Let's all go to Ula'Ula Island!

"Has anyone been noticing that President Lusamine has been acting a little weirdly these days? ...no? ...Just me? ...okay." -Aether Foundation worker, probably

So I guess we're going to just ignore that strangely poignant diabolical laugh?  And the suspicious explosion that lead to the reality-warping supercreature that just entered our timeline too?

Okay, onward to Ula'Ula Island!
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Our wonderful hosts at the Aether Foundation whodefinitelyarethegoodguysmaybe sent us off with gifts: food for Hau and the TM Psychic for me.  Please make up your own jokes for this instance, I've been concentrating on setting myself up for a "Let's all go to Ula'Ula Island" gag later on in this blog post.

When we landed in Malie City, a town that takes a lot of its architectural cues from the Johto region, Hau healed my pokemon and challenged me to battle.  Since our last match, he has evolved his Pikachu into a nifty Alola Raichu and his Eevee into a Leafeon.  His Torracat...well that just stayed as a Torracat.  Raichu was tough, but the rest of his pokemon were outclassed by my trademarked strategy of "Toxic-Protect-Repeat".  I'm forever in fear of the day when I will have to battle someone straight up.

From there, I had a meeting with Professor Kukui in the rest area of the Koi Gardens and a meeting with Lillie in the library.  Kukui told me where to go to get to my electric trial so that I may continue my island challenge.  Lillie was looking for a book about legendary pokemon.  I guess that means that the mission concerning the art on the game's box is going to start to unfold.

While there, we met another side character (there are a lot in this game--between all the Aether workers, the Team Skull members, the captains, and kahunas, Kukui and Scientist Woman, the Kalos kids; it's a lot to keep track of.  This person helped us find the book that Lillie needed and then said that she's a princess and that the book was her dad's.

The story in the book was standard fare for a pokemon game.  As a matter of fact, there is always some sort of macguffin like this in the series.  In Diamond and Pearl, it was a statue inscription "blah blah blah poetry, blah blah blah, a pokemon that can control space/time."  In Black and White it was the legend "blah blah blah poetry, blah blah blah, two pokemon that stand for ideals and will."  In X and Y, it was the Geosenge tale told by the Professor Sycamore "blah blah blah poetry, blah blah blah, a pokemon that looks like an X/Y."  In this game, it was "blah blah blah poetry, blah blah blah, a pokemon that represents the moon."

Glad to see them breaking new ground in the narrative department.

My trial was south, so naturally I went north.  There I found a waste disposal and recycling plant as well as a side quest concerning the manager of the plant and his lackadaisical son.  My involvement in the plot was to defeat his Muk and his son's Grimer, but the resolution of the series of events was that the son was finally deemed worthy of taking over management of the plant.

So heartwarming.

But I guess that heartwarming is the name of the game here on this island: Let's all go to Ula'Ula Island!

Fucking. Nailed it.

/Dabs/

Current Squad:

Brionne/Pako Pako/lvl 26
Crabrawler/Ppunches/lvl 25
Salandit/Sassy Sally/lvl 25
Oricorio/Ori-chan/lvl 25
Steenee/Bouncee/lvl 25
Sylveon/Star Fighter/lvl 24

On Rotation:
Mareanie/Meanie/lvl 24
Trumbeak/Pip Pip/lvl 27
Misdreavus/Missy/lvl 24
Grimer/Sludj/lvl 25

Pokedex: 112 caught

Because OBVIOUSLY Raichu

I'm actually kinda digging this pokemon care thing.  I know it's based on the Pokemon Amie thing from last game, but for some reason I have only just come on board with it.  Possibly this is because the pokemon animations have been improved.  Possibly it is because I have just caught Pichu and Yungoos and they're both so FUCKING cute that I can't stop petting them.


The next day (there are a lot of flash forwards in this game), I made my way through Route 1 to get to the "Feast of Our Lord and Savior: The Electric Space Warrior Kamen Rider" (I'm not sure how long this lame meme is going to last).  Along the way, I picked up the aforementioned Yungoos and Pichu.  I named Yungoos "Chompy" because of those adorable teeth and I named Pichu "Rai Rai" because FUCKING DUH, Raichu! I also managed to bag my other favorite pokemon Caterpie (well, it will get there anyways...) and my other other new favorite pokemon Pikipek.  I also caught Ledyba, but I'm not feeling that, sorrynotsorry.

At the festival, we decided to skip directly to the Liturgy of the Pokemon Battle and I fought my friendly rival Haku again.  I had fought him after I got Popplio.  I had defeated his Litten handily back then and I defeated his Pichu and Litten just as easily this time.

I was told that I should totally take on the Island Challenge.  Not like I have a choice or anything.  That's not why I bought the game or anything.  There are four islands and apparently 4 challenges to take on.  This honestly reminds me of the Orange Islands league from the Pokemon anime (season 2 in case you were wondering) and it's juuust fresh enough to bring me in.

I'm curious about what this actually means...

Current Squad:
Popplio/Pako Pako/lvl 7
Yungoos/Chompy/lvl 5
Pikipik/Pip Pip/lvl 6
Pichu/Rai Rai/lvl 6
Caterpie/Felix/lvl 5

Unlisted:
Ledyba/Buckles/lvl 4

Pokedex: 6 caught