At some point you should negotiate getting yourself caught by Stetson and handing over the pokeball to your parents. Maybe you can get a swank custom luxury ball! There have to be versions of them that allow the pokemon more ability to see and hear out of it, and to get out more easily when they want. Maybe you can find one with features you like online??

>>1058732
Absolutely wholesome. Good stuff chief.

tippler 2023/03/17(Fri)13:44 No. 1058846 ID: 9ea24b
File 167908585810.png - (95.29KB , 500x500 , p44.png )

>Kirlia and Espeon each gain a Level
The two mons continue to make slow and steady progress.

>Current plan is to have Stetson catch you, let you out of the ball, and hand over the ball to your parents like a responsible young lad
You’ll have to talk this over with him and he’ll definitely ask for something in exchange.

When you arrive at the contest hall, you notice Stetson continues to be in a good mood, no doubt thanks to his winning streak and having a little more stability in his life. He tells you that your parents are nice, even if they aren’t as cool as his dad.

>B, talk to the water bird
Stetson releases his second Pokemon and leaves to test his blender timing skills, leaving you and Pelipper to size each other up.
Hi, we saw each other at the Team Magma Base, in passing.

Yes, I remember.

If you’re his Fly user, you must get to spend a lot of time with Stetson. What does he taste like? Ever get the urge to swallow him?

He’s smelly, so no. I give him rides when he wants to Surf too.

Boys are sweaty, I get ya. You don’t seem as worried as Sceptile was about, you know, waking up an ancient ultra powerful Pokemon.

What, are you going to snitch?

Oh no, I’d never!

I don’t like the strong sunlight either but Sceptile shouldn’t feel too guilty. Stetson can do what he wants.

It seems like Stetson’s Pokemon don’t get to interact very much with each other since they’re usually out of their balls one at a time. Since Pelipper spends the most time with Stetson, she’s also the most familiar with him.

Pelipper’s moveset has been added to the wiki. What do you say to her and which category of contest do you recommend she enter?

>>1058846
Ah shit. We've done all the categories she has matching moves for. That means we have to do rank 2 Cool contest!

The life of a trainer is freewheeling, but Stetson should think about how his actions will affect others before doing them, like maybe wear a fresh shirt to go Flying.
Ready for the next rank of coolness contest?

>>1058846
>Sceptile shouldn’t feel too guilty.
Why shouldn't he feel guilty about endangering the wellbeing of thousands for the sake of a child's ill-conceived ambitions? Not everyone can fly away if the region goes to hell.

Cool Contest 2 seems like the best option.

I agree Stetson should be more responsible, but we should consider whether right now we want to try to convince Pelipper of that, or try to be affable and get on her good side. The latter is likely the thing most relevant to the task at hand. We COULD do an 20/80 mix, gently voicing caution but immediately and actively dropping the matter and moving on to more pressing topics. Shrug.

>>1058846
>You’ll have to talk this over with him and he’ll definitely ask for something in exchange.
Only if you want him to not bring you with him. If you decide to travel with him, then he won't ask for anything in exchange.

But I think we should finish our business around here first before we try going on an adventure with him.

>Pelipper contest entry?
Cool contest 2

>>1058846
Suggest to Stetson that he should let his pokemon socialize more. Not only with just himself, but everyone. His other pokemon, other people, other pokemon, pokemon and people with him. Socializing is really important!

tippler 2023/03/19(Sun)08:25 No. 1059020 ID: 9ea24b
File 167923953727.png - (86.76KB , 500x500 , p45.png )

>Propose to Pelipper the novel idea that actions have consequences
Yes, but he’s the trainer and we do what he says.

You decide to drop the topic to avoid irritating Pelipper further. You’re currently on acquaintance terms with her, Aggron, and Torkoal. You’re friends with Sceptile.

>Cool contest super rank
>Random Pokeblock buffs (beauty, cool, cute, smart, tough): Cool and beauty
Pelipper opens her huge beak obediently to receive the two blocks.

>Super rank cool contest chance of success: 2 cool moves x 0.25 x 1.2 (1 cool buff) x 1 (super rank multiplier) = 60% chance of success, Failure!
Pelipper tries her best, but a sleek Manectric gets the victory. Stetson grumbles about the contest being a waste of his time. Luckily you have your parents influencing him so he’s not going to do anything stupid after this.

Since you have so much to talk to Stetson about, you volunteer yourself for the afternoon contest.

>Confirm what he’d want in exchange if he caught you
You’d be my Pokemon, so you’d have to help me with battles and stuff! I still want to finish the gym challenge and defeat the Elite Four even though people do it all the time.

>Suggest that he let his Pokemon out to socialize more
They said they wanted to do that? Okay I guess.

>Wear deodorant
Fine…

>Bring up Latias, Latios, and Deoxys
Those three sound awesome! My dad never mentioned any of them in his stories so if I caught one I could show them to him and it’d be super impressive.

How does catching a Legendary even work? Apparently Groudon was caught in the past but it didn’t last. At least Stetson is enthusiastic about the idea.

What contest do you enter? What else do you say to Stetson?

The smart choice would be Smart. How do you show off Dig without ruining the show floor?

>>1059020
Let's enter a Smart contest.
Contest advice for Vibrava: In the theme of playing smart, remember that off-brand moves can be useful as well! A well-timed Dragon Breath can be used to really mess up other mons' appeals.

>What else do you say to Stetson?
Suggest starting with Latias or Latios. They're fairly friendly with humans, so they might not take offense to a challenge.

Just go Smart, and try for the mathematically optimal strategy.

Re: didn't win, if you feel it's still on-topic, you could tell him that winning ALL the time is pretty boring, and losing occasionally makes for a better story.

>>1058554
Late again here.
Once we get our laptop charged, could we cancel our automatic payments on room and board since we aren't using it anymore?
Could we invest some of the money in stocks so we can get some passive income (through dividends) since we don't have a job anymore?

>>1059034
I'm not sure I'd call losing fun, but overcoming hurdles can be.

tippler 2023/03/20(Mon)10:48 No. 1059139 ID: 9ea24b
File 167933448504.png - (119.97KB , 500x500 , p46.png )

>Cancel payments on your room
Yup, that happened once your landlord realized you were missing, so you don’t have to worry about doing it yourself. At this point all your stuff has been removed from your former apartment.

>Invest your money
Given uncertainty in the economy with the looming threat of Groudon, it wouldn’t give you any positive returns.

>Tell Stetson that winning all the time is boring and makes the crowd mad and then they force you to go on vacation because you got lucky with accuracy drops too many times
I like winning cause it feels good, but I get it. That’s why I don’t train my Pokemon too much so the battles against gym leaders are still challenging.

For contests, I just need to give my Pokemon more blocks and then I’ll be unstoppable.

>Random Pokeblock buffs (beauty, cool, cute, smart, tough): Tough and smart
Yes! It’s finally time for you to get to try the delectable mashed berry chunks, something you’ve been dreaming about for days now. The sharp machine cut edges, the smorgasbord of flavor, you’re in heaven as you quickly chew through two firm blocks.

>Super rank smart contest chance of success: 2 smart moves x 0.25 x 1.2 (1 smart buff) x 1 (super rank multiplier) = 60% chance of success, Failure
You demonstrate your Digging prowess on the stage floor, but property destruction isn’t compelling enough to net you the victory. You’re dejected, but Stetson gives you a pat on the head and tells you good job anyway. It’s a very weird feeling and you hurry home before you can dwell on it.

>Kirlia and Espeon Level up
You find Linoone reading the novel on his own in Smeargle’s den, apparently eager to continue the story. He finishes in the late evening and expresses interest in further reading. Linoone will start reading the coding book in his spare time.

What’s your strategy for the Friendlies battle tomorrow? Since you’re teaching Gengar in the afternoon, choose whether to fight Breloom or Sealeo, with or without a friend. You’ll bring your Revive with you.

Well damn, strong Pokemon instincts to please and seek praise from a 'Trainer' type human authority figure. Uh. How, exactly, do you feel about that? Is that okay with you or something to try and logic and meditate your way out of?

Breloom, solo. With a Revive and Dragonbreath or Fly you should be fine.

>>1059145
Seconded

Seems you enjoy the patting life more then expected. Maybe see if any other pats will get the same reaction or if only trainers.

>>1059149
If we win, ask Gengar to pat us on the head. Platonically.

tippler 2023/03/21(Tue)17:16 No. 1059208 ID: 9ea24b
File 167944417988.png - (79.61KB , 500x500 , p47.png )

>Head pat experimentation
That evening, you have Smeargle praise you and pat you on the head to try and replicate the alarming effect. It’s nice, like usual, but doesn’t evoke scary feelings of loyalty and obedience.

Yeah, I think gym badges do something to make Pokemon want to obey trainers more? There’s an instinct to want to please them already, but the badges make it stronger, electronic signals or something.

That’s exceptionally terrifying. You sleep poorly and wake up the next day sluggish and worried.

>Fight Breloom with Fly, Dragon Breath, and Revive
You feel a flutter in your stomach as you step into the dirt arena opposite your friend and opponent. If you win here you’re going to evolve, get huge, and finally have thumbs! You and Breloom are the same speed.

>Turn 1
>Speed check: Failure
>Breloom: Sky Uppercut (90% accurate, hit, 88% damage)
>Vibrava: Dragon Breath (30% chance to paralyze, failure, 23% damage)
It’s a bad beginning. To your surprise, the crowd starts cheering for you as fire back with Dragon Breath. Do they know you’re close to evolving? Are they sick of seeing Breloom beat you to a pulp? Whatever it is, Breloom seems to hesitate.

>Breloom throw for content check: Failure
The indomitable mushroom shakes her head and fixes you with a determined stare. If you’re going to beat her, it’ll have to be when she’s giving it her all!

>Turn 2
>Speed check: Success
>Vibrava: Fly setup
>Breloom: Sky Uppercut (90% accurate, hit, KO)
You eat the Revive mid-air, which means you can still complete Fly on your next turn for the KO if you win the speed tie.

>Turn 3
>Speed check: Failure
>Breloom: Sky Uppercut (90% accurate, hit, KO)
You’re crushed by your defeat and wake up to the crowd booing Breloom, who gains two Levels.

Okay even I feel bad about that one. I can read on my own for a bit, why don’t you get one of your friends to help you so you can have a rematch?

A. Get Salamence to pick up Espeon for a 2v1 rematch (guaranteed win)
B. Team up with Sealeo against Breloom and a random Level 35 Pokemon (either Grumpig, Raichu, or Absol)
C. Refuse in favor of fighting another day

B, let's meet someone new.

>>1059208
>Gym Badges
That explains Pelipper. Sceptile had a different reaction, I wonder if personality plays a role.

C. Stand up to the crowd and tell them not to boo Breloom. Invite Breloom to go for a walk, we know firsthand how stressful getting booed off stage by the crowd can be.

>>1059229
>oi, stop booing
This seems like a nice gesture. Undecided on fight.

Electronic signals that affect even uncaptured pokemon...? Are the rumors about pokeballs using mind control substantiated then?? Ugh, what the heck is going on with the entire technological basis of human/pokemon interactions?! You need an ally to do some research on this stuff!

>>1059276
Yeah, I think we should keep avoiding Pokeballs.

>>1059208
B. Let's just fight and evolve already! Don't put it off until another day again!

Also tell the crowd to back off! These fights might be entertaining to watch, but we're not doing this for their entertainment, we're doing this to help each other get stronger!

>>1059208
B

>>1059306
>Let's just fight and evolve already! Don't put it off until another day again!
Yeah, let's do this.

>>1059306
>>1059310
What if we team up with Breloom to fight the hecklers?

tippler 2023/03/22(Wed)18:20 No. 1059320 ID: 9ea24b
File 167953440365.png - (136.03KB , 500x500 , p48.png )

>Badge brainwashing, how does it work?
You theorize that it’s proximity based, so the reason you’ve been affected is because you’ve been spending more time with Stetson.

>Tell the crowd to back off
You yell at the crowd to stop heckling Breloom and they settle down. Breloom seems to very much appreciate your sportsmanship.

>B, Breloom’s partner will be Absol
>Absol gender roll: Male
You lucked out, Absol is too low Level to have learned Slash and his only physical move (Razor Wind) takes a turn to set up. Sealeo bans Breloom from using Sky Uppercut in exchange for not being able to use Aurora Beam, and you both agree to focus on the mushroom mon before finishing off Absol. You can still use Fly.

>Turn 1
>Breloom: Headbutt Vibrava (52% damage, no flinch)
>Vibrava: Fly setup
>Absol: Bite Sealeo (17% damage, no flinch)
>Sealeo: Ice Ball Breloom (90% accurate, hit, 30% damage)

>Turn 2
>Breloom: Headbutt Sealeo (32% damage, no flinch)
>Vibrava: Fly hit turn (95% accurate, hit, KO on Breloom)
>Absol: Bite Sealeo (17% damage, no flinch)
>Sealeo: Ice Ball Absol (90% accurate, hit, 46% damage)
Beating up Absol at this point would just be bullying, so you stop the fight. You and Sealeo both gain two Levels and start to evolve!

tippler 2023/03/22(Wed)18:20 No. 1059321 ID: 9ea24b
File 167953441526.png - (138.80KB , 500x500 , p49.png )

You swell with energy. Your four stubby wings fuse together into two long, broad ones, your vision tints red, and your thighs get thicker than a bowl of oatmeal.

You’ve evolved into Flygon! Previously the shortest mentee, you now tower over Breloom and the newly minted Walrein without even counting your lengthy tail. You feel positively stupendous and can safely give rides to your friends, though you might have trouble fitting into small spaces. You get an overall base stat increase of 180, with attack and speed still being your best stats.

You compliment Walrein on her long tusks and sturdy body and bask in the cheers of the crowd before Salamence bustles over and clears his throat.

Thank you, Team Friendlies, for supporting this tournament for the last month. I think it’s a good time to choose the most improved Pokemon!

I mean, Breloom, Flygon, and Walrein all did a great job but I said the tournament would have a victor and I’m not going to pull an ‘everyone's a winner’ kind of thing.

So I’d like to declare Walrein the most improved and give her these helpful TMs and HMs before I take her back to her home where she can fulfill her wish to protect the Spheal.

Walrein learns Surf and Ice Beam, rounding out her moveset nicely. You’re stunned at what you feel is the abrupt end of the tournament. You now get to use your tournament days however you please, and you’re responsible for finding your own training practice in the future.

Walrein gives all of her friends a tearful farewell and after saying your own goodbyes you find yourself drifting towards the calm of Gengar’s treehouse. It’s a tight fit up the natural wood tunnel and you emerge to find Gengar engrossed in the novel. You still plan to give her a writing lesson, what else do you want to do or say?

Thank Gengar for pestering us into joining, even though it was super annoying at the time. We're much better off because of it.
After reading lessons, it might be a good idea to talk to Breloom about the Houndoom celebration idea and figure out where you can see her in the future.

>>1059321
Hey Gengar look who got HUGE

Looking good! Time to find the girlfriend and figure out the in's and out's of the new body! What works? What doesn't? Also see how dexterous the fingers and hands are! This is an Important Priority!

I'm huge! Sorry for all the hassle we gave you as a Trapinch.
How is Houndoom?

>>1059321
High five Walrein! You did it!

>>1059326
We may also need to do some adjustments to the den, so good to talk to Smeargal about that first.

lets thank Gengar for all she did for us

>tight fit
Step Gengar help I'm stuck!

tippler 2023/03/23(Thu)16:49 No. 1059375 ID: 9ea24b
File 167961536207.png - (81.69KB , 500x500 , p50.png )

>How dextrous are your new hands?
As capable as small human ones, though with only three fingers.

>Show Gengar your appreciation
Gengar, thank you for inviting me to the tournament and helping me grow. I know I was annoying when I first met you, but this has really been a good experience.

Oh my dear, it’s been my pleasure. I’m happy to keep helping as long as you’d like, there’s still plenty of growing to do.

Gengar’s words are a reminder of her wish, and you feel a slight zing up your spine. Even if you continue your relationship with Gengar, Jirachi now considers the wish to be fulfilled.

You spend the rest of the afternoon coaching Gengar on her penmanship and spelling. The ghost has made enormous strides and only needs one more teaching session to be fully literate. When you bid her farewell and squeeze down the secret passageway, you find yourself firmly gripped around the waist by the wood.

Gengar, help, I’m stuck!

That’s very unrelatable Flygon. I suppose I better do something to help my poor mentee.

Gengar gives you a good shove and you manage to tumble free. After your humiliating experience, you’re concerned about getting through the entrance to Smeargle’s den. You Fly home on your awesome new wings and land in front of the unobtrusive hole in the dirt for inspection. Your fears are well founded, your plump hips are much too wide.

You need emotional support in this challenging situation and look around desperately for a friend.

>Kirlia and Espeon gain a level
Espeon has learned Psybeam and is therefore at Linoone’s place, getting railed. Linoone is also coincidentally missing.

You have no choice but to call for Smeargle, who emerges to stare with awe at your huge new form.

Wow, look at you.

There’s no way I’m going to fit! I don’t want to break anything.

You can fit, we just need to go slow and widen the hole. Maybe use your hands first?

You have an eventful evening once you manage to get inside that tight opening.

What would you like to do tomorrow?
A. Visit a person or Pokemon
B. Address a specific task on the wiki list

>>1059375
>won't fit in the hole
Oh, you. :P

Hmm, well, we can fly friends around! ...Is there any place and any one in particular we want to go, or maybe just for fun?

Btw, do you feel any different, personality-wise, like how you felt a bit different after turning into Vibrava?

Flygon looks pretty dweeby with those red covers on his eyes. Like some tacky oversized glasses. It's very cute.

We should give Smeargle a joyride and take her along to visit Tracy, Blaziken, and Kirlia. Really strut and show off our stuff. But more usefully, we can also ask Tracy for advice on things for a young trainer like Stetson to do, stuff that doesn't involve riling up climatological legendaries. Or something like that. Also it'll be nice to catch up.

One wish down... and we can Fly people around now. Go and see Breloom about getting together a Houndoom thanksgiving gathering.

>You can fit, we just need to go slow and widen the hole. Maybe use your hands first?
>You have an eventful evening once you manage to get inside that tight opening.
Y-you guys are talking about the den entrance right? Right!?
Honorable Quest Author-sama would not be teasing us would they?

>>1059393
We can also inform Blaziken the tourneys' over.

After the joyride ask your girlfriend if she would still want to have a relationship with you if Jirachi end up turning you into a human again (if you don't find Jirachi it's possible she will do so whether you want to or not). Figure out if she is into humans at all, if she consider the you in old photos attractive or at least acceptable, and if she would be fine with the difficulty of communication. In case of a general positive response teaching her to read and write should become an objective.

Maybe we should make a tin foil hat and see if it helps with the badge radiation.

tippler 2023/03/24(Fri)14:27 No. 1059450 ID: 9ea24b
File 167969327818.png - (134.67KB , 500x500 , p51.png )

>How do you feel personality wise?
Evolving was such a drastic physical change that your brain is still catching up. You feel awkward, but also proud of your increased strength and size. Once you get used to your new self you’ll feel better and be more confident.

>Visit Tracy and Blaziken with Smeargle
You can finally charge your laptop! You have Smeargle perch on your shoulders as you soar to the other side of Mauville. Tracey is happy to see you after so long and you tell Blaziken that the tournament has ended.

>Ask Tracey what Stetson can do for fun
You already have a plan for that, which is searching for Latios, Latias, or Deoxys.

>Ask for tinfoil
At your request, Tracy gives you a roll of foil and you craft a cap to fit over your head and protect you from those nasty badge signals.

I don’t think that will work, you’re only covering part of your head.

And you look stupid.

How do I resist gym badges then?

Why would you want to?

Because I don’t want an impulsive kid telling me what to do!

Settle down you guys, sorry Flygon, I’m not sure what you could do besides avoid Stetson.

>Would Smeargle still date you if you were human?
…I don’t know if that would work. I wouldn’t have a way to communicate with you.

I can teach you how to read and write, then we can still talk.

Flygon, it’s not that there’s anything wrong with that, I just don’t think I’d be attracted to you if you were a human.

Oh. I understand.

What else would you like to do while you’re here?
A. Romance and/or recruit Blaziken to fight Groudon
B. Talk to Tracy about trainer treatment of Pokemon

>>1059450
Blaziken is strong, but he'd be at a type disadvantage against Groudon. Normally that would be surmountable by sheer power, but without something like an Air Balloon which doesn't exit yet, the power scaling of a legendary would be a bit too much for him. The same case for Gengar and Houndoom. Smeargle has a good moveset, but we'd need some way for her not to get totaled by an Earthquake collateral due to low defenses.
We'd probably have better luck recruiting a lesser legendary like the Latis to help. Stetson with Sceptile and Pelipper would be a good choice too.

So B. Share some of your thoughts and worries with Tracey.

>>1059450
A.

Dealing with the politics of badges is a long term project that can be started once you've dealt with Setson. Like yeah, it's a bit of an issue right now but there's no way Tracy is going to implement something in time for it to matter, so you should focus on resolving his wish.

Why not just order a 'faraday cage beanie' online? They're targeted at schizophrenic humans, mostly, but they might actually be useful for you? You will have to test!

>>1059462
Same problem as the tinfoil hat but more expensive.
Ask Blaziken about fighting Groudon with you. He’s weak to ground moves but resists Solarbeam.

>>1059462
>>1059463
They just look like a normal beanie. I'll second the faraday beanie because it's funny and might be useful, but looks less dumb than the tinfoil hat.

Couldn't you read your Coding Book to learn how to program your PokéNav to emit a signal that cancels out the signals coming from the Gym Badges?

>>1059450
A.Romance the fight chikin, and aren't they lvl 100?
Also I'm curious, now with your laptop charged look into reports about pokemon escaping The BOX and reports about pokemon killing their trainers, specifically a houndoom.

tippler 2023/03/25(Sat)17:54 No. 1059505 ID: 9ea24b
File 167979204251.png - (100.74KB , 500x500 , p52.png )

>Invest in schizo tech
You’d need to be completely surrounded by metal to deflect the signals, a conspiracy theorist’s 5G beanie wouldn’t help. Also, while noise canceling technology exists, the same strategy doesn’t work for electromagnetic waves, especially in an open space. The best thing you can do to escape badge influence is to avoid badges.

>Romance check: Failure
You don’t feel very charitable towards Blaziken after his rude comments. He’s still a very handsome bird, but you’re not into the mood to flirt with a trainer suckup.

>Recruit for Groudon fight
Blaziken has a good moveset and is max level. He might be weak to ground, but he’s a strong fighter and Groudon is going to be one-shotting everyone anyway. When you propose the idea, Blaziken hesitates, but when you mention that Salamence is also on the squad he agrees to join.

What would you like to do this afternoon? The option to browse the web has been bundled with learning to code, since both involve a charged laptop.
A. Visit a person or Pokemon
B. Address a specific task on the wiki list

Let’s contact Breloom and organize that thank you? He doesn’t like human foods so let’s make some berry treats ourselves.

The houndoom thank you sounds good. Maybe it's time to start working on that wish.

>>1059519
This

Side note, we should invest in Focus Sashes.

>>1059525
Sadly, that item was introduced in Gen 4. We're limited to Gen 3.

...I wonder what moves this Groudon has. We're immune to ground-type moves thanks to Levitate!

Useful held items:
Bright Powder (reduces enemy accuracy by 10%)
Quick Claw (20% chance of going first regardless of speed)
Choice Band (50% boost to Attack stat, can only use one move)
King's Rock (10% chance to flinch on hit, works with multi hit moves)
Focus Band (10% chance to survive a OHKO)
Scope Lens (higher crit chance)
various held items that boost power of specific Types of moves, by 10% (objectively worse than Choice Band for this task I think)

Oh hey, there are scarves for pokemon contests. Those are useful now that we have a chance of failure.

>>1059527
>We're immune to ground-type moves thanks to Levitate!
The author has said that Abilities were too much of a headache to keep track of, so nobody has any Abilities. Which means we're NOT immune to ground-type moves.

So, uh. Why don't we take it slow, and try and find someone, even someone we don't yet know well, who is defensively and offensively a good match in this fight?? Rather than rush in?? We can always use new friends! We can ask our existing friends for introductions!!

>look into reports about pokemon escaping The BOX and reports about pokemon killing their trainers, specifically a houndoom.
Maybe also do a search for yourself and while we're at it we can look for thing as gifts for all our friends.

>>1059535
Gengar would be a good pick because of Hypnosis, Sleep could get us multiple turns.

tippler 2023/03/26(Sun)14:10 No. 1059568 ID: 9ea24b
File 167986501090.png - (143.91KB , 500x500 , p53.png )

>Useful held items
The list of held items that can be found at the Battle Frontier has been added to Tracy’s trading list. They are absurdly expensive and buying them would quickly deplete your cash.

>Colored scarfs for contests
Good point! You’ll tell Stetson to look for those when you see him or buy them yourself the next time you go shopping.

>Recruit a Pokemon who can put Groudon to sleep
That would be Gengar or Smeargle. Sleep will last for fewer turns on Groudon but still be a helpful tool in the battle.

>Losing against Groudon
Would be okay and not unexpected on the first attempt. Since you decided not to talk to Groudon, you’re not sure what his moveset is or how willing he’d be to throw for content, since it’s in his interests to be defeated and go back to sleep.

>Recruit a Pokemon with a type advantage
You don’t know any top level Water, Ice, or Grass types. You start by asking Smeargle about Tracy’s other retired Pokemon once you get home.

Hm, there was Gyarados and Ludicolo. I think Gyarados stays near Slateport and Ludicolo is up by Meteor Falls, if you want to search for them.

Thanks, would you be willing to fight Groudon? Spore would be super helpful.

It sounds kind of scary, but you’d be there, right?

Yes, I’d whisk you away to safety if anything went wrong!

You’ve recruited Smeargle for the Groudon fighting team as well. You’ll aim for Gyarados or Ludicolo for the final member.

>Meet with Breloom
You bring a bag of apples with you when you go to see Breloom, for bribery purposes. How much do you share with Breloom about Houndoom’s past?

>>1059568
Just share that he, like the other Friendlies, has had trouble with humans and doesn't like human products for that reason. His dirty laundry isn't ours' to air.

>Final Ally
Gyarados sounds like a hard hitter, and he's immune to Ground which removes Groudon's biggest STAB.
However, Ludicolo is in the same location as Jirachi, so meeting the two of them on the same trip could be a time saver.

Wow, can we get both? More friends!!

Don’t need to share much history. Let’s aim for Gyarados!

>>1059592
If anything, we should ask Breloom for more info about Houndoom, what he was like and how he rescued her.

tippler 2023/03/27(Mon)19:19 No. 1059659 ID: 9ea24b
File 167996997832.png - (144.79KB , 500x500 , p54.png )

>Can you recruit both Gyarados and Ludicolo?
Sure, if you want. You’ll aim for Gyarados first.

>Don’t share Houndoom’s tragic backstory with Breloom
Breloom doesn’t need to know the gory details, you’re more curious about her personal experience with Houndoom when he rescued her.

You find the Friendlies Base bustling with activity. Salamence has returned from his journey with Walrein and is directing groups of Pokemon for patrol and food gathering. Several unfamiliar ghosts are floating with Gengar under the shade of her tree, in a thick miasma.

>Gengar activity check: Failure
You can’t tell what Gengar’s doing through the ghost fog. Probably just chatting with the girls.

Breloom is talking to Absol, the same one you mercifully spared from a beating the other day. The disaster Pokemon seems stressed, paws kneading the dirt and peering from side to side. When he spots you he squeaks with alarm.

Doom!

Doom?

Hanging over you, the threat of doom!

Breloom snags an apple from your bag, her usual reserved self.

Hi Flygon. I don’t think living under an active volcano when Groudon is awake has been doing Absol any favors.

Is he okay? Absol, are you okay?

There aren’t any impending calamities but there’s a lot of potential ones and it’s confusing.

Don’t worry, I’m sure if Groudon wanted to make Mt. Chimney erupt and kill everyone you know and love he would have done it already. Anyway, Breloom, I was thinking we could throw a thank you party for Houndoom. He helped you a ton and I’ve met the guy a few times and want to cheer him up.

He doesn’t want to be bothered. I tried to talk to him after he brought me here and he told me to leave him alone.

Breloom, think of when he rescued you from your trainer! Don’t you want to show your gratitude? What was that even like?

My trainer was camping for the night when Houndoom snuck up on her. She sent me out to buy time and he just asked me how I felt about my trainer and told me that he was part of a rescue team. I attacked him a few times, but he kept waiting for my answer, not like I was doing much damage. When I told him about wanting to leave, he knocked over my trainer, melted my Pokeball, and gave me a ride here.

And that’s the last time I really had a conversation with him.

If they sent you out against Houndoom, they were either not thinking straight or really low on options. Have you thought about your trainer much since then? It seems like it was a bit sudden, not that you can change what happened now.

Absol needs something to relax... too bad they're Dark type, so psychic moves wouldn't work. Is there a Vileplume or Roselia we could take Absol to for some aromatherapy?

>>1059659
Tell her doom, Houndoom I mean, has been feeling really down and Salamence is worried about him. We thought getting together all the Pokemon he helped could make him feel like things aren't so dim.

Ask Absol how he feels about that island Deoxys is supposed to hang around.

>>1059659
>chatting with the girls
They fuckin

Tell Absol your life is pretty complex right now, you can think of three things that could go horribly wrong just off the top of your head. Thanks for the warning though.

Anyway, don't take no for an answer. Go badger Houndoom with Breloom in tow. You're NEVER going to make progress in this task unless you force Houndoom to talk to SOMEONE. Gotta get your foot in the door!

>>1059659
Let’s ask Salamence to see if he has any ideas on what to do. He’s close with Houndoom, so he might be able to help.

>>1059669
Going in there without a plan is a great way to piss off Houndoom, which is the opposite of what we want. We better think of something else.

>>1059681
>without a plan
Ok, you got a plan?

tippler 2023/03/28(Tue)16:35 No. 1059714 ID: 9ea24b
File 168004653764.png - (91.03KB , 500x500 , p55.png )

That sounds like it was really sudden. Do you ever think about your trainer?

Sometimes, but I’m happy here.

I guess you don’t want to disturb Houndoom by having a party then.

I’d be down to organize something, but I’m not going to be the one who makes sure he shows up.

>Absol needs something to relax
You give him an apple and ask permission to pet his flank with long, calming motions. This seems to help.

Do you know anything about Deoxys? He should be on an island somewhere far south.

No, he’s too far away for me to get a good sense of anything.

That’s okay, thanks for warning me about the doom, I’ll keep an eye out for danger.



You ponder your next move. Salamence did advise you during your flight lessons to talk to Houndoom directly about his trauma. Last time you had a chance to, you couldn’t think of what to say besides asking Houndoom if he liked to sing and weirding him out. Good times.

A. Go talk to Houndoom about his history (50% chance he gets mad at you)
B. Go talk to Houndoom about something weird to get him more used to your presence
C. Flirt with Absol

>>1059714
Absol is a cute and seems like he really needed that positivity... but we came here with a mission. Focus, Flygon!

B. We don't want to push him away. Acting like Gengar seems to be disarming him?
Ask Houndoom if Salamence ever took him flying. If he's afraid of heights we could maybe help so he and Salamence could go flying together!

A, the odds aren't terrible. He's not the only one he's hurting by withdrawing into himself, and if that gets him mad he should think about who he's mad at.

>>1059714
Eh I guess B. Coinflips are terrible odds tbh. Ask him what he does for fun, hobbies, that sort of thing. When's the last time he got laid? Does he have a favorite food? Read any good books lately? Does he want you to buy anything from one of the traders?

He seem to be enjoying this belly rub...
C. This is probable the most natural emotional contact you ever established in your entire life: no awkward conversation about porn, no asking a friend to take a look at your dick, no explicit declaration that the next friendly interaction is meant to be romantic. Don't waste this moment.

>>1059736
You make a good point. There's a moment here, and it might not come again if we let it pass.

Changing my vote to C. Let's try to curb our usual Vibravaness with some of our new Flygon smooth. Make quiet eye contact and smile to let him know you're comfortable wherever this is going if he is.
Ask about him a bit. He seems like he might not get much positivity in his life, so take the belly rubs slow and gentle, maybe ask if he has a special way he washes his fur.

>>1059736
What belly rub?

>>1059742
A flankrub, rubbing the side of the belly between the rib and hip

>>1059742
I might have misread or invented details in my head...

B. FOCUS ON MISSION

>>1059738
C, have a moment.

C, he's cute and it would be a shame to let this moment pass you by.

C. Maybe if we spend time with him here something will come up to help with Houndoom, plus he really needs to relax, didn't Salamence say there was some leftover massage oil.

>>1059810
He could help a lot with risk assessment too. I get the feeling that pissing Houndoom off by being too forward or letting slip to Houndoom that we're human are some of the potential misfortunes he sensed. Maybe failing to fulfill the wish is one, too.

>>1059817
Just what we need, a vague portent of doom we can use as an excuse to never take risks again.

tippler 2023/03/29(Wed)18:29 No. 1059857 ID: 9ea24b
File 168013974945.png - (125.42KB , 500x500 , p56.png )

>C, flirt with Absol
You can tell Absol already likes you after a few kind words, physical touch, and an apple. That’s the power of apples, baby. You settle yourself more comfortably on the ground and say nice things about how soft Absol’s fur is and how he’s cute.

Breloom notices that you’re focusing on Absol and drifts toward a different group of Pokemon. She’ll work to organize the Friendlies and have them ready to go for a party whenever you have a breakthrough with the canine.

You spend the rest of the afternoon chatting with Absol in a warm patch of sunlight, which thanks to Groudon is not hard to find. You both eat the rest of the bag of apples. He tells you about his life near Fortree before he was rescued from a pack of angry humans who thought he was making their crops fail. Since he’s a walking danger detector, Gengar offered him a good deal to stick with the Friendlies and he’s been here since.

You’ve successfully befriended and romanced Absol, who’s interested in a physical relationship. You can choose to have a steamy rendezvous with him as an action another day, and he can be brought to different locations to assess danger related to Legendary Pokemon.

>Kirlia and Espeon gain a Level
Kirlia is one Level away from evolving! He and Espeon will stop training together after tomorrow.

>Stetson scarf check: Failure
You text Stetson that tip about the colored scarfs, but he doesn’t respond and won’t have anything ready for the contests tomorrow.

The wiki has a contest tracking section now. Which Pokemon (including yourself) do you choose to go first and what contest do they enter?

>>1059857
>Absol past
Many such cases, sadly. That explains why he reacted so well to being thanks for his prophecy.
With his help we might be able to get a sense of the urgency of the Groudon and Jirachi situations and which we should focus in hard on first, instead of being a bit aimless, as well as which ones would be safest to befriend/meet with Stetson.

>Contest
Let's put Torkoal in the next stage of Beauty contest, since she has a good moveset for it. Maybe discuss Contest movesets with Stetson in person as well and see what his thoughts are on building towards that.

Choose Torkoal and stick to simple yes-no questions in your conversation. Does she like the yellow pokeblocks? Has she spent time in the PC? Was she awake for it?

tippler 2023/03/30(Thu)20:43 No. 1059960 ID: 9ea24b
File 168023423547.png - (106.01KB , 500x500 , p57.png )

Stetson is in awe of your new pear shaped figure. You catch a hint of greed in his eyes before he’s all business. It’s a little harder to pass through human populated areas without being noticed, and you see a few other trainers eying you and your notebook curiously.

>Ask Stetson about teaching contest beneficial moves
He looks at you like you’re crazy.

I’m not messing with movesets just to win some contests, I’d rather use more Pokeblocks. I still want to be a super strong trainer!

>Torkoal in a super rank beauty contest
She has the moves and the sheer presence to be a contest star, you just know it. Perhaps you could even talk to her, though the thought makes you feel shy.

You clear your throat a few times when it’s just you and Torkoal left to wait by the portrait wall.

H-hi again! I evolved since the last time you saw me.

Sceptile told us all you’re a human.

Ah, Stetson must have let everyone out to socialize, per your recommendation. Good for him! By the smell of it he’s learning personal hygiene as well.

Er, yes, I was, but now I’m a Flygon and trying to improve life for Pokemon kind.

Ok.

Hey, what’s it like being in a Pokeball?

Dozing. Awake enough that being let out isn’t a huge shock but not aware of much.

Have you ever been in the PC?

I don’t know.

At this point Stetson returns and you stop talking.

>Random Pokeblock buffs (beauty, cool, cute, smart, tough): Tough, smart
You weep with joy when you see Torkoal nibbling upon the proffered blocks. It’s like seeing a famous work of art conducting an orchestra made of flowers.

>Super rank beauty contest chance of success: 3 beauty moves x 0.25 x 1 (0 beauty buffs) x 1 (super rank multiplier) = 75% chance of success, Success

Stetson praises Torkoal for her victory and parades her and her new ribbon around the contest hall, which gives you a chance to talk to her or him a little more.

>>1059960
>I’m not messing with movesets just to win some contests
Let Stetson in on a little secret. Technical Machine companies don't want you to know this one easy trick: you can train and retrain some moves manually. We could teach Pelipper a Cool move and then retrain her on Fly once the contest is done. All it would take is some time.
He could use the same trick to teach them moves that are good for a particular gym or fight he's expecting, then retrain them to their utility movesets later.

>Torkoal
Is there anything that she thinks would improve her situation?

>>1059967
>training moves manually
Oh, do you mean like how we learned Dig? I guess that might work... but it's RNG. Being able to slot Fly back in quickly since it's an HM makes sense though.

>>1059960
>Stetson is in awe of your new pear shaped figure. You catch a hint of greed in his eyes before he’s all business.
Aggron said that Stetson was wanting a Dragon type for team composition and you are now a Dragon type. Be on guard, he might try to catch you.