Pokemon Variants

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Quiver Dance isn't imbalanced at all imo, considering its distribution is mostly limited to bad Bug-types (Pheromosa aside) apart from Best Moth. Volcarona needs all the love it gets because Stealth Rock will never suffer Talonflame-class enforced deletion as long as Doubles (in which it's irrelevant and so is Volc) remains the official format.

Any plans to tackle the Battle Tree with Butterfree and get a ribbon on it?

Multiplayer Pokémon is one turn-based strategy game that I'd expect could take off at RB if people here played it (and could look past the unfortunate anime window dressing), but I wouldn't exactly make for an apt ambassador.

My computer decided to randomly shut down and eat my first post. 

Anyway, Firestorm the Butterfree will go on tour after beating Kukui!  I have plans for it to fight in Wifi battles.  (Are the Sun/Moon servers separate from the Ultra versions?, by the way?)  It'll be funny if I can win even against a bad player with a solo PU tier Pokemon with bad IVs and a random EV spread.  I'll try the Battle Tree too, but I doubt I can get a ribbon.  Overleveling from trainer battles, Affection, and Battle Items (e.g. Hyper Potion, X Defend) are the only way I'm making it through the story so far, and none of those tricks work in the Battle Tree.

Doubles is a better format for competitive play than Singles, if you want my opinion on the matter.  The fact that Smogon now has things like a Baton Pass ban suggests that Singles has suffered a lot from "power creep" since around the 5th generation or so.  Doubles lets you get away with using weak Pokemon like Pachirisu or Togedemaru if you're creative enough.

(I started playing competitive battles during the Diamond and Pearl days, though I've played the Pokemon games since Red and Blue came out in the U.S.)

[Cheater Hater]

Base Sun/Moon servers have to be different than Ultra because of the new Pokemon/Z-moves, at least for random--you might be able to battle friends and/or locally using the old rules, but even that I'm not sure of.

I feel like a lot of the problem with Pokemon variants is the game gives you so many tools such that you can solo using anything with relatively little effort, other than occasional bad luck--in fact, doing a solo (especially with a starter) is generally the easiest way to go now that every Pokemon has crazy type coverage via TMs and that healing items give you near-infinite grinding potential. On the other hand, you have competitive which requires a lot of arcane hidden stats knowledge and hours of grinding (that run contrary to the message of Pokemon in general) and whose postgames are mostly luck based (and I say this as someone who was one win away from going to New York to compete in the big tournament during Gen 3, and though while I knew about EVs and such, I think a lot of it was that my natural Kyogre just happened to have a Modest nature, and that no one else knew what they were doing). I think Pokemon needs to pick a direction and stick with it: they keep making competitive easier (but still unnecessarily time-consuming), but the main game still hasn't really changed at all (yes, the superficial changes in Sun/Moon were welcome, but Pokemon needs to be a lot less linear than it is, especially if the railroading includes a lot of tutorials--the universe has planted seeds of things like being able to do the gyms in any order, so just follow it up!).

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Base Sun/Moon servers have to be different than Ultra because of the new Pokemon/Z-moves, at least for random--you might be able to battle friends and/or locally using the old rules, but even that I'm not sure of.

I feel like a lot of the problem with Pokemon variants is the game gives you so many tools such that you can solo using anything with relatively little effort, other than occasional bad luck--in fact, doing a solo (especially with a starter) is generally the easiest way to go now that every Pokemon has crazy type coverage via TMs and that healing items give you near-infinite grinding potential.  On the other hand, you have competitive which requires a lot of arcane hidden stats knowledge and hours of grinding (that run contrary to the message of Pokemon in general) and whose postgames are mostly luck based (and I say this as someone who was one win away from going to New York to compete in the big tournament during Gen 3, and though while I knew about EVs and such, I think a lot of it was that my natural Kyogre just happened to have a Modest nature, and that no one else knew what they were doing).  I think Pokemon needs to pick a direction and stick with it: they keep making competitive easier (but still unnecessarily time-consuming), but the main game still hasn't really changed at all (yes, the superficial changes in Sun/Moon were welcome, but Pokemon needs to be a lot less linear than it is, especially if the railroading includes a lot of tutorials--the universe has planted seeds of things like being able to do the gyms in any order, so just follow it up!).

So if I do another solo, I should pick a Pokemon with a terrible selection of moves?  (e.g. Snivy)

I started doing these Pokemon solos to relax after the frustration of Bravely Default.  Bravely Default is fun, but it feels a lot like using your hacked Wonder Guard Air Balloon Raichu vs. your opponent's hacked Sheer Cold No Guard Deoxys during the late game!

 
I agree with your point about the hidden stats.  Pokemon should have scrapped IVs a long time ago.  EVs add to the tactical depth, but those should be more user-friendly too.  Maybe something like Western RPGs where you can distribute points into stats when you level up.

The Butterfree Moon solo is much more difficult than the Simipour White solo.  A lot of that is due to the fact that pure Water is a superior defensive type to Bug/Flying.  Some of it is bad luck, especially if your opponent wakes up too early from Sleep Powder.  Totem Pokemon are harder than the Gyms if you're using a solo too.  You don't get the Lucky Egg in Moon until the postgame either, unlike in White where Juniper gives it to you in Chargestone Cave.  This means Firestorm the Butterfree is around 10 levels higher than his opponents, rather than 20 like SeeNoEvil the Simipour.

Maybe a monotype run with a "no items in battle" rule could work?

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Today's Butterfree update is a bit shorter, because I have other things I need to do in the afternoon.

To rescue Lillie and Cosmog, Gladion, Hau, and I set off for Aether Paradise.  The Aether Foundation made for better villains than most of Team Plasma ever did.  The Aether Foundation used evolved Pokemon that aren’t early route garbage like Liepard or Watchog!  They have a pretty good variety too.  Butterfree fought everything from Hypno to Porygon 2 to Slowbro in that place.  The level gap between Firestorm and his enemies started to widen.  Previously, it was about 10 levels above rival trainers, and now it’s about 12 or so.  Firestorm reached level 50 in Aether Paradise, and here are his stats:
 
HP:  133
Attack:  62
Defense:  66
Special Attack:  127
Special Defense:  86
Speed:  96
           
Several Team Skull Grunts showed up to prevent me from getting to Lusamine, but they were easily defeated with Air Slashes and Bug Buzzes.  Guzmán was stronger than I expected this time.  Sure, Golisopod died to one Air Slash, but then a Masquerain of all things outsped me and used its own Air Slashes to make me lose most of my HP.  It was the battle of the terrible Bug/Flying types.  Firestorm flinched on the first turn, and I fed him Hyper Potions to “fish” for a miss.  Eventually, Firestorm killed it with a Quiver Dance boosted Air Slash. . .and then lost on the next turn to a surprise priority “Sombra Vil” (Shadow Sneak, “Vile Shadow”) from Ariados.  The thought of generation 6 Gale Wings Talonflame and its priority Brave Birds returning keeps Firestorm up at night.
 
Death Count:  16
 
On the second try, I was more careful.  The “set up on the first Pokemon and sweep away the rest” tactic from the Pokemon White solo worked here too.  A Z Sleep Powder made Golisopod snooze long enough to get in a Quiver Dance.  When it woke up, it used Swords Dance, but Firestorm outsped it and got an unnecessary critical on Air Slash.  Masquerain, Ariados, and Pinsir all died to one Air Slash each, though Ariados managed to get in a Sucker Punch first.  Guzmán wondered why he couldn’t defeat me, apparently having forgotten my loss a few minutes earlier.
 
After a long unskippable cutscene featuring Tapu Koko fighting the Ultra Beast Pheromosa, it was time to fight the leader of the Aether Foundation, Lusamine.  I started the fight by putting Clefable to sleep and using Quiver Dance a few times.  Maybe I should have used it more, because several of her Pokemon had high Special Defense.  Clefable took 3 Air Slashes even with Quiver Dance boosts, at least.  Trying to use Bug Buzz on the Ghost type Mismagius resulted in a “not very effective” message and a surprise Fire attack.  Some of the type matchups are obscure even to people who’ve been playing these games for 20 years.  Firestorm defeated Bewear with an Air Slash, and Milotic was setup fodder for Quiver Dance.  Milotic’s “Velo Sagrado” (Safeguard, “Holy Veil”) prevented status ailments for a few turns, which was a bit annoying.  Lilligant fell to a single Air Slash.
 
Lillie decided looking like a character from a Victorian novel was a bad idea, and decided to wear a ponytail and a backpack instead.  She wished to become stronger, and Hau said he didn’t want to depend on my Pokemon all the time.  Why did he say that when he keeps beating me in each rival battle?  He’s too modest.  Gladion suggested going to Poni Island, mostly because the legendary Pokemon could help Cosmog (now a Cosmoem).

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Hapu’s relative on Poni Island gave me the Machamp Push ability, so I could go back to earlier islands and find items.  I picked up the Flying Z Crystal on Ten Carat Hill on Melemele, and the Energy Ball TM in the Lush Jungle.   The Flying Z Crystal was on a totem, which made me think that there was supposed to be a trial boss there, but the developers ran out of time.  Going back to Poni Island reminded me of Firestorm’s allergy to Rock types, since “Veraneante Silvia’s” Graveler woke up too early and killed him with a Rock Blast.
 
Death Count:  17     
 
Sometimes fights are determined by luck if you’re playing a solo, unfortunately.  Firestorm got his revenge on the second try.  A few Team Skull Grunts blocked the path to Vast Poni Canyon, but they were as weak as usual.  Plumeria was impressed by Lillie’s desire to rescue Guzmán from the Ultra Beast world, and decided to give me the Poison Z Crystal.
 
At the entrance to Vast Poni Canyon, the final Kahuna Hapu challenged Firestorm to a battle.  Fortunately, she fought fair and refused to use those nasty Rock/Ground types!  Alolan Dugtrio was a bit of a pain to fight because it outsped Butterfree and whacked him with Iron Head.  A Z Sleep Powder was necessary for the Speed boost, and when Hapu wasted a turn using a Full Heal to awaken Dugtrio, I healed with a Hyper Potion.  After that, another Sleep Powder let me set up with Quiver Dances.  The rest of the fight against Gastrodon, Flygon, and Mudsdale wasn’t noteworthy other than an unlucky Accuracy debuff from Gastrodon’s Muddy Water.
 
Vast Poni Canyon itself is Victory Road in all but name, because it’s a long cave area filled with trainers with evolved Pokemon.  A random “Montanero” and his Archeops defeated Firestorm in one hit with Acrobatics.  There was nothing I could do against base 110 Speed.  I may have to use stealth in a Pokemon game for once to get away from him!  Firestorm can always get even later.
 
Death Count:  18
 
Veterana Rosa also had a team designed to kill Firestorm.  Did the Vast Poni Canyon trainers form an anti-Butterfree alliance when they knew I’d show up?  Rosa’s first Pokemon was a Starmie that was faster than Firestorm and had Power Gem!  I’m certain Power Gem isn’t on Smogon’s recommended movesets for Starmie, and is only used by sadistic trainers who have it in for early game Bug types.  Starmie’s Special Attack wasn’t quite high enough to one-shot Firestorm, so he could put it to sleep and buff with one Quiver Dance. 
 
One Bug Buzz later, and I was very glad I used Quiver Dance.  Remember how I said Talonflame keeps Butterfree up at night?  Well, here it was, but either it didn’t have Gale Wings, or Rosa’s AI was too stupid to click Brave Bird.  Sleep Powder and two Air Slashes defeated it.  I was worried Shiinotic had some priority move or something, so I made sure to heal with a Hyper Potion before knocking it out with an Air Slash. 
 
“El Científico Gregorio” had an Alolan Muk that hit hard with “Desarme” (Knock Off, “Disarm”) and Gunk Shot after a rare Sleep Powder miss.  Compoundeyes doesn’t increase Accuracy by a flat 30%, but is instead a percentage of the Accuracy of the particular move.  Next up was Magnezone, another scary Pokemon for Butterfree that potentially had Sturdy.  Sleep Powder worked, and two Bug Buzzes were barely enough to kill it.  Gregorio was tough for a guy who idolized Professor Birch of all people!  (For those unfamiliar with the 3rd generation games, Birch didn’t have the sense to bring a Pokemon with him when going out into the wild, and the player character had to save him from a weak Zigzagoon.)
 
A “Chica Mala Jessy” hated Firestorm like the other Vast Poni Canyon trainers.  Her Alolan Persian outsped him and had, you guessed it, Power Gem.  Setting up with Sleep Powder and Quiver Dance let me finish it off.  Her Honchkrow turned out to have Insomnia after Firestorm tried to use Sleep Powder on it, and finished him off with a Wing Attack.
 
Death Count:  19     
 
Firestorm got his revenge on take 2.  On the first turn, Alolan Persian tried to Taunt him instead of using Power Gem.  Taunt would normally be bad for Butterfree because it would disable Quiver Dance and Sleep Powder, but an Affection dodge saved me once again.  Honchkrow fell to a Bug Buzz.
 
In a blatant case of rushed development, a Captain named “Rika” (Mina) appeared and said she didn’t have a trial prepared for me.  Then she gave me the Fairy Z Crystal as a memento of the meeting and left.
 
La Veterna Lara had the dreaded Klefki, but she wasted its Prankster priority status ailment potential.  She instead used a move that disabled held items.  This gave Firestorm the chance to Air Slash it to death.  “Veterano Robus” had an Alolan Golem, one of Buttefree’s worst foes.  It went down in one Quiver Dance boosted Bug Buzz because it had Magnet Pull instead of Sturdy.
 
At the end of Vast Poni Canyon lay the final Totem Pokemon, Kommo-o.  The trial was another case of the developers not having enough time to complete the game.  No Captain was there, and all I had to do before fighting Kommo-o was fight its two pre-evolutions Jangmo-o and Hakamo-o.  The Totem Fight was easy for a change, and the enemy Pokemon didn’t bother attacking at all.  Yes, they let me use Sleep Powder and Quiver Dance with impunity.  The Hakamo-o ally spent all its turns buffing itself, and Kommo-o wasted a round Protecting when it woke up.  After two Quiver Dances, one Air Slash took out both dragons.  Dragon/Fighting is a cool offensive typing, but not the best defensive one due to the added Fairy, Flying, and Psychic weaknesses.  Kommo-o is disappointingly slow for a Pokemon with a 600 base stat total, and is not often used in competitive battles if I’m not mistaken.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

I'll throw in a bonus post today, since this is the last part of the story before the Elite Four.  Who doesn't want to see Firestorm the Butterfree get his revenge against Montañero Josu and his Archeops?

At the Altar of the Moon, Lillie’s Cosmoem evolved into Lunala, and helpfully sent me to Ultra Space to find Guzmán and Lusamine.  Ultra Space was a short corridor filled with cutscenes, and eventually Firestorm had to fight Lusamine merged with Nihilego.  This wasn’t as interesting as it might sound, because I ended up fighting the same team from the first Lusamine battle.  They all had a mini-Totem aura that boosted a particular stat by one stage.  Milotic, for example, had an Attack buff. 

Clefable was perfect setup bait for Quiver Dance after a Sleep Powder.  There was one scary moment when it used Metronome (i.e. a randomly selected move), but it turned out to be a harmless Megahorn.  The rest of the team fell one by one to Air Slashes and Bug Buzzes.  Lusamine came back to her senses after the battle, and Lillie thanked me for being useless and making a level 60 Butterfree do all the work. 
 

Lillie wanted me to use Lunala for some reason, although it would make more sense thematically if she had it as her first Pokemon.  Like in my Pokemon White playthrough, my Pokemon Moon character thinks legendary Pokemon are false gods and must be destroyed.   So Butterfree put Lunala to sleep and set up several Quiver Dances.  Lunala did little more than buff its defenses with Cosmic Power and occasionally hit Butterfree with weak Shadow Balls.  Upon defeating it, the game seemed to reset.  I guess it’s like the Zekrom situation in Pokemon White where catching it is mandatory.  On the first turn of round 2, I threw my Master Ball, caught it, and promptly stuffed it in the PC.  You can make me catch an Uber tier Pokemon, but you can’t make me use it!    (Besides, Lunala turned out to be Adamant, which is one of the worst natures a special attacker could have.  +10% Attack, -10% Special Attack.)
 
Nanu informed me that the Pokemon League on Mount Lanakila had just opened, and it was time to see if I could become the first Champion.  When fighting the Elite Four and Kukui, I’ll be sure to save scum.  The Death Count will already be high enough without having to redo the entire gauntlet if I lose due to bad luck.
 
Gladion descended on the first Mount Lanakila elevator with his hand on his forehead like always.  He thanked me for helping Lillie, and expressed his gratitude by leading with his Crobat and killing Firestorm with Acrobatics just like that hiker guy in Vast Poni Canyon.
 
Death Count:  20
 
Good thing I stockpiled a few Rare Candies!  Finding a few more couldn’t hurt either, so I looked up their locations on YouTube.  The guy at the Tapu Village café gave me another one for stuffing Butterfree with Poke Beans to raise Affection.  I decided to order an “Expreso Granbull” out of gratitude.  Firestorm started with these level 61 stats:
 
HP:  160
Attack:  77
Defense:  82
Special Attack:  156
Special Defense:  105
Speed:  117
 
Feeding him Rare Candies upgraded his stats to these values at level 73:
 
HP:  190
Attack:  91
Defense:  97
Special Attack:  185
Special Defense:  125
Speed:  140
 
Montañero Josu would be the Firestorm’s first victim at level 73.  Butterfree could finally outspeed the level 44 Archeops and put it to sleep.  A Bug Buzz and Air Slash avenged my earlier defeat.     Then he sent out Rampardos, another concerning Rock type.  Firestorm put it to sleep, but that wasn’t necessary because Bug Buzz killed it in one hit on the following turn.  It’s sad when you celebrate victories over opponents about 30 levels lower than you, but hey, this is a Butterfree solo!
 
Gladion attempt 2 started off well.  Firestorm couldn’t outspeed Crobat, but he survived the Acrobatics thanks to the extra HP and Defense and put it to sleep.  One Quiver Dance and Air Slash later, and Crobat was done for.  Silvally died to an Air Slash too.  I tried Bug Buzz on Weavile, but then its priority Ice Shard was strong enough to finish off Firestorm.
 
Death Count:  21
 
Third time was the charm!  Firestorm took out Crobat the same way he did before, but this time, I took advantage of Silvally to heal with Hyper Potions.  Silvally’s Crunch lowered my Defense, so I needed an X Defend to make up for it.  Healing paid off when Weavile failed to KO me with Ice Shard.  One Air Slash defeated Lucario.  Gladion handed me a Max Elixir after beating him, which I’ll probably use during the Elite Four to restore my PP. 
 
Next up was Hau, and he started off with his most dangerous Pokemon.  Alolan Raichu still outsped me even though Firestorm was about 20 levels higher than it.  Butterfree could survive the Thunderbolt and exploit its weakness with Bug Buzz.  Torracat actually lost Speed when it evolved into Incineroar, so I had enough of an advantage to send it to dreamland.  I used an Air Slash just in case it woke up early, since there was still a flinch chance.  Incineroar lost about half its health, so I knew a Bug Buzz would be a safe finisher. 
 
Komala was a unique Pokemon.  It had the ability “Letargo Perenne” (Comatose, “Perennial Lethargy”) that gave it permanent Sleep status, but with the ability to act as normal.  I’ve tried using Komala both on my ingame team and in the postgame Battle Tree during my original Moon playthrough, and it stinks.  It’s too slow and frail to do much of anything useful.  That meant it was healing and Quiver Dance fodder for Butterfree.   Komala often wasted turns trying Sucker Punch, which fails if the opponent isn’t using a direct attack that turn.  A Bug Buzz killed it, along with Hau’s last Pokemon Leafeon.  Hau gave me yet another useless Max Revive when I beat him.  At least I can sell them later if I need to!
 
I bought a bunch of performance-enhancing X items, then headed off to the Elite Four. . .

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

It's time for the final update of Pokemon Moon's story!     It won't be the last of Firestorm's misadventures. . .

In the Pokemon League, Kukui said that every region had an Elite Four.  This makes me wonder more about whether the Pokemon League is more of a sports regulation authority (e.g. FIFA) or an international government.  After I responded with “Suena difícil” (“It sounds difficult”), Kukui told me not to worry, because I had Butterfree by my side!  That’s reassuring, Kukui.  Remind me that I’m using a PU Pokemon.
 
The battle against Hala was anticlimactic except for his first Pokemon.  Hariyama was rude, and decided to use Fake Out for a guaranteed first strike and flinch.  It woke up from a Sleep Powder after only two turns, and punished me for using Quiver Dance by Knocking Off Firestorm’s Quick Claw and sending him into yellow HP range.  One Air Slash defeated Hariyama, and Crabominable, Primeape, Poliwrath, and Bewear died one by one without getting in an attack.
 
Acerola was easier than Hala.  She led with Sableye, or the best setup bait possible for Butterfree.  Sableye is a Pokemon designed to inflict status ailments and occasionally take hits, but its offensive stats are quite weak.  A Fake Out made Firestorm flinch, but a Sleep Powder allowed him to use Quiver Dance twice and sweep through Acerola’s team with Air Slash.  Sableye, Dhelmise, Frosslass, and Palossand all died in one hit.  Drifblim’s massive HP stat let it barely survive so Acerola could use a Full Restore on it, but I simply used Bug Buzz to send it within 2 hit KO range.  GameFreak missed an opportunity for a pun, because “Acero” means Steel in Spanish, yet Acerola is a Ghost specialist.
 
Olivia, the next Elite Four member, was the scariest of all.  She was a Rock specialist just like she was when she was the Akala Island Kahuna, and this battle had the potential to increase the Death Count many times.  She led with Relicanth, and Sleep Powder lasted long enough for me to get in a couple of Quiver Dances and finish it off with Bug Buzz.  Midnight Lycanroc also died to a single Bug Buzz.  Carbink was a concern, due to its high Special Defense and the fact that it resisted both Bug Buzz and Air Slash.  Stupid Fairy types!  Why do you have to resist Bug, which is already one of the worst offensive types?  Air Slashes slowly knocked it out while asleep. 
 
Probopass also resisted both of Firestorm’s attacks thanks to its Steel typing.  When Olivia kept using Full Restores on it, I had to use an Elixir because Firestorm’s PP ran too low.  Probopass’s parting shot was a Thunder Wave, which Firestorm eventually shrugged off with Affection.  Alolan Golem didn’t resist Bug Buzz, but it had Sturdy, giving it an extra chance to wake up and crush Butterfree.  Fortunately, it didn’t, and Firestorm made it past Olivia without a single death!  I made sure to play with Firestorm in Poke Relax and feed him Poke Beans after that victory.
 
Kahili the golfer was the final Elite Four member.  I never saw her at any point during the game, while the other three members were Kahunas or Captains.  GameFreak probably intended for her to appear at some point, but the rushed development cycle forced them to abandon that plan.  She led with Skarmory, the bane of physical attackers everywhere.  However wimpy Butterfree may be, he's a special attacker at heart.  Sleep Powder made it snooze, and a critical hit Air Slash after two Quiver Dances activated Sturdy. 
 
After Kahili used a Full Restore, I tried weakening it with Bug Buzz.  That not only made Skarmory lose about half its health, but also debuffed its Special Defense.  This double resisted attack scared Kahili so much that she switched to Toucannon.  Remember, the AI in Pokemon games rarely switches even with an obvious type disadvantage.  Butterfree’s Bug Buzz was so intimidating, it made Skarmory of all things retreat.
 
Kahili wasted a Full Restore on Toucannon, but one Air Slash knocked it out.  One Bug Buzz killed the Dark/Flying Mandibuzz.  Fire form Oricorio and Crobat died to one Air Slash each, and Air Slash ripped Skarmory’s metal feathers off.  Butterfree somehow managed to win a fight against a Flying type specialist at full health! 
 
The only fight left was Kukui, who wasn’t legally a Champion, but might as well have been because he was the fifth battle at the Pokemon League.  He led with the worst possible Pokemon, Midday Lycanroc.  It was faster than even a level 75 Butterfree, and impaled Firestorm on the first turn with Stone Edge.
 
Death Count:  22
 
Events like this are why I made sure to save right before reaching the Champion’s throne.  On the second try, Firestorm dodged a Stone Edge thanks to Affection bonuses.  That was enough to put Lycanroc to sleep, use Quiver Dance once, and finish it off with Bug Buzz.  Braviary was next.  Another Sleep Powder and Quiver Dance made sure Firestorm could beat it with one Air Slash.  
 
Next came Decidueye, whose Grass type prevented Sleep Powder from working.  One boosted Bug Buzz was enough to deal with it, though.  Alolan Ninetails pummeled Butterfree with a Blizzard, but all those Quiver Dance Special Defense boosts ensured survival.  An Air Slash killed that, but I think I used another Quiver Dance beforehand.  Magnezone was the most dangerous opponent after Lycanroc, and I used a Full Restore to cure a Thunder Wave paralysis.  I didn’t want to lose that late in the fight even if it required abusing healing items!  An Air Slash softened it up so a Bug Buzz could KO it without risking Sturdy activations or Full Restores.  Snorlax fell asleep under Firestorm’s influence, and an Air Slash followed by a Bug Buzz defeated Kukui’s last Pokemon.
 
Alola celebrated after being humiliated by a single Butterfree with an ending sequence much longer than a portable game has any right to have.  Lillie was enamored with the player character’s psychopathic stare and snuck off with him to Tapu Koko’s lair.  After her experience at the Altar of the Moon, she too wanted to see a 70 pound butterfly humble legendary Pokemon.  Tapu Koko began the fight by using Agility, while I opened with a Quiver Dance.  My opponent’s Electric Terrain would enhance its attacks, so I also used an X Special Defense to ensure Firestorm’s survival.  After that, it used an Electric move and the fixed percentage damage Nature’s Madness.  After Electric Terrain ran out, I could finally put Tapu Koko to sleep.  An Air Slash and a Bug Buzz defeated the first Island Guardian, but only made it run away to potentially challenge Firestorm again.


Ten points from Gryffindor for this excessive ending.     After I was finally allowed to save, my play time was 27:46.  Congratulations, Firestorm the Butterfree!  You will be sent out to lose in pointless online battles soon. 

EDIT: Butterfree was level 76 when he beat Kukui. Keep in mind that Firestorm only got to such a high level after I stuffed him with Rare Candies right before the Mount Lanakila rival battles. Pokemon Moon has probably the least forgiving level curve for a solo out of any of the main series games. Even Pokemon White gave SeeNoEvil the Simipour the Lucky Egg shortly after the 5th gym, and that game introduced the diminishing returns experience formula featured in Moon.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Butterfree vs. the postgame, Part 1:

Becoming the Champion allowed me to access the postgame areas of Poni Island.  Why they allow random trainers who haven’t beaten the Elite Four inside puzzles me.  Anyway, Dexio showed up to tell me about newfangled French Mega Evolution methods developed in Kalos, and challenged me to show them off.  Unfortunately for him, he specialized in Psychic types which were all either weak or neutral to Bug!  Espeon was a bit annoying because it stole my Quiver Dance Special Attack boosts with some move (Power Swap?), but was quickly taken out with a Bug Buzz.  Everyone else died to one boosted Bug Buzz too, even Metagross, and Mega Alakazam.  When I put Slowking to sleep, I used a Hyper Potion to heal that initial Espeon Psychic damage.  After proving Mega Evolution was a dated mechanic from the 6th generation games, Dexio gave me the ability to use it. 



After beating up a few random trainers, I found the Dark Pulse TM on the Poni Coast.  A staple Dark move is restricted to the postgame?  I guess I should be glad I didn’t try to solo with anything dependent on special Dark coverage.  A cave had the Earthquake TM.  Tough luck for Ground types who don’t naturally learn it!  Ground doesn’t even get its Z move until right after the 4th Kahuna fight either.  If you’re using Oricorio, keep in mind that the Ghost nectar isn’t available until the postgame too.



Defeating another “Montañero” gave me the quote
“En esta vida conviene tener presente que no todo el monte es orégano”.  “Not all the mount is oregano” seems to be the Spanish equivalent of “it’s no rose garden”, but I’m not entirely sure that’s correct.



At the Battle Tree, Blue and Red from the 1st generation appeared, and asked me if I wanted to challenge one of them.  I picked Blue, and the fight began well when he lead with Alakazam.  Being a frail special Psychic Pokemon, Alakazam was good Quiver Dance fodder.  Perhaps I should have set up more than two Quiver Dances, because Aerodactyl woke up early from sleep and crushed Firestorm with Rock Slide. 



Death Count:  23



To wipe the smirk off Blue’s face, I decided to set up all 6 Quiver Dances on Alakazam.  It may seem like overkill, but it’s not when you’re dealing with annoying Rock types.  A Max Potion was needed to heal several “Premonición” (Future Sight) attacks, but that was the hardest part of the fight.  With maxed Special Attack, Firestorm killed Aerodactyl with a single Bug Buzz, then beat Arcanine, Gyarados, Kanto Exeggutor, and Machamp with one Air Slash each.  Why didn’t Blue get special theme music for this fight?  He had the same music as any other random trainer. 



The final notable trainer left was Rika the lazy Captain, but she refused to fight me unless I beat every other trainer on the route.  This required withdrawing POKEPELAGO the Caterpie from the PC to “participate” in a Double Battle.  All she did was Tackle Firestorm once, and then die to a Draining Kiss from a Comfey.  Butterfree effectively took on the Double Battle by himself.  Wishiwashi once froze Butterfree with an Ice Beam.  How unfair!  That kind of bad luck justified using a Full Restore.  I made sure to keep Comfey alive for as long as possible due to its weak attacking stats, even though its Light Screen Special Defense team buff was annoying. Light Screen couldn’t save Wishiwashi, Turtonator, or Electivire from Bug Buzzes and Air Slashes.  Being over level 80 will do that for you!  When fighting Alomomola, I learned that priority moves go before Quick Claw activations.  So Quick Claw is just a Speed boost, not a priority item.



POKEPELAGO did her job in one last Double Battle on the route, which was taking a Honchkrow’s attack for Firestorm.  The other enemy Pokemon was a Midnight Lycanroc that fell to one Bug Buzz.  After that, I deposited POKEPELAGO in the. . .Poke Pelago, so she could enjoy some time on the beach.  Rika was yet another significant character who got the generic trainer music.  Klefki was setup bait for Quiver Dances, since it was a support Pokemon rather than one with a threatening offense.  Klefki, Wigglytuff, Shiinotic, Granbull, and Ribombee all crumpled when hit with Air Slashes.  Rather anticlimactic for the final trainer battle of Poni Island!



At this point, the postgame consists of tracking down legendaries and Ultra Beasts.  I’ll do that in another update, but let’s take Firestorm online first!  A Focus Sash is an essential item for Pokemon with weak defenses in competitive battles.  A Pokemon that holds one can survive an attack that would have knocked it out in one shot from full health.  Focus Sashes disappear after being used, and are quite rare, making them impractical for the main story.  Items consumed online or in the Battle Tree are restored after the fight, so I’ll slap a Focus Sash on Firestorm for those matches.

EDIT:  Firestorm's grand debut online was a success!  You can see it if you look for this Battle Video:

PJAG-WWWW-WWWL-6CQE

(POKEPELAGO and a random Rattata were on the team because the game refused to accept fewer than 3 Pokemon.  I'll forfeit the match if Butterfree faints to simulate a solo challenge.)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Firestorm the Butterfree's online tour was mostly a series of defeats, as you might expect.

Then this happened:

L5UW-WWWW-WWWL-7KU8

For those who can't see the Battle Video, that's a match where an Arceus, a Mega Rayquaza, and a Mewtwo teamed up against Butterfree. . .and lost.

The match went like this:

Turn 1

The enemy Arceus used Blast Burn!  It's super effective!
Butterfree hung on with its Focus Sash!
Butterfree used Sleep Powder!  The enemy Arceus fell asleep!

Turn 2

The enemy Arceus has to recover from its attack!
Butterfree used Quiver Dance!  (Speed, Special Attack, Special Defense boost)

Turn 3

The enemy Arceus switched out!  Go, Rayquaza!
Butterfree used Quiver Dance!

Turn 4

The enemy Rayquaza Mega Evolved!
Butterfree used Sleep Powder!
The enemy Rayquaza is sleeping like a log!

Turn 5

Butterfree used Air Slash!
The enemy Rayquaza is sleeping like a log!

Turn 6

Butterfree used Air Slash!
The enemy Rayquaza fainted!

Turn 7

Go, Mewtwo!
Butterfree used Bug Buzz!
The enemy Mewtwo fainted!



Turn 8

Go, Arceus!
Butterfree used Air Slash!
The enemy Arceus is sleeping like a log!

Turn 9

Butterfree used Air Slash!  A critical hit!
The enemy Arceus fainted! (Victory)

Since I'm playing this in Spanish, the battle messages may be different in English.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

The final update for the postgame will feature Firestorm beating up legendaries, as it should be. Round 2 with Tapu Koko was pretty much “2nd verse, same as the first”. X Special Defenses, Quiver Dances, and Max Potions enabled Butterfree to survive Electric attacks. When Electric Terrain’s Sleep-disabling effect wore off, a Sleep Powder followed by an Air Slash finished off the Melemele guardian.



Tapu Lele’s Psychic Terrain only disabled priority moves, not status ailments. I should have used Sleep Powder on the first turn, but for some reason I went with two Quiver Dances instead. A Max Potion healed Firestorm, and a single boosted Bug Buzz made the Akala guardian “vanish without a trace”.



Tapu Fini’s Misty Terrain disabled all status ailments, including Sleep. Nature’s Madness was a fixed damage attack that slashed Butterfree’s HP in half, so a Max Potion was necessary. Its Moonblast and Hydro Pump were much weaker thanks to Quiver Dance boosts. When the terrain expired, I didn’t bother with Sleep Powder, and Firestorm finished off the Poni guardian with one Air Slash.



Tapu Bulu was the easiest of all. As a Grass type, it was immune to Sleep Powder, but it also was weak to Air Slash. One use of that move made the Ula’ula guardian surrender and flee.



After slaying the Tapus, Firestorm and my player character felt confident enough to respond to a mysterious note from “Handsome” (Looker) asking for a meeting at the Route 8 motel. Looker asked me if I dealt with the Ultra Beast codenamed “Parásito”, otherwise known as Nihilego. His boss “Destra” (Anabel) challenged me to a Pokemon battle to prove I was worthy of fighting Ultra Beasts. And I had a round of some of the worst luck I’ve ever had in this playthrough. Alakazam woke up early and got two Psychics that rolled the Special Defense debuff. We all know what that means.



Death Count: 24



Firestorm wanted to avenge that death against Alakazam, so he dodged the Psychic with Affection. I didn’t want to set up here, so Butterfree knocked it out with one Bug Buzz. Mismagius woke up early (Drink!) and got the lucky paralysis on Thunderbolt. You’ll forgive me for using Full Restores, right? Two boosted Air Slashes beat Mismagius, and then Salamence woke up early (Chug!) and bit Firestorm’s wings off with Fire Fang.



Death Count: 25



Take 3 was the successful attempt. A Quiver Dance and a Bug Buzz defeated Alakazam, and Butterfree had an opportunity for another buff while Mismagius was sleeping. I didn’t bother putting Salamence to sleep, and Air Slashed it to death instead. Snorlax’s high Special Defense and early awakening (Drink!) proved to be annoying. Fortunately, Anabel the queen of luck didn’t get her paralysis chance with Body Slam, so Butterfree could beat Snorlax with two Air Slashes and a Bug Buzz. Weavile didn’t bother with Ice Shard, and Firestorm Bug Buzzed to achieve victory.



My first mission was to take on the two Nihilegos at Diglett’s Tunnel and Wela Volcano Park. The Diglett’s Cave Nihilego put up a significant fight. It woke up from sleep early at least twice, and its Power Gems hurt quite a bit. Being overleveled with Quiver Dance boosts helped survive the Rock attacks, and Firestorm managed to endure one unlucky roll.



Survive With 1 HP Count: 8



Nihilego’s Rock/Poison typing resisted Bug Buzz and Air Slash, and its aura boosted Special Defense. This fight took a while! Nihilego fainted eventually, but it was still on the loose, and the Ultra Beast music was still playing in Diglett’s Tunnel. Fine, this game is railroading me into catching them! They’ll go on Wonder Trade soon and infest some alternate universe instead. Most of the Ultra Beasts were easy to catch once asleep, except for Guzzlord. That’s to be expected, since Guzzlord killed Looker’s partner about 10 years ago. It only took one Thrash after Guzzlord woke up early (Drink!) to kill Butterfree.



Final Death Count: 26



After catching Guzzlord on the second try, Butterfree decided to murder Necrozma. The Lunala music played instead of the Ultra Beast theme, so I thought I could knock it out permanently with two Bug Buzzes. Instead, I got some experience and a text box saying the Pokemon was still around somewhere. Then I realized this was another attempt to railroad me into capturing a legendary instead of killing it. Round 2 took many Sleep Powders, an 1 HP endurance from a Prismatic Laser, and a Heavy Ball. All those Dusk Balls failed, but a Heavy Ball worked. Do the Pokemon at the Poke Pelago make jokes about Necrozma being fat now? Firestorm gained his final level of 84 after the fight.



Final Survive With 1 HP Count: 9



Firestorm the Butterfree’s final stats:



Level: 84

HP: 217

Attack: 104

Defense: 111

Special Attack: 213

Special Defense: 143

Speed: 160



Hidden Power type: Fighting



And that’s the end of the solo Butterfree Pokemon Moon playthrough! I hope you all enjoyed my failures. Don’t use Butterfree for your regular playthroughs, kids. The only way Firestorm succeeded was with overleveling, healing items, and Affection bonuses. Accurate sleep moves may sound great, but enemy Pokemon will wake up at inconvenient times and rip apart Butterfree’s paper thin defenses. Bug/Flying is a bad type to be in Alola due to all the super effective moves enemies will throw at you. SeeNoEvil the Simipour should be grateful he was a pure Water type with only Grass and Electric weaknesses!



The Alola generation has way too many cutscenes for my taste, but the Totem Pokemon made for fun boss fights. Getting rid of HMs was a nice gameplay convenience too. Pokemon Moon was noticeably more challenging for a solo run than Pokemon White. It’s a shame that the game was obviously rushed, but supposedly the Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon versions add in the scrapped content. As for my next playthrough, I’m considering either Sapphire or Pearl. With Sapphire, I could enter the Pokemon Contests with my solo character. With Pearl, I could give Sinnoh more of a fair shake. I’ve played Pearl more than any other Pokemon game because it was the first generation with online battling, but I hardly remember the main game at all.