Social NintenZone Social 4 - Bring It In, Guys!

[Chrono.]

Level 12 Crabomible 1 shot totem Raticate with Brick Break

How in the world did you get a Crabominable that soon?

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

How in the world did you get a Crabominable that soon?

I traded it to my sun version, gave it 1 rare candy on the ice mountain, and traded it back

 

[Deleted member]

Snake is going to be rerated tomorrow on Rate Their Chances, and one point I'm sure that's going to be brought up at least once is Konami being listed as a third party supporter for the Switch. However, I'm currently skeptical about that, since there's no guarantee that Konami's Switch output will be much different from what they gave the Wii U (nothing but Virtual Console games throughout pretty much the entirety of the system's lifespan), which didn't seem to help Snake's chances of joining Smash 4.

 

[Champ Gold]

So...

If you could add one more gym leader to a region, what type and Pokemon would they use?

• The type cannot be one the Gym Leaders or Elite Four of the region cover.
• For Sun and Moon, Kahunas and Trial Captains count.
• Be sure to say what their signature Pokemon is.
• They have to use Pokemon native to their region.

For example, for Kanto, I would add a normal type Gym Leader.

They'd have Raticate, Tauros, Porygon and Snorlax and their signature Pokemon would be Snorlax.

Kanto: Bug ()

Johto: Dark ()

Hoenn: Steel (Mawile, Metagross and )

Sinnoh: Flying (Strapador, Altiair, and Togekiss)

Unova: Steel (Durant, Bisharp, Magnezone and )

 

[Professor Pumpkaboo]

Welp.

I just caught an Oricorio only to find out it's movepool is literally the worst.

yah like, why isnt mine learning electric or fire moves

Whats the point of getting a fire/flying and Electric/flying if it isn't gonna learn any moves

 

[Champ Gold]

yah like, why isnt mine learning electric or fire moves

Whats the point of getting a fire/flying and Electric/flying if it isn't gonna learn any moves

Welp.

I just caught an Oricorio only to find out it's movepool is literally the worst.

Hi , nice to see you reincarnated into a freaking dancing Hawaiian bird

 

[Chrono.]

yah like, why isnt mine learning electric or fire moves

Whats the point of getting a fire/flying and Electric/flying if it isn't gonna learn any moves

It's the gimmick mon of Alola.

Meaning it's only got one niche, and that is Revelation Dance.

But yeah, otherwise, it only learns Normal and Flying moves.

Maybe Move Tutors in later games will make it better, but by then who will care?

 

[praline]

I'm putting Courtney, Glacia and Blaine in my game in some fashion.

I guess Looker probably would show up in some fashion

 

[Professor Pumpkaboo]

Hi , nice to see you reincarnated into a freaking dancing Hawaiian bird

I kinda regret getting one now, I thought it would learn some fire or electric moves

Guess not

Time to use TMs- ****ing hell
It cant even learn fire/electric/ghost/ psychic TMs
@Zoroarking Im sorry, Oricorio is a ****ty pokemon

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Johto: Dark ()

Johto has Karen.

Hoenn: Steel (Mawile, Metagross and )

Hoenn had Steven. Though I didn't say Champion so I guess I can't blame you.

Altiair,

wut

 

[praline]

Hi , nice to see you reincarnated into a freaking dancing Hawaiian bird

Atleast Flareon learned fire moves.

It just sucked.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Hi , nice to see you reincarnated into a freaking dancing Hawaiian bird

At least Flareon is okay now.

 

[Professor Pumpkaboo]

Atleast Flareon learned fire moves.

It just sucked.

Oricorio cant even learn TM moves of its own type.
Sure it has Revelation Dance but it should at least be able to learn its types moves

 

[Champ Gold]

Atleast Flareon learned fire moves.

It just sucked.

It both sucked and learned zero moves in Gen 1-3

It wasn't until he learned Fire Fang was when he got better

is still better though

 

[Swamp Sensei]

It both sucked and learned zero moves in Gen 1-3

That is blatantly false.

It could learn all sorts of fire moves.

Just not anything that could utilize it's big attack stat.


Then Flare Blitz came along. <3

 

[Deleted member]

That's what "native" means...

I've always seen "native" being used as "this is the region this Pokemon first appeared in"

Welp.

I just caught an Oricorio only to find out it's movepool is literally the worst.

It doesn't help Revelation Dance is only learned at Lv40 so for most of the game its primary typing is purely defensive

It's more designed for Competitive, either as Support and Set-Up Disrupter(just switch it into a Dragon/Sword/Quiver Dance user for free buffs and use Baton Pass to pass it down) and God of Destruction in Doubles

Though its physical attack is doable for maingame along with some nice coverage moves like U-Turn and Steel Wing

Flamethrower/Thunderbolt/Psychic/Shadow Ball TM compatibility when

 

[Professor Pumpkaboo]

It doesn't help Revelation Dance is only learned at Lv40 so for most of the game its primary typing is purely defensive

It's more designed for Competitive, either as Support and Set-Up Disrupter(just switch it into a Dragon/Sword/Quiver Dance user for free buffs and use Baton Pass to pass it down) and God of Destruction in Doubles

Though its physical attack is doable for maingame along with some nice coverage moves like U-Turn and Steel Wing

Flamethrower/Thunderbolt/Psychic/Shadow Ball TM compatibility when

Looks like Oricorio is going in the box, sadly

 

[praline]

I shouldn't have wasted my rare candies on Jangmo-o I shoulda gave them to Dugtrio.

 

[Wario Bros.]

You guys saw this on the SmashBoards homepage?: Melee Light: A browser version of SSB Melee.

It only currently has 3 characters: , , &

Pretty damn impressive from what I've played. Curious how it was made as it feels pretty different from SSF2 & SSB Crusade.

 

[praline]

Gods Tsareena has an amazing attack stat.

 

[Knight Dude]

You guys saw this on the SmashBoards homepage?: Melee Light: A browser version of SSB Melee.

It only currently has 3 characters: , , &

Pretty damn impressive from what I've played. Curious how it was made as it feels pretty different from SSF2 & SSB Crusade.

That does seem pretty impressive so far actually.

 

[Professor Pumpkaboo]

you know a thread is in bad shape when you have to bump it, lol

 

[Erureido]

Finally had the chance to play some Pokemon Sun during the daytime, and oh man is the plot getting good!

I have a lot to say about this part.

Spoiler: Pokemon Sun Update #9: Massive plot spoilers

Current team:

Azura: Level 48

Toucan Sam: Level 47

Puka: Level 47

Selkie: Level 47

Mata Hari: Level 47

Urlacher: Level 47​

First thing I did this morning was fight Guzma for the third time. The dude has just stomped Gladion in a battle, though he acknowledges he likes him for having the guts to escape his mother and join Team Skull all on his own. The battle itself was alright. Toucannon started out with a usual Drill Peck, bringing Golisopod to the red portion of its health. He then sent out Masquerade, but it went down to a single Drill Peck. He sent out Golisopod again while I sent out Mata Hari. Yet again I forget about First Impression, and it OHKOs her. I then have to switch into Azura to heal up Mata Hari. Once she was ready, she came back and landed the final Leaf Blade on the Golisopod. Next came the Pinsir, and I left Urlacher to do the job. It took one Z-move and two Beat Ups, but Urlacher pulled through. I then used Puka against Guzma's Ariados, but Puka went down in a single blow to Fell Sting. I had to switch into Azura to revive Puka for a turn, then use Aqua Jet to finish the battle. Overall, it was a fine battle.

So now we've reached the president's house. Lillie is there, talking to Lusamine. Turns out Lusamine is her mother; seems like the theories were true that they were related, but I think most of us expected them to be sisters. Anyway, Lillie is trying to convince her mother not to abuse Cosmog's power or it will die, but Lusamine shrugs her off, telling Lillie that she has failed to convince her otherwise because she couldn't become a trainer and the only significant thing she's ever done was stealing Cosmog. She also tells Lillie, "You're not beautiful enough for my world." Really Lusamine? You think you're daughter is ugly? Man, some mother, but that was only the beginning. Lillie notices me and thanks me that I've come to her rescue. We both head for the preservation room where Lillie is waiting.

I want to briefly interrupt and mention that Lusamine's dialogue with Lillie how Lusamine really is a crazy, manipulative, and controlling mother.

Wow, Lusamine straight up disowned Lillie for stealing Cosmog. I'm starting to think Lusamine is secretly insane...

And my suspicions would be true, because this next part is where things take a dark and disturbing turn.

In the preservation room, Lusamine reveals that she cryogenically froze several Pokemon because she adores them to the core (she called them her "precious babies"), basically freezing them against their will. I also spotted a Starmie among the frozen Pokemon, and I remember earlier in the game when she was talking to a Starmie, a Meowth, and a Grimer, telling them she will adore them. They are then led away by an Aether Employee. Judging by the Stamina in the preservation room, I'm assuming those Pokemon were led away to be frozen by the Aether Foundation. That is actually really disturbing.

Gladion and Hau arrive, and while Lusamine is enthusiastic to see Hau, she isn't so much for Gladion. Lusamine states, "Hmph. And Gladion, must you be so untidy" while shrugging her shoulders. Gladion tells her to not abuse Cosmog's power and not let the Ultra Beasts roam wild. Lusamine walks toward Gladion, leading to a staredown. The camera spans over to Lillie, now looking concerned.

And then...

"OH GOD! She looks like she's going to go on a serial killing rampage."

So Gladion was also Lusamine's son and Lillie's brother. Wow, the family theories were true indeed! Even Hau was shocked by this plot reveal, and Lusamine reiterates that she doesn't consider them her children because of their actions. Lillie tries to convince her mother not to kill Cosmog, but Lusamine ignores her. For her, all she cares about is creating the Ultra Wormhole. She doesn't care that Cosmog will die in the process.

Let's break down Lusamine from what we know so far:

• A crazy and controlling mother who forces her son Gladion and her daughter Lillie to dress up and act the way she wants them to (especially Lillie, who was dressed to resemble UB-01 Nihilego because Lusamine is that obsessed with it)
• Disowns her own children because they took Type: Null and Cosmog away from her, even though both Gladion and Lillie did so because they couldn't bear letting them be tortured for much longer
• Thinks children are supposed to be completely submissive to their parents and nothing else
• Has anger management problems
• Cryogenically freezes Pokemon against their will so that she can preserve them for eternity because she adores them that much
• Is so obsessed with the Ultra Beasts that she wants to travel to their world and let roam around and cause destruction in Alola because she wants them to freely "express themselves"
• Wants to torture Cosmog so that it can use its power to open up the Ultra Wormholes
• Is willing to kill a Pokemon just for her own personal gain.

I can't believe I'm saying this but...

Lusamine is a really crazy woman and a complete monster!​

Ghetsis, I used to think you were the most psychopathic, craziest, and evilest scumbag out of all the main series Pokemon villains. Why? You had severe anger management problems, had a complete mental breakdown in Black2/White2, raised N for your own personal gain rather than treat him as a son, and being the first main series villain to actually attempt to murder the player character.
But now, for reasons previously mentioned, I think Lusamine gives Ghetsis a serious run for his money. I'd say she has the potential to overthrow Ghetsis as the new most psychopathic villain in a main series Pokemon game.

Getting back on track, Lusamine, yet again, ignores Lillie's plea to let Cosmog, now trapped in a small crate, go, but Lusamine holds up the crate as she now forces the little Pokemon to create not one, but multitudes of Ultra Wormholes across the region during a cutscene. Following that, Cosmog lets out a pained cry, and then Lusamine continues to demonstrate how insane she is.

I am legitimately surprised she didn't kick Cosmog's cage to a wall. I mean, Lusamine was visibly annoyed hearing Cosmog cry, and considering her true colors, it wouldn't surprise she'd resort to such violence..

Also:

The Ojou-sama laugh intensifies!

Also, loved that cutscene of Hala and Tapu Koko confronting the buff mosquito!

Guzman arrives in the room, and Lusamine orders him to take out everyone in the room besides her and Nihilego. Gladion then states he will stop Nihilego, while Hau will take on Guzma and I will take on Lusamine. Hau looks shocked upon hearing he has to fight Guzma, and Guzma laughs at him. Meanwhile, Lusamine nonchalantly accepts the challenge. She states, "I will need to silence you first."

And then the battle begins!

I'm going to say this right now. Lusamine's battle theme is absolutely amazing! Seriously, just listen to it:

The best part of the track is from 1:13-1:24. It has a menacing yet awesome tune, and it captures Lusamine's vicious personality really well. The rest of the track has the perfect mix of elegant yet villainous. Definitely my favorite track in the entire game.

Lusamine's opening sprite was pretty epic too: she gave a fierce stomp and a creepy grin.

Now for the breakdown of the battle:

The only challenging part of the fight for me was the beginning. I opened with Mata Hari against her Clefable. I gave Mata Hari prior to this battle to improve its speed if necessary. Mata Hari got two Poison Jabs on the Clefable. The Clefable got one Cosmic Power and a Metronome, but the Metronome only produced a Heal Pulse, which had no effect. She then withdrew her Clefable into Mismagius, and it took some solid damage from a Poison Jab; it even got poisoned. However, because it could hit hard with Shadow Ball and was pretty fast overall, I switched into Selkie because of her high Attack against Mismagius's low Defense. Mismagius gets a critical hit on Selkie with Shadow Ball upon the switch. I then used Accelrock instead of Bite, thinking Mismagius could outspend Selkie and Selkie could knock it out with a STAB attack like that. Unfortunately, Mismagius lives with a slimmer of health and finishes Selkie off. The poison then kills Mismagius.

Now that the game doesn't tell me who's the next switch-in because of the poison taking its toll on Mismagius, I switch into Azura. Lusamine switches into Lilligant. Well then, I have to withdraw again. Mata Hari comes back out, and it was a good call. Lilligant was going to use Stun Spore, but it had no effect thanks to Mata Hari's typing. For the next few turns, I had to restore Selkie and heal Mata Hari when her HP got low. Thankfully, Mata Hari did really well. She took those Petal Blizzards like a boss. Once the team was ready to get back on track, Mata Hari OHKOd a full HP Lilligant with a single Poison Jab.

The second half of the battle was easy. Her Bewear came next, but Primarina one shotted it with Moonblast. Lusamine brought back her Clefable, but I used Toucan Sam to finish it off with Steel Wing. Last but not least was her Mitotic. I had Puka kill it with ease thanks to a single Gigavolt Havoc.

Overall, Mata Hari was the MVP of this battle because of how she weakened the Clefable, poisoned the Mismagius, and handled the Lilligant.

Following the battle, Lusamine goes into a mental breakdown because she was annoyed by the loss and then states "All I ever want is to be with my precious Nihilego!" The Ultra Wormhole starts to disappear, so she goes through it and tags Guzma along. Lusamine intends on capturing Nihilego with a newly developed Poke Ball designed to capture Ultra Beasts like it. Cosmog has also turned into Cosmoen following it.

With this hassle out of the way, everyone rests for the night. Lillie particularly sleeps on her mother's bed because it reminded her of a time when she let her share her bed when she was little. That's interesting. I want to hear this detail get elaborated on later.

Upon heading out, we see Lillie again, and now she's wearing new clothes and a hairstyle.

Gotta say, I like Lillie's new clothing more than her initial design. I think the ponytail looks cute on her. I also like this new design because it perfectly represents her character development. In fact, I think the hat she previously wore has a deep metaphorical meaning going on, but I'm going to talk about that in a future post.

I laughed when Hau commented on Lillie's design and Gladion responded with, "What was that?" Gladion can be quite the defensive brother!

We are dropped off in Poni Island's Seafolk Village by Gladion. Upon arrival, Gladion and Lillie engage in some really good dialogue. Lillie thanks her brother for the boat ride, but what she says next gives us some more backstory. Apparently, after Gladion stole Type: Null and left two years back, Lusamine became even more abusive and insane. Lillie then states, "If I hadn't had Wicke with me..." That line right there reveals that Wicke was a comfort figure for Lillie in those dark times. Gladion apologizes for not being with Lillie during those dark times, admitting that he cared too much about saving Type: Null. Before he leaves, he points out that Lillie has found her own battle and thus she can handle it herself. Indeed, Lillie has become a stronger character for what's to come.

We also encounter the chief of the Seafolk Village, and he tells us to meet with Hapu because Poni Island doesn't have a Kahuna, who we are looking for in order to summon the legendary. I took the time to explore the rest of the village, and then it was off to Route 15. The only trainer that gave me trouble was an Ace Trainer with a Toxapex that had the Poison Z-move. Other than that, it was pretty straightforward.

We reach Hapu's house to meet with Hapu, and so all three of us head to the Ruins of Hope. Hapu's comment to Lillie before departure was gold.

On the way there, I finally get the Machamp Poke Ride pager. At the ruins, a cutscene plays of Hapu receiving her Z-crystal and becoming the new Poni Island Kahuna. She then gives some backstory that her grandfather was the previous kahuna but died, and she will fulfill the job in his place. Interesting stuff.

We then have to head back to Seafolk Village to take a boat to Exeggutor Island where the Sun Flute is located. There's a funny encounter with an Alola Exeggutor, and I catch it with a Quick Ball. It then starts to rain, so Lillie hide in the rain. What follows has to be one of my favorite moments in the story. Remember the detail about Lillie sleeping on her mother's bed because it reminded her of a time when Lusamine let her share the bed for the night? We know get the full backstory:

Lillie: "Looking out at the rain like this... reminds me of a this one time when I was little. I'd seen it in a movie: this man singing and dancing in the rain. It captivated me so much that I had to try it for myself. My mother spotted me in the rain, and she was so shocked that she ran right out after me without even bothering to get an umbrella... And then... she smiled... and she danced with me in the rain. Of course we both ended up catching cold. She let me sleep in her big bed with her. I was so happy that I kept waking her again and again, just to be sure it wasn't a dream... But... then she changed... And all she could think about was the Ultra Beasts. And Null and Nebby... They both ended up suffering so much... and I couldn't do anything..."

Wow, those were some amazing words! She also goes on to talk about how I was always there for her when she thought she couldn't do anything. It seemed like she was about to confess too (her dialogue leading up to the "I" really looked it, but she interrupted with a different thought that just crossed her mind as the rain stopped. I was already liking Lillie leading up to this, and now, I say she is becoming one of my favorite characters in any Pokemon game, especially from a moment like this.

We find the Sun Flute and return to Seafolk Village, ready to travel to Poni Canyon. Right before we arrive at Poni Canyon, we are confronted by a blockade of 6 Team Skull Grunts. The team has started to freak out about their leader's disappearance, and now they want to know how they can find him. I fight two Grunts, and when the second Grunt tries to challenge me again, Plumeria stops him, revealing that she was overmatching the whole scene.

She then talks to Lillie, and sorrowful music starts to play. What follows is some really great dialogue from Plumeria. These were some of the highlights from it:

She also reveals some more details about Guzma, particularly why he's close to Lusamine.

And what follows is some great dialogue between her and Lillie regarding Lusamine:

Plumeria also gives an apology to me and marvels at how far I've come. She gives me the Poison Z-Crystal afterward.

You know, I never cared for Plumeria that much prior to this. Her battle theme was rather underwhelming, and most of her dialogue was related to the evil action she was about to do. This scene in the game puts her in an entirely different light that made me care for her. I can definitely say I like her as a character now.

And with that, it is time to begin the Poni Canyon exploration! I really can't wait to see how the plot is going to develop from here.

 

[Champ Gold]

you know a thread is in bad shape when you have to bump it, lol

You talking about the Disco Room

 

[Professor Pumpkaboo]

You talking about the Disco Room

Mostly, yeah lol

But idk why Im online really. I shoud be doing this powerpoint for class

but procrastination

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

Finally had the chance to play some Pokemon Sun during the daytime, and oh man is the plot getting good!

I have a lot to say about this part.

Spoiler: Pokemon Sun Update #9: Massive plot spoilers

Current team:

Azura: Level 48

Toucan Sam: Level 47

Puka: Level 47

Selkie: Level 47

Mata Hari: Level 47

Urlacher: Level 47​

First thing I did this morning was fight Guzma for the third time. The dude has just stomped Gladion in a battle, though he acknowledges he likes him for having the guts to escape his mother and join Team Skull all on his own. The battle itself was alright. Toucannon started out with a usual Drill Peck, bringing Golisopod to the red portion of its health. He then sent out Masquerade, but it went down to a single Drill Peck. He sent out Golisopod again while I sent out Mata Hari. Yet again I forget about First Impression, and it OHKOs her. I then have to switch into Azura to heal up Mata Hari. Once she was ready, she came back and landed the final Leaf Blade on the Golisopod. Next came the Pinsir, and I left Urlacher to do the job. It took one Z-move and two Beat Ups, but Urlacher pulled through. I then used Puka against Guzma's Ariados, but Puka went down in a single blow to Fell Sting. I had to switch into Azura to revive Puka for a turn, then use Aqua Jet to finish the battle. Overall, it was a fine battle.

So now we've reached the president's house. Lillie is there, talking to Lusamine. Turns out Lusamine is her mother; seems like the theories were true that they were related, but I think most of us expected them to be sisters. Anyway, Lillie is trying to convince her mother not to abuse Cosmog's power or it will die, but Lusamine shrugs her off, telling Lillie that she has failed to convince her otherwise because she couldn't become a trainer and the only significant thing she's ever done was stealing Cosmog. She also tells Lillie, "You're not beautiful enough for my world." Really Lusamine? You think you're daughter is ugly? Man, some mother, but that was only the beginning. Lillie notices me and thanks me that I've come to her rescue. We both head for the preservation room where Lillie is waiting.

I want to briefly interrupt and mention that Lusamine's dialogue with Lillie how Lusamine really is a crazy, manipulative, and controlling mother.

Wow, Lusamine straight up disowned Lillie for stealing Cosmog. I'm starting to think Lusamine is secretly insane...

And my suspicions would be true, because this next part is where things take a dark and disturbing turn.

In the preservation room, Lusamine reveals that she cryogenically froze several Pokemon because she adores them to the core (she called them her "precious babies"), basically freezing them against their will. I also spotted a Starmie among the frozen Pokemon, and I remember earlier in the game when she was talking to a Starmie, a Meowth, and a Grimer, telling them she will adore them. They are then led away by an Aether Employee. Judging by the Stamina in the preservation room, I'm assuming those Pokemon were led away to be frozen by the Aether Foundation. That is actually really disturbing.

Gladion and Hau arrive, and while Lusamine is enthusiastic to see Hau, she isn't so much for Gladion. Lusamine states, "Hmph. And Gladion, must you be so untidy" while shrugging her shoulders. Gladion tells her to not abuse Cosmog's power and not let the Ultra Beasts roam wild. Lusamine walks toward Gladion, leading to a staredown. The camera spans over to Lillie, now looking concerned.

And then...

"OH GOD! She looks like she's going to go on a serial killing rampage."

So Gladion was also Lusamine's son and Lillie's daughter. Wow, the family theories were true indeed! Even Hau was shocked by this plot reveal, and Lusamine reiterates that she doesn't consider them her children because of their actions. Lillie tries to convince her mother not to kill Cosmog, but Lusamine ignores her. For her, all she cares about is creating the Ultra Wormhole. She doesn't care that Cosmog will die in the process.

Let's break down Lusamine from what we know so far:

• A crazy and controlling mother who forces her son Gladion and her daughter Lillie to dress up and act the way she wants them to (especially Lillie, who was dressed to resemble UB-01 Nihilego because Lusamine is that obsessed with it)
• Disowns her own children because they took Type: Null and Cosmog away from her, even though both Gladion and Lillie did so because they couldn't bear letting them be tortured for much longer
• Thinks children are supposed to be completely submissive to their parents and nothing else
• Has anger management problems
• Cryogenically freezes Pokemon against their will so that she can preserve them for eternity because she adores them that much
• Is so obsessed with the Ultra Beasts that she wants to travel to their world and let roam around and cause destruction in Alola because she wants them to freely "express themselves"
• Wants to torture Cosmog so that it can use its power to open up the Ultra Wormholes
• Is willing to kill a Pokemon just for her own personal gain.

I can't believe I'm saying this but...

Lusamine is a really crazy woman and a complete monster!​

Ghetsis, I used to think you were the most psychopathic, craziest, and evilest scumbag out of all the main series Pokemon villains. Why? You had severe anger management problems, had a complete mental breakdown in Black2/White2, raised N for your own personal gain rather than treat him as a son, and being the first main series villain to actually attempt to murder the player character.
But now, for reasons previously mentioned, I think Lusamine gives Ghetsis a serious run for his money. I'd say she has the potential to overthrow Ghetsis as the new most psychopathic villain in a main series Pokemon game.

Getting back on track, Lusamine, yet again, ignores Lillie's plea to let Cosmog, now trapped in a small crate, go, but Lusamine holds up the crate as she now forces the little Pokemon to create not one, but multitudes of Ultra Wormholes across the region during a cutscene. Following that, Cosmog lets out a pained cry, and then Lusamine continues to demonstrate how insane she is.

I am legitimately surprised she didn't kick Cosmog's cage to a wall. I mean, Lusamine was visibly annoyed hearing Cosmog cry, and considering her true colors, it wouldn't surprise she'd resort to such violence..

Also:

The Ojou-sama laugh intensifies!

Also, loved that cutscene of Hala and Tapu Koko confronting the buff mosquito!

Guzman arrives in the room, and Lusamine orders him to take out everyone in the room besides her and Nihilego. Gladion then states he will stop Nihilego, while Hau will take on Guzma and I will take on Lusamine. Hau looks shocked upon hearing he has to fight Guzma, and Guzma laughs at him. Meanwhile, Lusamine nonchalantly accepts the challenge. She states, "I will need to silence you first."

And then the battle begins!

I'm going to say this right now. Lusamine's battle theme is absolutely amazing! Seriously, just listen to it:

The best part of the track is from 1:13-1:24. It has a menacing yet awesome tune, and it captures Lusamine's vicious personality really well. The rest of the track has the perfect mix of elegant yet villainous. Definitely my favorite track in the entire game.

Lusamine's opening sprite was pretty epic too: she gave a fierce stomp and a creepy grin.

Now for the breakdown of the battle:

The only challenging part of the fight for me was the beginning. I opened with Mata Hari against her Clefable. I gave Mata Hari prior to this battle to improve its speed if necessary. Mata Hari got two Poison Jabs on the Clefable. The Clefable got one Cosmic Power and a Metronome, but the Metronome only produced a Heal Pulse, which had no effect. She then withdrew her Clefable into Mismagius, and it took some solid damage from a Poison Jab; it even got poisoned. However, because it could hit hard with Shadow Ball and was pretty fast overall, I switched into Selkie because of her high Attack against Mismagius's low Defense. Mismagius gets a critical hit on Selkie with Shadow Ball upon the switch. I then used Accelrock instead of Bite, thinking Mismagius could outspend Selkie and Selkie could knock it out with a STAB attack like that. Unfortunately, Mismagius lives with a slimmer of health and finishes Selkie off. The poison then kills Mismagius.

Now that the game doesn't tell me who's the next switch-in because of the poison taking its toll on Mismagius, I switch into Azura. Lusamine switches into Lilligant. Well then, I have to withdraw again. Mata Hari comes back out, and it was a good call. Lilligant was going to use Stun Spore, but it had no effect thanks to Mata Hari's typing. For the next few turns, I had to restore Selkie and heal Mata Hari when her HP got low. Thankfully, Mata Hari did really well. She took those Petal Blizzards like a boss. Once the team was ready to get back on track, Mata Hari OHKOd a full HP Lilligant with a single Poison Jab.

The second half of the battle was easy. Her Bewear came next, but Primarina one shotted it with Moonblast. Lusamine brought back her Clefable, but I used Toucan Sam to finish it off with Steel Wing. Last but not least was her Mitotic. I had Puka kill it with ease thanks to a single Gigavolt Havoc.

Overall, Mata Hari was the MVP of this battle because of how she weakened the Clefable, poisoned the Mismagius, and handled the Lilligant.

Following the battle, Lusamine goes into a mental breakdown because she was annoyed by the loss and then states "All I ever want is to be with my precious Nihilego!" The Ultra Wormhole starts to disappear, so she goes through it and tags Guzma along. Lusamine intends on capturing Nihilego with a newly developed Poke Ball designed to capture Ultra Beasts like it. Cosmog has also turned into Cosmoen following it.

With this hassle out of the way, everyone rests for the night. Lillie particularly sleeps on her mother's bed because it reminded her of a time when she let her share her bed when she was little. That's interesting. I want to hear this detail get elaborated on later.

Upon heading out, we see Lillie again, and now she's wearing new clothes and a hairstyle.

Gotta say, I like Lillie's new clothing more than her initial design. I think the ponytail looks cute on her. I also like this new design because it perfectly represents her character development. In fact, I think the hat she previously wore has a deep metaphorical meaning going on, but I'm going to talk about that in a future post.

I laughed when Hau commented on Lillie's design and Gladion responded with, "What was that?" Gladion can be quite the defensive brother!

We are dropped off in Poni Island's Seafolk Village by Gladion. Upon arrival, Gladion and Lillie engage in some really good dialogue. Lillie thanks her brother for the boat ride, but what she says next gives us some more backstory. Apparently, after Gladion stole Type: Null and left two years back, Lusamine became even more abusive and insane. Lillie then states, "If I hadn't had Wicke with me..." That line right there reveals that Wicke was a comfort figure for Lillie in those dark times. Gladion apologizes for not being with Lillie during those dark times, admitting that he cared too much about saving Type: Null. Before he leaves, he points out that Lillie has found her own battle and thus she can handle it herself. Indeed, Lillie has become a stronger character for what's to come.

We also encounter the chief of the Seafolk Village, and he tells us to meet with Hapu because Poni Island doesn't have a Kahuna, who we are looking for in order to summon the legendary. I took the time to explore the rest of the village, and then it was off to Route 15. The only trainer that gave me trouble was an Ace Trainer with a Toxapex that had the Poison Z-move. Other than that, it was pretty straightforward.

We reach Hapu's house to meet with Hapu, and so all three of us head to the Ruins of Hope. Hapu's comment to Lillie before departure was gold.

On the way there, I finally get the Machamp Poke Ride pager. At the ruins, a cutscene plays of Hapu receiving her Z-crystal and becoming the new Poni Island Kahuna. She then gives some backstory that her grandfather was the previous kahuna but died, and she will fulfill the job in his place. Interesting stuff.

We then have to head back to Seafolk Village to take a boat to Exeggutor Island where the Sun Flute is located. There's a funny encounter with an Alola Exeggutor, and I catch it with a Quick Ball. It then starts to rain, so Lillie hide in the rain. What follows has to be one of my favorite moments in the story. Remember the detail about Lillie sleeping on her mother's bed because it reminded her of a time when Lusamine let her share the bed for the night? We know get the full backstory:

Lillie: "Looking out at the rain like this... reminds me of a this one time when I was little. I'd seen it in a movie: this man singing and dancing in the rain. It captivated me so much that I had to try it for myself. My mother spotted me in the rain, and she was so shocked that she ran right out after me without even bothering to get an umbrella... And then... she smiled... and she danced with me in the rain. Of course we both ended up catching cold. She let me sleep in her big bed with her. I was so happy that I kept waking her again and again, just to be sure it wasn't a dream... But... then she changed... And all she could think about was the Ultra Beasts. And Null and Nebby... They both ended up suffering so much... and I couldn't do anything..."

Wow, those were some amazing words! She also goes on to talk about how I was always there for her when she thought she couldn't do anything. It seemed like she was about to confess too (her dialogue leading up to the "I" really looked it, but she interrupted with a different thought that just crossed her mind as the rain stopped. I was already liking Lillie leading up to this, and now, I say she is becoming one of my favorite characters in any Pokemon game, especially from a moment like this.

We find the Sun Flute and return to Seafolk Village, ready to travel to Poni Canyon. Right before we arrive at Poni Canyon, we are confronted by a blockade of 6 Team Skull Grunts. The team has started to freak out about their leader's disappearance, and now they want to know how they can find him. I fight two Grunts, and when the second Grunt tries to challenge me again, Plumeria stops him, revealing that she was overmatching the whole scene.

She then talks to Lillie, and sorrowful music starts to play. What follows is some really great dialogue from Plumeria. These were some of the highlights from it:

She also reveals some more details about Guzma, particularly why he's close to Lusamine.

And what follows is some great dialogue between her and Lillie regarding Lusamine:

Plumeria also gives an apology to me and marvels at how far I've come. She gives me the Poison Z-Crystal afterward.

You know, I never cared for Plumeria that much prior to this. Her battle theme was rather underwhelming, and most of her dialogue was related to the evil action she was about to do. This scene in the game puts her in an entirely different light that made me care for her. I can definitely say I like her as a character now.

And with that, it is time to begin the Poni Canyon exploration! I really can't wait to see how the plot is going to develop from here.

Gladion is not Lillie's daughter

 

[Erureido]

Gladion is not Lillie's daughter

Spoiler

I know that. That was a typo.

And you might want to put a spoilers tag for that post just to be safe.

 

[praline]

The fairy Z move is ridiculous.

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

I hope no one goes into Sun and Moon spoiled by the fact Gladion isn't Lillie's daughter, lol

 

[praline]

Z moves go through protect. Crazy.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Spoiler

I know that. That was a typo.

And you might want to put a spoilers tag for that post just to be safe.

I think he's good saying that.

I mean, maybe I'm in the minority here, but I also assumed Gladion wasn't Lillie's daughter.

 

[praline]

I do believe I am in the final dungeon of Pokemon Moon.

Spoiler

I'm in the Ultra World or whatever it's called.

 

[Chrono.]

Sooooo...

I'm guessing that you still can't rename traded Pokemon?

 

[praline]

Hmm.. since pseudo legendaries have 600 stat points. One of my 3 will just have 100 for each of them.

 

[PLATINUM7]

Just met a certain someone's parents in Moon.

Spoiler

Guzma's mum seemed really proud of him. He sounded kind of adorable, taking pride in Pokemon battling as a kid. His mum isn't believing any of those rumours that he's up to no good

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Just met a certain someone's parents in Moon.

Spoiler

Guzma's mum seemed really proud of him. He sounded kind of adorable, taking pride in Pokemon battling as a kid. His mum isn't believing any of those rumours that he's up to no good

"MAH BOI Guzma wouldn't do any of those terrible things."

 

[Cyn]

Sooooo...

I'm guessing that you still can't rename traded Pokemon?

You guessed correctly.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

How do reset bags work exactly?

Because I just found out that my old Kyogre from Sapphire has a Modest Nature.

It's level 67 because I used it ingame all those years ago.

Is it possible to use it competitively with a reset bag?

 

[Opossum]

Just met a certain someone's parents in Moon.

Spoiler

Guzma's mum seemed really proud of him. He sounded kind of adorable, taking pride in Pokemon battling as a kid. His mum isn't believing any of those rumours that he's up to no good

His dad though...

Spoiler

I mean, it's heavily, HEAVILY implied he beat Guzma with golf clubs growing up, making him the way he is now.

 

[Coricus]

Just met a certain someone's parents in Moon.

Spoiler

Guzma's mum seemed really proud of him. He sounded kind of adorable, taking pride in Pokemon battling as a kid. His mum isn't believing any of those rumours that he's up to no good

Darnit, I kept skipping areas so I think I missed this. Where's this at?