"Not Sailor Moon"

I was supposed to meet Kahuna Olivia in the town hidden behind Diglett's Tunnel.  Konikoni City is a town that reminds me a lot of Miyajima Island near Hiroshima in Japan.  There are red structures resembling the tori gates, street markets on old stone roads.  There is a lot about this town that reminds me of my trip to the same place this last summer.

This is the second consecutive Pokemon game where I have found that I have actually been to one of the in-game locations in the very recent past.  I wonder if my travels are actually influencing the game design?!

I had found that I had missed Olivia by just a few moments when I got there and I swore right there in Konikoni that I would find her and have my revenge...

Now on with the chase, Miami, Dallas, New Orleans, then I came face to face with the rat in Niagra Falls...

Olivia told me to meet with her in the sanctuary where the Akala Island Guardian Deity resides.  I suppose that having god watch my battle is the ultimate in nerve-inducing audiences, but that shaking you see of me is probably just the cold.

On my way through another graveyard--this one infested with Gastly and Phantump.  Noteworthy amongst my travels was a near-loss against a tough Umbreon and a double blackout against what can only be described as the douchiest of Douchebag Gyarados.

I also came across a Trainer class called "Punk Girl".  Let's play a game of "Spot the Differences" between "Punk Girl and Boy" and "Team Skull Grunts"

 

Guys, I think we have finally figured it out...Team Skull is just real people!  Phew!

Speaking of those numbskulls, "Not Sailor Moon" showed up to chastise me for picking on her gruntlings.  Her name is Plumeria and apparently she's a leader of Team Skull.  She called her minions idiots a few times and then challenged me with her Golbat and her Salandit.

I actually had a little trouble with this match.  Her Golbat was faster and at a higher level than any of my pokemon and most of the pokemon I had with me at the time (Crabrawler, Steenee, Sylvan, ...) were mismatched against the Poison/Flying pokemon.  Luckily, I have the best pokemon ever on my team, so I was able to finish it off with a few powerful moves.  In this case, "the best pokemon ever" is my water starter Pako Pako, and "a few powerful moves" means Hydro Vortex and Scald.  

Yes, I know I am temperamental about this sort of thing.

Current Squad:

Brionne/Pako Pako/lvl 25
Crabrawler/Ppunches/lvl 23
Salandit/Sassy Sally/lvl 23
Oricorio/Ori-Chan/lvl 23
Steenee/Bouncee/lvl 24
Sylveon/Sly/lvl 24

On Rotation:
Grimer/Sludj/lvl 23
Misdreavus/Missy/lvl 23
Trumbeak/Pip Pip/lvl 23
Mareanie/Meanie/lvl 21

Pokedex: 101 caught

Choosing Pako Pako

Let me just say that this game has a LOT of cutscenes.  Professor Kukui met with me in my home and helped escort me to the next town over, Iki Town, to meet the Kahuna of the island Melemele there to get my first pokemon.  Whew, so many names of things!  Apparently, Kahuna are particularly strong trainers on each island, chosen by that island's totem guardian.  The totem of Melemele is apparently Electric Space Warrior Kamen Rider.

Naturally, the kahuna is suffering from "princess is in another castle syndrome" and I have to go off looking for him.  I stumbled across the "office supplies bandit" almost immediately, further proving my point that the introductory scene at Abstergo Industries was pointless.  Her pokemon is apparently purple puffball.

Purple puffball (probably a fairy type) is immediately attacked by a flock of spearows (and it's always spearow...the dicks...) and my character of course rushes to protect it.  I mean, that's kind of just what August does.  Anyways, bad goes to worse and I am eventually saved by the Electric Space Warrior Kamen Rider "Tapu Koko".  My total playtime right now is 30 minutes and it has all been cutscenes...

The Office Supplies Bandit is then revealed to be Professor Kukui's assistant Lillie and th Kahuna shows up because the plot called for it.

The pokemon choosing ceremony that followed was actually quite sweet.  You start the way one always does--by choosing the water type.  But after this, it involved your choice deciding whether or not to come to you.  The animators do a good job of showing the pokemon's initial indecision and eventual warm acceptance.  I used to volunteer at dog shelters and it's the same sort of look that the dogs would have when introduced to prospective new owners and it honestly made me tear up a little (I need a dog really badly).

I named my little Popplio "Pako Pako".  I can't believe I so quickly went from "grump" to "fangirl".

Current Squad:

Popplio/Pako Pako/lvl 5