20 Years of Pokemon

It's hard to believe that Pokemon has been around for twenty years. I still remember when I got Pokemon Red for my Game Boy way back when, diving into a grand adventure with absolutely no idea what I was doing.

I enjoyed exploring a new world, trying to catch all the Pokemon and battling Team Rocket on my way to Indigo Plateau, but looking back I had no real idea about stats or STAB or any real idea as to using strategy beyond attacking with specific elemental types. I never took advantage of moves with status effects, or buff/debuff effects either, only focusing on direct attack.

Even though I was too young to really understand the nuances of the game, it was simple enough to enjoy anyway. I never felt frustrated by training my Pokemon or going into battle, so long as I knew the basics of type match-ups and built my team accordingly. That's the reason that Pokemon became so popular; anyone could get into it, though there was a lot of complexity to the whole system if you looked.

I'm glad I got back into Pokemon when I did, now that I'm smart enough to understand the stats and abilities of my Pokemon and train them accordingly. I know that attacking isn't always the wisest move, that sometimes you need to hit the opponent with status effect moves or the occasional debuff to weaken them. I know to teach moves to my Pokemon that work with their strengths, or fix their weaknesses, and likewise I have a general idea on the strengths and weaknesses my opponents just by looking at the Pokemon or their type.

Something that amazes me is how Pokemon has gotten more complex over the years without ruining the core experience for basic players. Things like the ability system, natures, the expansion of the stats to separate attack and defense from special attack and special defense, and held items all add to the experience. With Generation 6, we've seen Mega Evolution arise, which allows ONE Pokemon in your team to become even stronger for a battle, as well as the appearance of EXP Share and Super Training to make training easier than ever.

Probably the greatest thing about the series, since Generation 3, is the ability to bring your Pokemon from one game to the next, allowing Trainers like myself to maintain their progress and hold onto all their Pokemon. Because of this system, players don't lose any of their hard work, and they're even able to keep working on catching all the hundreds of different Pokemon in the game. It would be a tough pill for anyone to swallow if they needed to start fresh with every game, but thanks to the transfer system they at least have all their beloved Pokemon with every generation.

This was the reason I started all the way in Sapphire; I wanted to experience every generation, every story, and I wanted to make sure my progress continued throughout. Sometimes it was hard, pushing myself to get through one part of a game or another, especially when things got tough. SoulSilver comes to mind, because of just how long it was and how difficult I found the first half of the game. I also disliked the month-long grind I needed to get my team strong enough to finally defeat the Elite Four in Pokemon Black, but it was all worth it.

I'm happy that Nintendo has spent every month this year releasing a Mythical Pokemon to celebrate. I was worried that I would never get any of them because of my late start on the series. Come December I'll have every single Mythical Pokemon ever released, and between that and my previous run through Alpha Sapphire I'll have every Legendary and Mythical Pokemon ever released.

I thought I was going to spend a while trying to train all the Pokemon I caught through these years and generations, but with Pokemon Sun and Moon coming out, I've decided I'll hold off until then. I've enjoyed my time with Pokemon Y, but I'm just about finished with it. It's going to be nice, having so many low-level Pokemon to rely on when I go to the new game, allowing me to fill roles I might have difficulty with otherwise.

I can't wait to see what happens with Pokemon in the years to come, and now I'll be there every step of the way with hundreds of Pokemon ready to battle at my side. Who knows, maybe someday I'll get really into the IV and EV system, especially with Super Training being available, but for now I'm happy to just battle and see how my Pokemon grow.

Thanks for keeping up with my blog, and let's see where it goes from here!

Pokemon Y - Terminus Cave and Zygarde

I flew to Couriway Town, then I went north on Route 18 to reach Terminus Cave, which was rumored to hold a monster. I taught Brody to use Rock Smash in place of Odor Sleuth so that I could smash the rocks around the cave.

I went inside the cave, smashing several rocks to get various items, including a Max Revive before I went down the stairs. From there, I went south and smashed a rock so I could get across a narrow bridge to find a Star Piece. From there I went back, and continued along the main path and across a bridge before I got into a battle with a Worker named Narek.

 Narek sent out Graveler, and I had Gabriel sent out first, though I switched over to Logan who got hit by Self-Destruct for great damage, which knocked out the Graveler. Another Graveler was sent out, and I kept Logan in the fight. I had Logan Mega Evolve and attack with Energy Ball to deal massive damage to Graveler, who clung on thanks to it's ability, "Sturdy," before it used Self-Destruct for great damage.

Finally a Golem was sent out, and I sent Jack out against it. Jack struck with Surf, but Golem clung on with Sturdy before it attacked with Bulldoze for good damage, then Jack finished the fight with Waterfall. Logan grew to Level 78, and the battle was over.

I moved on, heading south past a smash-able rock to receive an Ether and a Heat Rock, before I went back where I had the battle and moved east. I managed to sneak past a Hiker and another Worker along the path to find another rock. I smashed it to get a Pearl, and went to the end of the side path to get a Moon Stone.

I went across some jagged flooring, and had to double-back to my previous point, though I couldn't get past the Worker without a quick battle which saw Brody grow to Level 78. From there, I went south and found an Escape Rope before I continued on to get into another battle, this time with a Hiker.

I got through his team, a Boldore and a Steelix, and through the battle both Jack and Cadance grew to Level 78. After the battle, I got turned around again and needed to double-back once more before I went down some stairs at the Worker I met with earlier.

I wandered around for a bit, finding a Dusk Stone, and a Full Heal, before I got into another battle, this time with a Battle Girl. Gabriel took out her team of Fighting-Type Pokemon, and he grew to Level 78. I went north to find an Elixir, then backtracked a bit and found an X-Attack as I went along a narrow path, before I began to backtrack once more.

I was forced to battle another Battle Girl, and by the end of it Axel grew to Level 78. I continued along the path, sneaking past a Fighter to go and find TM30 (Shadow Ball), before I went back where the path broke off.

I went south and got into a Double Battle with a pair of Pokemon Rangers, then I continued along the path to find an Iron Plate, before I went east to go up some stairs. I smashed some rocks for items, and I went north to get into another short Battle with another Worker, then I went further along the path to find more stairs.

I went north and found myself in front of Zygarde (Dragon/Ground, Lv. 70), and I went to battle it. I sent Logan out against it, but then I remembered the Master Ball I acquired earlier in my journey, so I threw it to catch the Legendary Pokemon!

I explored the cave system, and found a Griseous Orb, an Adamant Orb, a Lustrous Orb, and a Big Nugget. When I was sure that everything had been found, I used an Escape Rope to get out of there and flew back to Lumiose City, glad to be near the end of my journey in the Kalos Region.

Current Team:

Logan (Venusaur, Grass/Poison, Lv. 78)
Axel (Raichu, Electric, Lv. 78)
Gabriel (Talonflame, Fire/Flying, Lv. 78)
Jack (Greninja, Water/Dark, Lv. 78)
Brody (Diggersby, Normal/Ground, Lv. 78)
Cadence (Florges, Fairy, Lv. 78)