Now then, there's a lot of stuff we can fight for around Alola, and now we're going to work on getting our hands on them.
Our first stop is in the Trainer's School, for what may be the most incidental and yet also rather important. It sure won't be the hardest fight.
...I'm as much an advocate for lifelong learning as the next guy, but are you sure you're learning everything you could need here?
Duane isn't the boss fight we're here for, but as a Black Belt, he does have investments- 31 IVs and 252 EVs in Atk, as well as an Adamant Nature. No assigned moves, though.
In SM, his team is a Primeape and a Lucario.
In USUM, he subs out the Lucario for a Heracross. He has no other investements, and either way, you are getting a popular Fighting type with a Mega evolution found in Poni Grove.
...They're also both weak to Fire, not that I defeated either one with it. Just thought it was funny.
...Have you actually learned anything in those 30 years of study?
Yeah, I think an alternative teaching practice is necessary to try and get you to figure out what it is you're missing.
Probably type synergy.
The real battle, and prize, is in here. Although how much more of one it is is up for debate when it's using a generic NPC sprite.
This fight is a proximity trigger, incidentally. One that encompasses the entire room- so I can't read anything up there until I complete the fight.
You kantoed me into having a day of classes here. I'm not 100% certain you can claim credit for my accomplishments the way you did Ilima.
...What could you possibly have to teach me that the main story couldn't have already?
Asuka has 31 IVs in HP/Atk, 252 EVs in Atk, Adamant Natures, fully assigned moves, and weirdly, absolutely no differences between SM and USUM. USUM didn't give her 30s and 20s, they didn't give her the other 252 EVs in Spd or HP or something, and weirdly, Asuka has an almost unique weird edge case that USUM didn't normalise.
All three of Asuka's Pokemon happen to have the Intimidate Ability, to wear down your own physical attacks. A part of me almost wonders if this is supposed to be the subject matter of her lesson. If it was, USUM actually included that in the day of lessons we had at the start. Asuka, I am doubting your credentials as an expert.
Incidentally, Granbull has Play Rough, Crunch, Charm, and Payback. Two moves of the same type and an additional level of "screw you" to Physical Attackers.
Special Attackers are not in any way obstructed. A fact that Asuka probably should have learned forty levels ago.
Arcanine's her ace, technically, and also a bit of a weird one. Moveset is Flare Blitz, Outrage, Reversal, and Extreme Speed, Arcanine also has an IV of 18 for Special Defence. I haven't the foggiest why or what, specifically, it's for, but I'm not sure it'll help her. (USUM keeps this, which either suggests it's not a glitch or the USUM devs had zero time to rebalance this boss).
Sometimes you just have to go for the Physical Attacker. It'd be nice to still have Kasplashle...
Ah well. Two hits will do the trick.
Especially when the same is true in reverse. Coverage can only take you so far against a weakness.
Stoutland has Retaliate (for a rude punch in the face when it is sent out) and the suite of elemental Fangs. Retaliate is probably the main thing worth mentioning.
Stoutland is a pretty annoying opponent to have to deal with Intimidate on, mostly owing to the lack of Special Fighting types. Also Lord Huggington isn't exactly using a big move.
Fire Fang from it- that is technically SE.
Brick Break's still doing impressive enough damage.
Especially compared to Fire Fang.
Yeah, if your curriculum ended at stat stages and Abilities, you're way behind the lessons I've participated in.
...So which one of us is supposed to be the wise man and which one is supposed to be the fool? Do tell.
...You know what would've been neat? Had she actually used said item. The King's Rock, in addition to a 10% flinch chance, is required to evolve Slowpoke and Poliwhirl into Slowking and Politoed respectively. This is the only free copy, and also the only reliable one in SM. Completing the Pokedex was never easy, but never was it this spiteful. Maybe if only one of the King's Rock evos was in the Alola Dex...
I'd be embarrassed to admit my ability to teach ended at discussing a basic hold item with a luck-based effect.
...This line honestly sounds like she's angling for the match to happen, but it can't play before the match. It's... honestly, this entire sequence feels underbaked. Like maybe we were supposed to be able to do this event during the story some time.
Frankly, I didn't even need to hear you tell me that.
At that resolution, I couldn't tell you if it was, but it certainly looks complicated enough to be that.
In the damage formula, those are much more simple- they're just coefficients of the damage formula. When we say something does x1.5 damage, we literally mean "once the damage value is calculated, it's multiplied by 1.5". Now if only the base number was so simple.
Well, clearly, Asuka wasn't going to be the one to do it, was she?
The book goes into detail on Alola's formation, and the story seems to be more or less the same as how the Polynesian story goes- albeit without mention of the human inhabitants of the island.
Our next stop is this house on Route 2, and it's about time we found out the identity of the abusive father's wayward son.
He's going to challenge us to a battle, albeit not for a while. I'm bringing a team that leaves us with no doubt who it is.
Yup. This is none other than the house- and backstory- that produced Guzma.
In retrospect, the fact he yells at himself when he screws up and he expresses such undying loyalty to an abusive mother should've told us this sooner.
This man does not change his dialogue.
Hey, you wanna go to the golf course?
Fortunately, heading into the back room reveals a relative of Guzma's with a bit more of a pleasant nature.
...And apparently she knows me.
Apparently this isn't the first time Guzma has come home. "Since... all that" isn't very specific about what caused him to come home, but I'm sure more than the one or two times necessary for closure can't be healthy.
Why did Team Skull have to disband and return all those hurt by their homes to their families?
...From the looks of it, all you need to do to get this is just get past Mount Lanakila. Also, technically, Ailey could've got this before everything went down. There's no Guzma battle here in USUM, though, so it's not something I think to do.
Swagger is an 85% accurate status move that increases the target's Atk stat by two stages, and then confuses them. It's a move that is very frustrating to get hit by, and was so much so that it had to get several nerfs this generation after one VGC too many spammed this move. And even then it's still surprisingly common.
All of them bronze and silver, apparently. Confusion is only so reliable even when it was a 50/50 chance that you'd hurt yourself.
...Denial isn't helping anyone, lady. What Guzma was doing may have been better than thuggery, but Guzma was still engaging in thuggery.
...Well, then, that's no way to greet me, is it? Seeing Guzma here is going to be weird after seeing him being helpful in Rainbow Rocket Castle.
...
Honestly, legitimately not sure why he takes us over here. Maybe he's supposed to be easier to find in Route 2? He's barely findable even when you know he's on the beachfront, but that's mostly because this map is a little weird. Might just be for the backdrop, I guess.
No further preamble. The man knows what he wants.
And he hates what the narrative has made him do. Guzma, that's not on me, I'm ready to throw hands too.
Guzma has lost the Team Skull theming and his signature battle theme, becoming an otherwise standard Trainer, but his heart remains the same. His team is much the same as it was in the main story- a mixture of different numbers of 31 IVs, the appropriate Nature of Adamant/Modest depending on which one the Pokemon prefers, and assigned moves. He has two stats invested 252 EVs on everything, though- in SM, he was very sloppy about doing so in the main story. This was no surprise to USUM, though.
Golisopod is 31/31/15/15/15/31 IVs, invested in Atk/Spd, and carries the kit First Impression, Waterfall, and Sucker Punch. SM Guzma was the one using Swords Dance, so this is a nasty surprise to anyone that thought Water Absorb would still turn him into a chump. Funny that USUM made this the default, though.
The level is pretty high, though. Hope we've salvaged up enough EXP to put up a fight.
Dawn is just setting Rocks. It's too helpful when Guzma is our opponent.
Sorry, Dawn. At the very least, EXP isn't going to be a big worry in postgame.
Zapple makes a much better answer to Golisopod. Special Attacker, for one thing.
...That is a very happy looking health bar for something hilarious.
OK, that's just insult to injury.
Masquerain enjoys flat 31 IVs, invested in Sp. Atk/Spd, and has Bug Buzz, Air Slash, Ice Beam, and Giga Drain. It actually happens to be Guzma's only Special Attacker on this team, and thus the only thing with Modest.
It also has nightmares about this exact situation. I have no idea why Guzma thought Masquerain was his answer to Zapple when she would think twice about at least one of his other Pokemon, but...
I'm going to take a free win.
Golisopod comes right back out, ready for round two...
And yes, Stealth Rock was enough to defeat it. I mentioned you could do this the first time we found Golisopod, and I am so glad I pulled it off once.
Sturm: "Sure, whatever."
Pinsir has 31/31/15/15/15/31 IVs, invested in Atk/Spd, and the moves X-Scissor, Storm Throw, Stone Edge, and... Guillotine. Guillotine is an OHKO move, having a 30% chance plus the level difference between me and him. So, this is north of a 1/3 chance of a literal one hit KO. It is a Normal type move, so Ghost types are immune to it, but otherwise, there's no limits.
These, incidentally, were the moves Sturdy blocked before it became good.
Masquerain's the only one with a double weakness to Stealth Rock, unfortunately. It will do.
...That was potentially alarming, but Shields Down is one of the three Abilities that Mold Breaker "looks like" it would ignore, but doesn't- and the only one where it's genuinely not explainable by appearance alone. I suppose the tricky thing would be figuring out whether Mold Breaker ignores Shields Down into Core Form (as you'd expect) or Meteor Form (Shields Down technically "activates" when going into Core form and "deactivates" going into Meteor form).
Incidentally, the other two are Magic Guard and Comatose.
I think that was a Stone Edge, not a Guillotine. Same result in the end.
Shell Smash sweep is go!
It's so fun watching Sturm go choo choo.
Guzma's fifth Pokemon in both SM and USUM is a Scizor. 15/31/15/15/15/31 IVs here, invested Atk/Spd, with the moves X-Scissor, Iron Head, Night Slash, and Bullet Punch. Technician for the Ability, so that Bullet Punch has an extra level of STAB on top of its actual STAB. This is the Bug/Steel to call to be annoying to anyone not packing fire.
And apparently really hitting hard- enough that Sturm's Meteor defences didn't help. Guess that's Minior's downsides in action...
But now I'm mad.
Have a Shell Trap. Flambebe is too little for you.
Last, and certainly the least, Ariados. Flat 31 IVs, invested in Atk/Spd, with the moves Fell Stinger, Cross Poison, Sucker Punch, and Toxic Thread, and probably won't get off any of them except Sucker Punch. Toxic Thread is a Poison Status move unique to Ariados (and added in SM) that attempts to apply both Poison and -1 Spd to a target. These are distinct effects, meaning that just because you are immune to one for some reason does not prevent you from being hit by the other.
Bold claim to assume it would even perform it.
I can't even blame your Ariados, since Golisopod and Scizor are sure pulling their weight. It's just you being a specialist and me not being one, although I have beat the Alola games running mono-Psychic...
Yeah, sorry. You have, at least, managed to deal with Sturm.
Hala actually kinda... popped in there, it looked. I don't think he fully walked in from off screen...
I mean... his job is to keep an eye on Melemele Island, and you getting up to antics is something to be moderately perplexed by.
As it happens, he was more interested in me than Guzma. Guess he doesn't see Team Skull as a threat anymore.
Mate, he uses Fighting types. I'm not sure you're walking out of that battle with the advantage.
...On the other hand, that's mutually assured stagnation, and Hala doesn't really have Rock moves.
This actually does make sense, although not necessarily in the way it is implied. If you do not respect your opponents, you do not think of increasing your own capabilities when you fail.
And only by seeing what other people can pull off do you learn how one can expand their own toolkit.
It's perfectly fine to borrow that cool move you saw them use.
You also know losing. You don't want to, but you do.
...Distinction without a difference, as I can see.
On the other hand, it's not like you have exactly proven yourself capable of beating me. Exactly how encouraging to Guzma can you be without having results to point to?
...Have you tried delivering the same message in a different way? Just repeating yourself isn't productive.
...So did Guzma actually study under Hala when he made a bid for Trial Captain, or is this just meant more generically than that?
Considering your grandson's doing the same to his grunts, I can believe the effort. I can only hope you succeed, or realise that your premises were flawed.
Penance, is that what we're going with? Like, yeah, he tried getting up to shenanigans, there should probably be something of the sort, but... are we sure that's the word?
...The heck kind of redemption plan are you working on in there?
Part of me wonders if this makes more sense in JP, but I'm not sure how much more information could be conveyed to get across the same meaning.
...Guzma, when you say you don't need to be forgiven, the idea is that you still apologise to demonstrate you understand you were in the wrong.
Now granted, I don't necessarily think you were in the wrong, but you did still kidnap a kid's Yungoos. And probably something worse in there somewhere.
This would certainly make a beautiful lucky charm, I'll grant you that. With that said, this is the only freebie Dawn Stone in SM, which means that, without going to Poke Pelago, Froslass is postgame locked. USUM fixed this and moved its freebie to after Ultra Necrozma, which is still too late for my tastes, but beats this. The King's Rock wasn't much better, though...
Bethany is actually completely incapable of rematching Guzma under any circumstances. Ray and Ailey have a freestanding rematch opportunity, and Noah and Ailey have a different freestanding rematch opportunity, but Bethany doesn't have one.
So off he goes. Next on the agenda...
Ah, yes, the man who actually has something to apologise about by having following Lusamine around. And yet, the one who'd never do it.
Similarly to Guzma, we have a type specialist to prepare for, and many Pokemon with which to fight him with. I should also mention at this point, I'm not going to bother showing off the other kids fighting these guys at all, and while I'm on the subject, Guzma's fixed rematch was only in SM, but this rematch with Faba is also in USUM. It's post-Rainbow Rocket locked, obviously, but the dialogue surrounding it is completely identical, as is its reward.
It's nice to know Lusamine demotes him even in SM.
...Although I do suppose it's probably Wicke in charge of company policy, Lusamine is too sick and then too absent from the region to do it personally.
I'll believe it when I see it. You were- or possibly are- a master of faking contrition and obsequiousness, you filthy quisling.
Similarly to Guzma, Faba loses his Aether Foundation branding and theme. I am starting to get very annoyed by the routine absence of non-generic Trainer themes when they would be warranted.
Faba does have differences in his internals between SM and USUM. In SM, he has two 31 IVs and four 15s, fixed Natures, and assigned moves, but no EVs. In USUM, he's switched to 30s and 20s, and has EVs (in the same things as his IVs).
His lead is also different, although we're used to that. Both are invested in HP/Def and are Relaxed Natures (+Def/-Spd). Slowbro is Psychic, Ice Beam, Amnesia, and Yawn, for a mildly irritating set at best, while Claydol is using Earth Power, Extrasensory, Ancient Power, and Grass Knot again. Without his Doubles partner, though, both are much easier to deal with.
So, do you know what I've been underusing and feel would be hilarious to bring back at this exact moment?
Z-Moves.
How fitting that Faba was the target who took my first Sinister Arrow Raid.
I was legitimately worried about that KO. Without investment, it's not worth writing home about, but it's not like anything else he's got is any less frail.
Atk/Spd invested and Adamant Nature, Bruxish knows what it's doing here. Aqua Jet, Psychic Fangs, Crunch, and Screech, and of course running Strong Jaw. It's basically doing what Chip does for Ailey, only without a strong Water STAB for itself.
Pathetic.
...What attack are you even using that can miss?
His ace is coming out early. Sp. Atk/Spd invested with a Timid Nature, with dreams of outspeeding things at 115 Speed (162 in USUM), and carrying the moves Psychic, Hypnosis, Focus Blast, and Dream Eater. I do appreciate his SM team having someone else who can apply Sleep, even if it's brave to expect it to be carried over to Hypno.
He gave Bernie-Bear the chance to set up and didn't even break Disguise for it.
This'll be a piece of cake.
Faba's two new Pokemon remind me of Dexio's team, and only further remind me that they robbed us of a Sina fight. Raichu's Sp. Atk/Spd focused, running Psychic, Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, and Nuzzle. At least it's not running Screens?
See ya. Bernie be zoomin.
A non-Mega Alakazam, of course. Sp. Atk/Spd focused and Modest, running Psychic, Psyshock, Dazzling Gleam, and Disable. A little strange, but perfectly functional.
Bernie Bear continues to be zoomin.
Problem?
I don't think anything but genuine contrition and an improved attitude will do anything for your position. It's damn lucky they didn't fire you- although perhaps keeping you in the company helps you do less harm than you would do if you found another company to subvert.
You will certainly only get that support with genuine contrition. Unless Lusamine goes off the deep end, and even then, literally anyone would choose Wicke or Lillie to usurp her than you, and most people would choose Gladion, too.
Not sure about "everyone" on that latter case, though.
Freebie Dubious Disc, locked behind a battle. This is how we're supposed to get our Porygon-Z. For everything Siri did, perhaps I should have watied.
...Do they just not listen?
You mean you weren't already aware of that beforehand?
And Faba disappears. He is rematchable in SM, but not in USUM, just not here.
Next up, this guy. While he is Champion-locked, this sequence is not actually difficult in any way. There will be several fights, though.
Now that we're a Champion, he'll recognise us as worth talking to. This honestly says more about him than it does about the task he has for us.
What this sequence is actually about is about nostalgia, and about what happens to a Trainer who is no longer on their adventures.
(Oh, uh... when he says that, he's not joking. He used Eevee, the baby form, and not just Eevee evolutions in general.)
Capitalism. And considering his attitude, I'm hoping he actually has fulfillment with said family, else I'm worried about how much of his misery is societally-inflicted. You didn't need a wife and kid unless you wanted them.
Right, let's get into what this quest is about.
"Always trying" implies lack of success. Which may perhaps to be expected, although it does suggest Kagetora wasn't as good as he's making himself out to be.
Mate, this was years ago. You have a life now- how sure are you that all eight of the other guys don't?
That something is of... questionable value, but it is something we can only get from Kagetora, for what it's worth.
He'll also tell us about his memories of each of them, and then point us in the direction of where they've set up shop. Part of me suspects the only reason this quest is postgame is so they can scatter them equally across the region and have them all at equal strength.
The Vaporeon User, Polly... They called her the Wild Whirlpool of Alola. She was a cool drink of water, all right. A bikini-clad beauty who beat all the boys. Her Vaporeon’s Hydro Pump could blast through solid steel plating... She was from Melemele originally, and I think she trained to be a teacher... It’s been 30 years since I last saw her, but I hope that’ll be enough to find her.
Something that kinda strikes me as I read through the whole bunch... Five of the Eevee Trainers are women, and he talks about all of them in terms of how hot they were. While one of them is important to reference in that context (and he does talk about one of the men in a similar vein), it's quite the telling element to his character, and something I feel quite judgemental to him for. Particularly since he's married now.
Also, none of the Eevee users are actually present in their locations until you talk to Kagetora. For a few of them, this comes off as weird, but less so for this one.
Apparently that teaching degree fell through. I feel that. It's kinda odd that she goes from a failed teacher to a cleaning lady in that school, but given Asuka's qualifications, I'm more curious why they felt she couldn't teach.
Frankly, I'm impressed some of these people think highly enough of Kagetora to honour his request to begin with.
All of the Eevee users are running 15 IVs, with no EVs, Natures, or custom moves.
The level isn't even competitive.
Only one of them does anything meaningful.
(It's also worth mentioning that the Eevee users have prize payouts equivalent to the Trainer Class they look like- for example, Polly looks like a Socialite, so she has the Socialite's prize coefficient.)
All of the Trainers get this sort of philosophical comment, themed to the element of the Eeveelution. The actual substance doesn't really change, it's just flavour.
Hopefully that Vaporeon has a lower setting. And also can reach that high- quadrupeds gotta quadruped.
I love how she kinda sounds like his grandma. She may not have become a teacher, but she's got that maternal instinct down. She would've made a better one than Asuka.
The fiery magician, brimming with life... Chad the Flareon User. His temper burned as hot as any flame, and he was always quick to find a fight. His Flareon’s fire attacks were relentless, going after opponents like a living thing. I know he always stayed at the Tide Song Hotel back in those days... It’s been 30 years since I last saw him, but I hope that’ll be enough to find him.
Frankly, the more I think it over, the weirder it is some of these people are still in the places he thinks they are. I get that his hints needed to actually point to the people, else this quest would be impossible, but it does strike me as strange.
We're looking for this guy, who definitely looks like a Janitor.
He certainly wasn't expecting that.
I hope this lives up to your memories.
As a Flareon user, I expect you're used to being outsped and oneshot.
Although he looks like a Janitor, I don't think this guy actually is a Janitor. I think he's just using the class because it gives him the appearance of an old man. Strange how they only used the Gentleman appearance once.
Surprised you're not hanging out in Konikoni City, then. Particularly since there's another Eevee user here in Heahea City.
Oh yes. The electrifying ball of energy that was Jane the Jolteon User... She looked like a lovely young Lass, but beneath that sweet face was the heart of a tyrant... Her Jolteon slammed into opponents like a bolt of lightning from a blue sky... Last I heard, she was working somewhere on Ula’ula Island... It’s been 30 years since I last saw her, but I hope that’ll be enough to find her.
...This is a bit of an odd one, since if she looked like a Lass 30 years ago, she should still be, like, 50.
Jane is much older than that.
So old, in fact, that the ravages of time are starting to set in, and Kagetora has completely escaped her mind. "Working" is probably the furthest thing from her mind.
Jane actually managed to be one of the few Eevee users to actually get off an attack, but attacking into a Ground type, all she got was a waste of a turn.
Quite the line for someone whose memory has failed them.
Jane has found her limits, and she has no desire to push them. She knows full well you can't zap a Ground type.
That would work a lot better if Electric types couldn't damage stones...
The Espeon User, Ishaan... The sun itself was charmed by his sweet looks. His Espeon danced past enemy attacks, letting them slide right off it like some kinda miracle. Ishaan worked at the Geothermal Power Plant back in those days, but now... It’s been 30 years since I last saw him, but I hope that’ll be enough to find him.
Honestly, I'm more amazed the Geothermal Power Plant is thirty years old. Pokemon probably has more renewables than we do, and even then, commercial geothermal power is over a hundred years old in our world.
Another old man who's using the Janitor sprite, but does not mention being a janitor. Now I kinda feel bad for Polly.
Ah, was wondering where the old man who wanted to talk about the past was going to be. This isn't the sort of quest that really lends itself to showing off that sort of talkativeness, though.
Like Polly, Ishaan is more than ready to admit "yeah, this is not going to live up to Kagetora's expectations".
Outspeeding with a Bug Buzz and quickly seizing victory.
Clearly someone's not a Star Wars fan.
This sort of thing gets kinda hilarious once we see the Umbreon user, who makes the exact opposite metaphor owing to the celestial opposites nature of Espeon and Umbreon.
Ishaan honestly kinda sounds surprised Kagetora's still up to this sort of thing. Fair play, he is married with a kid.
The immortal ruler of the night... Braiden the Umbreon User. The rumors say that he died once and came back to life. Everyone was afraid of him. His Umbreon gave off its horrifying aura all the time and never let up... He used to hold some kind of ceremony in the cemetery on Melemele Island every night... It’s been 30 years since I last saw him, but I hope that’ll be enough to find him.
Mate, I'm not sure what you think goes on in graveyards, but most people with their heads bowed in front of one are mourning a departed.
OK, something kinda irritating about this one- there's a Gentleman- as in an actual Gentleman- standing in front of a tombstone like this here in Hau'oli Cemetary. I think Jane has a similar issue of there being someone else with her Trainer Class in her spawn location, but Braiden stands out far less. Also, the dupe is the one you bump into first.
...What are you doing here, then, and why haven't you told your son about it?
I love how his reaction is "wait, I haven't been that man for so long, you shouldn't have been born yet?" Seems like a fitting one.
At least we do mention who told us. I wonder how we're phrasing this sort of thing anyway.
...Oh... you're meant to be in the hospital. Eurgh... I have a friend who has to deal with his mother wandering out of the hospital despite not being fit to do so. I have all the sympathies for that son.
Braiden turned out to be the only Eevee user to actually survive Bethany's attack. Apart from Jane, two more got off an attack because they hadn't yet taken a hit when their turn came up, but Lord Huggington couldn't manage the conventional oneshot.
Truly, that was a turn well spent.
Braiden has a Full Restore. I imagine this is shared with the Gentleman/Socialite class, rather than being common to the Eevee users. Ah well. Clearly Braiden has nothing meaningful to throw at Lord Huggington.
Cloudy night or new moon, both come up with the same result.
Honestly, the "end of the night is coming" is a weird metaphor for incoming death, considering how common the opposite expression is. Makes me wonder if there was something else they could've tried for Umbreon. Might've been screwed there, honestly.
Braiden is the only one to directly address the disparity between the rumour Kagetora shares and the reality, mainly because of how fantastical the rumour is. Reports of this man's death were greatly exaggerated.
...I feel like I'd be more worried about him than fearful he lived.
It's also worth mentioning by this point that Kagetora doesn't actually react to the fates of his former foes individually- if you talk to him after defeating some but not all of the Eevee users, all that changes is that the blurbs of the ones you haven't met yet will be removed.
Miss Absolute Zero... Rea the Glaceon User. That cool beauty seemed to have a soul of ice when she mercilessly pursued her opponents. Even time froze around her Glaceon! I know that she originally came from some small village on Melemele Island... It’s been 30 years since I last saw her, but I hope that’ll be enough to find her.
"Small village". I feel like Iki Town deserves more credit than that.
...Honestly, Rea doesn't really feel like she fits in this house. Then again, making a house specifically for her would be weird in such an earlygame area.
Admittedly, I think the Sylveon user is worse.
Of a sort, yes.
...I read that and don't feel the same "don't expect much" that I got from Polly and Ishaan. This feels more like "it'll be easier for both of us if I do this and get you out of my house faster."
Rea got off a Blizzard on K9, but that was because K9 missed a Rock Slide. She's the only Eevee user other than Braiden to make it to Turn 2 on that same reasoning.
Still, it was this or use Nebby, which feels like overkill.
Well, ice is still important for utilitarian purposes in winter. Not all of us live in places so cold that you can enjoy the benefits of being inside a fridge without actually being in a fridge.
Although all of the Eevee Trainers thus far have generally expressed contentment with their lot, Rea's the only one who expresses genuine satisfaction. Whether or not she enjoyed her time as the Glaceon User, she loves her grandchildren so much that she's more than happy to completely let that part of her pass on and live in the now.
She may genuinely be the most well off of the lot of them.
A goddess of beauty in full bloom... Linnea the Leafeon User. She was a world-famous model and a powerful Grass-type Pokémon user. When her Leafeon cried out, even withered and dead trees burst into bloom once more... She used to always stay at the Hano Grand Resort when she was between gigs... It’s been 30 years since I last saw her, but I hope that’ll be enough to find her.
Linnea is the Eevee user for whom her beauty is actually relevant, and also happens to be the most annoying of the eight to hunt down even if you know where she is and what she looks like. Purely because I did not think NPCs hung out where she is.
All of these parasols on the part of the beach where the wild encounters aren't and you're hiding up here?
Don't let her appearance fool you- Linnea is the same age as the rest of the Eevee users.
And she even has the temperament to match! She's also probably the most enthused of the bunch to go into battle with us, though.
She's also the last of the Eevee users to be defeated in an outspeed and a oneshot. Still having her fire doesn't save her from the same fate as Polly, Chad, and Ishaan.
And from there give rise to a new plant.
Linnea is the only Eevee user actively avoiding the fact she's on her last legs, and probably the reason I see a fairly common interpretation of this entire event being about how bad aging out of your interests is. But honestly, considering how Polly, Chad, Ishaan, Braiden, and especially Rea took it, I think Linnea and Kagetora are the outliers here.
(Jane doesn't count, her mental state's gotten to the point where her own opinion on where she's found herself doesn't necessarily reflect her reality.)
Even Linnea is willing to admit that there's only so much her vapid pursuit of her beauty's immortality can do for her. At least it hasn't actually compromised her health- considering she's probably the most fit of the Eevee users, it is hard to argue that what she is doing is a bad thing.
The queen of Fairy Pokémon... Yes, Sakura the Sylveon User. That pure young maiden was adored by Fairy-type Pokémon, who saw her as a queen. Even wild beasts were captivated when her Sylveon appeared before them... I heard that she was a descendant of the nomadic seafolk... That’s the best hint I can give you to find her.
Sakura's the only Eevee user who Kagetora does not actually have faith you'll find with just his hint. The fact she's with the Seafolk does suggest she might not actually be in Alola, but fortunately for us, the Seafolk are actually hanging out here.
Although it is a bit of a surprise to find that we're using the Preschooler class for an old lady.
That explains a lot.
...And that explains the rest of it. I've been talking a lot about how surprising it is the Eevee users are hanging out in the sorts of places you wouldn't expect them to go back to for their retirement years, but really, it's more of a surprise that Sakura's the only one that's already kicked the bucket. One can only imagine Jane or Braiden, for example, doesn't have another year left in them. I have more faith in Polly and Chad, though. And hope for Rea.
(As an aside, it's actually kind of shocking, in its own way, that Sakura is described as having "died". In a game for this target audience, and especially since a Preschooler is breaking the news, you'd expect them to use a metaphor.)
And that is the story of how this quest isn't actually going to be mechanically stoppered by Sakura's passing.
Kira outsped Woodstock, which is how she got off her attack, but she went for the Light Screen.
I imagine Grandma didn't tell you much about how one goes about fighting Specially bulky Physical Poison types like Muk.
I would run away from those if I was a Sylveon.
...Damn, already telling your grandkid she's only going to be cute for so long. She had to figure it out sometime, but...
One can only wonder...
Now that we've checked in on the Eevee users, time to look back on the man who's middle-aged.
Half of them sounded like they weren't very happy to be roped back into this. A quarter of them aren't even the same people anymore.
Kagetora is of the opinion that the fates of the Eevee Trainers are to be pitied. While I can agree with Jane and to a lesser extend Braiden, I feel like that's a bit extreme for the rest of them. Especially Rea. I find it difficult to agree with Kagetora, and hope we're meant to read it as Kagetora being flawed.
...I kinda doubt it, but...
Kagetora then asks us for his own battle, the only one actively interested in doing so.
Someone needs to tell you that your day has come and gone, clearly.
Like the other Eevee users, Kagetora's Eevee only has 15 IVs to its name. It's slightly higher levelled...
But far weaker.
Stop chasing the dream with only an Eevee, and focus on that wife and kid.
This is where we can get our hands on another unique Z-Crystal, and the only postgame-locked one in SM (USUM added Kommo-o's). Eevium Z will power up an Eevee (and specifically Eevee's) Last Resort into a Z-Move called Extreme Evoboost, a non-damaging move that grants a +2 omnibuff. The animation takes a long time and shows off all eight Eeveelutions, making Kagetora's surprisingly fitting hands for it, but it's hard to think highly of even a +2 Eevee. At least Adaptability could make it try something.
It is worth observing that this is the first time that Eevee itself got a cool toy, foreshadowing Let's Go Eevee in its own way. I wonder at what point the devs decided on giving Eevee the same sort of billing as Pikachu. This is a postgame sequence and not main-story, like the Pikanium. Although given this one got a lot more effort put into it... might be a wash.
I'll be honest, first time I saw someone try and pull off an Extreme Evoboost, his opponent suspected that was what was going on and brought out Haze.
With his sidequest complete, Kagetora slips right back into being a faceless NPC. Whatever pays the bills...
We have one last serious battle to do, and one worth a team lineup.
We're visiting the GAME FREAK offices.
Lord Huggington will be leading, going for the bulky build rather than aiming for the oneshot. Seems a better fit than the alternative.
Murphy's going to carry the Coin. A sign of an Electric type- and one with little plan for Ground types. All one needs there is a good Earthquake.
Jaws, meanwhile, is just going to hit his target hard. All one can ask from him.
Figured this was the right battle to pack Oatchi for. Coincidentally, he is also well suited for a particular opponent while he's here.
Bernie-Bear hitting something hard. Disguise means she doesn't care about much other than hitting.
Keokeo has a very important target, and one she expects to take a Special hit from. Hopefully that works out in her favour.
Starting in BW, GAME FREAK's Morimoto is a recurring opponent, particularly in postgame. He only shows up in the Unova games before now, but he did stick around in LGPE, SwSh and BDSP after this. I wonder what decides whether he appears, but his team is usually pretty basic.
I love the fact he acknowledges that you always save for bosses. If you're the only boss that knows saving exists, why not?
Morimoto has three 31 IVs, full EV investment (mostly in attack and speed, but with one tank), Natures, and set moves. More than fitting for his attitude.
His team is entirely composed of Pokemon found in the Kanto region- which allows him to use the same team in both SM and LGPE. His BW team was entirely Unova Pokemon and his SwSh team was entirely Galarian Pokemon with one Gigantimax, which makes me wonder why he didn't have Alolans this time. His BDSP team does only have three Sinnohs, though, so it's not an isolated incident, but it is still weird.
Kangaskhan is running investment in Atk/Spd with an Adamant Nature, using the moves Dizzy Punch, Sucker Punch, Earthquake, and Fake Out. I don't think you would be surprised by this Kangaskhan, but take solace in the fact it's not Mega. I think that Gigantamax in BDSP is the only time he does anything like that.
Lord Huggington leads, as a good way to hide from that damage thanks to Fluffy while also dealing big damage back.
Lord Huggington has Leftovers, but look at that damage. Fluffy was a huge help.
Earthquake wasn't a Fluffy thing, but Lord Huggington still weathered that easily.
Which is good news, because Lord Huggington missed the OHKO again. Being stuck with Brick Break is not pleasant.
Well, no heal, but that is unfortunate. Let us hope Lord Huggington won't be a problem elsewhere in the fight.
Dragonite (Ultra Moon): You'll often hear tales of this kindhearted Pokémon rescuing people or Pokémon that are drowning.
Morimoto's "ace", for want of a better word, is the original member of the 600 club, Dragonite. Dragon/Flying with a highest stat in Atk, this is running Sp. Atk/Spd and a Modest Nature. Bold strategy, but with 100 Sp. Atk, that's not awful. Draco Meteor, Hurricane, Blizzard, and Thunder, this Dragonite will terrify you once and once only.
Well, until you notice the Multiscale Ability. There is no way Dragonite survives an Ice Beam without that party trick.
...With the Assault Vest in mind, that is an unpleasant number of damage.
And that is an unpleasant outcome.
...I have no idea why Morimoto is doing this, though. Confusion probably means he can capitalise and get rid of Keokeo, and my plans go to pot. If I'm encouraged to switch Keokeo out for later, Dragonite is cooked.
All that to try and get Flareon on the field. Atk/Spd focused with an Adamant Nature, with the moves Flare Blitz, Quick Attack, Baby-Doll Eyes, and Will-O-Wisp. Fairly standard "oh, right, I'm using an Eeveelution" set, and makes it barely better than Chad's.
I bet Morimoto's kicking himself for that one. Now to withdraw Keokeo and get a free win on Dragonite later.
OK, this was unfortunate. I'm definitely faster, though.
And can't be outsped by Quick Attack. Although I am concerned by the possibility that Quick Attack was a KO blow.
This Waterfall was, though!
Jolteon is playing the Speed game, Sp. Atk/Spd focused and the only one with a +Spd Nature (Timid). Thunder, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack, and Thunder Wave for moves, and showing off Jolteon's worst side. If I was using one, it would have a better kit, but it's not that much better. I mean, look at what Guardia's running.
Utterly trivialised by a Ground type worse than Red's Pikachu.
Dragonite came back to deal with Murphy for some reason, but I promised a swift cleanup.
Machamp is here to try out No Guard. Atk/Spd with an Adamant Nature, carrying Dynamic Punch, Stone Edge, Poison Jab, and Dual Chop. A very clean set of moves, particularly with moves that No Guard significantly improves. Definitely a Pokemon I'm worried about.
Until this happened. Feel bad about that.
Last thing we see is Vaporeon, with the HP/Sp. Atk and Modest kit. Hydro Pump, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack, and Toxic, to finish out the set, and being massively inferior to Guardia. They really hate making the Eeveelutions good even when "the Trainer is using Eeveelutions" is the gimmick.
...Funnily enough, Morimoto uses the Eeveelutions in BDSP again, and that time they have a coverage move each. At least he learned that time.
OK, this is unfortunate. Perhaps Zapple was the way to go.
Stop doing that.
Fortunately, that only slowed me down. Still very irritated by that, though.
By this point in your career, you should be drifting away from the Fire/Water/Grass core. It's a common one, but it's a bit of a noob trap.
Sure, but I don't think it was a good enough win for it.
Convenient, but since I team cycle, it's not super important to me. Thanks anyway.
Morimoto didn't actually give a prize in BW, this is new. It did kinda become a tradition, but it skipped LGPE for obvious reasons.
The Oval Charm makes it easier to breed Pokemon for Eggs. Nice, but hardly necessary, since the only issue with rolling that is time, not resources. The odds it is boosted by actually differs based on what method you're using for breeding- if you're breeding Same OT, Different Species (probably the most common type), it's double odds, but it's less than that with other orientations of those two traits. Probably because all other methods of breeding start at 50%, and instantaneous Eggs would be a bit of a nightmare in practice.
Next time: Among other things, I will be back with Ailey for that rematch, as it happens!
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