#bug master

[spiralshells]

It's a long way to the top when you just wanna train bugs.

[bugsylovesbugpokemon]

I ventured further into the Asado Desert, along the bottom of the cliff, and started noticing those submerged Sandile and Hippowdon. I decided to aim to beat the five trainers the pokemon centre guy told me about, before I could move on past the desert. I put my Masquerain first, and Larvesta in line too, but expecting lots of ground pokemon. However- the next trainer I met had an Oricorio! Okay…a fire type Oricorio would be a tough opponent, but Masquerain knows rain dance now, and should be able to handle it.

Except it wasn’t fire type, it was psychic! I changed into Lokix, hoping to get nil damage from a psychic attack, but Oricorio went for air cutter, and Lokix was on yellow health! Just to play it safe, I terastalized Lokix (he has the bug type) and went with Assurance- and in one hit, Oricorio was down!

As soon as I was out of the battle, a Rufflet jumped us for a battle, which was very scary! Luckily, Larvesta’s flame charge made sure he was faster and we got out of that battle quick smart. And now I was deeper in the desert, I noticed a Rellor! I ran at the first one I found, sent out Larvesta, and flame charge took it down to red health. The sandstorm took more health out- but didn’t kill it! Aaaaand…I caught Rellor!

I’ve been keeping to the rule of only changing pokemon when I’m at the pokemon centre, like the old days, so Rellor would have to wait. For my next trainer, I decided to start with Venonat, who needed training the most. Luckily, the first Pokémon they sent out was Wigglytuff! I was ready to do some serious damage, until I remembered Venonat has no damaging poison moves (they’re still so uncommon! But one more toxel spike and I could teach it Acid…) anyway, I decided to go with psybeam- but Wigglytuff was fast, went with a body slam and paralysed me! Venonat might have to try confusing this guy to get through this battle- and thanks to compound eyes, supersonic hit first try- but Wigglytuff still hit, with another body slam, and Venonat was out!

I switched back to Larvesta, who actually does massive damage with Flame Wheel even though it’s not a very high powered move, and we defeated the Wigglytuff, and the trainer. I went into my bag for my revive- and couldn’t find one! Was this the end for my poor Venonat? I’ve gotta be so careful with these guys, and I was sure I had one more revive left….and phew, I found it, healed Venonat back and breathed a sigh of relief. But I’ve definitely got none left now…

I healed everyone up and tried to find my way out of the desert, up along a cliff path, hoping to double back to Cascarrafa- but the path led to a cave instead, full of dragon type pokemon. Annoyingly, there are still no bug dragons, and I had swapped out Snom, so I took an almighty leap on Koraidon back into the desert.

On the way down, I spotted the Great Tusk. On my first run through of the game, I remember Great Tusk being quite hard, and I always have trouble remembering the types of paradox Pokémon, but I was pretty sure it’s ground type…maybe Masquerain would be able to handle it? Asado Desert is so big and so full of Rufflet, I decided to fight it, and if all my pokemon fainted, I’d get back to the pokemon centre in Cascarrafa and be able to start again.

Aaaand….Great Tusk really is great. Particularly great defence. Bubblebeam took out a fair amount, as did Spidops’ Trailblaze, so I’m guessing it is ground type, but it kept using brick break, which made me think it might be fighting type too? The graphics on Great Tusk are great in this new version, too, it really feels like he’s huge- and for the first time, I noticed my poor Masquerain got dirtier the more time he spent in the sandstorm, such a cool detail!

Unfortunately, Great Tusk really destroyed my team and we were back in Cascarrafa regrouping pretty quickly. I decided to swap out Spidops for Rellor- with Rollout and Mud Shot, there are some fun new types on the team. I love the way Rellor evolves, too. I also decided to put Snom back on my team, even though I know she doesn’t evolve foreverrrrrr- I have memories of it being something like level 40, but an ice type against a ground type seemed too good an opportunity to pass up.

Again, we headed out into the desert- and I tried Snom out against a few Cacnea and even Silicobra. I even beat back a Rufflet with Snom’s powder snow- and, Lo and behold, after the battle, Snom evolved! It’s friendship that Snom evolved with! Something that’s always easier to achieve on a nuzlocke, when you don’t faint nearly as much. Snowsalot is now a beautiful Frosmoth!

Would this team be enough to take on Great Tusk? As I wandered further into Asado Desert, I found myself around some ruins, with lots of tinkatinks and tinkatots around, and realised I couldn’t get back to Great Tusk anyway. But up ahead was a ledge, and down below, there was Kofi! We jumped down, my brand new Frosmoth beat a Girafarig for good measure, and I decided to head to the market to help Kofi out before doing Great Tusk again. With such a varied team now, we’d be sure to do well, right?

[vixvaporub]

Mushishi | 蟲師 – Chapter 18 ◎ Spring and Falsehoods              

[jvgsjeff]

Not sure if a game has Nat or Flick? Just say it's "the bug master" and you've got it covered either way.

[vixvaporub]

Mushishi | 蟲師 – Volume 5

[vixvaporub]

Mushishi | 蟲師 – Chapter 28 ◎ The Hand That Pets the Night   

[vixvaporub]

Mushishi | 蟲師 – Volume 3

[bugsylovesbugpokemon]

And so I take on Ogerpon again and again, and slowly get to the point where my team is beating Kitakami Warriors but still not Ogerpon- even if I defeat her in the Hearthfire mark, the Cornerstone mask is always my downfall. I decided to teach Ribombee Skill swap, so she can change Ogerpon’s ability instead of always relying on Leavanny’s Entrainment.

First up is the Hearthfire mask, and Ribombee uses stun spore, that’s an opening move we’ve perfected. I know that if I can get it in, my Guts Heracross can finish off Hearthfire mask, as long as Ogerpon sets up grassy terrain at the right moment. So, Ogerpon kills Ribombee with ivy cudgel straight away, no chance to set up reflect or skill swap. I get Heracross out there. Land one rock slide- and Ogerpon shows no mercy, straight to another ivy cudgel and knocks me dead. So I’m onto plan b- Yanmega.

Yanmega uses ancient power- and incredibly, it’s one of the rare times when it raises all of Yanmega’s stats at once! And then, Ogerpon’s paralysed! Yanmega’s got speed boost and so now it’s way faster that Ogerpon will be with the next mask on- and an air slash finishes off hearthflame and Ogerpon gets out her wellspring mask!

I’ve still got Leavanny and Vikavolt there but I’m gonna make the most of this boosted Yanmega and set off a bug buzz, lowering Ogerpon’s newly-raised special defence. Ogerpon uses ivy cudgel again but this time, Yanmega is bulkier- and the next turn, Yanmega uses giga drain and completely destroys Wellspring Ogerpon and bringing Yanmega back to full health! At this point, I think I might finally make it…but I don’t want to risk anything.

So Ogerpon puts on her cornerstone mask. Yanmega uses giga drain again, which does some damage, but ivy cudgel knocks out Yanmega, and it’s time for Leavanny (who has much better speed than Vikavolt). I don’t want to risk entrainment while I’ve got a grass move ready to go, so Leavanny uses Leaf blade. Leavanny cuts through Cornerstone mask Ogerpon and I’m on the final stretch!

I decide to risk it, and use Entrainment to take out Ogerpon’s Embody Aspect straight away, cutting Teal mask’s speed. Then Leavanny uses x-scissor. Ogerpon is using slam, knowing her ivy cudgel won’t do anything against Leavanny, and could this be it? It’s looking really good, but it all depends on Ogerpon’s next move…

Which is…

Grassy terrain!! Leavanny x-scissors teal mask into oblivion and gets hit points healed at the end of the turn just to prove the point.

I’ve done it! I BEAT ALL FOUR MASKS! I don’t even feel sorry for Kieran, I deserve Ogerpon at this point, go cry.

What? Is in store next? I’m on top of the world, surely this team can do anything at this point?