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