Awakening and Evolution: Salazzle, Primarina

I actually felt bad while it was happening.  There I was—the privileged kid who recently moved to paradise with my fancy, expensive gift pokemon and all the money I had earned by vanquishing all my opponents in battle—campaigning through the slums that Team Skull calls home, smiting them one by one.

I bet it is always raining here.  I bet this rain is always here.

None could beat me, nobody even came close.  I made it to the “mansion” (remember that?) and found it to be in the same shape as the rest of the town: run down, leaking.

As I made my sad trek through Po Town, I feel as though I learned a lot about myself and about my own privileges.  In addition to this, Sassy Sally evolved.  It may very well be that Salandit only evolves once its trainer has been sufficiently existentially awakened.  However, I can't prove this one way or another and the simpler solution, that it evolves at level 34, is more likely the case.

Along the way, I was treated to even more examples of why Team Skull is my favorite gang ever.  I found one trainer who said that their goal was to collect all the Buginium-Z in the world so that Guzma would for sure be the strongest bug trainer in Alola.  Ultimately, I found an entire actual treasure chest of the z-crystals, so they must be pretty successful--at least by this metric (joke's on them, I stole a shard for myself).  I also found two girl gang members who were arguing about which Skull tank top was whose.  One of them suggested that they write their names on their own shirts.  The other responded by pointing out that that wouldn't matter because all of the Team Skull members' names are "Grunt".

I'll let that one sink in.

...

This is the best game.

At the top of the rundown mansion, constantly leaking due to the torrential rain of symbolism (Editor's note: who knew that weather has such a knowledge of poignancy!), I found Guzma again.  I had come here to save some kid's Yungoos.  Yungoos would be the prize in our battle.

It was an easier match than last time--I was able to take out Ariados with Salazzle's Z-Inferno Overdrive and the behemoth Golisopod with Pako Pako.  After the battle, Pako Pako finally evolved into Primarina.  At this point, I was just showing off.
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Salazzle is a well-designed pokemon that I had seen already, but Primarina was new to me.  Honestly, I think this is the perfect final evolution of this pokemon!  It is a Water/Fairy pokemon (a great offensive typing given its bulk and its Special attacking prowess) and its design screams "Mermaid".  I would have preferred a female (I already have one trans pokemon on my team in Sailor Star Fighter), but who can complain?!

Its schtick is that it is a singer and it attacks with its voice.  This is immediately apparent in its special Z-move, Z-Oceanic Operetta, a sound-based water type special move which deals massive damage.

Z-Oceanic Operetta

If I had to rank my favorite water starters, Primarina would land at third out of the seven: after Feraligatr and Greninja and above Empoleon, Swampert, Blastoise, and (bleh) Samurott (bleh).
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With Sassy Sally and Pako Pako at their maximum strength, I made my way back to Accerola, Hau, and Lillie.  What I found would shock me.

(Gotta mine those clicks where I can, yo)

Current Squad:
Primarina/Pako Pako/lvl 34
Electabuzz/Buzz/lvl 35
Salazzle/Sassy Sally/lvl 34
Oricorio/Ori-chan/lvl 33
Tsareena/Bouncee/lvl 34
Sylveon/Star Fighter/lvl 34

On Rotation:
Mareanie/Meanie/lvl 32
Trumbeak/Pip Pip/lvl 34

Pokedex: 180 caught

Guzma, Kukui, Hau, Hap, Gladdion, Hau, Accerola, Lillie, Accerola, Ghost Trial

In typical alpha male fashion, Guzma told me that he would find me some other time and beat me down.  I hope that next time, I take one of my many flying types with me to make the battle against his bug team a little easier.

I gave the Masked Royal's mask...I mean, Professor Kukui, the masked royal's mask...I'm confused too.  At any rate, I exited the conversation with a special Z-crystal for Pako-Pako once it finally evolves. (squee!!)

The princess from before showed-up again with Lillie...apparently their shopping spree was over and they were ready to let me know that they were still a part of the game.  The princess introduced herself as Accerola and once again, she failed to explain her importance.  Lillie showed up to say nothing in particular.  So, with nothing having been done, nor gained from the exchange.  My next run-in with the legion of supporting characters was on the following route with a person named Hap.  Hap gave me a ride pager for Mudsdale, and...I'm sorry, but who the hell are you?! 

Christ, I have found my next nitpick for this game:  there are too many supporting characters...snd specifically too many characters whose name starts with an "H".

Tapu Village was the next town on my journey--the site of the base of Alola's eventual Victory Road. I say "eventual" because, as I mentioned before, the Pokemon league hasn't fully been developed nor build so far.  This is the inaugural championship.  There, I met Hau and Gladdion.  Gladden warned us that there is a pokemon called Cosmog that has the power to destroy reality or something like that...surely he doesn't mean that puffball that Lillie has stuffed into her bag?!

I'm sorry if none of this makes sense or if I'm switching topics too much.  Surely, it isn't just the fever that I'm running that is making this whole experience so surreal.  Surely, it's at least partly that this game has so many clitting characters all over the place that I can't keep track of a single plot thread.

I came upon Accerola again (why are you here?!) and she directed me toward a spooky, haunted beach.  On this spooky, haunted beach was a spooky haunted mall.  Obviously, I was in for a spooky, haunted ghost trial.

Apparently, Accerola is the Ghost Captain!!

Have I seriously just not been paying attention?

Current Squad:
Brionne/Pako Pako/lvl 30
Crabrawler/Ppunches/lvl 29
Salandit/Sassy Sally/lvl 29
Oricorio/Ori-Chan/lvl 31
Tsareena/Bouncee/lvl 31
Sylveon/Star Fighter/lvl 29

On Rotation:
Mareanie/Meanie/lvl 29
Toucannon/Pip Pip/lvl 30
Electabuzz/Buzz/lvl 30

Pokedex: 174


caught