Pokemon Sun Poni Gauntlet: Red, Blue, and Yellow

Next stop is the area past Poni Plains, that which Ray and Ailey cannot access until they've sorted out the Blacephalon and Stakataka.

Speaking of, we still need to get those guys out of our way there, huh?

We saw the first part of this dialogue last time, when Ray tried to get past. This is the same for Ailey, who has not yet talked to them.

Anabel is planning on participating in the Battle Tree, which does make itself apparent mechanically. In the Battle Tree, we can encounter many nostalgia NPCs, including most of the ones who have appeared in the story thus far, plus a few new ones. One thing that's rather cute- Anabel won't appear in SM's Battle Tree until they actually meet her.

Ray's dialogue actually picks up here, which is a little strange, but it beats the alternatives.

Looker decides he's got one more present for us, this time going with one of those fancy items that Pokemon adds and just kinda... hopes people figure out the use case for.

...Actually, come to think of it, we have seen it before: Bethany got one from Ace Trainer Makana back on Route 3. Ailey instead got the Roost TM there. The Red Card is good for stopping sweeps cold, but you really have to know what you're doing with it.

We'll learn why Nanu cares about Anabel over in SM. Although I really would prefer it if disappointing a retiree wasn't the reason you were so concerned about your female boss.

This is a little bit of an unfortunate thought to follow his last one, particularly as understanding the context requires some understanding of Looker's history. Back in his first appearance in Pokemon Platinum, Looker was shown apprehending Team Galactic with the aid of a Croagunk. Although Looker has been a common sight in Pokemon since, his Croagunk has not joined him. Looker has also hinted at, and possibly confirmed here, that said Croagunk is no longer around to appear. Hopefully he's just on a farm upstate and not, you know... on a farm upstate.

Anyway, Poni Coast. This is a really barren area in the original SM, containing only one Double Battle, a few items, and two possible Dugtrio visible encounters. USUM upped the Trainer Battle count, but mostly, this place just tends to be a place to grind for drops from the Tauros rocks. If you really want that sort of thing.

This is the last Poke Finder spot, at least by my notes. Bewear and Fearow around here, with Lickitung in USUM.

There's a winding path for Tauros to take, with two Zygarde Cells on the side paths.

In USUM, there's a kiddo hanging out on this ledge, who can rather annoyingly see us while we're on the ramp.

You're a generation early for Yamper.

Say hello to the first male Youth Athlete on his own. And also the last, given that regular Trainers are going to be at a premium after this update.

Packing a Sandslash with flat 20s.

About the only notable thing that happened in this fight was that when Ray did it, Ghondor did not oneshot it with Brick Break. Not happy with him.

...You're a long way from home, kid. What kind of throwing arm did you have?

Max Revive on this overhang, with a nice little shot of those Honeymooners Bethany will be fighting later.

Down south, we get the TM for Dark Pulse. 80 BP Special Dark move, this is the Special move for Darks... and the fact that it's postgame locked precludes us from actually using it as such. There's a reason Penny got benched. Still, if you get it, it's good.

In USUM, there's another Doubles Battle going on over here.

This is the Tourist Couple with the male Tourist, taken to the postgame. It is a bit of a thing that the male one is pestering the local, isn't it...

As they suggest, they're using the duo of Exeggutors.

You can get some interesting camera angles because of that Alolan Exeggutor. Also you can get some interesting choices in counters, considering Exeggutors have some asinine weaknesses.

Oh, neat, Frisk reveals both items in a Doubles battle, complete with different lines for each one. I don't think they learned anything from it, though.

The main reason I chose Shade as Zossie's partner was that Sludge Wave targets your ally, and Shade is immune to the consequences of clicking this button.

Not that Shade is a slouch cleaning up the consequences.

Telepathy wouldn't have saved you, that only blocks spread moves that hit your own partner.

...Although now I consider it...

Bold, considering it doesn't carry Attract.

I'm not denying the tactical implications, but Grass, Psychic, and Dragon isn't exactly the most fantastic attacking combination.

Anyway, now for the Doubles battle that is in SM.

These two may be Tourists, but they're here for exactly the reason they're out in the roughest part of the Garden Island.

...Well, I say "roughest", but I think this part of the real Kauai is pretty inhabited.

Despite their rough-and-ready attitude, Noriko and Devin do not have trained Pokemon. As Sightseers, they just take what they get.

Ninetales (Ultra Sun): It is vindictive and relentless by nature. Those who cross it even once will be cursed for a thousand years, along with their descendants.
Sandslash (Sun): Although they are sharp, its claws and spikes often break off. They grow back the next day, so it is not bothered by the temporary loss.

Their teams also differ between games. In SM, they lead with the Kantonian forms of the Ice types- the pure Fire Ninetales and the pure Ground Sandslash.

Both Pokemon are, in fact, statistically inferior to the Alolan versions, although not by much. It's the types that did more.

Both of them are weak to Water, but that's about the only thing that really matches up. Especially with what they have in backup.

Oh come on, they're not even invested!

Fortunately, they do as expected offensively.

And Aqua Jet finishes. Probably a bit risky, but it made sense.

Oh, rude.

That just means this one's sticking around longer.

Golem (Moon): Once a year, this Pokémon molts, and its shed shell returns to the soil. This process creates enriched soil, so farmers collect the shells

As Sandslash's backup, we've got the Kantonian Golem. Rock/Ground, and generations of gamers have learned that this thing goes down like a chump to a Special Water or Grass move. I've got Physical Water, and he's got Sturdy, so this may not go quite as well.

Switched Murphy out entirely. With that Burn, it wasn't going to be doing what I'd hope.

Looks like Physical Water does just fine there.

...Idiot.

...Eurgh, Confuse Ray. On the plus side, this is now a 2v1 game.

Giving me ample opportunity to switch in someone prepared for the backup.

Yeah, uh, Safeguard isn't saving you.

The last Pokemon is the Kantonian Exeggutor, since the Tourist Couple isn't around to provide it.

Something's bugging me about that Grass/Psychic typing.

Again, would you care to explain that one to Kukui for me, please?

You and not many others, I'm afraid.

For USUM, to fit with the team rejiggering going on around here, one of them has the Ninetales/Sandslash combo, while the other has all three members of Kantonian Geodude's family. Little meaningful has changed, although now the team is pretty helpless against Water.

Note, of course, that three Kantonian Geodudes have Sturdy up their belt. Ailey handled it with Mold Breaker Hawkeye, while Ray had Dawn use Stealth Rock to break Sturdy. Not doing this doesn't make the fight harder, just longer.

Say hello to USUM's second Firefighter. The absolute weirdness of the priorities really shines through sometimes.

...Also, I feel like Firefighters should focus on the, you know, fire-fighting part of the job?

His team is Octillery and Clawitzer- Octillery being the same Pokemon as the other Firefighter. At least he continues to be on-theme.

...I'm starting to worry that your plan to go to the Battle Tree is based on the idea that there is a genuine fire hazard going on there.

Nice freebie money back here, although I find it hilarious how we can match these with the random drops in all the Tauros rocks here. ...Now, why you'd want to grind money this way when Poke Pelago can do the same thing passively, I'm not sure, but the option is there.

After Poni Coast comes Poni Gauntlet, the final area before we get to the end of the route. Befitting the name, there's a handful of tough Trainers to claw our way to finally getting access to the Battle Tree.

Starting with where Mina is hanging out in SM. Well, OK, this fight is special, and something to bring up later.

For now, she's doing what Mina does best- be bored out of her mind.

In SM, she's going to be a route boss. There is no equivalent in USUM- and, surprisingly, no post-game battle with Mina in USUM at all.

Scientist Kyle is actually pretty interesting, on both of his Pokemon. They're the same between games, although his USUM version has flat 30s instead of the standard flat 15s of his SM version.

In both games, his lead is a Ditto. It differs between games in one key area.

In SM, the Ditto has Limber.

In USUM, however, it has its HA Imposter and is able to transform immediately.

Jigsaw is so slow that Ditto got to transform before Jigsaw threw a blow.

Had I known that, I probably would've clicked Draco Meteor immediately.

Fortunately, I scored the outspeed. With Ditto, you're always in a Speed tie (unless one side is holding a Choice Scarf).

Porygon-Z (Ultra Sun): Its behavior is noticeably unstable, which is apparently due to the incompetence of the engineer who updated its programming.

His second Pokemon is the final species we have yet to add to our Seen registry for SM, Porygon's final evolution Porygon-Z. Pivoting to being more of a Special sweeper than the generalist tank of its predecessor, it evolves from Porygon2 when traded while holding a "Dubious Disc". This makes the common assumption that it was infected with malware, but the SM Pokedex listings are pretty universal on the subject that Porygon-Z's erratic behaviour is developer incompetence.

It's certainly Downloaded enough times that one would not be surprised to learn malware was involved.

Lock-On. Porygon-Z does have access to Lock-On > Zap Cannon, so that could be alarming...

Tri-Attack. Still somewhat alarming, since there are three status ailments I could be inflicted with, but fortunately, I seem to have avoided them all.

It turns out that Porygon-Z doesn't learn Zap Cannon until level 62, so my fears were unfounded.

And here I am spending my time doing the Toxic > Venom Drench strategy. I feel like I'm wasting my time.

Because he sure is.

Lock-On into Magic Coat. To be fair to it, the fact I was throwing non-damaging moves at it does mean Magic Coat was a sensible strategy, but in reality, both status moves Woodstock knows won't work on Woodstock.

Magic Coat, incidentally, is a version of Protect that causes any Status move to be returned to sender. If this sounds familiar to you, it's because the Magic Bounce Ability does the same thing, but far better. Magic Coat was eventually cut for lack of use.

Something that this Porygon-Z learned the hard way.

First order of business- TMs on your Porygon. We have those for a reason.

And way ahead of you. Ray and Ailey are actually approaching finishing their Dexes.

...Ah. A Veteran, fortunately out of our way...

But no less dangerous for it. Four Pokemon... Fortunately, as an SM Veteran, all they have to show for it are 31 IVs in HP/Spd.

Starting off with a Weavile.

Of course, had Sheri actually had a full kit, I would expect it to be full of Physical moves that would cause Shell Trap to work. Instead, it has gone for Snatch, wasting both of our times.

...Well, OK, had I decided to try and win this fight with a Shell Smash sweep (considering her team composition, not the worst of strategies), that would have been highly concerning.

And of course I am punished for going for Flash Cannon instead. Ah well, at least Jigsaw is bulky enough to deal with it.

Kommo-o. No match for...

Huh. Sheri actually switched to Trevenant here. Somewhat ironically, this was a bad idea.

Because my plan for Kommo-o was to Play Rough it with my Ghost type. Like, yeah, Play Rough has gone badly...

But she does know I have Shadow Claw, right?

To add insult to injury, her fourth Pokemon is a better Fairy counter than this.

...Ew. Failed the KO. That is unfortunate.

And that's just wasting my time.

Particularly since I can always click this button. Consequence-free.

Bye-bye!

Now for the thing that Bernie is actually scared of- Magmortar. Both Fire resisting Fairy and Flame Body get in her way...

Sunny Day. Of all possible moves. I mean, yeah, that's a buff to your Fire moves...

Not that you'll be firing any.

Now then, Kommo-o for real...

I had a spare Fairy. This really wasn't Sheri's day.

...Good question. It's not even like your team is that horrible. Like, both the coverage and the choices were fine.

...That's not an opinion question. That is a question of fact, and there is a correct answer.

Sheri's been nerfed to three Pokemon in USUM, but they have EVs, Natures, and Moves this time. Three 30s and three 15s for IVs each, with a 30 in HP and the two stats that have EVs.

Starting with the female Jellicent. Sp. Atk/Sp. Def investment, with a Calm (+Sp. Def/-Atk) Nature and the moves Water Spout, Shadow Ball, and Surf. Water Spout is a Special Water move that inflicts damage with a BP of 150 x (Current HP/Max HP)- so ideally, you hit Jellicent hard and fast from the word go.

Like so.

I'm not sure if it's intentional that Water Spout looks like a trickle in this animation, but you can see how firing it from that low a HP value has cost it power.

It'll usually open with Water Spout, since it's such a transparently good move if you're at full HP.

Froslass is invested in Sp. Atk/Spd, with a Timid Nature and the moves Shadow Ball, Blizzard, and Ice Shard. We've seen Acerola's Froslass, this one's no different.

Complete with being on the wrong side of the accuracy calculations.

Moss has no shortage of plans.

Lastly, we have a Pyroar. Sp. Atk and Spd invested, too, this one is Modest instead. Only carries Hyper Voice and Flamethrower, and makes a surprisingly good STAB combo. It is covered by Rock, though.

Something that seems to have overwhelmed poor Chip.

Oh come on!

Switched in Crysantha, and got a good shot of Fire Blast to show for it.

Although I'm not altogether sure myself how this one happened. How many of my own Pokemon did I lose? Part of me wonders if it's just not healing- healing is hard to come by out here without Bag items.

Still, at least we're done here.

Informative. It's not like there's many of those we haven't found.

Zygarde Cell in SM, turned into the Power Band (Sp. Def EVs) for USUM. Fitting prize for a hard fight.

There's a smattering of tall grass around here, and a surprisingly pretty waterfall. Nothing too important here other than the Bewear in SM...

But this is where we can find the last new encounter for USUM's Pokedex, Lickitung. Lickitung is, despite its appearance, a fairly standard Normal type, with little going for it but a solid defensive profile supplemented by mediocre offenses and bad Speed. There is precious little in the way of usefulness for it in its future, and I would find it a hard sell to fit on my team even if it was available, say, on Akala Island. It evolves into Lickilicky by levelling up while knowing Rollout, a move it must be taught via Move Reminder in this game (no lucking out like Aipom did), and which I don't think we'll ever see on a Trainer.

Lickitung's Abilities are Oblivious (blocks infatuate, Taunt, etc) and Own Tempo (blocks confuse), with a Hidden Ability of Cloud Nine (negates the bonus effects of weather). Having all three of these Abilities signals a Pokemon famous for its carefree nature, but this isn't really baked into the characterisation. As for utility, it'll be lucky to get much use out of any of them.

Island Scan on Tuesdays adds a Togekiss with Future Sight in SM, and a Rotom in USUM. Thankfully, this one won't talk back.

Well, it's there, I guess...

Exactly the kind of character one would expect to find out here in the Garden Island, huh.

Ambipom (Ultra Sun): In their search for comfortable trees, they get into territorial disputes with groups of Passimian. They win about half the time.

In SM, Mimikyu. In USUM, the Normal-type Ambipom. I like Ambipom as a Backpacker Pokemon- Pickup seems like exactly what a backpacker might want. No investments, of course.

Twinsies!

Cunning strategy, using Pain Split and not breaking my Disguise.

...Maybe the AI really is obsessed with that move.

Didn't even break my Disguise.

Most people can manage that just fine. Although society does tend to get in the way, I imagine...

There's a slight side-path over her to check out- not much of one, but an important one in USUM.

Having the freebie Misty Seed doesn't count as important.

Oh hey, a Punk Pair! A little peculiar, but since when did they accept common wisdom on where characters like them should be found?

Honchkrow and Lycanroc's Midnight form in both games. Huh, never mind, I guess there are Lycanroc Midnights other than Olivia.

Aw, come on.

...And that's even worse. The fact I'm deploying two Psychic types against Trainers who like Dark types was kinda begging for that, though...

Oh well, rivalry of the ages time.

Marie's the one with the Lycanroc, so she does kind of look cool. Kinda.

Well, thank you. I'll leave you to it.

There are some fishing holes out here, but I imagine the most worth commenting on they get is the Dratini. I'd prefer something easier to walk to from a Fly point.

It's the freebie Metal Coat! Why an item on a stage like this was a Big Pearl in the first place is a question that will forever elude me. It mostly just highlights the weird decisions in not giving us crucial items to complete our Pokedex for free. Like, yeah, they shouldn't be on the beaten path, but there should be a better way to acquire them than a 5% drop from three random Steel types?

Tracy, as a Black Belt, of course has the 31 IV/252 Atk/Adamant Nature of a Black Belt. He also has two Pokemon in both games, although his lead differs.

Pangoro in SM, Hawlucha in USUM. One of them is vastly more irritating than the other.

Being quad-weak to Fairy is not a great way to be an intimidating lead.

His secondary Pokemon, Machamp, proves to use its bulk a bit better, and takes a hit from Zapple's Psychic. Fortunately, Zapple is able to take the return fire of Dynamic Punch.

Some of the Machamp I faced used Dynamic Punch and missed, which makes me realise some of them are Guts and not No Guard. Imagine not using No Guard Dynamic Punch.

At least Zapple didn't take confusion damage.

Almost there... it's in Bethany's sight.

In fact, while I'm gathering this loot, you can actually see it there!

We've just gone last thing to do before we get to that Fly point- a Veteran Double Battle.

I'd like to know which one of you is correct, but I'm worried it's both of you. Tsunekazu and Nobuko, in SM, have a team of 6 with 31/15/15/15/15/31 IVs, no EVs or Nature, but assigned moves.

The leads here are Wishiwashi (Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, Return) and Comfey (Floral Healing, Light Screen, Flower Shield, Draining Kiss). Flower Shield is a bit of a waste, since Tsukenazu doesn't own any Grass types. Still, this fight has more than enough variety that you need your A-game.

I think it's about time that I made use of a Doubles combination with all seriousness.

Huh, neat, the camera angle changed because of Wishiwashi's new size. Anyway, it is time for Dottie and Razzly to show off true teamwork.

First thing's first, Razzly gets the first move, and uses Quiver Dance. Setup moves are a bit riskier in Doubles, because you (or your partner!) could always get tag-teamed, but this seems like the right call:

Because Dottie gets to Quiver Dance too. This is exactly the situation Dottie was made for, and Razzly is going to facilitate it.

All the while Razzly's going to throw out Revelation Dance to deal with the Wishiwashi just fine.

That could prove unfortunate, but I have a plan for that. And that plan is "have bigger numbers."

Turtonator: Fire Blast, Dragon Pulse, Focus Blast, Flash Cannon. An eclectic set, and with that bulk, decent odds of firing one off. Or requiring a team effort to take it down.

I went with a mixed bag- team effort and not KOing it on the first turn. I really wanted it not firing as soon as possible, because it turns out it's a little too much for Razzly and Dottie to keep up tricks.

Turtonator did flinch, while Comfey got to leech some HP. My plan is to let that Comfey hang around and do little of value, engaging this fight as two consecutive 2v1s.

Now the Quiver Dances can resume in earnest.

Turtonator is down.

And Comfey is working at full power again. I can work with that.

Electivire. Another worrying opponent: Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, Brick Break, Quick Attack. Fire Punch- particularly on Razzly- is what I'm keeping my eyes on.

It really needs to go down. So much so that, since Light Screen's still up, I'm overpowering it with Z-Power. With +2 Sp. Atk.

...To be fair, I imagine +2 Sp. Atk and Light Screen are cancelling each other out.

Still, nice to see something that's supposed to carry Savage Spin-out use it.

That was a just-in-case for if Electivire took the hit. Wasted on Comfey, but now I want to start running out the clock on Light Screen.

Razzly'll be setting up Quiver Dances to pass the time.

And Dottie'll see what she can do while the screens are still up...

Ah. Never mind.

Yes, I am just showing off at this point.

Who needs to tag-team when you're at +4?

Lilligant has Sunny Day, Helping Hand, After You, and Leaf Storm. After You suggests to me this one has Chlorophyll, and it'd be much scarier if it still had a buddy.

That's overkill.

Helping Hand, Aqua Jet, Heal Pulse, Soak. Yeesh, it might as well not even be bothering anymore.

Literally showing off. Now imagine if there were more fights where I could pull this off.

...Just for that, you get +5. Also, I'm genuinely concerned you might take a hit.

All good.

I think the male is the one carrying the team I KOed first, which makes that fitting. I wouldn't say it's your fault- if anything, that defeat makes me think it's your teammate that's holding you back.

...That's not how this works. You, uh... you need to have that checked out. That is definitely not healthy.

USUM buffed these two. Hard. Tsunekazu has a team of all Fire-type sweepers (two Specials and a Physical), while Nobuko has a team of Special tanks that know Sunny Day. That's right- this is a Sun team, and the nature of Double Battles makes is a pretty difficult one to deal with.

Stat-wise, Tsunekazu's team has 30/15/15/30/15/30 IVs, 252 EVs in Sp. Atk/Spd, Modest Natures all around (except for the Physical Attacker, which is Adamant and has IVs and EVs in Atk instead). Nobuko's team is all 30/15/15/15/30/30 IVs, 252 EVs in HP/Sp. Def, and Calm Natures.

Houndoom has Flamethrower, Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball, and Sludge Bomb, while Comfey has Floral Healing, Light Screen, Sunny Day, and Draining Kiss. Floral Healing will work on Fire types (it heals 50% HP, 75% in Grassy Terrain which they don't have).

As an aside, it turns out that Ray really doesn't have much in the way of answer to that Houndoom.

Now, whether this is one is a different question.

Zossie is going to try and start taking off, but this is a fight that makes that difficult.

Fortunately, it's making it difficult almost entirely for Zossie.

Sue thanks you for your generosity.

Whimsicott. Sunny Day, Solar Beam, Dazzling Gleam, and Helping Hand. I feel like these Grass types of Nobuko's have Chlorophyll, the outspeeds I was seeing.

Zossie going right in and dealing with that before it becomes a problem. It's really surprising to see a Whimsicott that isn't Prankster.

Zossie went down so Sue could rampage. Right now, she's still unscratched!

Magmortar is the Physical attacker (for... some reason). Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, and Brick Break. Flame Body is basically the only thing he's got going for it. Lilligant, on the other hand, is Sunny Day, Helping Hand, After You, and Solar Beam, making a novel take on the "click powerful Grass move" strategy. And hey, you can do worse than be a Chlorophyll sweeper.

Alternatively, you could help Magmortar declare "I hate Consilia in specific." Whatever did she do to you...

Earthquake wasn't even worth it. Should've gone for Rock Slide again, I just wanted the accuracy.

Oh hey, Ailey's new friend is finding a spot on the team!

Leona is going to try and pry that Lilligant out of the party.

...So much for Brick Break, huh. Sue is such a handy Pokemon to have here, it turns out- super-resistant to Fire, neutral to Grass, and hits Physically where Fire is weak.

Now if only the Grass side were so easy to deal with.

Volcarona (Ultra Moon): According to legends, it was hatched from a flaming cocoon to save people and Pokémon that were suffering from the cold.

Of course the shot I missed is of the Pokemon that doesn't appear elsewhere. Volcarona is the Bug/Fire evolution of Larvesta, and fittingly terrifying. Bug Buzz, Heat Wave, and Hurricane- Hurricane's weird, because it's nerfed to 50% accuracy in Sun, but that will punish attempts to use Rain to wear out the Sun.

Ironically, since they use move setters and not Ability setters, I don't actually think Sand Stream helped that much.

Eventually, Sue had to go down.

Leona's going to keep Volcarona's power to a minimum, because if Sue didn't finish it, that means I'm now without Sue's x4 power Rock Slide.

That will help Leona a lot.

HA HA!

So yeah, Leona and Nemo were happily able to close out that rough fight.

There's one last IGT right outside the Battle Tree... of all things.

No matter what Pokemon he's offering, he always wants a Bewear. You can find them in the Poni Gauntlet grass at 5% odds in SM, 10% in USUM.

And yes, I'm not trading Lord Huggington for this.

...No, I could not tell you what "Professor" is meant to mean.

Very brave, to suggest we can use an IGT Pokemon in the Battle Tree. That's where we want the best of the best, and IGTs are more meant to be "good enough for the main game, but worse than homegrown stuff."

Talo has a perfect IV in Speed, a Jolly Nature, and is packing Gale Wings just for good measure. A HA Talonflame is certainly nice, but given the nerf to Gale Wings this generation, Talonflame's going to need a bit more than that to stand out. Bethany's is actually 0 IV in Atk, for example.

Professor is the same, except Intimidate is a normal Ability. It should come as no surprise that, were I to use a Tauros in the Battle Tree, I would prefer to use Wiingo. Still, a trade is a trade.

The Battle Tree is the latest in a recurring trend of battle facilities, and is the first one not to be sent in a man-made building. It is otherwise identical in functionality, and why they went with a tree this time is anyone's guess. Although I suspect it's the whole "less developed nations in tune with nature" vibe that's slightly creepy when you put it to words. At best.

This is the location of the 100th Totem Sticker. I'm less certain if we've found all the Zygarde Cells collectively, but the final Totem Pokemon for USUM's hunt is now available.

Samson has a slightly new line here, but only slightly.

Of course, the final reward for all 100 Totem Stickers is Ribombee in Ultra Sun, Kommo-o in Ultra Moon.

Samson does, however, have a line for afterwards to specifically acknowledge your collection of Totem Stickers. I don't think this had anything to do with looking into that, and also, the Ultra Recon Squad know the source of Totem Auras is Necrozma's light. I may not like the explanation, but also, it's an explanation.

Of course, three IVs, HAs, you know what to expect. Overcoat Kommo-o is an alternative (and not a particularly good one) to its other immunity-based Abilities, while Sweet Veil is a clear loser to Shield Dust. Unless you really worry about Sleep.

Anyway, I believe we have to fight Mina now?

When the time comes to fight a Fairy expert, Poison and Steel types are the name of the game. Flambebe, surprisingly, is not actually here to click Sludge Wave- although of course, if the opportunity arises, she will gladly do so. No, Flambebe's going to set things on fire.

Nebby remains my only Steel type on Bethany's team. I should probably PP Max Sunsteel Strike. Not that I'm that worried...

With a Chesto Berry in the item slot, Keokeo can only be here for one thing: There's a Grass type on the team.

Of course Woodstock is here. He's neutral to Fairy, but Physical Poison is more useful than Special against many Fairies.

If the opportunity arises, Sturm will take it, but I think he's going to use Rock moves rather than Stealth Rocks.

K9 is, of course, on cleanup. And soaking up EXP with that Lucky Egg.

And those Veterans put up a fight. The USUM pair was much scarier, though.

This is an interesting line when taken in context of something we'll see later... or, to put it another way, what the game thinks we should've already seen.

Captain Mina is much the same as an Elite Four member here. A full team of five level 61 Fairy types, each with three 31 IVs (in HP and their two invested stats, with one exception), 252 EVs, Serious Natures, and defined moves.

Leading, as many Fairy experts do, with the Steel type to punish Poison and Steel types. Klefki is invested in Def and Sp. Def, with the moves Dazzling Gleam, Flash Cannon, Reflect, and Light Screen. I think you knew exactly what to expect when you saw a Klefki.

Flambebe says "Fairy type, Steel type, it's all the same to me."

That could pose an issue, but a lot of my teammates are Physical. Still, Brick Break is resisted by Fairies, and Psychic Fangs is hard to come by.

Don't forget Prankster- if Klefki wants to set a screen, it's setting a screen.

Considering Klefki can't do much to me, taking longer to take it down just wears out the Light Screen clock.

Oh, that's nifty.

...You know, I suppose I might as well set up for a sweep, while my opponent is flailing helplessly.

OK, that's not quite as helpless as I would like...

Plenty of health for a second Nasty Plot, at least. That should give Flambebe some serious firepower...

Especially for that job.

Where would Mina be without a Granbull? Atk/Spd focused, this one's carrying a killer kit of Play Rough, Crunch, Stone Edge, and Earthquake. Ground is an amazing type for a Fairy, since it hits all three of their major resists, and Granbull's got the Atk and the bulk to get one of those off if you're not careful.

Particularly if you try a Physical attacker.

Yeah, uh, with a +4 fast thing on the field, it might be a bit until we see something other than Flambebe sweeping with Sludge Wave.

Shiinotic is Sp. Atk/Sp. Def, with the moves Spore, Dream Eater, Moonblast, and Giga Drain. This is what the Chesto Berry was for, and not getting hit by Spore is a high priority.

Being fast and furious will solve that issue.

All right... Ribombee, her ace, is coming out a little early. Sp. Atk and Spd, of course, with Pollen Puff, Dazzling Gleam, Psychic, and Energy Ball, and a Fairium Z.

I'd say the Fairium Z was important, but no, it was the Speed that did her in. I'm not sure if Flambebe could've taken the hit with a little more HP, but something's telling me no.

Right, let's deny Ribombee the Psychic...

While being neutral to Bug/Fairy.

...To be fair, it's not like Nebby is any better against Bug. Although why didn't she click Twinkle Tackle...

Her loss.

...I'm guessing Twinkle Tackle didn't oneshot either? The AI doesn't seem to like using Z-Moves unless it's a finishing blow.

Now, remember a statistical exception I mentioned? That's Wigglytuff. It's invested in HP and Sp. Atk, as most Wigglytuffs do, so its third 31 IV is in Defence. Setting that aside, its moves are Dazzling Gleam, Hyper Voice, Flamethrower, and Ice Beam, and it finds that it's not got that much going for it past that point. Sure, that's an effective list of moves, but it's still a Wigglytuff.

Competitive for the Ability, naturally.

OK, perhaps I spoke too soon, that bulk was enough to take a Poison Jab. On the other hand, it didn't finish off the weakened Woodstock, and Woodstock is still not exactly a powerhouse.

I have a plan for this.

It turns out K9, as a Rock type, can take that Normal move with aplomb.

And finishes with Accelerock and room to spare.

I did forget Nebby had the Amulet Coin, but ah well, it's not like there's that much need for money. It's mostly for buying outfits at this point, really.

Yeah, uh, you didn't click Twinkle Tackle. Doing so might've allowed you to KO Woodstock, although it wouldn't have changed the outcome of the fight other than denying Woodstock EXP.

...OK, Bottle Caps have a function, albeit one that's very difficult to make use of, but I find the fact that Mina thinks an ideal reward is a piece of trash she fished out from the beach is completely in-character.

A funny thing about this thought: There are two Mina battles, but this is meant to be the second one. We'll actually take her up on this offer later, in the order of this blog.

Anyway, the Battle Tree proper. One thing to bring up before you step any further: While you are allowed to take one step into the Battle Tree and trigger it as a Glide point, step any further and you will be automatically roped into a battle which you only have once chance to either win or lose. Save and prepare appropriately.

It turns out that, for Sturm to do what I want him to do, he needs the Focus Sash. I was hoping he could make do with a Wacan Berry, but it turns out even that won't save him.

Murphy has an easy job, so he'll take the Amulet Coin.

Lord Huggington's got ambitions. Fortunately, not great ones.

Despite the choice in item, it turns out that Zapple is actually going to be a bit of a key to the whole thing. The Lucky Egg may actually be an important item all the same, though.

As fitting as it is I'm bringing Oatchi, it's a genuine choice and not just forcing him to fit the team.

...Whoops, Flambebe still hasn't shown up. I've normally been good about avoiding that. Oh well, we can see she's got the Firium Z.

When we step too close, we are confronted with a pair of nostalgia characters- the most nostalgic of them all.

This is a genuine question, but they know it's us.

The man named "Red" will not be speaking at any point in this conversation. And there's good reason for that.

Red and Blue are, respectively, the protagonist and rival of the original Pokemon RBY games. And Blue's even brought his encounter theme over.

Blue is Samson Oak's grand-nephew, and it seems the two are in communication. Although I am surprised Samson Oak thought to mention this.

The plot of RBY has Blue, always one step ahead of Red, claim the Champion title before Red does and serve as his final battle. Because this was the first game, the implication is that Blue did not fight a fifth opponent, and Red only does so because Blue barely had time to wipe the dust off the title, but as the series progressed, the title of "Champion" became an actual job post to fill.

As Champion of Alola, we share similarities to Blue, but the writers actually understand our position in the world much better than they understood Blue's. Twenty extra years of cooking time does that.

As the protagonist of RBY, Red is a silent hero, just as we are. As the only protagonist to make an appearance in games beyond that of his original appearance, he is the only one who is explictly silent, and not just lacking in dialogue boxes. Despite their intentions, this did kind of characterise Red, in his own way. It is a characterisation that the fandom has largely embraced- a mixture of a man with autism and a man so dedicated to his craft that he no longer considers words necessary.

...Admittedly, those were already kind of the same thing.

In classic Blue fashion, he decides that he's going to force us into a battle, prepared or not.

If nothing else, there's something kind of charming about the fact that the original rival is still doing his archaic, player-unfriendly method of challenging the player to battle. In the original SM, he doesn't even heal you! In USUM, he is polite enough to at least do that.

So yeah, remember how I said this battle could only be attempted once? You're only allowed to fight one of them. My original plan was to have all four kids fight both at least once, but this idea was scrapped along with Bethany when it turns out their high level and strength makes it very difficult to push through. Ultimately, I decided to have one fight with each one in both SM and USUM.

Bethany will fight Red. Ailey's fight with Blue will join the other two fights in the bonus update.

Red and Blue's SM incarnations have flat 31 IVs, 252 EVs in two stats, Serious Natures, and pre-defined moves. In USUM, they have flat 30s... but have useful Natures. Both games also have a high level across the board- Red's team is higher levelled in both games, but not significantly.

Like most nostalgia characters we can fight, they have a unique theme... but only use it in the Battle Tree itself, electing to use the normal Trainer theme in this fight. Their shared theme also has another purpose, so here's Red's "personal" one from GSC. He shares it with GSC's Champion, Lance, but I think most people tend to associate it with Red.

Red, as befitting the original protagonist, has an unevolved Pikachu as his highest level Pokemon. HGSS Red's Pikachu is the highest level Pokemon ever thrown at the player across the series, tied only with Cynthia's Garchomp in her BDSP rematch, and while this one is a little weaker...

It's still the highest level Trainer Pokemon we're going to face outside a facility all game.

Statistically, it has 252 EVs in Physical Attack and Speed, and has the moves Volt Tackle, Nuzzle, Quick Attack, and Light Screen. It is holding the Light Ball, giving it a x2 multiplier to its attacking power.

In retrospect, why did I think Sturm could take that with just a Wacan Berry?

Dealing with Pikachu is very much a case of "bring a Ground type or lose", but the recoil will clean it up before it can sweep you too much. Still, the rest of his team isn't going to be unevolved.

Stealth Rocks are valuable against two of his Pokemon, and I deemed it just valuable enough to be worth setting up. Might've been a mistake, but I'm sticking with it.

Hahaha, it has Quick Attack, you're not outspeeding.

I was saying about bringing a Ground type?

...OK, before you scoff, remember that is an unevolved Pokemon using a non-STAB, non-SE priority move on something bulky. Were this not Red's Light Ball Pikachu, I would expect to still have 200 HP.

And, since it's the only option Red has that will do anything, I have to take a second one. Again, Murphy is just fine now, but Murphy is also not exactly the most promising choice against anything else Red has, and being brought down to a number scarily close to half HP is not helping.

This power only works offensively. Defensively, I probably could've oneshot with a Bulldoze. From full health.

Venusaur (Heartgold): It is able to convert sunlight into energy. As a result, it is more powerful in the summertime.

Matching Red's team in GSC, Red has a full set of evolved Kanto starters, despite the fact they are not present in Alola's Pokedex. Blue's team, through a mixture of popularity power and futzing with his exact team, is actually all found in the Alola Pokedex.

Anyway, the Venusaur we're fighting is a Grass/Poison type, invested in Sp. Atk/Sp. Def, with the moves Leaf Storm, Sludge Bomb, Bulldoze, and Leech Seed. I always thought its bulk was more mixed, but no, try to hit it Physically if you can.

I... probably should've known that. I've honestly never fought the Kanto starters much.

Perhaps I could've found a better place to Z-Move than breaking through what is, ultimately, a relatively harmless part of Red's team.

...In fairness to me, I don't actually have Grass/Poison's weaknesses as memorised as I feel like I should. It turns out it is weak to Fire, Ice, Flying, and Psychic, and it's not like those are types whose Physical attackers are in abundance.

Snorlax is as Snorlax does. With investment in HP/Atk, a moveset of Body Slam, Heavy Slam, Crunch, and High Horsepower, and the Thick Fat Ability, this thing is Kukui's Snorlax, but more.

And the thing about this fight is that it's a little weirder. Since I did this fight so many times, I've seen Red have several reactions to Lord Huggington...

Which is why I'm using Rock Slide instead of Brick Break. I'm expecting a Flying type to be switched in.

Fortunately, the most dangerous thing Snorlax can do is paralyse me.

Less fortunately, it can do that a lot.

That's what a Brick Break does when it hits Snorlax. I think it's in range for Rocks if it runs away.

And I continue to not be paralysed. Good.

Charizard (Heartgold): If Charizard becomes furious, the flame at the tip of its tail flares up in a light blue shade.

Finally, he switched out to that Fire/Flying Charizard. Sp. Atk/Spd investment, with Fire Blast, Air Slash, Focus Blast, and Will-o-Wisp. While Charizard has a reputation for being overrated in the fandom, I think I genuinely am most scared of this one across Red's entire team.

And that's why I brought Rocks. Stealth Rocks were almost entirely for it. There's an Ice type waiting in the wings, too, but mostly it's for Charizard.

And that's why I threw out a Rock Slide. Rock Slide would be wonderful right about now.

Now what did Lord Huggington do to deserve that?

Right. Flambebe, you outspeed and-

...You don't outspeed...

Well, at least you dodged!

That's the Charizard problem solved. Now then, the other two-

Oh, yeah, you.

Knew it. Free EXP for Zapple, then.

Blastoise (Soulsilver): The rocket cannons on its shell fire jets of water capable of punching holes through thick steel.

The last Kanto starter, Blastoise is pure Water, with Def/Sp. Def investment and the moves Hydro Pump, Flash Cannon, Dark Pulse, and Ice Beam. Clearly, the plan is to get a hit in.

Fractional damage is going to be nice right about now.

All right, let's take a chance, Zapple should be going fast...

I was honestly hoping for a miss, but tanking the hit works too.

Deep-fried turtle!

Finally, we have Lapras. Invested in HP/Sp. Atk, with the moves Surf, Blizzard, Ice Shard, and Psychic. Snorlax and Lapras were found on the beaten path of the plot in RBY, making them fitting choices for a "canon" team for Red as well as dangerous opponents who can swallow the punishment you can throw at them. In GSC, Red had an Espeon instead of Lapras, but I think I prefer the Lapras.

Good. Stealth Rocks are doing their job. Now to-

Right. Priority.

Well, I think I've got time to wear her down with Toxic. Beats trying a Sludge Wave and hoping.

Yeow that smarts. Who do I even have left, anyway...

Murphy, sure. Against a Water/Ice type.

Oh, thank goodness you didn't click Surf. That would probably have hit.

It wasn't much, but that will make it all the more likely Poison does it in.

And there goes Murphy.

Nope. Still going.

Right. Oatchi, your turn.

Before you scoff, I was worried Oatchi wouldn't outspeed and he's weak to Blizzard too. Ideally, Oatchi would've dealt with Blastoise and Zapple Lapras, but I had faith in Nasty Plot.

Misplaced faith, maybe, but faith.

Red and Blue have a massive prize payout of x280, which combined with their high level and the Amulet Coin, equals a very big number on this screen.

That is the most emotion I have ever seen Red express.

Blue moves on to explain what they're doing here: The Battle Tree needs a boss Trainer set, and while prior games' equivalents used original characters for the job, the Battle Tree has decided to make use of all these nostalgia characters and assigned the role of final bosses to the classics. Probably as part of the whole "20th anniversary" thing, but SwSh would also fail to introduce new characters for the job. Since SV was just about to ditch the whole thing entirely, you can see the seams of this thing being ready to be phased out.

We'll see about that. But yeah, if you want to fight Red or Blue any more than we just have, we have to dig into the Battle Tree.

Anyway, thanks for letting me have free reign in here.

The Battle Tree is a postgame facility that's all about battling. Random opponents drawn from a series' worth of movesets, Pokemon, and kits, I may wind up looking for the loose nuggets of lore in the corner, but mostly what I really wanted was those shops back there.

...I'll see you once I figure out what you're going to tell me. But she does tell us the important thing: Battle Tree runs Singles, Doubles, and Multi Battles. Red and Blue, incidentally, head different types of battles: Red is the boss of Singles, Blue the boss of Doubles, and both are the boss of Multis.

This Ace Trainer is an important NPC in older games, although he's put a new spin on it for this game- and quite a convenient one at that.

You will have to do something for him first, though. Before that, he's completely useless. I'd say the task is non-trivial enough that this could be a bother unto its own...

But somehow, Bethany, Ailey, and Ray all accomplished the task already! The task, as it happens, is to hatch 21 Eggs. This is because breeding is integral to the value of this man's service.

Most of my Eggs were for pre-evolutions and for trading version exclusives and starters to the other kids.

This NPC's ostensible role is to be the IV Judge- he will tell you what your IVs are. Not in numerical terms, obviously, that would be too easy (no, seriously, that's the official justification for why IVs and EVs aren't transparent), but he will tell you in enough terms to know just where you're hovering.

For this game, he's decided that he doesn't want to have to judge the potential hundreds of Pokemon you could show him, and just makes it so we can click a button in our PC and do it ourselves. Later games would follow suit with this decision, and breeders love him for it.

So long, and find a better job.

The Judge Button is that one on the touch-screen- no face button for it, apparently, but simple enough.

Here are Oatchi's IVs.The value ranges are as follows:

• 0: No good
• 1-15: Decent
• 16-25: Pretty good
• 26-29: Very good
• 30: Fantastic
• 31: Best

Huh, Oatchi's running 25/30/15/15/15/25? He's got it a little better than my later catches. I guess he is my starter, it's only fair...

And here's Nebby, with a stat spread that was honestly pretty close to what I naturally got. Basically the best possible Nebby, here. You're embarrassing everyone, come on...

Now then, it's finally time to talk fabulous prizes. Beginning with what, perhaps, ought to be the end...

MEGA STONES! In SM, only 16 of the 47 Mega Stones are available for purchase- the 16 that correspond to Pokemon available in the SM Alola Pokedex. Four more are available as Battle Tree prizes, but if you wanted one of the other ones, you needed to get them from a timed event distribution.

USUM decided to throw you... most of them on a permanent basis. There are only 42 Mega Stones available on this list- the five that are missing are Diancite and... the four Mega Stones that were available as prizes in SM. They're still available as prizes, but they kinda got screwed over here, huh?

• SM Alola Pokedex: Alakazam, Slowbro, Gengar, Kangaskhan, Pinsir, Gyarados, Aerodactyl, Scizor, Sableye, Sharpedo, Absol, Glalie, Salamence, Metagross, Garchomp, Lucario
  
• USUM Alola Pokedex: Ampharos, Heracross, Houndoom, Tyranitar, Mawile, Manectric, Banette, Lopunny
  
• Island Scan: Beedrill, Pidgeot, Steelix, Sceptile, Blaziken, Swampert, Gardevoir, Aggron
  
• Ultra Warp Ride: Mewtwo, Medicham, Altaria, Latias, Latios, Abomasnow, Audino
  
• Unobtainable: Camerupt

...You mean to tell me that they did their best to put every Mega-capable Pokemon in USUM somehow and missed one? Poor Camerupt. (To add insult to injury, all of those Island Scan-locked Mega capable Pokemon are in USUM).

XY and ORAS: "Mega Evolution is a rare and valuable thing, and Mega Stones are formed in rare circumstances."
SM: "How many Metagrossites do you want? One? Two? A Dozen?"

Ignoring that joke entirely, it is worth mentioning that, while Mega Evolution has been brought back from XY, a privilege not afforded to Z-Moves or any other similar mechanic in later games (including Mega Evolution after this go), SM has not added any new Mega Stones. In conjunction with the fact that there is (intentionally) no overlap between Mega Evolutions and regional forms in Alola, Bethany will not be able to Mega Evolve. With that said, Noah, Ailey, and Ray all have at least one Mega-capable Pokemon, and I really want to have the capacity to Mega Evolve them for those postgame bosses. More for the rule of cool factor than an actual tactical strategy, although some of them...

Mega Lopunny (Ultra Moon): Mega Evolution awakens its combative instincts. It has shed any fur that got in the way of its attacks.

Literally the only reason Usagi wasn't benched was because this was waiting in its future. Mega Lopunny is a Normal/Fighting type (the first of its kind), and its new Ability is Scrappy, allowing it to hit the Ghost types that would otherwise wall it. It enjoys +60 Atk, +10 Def, +30 Spd, upgrading its offensive statline to 136/135. Usagi might get dangerous yet.

She doesn't really get a good frame in the Mega Evolution animation, but her legs have black fur that looks like torn pantyhose. They knew what they were doing.

Mega Mawile (Ultra Moon): Its two sets of jaws thrash about violently as if they each had a will of their own. One gnash from them can turn a boulder to dust.

Oh, you thought Mega Lopunny was busted? Mega Mawile gets +20 Atk, +40 Def, +40 Sp. Def, and the Huge Power Ability. Huge Power doubles its Atk stat- and with that +20, it was already at 105. The best part is? If your Mawile has the Intimidate Ability, like mine, you functionally have two Abilities by going Mega- Intimidate is worthless once you're actually on the field. Mega Mawile was an exercise in proving the power of the Steel/Fairy type combination, and if that doesn't catch your fancy, you've always got Sucker Punch to get around her still-low Speed or Foul Play to use the opponent's Atk stat with Huge Power.

Mega Ampharos (Ultra Sun): Excess energy from Mega Evolution stimulates its genes, and the wool it had lost grows in again.

Genevieve kinda lost out, honestly. Mega Ampharos becomes an Electric/Dragon (not new to the series), it gains the Mold Breaker Ability to dodge Lightning Rod and Sturdy, I guess. Its new stats are +20 Atk, +20 Def, +50 Sp. Atk, +20 Def, -10 Spd, and I have to ask what it did to deserve the +20 Atk. About the only good thing going for Ampharos is that it looks cool with the wool back.

...Also, Ampharos got a +10 Def buff going into XY, and its Mega accounted for that. What's your excuse, Alakazam?

Mega Pinsir (Ultra Sun): After Mega Evolution, it becomes able to fly. Perhaps because it's so happy, it rarely touches the ground.

Happy. Yes. Mega Pinsir gains the Flying type, rather than the expected Fighting type- presumably because it hates Heracross that damn much. Fortunately, it is spared the need to look for Flying moves with the Aerialate Ability, which makes any Normal-type moves it uses be Flying-type and have a 20% boost on top of STAB. Its new statline is +30 Atk, +20 Def, +10 Sp. Atk, +20 Sp. Def, +20 Spd- nice and generalist. About the only problem is Bug/Flying's infamously poor defensive profile, although once you see Kailey in action, you ask if that has less to do with the type and more to do with the representatives...

Mega Absol (Moon): As the energy of Mega Evolution fills it, its fur bristles. What you see on its back are not true wings, and this Pokémon isn't able to fly.

Mega Absol does rob Alexandria of her funny crit strategies, but the things it gets in return are worth it. Its new statline is +20 Atk, +40 Sp. Atk, +40 Spd- that Spd is the most important bit, while that Sp. Atk is mainly because Absol has a weirdly deep Special movepool. Its new Ability is Magic Bounce, repelling hostile status moves back to sender and finally allowing it to stop the disasters it has spent so many years predicting.

Mega Lucario (Moon): It readies itself to face its enemies by focusing its mental energies. Its fighting style can be summed up in a single word: heartless.

What a Pokedex entry to give to the Mega Evolution that accompanies many XY players through the Kalos region? Mega Lucario takes Lucario's already strong profile and gives it +35 Atk, +18 Def, +25 Sp. Atk, +22 Spd (...I'm not sure what it's outspeeding with that +2 Spd, but it certainly seems to have a plan in mind), as well as giving it the powerful Adaptability Ability, to turn its STAB from x1.5 to x2. All around, a relatively boring Mega Evolution, but without a doubt an effective one- a perfect choice for the first one many players get.

Mega Metagross (Ultra Sun): Its intellect surpasses its previous level, resulting in battles so cruel, they'll make you want to cover your eyes.

...The hell kind of cause-and-effect is that? Ray's only possible Mega Evolution is Deep Blue's, and it was clearly added specifically for Steven Stone in ORAS. Metagross gets +10 Atk, +20 Def, +10 Sp. Atk, +20 Sp. Def, +40 Spd, and the Tough Claws Ability, giving it a 30% bonus to contact moves. Most of Metagross's favourite moves are contact, so no one is doubting the efficacy of this form. The problem is usually with opportunity cost- Metagross on its own has a higher BST than some other Megas (like Lopunny and Mawile), so you're usually better off running its base form with a hold item and giving the Mega slot to something else.

Although if Ray doesn't have something else to Mega...

This merchant is going to have more goodies to hand out to all the kids, even Bethany. Strap in, we're going to be here a while:

• Toxic Orb/Flame Orb: Applies the Badly Poison/Burn status ailment to the holder at the end of every turn. A valuable item to give to your opponent, or to make use of yourself if you have the Guts, Poison Heal, or similar Ability. I don't have much need of them, mostly because I knew I'd be waiting this long for them anyway. Although Ray and Ailey got freebies earlier.
• Iron Ball: A heavy iron weight that halves the holder's Speed and causes them to be considered grounded, even if they're normally airborne. Mostly an item you want to get in your opponent's hands, it can be valuable for Trick Room or Fling shenanigans. Not really worth it, though. There's a freebie in USUM's postgame, incidentally.
  
• Ring Target: Makes the holder lose any immunities to move types. There's a bit of a weird bit here where it doesn't make Grass types suspectible to Spore, but it does make Ground types susceptible to Thunder Wave. Unlike the Iron Ball, this really is "find a way to put it in your opponents hands or don't bother". Only found here.
• White Herb: If the holder finds themseles with a negative stat stage at the end of a move's usage, it will consume the White Herb and reset the offending stats to neutral. Good for moves with drawbacks like Close Combat and Draco Meteor, but really begs for something like Unburden to really come into its own. Although in Draco Meteor's case, just one freebie cast can come in handy... There's one freebie in USUM, back on Melemele.
• Mental Herb: A one-use item that will cure Infatuate, Taunt, Encore, Torment, Heal Block, or Disable, should the holder find itself suffering one of these status ailments. Mostly good if it's really important you use a move one of those effects would otherwise interrupt. There's one freebie in USUM, for delivering the Lost Poke Ball.
• Power Herb: A one-use item that will allow a move that normally takes two turns to execute to be fired in one turn. Very valuable on certain Pokemon- the best case probably being Sky Attack Hawlucha- but a little wanting if you don't have a plan for what that one move will be. In addition to the freebie in Poni Meadow, there's also one on Totem Lurantis if you can steal it.
• Focus Sash: A one-use item that will allow the holder to weather an attack that would otherwise land a one-hit KO. This is the Mental Herb but better, since most opponents will attempt to deny you a single move by OHKOing you rather than using a disruptive move. There was a single freebie at the start of Poni Island.
• Air Balloon: Will allow the holder to be considered ungrounded until it is hit by a damaging move- even if said damaging move hits a Substitute or Disguise. Once it bursts, it's gone for good- even Recycle won't bring it back. Particularly good for very Ground-weak Pokemon, but telegraphed to your opponent. We got a freebie after beating Nanu.
• Red Card: If the holder is hit by a damaging move and has not fainted, the Red Card is consumed and the offending Pokemon is forcibly switched to a random Pokemon in the Trainer's party. There's a lot of edge cases with this move in regards to 'switches not allowed' and 'stealing' effects, too many to list. We got a freebie in both games, although SM got it much sooner.
• Eject Button: If the holder is hit by a damaging move and has not fainted, the Eject Button is consumed and the holder's Trainer may switch it out to any Pokemon of their choosing. It has the same edge cases with stealing, but not with trapping. USUM has a freebie that Ray and Ailey are forced to have at this point, but which I haven't shown you yet.
• Weakness Policy: If the holder is hit by a super-effective move, it will receive +2 Atk/Sp. Atk stages and consume the Weakness Policy. A fantastic item to start a sweep, assuming you can avoid being picked off by the wielder of such a big hit. Only found here.
• Choice Band/Specs/Scarf: Starting the list of non-consumable items, the Choice Items will give a 50% boost to Atk/Sp. Atk/Spd, respectively, but force the user to spam only the first move selected. USUM had a freebie Specs, but I will gladly complete my collection for all four kids. The Choice Scarf is one of the only hold items that allows greater Speed control than I have had.
• Life Orb: Boosts the holder's moves by 30%, but inflicts 10% max HP on the user after landing the hit. One of the best generalist hold items for pure power, but it does impose a timer on your attacker. Both games have a freebie, and we've only seen SM's- USUM gets its freebie later.
• Rocky Helmet: If the holder of a Rocky Helmet is hit by a contact move, the attacker will take 1/6 of its maximum HP in damage. Excellent for punishing physical attackers, but demands a strong defensive profile to allow you to capitalise on that punishment. Only found here- and only in this game is it sold for BP.
• Assault Vest: The holder enjoys a 50% Sp. Def bonus, but is not allowed to choose to use a status move. There are ways to force the holder to use a status move anyway, but they are rarely relevant. Only found here, and you can bet that, any time I've struggled with an opponent that uses Special moves, I wish I had this.
• Safety Goggles: The holder becomes immune to powder-based moves and the passive damage from Hail and Sandstorm. In other words... Overcoat. Are you really using a hold item slot on that? There was a freebie in Haina Desert after Nanu, although I don't recall picking it up...
• Terrain Extender: If the holder sets a terrain, that terrain will last for eight turns instead of five. Pleasantly handy, although mainly for the Guardian Deities. Freebie back in Resolution Cave.
• Protective Pads: Prevents the holder from suffering from any consequences from using contact moves, like Static or Rough Skin. This is the Long Reach Ability, and not particularly worth it. Found only here.
  

The clerk on the far left sells every item that induces evolution by trade except the Metal Coat. That description on its own kind of sells how... weird the whole process is. I'd say I don't care, but Ray is actually going to take a Dubious Disc to evolve Siri.

There's a Bewear to play with outside the merchant. Annoyingly, it's close enough to ask to play while you're in the merchant's menus- it won't interrupt you, but it will play annoying sound effects.

So yeah, you totally could've set up shop on Poni Beach, you know. The moves she has are universally pretty good, although I probably might not use as many as you'd think- mostly because it's a hassle to keep track of them all.

• Liquidation: 85 BP Physical Water move, 20% chance of lowering Def. The Physical Water move of choice, basically every Physical Water has had the downside of "it doesn't get this until now". It went right on Chip, though.
• Gastro Acid: A Status Poison move that denies the opponent its Ability, assuming it's not a special form-based Ability introduced in SM or beyond. Very handy against the right foe, although potentially not worth applying.
• Foul Play: 95 BP Physical Dark move, uses the target's Atk stat in its calculations. Good on tanks and also Mawile, most of our attackers would rather use their own Atk stats.
• Super Fang: A Physical Normal move that inflcits exactly half of the target's current HP, rounded down. Good against tanks, most moves should be doing about that much damage normally. 90% accurate.
• Outrage: 120 BP Physical Dragon move, will be used for 2-3 turns consecutively before causing the user to be inflicted with confusion. You will only use 1 PP for a single Outrage. Amazing on Dragons, not that worth it on other things.
• Sky Attack: 140 BP Physical Flying move, requires a charging turn. It has a 30% flinch chance and a +1 crit ratio, making it an awesome choice for a Power Herb strategy. No semi-invulnerability.
• Throat Chop: 80 BP Physical Dark move, it will prevent the target from using a sound-based move or two turns after landing. The BP can be valuable on things that don't get Crunch, though.
• Stomping Tantrum: 75 BP Physical Ground move, it will double in power if the last move you performed didn't work for some reason. This move is more funny than tactical, although it is a Ground move that isn't a spread move. Do note that Sky Drop and Protect do not count for the damage bonus.
• Skill Swap: A Psychic Status move. It wil switch your Ability for that of your target. Switching will reset the effect. In this game, using Skill Swap on an Ability like Intimidate will trigger it. Handy... if you can target the right Ability. Note that, in additon to the standard form-changing Abilities, this won't work on Wonder Guard.
• Earth Power: 90 BP Special Ground move. 10% chance of lowering Sp. Def on hit. The go-to move for Special Grounds and little more, but this is a valuable niche to be filling.
• Gunk Shot: 120 BP Physical Poison move, 80% accurate. 30% chance of inflicting Poison. For when you want a really strong Poison move- it's equivalent to Hydro Pump, for what it's worth.
• Dual Chop: A 40 BP Physical Dragon move, 90% accurate. Hits twice. Breaks Sturdy and Substitute, but not much more than that.
• Drain Punch: A 75 BP Physical Fighting move. Heals the user for 50% of the damage inflicted. I wonder what Fist Jr. could've done with this, but really, this move is something that Robin wants.
• Heat Wave: A 95 BP Special Fire move, 90% accurate. Hits both opponents, has a 10% chance of landing a burn. Learned by a strangely high number of Flying types- it's hot wind, after all.
• Hyper Voice: A 90 BP Special Normal move that hits both opponents. Good for Normal-type Special Attackers, as well as the Special Attackers with Pixilate and Refridgerate.
• Superpower: A 120 BP Physical Normal move. Inflicts -1 Atk/Def on the user after use. A fairly standard option for many Fighting types, this move is really funny on Malamar and Lurantis.
• Knock Off: A 65 BP Physical Dark move. Has a 50% damage boost when used on a Pokemon holding an item, and will remove said item. Does not work on Mega Stones or Z-Crystals.
• Dragon Pulse: An 85 BP Special Dragon move with no special effects. Standard fare for Special Dragon types and few others.

All four kids are now able to complete their Poni Pokedexes, and Ray even managed to complete the Alola Pokedex. This is not strictly possible at this point for "normal" play- SM should still be missing the last eight entries, while USUM should still be missing Porygon. Since Ray's using a Porygon he borrowed from Bethany, he managed the feat early. I don't plan to reap the rewards until all the kids can, though.

Next time: Some interesting Red and Blue fights.