Orasha's Rock Monotype! (Episode 16 Complete)

[Orasha]

Hey everyone, Orasha here. Monotype and Mono-egg were tied in the poll I did, so I decided to go with Rock as the two commenters, @FactoryofSadness and @RedAlert were both interested in it. I gotta be honest going in, Rock isn't really a type I've used, well... ever. It's got so many weaknesses, and other than the fossil pokemon, their designs aren't that appealing to me either. Butttttt, I'm going to put my type prejudices aside and hopefully they'll grow on me  

 

I would argue that Rock is considered to be the worst type, well below Bug. If you look at usage statistics from Smogon's Monotype boards, Rock is almost always the lowest, and Rock teams rarely reach the top. And while it has 4 resistances and hits 4 types super-effectively, it also has 5 major weaknesses. 

 

I'll be using Sandbox mode, but aside from getting a starting team (more on that in a bit) and making behind the scenes stuff easier, I'm not going to use it to get any items early or breed before I can legitimately acquire the breeding pokemon in the game. Honestly, it's just a time save to be able to, say, generate Tyrunt instead of running around and catching a Farfetch'd or evolving a Pidgeot. To make things easy for you, any Pokemon I generate in Sandbox Mode will be shiny: partially so you can tell them apart and know when I've bent the rules, and partially because shinies in Reborn look amazing and partially because there's no reason for me not to use them. 

 

Speaking of generating a starting team, I'm giving myself all the fossil Pokemon you can find in mining rocks, right at the start. Some of you might think that's cheap, and I kinda agree. My other plan was to give myself Larvitar as a starter (its the only non-legendary Rock type not in the game yet), but while it could do okay against Julia, Larvitar and Onix stand absolutely no chance against the first PULSE Tangrowth. Even as it stands, I'm not sure how my current team will be able to handle it...

 

And like @Awesome_One's monotypes and @Zellorea's Ghost run, I'm going to be doing a bit of ~roleplaying~ in my write ups. Honestly, its so I can make the worst Rock puns imaginable, and also explain how I got the starting team. 

 

Currently I'm past the first Tangrowth and haven't faced Florinia yet. I'm... cautiously optimistic  If anyone has moveset ideas or rock pokemon that I should definitely try (I will be catching them all, but I probably won't use all of them) let me know! Next time will be Chapter 1! 

Edited August 31, 2017 by Orasha
changing title

[Zellorea]

YES FINALLY SOMEONE IS DOING A ROCK MONOTYPE DEAR GOD I'VE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR SOMEONE TO DO ONE *HEAVY BREATHING* 

Errr, I mean I am looking forward to seeing how you fare in this playthrough, as like you said, Rock is going to be a very difficult type. I wish you luck! 

[St0mpa]

I am looking forward to see how you deal with the start of the game and kiki.

[HongaarseBeer]

Cool! I planned on doing one myself after beating Adrienn on my current run, so I might use all your valuable information peek at your run   

 

Ps. I won't post mine, so you'll be the only one!

[RedAlert]

Rock is a great type! Head Smash Rock Head Tyrantrum ftw

[Orasha]

9 hours ago, Zellorea said:

YES FINALLY SOMEONE IS DOING A ROCK MONOTYPE DEAR GOD I'VE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR SOMEONE TO DO ONE *HEAVY BREATHING* 

Errr, I mean I am looking forward to seeing how you fare in this playthrough, as like you said, Rock is going to be a very difficult type. I wish you luck! 

Thanks! I'll need a lot of it for later  

9 hours ago, St0mpa said:

I am looking forward to see how you deal with the start of the game and kiki.

Beginning of the game is definitely rough, but 6 fossils help out a lot (anorith is pretty great). I'm not too worried about Kiki, since iirc most of her Pokemon use field-boosted Strengths as opposed to fighting moves. Samson, on the other hand... *shudder*

 

8 hours ago, HongaarseBeer said:

Cool! I planned on doing one myself after beating Adrienn on my current run, so I might use all your valuable information peek at your run   

 

Ps. I won't post mine, so you'll be the only one!

You can post it, I don't mind  and good luck!

 

1 hour ago, RedAlert said:

Rock is a great type! Head Smash Rock Head Tyrantrum ftw

i'll be sure to try it out! I really want to use Aurorus as well, even though it's typing is lackluster. Maybe I'll do an Ice mono after this... 

[rayyan]

Lol the Pokemon generator is too nice not to use.That aside are you going to buy all tms amaura with flash cannon,Blizzard,rockslide and thunder wave. Archen with stone edge,acrobatics,U turn and earthquake etc.

[Orasha]

4 hours ago, rayyan said:

Lol the Pokemon generator is too nice not to use.That aside are you going to buy all tms amaura with flash cannon,Blizzard,rockslide and thunder wave. Archen with stone edge,acrobatics,U turn and earthquake etc.

No, I'll only be using TMs that are currently in the game and only when I can get to them. I may buy them using Sandbox Mode, but that's mainly so I can save time by not having to explore. So no Flash Cannon Aurorus or Stone Edge Archeops  

[HellBoyOnEarth]

Can't wait to see your team

[Orasha]

So I named the character Onewa, and chose the blonde-haired nonbinary character, since they look the most like a Rockstar the puns don't get any better from here on out. Onewa, incidentally, is the name of my favorite Toa of Stone... from Bionicle  But, without further ado, lets get into the run...

 

Chapter 1: Call Me Mr. Flintstone

 

When I was younger, I always knew I was a bit different. Everyone else wanted to play in the sun, run through meadows, that sort of thing, but all my favorite memories come from caves and deserts, valleys and quarries. There's something... awe-inspiring about a canyon wall. All those layers of rock, stacked in one place, telling you the history of the planet, and what it was like millions of years ago. Looking up at one of the cliff-faces, its impossible not to feel a sense of awe and wonderment. When you hold a fossil in your hand, you realize just how small and meaningless you are in the universe. To many that's unsettling, but not to me.

 

I yearned for the days of the past, when monsters walked the earth, far greater than any Pokemon the world has ever seen. And when I heard that the Devon corporation found a way to revive them, I cried. I spent months trying to scrape the money together to get to Hoenn. I started singing, something I had never really taken seriously, joined a few choirs, and plenty of terrible basement bands. The other bandmates would spend their gig money on beer, but not me. No... I had a mission. 

 

Someone must have heard about my plight, and the Gods smiled upon me. I was contacted by a member of a very... discreet society. They were fossil maniacs, but in an almost religious way. The fossils were the spirits of the Old Gods, who walked the earth in the days of yore. Why pay homage to Arceus, an alien interloper, when you could worship the earth that birthed us? And while some of their beliefs were... interesting (they have a particular hatred for Lord Dome that I will never understand), I found I agreed with quite a lot. They spent their days talking about Lord Helix and Lord Dome, along with other, less well known gods. They taught me of the Enemy's Hand, and its five dangerous Fingers: Fighting, Grass, Ground, Steel, and Water. They taught me to always be cautious of those elements, for they destroy the rocks we live on, and erase our history. 

 

The fossils they promised also helped. When I revived them, they were Shiny, all 6 of them, something that even Steven Stone said he never saw before. My new friends said it was a sign, and urged me to travel to Reborn. It was destined, they said. I would be able to become champion, they said. It would have more glory than any other region, they said. They made it sound very easy. 

 

And that's how I ended up on that godsforsaken train. Just as it was pulling in it... well, it exploded. Luckily for me, Rock resists normal, and I survived. The head of the region and one of its gym leaders, a peppy, hyperactive girl named Julia, told me to go to the grand hall. Looking around, Reborn was not what my friends had promised. It looked diseased, broken. I wasn't sure what to make of it. I also met Victoria, a nice girl who offered to help me get registered. Apparently she works for some sort of academy. Huh. Ame forced me to take a starter, a Pokemon I won't be using, and then I met a certain individual. Cain. Cain was... very flattering. Almost too flattering. I don't even remember if he won, that's not important. As Cain went with Ame to register, Victoria decided to fight me as well. Who won wasn't very consequential; after all, I'd be boxing this one anyway. 

 

After much talking, I was finally allowed a moment to myself, and pulled out my pride and joy. The reincarnations of six bygone gods...

Spoiler

 

Lord Claw, master of the creeping things. No Grass can escape his Fury.

Lord Root, the destroyer of Water. Storm Drain promises the foolish a quick death.

Lord Skull, the Knight of Death, who braves recoil to destroy our enemies. One of the lesser Lords who serves the others.

ShieldBearer, the Knight Protector, who would give his life to save his masters.

Lord Dome, patron of democracy and the master of swift waters. None can escape his blade.

Lord Helix, master of Anarchy and king of the deep. My religious friends revere him the most. 

 

(Also, you'll have to wait to see their shiny Reborn sprites, since I didn't get any screengrabs this early)

 

After battling trainers, gangs, prostitutes, and other malcontents, I made my way to Julia's gym. Unfortunately, it was locked, with a note talking about factories. Determined to get my first badge and escape this hellhole, I found two factories. At the second, I had the... pleasure of meeting Fern. After making some snide remarks, he challenges me to a battle. Turns out he's a Grass type specialist. I knew the Enemy was strong with him...

 

VS FERN

Spoiler

I lead with Lord Skull, whose only job is to bait Lotad into using its Water type move. 

 

I switch in Lord Root, who laughs at water and absorbs it with Storm Drain, boosting his Special Attack. Three Acids at +1 burn through Fern's potion and take it down.

 

Lord Root stays in for Snivy, and the grass snake dissolves in the Acid after two turns. 

 

I mean probably, dude. Budew is scary but he's not that scary. Things aren't gonna get rocky yet. Budew sets up Growth as I switch to Lord Claw. He gets a bit of his health absorbed, but two Fury Cutters take down the rosebud. Grass is no match for the fury of the Lord. 

 

I have the Old Gods on my side. What need is there for luck? 

 

(Really not that difficult. Storm Drain neutered Lotad, and Snivy's special defense just isn't high enough to tank Acids yet. Fury Cutter is also amazing, its why Kricketune is so loved in the early game)

Fern berates us and tells us to get a badge, which is what I'm trying to do, so I head back there and see if this factory business is finished. It isn't. Julia can't battle yet, but does say we can accompany her on the factory mission. Seeing as there's nothing better to do in this rotting city, I follow. Not gonna lie, a little bitter about it, though. 

 

We're introduced to Florinia, Fern's sister, who talks like a machine and also uses Grass. She may seem like a good person, or at least neutral, but I know to always watch for the Enemy's Hand. They are deceitful and sly, and never to be trusted. She gets a sick robot burn in at Fern

but we're forced to team up with the King Asshole himself. Luckily, he can (sort of) cover my weaknesses, and he heals us to full after each battle. Still, I've got my eye on you, Fern... He also tells us not to slow him down before getting behind us. How does that work? 

 

We battle through the factory, facing some goons called "Team Meteor." Really, just what I needed. We also have to get explosives to open a door, but Florinia hacks it just as we come back. Julia is not happy. 

What an eccentric girl. Inside, the girls fight one of the Meteor leaders, and Fern and I have to take on two grunts, Aster and Eclipse. I'm sure they won't be too important  

 

VS ASTER AND ECLIPSE

Spoiler

Alright I have screenshots for this one but they don't make much sense so I'm just going to describe it. This battle was a pretty big pain in the ass. I lead with Lord Claw, who used Mud Sport to weaken Elekid's electric attacks before being taken out the next turn by Low Kick and Fire Spin. I send out Lord Helix, who takes a weakened Discharge to hit Magby hard with Water Gun. Unfortunately, Aster and Eclipse use a potion on Magby and Elekid takes out Lord Helix with Shock Wave. I switch in Lord Skull, who tanks a Low Kick to take out Elekid. Knight of Death indeed! 

 

Magby takes out Lord Skull, and I switch to Lord Dome. Of course, its actually Snivy, one of Fern's mons, who takes out Magby. 

 

(Fern was almost useless here. Budew just kept on Mega Draining Elekid, which I guess was the only thing it could do, but seriously, dead weight. When Elekid went down, Lotad was briefly able to do some damage to Magby with Bubble, but got taken out too. Snivy managed to get the KO, but that was the only good thing Fern did here. It also didn't help that Elekid and Magby had like 3 levels on me.)

Is this a sex joke??

With the crisis averted, we can finally go to Julia's gym. I'm seeing so many sparks, it's like I'm a flint stone. Maybe it'll get a fire started and I can make her bedrock. oh god what have I done

 

VS JULIA

Spoiler

After... more defeats than I'd like to admit, I decided to train everyone up to level 15, except for Lord Dome, who is 16, because he learns Mud Shot at that level and its the only Ground move I have. 

 

I lead with Lord Claw, who surveys the area careful and spurts mud around, ending the Electric Field and weakening Electric attacks for 5 turns. Helioptile hits with a measely Thunder Shock, which does almost no damage but does paralyze. Charge Beam does almost nothing as well, and Lord Claw retaliates with Fury Cutter, bringing Helioptile to critical HP. Predicting a potion, I heal Lord Claw's paralysis, because it halving his speed makes this battle more rocky than it needs to be. Thanks to being healed, Lord Claw outspeeds Helioptile next turn and KOs it with another Fury Cutter. 

 

Voltorb gets outsped and OHKOed with a third Fury Cutter, which I'm pretty sure has an base power of 160. Mud Sport fades and Julia brings out her next Pokemon: another Voltorb! Another instance of the Lord's Fury OHKOs Voltorb, but two successive aftermaths have brought Lord Claw to low HP

 

Next up is Emolga, who is a speed demon. It flies faster than our Lord, and hits with Acrobatics. Miraculously, he survives with 3 HP! Pushing through the pain, Lord Claw sends the squirrel crashing to earth with Smack Down, KOing it.

 

Blitzel is up next, but there's no way Lord Claw can do anything. Rather than suicide him to ensure a safe switch-in (which, in hindsight, I should have totally done), I switch him out for Lord Dome, who eats a charge beam. Next turn, he outspeeds the horse to bring it to critical HP with Mud Shot, and is paralyzed by Thunder Wave. Julia uses a potion though, and its useless since Lord Claw KOs Blitzle with another Mud Shot. 

 

Julia, he doesn't even know Explosion, like, tone it down.

Anyways, Electrode immediately OHKOs Lord Dome with Charge Beam. In response, I send out Lord Root, the master tactician and staller extraordinaire.

Electrode hits with SonicBoom, and Lord Root confuses it. Electrode hurts itself, allowing the ancient plant to Ingrain itself. The healing won't do much, but will hopefully let him tank more SonicBooms. Electrode snaps out of confusion though, and hits with another SonicBoom, and Acid takes him down to below half HP. Ingrain only brings Lord Root to 18 HP, so he comes to terms with his death. Another SonicBoom KOs him. Farewell, you shall be reborn soon enough.

 

I send out Lord Skull, who tanks a Charge Beam to KO Electrode with a critical Take Down! The Knight of Death claims another victim! 

 

I mean, to be fair, I probably fought you for like half an hour, don't worry about it. 

 

(That one was real difficult. Lord Claw's Mud Sport and Fury Cutter were essential; if he missed even once, it was probably game over. Even though I should have let him suicide against Blitzle, we were still able to take out Electrode! Eventually!)

Julia gives us the badge and a useless TM, Charge Beam, and then immediately falls asleep. Was it good for you too? Oh god I'm turning into Terra. 

 

That's all for now! 

[HellBoyOnEarth]

I can only say nice

The shinies looks great

 

[HongaarseBeer]

Shiny Lileep and Shiny Kabuto look very cool! Good luck with your run!

[Orasha]

2 hours ago, HellBoyOnEarth said:

I can only say nice

The shinies looks great

 

Thanks! Just wait til you see shiny Amaura  

 

1 hour ago, HongaarseBeer said:

Shiny Lileep and Shiny Kabuto look very cool! Good luck with your run!

Shiny Lileep is one of my favorites so far! And thanks!  

[RedAlert]

Lovin' the shinies, dude

Purple shiny Lileep is swag

 

I dunno but... Cradily has been oddly disappointing in my Grass run.

[Orasha]

28 minutes ago, RedAlert said:

Lovin' the shinies, dude

Purple shiny Lileep is swag

 

I dunno but... Cradily has been oddly disappointing in my Grass run.

I love the purple offset with the green. Gives it a very like... mystic feel. It reminds me of Disney's Atlantis  

 

I'm hoping mine will do well, since Cradily is the only water check rock has. It's unfortunate that Toxic comes so late though. Once Corsola comes I can get some good moves though. 

[rayyan]

1 hour ago, RedAlert said:

Lovin' the shinies, dude

Purple shiny Lileep is swag

 

I dunno but... Cradily has been oddly disappointing in my Grass run.

That's strange. It was my MVP in defeating Charlotte in hardcore grass mono. Team it up with ludicolo for storm drain and one shot with ancient power while getting some boosts

Edited July 13, 2017 by rayyan

[RedAlert]

8 hours ago, rayyan said:

That's strange. It was my MVP in defeating Charlotte in hardcore grass mono. Team it up with ludicolo for storm drain and one shot with ancient power while getting some boosts

I posted a video against Serra and Bennett, so that'll explain a lot of it.

 Main thing is that I expected it to be a lot more tanky when it's so slow, not die in two hits (I forgot to ability capsule it at the beginning, but even after that)

[Orasha]

Hey everyone! So I know I said I'd try a bit of roleplaying in the write ups but I don't know if I'll be able to do that anymore. I don't have a huge amount of time to play Reborn, let alone talk about it. So while I'll still be writing in first person with some characterization, but its going to be way more minimalistic from here on out. Sorry  

 

Chapter 2: Grass, Grass, and More Grass

 

Anyways, we run into a hiker without a place to stay. Using all my wit and charm, I'm able to find a landlord and send the hiker his way. In thanks, he gives us an Onix! 

Spoiler

Not the best IVs but Sturdy is a great ability. I decide to name him Jormungand, after the world serpent in Norse mythology. He may not be a true god like the rest, but Rock is godly enough. 

 

In recognition of our service in the factory, Florinia grants us access to the Obsidia ward. Apparently teenagers outrank police officers in this mad, mad world. The ward's been hit pretty hard, the damage is severe. The residents are a little freaked out, and so am I. What could possibly cause it? And of course it would be trees. Others may be fooled by Grass's allure, but I see it for what it really is: destructive. After looking everywhere and finding a whole lot of nothing, it seems the only way forward is the slums. Blech.

 

Victoria stops us, trying to scare me away with horrid tales of the slums and their inhabitants. I mean sure, it's probably going to be a bad time, but people's lives are at stake, Victoria. I'm not going to let something like that get in the way of me saving people. And maybe if I do, they'll see fossils with the same reverence I do.  Determined to show my resolve, I bring out my Pokemon. Little did I know...

 

VS VICTORIA

Spoiler

I lead with Jormungand, who sets up Curse and destroying Ralts with Rock Tombs, and Victoria uses a potion on the little fairy. So far, so good. 

 

Victoria sends out Makuhita, and I respond with Lord Claw. He tanks Force Palms and becomes paralyzed, before using Fury Cutters to bring Makuhita into potion range. Victoria uses her second potion, and Makuhita falls to a third Fury Cutter. All will know the fury of the Claw. 

 

Unfortunately, Victoria's Ace, Pignite, takes out the Lord with Arm Thrust. 

 

I send out Lord Dome, who is outsped and immediately KOed due to Arm Thrust. Pignite is more annoying than I thought...

 

Lord Helix comes out and barely lives a three hit arm thrust (and one of them was a critical!) to bring Pignite to low yellow HP with Water Gun. Weak Armor putting him at +3 speed allows him to finish Pignite off with another Water Gun next turn. 

 

I beat you with a severe type disadvantage. I think I'll be fine. 

 

(Ugh, that was seriously the hardest Victoria's ever been. Depending on the RNG, Pignite's Arm Thrusts could sweep my whole team. I got very lucky with Lord Helix there.) 

Initially, I thought Victoria would be a fire specialist, and that this would be easy. It turns out that she's a fighting master instead... Another of the Five Fingers of Death. That explains why I didn't like her...

 

To Victoria's credit, however, the slums were bad. Possibly worse then she suggested. But not because of the homeless people, oh no. Sure, they were belligerent, and sure, I had to battle almost every one, but they were nice enough. No, the real problem were all the Panchams, Mankeys, and Makuhitas! I'm surprised Victoria wasn't at home here. 

 

I finally exit the slums, barely intact, only to discover more police officers blocking the way. And this time, no Florinia to convince them to let me pass. Left with no other choice, I head into the Coral Ward. It's seen better days, that's for sure. The Reborn League just lets a gym stand in such a dilapidated state? What kind of place is this...? Most of the sailors are out of work since the lake turned to shit, and it seems like the only happy person is a blind girl who asks weird questions. While there, we find a blue haired girl (apparently named Amaria), trying to rescue an Oshawott, but she can't due to the polluted water.

 

Then we hear it. Cain comes in, singing, and rescues the little otter. Good for him! His singing on the other hand... not so great. Though maybe we could do a duet sometime... Cain's new Oshawott desperately wants to battle, so we take him on. 

 

VS CAIN

Spoiler

For Cain, I lead with Jormungand, who sets Stealth rocks. After a few trades with Cain's Grimer, I bring him back and send out Lord Dome. After a few trades, Cain brings back Grimer and sends out Venonat, who takes lots of damage from Stealth Rock and is hit by a Mud Shot. I withdraw Lord Dome and Send out Lord Root, who KOs Venonat with Ancient Power. 

 

Nidorino is out next, and seriously, it can go fuck itself. Lord Root eats a Double Kick, but confuses the rhino lizard. Nidorino hurts itself, and Lord Root KOs with another Ancient Power. 

 

Grimer comes back out, and I bring out Lord Dome, who finishes it off with Mud Shot. 

 

Cain pls

I switch Lord Dome out for Lord Root, and damage from hurting itself and some Acids take it out. 

 

(This was also the hardest Cain has ever been for me. His Nidorino knows Double Kick, and that plus Focus Energy allowed him to sweep my entire team twice. )

With that out of the way, Cain leaves and Amaria heads to Obsidia. Apparently she took the police with her, since we can now enter the area. Florinia and Amaria discuss what to do, and give us the TMX Cut, since apparently their teams are too badass to have HM slaves. We cut the tree down for them and they rush in... Only to be immediately captured.

Before I can rush after them, however, I can feel Lord Helix whispering to me. 

"The grass," He whispers, "Check the grass..." I'm not one to argue with God, and so I cut down a tree to the right and investigate the tall grass. And wouldn't you know it, the first Pokemon I encountered was a Bonsly! Another mighty warrior for Rock! 

Spoiler

Named after the legendary Sudowoodo knight, who served the gods and spied on the treacherous trees. 

Despite having a crisis on my hands, I know that I must prepare Mimic Knight for the coming trials, and train her to be level equivalent with my team. The second she learns mimic, this happens: 

Excellent. Mimic Knight will likely be our primary Physical attacker: She has better attack than Lord Skull, and much better type coverage right now. Knowing that this battle will be difficult, and that I'll probably be facing some large Grass entity, I prepare my team for the worst and head in to rescue Florinia and Amaria. This was my team: 

Spoiler

Everyone is level 20 except Lord Dome, who I trained a little more so he could learn Sand Attack. I've also boxed Jormungand and Lord Helix, since they have a x4 weakness to Grass. 

 

So... their name is ZEL. And they designed this machine. Well, one of them did, at least. It looks like a Tangrowth hooked up there... I feel far from good. 

 

VS ZEL

Spoiler

I lead with Lord Dome. His job is to get off as many Sand Attacks as possible before fainting. He manages to bring Tangrowth to -2 accuracy before being OHKOed by Mega Drain. 

 

I bring out Lord Skull. Lord Skull is also a suicide Pokemon, here to Leer Tangrowth as much as he can. Unfortunately, he only brings Tangrowth to -2 physical defense before being 2HKOed by Vine Whip. 

 

This is where my strategy essentially died. I probably should have brought in Lord Claw to use Fury Cutter. I think maybe I wanted to confuse Tangrowth and then switch to Lord Claw, but that didn't happen. Instead, Lord Root is able to miraculously stall out the PULSE monster thanks to confusion + low accuracy + acid and ancient power. I think I expected him to be a suicide pokemon as well, to give Lord Claw a safe switch, but since that never happened...

 

(I also managed to defeat PULSE Tangrowth on my first try. This makes him less of a hassle than Victoria or Cain. I'm not sure whether to be proud or disappointed  )

 

Florinia congratulates us in her own unique way, and tells her to come to her gym at the Onyx Trainer's School. Knowing her, she's going to be a Grass specialist, just like her brother. Great. Speaking of Fern, he decides to lock us out of the gym, forcing us the fight our way through the school. We also come across a boy fed up with gambling, who gives us a Coin Case so we can inherit his vice. Usually I'm not a fan of gambling, but the Helix whispers to me again.... Play the casino...

 

When I arrive, I check the prizes. Why else would the Helix guide me here? What's this? One of them is a Slugma? Gods be praised! 

Spoiler

0 Sp. Def is a shame, but everything else is doable. This was actually the second Slugma I got, since I really wanted the Flame Body ability. Magma Lance is another great Grass check, alongside Lord Claw. Together, they cover our flanks from the seeds and growing things. Slugma's stats are pretty lackluster and an evolution at level 38 isn't that great, but he's my only source of Fire-power so...

 

 

After defeating more of the school with our new slug buddy, Fern stands defiantly in our way. The Enemy is very strong in him... I must make adjustments accordingly...

My team:

Spoiler

ShieldBearer is here because he's neutral to Grass, even though his special defense isn't that great yet (low health also doesn't help his bulk). 

 

VS FERN

Spoiler

I lead with Lord Claw, who gets Faked Out by Lombre and flinches his first turn. One Fury Cutter prompts Fern to use a potion, but a second Fury Cutter KOs the little kappa. 

 

Servine is actually faster than Lord Claw, and seeds him. However, a Fury Cutter at 160 BP easily OHKOs him. 

 

I mean I'm the first person to do a Rock run for the forums, isn't that special enough?

Roselia. Is a massive pain. Its higher level than anyone I have, and has good special attack. With bad luck, it can sweep my entire team. Luckily for me, Mega Drain only takes Lord Claw to critical HP, and he's able to OHKO Roselia with a 160 BP Fury Cutter.

It looks like the grass has been mowed! Maybe I should have saved that pun for Florinia

 

(Roselia swept me at least three times, it was really bad. Fern gave me more trouble than PULSEgrowth OR Florinia. He really is the worst).

 

With Fern running away like the dog he is, the only thing left to do before Florinia is heal up and switch my party around. 

My team for Rini:

Spoiler

Lord Claw might be able to sweep her whole team, but I want to give him a break after last time, and let Magma Lance get some experience.

Before we battle, she totally roasts us on our type choice as well:

Apparently grass CAN inflict Burns

 

VS FLORINIA

Spoiler

Maractus is able to set up two layers of spikes, but Magma Lance 3 shots it with Incinerate (after Florinia uses one of her Super Potions).

 

I leave Magma Lance in for Breloom. It hits with Mach Punch for about half Magma Lance's HP, but his Flame Body burns the flower fighter! Burn + Incinerate bring Breloom to critical HP, and Florinia uses another Super Potion. Another incinerate, another turn of burn damage, and Breloom is back where it started. It puts Magma Lance to sleep with spore, before being KOed by burn damage. 

 

Ferroseed comes out, and I leave Magma Lance in to suicide. But the slug wakes up and OHKOs Ferroseed with Incinerate! While only having 4 HP left! Hilarious. 

 

Cacnea finally KOs Magma Lance with Pin Missile.

That's completely fine, though. He lasted longer than I expected  And certainly did his duty. It ' a knight's job to die for their Lords, is it not? 

 

I bring out Lord Claw, who misses his first Fury Cutter and is hit by Pin Missile. He makes up for it by getting a critical with his second Fury Cutter, OHKOing Cacnea.

 

Next up is Cottonee. Lord Claw continues to bring the Fury, but it takes two turns and Cottonee is faster (probably due to Prankster). The fluff ball manages to seed and poison Lord Claw before being KOed. 

 

Things were a bit rockier than you expected, huh? I'm sorry that Fury Cutter bugs your Pokemon so much

You know what Florinia, I change my mind. You obviously are a woman of some taste if your ace is a God. Your strategy apparently revolves around sand as well, which boosts Rock pokemon more than it boosts Grass, and I respect that. I leave Lord Claw in, not sure what to expect. I use Fury Cutter again, expecting Cradily to survive, but apparently a 160 BP Bug attack is too much for even a god. No Grass can stand up to a fully enraged Lord Claw. 

 

(I beat Florinia on my first try. So far the difficulty for this run hasn't been what I expected... like both PULSEgrowth and Florinia were way easier, but guys like Cain sweep my whole team. This is an interesting experience). 

 

With that, we get our badge and a TM, Nature Power. Florinia also informs us that the plants have been attacking Jasper Ward as well... Grass. Why is it always Grass?! I don't usually do requests, especially for servants of the Enemy, but Rini did use a Cradily and Sand... perhaps she can be saved after all. Speaking of saving, that's what we'll be trying to do next time, see you then! 

Edited July 15, 2017 by Orasha
I forgot to add a chapter title

[HongaarseBeer]

I'm really enjoying your updates. And don't worry about having to make them more minimalistic. As long as all the vital information is present, and a casual rock-pun every now and then, it's all fine by me  

[Orasha]

Chapter 3: Things Get Rocky

 

Before I make my way into Jasper Ward, I stop by the Name Rater. In honor of his service against Florinia, I rename Magma Lance. He shall now be known as Vulcan, after the god of the forge from Roman Mythology. Vulcan is also where we get the word "Volcano" from, so I think its pretty fitting. You truly are godlike, even if you aren't ancient, Slugma. 

 

So I head into Jasper Ward which, like Florinia said, is almost completely destroyed. I search around for a bit, finding a Team Meteor grunt who definitely won't be important later

and running into the police. They've had it in a bad way, and are almost completely ineffective. Most of their officers are missing, too. Since I'll be scrounging through the wards looking for items and secrets, I might as well find them too, right? 

 

Jasper ward is nearly overrun with trees, bugs, and other other Pokemon. Its hard to tell where the ward ends and the jungle beings. Grass... why did it have to be grass?! After cutting the way through (well, I didn't do it, it was Lord Claw, but you know what I mean) and battling scores of Meteor grunts, I found another PULSE Tangrowth. I also met a nice dude named Taka. On the one hand, he seems pretty chill and like he'd be fun to hang out with, and he doesn't like the PULSE either. 

On the other hand... well...

And then he challenges me to a battle. Great. I wonder what kind of Pokemon he uses...

 

VS TAKA

Spoiler

Ah see, I knew he couldn't be that bad of a person. He uses a Lileep! Jormungand sets Stealth Rocks (to help destroy Chatot later), and then switches out to Lord Claw. Lileep ingrains itself, allowing a safe switch. 

 

Two Fury Cutters take it down, despite the roots. RIP. 

 

Lord Claw manages to outspeed Chatot and OHKO it with Smack Down (Stealth Rocks helped too). I knew Shelly's Anorith was OP but I didn't know they all were, sheesh. 

 

Bold words from a man who can't match his shoes with his scarf.

Unfortunately, Lord Claw misses with Fury Cutter and Tangrowth takes about half of his HP with a field-boosted Mega Drain. Another Fury Cutter barely dents the behemoth, and Tangrowth KOs with another Mega Drain, making up for the damage Fury Cutter did. Next up is Lord Root. 

 

Lord Root confuses PULSEgrowth, and then Ingrains, while Tangrowth uses Growth. Lord Root does some amazing stalling, with constant Confuse Rays and Acids, making Taka use up his Super Potion. Unfortunately, Lord Root is taken out. A little worried, I send out Vulcan. Earn your name, little buddy. 

 

Vulcan is able to take Tangrowth down with two Incinerates, though he is nearly knocked out himself. 

 

Did you really?

 

(That battle was also easier than anticipated. Chatot went down with one attack and Tangrowth got stalled pretty well)

After defeating him, Taka helpfully reveals that the Beryl Ward is even worse than the Jasper Ward, and that we might want to go help there, too. Before we can question him further, he runs off, and then a girl in a Salamence flies in. A freaking Salamence. She is NOT happy that we saved the day, apparently because she's incredibly selfish. Seriously, why are you mad? I saved people's lives! Why are you so unpleasant?!

Are you trying to be boulder than me?

Why would I try to stop you? I hate dealing with Grass types. Go ahead, destroy it. Seriously, do it. 

 

The Beryl Ward is indeed much worse off than Jasper. Once again, Grass proves itself to be untrustworthy, as Nuzleaf trap me in a wooden cage. Fern comes around and is a totally douchecanoe, but what else is new, right? He wants me to beg, but I haven't hit rock bottom yet. And so he just leaves. Huh. Luckily for us, a friendly Chatot comes and flips the lever.

 

After much exploration, I discover a library, a dead police officer, and plenty of Meteor goons. Eventually I come across the PULSE as well, this time guarded by Taka, ZEL and some man I've never met before. He's... something.

If I'm an alley cat, won't I just turn into a leopard at level 20?

Salamence girl swoops in, because apparently it takes forever to find the crazy PULSE machine. How can you possibly be this incompetent? Corey decides to handle her, while we take on Taka and ZEL.

 

VS TAKA AND ZEL

Spoiler

My team

Spoiler

(I did this battle A LOT. Everyone carries a confusion-curing berry, which basically only buys them one free turn since Taka and ZEL's AI prioritizes confusing their opponent. Mimic Knight is here because of her high attack and ability to hit Espeon hard with Feint Attack. Lord Skull does have a large Attack stat, but much lower defense, which is why he isn't a lead).

Glaceon hits Lord Root hard with Ice Fang, while my Lileep outspeeds Taka's to confuse it first, hopefully buying my team more time. Mimic Knight hits Glaceon hard with Rock Tomb. Lileep hits Mimic Knight with confuse ray, but the Persim berry cures it. I switch Lord Root out for Lord Claw, anticipating another Ice attack, and I was right, as Lord Claw eats an Ice Fang. Mimic Knight misses with Rock Tomb, and Lileep attempts to confuse Lord Claw but the berry negates it. Then Lord Claw KOs Glaceon with Smack Down. 

This causes Mimic Knight to hit Lileep with Rock Tomb, and Taka's Lileep finally succeeds in confusing Lord Claw. ZEL brings in Espeon. 

Espeon KOs Lord Claw with Psybeam while Mimic Knight hits the cat hard with Feint Attack, and Lileep confuses Mimic Knight. I send out Lord Skull. 

 

Espeon brings Lord Skull to critical HP with Psybeam, but the lord of death KOs Espeon easily with Assurance. Mimic Knight's Feint Attack, meant for Espeon just in case, brings Lileep to critical HP. Lileep uses up Lord Skull's Persim berry, and ZEL sends out Umbreon. 

 

Taka uses his Super Potion on Lileep

and Umbreon KOs Lord Skull. Mimic Knight hurts herself, and I send out Jormungand. (I don't have screens for a lot of what happened next; this battle really agitated me and I thought I was going to lose again so I didn't bother. I know that Umbreon eventually got taken out, and Lileep too, possibly without Jormungand dying). 

 

Tangrowth comes out, and Mimic Knight and Lord Root stand bravely against it

Mimic Knight and Lord Root both do okay damage to Tangrowth, though eventually Sudowoodo falls, leaving me with only Lord Root and Vulcan to face the monster. Eventually their combined efforts take it down.

 

Chatot is basically an afterthought. It KOs Vulcan, but is OHKOed by Lord Root's Ancient Power. 

 

Me realizing I didn't get that many screenshots of the second half

Me everytime I lost this battle, despite changing my party around or who the leads were.

 

(This battle. Was. The worst. I lost so much. So many times. Even with Persim berries, everyone gets confused eventually, and that RNG can really destroy you. Even when I decided to prioritize ZEL, it didn't do much. Even after I gave everyone berries, I still lost a few times. This is possibly the most annoying battle I've ever had in my entire Reborn experience).

After defeating ZEL and Taka again, we find that the mysterious man has held off Heather pretty well. (How Corey was able to do this when Heather is part of the Elite 4 and presumably has higher level Pokemon, we'll never know). He attempts to run and is caught by the police, largely because I rescued them. He's unmasked, and it turns out to be...

That revelation really rocked you, didn't it?

Corey disappears, running away to his gym, with the Police in hot pursuit. Unfortunately, their all enslaved by his poison gas, which for some reason has no effect on us. We eventually find him in an inner sanctum, and he offers to take us on. Finally. I don't particularly have any beef with him, but he is an unpleasant person. 

 

Unfortunately, I'm out of time, so that's all for today. Next time will be Corey and possibly more! 

[Orasha]

Chapter 4: Corey in the House

Wait a minute, didn't RedAlert already make that joke? Ahem

Chapter 4: Corey Gets Stoned

 

So this is the team for Corey:

Spoiler

 

Lord Root is a great check to Skrelp, while Lords Dome and Helix are our only source of Ground-type moves (read: our only super-effective moves against Poison). ShieldBearer neuters Crobat, as it can't be hit by two of its moves, and resists the other. If ShieldBearer falls, Vulcan can just blow up the field, sacrificing himself to take Crobat out. 

I stand before Corey, and he delivers a stinging monologue. 

To be fair, I wasn't the one who joined Team Meteor, I just ruined whatever secret plan you had. Also, your mask only covered your hair, not your face, so idk how your own daughter didn't recognize you (or your Pokemon) while battling you. 

 

(Also, I should mention that I'll be playing on Set mode for all the boss encounters)

 

VS COREY

Spoiler

I lead with Lord Root, who soft checks Skrelp. Without him, Bubblebeam could possibly sweep my team... Lord Root starts by confusing her, and is poisoned by the field. Skrelp's Acids do basically nothing. Another Giga Drain brings Skrelp into potion range, and Corey heals her. Two more Giga Drains take her out, and leave Lord Root with full HP. 

 

Croagunk is going to be a massive pain. Drain Punch has the possibility of sweeping me as well. I switch out to Lord Helix, who eats a Drain Punch (in hindsight, I should have confused Croagunk first, and hoped for a safe switch), and attacks next turn with Mud Shot. While it does good damage, Croagunk eventually takes him out.

 

I send out Lord Dome, who is able to outspeed the frog and takes it out with Mud Shot. 

 

Nidorina knows Double Kick, and, if you remember how much of a hassle Cain was, has the possibility of really destroying me as well. A critical Mud Shot takes her to half HP, and she misses with Double Kick (thank the Helix!). Another Mud Shot brings her to critical HP, and she Bites Lord Dome. Another Mud Shot KOs her. 

 

Grimer knows Mud Bomb. Its at this point that I realize I should have bought a metronome for Lord Dome (and Lord Helix) for this battle, considering they'd be spamming Mud Shots. The first Mud Shot only takes about a quarter of Grimer's HP, and Grimer retaliates with Acid Spray. Another Mud Shot does good damage, but Mud Bomb KOs Lord Dome easily. 

 

I send in Lord Root, who, as the screenshot says, revenge kills with Ancient Power. 

 

Corey sends in Skuntank. I decide to leave Lord Root in, partially because Skuntank knows Pursuit, and partially to confuse it. With it confused, I switch to Lord Claw, who gets a safe switch thanks to SKuntank hurting itself. 

Two Smack Downs and damage from hurting itself take out Skuntank, though it did incinerate Lord Claw for some damage. 

 

Fossils are timeless, Corey. We may die, but our stories live on in others and in the rocks. 

Crobat easily revenge kills Lord Claw with Venoshock, so I send out ShieldBearer. 

 

Crobat sets Nasty Plot, while Shieldbearer confuses him with Swagger (Crobat only has Special attacks, so raising his physical attack has no drawback). Crobat hurts itself in confusion, and ShieldBearer hits with Ancient Power. Unfortunately, despite it being a super-effective STAB, Ancient Power doesn't do much thanks to Shieldon's atrocious Sp. Atk. Crobat hurts itself again, and another Ancient Power KOs. 

 

One might say that you've hit...rock bottom. Wait, didn't I make that joke before? 

 

(Corey was much easier than anticipated, especially because half his team carried Super Effective moves. In hindsight, I should have confused Croagunk before I switched Lord Root out, or perhaps sent in Lord Dome first and then brought in Lord Helix when he got KOed, since Lord Helix has a much higher Sp. Atk. Oh well.)

 

Another monologue, and Corey is gone, telling me to meet him on the Beryl Bridge. I don't think I like where this is going, especially since he asked if I was going to kill him...

[St0mpa]

19 hours ago, Orasha said:

Also, I should mention that I'll be playing on Set mode for all the boss encounters

Nice to see this as it is my favorite battle style as it helps prevent just having 1 to 1 counters that get a free swap in and it makes you think alot more about when you can swap. It also make pursuit an actual threat.

[Orasha]

9 hours ago, St0mpa said:

Nice to see this as it is my favorite battle style as it helps prevent just having 1 to 1 counters that get a free swap in and it makes you think alot more about when you can swap. It also make pursuit an actual threat.

I totally agree, it makes tactical switches more important and also prepares you for competitive play more (though I'm probably trash at competitive). I also think Reborn makes shift mode less useful, because a lot of the battles (especially in the later episodes) are doubles, where shift gives you no advantage.

 

For normal trainers though, shift allows me to give exp to the pokemon that I want to train, so I'll be using shift for non-bosses. 

[Orasha]

Hey everyone, updates are probably going to be a little less frequent from now on, but I'll still be around! And I'm still playing, I just have less free time  

[RedAlert]

3 hours ago, Orasha said:

Hey everyone, updates are probably going to be a little less frequent from now on, but I'll still be around! And I'm still playing, I just have less free time  

Life first, my friend. Besides, you've been doing so well so far! I'm curious as to how you'll handle Kiki (but by that time you'll probably build up a resistance team). Lord Root has been great! And so have the other lords, of course