Not spitting on it too much tho, because looking at this fight with Fern, I'm starting to fear a little bit the one against Julia...

Also, Apache evolved and is one step closer to being a true Dragon Flying type Pokémon !

A few things happen then. I get asked by Julia to meet her at some factory (I've seen more romantic for a date, and I know what I'm talking about, I'm french, baguette, paris, jeeu t'aimeeuh ma chéériee, omelette du fromage and stuff) to find the guys who tried to blow me up. Decent idea. Meeting Fern's sister Flobot and teaming with him to sweep around the place and slap a few Team Meteor grunts which seem to be the ones behind all this. Of course, I do not get screens of the fight against Aster & Eclipse because I am an idiot, which goes quite smoothly even though Fern got his ass served to him and is merely a decent dummy target. Anyway, we get the win, we blow the place as a payback, and Apache stops listening to me. Oh boy, I so so so fear Julia...

Wanna blow me up, Team Meteor ? I blow YOU up !

VS

Here we go, let's see how her team is in Hardcore and how my birdies (and the one lizardy no one noticed yet) can handle it and... She gets destroyed. Annihilated. I've always had trouble against Julia in each and every of my runs, except for this Hardcore one in which I couldn't tell the difference. Mirage starts against Helioptile and Heart Stamps it to death, making Julia use all of her potions. Unfortunately, a field charged critted Thundershock brings the bat's HP pretty low so Apache follows against Voltorb. I then hesitate to Dragon Rage her to death, and decide to do it. After all, this is an Hardcore run so I'd better use every single ace up my sleeve...

Apache doesn't disobey once and outspeeds and one shots every single one of them except Electrode which goes faster and tanks two hits. But heck. Easy as fuck.

At the end of the day, we have to move on to the Obsidia Ward because Florinia requests our help again. Also, I have a new badge and here's my team :

I also get some free monies that I will spend on grooming Mirage. I. WANT. IT. TO. LOVE. ME ! While the pokéhairdresser is trying to do something about this disgusting fur, I take a glance outside. It's still raining like the skies broke loose... Or the plants.

That's it for our first episode ! It's my first time doing this, so I guess it's pretty much full of flaws but I'll work on it. Expecting some juicy feedback ! Smell ya later !

Edited August 22, 2016 by Althah

[drevance]

What version of Hardcore do you have? Julia's team should have been different.

Simple Swoobat is going to be great, especially once you have access to the TM shop in the Grand Hall which has Calm Mind. Are you going to wait until Jasper Ward to grab Fearow or are you going to headbutt a tree to get a Spearow? Oh man just thinking of the possible flying types you'll be able to get soon/eventually, I'm looking forward to how diverse your team will be.

Love the nickname for Apache. I always like seeing people give mons nicknames so you can see what they named them. Does Apache know smokescreen? Running Dragon Rage and Smokescreen have been the saving grace for so many tough battles from Julia to Radomus, anything lower accuracy really. But on the flip side of things, you have access to more mons with sand attack etc.

I look forward to your battle against Florinia (really all gym leaders/major battles) because she was an interesting battle.

Will you be asking in Request-A-Mon for the mystery egg change if you don't get a flying type from it?

Edited August 22, 2016 by drevance

[Althah]

Oh, senpai ! *fanboys intensifies*

I play on Hardcore 2.1. Not sure if it is the latest or not but it doesn't seem to be to old of a version.

Regarding Fearow, I don't know yet. Mirage and Rafale were originally picked to counter Corey since I figured out any team could oppose Florinia/Shelly because I would have the type advantage. As for the mons I'll be getting right after... I don't know. Iirc there is a Ducklett available and maybe Swanna can work it out by the time I can get a Pelipper. I also know from my first run that the Murkrow in Lapis Ward turns out pretty well. The hardest thing in a Monotype run is to still manage to cover the 18 types and your main weaknesses at the same time, I believe. So maybe even a Hoppip if I can get the weather to be windy in the slums. No, really I don't know either how this will work out !

And yes of course, Apache has both Smokescreen and Dragon Rage and I won't get rid of them soon. They are game changers alone.

For the mystery egg, well I didn't know you could ask to change it after hatching it ! Guess I'll figure it out when I get Ditto and not before !

EDIT : Is the mystery egg the one given by the policemen, or the one in the slums and which one can you modify ?

Edited August 22, 2016 by Althah

[Commander]

There is no possible way Julia could have her team if you were playing any version of Hardcore which you were. Like I never had her original team at any point (unless that was a CoM screw up which again, this does not have any CoM data). 2.1 is the old version of Hardcore without any extra features so I theorize you ran regular Reborn for Julia as she has led with Magnemite for Hardcore and 2.1 shares the same data folder as regular reborn (CoM has its own save file system).

I'm gonna have to take a look at the 2.1 dl file as I might have to take it down permanently (seriously though, I never have used Julia's old team so I'm in disbelief I'm at fault here. I'd believe Serra would have a Magikarp before Julia has that team). Can someone kind of confirm or disconfirm Julia has her Reborn team?

Edit: I just did a test of 2.1 on my computer and the mediafire dl link and both used Magnemite for the lead.

[Neco]

I like the idea of doing a flying mono and thought of doing one in rejuvenation, but decided to finally finish a regular run in reborn first. I thinl I'll keep an eye on this topic.

A little suggestion about the flying bugs: I don't know how good they are in reborn (atm just 3 badges, so I do not really know what the game throws at you, especially in an intense run), but in rejuvenation vivillion is just amazing. Compound Eyes and sleep powder, later on quiver dance and strong hitting attacks (especially something like hurricane, which gets 91% accuracy instead of 70) can deal massive damage. This bug will be frail, but a vivillion with precise sleep powders, some time to freely set up, can hit pretty hard and sweep some teams.

As said above, I don't know how good vivillion is in reborn, but I simply loved this bug in rejuvenation. Butterfree should work similarly, but misses some strong moves like hurricane (but doesn't need a beart scale to learn sleep powder). Of course, don't use vivillion if you are fine with other flying types (flying really offers a great variety) but I love how some fan games force me to test different pokes, especially in mono runs.