Pokemon Variants

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Sapphire Solo Hariyama


I wanted to try another Fluctuating experience Pokemon, and I hadn't played a Hoenn game in a while, so Hariyama was a natural choice.  Having a Hariyama starting at Level 24 would have made the playthrough boring, so I kept him as a Makuhita for as long as reasonably possible.  Makuhita's base stats look like this, and double upon evolution:


HP:  72
Attack:  60
Defense:  30
Special Attack:  20
Special Defense:  30
Speed:  25


That's slower than Sudowoodo with the Defense of a Weedle!  JUNE the trainer started the challenge by teaching Rock Tomb to her Level 8 Makuhita and then mugging the trainers on the mainland that starter Mudkip hadn't already maimed.  Fluctuating growth helped at the start when Makuhita learned Arm Thrust for a 2-5 hit Fighting move at Level 10, and later Vital Throw at Level 13.  Vital Throw had 70 power and never missed, but the catch was that it forced Makuhita to act second.  This was irrelevant at first, but many Hoenn trainers had teams as bad as Johto trainers, so even a 25 Speed monster could outrun them sometimes.


Brawly's subordinates with Meditites were the true threat in the 2nd Gym, not the Gym Leader himself.  They were also Psychic types that cast Confusion, and Makuhita only survived the first Meditite with 1 HP at Level 15.  The second started the DEATH COUNT.


Fortunately, Sapphire was made before all the Pokemon regions became strictly linear, so JUNE and her Makuhita set out for Slateport City and the route to the north to shake down more trainers.  The Team Aqua battle was a farce when Rock Tomb missed 3 times in a row against a Zubat, and then flinched on the next turn due to Astonish. 


At Level 23, Makuhita returned to Dewford Town and defeated Battle Girl Tessa's Meditite with the help of paralysis.  Like some other Fighting types, my Makuhita happened to have Guts for a 50% Attack increase while afflicted with an ailments. 


Brawly's Machop started the battle by Bulking Up to increase its Attack and Defense.  Two judo Vital Throws tossed Machop to the mat after it Karate Chopped Makuhita.  Brawly's Makuhita connected with a 3 hit Arm Thrust against JUNE's before Vital Throw, and recovered with a Super Potion before Tackle could finish it off.  Sand Attack was useless against my perfect accuracy move, and Makuhita won at Level 24 with 25/69 HP.  Brawly surrendered the Bulk Up TM, which Makuhita and Hariyama would have on the move list for the entire game.


Sapphire was infamous for weak Rival fights, but the battle on the way to Mauville City with Brandon wasn't one of them.  Both Numel and Wailmer liked to shrink Makuhita's Attack with Growl, and attack with Ember and Water Gun.  On the first attempt, Grovyle Absorbed the remainder of Makuhita's HP.  Take 2 was worse when Numel not only launched a critical Ember, but also Burned Makuhita.  Take 3 was victorious at Level 25 with 8/71 HP when Numel failed to Burn for a change.


Makuhita confronted the Winstrate family to the north of Mauville City, which wouldn't have been worth mentioning if this solo used a stronger Pokemon.  Vivi's Shroomish preferred to Paralyze Makuhita with Stun Spore, and her Numel also had a tendency to cast critical Embers.  If she didn't kill Makuhita, Vicky the grandmother's Meditite did with Confusion. 


JUNE retreated and battled the trainers to the west of Mauville, only for Makuhita to hit himself multiple times in confusion after Pokemon Breeder Lydia's Wingull used Supersonic.  Poison from her Roselia's Poison Sting finished him off.


Wattson the 3rd Gym Leader, however, was surprisingly easy.  Vital Throw killed Magnemite, Voltorb, and Magneton in one hit each.  Magnemite and Voltorb tried Thundershock and Sonicboom, but Magneton only used Thunder Wave.  Makuhita triumphed at Level 28 with 47/79 HP.  The Winstrates were still tough at Level 29 even with good luck against the first few, since Vicky's Meditite Hi Jump Kicked Makuhita down to 16/81 HP.


Archie on Mt. Chimney was a respectable challenge for what was usually the weakest villain team in Pokemon.  Mightyena Intimidated Makuhita and subtracted one stage from Attack.  Its Sand Attack failed against Vital Throw, and somehow two Rock Tombs hit Golbat in spite of the low accuracy of Rock moves.  Even Golbat's Supersonic missed, though it struck with Wing Attack.  Sharpedo tried a resisted Crunch, and Makuhita saved the volcano at Level 36 with 34/100 HP.


Makuhita had a gimmick 60 power Normal attack called Smellingsalt at this time, which was usually disappointing.  Return from a TM replaced it after giving the Meteorite back to Professor Cozmo in Fallarbor Town.  Dig from another TM replaced Rock Tomb because it had superior power and accuracy.  Makuhita equipped the Soft Sand to increase Dig's power before taking on Flannery the 4th Gym Leader in Lavaridge Town.


I meant to use Bulk Up against the first Slugma instead of Dig, but a misclick sent Slugma back to the Poke Ball.  The first Slugma happened to use Sunny Day, and the second Slugma used the sunlight to cast a 50% stronger Flamethrower with Burn.  Return slaughtered Slugma #2, and the power of Guts and Bulk Up undermined Torkoal with Dig.  It was a close victory with only 7/105 HP at Level 38.


JUNE easily defeated most trainers in the 5th Gym because they kept using items on the first turn instead of attacking.  But Norman was the exact point when Makuhita was no longer viable.  Slaking had the base Attack of a legendary, and slapped Makuhita with Facade.  Vigoroth gashed Makuhita with a critical Slash and knocked him out.  On the next try, Vital Throw with an Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack) nature wasn't even enough to take out the first Slaking in one hit.  Makuhita limped to the last Slaking only to be clobbered with another Facade.


JUNE decided now was the time to unleash Hariyama with a Rare Candy.  With double the Speed, Hariyama Bulked Up before the first Slaking could hit with Facade.  Vital Throw launched Slaking into the ceiling, and a critical Return conked Vigoroth on the head.  Hariyama survived one final Facade from Slaking #2 and Vital Threw it away at Level 42 with 114/177 HP.


Rival Brendan near the Weather Institute dealt some damage when Hariyama used Dig to conserve Return PP against the Numel.  Brendan was smart enough to bury him with Magnitude!  Still, Numel, Wailmer, and Grovyle fell in one hit each at Level 47 with 114/199 HP.  


Winona was a Flying type Gym Leader and should have been more difficult, but Hariyama was too much for her.  He Bulked Up against Swellow after taking a super effective Aerial Ace, saw through the Double Team illusion, and struck with Return.  Skarmory spread a Sand Attack and fell unconscious after a Vital Throw, while Return bashed Pelipper and Altaria.  Hariyama conquered with 164/208 HP at Level 49.


One unusual problem appeared southeast of Fortree City:  a Hex Maniac with a Duskull.  Duskull was immune to Return and Vital Throw, and also Dig because it had Levitate as an ability.  Duskull didn't anticipate what happened next. . .a Surfing sumo wrestler!  Surf also conserved PP for better moves against Team Aqua Grunts with Poochyenas and Zubats.  It even took out Brendan's Numel in his final battle in Lilycove City.  His Swellow, Wailmer, and Grovyle fell to one Return each for a perfect victory at Level 53.  The main rival didn't even fully evolve his starter?!


Tate and Liza in the 7th Gym were a mandatory Double Battle and specialized in Psychic types.  Solrock and Lunatone were neutral to Fighting attacks, resistant to Return, and immune to Dig.  Hariyama tried the "Surf's up" tactic on the first attempt, but Solrock thwarted that with Sunny Day.  Not that it would have worked anyway when the enemy could cast two Psychics per round.  Lunatone's Hypnosis lulled Hariyama to Sleep on Take 2.


Hariyama fled Mossdeep City and beat up many ocean trainers to grow to Level 59, 4 more than before.  JUNE replaced Surf with Arm Thrust and gave Hariyama a Chesto Berry in case Lunatone tried Hypnosis again.  Even then it took two tries.  One Arm Thrust against Lunatone only hit twice, and a Psychic on Turn 2 was critical. 


Turn 1 on the successful battle against Tate and Liza had Solrock use Sunny Day and Lunatone use Calm Mind while Hariyama Bulked Up.  Arm Thrust hit twice against Lunatone on Turn 2 again. . .but they were both critical!  Solrock retaliated with its own critical Psychic.  On Turn 3, Arm Thrust smacked Solrock 3 times, but it had better Defense than Lunatone.  Solrock put down the useless Taillow "partner" with Psychic, and ate a Hyper Potion before Hariyama caused an Arm Thrust eclipse.  Hariyama won with 117/250 HP at Level 59, and that was close to a best case scenario.


While destroying Team Aqua in Seafloor Cavern, Hariyama picked up an Earthquake TM and finally replaced Dig.  He only had 205/250 HP going into the final Archie battle since I'd forgotten to buy healing potions to use between battles.  Archie once again led with Intimidate Mightyena, forcing Hariyama to Bulk Up to restore his Attack.  Mightyena missed with Scary Face and Hariyama slapped it with Arm Thrust.  Crobat out-flew Hariyama and cut him with Wing Attack before Return sent it crashing to the ground.  Sharpedo injured Hariyama a bit with its Rough Skin as Arm Thrust destroyed it, and Haryiama won with 134/250 HP at Level 59.


Kyogre was a flawless victory at Level 60 when it whiffed with Hydro Pump.  Could it have drowned Hariyama with the automatic Rain bonus from Drizzle and legendary Special Attack?  Hariyama at last learned a reliable Fighting attack in Sootopolis City from a Brick Break TM.


Perhaps Hariyama should have Bulked Up in front of Gym Leader Wallace's Luvdisc.  Return + Brick Break made Whiscash, Sealeo, and Seaking go belly up, but Milotic barely survived a Brick Break and cast Ice Beam.  Wallace fed it two Hyper Potions, though repeated Brick Breaks were sufficient to win the final badge with 227/258 HP at Level 61.


Wally at Level 63 was a perfect victory when his leading Altaria set up Safeguard as Hariyama was Bulking Up.  Return, Earthquake, and Brick Break destroyed the entire team from Gardevoir to Magneton. 


Sidney as the Dark Elite 4 member should have been a perfect victory, but he was smart enough to lead with Intimidate Mightyena, so Bulk Up was called for.  Mightyena struck with Take Down before the rest of the team died one by one to Brick Break.  Hariyama won at Level 63 with 228/266 HP.


Solo Breloom's most difficult Elite 4 battle was Phoebe, since the only coverage she had against Ghosts was Iron Tail.  Hariyama had Earthquake, and the only attack she used in the entire fight was a Future Sight from the first Dusclops.  Dusclops #2, both Banettes, and Sableye were useless, and Hariyama triumphed against a "bad" matchup with 247/270 HP.


Glacia was the easiest Elite 4 member of all, since all she had were slow Glalies, Sealeos, and Walrein that were all vulnerable to Brick Break karate. 


Drake was the one difficult Elite 4 member.  Shelgon seemed like good Bulk Up setup, but I'd forgotten that it knew Rock Tomb.  At -1 Speed, Hariyama would go second after Brick Break cracked Shelgon.  Flygon #1 had the foresight to use Sandstorm for 1/16 damage per turn before falling to Brick Break.  Salamance's Intimidate was as bad as expected, though it once attacked with an ineffective Crunch (?) before breathing Flamethrower.  Two Returns slew Salamence after it ate a Sitrus Berry.  Altaria used Dragonbreath and ate a Full Restore after the first Return, but wasted its opportunity with Dragon Dance afterwards.  Flygon #2 spewed Flamethrower and Dragonbreath as Hariyama lashed out with Brick Breaks and Return.  Hariyama only won with 20/274 HP at Level 65.


JUNE gave Hariyama a Pecha Berry before the last battle with Steven since his Skarmory had Toxic.  But Steven wasn't as cruel as Ghetsis, and instead had Skarmory use Aerial Ace and Spikes.  One advantage of being a solo character is that you never have to worry about entry hazards like Spikes!  At +1 Attack after Bulk Up, Skarmory still needed two hits with Brick Break after a Full Restore since it was one of the best physically defensive Pokemon in the game.  Armaldo and Metagross died to Brick Break and Earthquake respectively. 


Return was the only decent move against Steven's Claydol, and wasn't a one hit knockout.  Claydol started an Earthquake and took a Full Restore before Levitating no more.  Aggron and Cradily were saved for last because they were too slow to outrun Brick Break, and Hariyama became the new Hoenn Champion with 187/278 HP at Level 66!  A low level for a solo that battled most enemy trainers.


Hariyama is mostly a typical Fighting type, though you may ignore its same type attacks for much of the game if you get rid of the unreliable Arm Thrust.  Surf has a niche for pesky Duskulls, and Hariyama is thankful that Gengar doesn't exist in Hoenn.  Earthquake is good enough for most native Ghosts, which is one advantage Hariyama has over its fellow Fighting type Breloom.


Final Stats and Moves

Level 66

HP:  278
Attack:  220
Defense:  104
Special Attack:  66
Special Defense:  107
Speed:  104


Return
Bulk Up
Earthquake
Brick Break


DEATH COUNT


As Makuhita

-Bide from Battle Girl Tessa's Meditite, Brawly's Gym
-Absorb from Brendan's Grovyle, Route 110
-Burn from Brendan's Numel, Route 110
-Confusion from Winstrate Vicky's Meditite
-Critical Ember from Winstrate Vivi's Numel
-Poison from Pokemon Breeder Lydia's Roselia
-Critical Slash from Gym Leader Norman's Vigoroth
-Facade from Gym Leader Norman's 2nd Slaking


As Hariyama

-Psychic from Gym Leaders Tate and Liza (Solrock or Lunatone?)
-Psychic from Gym Leaders Tate and Liza (Solrock or Lunatone?)
-Psychic from Gym Leaders Tate and Liza's Solrock


RESET COUNT

-A Duskull used by some Hex Maniac north of Mt Pyre that was immune to Return, Dig, and Vital Throw  



I'll add the Smogon picture link when it's ready.  Sapphire takes about as long to beat as Crystal, and would have been quicker if not for the extended Makuhita period.


EDIT:  Click the thumbnail in the Smogon link to see the victory photo.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Sapphire Solo Poochyena Part 1:  An Awful Idea


After finishing the Solo Hariyama challenge, an idea occurred to me.  Zigzagoon has an ability called Pickup, which sometimes makes it hold a random item after combat.  In Sapphire, Pickup doesn't check for level, and there's a 10% chance for a Rare Candy if the ability activates.  If you have 5 Zigzagoons, you can roll for Rare Candies 5 times.  This gives terrible early game Pokemon an ambition to become the Champion!


Poochyena was mocked in the Hoenn region for being used by Team Aqua Grunts, but YURI the trainer decided if it was good enough to scare Professor Birch, it was good enough for him.  He found a Level 4 female Poochyena with an Impish nature (+Defense, -Special Attack) with the following stats and moves:


HP:  16
Attack:  9
Defense:  8
Special Attack:  7
Special Defense:  8
Speed:  8


With only Tackle as offense and a high chance to "Speed tie" lower level enemies, the quest seemed hopeless.  But Poochyena had one advantage over other early Pokemon:  Howl.  In any "no Battle Item" solo, an Attack boosting move is invaluable. 


To win the Growl and Howl wars against random trainers' Zigzagoons, Poochyena had to resort to Sand Attack to lower their accuracy.  Being a pure Dark type was a disadvantage since Bug Catchers had Nincadas with Leech Life, and Youngster Joey had a Machop with Low Kick.  Both of these scenarios killed Poochyena multiple times.  After beating up Lass Janice's Marill, Poochyena grew to Level 13 and learned Bite.


Who at GameFreak thought Dark should be a Special Attack, and Ghost should be an Attack?  Was it a programming error?  Poochyena didn't appreciate the irony of having to use its inferior stats just to get a same type attack bonus.  This wouldn't have been a problem in Sinnoh.  Still, this had a benefit against the Geodudes that the subordinates had in Roxanne's Gym.  It's a strange solo when you have to fear Nincadas more than Geodudes.


Roxanne was still far above her lackeys.  Even Oran Berry healing couldn't get Poochyena past the first Geodude until she grew to Level 16.  On the second attempt, Geodude liked to Defense Curl up and drink Potions, but eventually a critical Bite shattered it.  Nosepass missed with a Tackle and a Rock Throw, which was probably the only way to win because Poochyena survived with 5/38 HP at Level 16.


Dewford Town must have been in America, since its trendy phrase was perfect for college education:  EXPENSIVE TEACHER.  There was no way a Poochyena was going to beat Brawly right away, so she and YURI the trainer advanced to the Slateport City area. 


Sometimes you'll notice things if you're using a weak Pokemon that you wouldn't otherwise see.  Tuber Ricky on the beach south of Slateport had a Surfing Zigzagoon, and Sailor Edmond switched out his injured Wingull for a Machop.  A stronger solo would have killed them right away without witnessing the unusual AI behavior.  YURI named his Poochyena REPEDE in honor of the Tales of Vesperia wolf.


May the Rival on Route 110 was as bad for Poochyena as for Makuhita, or possibly worse.  Once Poochyena got as far as Grovyle when Wailmer opted to Splash and Growl instead of attacking, only to fall to Absorbs and a Quick Attack.  Another attempt had Wailmer score two critical Water Guns. 


The only trainers still available were in Brawly's Gym, so Poochyena bit them to death and grew to Level 24.  Bite's flinch chance helped against the Machops, and the Meditites were neutral to Dark.


After a few more deaths against May, Poochyena finally beat her with 3 HP at Level 25.  Wailmer wasted many of its turns on Splash again as Poochyena blinded it with Sand Attack and started Howling.  Powered up Tackles knocked out Wailmer and Grovyle during the brawl, but Numel went down in one hit.  


Cycling Road's Hoenn equivalent was fatal for Poochyena when the trainers had Magnemites.  They resisted all of her attacks with a Steel typing, cast Thundershock with a paralysis chance, and sometimes subtracted 20 HP with Sonicboom.  Other trainers in the Mauville City region were dangerous too, such as Aroma Lady Rose with a Leech Seed + paralysis Shroomish. 


Poochyena limped through Wattson's Gym.  Youngster Ben's Zigzagoon paralyzed her with Thunderbolt and made her flinch with Headbutt.  Battle Girl Vivian's Meditite didn't kill Poochyena, but at last I learned why it was in an Electric Gym:  it knew Thunderpunch.  The next target level was 33 in order to replace Tackle with Take Down.  It was still a bad option due to low accuracy, recoil damage, and being ineffective against Steel types, but it was the best Poochyena had.  She wasn't a Normal type like Zigzagoon that could learn random Special Attacks!


The plan against Wattson was to Howl once as Magnemite used Thunder Wave, which would be cured with a Cheri Berry.  A critical Take Down scrapped Magnemite, but Voltorb was faster and struck with a critical Spark.  By the time Poochyena saw Magneton, a single Shock Wave was sufficient to electrocute her.


Wattson wasn't possible at Level 33, but Brawly was.  The fight was annoying since the first Take Down missed Machop and gave it a chance to Bulk Up.  Still, Take Down + Bite defeated Machop and a final Take Down pulverized Makuhita.  YURI remembered to pick up the Silk Scarf in Dewford Town for the 10% Normal attack boost.


REPEDE needed to eat Rare Candies to grow to Level 37, and then 40 and 43 when that wasn't enough to win the 3rd badge.  Taunt replaced Sand Attack to prevent Magnemite from using Thunder Wave, though it had a shorter duration in Sapphire than in later games.  Besides Spark, there was always the chance Voltorb would Selfdestruct.  Even at Level 43, Voltorb still outran (out-rolled?) REPEDE and attacked with Spark.  REPEDE would never have won if one of Magnemite's Sonicbooms hadn't missed.  The first Take Down missed Magneton as the Cheri Berry cured a Thunder Wave.  Two Take Downs followed and Poochyena could finally move on!  She had 9/89 HP.


YURI made sure to collect the Blackglasses from an area beside Rusturf Tunnel.  REPEDE had learned Crunch after guzzling so many Rare Candies, and a 10% bonus for Dark would be useful. 


You know your solo is weak when Archie on Mt. Chimney is a credible threat.  His Mightyena had the Intimidate ability and ruined Poochyena's already questionable accuracy with Sand Attack.  Bite was ineffective, though that wasn't much comfort when Take Down kept missing.  In desperation, REPEDE used Crunch and then Take Down.  A critical Crunch knocked Golbat out of the sky.  Take Down missed against Sharpedo once, but it preferred to show off its Scary Face and Focus Energy instead of attacking, and a second Take Down made shark fin soup.  Poochyena had 27/98 HP at Level 47.


Once Team Aqua had abandoned the volcano, YURI could get the Meteorite and exchange it for Return in Fallarbor Town.  At last, a move with 102 power and 100 accuracy!  REPEDE certainly had to earn it, unlike a Kalos Pokemon which would have been handed the TM for free after the 1st Gym.  Dig in the Fossil Maniac's house was welcome for its super efficacy versus Rock and Steel types, though a 60 power Ground move had its limits.


REPEDE equipped a Rawst Berry in case Gym Leader Flannery tried to Burn her with one of her Fire types.  Slugma's Light Screen was useless against a Howl + Dig combo, but the second Slugma summoned Sunny Day when Poochyena Dug again.  With the power of weather and a high Defense stat, Torkoal survived a Dig and baked REPEDE with Overheat.  YURI made sure not to make that mistake twice by having REPEDE Howl three times against the first Slugma, who only attacked with the weak Smog.  At +3 Attack, Dig was a one hit kill for Torkoal, and REPEDE won with 93/101 HP.


A random trainer in Norman's Gym caused trouble with a Level 27 Delcatty, who survived a Silk Scarf + Return , Sang REPEDE to sleep, and started Doubleslapping her.  If Poochyena's performance was so woeful against a Delcatty, how could she conquer Slakings?  The answer was that Poochyena couldn't, not at Level 49.  Dig could exploit the first Slaking's habit of loafing around every other turn, but the Level 31 Slaking was faster than it looked.  One one attempt, the first Slaking's Yawn was contagious, and the next Slaking Focus Punched out Poochyena.  Facade hit hard on its own with Normal's same type bonus.


REPEDE may have Speed tied Norman's second Slaking on the successful attempt, but I'm not sure.  Focus Punch failed when REPEDE struck with Return, and the enemy didn't seem to get a second chance to attack.  Might have missed the message saying Slaking was charging up Focus Punch again.  Vigoroth Slashed Poochyena's fur, but a +2 Attack Return sent it back to the Poke Ball.  REPEDE won the 5th badge at Level 50 with 76/105 HP. 


May outside the Weather Institute was a perfect victory with the Silk Scarf equipped even without Howl.  Return slapped Numel, Grovyle, and Wailmer at Level 55.


YURI spent far too much time looking for a Tropius to use for Flash, Fly, and Strength.  I was wondering if I did something wrong, but it was just bad luck.  Moon is one of the lesser Pokemon games, but one thing it did right was getting rid of HMs!

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Sapphire Solo Poochyena FINALE:  More Level Grinding Than Ever Before


Winona was a difficult Gym Leader even if REPEDE won on the first try.  Swellow set up Double Team illusions that Poochyena could easily see through and dispel with Return.  Pelipper survived a Silk Scarf Return and struck back with Aerial Ace.  REPEDE took the opportunity to Howl as Winona fed her pelican a Hyper Potion, and another Return knocked it out.  Crunch seemed like the best idea against Skarmory since it was known for its Defense in multiplayer, but. . .+2 Attack Return was better.  Skarmory attacked with Steel Wing and Aerial Ace, but its metal feathers were dented.  One Return caused Altaria to die, and Poochyena left the arena with 5/122 HP at Level 57.


Hex Maniac Tammy was the name of the trainer who forced Hariyama to Surf, but her Duskull was no problem for Poochyena and her Crunch.


May in Lilycove City put up more of a fight than last time at Level 59 when her Swellow set up Double Team.  Two Returns missed as Swellow swung with Wing Attacks.  When Return finally connected, Swellow, Grovyle, Numel, and Wailmer collapsed.  REPEDE triumphed with 82/126 HP at Level 59.


Gym Leaders Tate and Liza gave Hariyama one of the hardest fights in that solo, but REPEDE's Dark type finally became useful.  Poochyena Crunched Lunatone on the first turn as Solrock smote the token Zigzagoon companion with Psychic.  A second Crunch eclipsed Lunatone as Solrock made a Sunny Day.  A solar Flamethrower left REPEDE at 82/134 HP at Level 63, but Tate and Liza spent a few rounds giving Solrock Hyper Potions the last critical Crunch.


Archie in Seafloor Cavern accidentally helped REPEDE when his Mightyena Swaggered to confuse her.  The confusion wore off quickly, but not the +2 Attack! Crobat used Air Cutter and Sharpedo Screeched, and none of that stopped Return.  Poochyena defeated Team Aqua with 108/145 HP at Level 68.


There was one enemy that REPEDE never could beat:  Kyogre!  Its permanent Drizzle combined with Hydro Pump was certain death.  Poochyena used its ability to Run Away, and all of Hoenn's problems were solved somehow.


Wallace the last Gym Leader was a flawless victory at Level 70.  Luvdisc made perhaps the best move it could have with Sweet Kiss confusion, though it passed quickly. Return with one Howl failed to knock out Whiscash, who forgot the incident with Amnesia.  REPEDE Howled while her enemy healed with a Hyper Potion, and more Returns sent the entire team to a fisher's net.


Cooltrainer Albert in Victory Road was a superior opponent to Wallace.  His Manectric was faster and could paralyze with its Static, while Muk knew Minimize for evasion and Acid Armor for Defense.  Dig gave REPEDE a victory on the second try.  Wally was easy with two Howls, which were needed when Altaria survived a +1 Attack Return.  Dig undermined Magneton and Return killed Delcatty and Roselia.  Gardevoir outran REPEDE, which was worrying when it was slow compared to its Kanto equivalent Alakazam.  Good thing its Double Team was ineffective, and REPEDE won with 114/153 HP at Level 73.


I wasn't expecting Elite 4 Sidney to be such an obstacle for Poochyena.  She had to be Level 84 to outspeed Sharpedo, who would drown her with Surf.  Shiftry was faster at lower levels too, and liked to annoy REPEDE with Double Team.  With 2 Howls at Level 84 (+1 Attack with Intimidate), Return killed Sidney's entire team in spite of Mightyena's Sand Attack.  Speed really is the most important stat in Pokemon, even if you need only 1 more than the enemy.


Elite 4 Phoebe's first Dusclops had the chance to Curse REPEDE and drain a fixed percentage of HP per turn.  Shadow Ball had replaced Crunch to use Poochyena's Attack stat, and 1 Howl was enough to exorcise the Dusclops and Banettes.  Sableye had no weaknesses and needed +2 Attack to kill in one hit after a Full Restore.  The first Dusclops had stupidly used Shadow Punch instead of Curse or Confuse Ray.  REPEDE defeated Phoebe with 134/175 HP.


Elite 4 Glacia would have been an easy victory if her Walrein didn't have enough HP and Defense to take a +1 Attack Return and flash-freeze REPEDE with Blizzard.  The trick was to Howl 3 times against the first Glalie, who spent time setting up Light Screen and Hail before shooting Ice Beam.  Returns killed Glalies, Sealeos, and the Walrein in one hit each, and REPEDE rushed to the Dragon master at Level 85 with 72/177 HP.


Poochyena was not ready for Elite 4 Drake.  His Shelgon was hazardous to Howl against because it could sink her Speed with Rock Tomb, and it rarely missed unlike when I used that move with Hariyama.  Flygons summoned Sandstorms or breathed Flamethrower, and Altaria spewed Dragonbreath with a Paralysis chance.  And Salamence had Intimidate to drop REPEDE's Attack.  Level 90 wasn't enough.


The only way was to gain a couple of levels in Victory Road and feed REPEDE more Rare Candies that the Zigzagoons had collected.  Elite 4 members up to Drake were easy at Level 100 except for perhaps Glacia's Walrein.  Shelgon used Dragon Claw instead of Rock Tomb for once, and a Return with one Howl shattered it.  A second Howl against Altaria seemed like a good idea, and I was right when Altaria was greedy with Dragon Dances.  REPEDE finally outran the Flygons at the maximum level.  Salamence's Dragon Claw gashed Poochyena down to 83/207 HP and drank one Full Restore.  One Return must have gotten a better damage roll than the first, since it wasn't a critical that slew Salamence.


Remember how much trouble REPEDE had with Steel and Rock types?  Well, Champion Steven specialized in those.  It took several attempts to come up with a correct strategy, and several more to execute it.  Toxic from the Skarmory would inevitably poison Poochyena, and Rest was the cure.  At first I used a Chesto Berry so REPEDE could wake up early from the first Rest.  Skarmory could be beaten with many Howls and a few Returns, but the other Pokemon had their own tricks.  Dig was worthless when Aggron could bury Poochyena with Earthquake.  Claydol was weak, but set up Reflect to support the rest of Steven's team.


When REPEDE finally won, I'd forgotten to replace the Silk Scarf with a Chesto Berry.  Skarmory wasted a round throwing Spikes onto the field against a solo character.  Its Steel Wings bashed REPEDE and even gave the bird a Defense increase.  Six Howls and a Rest after Toxic, Skarmory struck with a critical Steel Wing as Poochyena pummeled it with Returns.  Shadow Ball re-fossilized Armaldo.  REPEDE Rested when Claydol floated above the battlefield.  The doll built a Light Screen and shook the ground with Earthquake twice before Shadow Ball destroyed it. 


Without Dig, the only chance against Aggron was Shadow Ball.  REPEDE barely held on after a critical Earthquake and shot two Shadow Balls at the dino-rhino hybrid.  Cradily and Metagross were slow and neutral to Shadow Ball, and REPEDE finally conquered Hoenn with 8/247 HP!  It was weird not seeing the experience message during the Elite 4.  That made the battles go faster.


Solo Poochyena was probably the most difficult challenge since Solo Wooloo in Shield.  Poochyena combines low stats with a shallow move selection and a typing that's eventually unsuitable for its Attack stat.  Dark is useful for Tate and Liza but not much else.


DEATH COUNT


-Leech Life from Bug Catcher James's Nincada, Petalburg Woods
-Leech Life from Bug Catcher James's Nincada, Petalburg Woods
-Low Kick from Youngster Joey's Machop, east of Rustboro
-Poison from a Bug Catcher's (José?) Wurmple, east of Rustboro
-Low Kick from Youngster Joey's Machop, east of Rustboro 
-Critical Rock Throw from Gym Leader Roxanne's Geodude
-Quick Attack from May's Grovyle, Route 110
-Critical Water Gun from May's Wailmer, Route 110
-Water Gun from May's Wailmer, Route 110
-Absorb from May's Grovyle, Route 110
-Sonicboom from Triathlete Anthony's Magnemite, Route 110 cycling
-Absorb from Aroma Lady Rose's Roselia
-Sonicboom from Triathlete Anthony's Magnemite, Route 110 cycling
-Flinching Headbutt and Paralyzing Thunderbolt from Youngster Ben's Zigzagoon, Wattson's Gym
-Shock Wave from Gym Leader Wattson's Magneton
-Selfdestruct from Gym Leader Wattson's Voltorb
-Spark from Gym Leader Wattson's Voltorb
-Shock Wave from Gym Leader Wattson's Magneton
-Spark from Gym Leader Wattson's Voltorb
-Sunny Day + Overheat from Gym Leader Flannery's Torkoal
-Facade from Gym Leader Norman's Slaking
-Focus Punch while Sleeping, Gym Leader Norman's Slaking
-Facade from Gym Leader Norman's Slaking
-Hydro Pump from Kyogre
-Hydro Pump from Kyogre
-Sludge from Cooltrainer Albert's Muk, Victory Road
-Surf from Elite 4 Sidney's Sharpedo
-Surf from Elite 4 Sidney's Sharpedo
-Curse from Elite 4 Phoebe's Dusclops
-Blizzard from Elite 4 Glacia's Walrein
-Flamethrower from Elite 4 Drake's Flygon
-Crunch from Elite 4 Drake's Salamence
-Dragon Claw from Elite 4 Drake's Salamence
-Dragonbreath from Elite 4 Drake's Flygon
-Dragonbreath from Elite 4 Drake's Flygon
-Burn from Elite 4 Drake's Flygon
-Earthquake from Champion Steven's Aggron while Digging
-Dragon Claw from Champion Steven's Aggron
-Earthquake from Champion Steven's Aggron


Final Stats and Moves


Level 100


HP:  207
Attack:  146
Defense:  113
Special Attack:  92
Special Defense:  96
Speed:  120


Return
Howl
Rest
Shadow Ball


I'll post the Hall of Fame picture on Smogon and post a link in an edit.


EDIT:  Go to the bottom of this Smogon page and click on the thumbnail image.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Crystal Solo Crobat Part 1:  Sprout Tower Struggle


CARMILA the trainer sought a vampire companion in Dark Cave east of Violet City and found him as a Zubat:


Level 2

HP:  14
Attack:  7
Defense:  7
Special Attack:  6
Special Defense:  7
Speed:  7


DRACULA's sole move was Leech Life, and not the 80 base power version from Alola.  How many Leech Lifes does it take to kill a Level 3 Bellsprout in Sprout Tower?  13.  The first battle against Sage Nico took so long that his Bellsprout ran out of Vine Whip PP and attacked with Struggle.  DRACULA had to Struggle as well when his fangs were insufficient.  Zubat's early game moveset was so bad that Struggle was better.


CARMILA made sure to avoid Pokemon Center healing for as long as possible by buying Potions.  Learning Supersonic at Level 6 during a fight with Sage Chow was horrible timing.  DRACULA had to use up all the PP for that too and Struggled to kill the final Bellsprout.  Chow said something like "Th-thank you!", as if relieved that the battle had ended.


DRACULA and Sage Troy's Hoothoot fell out of the sky simultaneously after a Struggle.  Poison/Flying is the best possible defensive type against Bellsprout, but not Normal/Flying birds.


DEATH COUNT:  1


CARMILA and DRACULA came back to humble Sage Troy after bringing a Berry hold item.  Zubat wasn't ready for Sage Li yet, so the vampires attacked Bird Keeper Abe in Falkner's Gym instead.  His Level 9 Spearow seemed to be in a Speed tie with Level 10 Zubat, which resulted in another mutual Struggle kill.


DEATH COUNT:  2


DRACULA poached the wildlife east of Violet City until reaching Level 11 and came back to Bird Keeper Abe.  The extra point or two in Speed made the difference.  Bird Keeper Abe's Level 7 Pidgeys were a greater threat because of Struggle recoil attrition, but failed to put a stake in Zubat.  After fighting more wild Pokemon like Bellsprout, DRACULA learned Bite at Level 12!


Bite's prevented Sage Li's Hoothoot from attacking at all.  It wasted the one turn it had on Foresight after flinching 3 times in a row.  Falkner put up a fight, but only critical Gusts from Pidgeotto could have saved him.  DRACULA tried to confuse the star Pokemon once with Supersonic.  Many Bites later, and Zubat won with 13/37 HP.


Something is wrong with your Water type when a Zubat does better against Onix and Geodude in Union Cave.  (That means you, Tentacool!)  Bite exploited the Rock types' weak Special Defense.  Even Hiker Anthony at the southern entrance was hopeless against DRACULA when his Machop killed itself in Supersonic confusion after Bites.


DRACULA scored a flawless victory against the Team Rocket Koffing in Slowpoke Well.  The first Bite was a critical hit + flinch, and the second deflated the bag of poison.


Zubat upgraded to Confuse Ray after Biting a Paras in Bugsy's Gym, and used it judiciously against the Gym Leader's Scyther.  Scyther's stats were comparable to an evolved Pokemon, so it took 4 Bites and 2 self-hits in confusion to smash its exoskeleton.  Scyther wasted time trying to set up Fury Cutter combos against a Poison/Flying type, but was occasionally smart enough to try Quick Attack.  DRACULA won his 2nd badge with 20/53 HP at Level 20.


Rival RICHTER should have reconsidered his vampire hunting team.  One Bite exorcised Gastly, and three Bites counterattacked his own Zubat.  At least the enemy Zubat tore into CARMILA's Zubat with a critical Bite.  Bayleef set up an irrelevant Reflect and tossed Razor Leaves until DRACULA Bit it six times.  Zubat defeated the Belmont with 34/55 HP at Level 21.


RICHTER's encounter in Azalea Town was the last major battle DRACULA would fight as a Zubat.  He evolved into Golbat on the route between Ilex Forest and Goldenrod City.  Crobat will have a hard enough time against Jasmine as it is when the best options are Return, Fly, and Confuse Ray.  And Double Team is dull once you've already done it in enough solos.  This session ended with DRACULA picking up the Return TM from the Goldenrod department store and CARMILA "borrowing" the bike.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Crystal Solo Crobat Part 2:  Whitney's Revenge


Rather than battling all the trainers in the Goldenrod Underground, the National Park, and the northern routes, CARMILA and DRACULA decided to challenge Whitney right away.  In my previous solos, I had the impression that Whitney was an overrated Gym Leader.  Jasmine's Steel types stalled the progress of Rock, Flying, and Normal monsters.  Clair drowned Pokemon that were weak to Water and paralyzed Pokemon that were too weak to one hit kill Dragonairs.  Even Morty had his Hypnosis + Dream Eater casting Gengar, and Bugsy racked up Fury Cutter combos.  But Whitney was almost never a major threat. . .until now.


At Level 23, Golbat needed to hit twice with Return to kill the Clefairy.  In this fight, Clefairy only tickled DRACULA with Doubleslap.  Miltank quickly shrugged off Confuse Ray and started Rollout.  Since Golbat was a Flying type, this was twice as powerful as usual, and one scored a critical hit.  Before the fatal Rollout combo, Miltank Stomped on Golbat once.  Whitney cried tears of joy, instead of her usual tears of defeat.


DEATH COUNT:  3


The second attempt was less auspicious than the first.  Clefairy rolled Sing with Metronome, causing DRACULA to snooze for 6 turns straight.  Clefairy must have been taunting Golbat when its next Metronomes made Cross Chop and Hypnosis, as if it were expecting to win no matter what moves it used.  DRACULA rose out of his coffin and bashed Clefairy with Return for the KO while at only 41/79 HP.


Miltank, however, was only allowed to attack once with a Stomp.  The cow hit itself twice in confusion and flinched once from a Bite.  After an initial Return, it was apparent that Bite was superior somehow.  The last Bite was a critical, but that didn't matter, and DRACULA won with 25/79 HP at Level 24.


Sudowoodo liked DRACULA's fighting style so much that it Mimicked Bite and used it against Golbat before dying.  None of the Kimono Girl battles were difficult, though DRACULA learned Wing Attack by this time.  Rival RICHTER inside Burned Tower was a perfect victory at Level 31.  Magnemite required two Returns to kill, and it seemed it would take three because the first one got a bad damage roll.  Too bad for RICHTER that Magnemite whiffed its Supersonic.  Haunter and Bayleef succumbed to Wing Attack, and Zubat took a Return.


Morty in Ecruteak City's Gym was another flawless victory at Level 33.  Bite dispelled Gastly and both Haunters.  Gengar appeared third, and required two Bites.  Wing Attack might have done more damage, but probably wouldn't have been a one hit knockout, and Bite had the flinch chance.  Gengar stood its ground for a turn and missed with Hypnosis.


The worst enemy so far in this playthrough, other than DRACULA himself when he used Struggle, was Red Gyarados!  Golbat had destroyed the trainers on the way to Olivine City, only for CARMILA to learn that her starting Totodile couldn't learn Strength.  Since Strength was needed for Chuck's Gym, CARMILA needed an HM Fish.  Red Gyarados didn't fancy a life of HM drudgery and put Golbat down three times with Thrash as CARMILA's Ultra Ball and Great Balls failed.


DEATH COUNT:  6


On the fourth try, the Ultra Ball consigned Red Gyarados to servitude.  The 2DS was low on power then, and it was a good time for a break.


(It's surprisingly hard to evolve by friendship.  The threshold must be much higher than that needed for the Return lady in Goldenrod City to give you the TM.  Really the only benefit of friendship evolution is that it doesn't delay at which level you learn new moves.  Not that Crobat will be getting much more of those after Wing Attack.)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Crystal Solo Crobat Part 3:  Ironclad Teams


Chuck in Cianwood Gym was a clean win with two Wing Attacks to Primeape and Poliwrath.  DRACULA, like all vampires, had a sense of melodrama and decided to evolve at Level 42 after earning the 6th badge.  This was not coincidentally the moment when the Fly HM became available.  Crobat had a menacing bat icon on the world map unlike the generic bird that usually appeared.


DRACULA felt confident enough to Fly to Olivine City and face Jasmine immediately.  Despite being fully evolved, Crobat's best move against the Magnemites was to Return them to their Poke Balls, which required two hits each.  This left him open to Thunder Wave paralysis and Thunderbolt.  Even when paralyzed, DRACULA was faster than Jasmine's entire Steel type roster.  DRACULA shone Confuse Ray on Steelix and started Biting its metal hide to exploit its lower Special Defense.  The first Iron Tail connected and DRACULA was reeling from paralysis in one round.  Steelix hit itself twice in confusion and flinched three times from Bite.  It wasn't enough.  Jasmine fed Steelix a Hyper Potion and the snake lashed DRACULA for the last time with a critical Iron Tail.


DEATH COUNT:  7


Crobat still has two opportunities left for leveling up:  the Team Rocket hideout in Mahogany Town, and Pryce's Gym.  Perhaps it might be safer to equip a Przcureberry and use Fly to stall out PP for Iron Tail.  If DRACULA can get past both Magnemites while only taking 1 Thunder Wave, that is.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Crystal Solo Crobat Part 4:  What a Wonderful Night to Have a Curse


DRACULA Returned to Mahogany Town tonight to show Team Rocket who the true Prince of Darkness was.  Not that it was hard when most of the Grunts had Pokemon in the high teens.  Crystal's weak enemy trainers can actually make the game more difficult if you have trouble with a Gym Leader or the Elite 4.


Gym Leader Pryce was a legitimate opponent for the first time in. . .probably the history of these solo challenges.  One Return at Level 45 was enough to club Seel.  Dewgong barely survived Fly and aimed an Aurora Beam at Crobat.  Piloswine withstood Fly with a greater HP margin and cast Blizzard, chilling DRACULA to 81/155.  And to think Stephenie Meyer said vampires were "cold ones"!  Bite finished off Dewgong, and a critical Bite made the Hyper Potion pointless for Piloswine, leaving it open to a second Bite.


DRACULA battled a trainer or two in Mt. Mortar to grow to Level 46, then equipped the Przcureberry and stared down Jasmine.  This attempt started out well:  Magnemite #1 missed its Thunder Wave, and Magnemite #2 missed its Supersonic.  Steelix was mostly lucid throughout its Confuse Ray and only attacked itself once.  None of its Iron Tails missed Crobat at all:  one was critical, and one dropped his Defense.  Trying to stall out its PP with Fly was futile, and Bite's flinches were the superior option.  It seemed DRACULA would sleep for the next century after the final Iron Tail.


DEATH COUNT:  7


DRACULA must have shouted "Have at you!" to Jasmine on the next take.  A critical Return demagnetized Magnemite #1, and Przcureberry nullified Magnemite #2's Thunder Wave.  Steelix attacked itself immediately after Confuse Ray, whiffed two Iron Tails in a row, and flinched after Iron Tail #2 missed.  Steelix drank a Hyper Potion and lashed with a critical Iron Tail that didn't even reduce Crobat's HP below 50%.  About 4 Bites and 2 self-inflicted wounds later, and Steelix knocked itself out!  CARMILA congratulated DRACULA on his power of vampiric mesmerism at Level 46 with 103/159 HP.


It was surprising that Crobat only needed 3 tries to defeat Jasmine, considering his narrow range of attack types.  At least Noctowl had Hypnosis.  Pidgeot could try Mud Slap, while Togetic could get Fire Blast from the Game Corner.  (Thinking of other potential Flying solos. . .)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Crystal Solo Crobat Part 5:  Die, Monster!  You Don't Belong in This World!


Team Rocket holding the Goldenrod Radio Tower hostage was good for DRACULA since he earned multiple levels by defeating the feeble Grunts and Executives.  Not even the leader with his Houndoom stood a chance.  But RICHTER Belmont in the Goldenrod Underground had become much better since the Burned Tower encounter.  His Magnemite endured one Return and paralyzed DRACULA with Thunder Wave.  Haunter chanted a Curse, and Meganium set up Reflect to stall for time as Curse drained DRACULA's HP.


DEATH COUNT:  8


On Take 2, Crobat Bit Magnemite to make it flinch before smashing it with Return.  The rest of his team fell quickly at regular Speed except for Meganium, who built a Reflect wall before DRACULA swooped down with Fly.  Meganium's Body Slam pressed DRACULA down to 156/169 HP at Level 49, but a final Bite secured the win.


DRACULA Flew around Johto collecting Rare Candies and proving that the Wise Trio and Suicune were not as legendary as they presented themselves. 


Clair, like Jasmine, is either very easy or quite difficult depending on which solo Pokemon you're using.  For Crobat the 8th badge barely qualified as a test.  All three Dragonairs collapsed after DRACULA rushed at them with a Pink Bow powered Return.  Kingdra had the Defense and HP to take a Return and Surf the waves.  Kingdra later drank a Hyper Potion, though a Bite + Return combo sank the seahorse at 156/194 HP at Level 56.


None of the trainers outside the so-called Victory Road were a problem, but RICHTER came back and had improved his team.  RICHTER used the same "Curse and take hits with Meganium's Reflect" tactic that had won the previous battle in Goldenrod after Magneton slowed down Crobat with Thunder Wave.


DEATH COUNT:  9


Naming the Rival after a Castlevania hero was appropriate, since this was the hardest time a solo has had with him in the battles after Azalea Town.  Hoiwever, the outcomes of Pokemon fights can be wildly variable.  DRACULA equipped the only Przcureberry remaining during Take 2.  Without the 10% Normal power of the Pink Bow, Crobat needed to use Bite + Return + Bite to shut down Magneton.  Good thing the first Thunder Wave missed!  Meganium failed to use Reflect for some reason and was plucked with a single Fly.  DRACULA had conquered RICHTER's final mandatory battle perfectly at Level 60.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Crystal Solo Crobat Part 6:  Only a Vampire is Allowed to Wear a Cape


Will thought his Psychic team would be as effective against DRACULA as garlic.  He was wrong.  Return struck down both Xatus and Jynx.  Slowbro had high enough Defense that CARMILA knew one Return wouldn't knock it out, so she ordered DRACULA to Bite it instead.  Slowbro didn't flinch, but wasted its one turn on Curse to increase its Attack and Defense.  Or maybe Slowbro thought it was a Haunter.  Two Bites chewed up Slowbro, and Fly uprooted Exeggutor for a perfect victory at Level 61.


Koga's Ariados and Venomoth were fragile enough that a neutral Return was good enough.  Forretress was smart for an AI Pokemon and blocked Fly with Protect.  Forretress only hit itself once when targeted with Confuse Ray, and tried shooting Swift stars.  DRACULA's problems were "solved" when Forretress Exploded.  Forretress's shrapnel cut DRACULA to exactly half HP at Level 61.  Muk tried Minimizing to increase its evasion, while the enemy Crobat tried Double Team.  Neither dodging nor a Full Restore could save them from Bite + Return, or repeated Returns in Crobat's case.


Bruno's Hitmontop guarded against Fly in a similar way to Koga's Forretress, but was more susceptible to Confuse Ray.  Hitmontop spun multiple Quick Attacks.  Onix needed two Bites to kill and dropped a Rock Slide on DRACULA.  Hitmonchan, Machamp, and Hitmonlee were earthbound and vulnerable to Fly, resulting in a 152/216 HP win at Level 62.


Karen's Umbreon was as cruel as usual.  DRACULA didn't know he had echolocation, as he kept whiffing Returns after Sand Attack blinded him.  Crobat's Confuse Ray was almost useless, but not Umbreon's.  DRACULA must have been a contortionist if a bat could injure himself 3 times!  By the time DRACULA snapped out of his fugue, Umbreon's Faint Attacks had cut him down to 42/216 HP.  Karen had studied RICHTER's battles and taught Curse to her Gengar.


DEATH COUNT:  8


Like in many other battles, the second time was the charm.  Umbreon was stupid and used Faint Attack.  This allowed Crobat to Return it to its Poke Ball.  Gengar couldn't Curse DRACULA in midair, and one Fly was sufficient to exorcise it.  Murkrow and Houndoom had pitiful Defense and fell to Return.  Fly withered Vileplume, and DRACULA won with 203/219 HP at Level 63.


DRACULA and CARMILA thought Lance and Koga were impertinent for daring to wear a cape.  Only a vampire lord was allowed to do that!  DRACULA knew Lance's Flying types were sturdy enough to survive Returns.  Confuse Ray had outlasted its relevance, and there was a convenient Rest TM from Icy Path.  The player forgot to swap out the Pink Bow for a Mint Berry, though. . .


Gyarados Rain Danced during the first round as Crobat Bit it.  Return smacked Gyarados, though the rain remained for Dragonite #1, who could now cast perfect accuracy Thunders.  Dragonite #1 paralyzed DRACULA with Thunder Wave and caused him to lose a turn.  Crobat had decent Special Defense for a common Flying type and survived two Thunders to slay Dragonite #1 with Bite + Return.  Dragonite #2 whiffed 4 consecutive Blizzards and let DRACULA Rest even though he had lost another turn to paralysis.  The final Blizzard connected just before Return killed Dragonite #2.


Aerodactyl was a Rock type and therefore resisted everything but Bite.  A critical first Bite was relevant here.  DRACULA didn't take much damage from the illegal Rock Slide, and retaliated with another Return.  Charizard was another Rest opportunity, though having to take 4 Flamethrowers in a row hurt.  Bite + Return destroyed the overhyped Fire type starter. 


Dragonite #3 should have been the scariest at Level 50, but it relied on neutral Outrages instead of super effective Thunders or Blizzards.  DRACULA Rested once more and endured 3 Outrages.  Bite forced Dragonite #3 to flinch, but the next Return didn't finish it off.  Outrage like Petal Dance and Thrash had a Confusion side effect, and Dragonite #3 knocked itself out!  Crobat became the new Champion with 89/223 HP at Level 64 without having to eat any Rare Candies.


DRACULA still has a grudge against RICHTER, and that will be settled in Mt. Moon. . .

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Crystal Solo Crobat FINALE:  In Which Both Combatants Relax During the Final Battle


DRACULA's invasion of Kanto was easier than his conquest of Johto.  Sabrina the Psychic Gym Leader was allegedly super effective against his Poison type, but her team collapsed under the pressure of overleveled Pink Bow + Returns.  Janine, Lt. Surge (!), Misty, and even RICHTER's Mt. Moon rematch were also flawless victories.  Yes, RICHTER's Magneton went down to one Return at half power.


Erika, the second Gym Leader in this competition, had the honor of using Bind once when DRACULA failed to knock out Tangela with a single Return.  Brock would have been bad news for a Flying type, but Crobat thought Giga Drain was a vampire-approved replacement for Bite.  Blaine's Magcargo was Fire/Rock and neutral at best to all of Crobat's moves, so it shot one Flamethrower before being Giga Drained for the second time.  His other Fire types perished after two Returns.  Cal in the Viridian City trainer house with the Johto starters was vulnerable to Fly and Return, though Feraligatr withstood the first Return and Slashed DRACULA once.


Blue at Level 80 was simple at first.  Pidgeot and Alakazam fainted after two Returns, and Rhydon had an allergy to Giga Drain.  Gyarados took a Return, Rain Danced, drank a Full Restore, and died to Giga Drain + Return.  It was still raining when Arcanine appeared, which forced it to try Extremespeed.  Three Returns total were needed since Blue fed it a Full Restore.  Fly uprooted Exeggutor, and DRACULA won his last badge with 262/285 HP.


CARMILA wanted to find out if DRACULA could defeat Red the ultimate trainer without using Rare Candies.  So she bonked Crobat on the head to replace Giga Drain with a Curse TM from the Celadon Mansion.  DRACULA had plenty of Speed to spare, and the added Attack + Defense boost would be useful.


Pikachu fell down after one Return.  Crobat wasn't taking any chances with Thunder super effective damage or Charm's Attack reduction.  DRACULA instead set up one Curse versus Espeon, who responded with Reflect.  To stall out Reflect, DRACULA Flew twice and had to endure one Psychic. 


Snorlax couldn't do much damage with +1 Defense, even with Body Slam.  But it rolled the paralysis chance twice.  To recover from that, Crobat had to Rest twice, and so did Snorlax.  It was strange to see both Pokemon sleeping at the same time!  Snorlax's Snore was barely more powerful than Leftovers recovery.  DRACULA was awake during Snorlax's second Rest and put it down with two Returns.


Crobat Flew as Blastoise Rain Danced.  The tortoise shot a super effective Blizzard when DRACULA landed, only to die to a Return.  Rain Dance was still in effect as Charizard singed Crobat with Flamethrower.  Why did the best Kanto opponents use both Rain Dance and a Fire type Pokemon?  Fly + Return slew Charizard, and a final Fly landed on Venusaur as the Grass type tried Sunny Day.  DRACULA won the game with 231/281 HP at Level 81 with a game time of 9:42.


Final Stats and Moves


HP:  289
Attack:  212
Defense:  203
Special Attack:  182
Special Defense:  198
Speed:  283


Curse
Return
Fly
Rest


Crobat mostly plays like a Normal/Flying type, except without the same type attack bonus for Return.  It has similar advantages and disadvantages for the most part to Pokemon like Noctowl, Fearow, Pidgeot, etc.  This is even more apparent in Crystal when you realize Crobat can't learn Shadow Ball or Sludge Bomb.


The part from Dark Cave to Sprout Tower and the Violet City Gym is the most distinctive.  Leech Life is so bad you'll start to envy Tackle.  Struggle will have to suffice until Level 12.  Bite does make Crobat stand out from other Flying types, since it's neutral to Rock and offers a flinch chance.  For a 60 power attack, Bite remains useful through the Elite 4.  Giga Drain is a late game gimmick with low PP, but makes for a safer Brock battle than other Flying types who have to use Steel Wing. 


Some Flying types have a status condition to help them out when confronting Rock or Steel types.  Noctowl is superior in this regard:  Hypnosis has low accuracy, but is more reliable than Confuse Ray's coin flip chance of self-inflicted wounds.  Confuse Ray is obsolete by the end of the Elite 4. 


Crobat is more durable than you might expect, and can take super effective hits and Rest off the damage.  Its attacking stats aren't as misplaced as Noctowl's.


This was a fun playthrough since there were some surprises.  You never know what to expect until you actually try the Pokemon.