Filthy Casual

Chapter 15: Burning Spirits This was it. Groudon was rampaging throughout the Hoenn region, and it was up to us to stop it. Before we could chase after it, however, we had to meet up with another new character! Look closely at what he says here, as it reveals the best part about this game... FUCK YEAH! WALLACE ISN'T THE CHAMPION! Wallace explained to us that the power of Primal Reversion was dormant in the Cave of Origin. However, Groudon finally had access to it once more. As such, Wallace granted us access to the cave. Along the way, however, we were met up with Team Aqua and Magma. Maxie had supposedly been working with the Devon Corporation (Tabitha had apparently been a part of the corporation) in order to create a suit that would allow them to meet up with Groudon. However, there was one person who could wear this suit... ...the fucking ten year old. Seriously, Steven, why can't YOU try to stop it? You're the FUCKING CHAMPION, and you LET the ten year old save the region?! It bothered me back then, and it bothers me now. Regardless, with all of that out of the way, Steven gave us some BS speech about how the power of love and friendship will pull us through. Despite all of that, we were still pleasantly surprised to see someone else see us off! Hey, it's May! It was always strange how she didn't come to help in the originals, so it's nice to see her here! Of course, she was quite confused to see Team Aqua and Magma working together. However, she quickly abandoned that thought, realizing that all of this was now out of her hands. She decided instead to give us some support. Thanks, May! It's nice of you to- ...wait, are they trying to ship the MC and the rival? Imagine what that could mean for the future of the franchise if they are both- All jokes aside, we quickly made our way into the Cave of Origin, where we decided to quickly catch another Pokemon. Eventually, we made it deep in the Cave of Origin, where we were forced to put on our conveniently ten year old shaped Magma suit. With the power of the Blue Orb, we were able to even draw out none other than Groudon! In this situation, what do you think the most logical thing to do would be? If you said jump on Groudon's back, well, you'd not only make my inner child happy, but you'd be right! I'M SO FUCKING HAPPY! With all of that done, there was one thing to do: face off against the legend himself. You know, part of me wishes you DID go primal. It would make for a better challenge. ...no, wait, I take it back! I TAKE IT- SHIT! The battle took an extremely long time, as Groudon refused to stay in the ball. Luckily, we had two MVPs in Raff (Vileplume) and Cirrus (Altaria). With their help, Groudon was finally caught! I wanted to name him "My Ex Wife", but I've done that too many times. Also, "Better Solgaleo" didn't fit. With that completed, we saved the world, allowing us to once again enjoy the peaceful climate of Hoenn. After a long talk about forgiveness, Maxie decided to entrust us with the power of Groupon's Primal form. If that wasn't enough, Steven followed that up by giving us access to the first ever ride Pokemon! Eat your heart out, Sun and Moon! Despite our victory, our adventure hadn't ended yet! We still had to defeat Wallace for our final badge! Wallace himself sensed our newfound sense of confidence. Indeed, it was time for a battle! With our victory, we obtained our final badge! However, that wasn't all! Wallace was nice enough to reward us with this amazing HM! Indeed, this means next time, we'll be taking on Victory Road, as well as running into Wally and his Super Potions (if it's the same as RSE)! Current Team

Chapter 14: Armageddon Before traveling to the Seafloor Caverns, we needed to enlist the help of a particular HM slave. After all, we didn't have anyone who could use Dive. As such, let's meet the newest HM Slave! While down there, we discovered that Team Magma had already made their home within the cave. However, we also noticed an incredible TM! Achilles (Swampert) is now even more busted. Despite this excellent addition to our arsenal, there was no time to relish this glory, as Maxie had defeated Archie in convincing fashion. Strangely enough, Maxie seemed excited to see us. Apparently, he wanted to relish in his victory, even allowing us to meet this ancient Pokemon. OH MY GOD I LOVE GROUDON! He's always been my favorite legendary. Despite his excitement, Maxie still had one thing left to do: to take us down. In fact, before the battle began, he decided to tell us this: That's right. Mega Camerupt was finally about to be revealed. It was time to stop Maxie once and for all! Despite our victory, Maxie seemed determined to summon Groudon. In fact, he was about to summon him until Tabitha stopped him. Tabitha tried to warn Maxie about his findings in the weather institute. Apparently, if Groudon was awakened, not only would the land mass expand beyond expectations, but the world would die. Unfortunately for Tabitha, that was the last thing Maxie wanted to hear. Obviously, Maxie is still a moron for thinking this. Still, it at least fits in with his character. Unfortunately for everyone else, though, this meant disaster for the world. Indeed, because my character decided to NOT SEND OUT HIS POKEMON FOR SOME REASON, Groudon was awakened at last. He only craved for one thing... ...a big hug. In fact, another funny thing happens this cutscene. Groudon decides to jump out of the cave in order to make his way to Sootopolis. Take a look at the sky as he comes out. Just a moment later, however, the sun's rays intensify. Groudon is able to intensify the rays of the sun at his will. Meanwhile, the "Sunne" Pokemon, Solgaleo, can't. Eat your heart out, Solgaleo. Also, for those of you wondering how Groudon could travel over water all these years, here's your answer at long last. While Maxie was certainly happy about his accomplishment at first, optimism quickly gave way to despair as he realized it wasn't a good idea to unleash a monster capable of killing everything unto the world. With everyone heading up to the surface, Archie informed us that Groudon was heading out to Sootopolis. As such, next time, we'll be heading there to put a stop to Groudon once and for all! Current Team

It can get pretty difficult at times. The main thing this game encourages you to do is keep a rotation of Pokemon on deck. I myself, however, ended up just fine only using eight Pokemon, but you may find yourself using Pokemon you generally consider trash. For example, one of the best early game pickups is actually Kricketot, as Fury Cutter runs through the early game. My point is that the gym leaders can be tough to beat (ESPECIALLY with Field Effects), but the solution to beating them is usually nearby.

Chapter 13: BLOWN BACK Last time, we had completed our team of six, and were in pursuit of Team Magma. Unfortunately for us, we were too late, as the submarine had already be commandeered. Because of this, we quickly made haste to the Magma hideout in Lilycove. While there, we found a multitude of things, such as Nuggets, the Master Ball, a couple wily Electrodes, and five interesting trainers. Of course, it was obvious that these quintuplets would get blown away. After all, just like in past games, this only means we would have to face them five times in a row. While that's quite the nuisance, it's at least still good experi- Oh? We get to challenge them all at once? So what, is this a double battle? Wait, a horde?! Come to think of it, why don't more evil organizations do this? Yes, the battle is a joke, but I bet the Poochyena's become Mightyena's with the ability Intimidate just to throw people off in the inevitable rematch (you know it's going to happen at some point). Regardless, we ended up finding Courtney, who told us it was too late. Now, let me just be the first to say that once again, this battle is a joke. Achilles (Swampert) OHKOd with Surf. However, there's something I'd like to talk about as a side note, and that's the excellent Pokemon Generations special. I had watched it last year with a group of friends, and finally have a better context in terms of what that scene is compared to that of the games. As such... With that out of the way, Courtney decided to taunt us, telling us that if we wanted to catch up to Maxie, we would need to find a way underwater. While the MC isn't supposed to know what that means, it clearly means "Get a badge to advance", so we traveled the ocean to do just that. Along the way, we fought a multitude of trainers, until we reached the next town. Charlotte (Vulpix) even learned Flamethrower! As such, we decided it was time to give her the Fire Stone! Our team is now fully evolved! Upon entering the gym, we were surprised to see not one, but two gym leaders. These two, Tate and Liza, specialized in double battles. This is quite an amazing concept, as double battles are a huge part of the Hoenn region! Without hesitation, we went to battle! With our victory, we were able to attain our seventh badge! Next time, we'll be... ...this is new. ...wait, how? I literally just finished the battle! We were quickly rushed into Steven's house, where he explained to us that Team Magma had found the resting place of that "ancient Pokemon", and he needed our help to stop it. Because of this, he gave us a gift: I'll need to find another Pokemon to use it, because I'm not giving it to my Swampert. Regardless, next time, we'll be attempting to put a stop to Maxie's plans once and for all! Current Team

Chapter 12: A Shining Semblance of Completion After trouncing Winona, we decided to head south, where the Safari Zone was held. Along the way, we picked up a multitude of items, including a useful Mega Stone! I still plan on using Mega Altaria, but if the situation arises, Apophis (Absol) will appreciate the upgrade! That wasn't all, however! While exploring, we found our newest team member! Say hello to the newest member of the squad... With our newest team member, we decided to head out to the next town, Lilycove City! While exploring, we ran into another familiar face! ...it's May, isn't it? May was bragging to us about all of the items and dolls she bought. Of course, she didn't want to make it look like she was only doing that, so she immediately said this: Since the game didn't give us any real option, we replied with "Really?" I know they're giving the player the immersion of choice, but there's not really a point if they do the same thing. It's not like The Thousand Year Door, where you have no choice, but different answers result in funnier reactions. Heck, even the Grimsley encounter in USUM is hilarious, as if you choose neither... ...I'll keep that one a secret, as it's best experienced. Still, May didn't appreciate hearing our opinion, causing her to say this: Without question, we began to battle! After our victory, May tells us something quite telling about her character. I think Emerald did a slightly better job of conveying this, but I see May as the person who's never been challenged her whole life, and is adjusting to the fact that someone is better than her. It's more apparent in Emerald, where you beat her by Fortree, she rides off, and Scott says something like "I passed some girl on the way here. She looked really mad!" Still, I don't think both games did enough to represent that. However, like all people who struggle with this, she eventually decided to follow her own path: Yes, this is the last we'll see of May. Kind of bad for a game's main rival, but frankly, Wally's the real rival. Before she left, however, she told us this: Okay, now I KNOW that thing has to be important! This is really interesting, as it did nothing in the original games other than give you some TM! We'll see how it resolves itself. Regardless, we spent some time looking around, when we found this: YES! CIRRUS (Altaria) IS ALL POWERED UP! After exploring the town, we quickly went to Mount Pyre, where we did some exploring. Along the way, we found an awesome mega stone! While exploring, we also... also... ...is that- HOLY SHIT I'M SO FUCKING HAPPY! The only other shiny I caught not named the Red Gyarados is a shiny Kricketune! I've caught plenty of shinies on Reborn, but those odds are greatly increased, so I don't count those as much as I do here! On one hand, I really want to try this thing out! On the other, however, I'd rather use this team member, who I planned to use as my final member of the team... I'd love to hear your thoughts, but personally, I'm leaning towards the original plan. I never used that particular Pokemon, and think it would be an awesome addition to the team. Still, getting a jolly shiny is really cool! Regardless, we continued onwards towards the top of Mount Pyre, where we found Team Magma harassing a couple. We attempted to stop them, only to see we were too late. Maxie had taken the Red Orb needed to awaken what he called a "Super Ancient Pokemon". Of course, he knew that we were determined to stop him. As such, he decided to leave us to his admin, Courtney, before claiming he was off to Slateport to hijack a submarine. Maxie had hyped up Courtney to be quite the tough opponent, saying that she should crush us so badly that we don't even think about challenging Maxie again. This got me quite excited at first. Courtney even seemed to be excited! SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE HELL?! Courtney seemed to somehow be shocked that one Pokemon couldn't take down a full team of six (including a water/ground wall in Achilles the Swampert). However, she had pulled off her job. Apparently, we were so dumbfounded by the sheer stupidity of the fight that Maxie got away in the madness. Before we could give chase, we decided to retrieve yet another orb! We'll see if this blue orb is helpful. Credit where credit is due, though. Maxie stole the right orb this time, unlike the originals, where he stole the blue orb. Next time, we'll be giving chase! Current Team

Currently typing up the next part as we speak. You'll see that flying isn't the only type being repeated if Keemstar (Ninjask) stays.

You may be disappointed to hear that Ninjask has been replaced by my fifth team member. I like Keemstar (he's fast as fuck, boi), but I like keeping to no repeating types, and I have a flying type in Altaria. Still, I kind of want to use Ninjask for another play through. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll start with Sceptile and actually use Ninjask.

We'll try this league again. I'd like the same template and trainer as last time, but this time, use these mons:

Here's a question you can check out:

I'm excited for these new mons! Who knows? It may be time for me to find a Ribombee if it's close by (probably not, but I kind of want a gen 7 mon on my team lol)

Chapter 11: ACHILLES STRONK Hello everyone! Hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving season! Mine was filled with friends and family back at my home town. However, now that that's over, and I'm back from a long flight, it's time to continue with the Omega Ruby play through! After briefly catching our fourth team member (who you can see from the last part), we continued onward to find none other than Steven Stone himself! Steven decided to test our potential as a trainer, wanting to see how our team would react to "adversity". I put that in HUGE quotes because his idea of "adversity" is slightly ridiculous... Yes, Steven, the Kecleon is SO scary. Especially when it doesn't even have a STAB move. You'd better give me something good for babying me like this... OKAY, WE'RE COOL! I'M SO FUCKING HAPPY RIGHT NOW! In all seriousness, it's so awesome to see the Swampertite! Believe it or not, Swampert's not going to be the main mega on the team, but it's nice to say I have one. Steven, on the other hand, seemed more interested in something else... Are they actually giving the Meteorite a purpose other than "exchange for a TM"? I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes. Regardless of any potential plot points, we still had one job to do: to defeat the most pointless gym leader in Hoenn! Seriously, though, she barely has a reason to be there! Even Brawly has speculation that he's related to Hala! Wattson is important for a side quest allowing you to get Thunderbolt. Winona just says "Oh, I'm a flying leader, and therefore I'm elegant, want to fight?" She only shows up for this, never to be seen again. As such, it was time for a fight! With our victory, we are now ready to head out to the next town! Next time, we'll not only be making our way down, but also potentially catching our fifth team member (if it's still where I think it is)! Current Team

So I'm currently getting walled to hell by Jasper, Fabian, and Mira. I think it's now time for me to use my two tokens and get a Stealth Rock user. However, which moves should I change? My team is below.

When it comes to favorite Ultra Beasts, there are no wrong answers. All UBs named Stakataka are correct.

Chapter 10: Ascension This is going to be the last update for a bit. With the Thanksgiving season coming up, I'm going to be with my family. Fortunately, this episode is quite eventful. After our triumphant victory over our father, we continued onward towards Fortree City, the home of the next gym leader. Along the way, however, we were stopped by none other than Steven himself! In the originals, this cutscene was pointless. All he does is ask you what kind of trainer you are and leaves. I mean, if you're going to do that, you'd better- ...wait, what? What?! WHAT?! SERIOUSLY, WHAT?! WHAT?! WHEN?! WHY?! I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS! Needless to say, this caught me off guard completely! None of this is in the originals, and it's nice to see that more plot significance was added to the cutscene, but damn. Do we even know where we are? Two? But only Latias brought us... ...it's Southern Island, isn't it? THERE IT IS! This is really cool, but it's so weird to see this island not locked behind an event. Also, Steven, isn't half of your team part rock type? Before we could question him any more, we were interrupted by more guests. However, these guests were anything but welcomed. The mysterious purple haired girl named Courtney explained they only came for Latios and it's mega stone. We weren't allowed to let that happen. After all, we were here to capture Latios! Steven himself even decided to help us! With his help, it was time to... ...to... ...I'm sorry, excuse me? After that "intense" battle, Courtney vowed that she would remember us. Seriously, why is she a robot now?! However, that wasn't all! Latios decided to recognize our skill as a trainer, joining our team! There was only one name we could give him... As it turns out, however, our newest member was holding on to a Latiosite. This only meant one thing... ...as soon as we get the Swampertite, we will have won the game. Regardless, we still had a lot of traveling to do. Along the way, we even got a new evolution! Eventually, we ran upon a weather institute. Upon exploring, we discovered that Team Magma had taken the workers hostage there. We even saw Tabitha was the admin running the operation. However, he seemed more distraught than usual. We decided to confront him, wanting to know what was the problem. This unfortunately seemed to make his anxiety worse. ...wait, this is your private life? You take labs hostage for fun? That's pretty sad, man. Despite his claims, he was determined to defeat us. Spoiler alert: the battle lasted one turn. For repelling off Team Magma, we were rewarded with a new Pokemon! With that out of the way, we only had to travel to the next- DAMNIT MAY! Despite the annoyance, May was kind enough to give us another HM! That wasn't all, however! We did some training, and even got some new evolutions! Next time, we'll be exploring Fortree, as well as taking on Winona for our sixth badge! Current Team UPDATE I got bored, so I decided to quickly look for my fourth team member. I lucked out big time! Say hello to the fourth member of the squad...

I've made a decision to wait a bit for this to start. Working on Pokemon Empire has been a blast, but it's taken a fair amount of my time. Also, I'm currently doing a playthrough of Omega Ruby, and I realized that when I would have started this run, the next episode would soon be released. As such, I'm going to wait until then. Still, it looks like when we start, Sandile's going to be the one we choose! Having said all of that, I realize that it was irresponsible of me to not update all of you on the status of this. I would like to apologize to everyone for that. I'll ensure next time to keep lines of communication more clear so this doesn't happen again.

Chapter 9: A Change of Norm With her defeat, we decided to head down to Petalburg, where our father was waiting for us. This provided us a decent opportunity to train Cirrus (Swablu), who desperately needs it at this point. After the battles, however, we still had to face off against our father, who had been waiting for us. Don't lie to me, Dad! You were napping before I got here! Indeed, it was time for an intense battle! With our win, Norman decides to reward us with the next badge. However, that doesn't stop him from telling us this: I really like that line. We don't get another literal father figure who has a physical presence in the game for the entire series, so it's kind of touching to see your father so proud that you surpassed him. In fact, he even offered to see us out, until we ran into Wally once more! Wally was not only traveling around the region, but he was doing it with his own father, no less! I didn't mention this, but according to the statues, Wally actually beat Norman before we did! Of course, Gardevoir is quite strong, but he also has a Delcatty and Roselia on his team, so props to him for making that work! In fact, his father seemed really excited about Wally's state of being after his win! They keep really stressing Wally's health in this game. Does anyone know what's going on with Wally? They make it sound like he's dying from his lack of health. I'm happy it's getting expanded on, but damn! Funny enough, he even gave us a reward for helping his son! YES! ACHILLES (Marshtomp) HAS A MOVE OTHER THAN WATER GUN! As we were leaving, however, we were treated to this little gem... After that nice cutscene, we spent a bit of time exploring the region. I decided to take the liberty to pick up the TM for Sludge Bomb. Needless to say, Raff (Gloom) no longer knows that move. I also got curious, and looked up how to get the Lucky Egg. Apparently, you find them from wild Pelliper. I picked up Scout (Linoone) again and taught him Thief. Luckily, we got the Lucky Egg, so now, we'll be able to train up Cirrus (Swablu). Next time, we'll be heading out to Fortree City to pick up our next badge! Current Team

There's actually a slight work around. Eventually, in West Gearen, you'll run across three side quests. Complete them all, and you'll receive a random egg. That egg will be a starter depending on the starter you chose. As such, if you pick a grass starter, you'll get a water starter. If you pick fire, you get grass. Finally, if you get either water or a jackpot starter, you get fire. The starter is randomized, so technically speaking, they are available, but you just have a minuscule chance. The only ones you can get in the wild for sure are the ones mentioned by @Pozyher.

What I'm about to say is just opinion through my own experiences, so take it with a grain of salt. Having said that, I really like Mina's trial. It was fun to see everyone after your long adventure. It showed both sweet and funny moments. Here are some highlights: All of those things really put my adventure into perspective, and made my first run through Alola feel more special. Having said that, I didn't really like any of the Kahunas. It's not that they're bad, it's just that they don't really show up too much. Olivia only arrives twice before the trial: one to welcome you, and the other to say "Hey, you can challenge me now". You don't meet Nanu until close to the end of your trials on Ula'Ula. Of course, that leaves Hala and Hapu, and honestly, I thought Hala would play a much bigger role in the story than he did. As such, I'm going to give this to Hapu. She's the one who acts the most like a Kahuna to me, as she's given the most opportunities to do so. Not only is she the one to offer assistance to the Ultra Recon Squad, even after explicitly saying they didn't want help, but she also acts like a mentor to Lillie at points in the story.

I love Dragonite's design, but your design looks awesome! I'd love that in the main cannon games!

I know this doesn't change anything, but I voted for ghost only to see Decidueye used.

Chapter 8: Snuffed Out After our battle with Maxie, we decided to head down to the next town, a small town named Lavaridge. While exploring, we ran into a village elder, who gave us this: If it's still the same, the egg is going to be a Wynaut. Who knows, I might use it. Wobbuffet is my all time favorite psychic type, and I only have an idea about four team members out of six. I could seriously use some ideas. Regardless, we decided to head into the gym, run by a fire type user named Flannery. Now I remember that Flannery's character is supposed to be timid, as this is her first time in a battle. So far, I don't see- -and there it is! Despite her clear nerves, she was determined to take us on. It was time for a battle! With her defeat, we were ready to make it to the next town. However, we were instead met up with a familiar face! May offered us to take us to the next gym leader. Of course, we accepted the offer, only to realize we had to face Norman for our next badge. It was right then that it hit me... ...he's got two Slakings, doesn't he? Next time, we'll be taking on Norman for the next badge! Current Team

Chapter 7: Mad Maxie: Beyond Lavadome After our quick pitstop at our secret base, we continued onward to the next town. While there, we decided to heal our team, only to find a new friend! Lanette happened to be the person who managed the PC in Hoenn! She would eventually give us a Seedot doll for us to decorate our base. Unfortunately for us, however, trouble was waiting for us. The professor of the town, Cozma, was kidnapped by Team Magma in order to search for a Meteorite. Without hesitation, we ran to stop their plans! Along the way, we even found a couple new team members! After catching our new team member, we made our way to Meteor Falls. As we arrived, we ran into one of the admins, Tabitha, who... ...has a really cool redesign! Despite this, Tabitha was quick to challenge us to a fight! It was time to battle... With our victory, we were ready to take back the Meteor. However, that's when things got truly interesting. Don't tell me... OH MY GOD ARCHIE AND TEAM AQUA LOOK SO COOL! So much care went into these sprites! In fact, as I'm typing this sentence, I also notice that he has a mega ring placed into his anchor! With Archie at our side, in addition to us fainting their Pokemon, there was no victory in sight for Tabitha! We had finally... ...let him walk away... Fortunately, Archie told us that they would be heading up to Mount Chimney. We quickly ran off, ready to fight everyone on the top of the mountain! Two things about this: 1) This is such a cool setting for a battle! Now that Hoenn has a day/night system, fighting on top of a volcano at night is really neat! 2) Archie only has a Poochyena. It was stupid then, and it's still stupid now. Regardless, we were able to breeze through the grunts thanks to the power of Achilles (Marshtomp). However, we still had to defeat Tabitha once more before we could face the boss. Spoiler alert: the battle only lasted two turns. Maxie wasn't too happy to see us. He explained to us that with the power of the Meteorite, they would create either a mega stone or a keystone for... ...well, he stopped before he spoiled us of the surprise. This is really cool, however! They changed their motives to match the gen 6 lore of Megas! Of course, Maxie wasn't going to let our optimism stand unchecked. Okay, Maxie. Send out your Zubat so I can- ...wait, did you just say "The time for the purge has come"? Why does this suddenly feel so serious? ...he's really serious, isn't he? Of course, like in the originals, Maxie wasn't happy to have been defeated by a child. ...wait, why are you smiling? ...wait, you weren't trying? Oh, shit, he's actually going to use the Mega Camerupt! ...or we're led to believe that at first. In fact, as he was about to revive his ace, he received a call from one of his grunts. Apparently, the orb that could match Mega Evolution was at a place called Mount Pyre. As such... ...well, you can tell us, Maxie. I like how Maxie implies he wasn't trying. We know that this game is easy, and that he sucks, but to a younger player, this could be cool! Unfortunately, Archie didn't seem to share that same enthusiasm once he realize Maxie's next destination. I really want to see what Maxie says in Alpha Sapphire! Archie seems much more personable, while Maxie seems more calculated! Next time, we'll be heading to Lavaridge to get our next badge from Flannery! Current Team