Looking for a reason to play Pokemon Sword and Shield for the 5th time?! Me too! I decided to restart Pokemon Shield (again) and do a run inspired by the LeonxReader reader-insert fic Dappled Grove ! (spoilers for the story are ahead!)
BUT MISSUSK, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Glad you metaphorically asked! If you’re like me and beat the game in like, 20 hours the first time and want a different challenge, I present to you three tiers of game-playing options inspired by the reader-insert fic, Dappled Grove (linked here 😏). I’ve gotten a couple people telling me that this story has influenced their in-game teams (which is so fun), so I wanted to do it too! I consider myself a Pokemon master, so I will be personally embarking on Tier Three (which tbh I’m not even sure is possible, but we’ll try!!)
As soon as you catch your first tier-appropriate Pokemon, you must release your starter (or shove it into boxes)! You can catch and use as many Pokemon as you’d like until you reach the Wild Area.
Growlithe/Arcanine
Minccino/Cinccino
Munna/Musharna
Pawniard/Bisharp
Dreepy/Drakloak/Dragapult
Charmander/Charmeleon/Charizard
Wooper/Quagsire
Stufful/Bewear
Chinchou/Lanturn
Mudbray/Mudsdale
Togepi/Togetic/Togekiss
Carvanha/Sharpedo
Ralts/Kirlia/Gardevoir
Caterpie/Metapod/Butterfree
Held Items (aka which items can your team members hold?):
This tier is a little more challenging and offers less customization.
General Rules/Restrictions:
The big one: No Pokemon Center visits. That’s right I said it. There’s no Pokemon Centers in the Wild Area, are there? You can only heal/revive your Pokemon with items or by camping!
Growlithe/Arcanine (Male)
Minccino/Cinccino (Female)
Munna/Musharna (Female)
Pawniard/Bisharp (Male)
Optional Team Members:
Dreepy/Drakloak/Dragapult (Male)
Charmander/Charmeleon/Charizard (Male)
Wooper/Quagsire (Either gender)
Stufful/Bewear (Either gender)
This is the tier that is most challenging as well as the most in-line with the story! Like I said I’m not even sure if this is possible but I will try.
General Rules/Restrictions:
You may ONLY use your starter Pokemon until you reach the Wild Area, then you must release/box it.
Again, no Pokemon Center visits. You can only use items and camping to heal your Pokemon.
You must have one Big Pearl in your bag.
Growlithe (Male)
Minccino (Female)
Munna (Female)
Pawniard (Male)
And that’s it! No bonus Pokemon, only the four that Reader obtains in the story. Another important element: no evolving. Reader doesn’t evolve any Pokemon, so why should you?
Berries
Pawniard must hold an Everstone
These are the three tiers I came up with, but if you really want to do Tier Two and also have Gramma Tut’s two Sharpedo, I can’t stop you. If you participate, let me know!! Send me pictures of your trainer/teams, comments, frustrations, etc, on how your adventure is going! The Wild Area awaits 🌳🌲🌿🌾
