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

Beyond the Ghost Trial

This week, August has moved beyond the curtained door into the afterlife after seeking his ghosts and defeating them in battle.

Well, or something like that.

The Ghost Trial had me finding and photographing spooky ghosts doing spooky ghosty things in the haunted mall/beach.  Ultimately, my opponent was the Ghost/Fairy Mimikyu and its buddy Haunter.  Mimikyu has a unique ability in "Disguise".  This allows it to avoid the first direct hit of a match.  It would have been great to know this before I wasted by Z-move "Inferno Overdrive" on it.

I came away with the victory in the end, largely because Beak Blast has the ability to cause burn against pokemon that cause direct physical damage.

The next supporting character I would be introduced to would be none other than Grimsley, the Dark type Elite Four from Pokemon Black and White version.  Grimsley showed up out of nowhere (seriously, even the other characters were commenting on how weird he was standing there in his kimono on the beach) to give me the ride pager for Sharpedo (which would allow me to break through rocks whilst surfing).

I battled Plumeria again.  Since our last match, her Salandit had evolved into Salazzle.  It was level 35, so my own Sassy Sally must be close to evolution, herself!  Team Skull left, but not before stealing a poor little kid's Yungoos.

I decided to help because I am the fighter for love and justice known as Sailor August.  No, I didn't decide to help because the plot called for it.

Turns out that Team Skull lives in a walled off slum that they call Po Town.  There is garbage and graffiti all over...plus it is constantly raining.  There is no power for their pokemon center.  I would probably get pretty grumpy having to live there too.

I think I get Team Skull.  I mean, it wasn't until recently that I really understood the plans or the motivations of the other villainous gangs from previous games, but I do get Team Skull.  They're underprivileged and they just want some respect.

One gang member told me that she dropped out of her trial and that she didn't like how I was coming by and bragging about it and throwing it in her face.  I understand this as a motivation for them to want to assemble and cause a little something to get back at the privileged kids.  I understand that.

On the other hand, it wasn't until recently that I understood the motivation behind Team Aqua:  "return the world to the way that it once was and rightly should be."

Considering the dark forces that have recently taken control of the US government, a good ole reset of the entire species might be for the best.

We're probably going to get one whether we like it or not.

Current Squad:


Brionne/Pako Pako/lvl 33
Electabuzz/Buzz/lvl 33
Salandit/Sassy Sally/lvl 32
Oricorio/Ori-Chan/lvl 33
Tsareena/Bouncee/lvl 33
Sylveon/Star Fighter/lvl 34

On Rotation:
Crabrawler, Toucannon, Mareanie

Pokedex: 177 caught

Rematch with Salazzle

After rushing my battered pokemon and my battered pride to the pokemon center for some nursing, I regrouped and thought about what I had learned.  I figured out that the problem was that the match was somewhat out of my control; my team was put together to battle fire pokemon.  I couldn't have anticipated that my trial would be a fire and poison trial.

Let's take stock.  I had one pokemon that was suited for the match: Brionne resisted Flame Burst and hit hard with its Hydro Vortex move.  Had I weakened the Salazzle with any other move, I could have knocked it out with Pako Pako's Z-move.  However, of all my other pokemon, only Ori-chan was any use and it was unfortunately outside and outclassed by Toxic + Venoshock.  My other Pokemon, Grimer and Crabrawler, were each at a severe disadvantage in battling a poison type.  It was a mismatch from the start.

Now who could I use? Probably not Sylveon (Sidetone: I have recently renamed Sylveon Sailor "Star Fighter" because "duh") because he would take extreme damage from that Venoshock.  I could use Trumbeak, but it's a bit too slow and frail to survive more than one turn.  Misdreavus has Thunderwave as an option, but this would require it to survive a venoshock...

...unless I had it out before Salandit is summoned.

I was on to something.  With Salazzle (and maybe also Salandit) paralyzed, my pokemon would have a chance to cause some damage before the inevitable 120 base power venoshock nukes are launched. I just had to choose my fastest and strongest pokemon to support.

Vs. Salazzle Rematch: Speedy Thunder

My plan was weirdly simple: paralyze the opponents and take them out.  I was pleasantly surprised when I was successful in successfully using thunder wave on both salazzle and her summoned salandit.  With luck on my side and the wind in my sails, I was able to slowly whittle the pokemon down.  The major change was that now Venoshock was no longer a one-turn-one-hit KO move.  I was able to move before the speedier foes.

Soon enough, only Pako-Pako remained.  My ace.  It was tight, but I knew I had won.

Hydro Vortex.

VICTORY!

Vs. Salazzle

I wanted a challenge, so I had decided to take only four pokemon with me on my run up the mountain (Editor's note: Foreboding is an adjective that means 'uninvited dread', but in this case, take it to mean 'the anticipation of disaster').  The squad that I had come up with was made up of my most reliable pokemon that have followed me around all the way from the first island.

Vs. Salazzle: The Melemele Firefighters

During the initial phases of the trial back when I was playing "is there a hiker in this photo", I had been subjected to a few surprise battles.  The first was against that fire-dancing Marowak.  The second was against the Hiker himself.  These matches, while not difficult, had taken their toll on my lead Grimer.  Indeed, Sludj was forced to enter battle with the totem Salazzle with only 13 HP remaining.

"You Toxic bitch, you"

Because I own a Salandit, I already knew how fast the totem pokemon was, so I knew that Grimer wouldn't last very long.  One Flame Burst later and it was now a 3-on-1 match: 3-on-2 once Salazzle summoned Salandit as its partner.

This did not bode well.

I reassessed and found that, while Crabrawler was a good choice against a fire type, the dual Poison/Fire Salazzle/Salandit combo meant that the crustacean would be at a disadvantage.  Fighting moves are weak against the poison type.  I sent it in and attempted to whittle down the supporting Salandit with Bubblebeam.

It was then that the enemy duo revealed their master strategy.  Venoshock is a niche move amongst Poison Pokemon Trainers.  It has a base power of 60 damage under normal circumstances, but a base power of 120 if the opponent is afflicted by poison.  Salazzle knew Toxic.  Salandit knew Venoshock.  Because both opponents were faster than any of my underleveled pokemon, I lost my next two without even scoring a hit.  Salazzle would use Toxic, Sanandit would use Venoshock, and my pokemon would be knocked-off in one hit.

The only pokemon that even had a chance was Pako Pako, who miraculously survived Venoshock.  My partner retaliated with its Hydro Vortex Z-move!!

Salazzle surprised me with its strength.  It clung on and survived (barely) the ultimate water move.

And thus it was that foreboding became foreshadowing.  I was given my first loss.