Rather than fighting us on Ancient Poni Path, Dexio will fight us before we get into Poni Meadow. Nothing else has changed about the event, but this does prevent us from unlocking the only Glide point out here until we can beat him. At least we've had the chance to soak up EXP from Poni Plains!
When heading to the postgame area in SM, there is a battle between the Fly point outside Vast Poni Canyon and Poni Grove. What I missed until doing Noah's run is that you can actually bypass it by flying from the Ruins of Hope. I'll not be doing that, but I highly recommend you do. Seriously... this first fight has teeth.
On rebooting the game after defeating the Pokemon League, you are loaded in your bedroom. This is a tradition of all games, and it makes as much sense as any other, I suppose. This can really suck depending on the game, though.
I was hanging out in here doing Poke Pelago until I was ready to start. Since a few files actually got lucky, I should mention that Poke Pelago's Isle Abeens has postgame-locked encounters: Mismagius, Scyther, Lapras, and Emolga in SM, Snubbull, Tropius, Honchkrow, and Litleo in USUM. Nothing you can't obtain elsewhere, although some of those are new to us.
Mum still hasn't finished unpacking. To be fair, this is our stuff...
It turns out there's actually an event in our bed that I've missed... since we first put on our hat.
For all the beds I've slept in, surprising I missed mine.
Meowth crawls up, and starts staring at us judgementally.
He climbs up, meowing at us...
And apparently tries spraying us with an Awakening.
Hapu's bed was supposed to be a call back to this.
The normal message. Very fitting, of course.
Also, the USUM versions of the bed have Pokemon on the sheets. Ray gets Pinsir and Ailey gets Eevee, in one of the weirder gender differences I've seen. Really enforcing that "guys = cool, girls = cute" dynamic, huh?
This line reads a lot different now that Lillie is the thing in Kanto we are apart from.
So then... Poni Island. The Garden Island has quite the garden path to traverse, requiring us to be cognizant of both what SM was doing and what USUM was doing to judge the stories as written. This could be a doozy...
First off, we land in Seafolk Village, and are directed to Hapu. Hapu then takes us with her to Tapu Fini's Ruins, rounding off the whole "bring Nebby to Ruins" and answering none of the questions raised by this plot point. The plot has since moved on, and now we are seeing a kahuna be chosen. The Island Challenge having a big gaping hole carved into it is one of the points that most supports Kukui's assertion that the Island Challenge needs innovation, but his chosen solution doesn't even assist on this topic- it just adds five new positions that need to be filled, while the challenge it replaced used pre-existing positions.
From here, we are more or less led straight to the Altar. We just need to pick up a token Flute- which is an excuse for Lillie character development in SM and accomplishes nothing in USUM- before going to Vast Poni Canyon. We get a bit of closure with Skull beforehand, but ultimately, we never get to see how Guzma brings his experiences back to Team Skull. USUM did try and work with this, by adding a Guzma scene to Mina's Trial, but said scene was more about Guzma's quarrels with the Island Challenge. For all the importance family has within the plot of SM, actually discussing positive familial relationships like those of Burnet/Lillie, Guzma/Plumeria, or even Gladion/Lillie (the two interact once) doesn't seem important to the game. The story has much more to say about redeeming Lillie/Lusamine.
Vast Poni Canyon has two major setpieces- Lillie's first Trial, where she stands up to the situation that we had to save her from in the opening setpiece, and our last Trial. At least in SM. There is an interesting juxtaposition in the matter, and it should be the angle through which Lillie's newfound capabilities express themselves. But to a degree, Pokemon has put an impressive level of emphasis on the idea that it is actually possessing Pokemon which strengthens your capacity to affect the world, and this is something denied to Lillie in the story. The conclusion of her arc- her setting out to begin a League Challenge with a fresh Starter- seems to be where the devs want Lillie to get her first Pokemon, but I feel, at this point in the story, Lillie should have a Pokemon of her own other than Nebby. Not only would it give Lillie a new angle to demonstrate character development- she could have much more control over it than she does Nebby- but it would emphasise the idea that Lillie can take care of herself, while still having plenty of upwards mobility to justify our continued assistance.
At the Altar, there are two different climaxes of the story- in SM, Lillie confronts Lusamine, and stops her from being evil so she can become her mother again. In USUM, Ailey confronts Necrozma, doing a job that Lusamine was too short-sighted to do right and accomplishing the job despite Lusamine having made it that much harder. Thematically, Necrozma is trying to do too much to have a coherent understanding on why this is an appropriate climax- it's less of a natural conclusion to the story and more of an excuse to fight Ultra Necrozma. Lusamine, meanwhile, is the opposite- this is exactly the correct climax for the story, except the game ignores the reasonable climactic conclusions to draw for no explicable reasons, and the confrontation with the Motherbeast Lusamine is not an excuse for any original mechanics (other than, perhaps, the idea of Pokemon getting totem auras in Trainer battles). This story had an amazing premise, but it is clear as crystal the developers either don't know or don't care about that fact. When your story is already so heavy that it's an obstacle for the enjoyment of some people (including your target demographic), the least you can do is at least make it worth it. SM's strong reputation is entirely on the back of fans filling in the blanks.
The aftermath of the Altar directly leads into the League Challenge in SM, but USUM decides to add a new Island Trial, and give the existing Grand Trial more weight, in this time. Mina's new Trial brings a wonderful sense of closure to the standard Island Challenge, but the special circumstances of our Trial go unanswered- we do not get any idea on what Lillie, Gladion, and Lusamine are up to here. Only Hau, and sort of Guzma, get any screentime, and even Hau is only vaguely foreshadowing his Champion battle. This is followed up with Mount Lanakila, which does have a moment with Gladion, only for him to be his usual reticent self. If anything, the plot is more interested in adding more fights than it is with wrapping up story conflicts. Considering USUM decided to add a brand new story rather than focus on the one they already had, no surprises, but still.
Both Nebby and Necrozma have interesting recruitments. Nebby is given to us by Lillie because she is well aware that Nebby's disobedience- and preference for us- was due to her shortcomings as a Trainer, and she would not be able to use him to his fullest potential until she had some genuine experience under her belt. Or at least, that's where it should have ended. Lillie gives Nebby to us on the expectation we serve as a replacement mother to it, virtually committing the very crime Lusamine is guilty of. We are a favourite aunt, not a mother, and while Lillie's isolation from her own mother has likely primed her to think of the replacement relationships she develops to be parental in nature, this is a character flaw. Necrozma, meanwhile, seems to only be catchable to add to our Pokedex, added to the only place it fits, and the devs saw fit to add to Lillie's reasoning for giving us Nebby by telling us to... rob Nebby of its self to satisfy Necrozma's desire for light. And here I was thinking Lillie couldn't get any worse from SM. It's hard to say this makes Lillie come out looking bad, because of the pre-existing potential reasons to use, but it does make the story look bad, because it really emphasises the lack of understanding the writers are working with.
The games converge with the Pokemon League. SM doing this directly after Motherbeast Lusamine brushes into issues with pacing, both narratively and mechanically, and the expanded gameplay sequence USUM offers was an improvement. The only real downside is the downplaying of the Lillie story, and considering the issues currently going on there, that's probably ultimately an upside. The League Challenge itself is fairly standard fare, and it is almost entirely here as mechanical tradition. For all the issues with doing away with the "kahuna blitz" that used to end the Island Challenge, exactly how would it compare with series history? Ultimately, the question really raised here is "why is the Champion the point where the credits roll when our story is ultimately more interested in something else?" This is a question Pokemon is not unaware of- BW had N and Ghetsis usurp the Champion and be the point where the credits rolled- but after this game, I think Pokemon really does take the lesson to heart. SwSh expands the role of the Champion to the point where "beating him rolls the credits" is the natural conclusion, while SV doesn't roll the credits with its own Champion, continuing the story beyond that point to a place where it is satisfied rolling the credits will be appropriately satisfying. To some extent, Pokemon is still penned down by what it has established as tradition and what alternatives it is willing to explore, but at the very least, they successfully pulled off the League they included to check the box.
Mechanically, Poni Island is... a bit of a mess. In SM, there's so little stuff to actually do that we only gain about five levels and a handful of TMs between Lusamine 1 and the Champion- and it's only because some of those TMs are awesome moves like Flamethrower, Ice Beam, and Dazzling Gleam that it really feels like Poni is a substantial leg of the journey. The difficulty spike at the start also accounts for most of those levels. USUM adds more battles here, rounding out our EXP curve, but doesn't add too much in the way of TMs, and doesn't even add a set of Tutor moves. Since we've already mostly finished up our development in Ula'ula, all Poni can do is challenge that team and ask if it can stand up to pressure. Poni's short length in SM doesn't wind up doing much of that, although USUM does find some neat places to add it. Especially those new Veteran generics.
First order of business: Noah, remember to buy your damn Potions. Can't have you failing where Bethany almost did, you have to play by Set rules. Anyway, team.
Now then, it's Ailey's turn. How is she going to handle the pressure when we're asking for the best of the best?
Of course we're bringing Moss. Why wouldn't we? In hindsight, I'm not sure about Cross Chop over Thunder Punch, but it did carry its weight. More than Leech Life, frankly.
Hawkeye is going to be the big carry. No more Flying Press, but it was always the one that tended to miss. Hopefully that's not a jinx.
Ridley has gone from "I don't see myself using it ever" to "member of the final team". Still no Shell Smash, but if I wanted Shell Smash, I wouldn't have Ridley for the rest of the story. Not worth it.
Genevieve: Because apparently Ampharos is still able to hold her own in the Elite Four. I always thought this was a bit of a foolish choice when I did it in HGSS, but no, here she is in a more modern selection.
Justy, it turns outs, has made a horrible decision. Fortunately, it's not related to a reason he's on the team, but we are going to get the chance to point and laugh at him.
Ailey has also decided to bring her legendary. Unlike Nebby, who was just here to be cool, Zossie actually feels like a reward for sticking by her through the Poipole days.
What comes after the Hall of Fame differs from game to game. Since the Elite Four are actual characters now and not just random people, they decided that this time around, the Elite Four will congratulate us on a job well done.
You gotta love Acerola running up late after the grown-ups do the dramatic walk in.
Hau and Lillie? They certainly illuminated my life, I'm just not sure that's a related thought to "having become Champion."
That, at least, is a statement.
Well, I sure had faith in them. Enough to see things through, at least.
While her "we're all" is incorrect, Kahili is right about one thing- if we re-challenge the Pokemon League (which it is possible to do), then the final foe will be randomly selected from a pool of possible candidates- this is new to SM, but it's funny they mention it now. The Elite Four never changes, though.
The sun is currently gnawing on a chew toy.
The Champion's room, rather than being entirely encased in rock, is open, showing the world outside in the walls. Kinda feels like what SV should've done, though- that game had more of a crystalline theme.
...Huh. The chair is empty.
Once we click on this chair, Pokemon Sun's final battle will begin. One final item check on our team:
I await my final challenge.
Oh, hi, Kukui. You're early- we normally talk to the Professor after we beat the Champion.
Where is the Champion, anyway?
I know the drill. I don't know anyone who doesn't. That was only a twist in the original because the devs were implying the Indigo League was a new thing and the Champion position had literally just been established before we were required to do it.
So then... who do you have in mind?
Of course.
You've gotta admit that losing the Indigo League, going home, and then building your own League is a flex that absolutely takes chutzpah. I can't say the only emotion I've got for this entire plan of his is being upset with the paving over of Alola's tradition. I do respect him.
But I'm still mad about the paving over of Alola's traditions, buddy.
You make it, you buy it. You want to finally be a Champion so bad, you prove that you can be one.
I'll battle you, Kukui. And I'll show you all that Alola has taught me.
The Champion battle theme is typically something nice and upbeat while still blood-pumping, and no Champion theme accomplishes that goal nearly as well as Alola's. This theme incorporates Pokemon's iconic theme and Pokemon SM's own title screen theme into a song that almost feels like it belongs in a credits sequence, were it not for the fact that there's still a threat between us and seeing those credits roll.
Kukui, for his part, is a pretty neat meta-pick as final boss in series history. Hidden in the code of the original RBY is a set of three teams for Professor Oak, using a Tauros, Exeggutor, Arcanine, Gyarados, and the final evolution of a Kanto starter, each with a higher level than that used by the Champion of the Indigo League. These ultimately went unused, and Professors would never be battled by the player until XY. There, Sycamore challenges you twice, but both times as a friendly match, using the three Kanto starters, and he openly admits he's kinda terrible at this whole "battling" thing. What better way to end the game celebrating Pokemon's 20th anniversary than to finally allow us to challenge a Pokemon Professor operating at full power?
I don't think the game agrees with me on why Kukui is the final boss, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Kukui is the final boss of SM.
Although the game has forgotten to remove Kukui's glasses on his battle model. You remember how, early in the game, Kukui appeared in two tutorial battles to show us, respectively, catching Pokemon and Z-Moves? He must be using the same model as he was then, and he didn't take off the goggles back then. Whoops.
Anyway, onto that Lycanroc there. 31/31/31/15/15/31 IVs, 252 EVs in Atk/Spd, a Serious Nature (despite being the final boss, Kukui is running all Serious Natures), the Keen Eye Ability, and the moves Stone Edge, Accelerock, Crunch, and Stealth Rock. This is K9, having dropped Swords Dance for a good Rock move out of the gate, and he has chosen it for the same reason I have. It's good.
Of course I'm leading with Sturm. A bit of a secret about this fight- once again, applying specifically to Rowlet starters- is that Kukui is carrying three Pokemon weak to Stealth Rock, and a fourth that has the Sturdy Ability.
Sturm is going to use that Charti Berry to make sure he has the chance to set them up.
Oh hey, Core Form! Sturm, engage-
...Ah. Oh well, Sturm always was a bit of an uphill battle to secure a win. Still, Kukui's still got six Pokemon to deal with, and I'm on five. At last, the numbers advantage is on their side...
Oatchi seems like the correct choice here. Oatchi is another Pokemon who I'm worried about finding the right matchup for.
Fair play, but that is a bit unfortunate. My team has two Stealth Rock weak Pokemon on it.
Still, that's Lycanroc down, and all the better for it.
Braviary (Sun): With its brave disposition, it fears nothing- not even death. Ancient Alolan people respected it, referring to it as "the hero of the sky."
Braviary is a Normal/Flying type, and the evolution of Rufflet. It is the only new Pokemon we'll be seeing on Kukui's team, because every other member of the team is on one of my teams. And the only reason I didn't use Braviary was its high evolution level. I think that says a lot about how good the Pokemon on his team are.
Anyway, Braviary is running 31/15/31/15/31/31, 252 EVs in HP/Spd, the Keen Eye Ability, and the moves Crush Claw, Brave Bird, Tailwind and Whirlwind. Its plan is to blast you with powerful Brave Birds, setting up Tailwind to ensure a few outspeeds if it thinks it has the time. This probably isn't how I'd run my Braviary, but it's absolutely a way that will strike fear into you unless you're sure in yourself.
I think Keokeo can do this- whether or not it can is down to Speed, not damage.
...Oh. Never mind, it was down to damage.
At least Braviary finished itself off with Brave Bird chip. I don't think Keokeo was taking a hit herself, and this beats a Full Restore.
I had to send in my Pokemon blindly, and it looks like Kukui took advantage of that. His own Keokeo Ninetales is running 31/15/15/31/31/31 IVs, 252 EVs in Atk/Spd, the Snow Cloak Ability, and the moves Blizzard, Dazzling Gleam, Ice Shard, and Safeguard. I think mine is the better one, although if she can land those hits, she is absolutely to be feared.
Nice and Stealth Rock weak, but not something I want Oatchi dealing with.
Nebby, this looks like your opponent.
The 10% freeze odds never feel good. And here I am without Flare Blitz to defrost myself.
This is... going to be an issue...
Or nope, I just roll the 20% chance of thaw turn 1. You can't freeze the sun long. Or at least, you shouldn't.
Despite clearly turning into the sun to use Sunsteel Strike, using Sunsteel Strike does not defrost yourself. A few Fire and other Hot moves can do it, but not this one.
Hello, ace! Much like Professor Oak was implied to do way back when, and what USUM actually acknowledges will happen, Professor Kukui took the third starter- the one that neither us nor Hau took- for himself, and trained it to use as his signature Pokemon. While I think this was intended as a nod to Oak's data, this started a long-term tradition to match the newfound "rival always chooses the starter weak to yours" tradition- the person who gives you your starter in both SwSh and SV will take the third starter for themselves and use it on you in a lategame, Champion-level battle. While to many, the damage was done, I do like that they haven't left the third starter out to dry, and are actually using it against us still.
All three of Incineroar, Decidueye, and Primarina have flat 31 IVs, but differ in EVs. They carry the Z-Crystal that matches their core STAB (Grass/Fire/Water), and retain their basic Ability.
Incineroar is the third Stealth Rock weak Pokemon on Kukui's lineup. That's not to say using Decidueye or Primarina reduces the value of Rocks, but it does get a bit less clear.
Good dodge on that Cross Chop, Lord Huggington! Although... I really hate that failed KO. Hammer Arm or Close Combat would be really nice around now.
I need Lord Huggington later, so Oatchi comes out to take that Cross Chop. Not sure what the plan B is, though.
...It was nice knowing you, Oatchi.
You did us proud. Now then...
If he's not healing that, this seems like a good chance to have Flambebe get in the fast chip damage I need.
Like so.
Personally, I wish that Champions kept to using only Pokemon from their home region- it feels like a fitting conclusion. Kukui has chosen his non-Alolan Pokemon well, though- Snorlax is an absolute nightmare to have dropped on you out of nowhere. 31/15/31/15/31/15 IVs, 252 EVs in HP/Sp. Def, and the moves Body Slam, Crunch, Heavy Slam, and High Horsepower. I'm a mite frustrated that this is Gonzales's exact kit, although the defensive investment does offer some variation between us.
I'll be honest, I'm not sure why Flambebe is still in here.
Sure, the Poison is nice on the biggest and burliest Pokemon in Kukui's team...
But it was not worth saccing Flambebe over.
Snorlax kinda terrified me so much that I was not prepared for what's about to happen, and I think this is a key moment in the fight.
See, I brought the Z-Move just for Snorlax and his huge-ass bulk.
I needn't have worried.
Last, and certainly not least, the opposing PRNDL. Magnezone has 31/15/31/31/31/15 IVs, 252 EVs in HP/Sp. Atk, the Sturdy Ability, and the moves Thunderbolt, Flash Cannon, Thunder Wave, and Mirror Coat. Mirror Coat is an odd move, and he's not even the first Champion to carry it. Still, Magnezone's defensive profile is not to be underestimated, and Flambebe's major role in this fight was supposed to be breaking past it.
At least we don't have to deal with Sturdy.
Outsped. But not fainted yet.
It came close, though, and all I need to do is finish that much HP. I'm sure I can pull that off, I still have a Pokemon left, and it's Nebby.
I guess it really is coming down to this.
Final Pokemon versus final Pokemon, Nebby, you are going to win us the Pokemon League. Now click...
...
...I only have one move that isn't NVE.
And Crunch missed the KO.
You might remember I taught Nebby Flare Blitz, only to change my mind and carry Crunch. Crunch was because I was worried about Acerola, and wanted a few extra hands on deck there. Nebby didn't participate in the Acerola fight at all, and now the removal of Flare Blitz has crunched me in the tail.
This is just adding insult to injury.
All I have to do is outlast the Thunderbolts and Crunch him to KO. Not likely when I'm not getting the Def drops, but...
Even Sunsteel Strike isn't helping. I was hoping the STAB and BP would be enough to overcome NVE...
Deep breaths in.
Deep breaths out.
...All right, Kukui. You happy now? You finally won your little League challenge.
But I didn't come this far to let your childish dreams get in my way.
No hold item changes. No major strategy changes. Just the knowledge of where my team is weakest.
I think the thing that really sets this new fight in motion is this, however. Lucky Stone Edge dodge is going to come in handy later.
I've set my Stealth Rocks and got Sturm out with full HP. That's a surprise tool that will help us later.
He still got his up, but I'm not too fussed.
This did mean that Oatchi had to try and take a Crunch, but thanks to the lack of STAB, it turns out this was totally something Oatchi could handle. This does mean that Oatchi basically needed to not get hit by the Rocks, though.
Lycanroc down.
Braviary. This wasn't a KO, last time, but I'm less afraid of the possibility now.
...Oh. Turns out it was a range. You go, Keokeo. (6/16 range, I believe, although it might be 4/16, depending on the exact amount of HP Stealth Rock happened to remove).
This is a change in the fight, though- Magnezone's coming out early.
Means this time, we can actually try this whole "set to roast Flambebe" strategy.
It was not a successful strategy, sadly, although I do like that percentage.
Like that less.
Full Restored, but brought right back down. Lord Huggington could totally handle that.
Or, uh... Flambebe? Yeah, it turns out that IVs really mattered here- because Speed is one of Magnezone's 15s, Magnezone was short the outspeed on paralysed Flambebe by three points. It would have outsped if it had a 31 in Speed.
Anyway, Snorlax. Remember how terrified I was of it first time?
Should've had more faith in All-Out Pummeling.
...As hilarious as that would be for your team role, I prefer it when you get EXP, Sturm.
Oh yeah, speaking of, it's your turn.
Reckon you can handle Incineroar?
Sturm took that Darkest Lariat like a champ. I'm proud of you, you space invader.
That's a nice amount of damage to be doing on Power Gem, too.
Oh, and you know what's better?
It's finally time for Core Form to work as intended!
The increased Speed of Core Form is enough to outspeed Incineroar the second time, and secures Sturm the victory.
No, Flambebe, your moveset is already too full of non-damaging attacks as it is. I don't expect you to be around on whatever you Toxiced for that.
Last on the list, Ninetales.
And last on my list, Nebby. Do you see what I see? A full set of non-greyed Poke Balls.
Nebby won us the Pokemon League.
Without a single faint.
And to think, all it took was a lucky Stone Edge Miss and more faith in Lord Huggington's Z-Power.
Kukui, good game. But I think we both knew how this was ending before you even started.
The Champion Victory theme is a nice long trumpet theme that continues on past the fight and into the closing scenes.
The Pokemon Champion is usually the richest Trainer in the game. Despite the prize payout being buffed to x240, Kukui is actually in a tie for this title in SM- with Faba and Lusamine, of all characters. In USUM, he is roundly beaten by some new postgame opponents.
Thank you, Kukui.
...Well, I mean, is he wrong? In a sense, yes, because it took me seeing how my heated battle decisions went badly to plan out a more successful victory.
But at the same time... all it took was just a bit more faith in my team to take some hits or secure some OHKOs.
Much better than you.
...With that said, this line does raise a bit of a red flag for me, and it's part of the reason the whole "Kukui's paving over Alola's tradition to do things the way it's done everywhere else" thing rings particularly sourly for me. At the end of the day, the Champion should be an Alolan- someone who really shows off the strength of Alola's particular style.
And he picks the kid who only just moved to Alola when she started her Island Challenge.
Way back when I did the discussion on Brendan in Emerald, I off-handedly mentioned I prefer it when the protagonist is a foreigner to the region. I stand by this assertion- many of the early-game tutorials and traditions work better when the characters can reasonably assume the protagonist might need to be brushed up on local takes on global mainstays. But it does kinda feel like, for the story Kukui is trying to tell, that Bethany being a foreigner changes the tone significantly. This was probably an accident on the writers' parts- they were going somewhere with this- but there's a reason that most Pokemon protagonists never actually claimed the Champion post, foreign or not.
Of all the Pokemon in my party I was expecting him to namedrop, I think Minior is the funniest. Kinda makes me wish you could select your lead without it always being the one in the top-left, just so you can choose what people comment on.
Suddenly, Kukui's changed places! This last bit is a tradition that doesn't really work, because of the way the room is laid out. The room's geography was important because of the whole "we're now the reigning Champion" thing, but it leaves us nowhere to go.
Your dreams. And even then, I'm not convinced.
...Another case of odd line breaks. I feel like they could've fit this one in less texboxes than they did.
After defeating the Champion, we're supposed to go to a separate room and record our team in the Hall of Fame. There's... no separate room here. It turns out that, on a series level, the devs are actually planning on moving away from the Hall of Fame thing. Ultimately, it always has been more on the symbolic end.
The Hall of Fame melody has more or less been the same every time, but I do like the instrumentation on this one. But yeah, the Hall of Fame has been, at heart, a cool showcase of the six Pokemon we brought with us through this final challenge. Perhaps it makes sense that they sidelined it in modern games, because more people are using more than a team of six (especially with PC anywhere).
Alola's animation for it is pretty cool, though- we get to see our team as a line of shooting stars before looking at each one. The information we got for each member changes from game to game, though, and for the animation, this one is more spectacle than anything.
Sturm- Minior
Rock/Flying
Met at: Mount Hokulani
Sturm has never exactly been a strong fighter, but when he's in Core Form, or when his job is to be annoying, he truly delivers.
Oatchi- Decidueye
Grass/Ghost
Met at: Iki Town
Oatchi was a steadfast ally through the earlygame, and although he lulled in the middle when he wasn't as sure of his STABs, he always came through when he was needed. My heart is still with Popplio, but Rowlet could do far worse.
Flambebe- Salazzle
Poison/Fire
Met at: Wela Volcano Park
The utility of her Ability betrays her potency as a sweeper- Flambebe could be relied on to do some serious damage, and do it fast. That "fast" thing won her many of her victories over the Totems, but she has earned her accolades doing it.
Lord Huggington- Bewear
Normal/Fighting
Met at: Route 8
Sometimes, going all in on HP and Atk is the right call. And Lord Huggington knows exactly when those sometimes are.
Keokeo- Ninetales
Ice/Fairy
Met at: Tapu Village
Keokeo is a bit short on some of her stats, but she is absolutely beautiful, and in her element, she kinda rocks. There's a reason I carry this thing through many of my challenges- Ice is that thing you always want handy but can never quite fit on your team because of how late it is.
Nebby- Solgaleo
Psychic/Steel
Met at:Altar of the SunneMahalo Trail
Nebby was the most important team member of them all- he was the one that got us together with Lillie, he was the one that encouraged us to take our biggest risks, and he was the one that allowed us to bring Lusamine back from her darkest depths. He absolutely deserves to be here.
Most of my team played emotes on this screen when they spawned. I think these are the same emotes that play when you clear a Trial, and it's worth mentioning that the weird lack of them some Pokemon had is carried over here, too. Nebby doesn't have one, of all Pokemon, and a good solid chunk of the backup teams' choices do too.
When the shooting stars are done, they crash around an admiring Bethany, allowing us to see our team around us at last. This whole "circling the player" thing was done in XY, complete with the Pokemon and the camera pan not being synchronised- the camera completes laps faster than the Pokemon do.
They used to have playtime on this screen, but they dropped it for XY. They don't seem to show that outside the save screen anymore, and since I've been doing Poke Pelagos since, I can't even say what mine is anymore. Ah well, we all knew it's way longer than that the game's been tracking.
Bethany also does this cute little fist bump every now and then, too.
After clicking A, you get a stamp. This matches one given in our passport- entering the Hall of Fame for the first time is worth a star on your Trainer Card in most games, and of course we'd get a stamp too. This really is a worthy achievement to count.
Next time: That's a lot of post-final boss cleanup to do before credits...
