Pokemon Variants

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Have you done solo meowth?

I've never done Solo Meowth before.  I may consider it after the Trials of Mana Solo Charlotte run, though. . .

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon White Solo Simisage Part 1:  Blessed Assurance


I enjoyed my time with Ni No Kuni, but it can be exhausting to play that kind of cutscene heavy RPG.  It was time to start a quick Pokemon playthrough.  The other 2 "elemental monkeys" already have solo challenges in this thread, so it was Pansage's turn.


To get Pansage, I had to pick Tepig as my starter.  There were a few mandatory trainers in the Dreamyard that gave Tepig experience that I would have preferred for my solo character.  It might not have mattered much anyway considering how the experience system in Pokemon White is meant to punish solos with diminishing returns.


Pansage started at Level 10 with a Gentle personality and the Alert to Sounds characteristic.  That meant a Defense penalty, a Special Defense bonus, and that the highest "individual value" stat bonus was for Speed.  Adamant might have been a better option for a personality due to its Attack bonus, but I didn't feel like resetting and the "individual values" were good enough to use.


Initial Stats and Moveset:


HP:  32
Attack:  18
Defense:  14
Special Attack:  15
Special Defense:  15
Speed:  20
 
Starting Moves
 
Scratch
Leer
Lick
Vine Whip



Pansage is different from the other monkeys since its same type attacks use Attack rather than Special Attack.  This may cause problems later when Intimidate users appear and debuff Pansage automatically.


The trainers south of Striaton City were useless except for maybe "effort values" that contribute to stats at higher levels.  Cheren in the Trainer's School wasn't a difficult rival fight.  The Level 8 Oshawott starter fell to 2 Vine Whips accounting for Oran Berry healing, and Pansage lashed Level 8 Purrloin with 3 Vine Whips.  The worst that Pansage had to worry about was a critical Scratch, and my solo won at Level 11 with 20/34 HP.


Only bad trainer AI saved Pansage against Waitress Tia in the Striaton Gym's restaurant.  Vine Whip failed to KO a Patrat before a Bide copied its damage total and blasted it back.  Purrloin kept using Sand Attack and Growl instead of attacking, so Pansage survived at Level 12 with 4/36 HP.


Striaton Gym's gimmick is designed for the "elemental monkeys", since the Gym Leader changes type depending on your starter.  Since JIMENA the trainer chose Tepig, I faced Gym Leader Cress and his team.  Lillipup is one of the better early Pokemon in Unova, so Pansage cast Leer to lower its Defense twice before striking with Vine Whip.  It wasn't a good idea to stall for long against the Level 12 opponent because it could power up its Attack and Special Attack with Work Up. 


Level 14 Panpour's Water Gun wasn't even a drizzle, and that was with a Work Up bonus.  Cress's signature Pokemon passed out after 3 Vine Whips, and Pansage got the 1st badge at Level 13 with 29/38 HP.  A much better performance than solo Pansear managing to lose to Cilan's Pansage!  Work Up from the Gym's TM replaced Leer, since it's better to buff yourself in Pokemon than to debuff your opponent.  If you're playing the Super Nintendo version of Trials of Mana, it's the other way around:  buff items can be bought, while debuffs are associated with particular character promotions.


Team Plasma in the Dreamyard wasn't worth mentioning except for one Grunt failing to cast Assist with a Purrloin.  Route 3's Preschoolers would have made better villains than they.  One had a Pansear, and there was the mandatory Double Battle with 2 Purrloins that reduced Pansage to 13/43 HP.  (Patrat the Cut mule was the dummy partner.)


Team Plasma Grunts in Wellspring Cave, however, had the honor of first blood.  Pansage's woes in this region began with a Level 12 Patrat's Bide when Vine Whip was too weak to KO.


DEATH COUNT:  1


Solo Panpour fainted for the 1st time under similar circumstances, except to a Team Plasma Grunt in the Dreamyard rather than Wellspring Cave.


Pansage won on the 2nd try with Work Up buffs.  At Level 16, Pansage had the choice of either keeping Lick or replacing it with Leech Seed. Enemies at this point were usually either Dark types that resist Lick, or Normal types that were immune.  Leech Seed would have benefited a defensive Grass type more than Pansage, but I thought it might be worth it for the 2nd Gym.  It might have been a mistake to get rid of Lick!


School Kid Marsha on Route 3 may be the most difficult opponent in the entire playthrough.  All she had was a Level 13 Woobat, but it was all she needed.  Confusion was a decent same type attack, but Gust was super effective.  The best I could hope for was a weak Dark type Assurance.  Some actuarial statistics should give an idea of Marsha:


DEATH COUNT:  4


Pansage prevailed with Work Up powered Scratches, Leech Seed healing, and a held Oran Berry.  The fun part of using a weak Pokemon is losing to random route trainers multiple times and thinking of a strategy to beat them.  Technically Marsha was avoidable, but she was one of those spinning trainers who seemed to be clairvoyant.


School Kid Edgar on Route 3 nearly defeated Pansage with a critical Quick Attacking Pidove and a Roggenrola with Headbutt, but I barely won at Level 17 with Work Up + Scratch and Vine Whips.  Pansage won't fight Lenora right away.  Watchog's Retaliate would pummel me at that level, and Pansage needs a better attack than Vine Whip.  Audinos will provide experience if the trainers to the west of Nacrene City aren't sufficient.


Stats and Moves
 
Level 17 @ Nothing
Ability:  Gluttony
 
HP:  47
Attack:  28
Defense:  20
Special Attack:  23
Special Defense:  23
Speed:  32
 
Starting Moves
 
Scratch
Work Up
Leech Seed
Vine Whip

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon White Solo Simisage Part 2:  Plasbad


A TM replaced Scratch with Rock Smash, a weak Fighting physical attack that had a Defense debuff chance.  While training west of Nacrene City, Pansage defeated Youngster Zachary and retired Leech Seed.  Bite's physical Dark type was an answer for Psychic types like Munna and Woobat, and its flinch chance made it viable for neutral opponents.


N in Nacrene City team of Level 13 Pokemon wasn't too bad, but his Pidove hit Pansage hard with Gust and a Leer + Quick Attack combo.  Vine Whip stung Tympole, and 2 Vine Whips struck down Patrat while it was charging up Bide.  Pansage left the arena at Level 20 with 29/54 HP.


Pansage prepared for the 2nd Gym Leader battle with Lenora by equipping a Chesto Berry.  Remember when I said Intimidate would be a problem for the Grass monkey more than the Fire and Water monkeys?  Lenora cut Pansage's Attack as soon as Level 18 Herdier came out of the Poke Ball.  Its Take Down with Normal same type bonus overwhelmed Pansage in two attempts.  Work Up couldn't save Pansage when starting at -1 Attack, and Rock Smash was too weak.


DEATH COUNT:  6


There was only one way for Pansage to beat the experience curve:  mauling Audinos!  Pansage finally learned Seed Bomb, the staple Grass attack for the rest of the challenge.  Seed Bomb started at 80 power, which sure beat Vine Whip's 35.  And that wasn't taking into account the 50% same type bonus.


Seed Bomb shells pelted Herdier after a Work Up until it was defeated, although Take Downs dealt significant damage.  Watchog cast Hypnosis instead of going for the sure victory with Retaliate.  Retaliate doubles in power if used immediately after an ally faints, and solos have to pray that Watchog's AI is stupid.  Pansage fell asleep for a few seconds before the Chesto Berry awakened him.  It might have helped that the 1st Seed Bomb against Watchog was critical.  Pansage survived at Level 23 with 30/61 HP.


It disappointed me that Pansage couldn't learn Retaliate from the TM.  It would have been nice to have a decent Normal move, although it had low PP.  In Pinwheel Forest, Pansage eliminated the Team Plasma Grunts.  He nearly lost to Pokemon Ranger Miguel and his Pansear after falling asleep from Yawn.  Pansage woke up just in time to Bite to victory.


Pansage equipped the Miracle Seed to boost Grass attacks at the end of Pinwheel Forest, but it didn't last long as there were better hold items.  Lass Eva's 3 Woobats all fell to 1 Bite each.  One of the joys of playing RPGs is the increase in power over the course of the game.  Compare Lass Eva to School Kid Marsha and you'll notice the difference.


Readers may be sick of Eviolite by now, but it's a staple of Pokemon solos starting in the 5th generation.  I got it in Castelia City, the Pokemon version of New York.  Pansage would try to resist the temptation to evolve as long as possible.  He probably will become Simisage by the end of the game.  Trying to level to 100 in Pokemon White with an unevolved Pokemon would probably be like trying to max out Cloud and Barret in the 1st Mako reactor in Final Fantasy 7.  This isn't Sword and Shield where it's easy to get experience with candies.


Pansage defeated Team Plasma Grunts and was called "Plasbad" in one of the more memorable lines in the script.


Burgh the Bug type Gym Leader had an advantage over Pansage the Grass type.  Not just from resisting Seed Bomb or super effective Bug moves.  The level 21 Whirlipede had a double power Poison Tail with a poison chance.  This usually put Pansage at or near critical HP.  If Whirlipede didn't skewer Pansage, then Level 21 Dwebble would with Smack Down, or Level 23 Leavanny with Razor Leaf of all moves.


DEATH COUNT:  12


Burgh was also a cheater by the standards of the later solos.  He loved to heal Whirlipede or Leavanny with Hyper Potions.  Leavanny tried to stall for PP by blocking with Protect, and Sand Attack from Dwebble made accuracy from Bite random.  The 1st attempt came close to victory, which made me try and try again at Level 30.  I considered evolving with the Leaf Stone in Castelia. . .then checked Pansage's moveset on Serebii and thought of a better idea.



JIMENA and her Pansage backtracked to Nacrene City and bludgeoned more Audinos until he grew to Level 31 and replaced Rock Smash with Acrobatics.  Pansage removed his Eviolite and returned to Burgh's Gym.  Acrobatics doubled in power without an item equipped, and Pansage flipped around the arena to take out Whirlipede and Leavanny in one hit.  The Dwebble in the middle put up a fight with Struggle Bug and Sand Attack since Seed Bomb failed to KO in one hit.  Pansage got his 3rd badge at Level 31 with 68/80 HP.  What a difference one level makes in an RPG with a "high damage, low health" battle system.


I mentioned that solo Simisage's namewould have to be truncated to fit the character limit.  Now that it's happening, my Pansage is called "SpeakNoEvl".


If SpeakNoEvl can delay evolution for long enough, he can use Crunch by the end of the game instead of the inferior TM Shadow Claw.


Stats and Moves
 
Level 31 @ Nothing
 
HP:  80
Attack:  50
Defense:  36
Special Attack:  39
Special Defense:  38
Speed:  58
 
Acrobatics
Work Up
Bite
Seed Bomb

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon White Solo Simisage Part 3:  No Death Count?


Bianca greeted SpeakNoEvl at the gate to the desert with a Level 18 Herdier with Intimidate.  Pansage thought that was rude and responded with two Work Ups and a Seed Bomb.  Herdier wasted its rounds with an Odor Sleuth and a Take Down miss.  Level 18-20 Munna, Servine, and Panpour fell to Bite, Acrobatics, and Seed Bomb for a flawless victory at Level 32.


Cheren preferred to fight in the desert itself.  This would have been a flawless victory if not for sandstorm damage that knocked SpeakNoEvl down to 67/82 HP.  Level 20-22 Pidove, Pansear, Liepard, and Dewott died to one Acrobatics or Seed Bomb each.


The desert and Desert Resort detour were easy experience.  The only fact worth mentioning is that Psychic Low's Yamask was the 1st enemy Ghost type to appear.  Compare that to Crystal where Rival ??? has a Gastly just after the 2nd Gym.


SpeakNoEvl pummeled the trainers in and around Nimbasa and purchased the Return TM in the Pokemon Center.  Return is a standard move for physical solos from Generations 2-8.  (Wooloo in Shield had a nasty surprise when I learned that Return was erased from history!)


N in Nimbasa by the ferris wheel was the last opponent to deal with Acrobatics.  Level 22 Sandile, Darumaka, and Scraggy passed out after Acrobatics or Seed Bomb, while Sigilyph withstood the 1st Acrobatics and countered with Air Cutter.  Even while 13 levels lower, Sigilyph's Special Attack was good enough to diminish SpeakNoEvl's HP to 48/90.


Nimbasa's Gym was Electric type, so Acrobatics would become worthless.  Return was weaker than no item Acrobatics in general, but at least Pansage could equip Eviolite for better defenses now.  "Flying Squirrel Pikachu" Emolgas were annoying due to their Static ability paralyzing SpeakNoEvl, but Elesa's fight was more favorable. 


Pansage set up a Work Up against Elesa's first Level 25 Emolga, then was gashed by Aerial Ace.  Return killed both Emolgas without Static, and a critical Seed Bomb poached Level 27 Zebstrika.  At least Elesa's star Pokemon struck with Quick Attack to knock Level 37 Pansage down to 58/94 HP before fainting.


Cheren's fight west of Nimbasa was interesting since Liepard cast Torment to prevent Pansage from using the same move consecutively.  After the free Fake Out flinch damage, of course.  Torment activated after Work Up, so Return defeated Liepard to save Seed Bomb for later.  Pansear's Flame Burst was mediocre after Pansage's Bite.  Return killed Pansear, and an accidentally well-timed Work Up meant Tranquill's Detect block was wasted.  Return knocked out Tranquill, and a Seed Bomb barrage defeated Level 26 Dewott.  SpeakNoEvl emerged victorious at Level 38 with 66/97 HP.


A "dungeon" called Cold Storage in Driftveil City was so easy that none of the battles were worth discussing, whether the workers or the Team Plasma Grunts.  Driftveil's Gym was Ground type, where Pansage had an advantage for once against the subordinate trainers. 


Clay's Level 29-31 team had a surprise for SpeakNoEvl:  Swagger.  Pansage conked himself on the head after the initial Work Up for heavy damage, though he snapped out of it once Krokorok Bulldozed him.  Excadrill wasted its opportunity to finish off SpeakNoEvl by powering up Attack and Accuracy with Hone Claws.  A +3 Seed Bomb buried the mole, and Palpitoad was too sluggish to do anything even when Pansage was at -1 Speed from Bulldoze.  SpeakNoEvl earned his 5th badge with 41/104 HP at Level 41.


Stats and Moves
 
Lv 41 @ Eviolite
 
HP:  104
Attack:  70
Defense:  46
Special Attack:  51
Special Defense:  49
Speed:  80
 
Return
Work Up
Bite
Seed Bomb

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon White Solo Simisage Part 4:  Winter Blues


Bianca proved herself superior to Cheren once again in Driftveil City.  Her Level 26-28 team was the same as before, so SpeakNoEvl set up with Work Up twice to override Herdier's Intimidate.  A Seed Bomb still wasn't enough to KO, but Take Down recoil was suicidal.  Pansage's disappointing damage output made him Work Up again against Servine, who Slammed the monkey before being Returned to its Poke Ball. 


Musharna had enough HP to survive Bites, and Bianca healed it with multiple Hyper Potions.  One Psybeam wounded SpeakNoEvl, but it was passive Hail damage that caused. . .


DEATH COUNT:  13


One detail I hadn't mentioned earlier in that battle report was that the fight took place in Winter.  Pokemon White has seasons unlike earlier installments, and Winter makes Hail fall in and around Driftveil City.  Gender was weirdly important to the Jigglypuff solo thanks to Cute Charm, while the DS clock itself killed Pansage.  Bianca must have been reading Smogon articles to come up with Hail stall!


On Take 2 against Driftveil Bianca, SpeakNoEvl powered up 3 times with Work Up, then killed each team member with one Seed Bomb, Bite, or Return.  Pansage won with 68/104 HP at Level 41.


Chargestone Cave was a mostly easy dungeon, except for one close call against a trainer's Zebstrika.  If Team Plasma were using that instead of Liepard, Trubbish, or Watchog, they'd be a credible threat.  N at the end of Chargestone Cave had superior Pokemon, though maybe he'd do better if he hadn't released his entire team after every battle.



N's first Level 28 monster was a Boldore that had Sturdy and survived Seed Bomb with 1 HP.  It hit Pansage with Smack Down before being Crunched.  Joltik had a Defense stat too low to survive Return, but Ferroseed was Grass/Steel and resisted all of SpeakNoEvl's moves.  Pansage Worked Up twice and Ferroseed cut with Metal Claw.  (But Ferroseed doesn't even have limbs!)  An Iron Defense could have been dangerous if not for a critical hit Crunch. 


Klink's resistance to Grass didn't save it from Seed Bomb, and SpeakNoEvl triumphed at Level 46 with 60/116 HP.  The Lucky Egg is great for Pokemon White solos as you can see here:  SpeakNoEvl gained 5 levels from Driftveil Bianca to Chargestone Cave N, although the opposition was around 18 levels lower at best.


For anyone curious about SpeakNoEvl's "individual values", the Mistralton Pokemon Center Hidden Power checker said his type was Ghost.  Pansage advanced through Mistralton's Flying type Gym with little trouble.  Skyla with her Level 33-35 team was actually worse than her subordinate trainers.  On the 1st try, I equipped the Lucky Egg to see if Pansage could benefit from double experience, and win without Eviolite defenses.


One Crunch tore apart Swoobat.  Unfezant did nothing but Leer at SpeakNoEvl to lower his Defense.  This meant a free Work Up.  Returns pounded Unfezant enough for Skyla to waste turns healing it with Hyper Potions.  Seed Bomb exploded on Swanna and gave it a concussion.  An unevolved Pokemon with a type disadvantage and suboptimal stats defeated Skyla without taking any damage at Level 52.  That's the power of the Lucky Egg!  (And bad enemy AI.)



Stats and Moves

 
Level 52 @ Lucky Egg
 
HP:  131
Attack:  92
Defense:  60
Special Attack:  65
Special Defense:  61
Speed:  107
 
Return
Work Up
Crunch
Seed Bomb

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon White Solo Simisage Part 5:  Eviolite AI Script Manipulation


SpeakNoEvl began the episode by nearly dying to the Triple Battle specialist Ace Trainer Elmer.  Carrying my HM Mules Tepig and Ducklett around had this unexpected result.  Triple Battles were introduced in the Unova games, but later removed from the series if my memory isn't mistaken.  (Probably because of frame rate issues:  Double Battles were slow in Moon!)  Hail damage pelted Pansage again, and he had to waste a turn moving to the center slot so he could hit the Pokemon on the right.


Where Ace Trainer Elmer failed, Cheren succeeded with his Level 33-35 team.  Air Slashes from Unfezant's weaker attacking stat were enough to slice Lucky Egg Pansage in two. 


DEATH COUNT:  14


Cheren was more lenient on Take 2 and had his Unfezant use Taunt instead of a Flying attack.  Now SpeakNoEvl couldn't Work Up, but Returns were enough to destroy the bird and Simisear.  Pansage made Dewott and Liepard explode with Seed Bombs, though Liepard made a parting shot with Fake Out.  SpeakNoEvl won at Level 53 with 67/134 HP.


JIMENA the trainer acquired the Surf HM and backtracked to the beginning of Unova to Surf west and battle the trainers there.  Many of them had Water types as expected and were easy to kill with Seed Bomb.  One of the luckiest critical hits in the game was a Return against Veteran Ray's Darmanitan, a Fire type that would likely have murdered Pansage.


Twist Mountain could be easily descended with the snowdrifts in winter, though I tried to find as many trainers to battle as possible for experience.  Ace Trainer Jordan's Klang and its Gear Grind nearly defeated SpeakNoEvl.  One bonus of playing in Winter was the Substitute TM in the cave, which will probably come in handy for blocking status ailment moves near the end of the game.  The Rare Candy on top of a snowdrift in Icirrus City was another bonus.


The subordinate trainers in the Ice type Gym in Icirrus were so weak, Pansage could kill them without taking damage.  Unevolved Cubchoos should not have been their line of defense.  Some of that may have been due to lucky critical hits, though.


I remember seeing jokes online about Brycen being weak, but this Gym Leader claimed victory over SpeakNoEvl with his Level 37-39 squad.  Working Up against Vanillish resulted in an always critical Frost Breath.  Beartic was too hardy to die to a +1 Seed Bomb, and an Icicle Crash buried Pansage.


DEATH COUNT:  15


Lucky Egg clearly wasn't going to work.  SpeakNoEvl had to suffer the experience penalty and equip Eviolite instead.  This item gave Pansage better protection than Defense and Special Defense:  a favorable AI script.  Vanillish wasted 3 turns in a row increasing its Defense with Acid Armor, and SpeakNoEvl Worked Up 3 times.  Frost Breath missed and allowed Pansage to defeat Vanillish with 2 Seed Bombs.  At +3 Attack, Beartic and Cryogonal had no chance.  Pansage conquered without taking any damage at Level 59.  Don't know what made the computer behave this way, but Pokemon battles are highly variable compared to slower paced RPGs.


Next up is the inevitable "evil team gauntlet" in the late game.  (e.g. Goldenrod Radio Tower, Aether Foundation, the Rose Tower elevator, etc.)  There probably won't be much to talk about in the Relic Castle or Dragonspiral Tower.


Stats and Moves

Level 59 @ Lucky Egg
 
HP:  149
Attack:  108
Defense:  70
Special Attack:  74
Special Defense:  70
Speed:  127
 
Return
Work Up
Crunch
Seed Bomb

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon White Solo Simisage Part 6:  Another Anticlimactic Boss Battle


Team Plasma was so pathetic in Dragonspiral Tower and Relic Castle, I didn't bother to record any of the battles in my Microsoft Word notes.  Was Pokemon White rushed?  The Seven Sages should have been Admins in the style of Commander Mars.  At least the endgame redeems Team Plasma!


Bianca's battle near the bridge to Opelucid City featured a Level 38-40 team.  Stoutland entered with an Intimidate debuff just as Herdier did.  SpeakNoEvl and Stoutland started a Work Up war for two turns.  Then Pansage unleashed a Seed Bomb.  Another Work Up seemed wise against Serperior, though it could have been dangerous if allowed to increase its stats with Coil too many times.  A Slam was the punishment for Return.  Pansage's 1st attack sent Serperior into Full Restore range, and a critical Return later on broke the cycle.


Crunch was on my move list specifically for sturdy Psychic types like Musharna, and Seed Bomb drained Bianca's Simipour.  SpeakNoEvl triumphed at Level 63 with 120/158 HP.


Pansage battled the trainers on Route 9 and in the local mall.  Rich Boy Manuel's idea of conspicuous consumption was. . .a Level 36 Liepard.  The same Pokemon all those useless Team Plasma Grunts had.


Trainers in the Opelucid City Gym used Dragon types like Deino, Fraxure, and Druddigon.  Druddigon was the most dangerous of the three since it had decent Defense, a Dragon Claw attack, and Rough Skin.  Physical attackers get more powerful moves in the later generations, but the cost is that many passive abilities punish "contact" moves.  Think of Cute Charm for infatuation, Static for paralysis, and Rough Skin for recoil damage.


SpeakNoEvl's 1st round against Iris's Level 41-43 team occurred with the Lucky Egg equipped.  It would also be the last round.  Pansage got a free Work Up when Fraxure tried Dragon Dance.  Every trainer in this Gym used Dragon Dance with their Fraxure, so it must have been a high AI priority. 


Pansage returned Fraxure to its Poke Ball, and a Return critical bludgeoned Druddigon.  Two Returns slew Haxorus, and SpeakNoEvl acquired his 8th badge flawlessly.  Druddigon didn't even have Rough Skin, and Haxorus used Dragon Dance instead of attacking.


Stats and Moves

Level 66 @ Lucky Egg
 
HP:  165
Attack:  120
Defense:  77
Special Attack:  82
Special Defense:  78
Speed:  141
 
Return
Work Up
Crunch
Seed Bomb

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon White Solo Simisage Penultimate Part:  Rare Candy Diet


Cheren's final battle before Victory Road led with the two perfect Pokemon to counter SpeakNoEvl.  Unfezant survived a Return and replied with an Air Slash before falling, and Simisear launched a Flame Burst.  Lucky Egg was not an option.


DEATH COUNT:  16


With Eviolite, Pansage was safer against Unfezant.  But even a +1 Return from Work Up failed to KO, allowing for 1 Air Slash.  The rest of the Level 43-45 team, Simisear, Liepard, and Samurott, all perished after one Return or Seed Bomb.


Veteran Chester was the next trainer to claim victory over SpeakNoEvl.  His Beartic rained an Icicle Crash on Pansage, and the following Escavalier cut him with X-Scissor.


DEATH COUNT:  17


Even random trainers sometimes required Eviolite's defensive boosts at this point.  Pansage Worked Up, took an Icicle Crash, and fired a Seed Bomb against Beartic.  Escavalier resisted all of Pansage's attacks, so two Returns was the best he could do against the X-Scissoring snail knight.  Veteran Chester's last Pokemon was a Seismitoad that took 4X damage from Seed Bomb.


Victory Road trainers had competent Pokemon even if not many of the fights are recorded in my notes.  I remember a Scolipede that scared Pansage into a critical Return to kill it as fast as possible.  Black Belt Tyrone's Fighting types included a Hi Jump Kicking Scrafty and a Conkeldurr that pulverized Pansage with a Dynamic Punch.


DEATH COUNT:  18


SpeakNoEvl returned with Eviolite and charged 2 Work Ups against Black Belt Tyrone's Scrafty.  A Scary Face didn't slow down Pansage enough for Mienfoo to outrun his Return, and Conkeldurr retreated after one Seed Bomb.


SpeakNoEvl climbed to the top of the Pokemon League mountain at Level 70, and made sure to take a detour to find hidden Rare Candies.  But I wasn't going to use them until absolutely necessary to avoid wasting experience.


Caitlin the Psychic Elite 4 member seemed like the weakest opponent since Pansage had Crunch.  I was right:  SpeakNoEvl won on the 1st try with the Lucky Egg.  Work Up and Crunch killed the entire Level 48-50 team, from Reuniclus to Sigilyph to Musharna to Gothitelle.  The only attack that landed was a Psychic from Musharna during the time spent Working Up.


Shauntal's Ghost types were also weak to Crunch, but her Cofagrigus cast Will O Wisp.  Burn status cost SpeakNoEvl 50% of his Attack and a fraction of max HP per turn, so I reset knowing he was doomed.  Think of it like resetting when Condemn appears in Final Fantasy 5.


DEATH COUNT:  19


Pansage wore the Eviolite for the 2nd attempt, and used Substitute from a TM to dodge Cofagrigus's Will O Wisp.  The AI wasn't smart enough to realize that status ailment movements failed when the doll was protecting Pansage, so I got 2 Work Ups.  Crunch exorcised Cofagrigus and Chandelure, while Jellicent and Golurk were vulnerable to Seed Bomb.  SpeakNoEvl won with 133/177 HP at Level 71, and the HP loss was a sacrifice for the Substitute.


 
Grimsley the Dark master was saved for 3rd place, mostly because I knew Intimidate was coming.  What I had forgotten was Scrafty and its Sand Attack.  Even Substitute didn't always help because Scrafty's AI often picked Poison Jab  to break it.  If Scrafty's punches didn't KO SpeakNoEvl, then Bisharp's X-Scissor did.


DEATH COUNT:  21


The 3rd attempt was more fortunate.  Scrafty failed with 2 Sand Attacks before Poison Jabbing the Substitute, but a +2 Attack Seed Bomb wasn't sufficient to KO.  I knew Grimsley would use a Full Restore for a free Work Up turn.  At +3, Seed Bomb destroyed Scrafty.  Bisharp needed 2 Seed Bombs to kill due to its Steel type, but Liepard and Krookodile perished after 1 Seed Bomb each.  Pansage triumphed with 19/179 HP at Level 72.  A close battle even with Eviolite!


Marshal was the Fighting type Elite 4 member, so I experimented with no item Acrobatics.  It didn't work.  Throh lowered Pansage's Speed with Bulldoze, Mienshao Jump Kicked, and Sawk with Sturdy skewered SpeakNoEvl with Stone Edge if he got that far.  Conkeldurr's Hammer Arm cost me one attempt too.


DEATH COUNT:  24


Pansage didn't have a realistic chance at victory with either Eviolite + Work Up + Seed Bomb or no item Acrobatics.  His only option to win while unevolved was to grow to Level 79 with Rare Candies.  And even then it was difficult.  Throh used Stone Edge instead of Bulldoze for the first move, making me wonder if player character level factors into the AI routine.  Two Work Ups and a Seed Bomb defeated the judo Pokemon.  Mienshao outsped thanks to an earlier Bulldoze and Jump Kicked Pansage.  Seed Bomb defeated it and dropped Sawk to Sturdy 1 HP. 


Pansage bit with Crunch to avoid activating Sturdy during the Full Restore turn, then Seed Bombed Sawk and Conkeldurr to win the final Elite 4 match at Level 79 with 49/196 HP.  N's room in the Team Plasma castle contained the final Rare Candy in the main story, so here are Pansage's final stats:



HP:  198

Attack:  145
Defense:  93
Special Attack:  98
Special Defense:  93
Speed:  170

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon White Solo Simisage Finale:  Evolution at Last


If you thought School Kid Marsha was bad, N was much worse.  His Level 52 Reshiram had no pity for Pansage and cast Fusion Flare every time, whether with a Substitute or not.  I was hoping it would set up Light Screen instead.  Solos are guaranteed to lose 1 battle against N since Zekrom is forced into the 1st party slot.


SpeakNoEvl experimented with several moves to replace Substitute, including one ill-fated Flash attempt.  I knew I had figured out the solution when I tried Dig.  But at Level 80 with SpeakNoEvl's stats, Dig was NOT a guaranteed KO at +1 Attack.  Zoroark disguised itself as Klinklang and barely survived a Dig, resulting in another failure after Flamethrower singed SpeakNoEvl.  Once, Pansage got as far as Carracosta, only to activate Sturdy with Seed Bomb and be impaled on a Stone Edge.


DEATH COUNT:  32


I had 3 choices at this point:  gain levels with the punishing Unova experience curve, reroll the fight until Stone Edge missed from Carracosta, or evolve.  The 3rd option was the least painful, and hey, I never promised a "solo Pansage" challenge.  Here's what Simisage's stats looked like for the final fights:



Level 80

HP:  238

Attack:  217
Defense:  115
Special Attack:  170
Special Defense:  119
Speed:  229

 

Now that Eviolite was useless, SpeakNoEvl equipped Soft Sand to increase Dig's power.  The Attack increase from evolution was so high that Work Up was unnecessary.  Dig undermined Reshiram, Seed Bomb melted Vanilluxe, "Klinklang"'s illusion was broken by Seed Bomb, Dig rusted the real Klinklang, and Seed Bomb fossilized Archeops.


Carracosta inflicted the only damage Simisage took in the final N battle with Stone Edge.  Seed Bomb salvos exhausted N's Full Restore supplies, and SpeakNoEvl won the hero duel with 174/238 HP.


The 1st attempt against Ghetsis almost always adds to the Death Count since his Cofagrigus loves to fling Toxic at the player.  This playthrough was no exception, though Simisage at least held out until Hydreigon drowned him with Surf after scorching him with Fire Blast.


FINAL DEATH COUNT:  33


In previous Pokemon White solo challenges, I used the Pecha Berry to cure poison.  Simisage tried that strategy again, and had a way to turn Ghetsis's fondness for Toxic against him.  Work Up + Crunch sent Cofagrigus back to its pyramid.  Acrobatics broke Hydreigon's back, as it had more power against neutral types than Return after Simisage ate his held item.  Seismitoad, Eelektross, and Bouffalant were neutral or weak to Seed Bomb and all died in one hit each.  Bisharp sliced with X-Scissor for the only direct attack against SpeakNoEvl, but 2 Seed Bombs knocked out the last Pokemon in the game.  Simisage conquered the Unova region with 151/241 HP at Level 81.


How does Simisage compare to other elemental monkeys?  It suffers from being a Grass monster, which is resisted by many types on offense and weak against many types on defense.  (Unova Grass types are thankful they don't live in Johto, where the Pokemon League is blatantly biased against them.)  


Seed Bomb is weakened by the common Intimidate ability used by enemies like the Lillipup family.  The other monkeys aren't affected as much by that since their same type moves are special.  Pansage does have a better start than Pansear, since it least it doesn't LOSE to the Pokemon it's supposed to beat!  Incinerate is so bad that you'll envy Fire types with Ember.  Pansage has trouble against early Flying types like Woobat until it gains a level margin above its opponents.


Don't really feel like trying the postgame with Simisage.  I would have done it if Pansage had won the game, since beating Cynthia with an unevolved Pokemon would have been fun.  The next game will be Ys Origin, but that will be a regular playthrough and not a Realms Beyond gimmick run.


SpeakNoEvl the Simisage Final Stats and Moves
 
Level 81 @ Nothing
 
HP:  241
Attack:  219
Defense:  116
Special Attack:  172
Special Defense:  122
Speed:  232
 
Acrobatics
Work Up
Crunch
Seed Bomb

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Fire Red Solo Mankey Part 1:  Inauspicious Beginning


Had enough time for at least one more quick Pokemon playthrough, and I hadn't played Fire Red in a long time.  The trainer was named HEATHER after someone I once knew.  She picked Charmander in Professor Oak's lab to give the rival Squirtle, but soon regretted it.  BLUE gloated after his critical Tackle victory:  "Yeah!  Am I great or what?"


It seems pointless to create a DEATH COUNT before the solo character even appears, but add 1 to the total if you prefer.


The chosen Mankey knocked out Charmander and a subpar Mankey before surrendering to the Poke Ball.  It may not have had the best nature, but anything with that good a performance in a random encounter deserved to be the star.


Initial Stats

Level 5 @ Nothing

Ability:  Vital Spirit
Nature:  Bashful
 
HP:  19
Attack:  14
Defense:  9
Special Attack:  8
Special Defense:  10
Speed:  13




Solo Mankey got no bonus or penalty from his personality, and Vital Spirit would at least guard him from random Hypnosis or Sleep Powder.  Mankey held on with only 1 HP in his first battle against a wild Pidgey north of Viridian City.  A wild Weedle in Viridian Forest poisoned him, forcing HEATHER to return to the Pokemon Center.


HEATHER and Mankey defeated the Bug Catchers in Viridian Forest and leveled to 10.  Mankey had acquired his 1st Fighting type move, effectively a failsafe for non-variant players who picked Charmander in the beginning.  Low Kick was based on the enemies' weight, making it perfect for heavy Rock types but questionable for light unevolved Pokemon.


Camper Liam of the famous "light years" remark had a Level 10 Geodude that succumbed to 2 Low Kicks.  Mankey grew to Level 11 and gained the more consistent Fighting move Karate Chop.  Sandshrew's critical hit Scratch and Sand Attack's accuracy decrease threatened but did not defeat Mankey.


HEATHER still had a detour to make before battling Brock.  Rival BLUE still waited for her west of Viridian City with a Level 9 team.  Two Karate Chops broke Pidgey's hollow bones, and two more smashed Squirtle's shell.  Mankey grew to Level 12 with 26/33 HP, and the only damage he took was a Tackle from the Pidgey.


Brock's Level 12-14 team was still ahead of even a solo character by this point.  The level curve in early Fire Red was less forgiving than some other Pokemon installments.  Two Low Kicks broke Geodude, who retaliated with a Tackle.  Onix was so heavy, it lost around 75% of its HP to the 1st Low Kick.  Onix put up a fight with Rock Tomb and Tackle, but Mankey won at Level 13 with 15/34 HP.


Brock's signature TM Rock Tomb helped Mankey deal with those pesky Bug and Flying types, though its 80% accuracy disappointed HEATHER.  Rock attacks in general tend to miss more than other types.  Many opponents in Fire Red would resist Mankey's Fighting type, since Kanto had a disproportionate amount of Poison monsters.  Ekans was especially annoying when it appeared because it had Intimidate to lower Mankey's Attack, and Poison Sting to cause gradual damage.


Super Nerd Miguel (the fossil guy) in Mt. Moon sent out a team of Grimer, Koffing, and Voltorb.  Karate Chop made Voltorb free experience, but Poison Gas drained Mankey's HP during the first two phases.  Rock Tomb was the best option for offense for the Poison types, and Mankey triumphed with 15/49 HP at Level 20.


HEATHER's first attempt at beating Misty's Levels 18-21 team occurred at Level 21.  It was a bad sign when Staryu survived a Karate Chop.  Not that it would have mattered when Starmie outswam Mankey and cast two Water Pulses for a guaranteed KO.  Misty may be worse in Fire Red than in the original Red, since Starmie's Water Pulse can confuse and Bubblebeam can't.  Starmie had been a competitive Pokemon species for years, so Mankey's best option was to level up.


DEATH COUNT:  1


Rival BLUE was possible to defeat yet still gave HEATHER a challenge with his Level 15-18 squad in Cerulean City.  Pidgeotto did not drop dead after one Karate Chop, and a Gust blew much of Mankey's HP away.  Abra could only fail to Teleport out of battle.  Rattata ambushed Mankey with Quick Attack before taking a Karate Chop to the skull.  It took 3 Karate Chops to shatter Squirtle, who spent its turns increasing Defense with Withdraw and spraying Water Gun.  Mankey won with 10/52 HP at Level 22.


Mankey mugged the Nugget Bridge trainers as well as those on the way to Bill's house.  He needed to do this anyway to get on the S.S. Anne later in the game, and doing it now leveled him to 26.  Mankey had already replaced Scratch with Mega Kick after talking to the move tutor east of Mt. Moon, and the move would now save him.


HEATHER's Mankey was now guaranteed to KO Staryu with Karate Chop.  Starmie was still faster because its stats were designed to torment low level player characters, and its Psychic type resisted Karate Chop.  Two Mega Kicks destroyed Starmie with their 120 Normal type power, but I was concerned about its 75% accuracy.  The second Water Pulse confused Mankey, but he focused and got the 50% roll to attack the opponent.  Mankey limped out of the 2nd Gym with 8/60 HP at Level 26.



Stats and Moves

 
Level 26 @ Nothing
 
HP:  60
Attack:  53
Defense:  29
Special Attack:  25
Special Defense:  33
Speed:  51
 
Mega Kick
Rock Tomb
Seismic Toss
Karate Chop



The next part of the game should be easier, at least when Mankey meets a certain move tutor in Rock Tunnel.