Pokemon Variants

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Violet Solo Jumpluff Part 11


Varoom's natural habitat was the desert near Zapapico.  One item near a fence was the Heat Rock, which would lengthen sunny weather if I ever used a Sunny Day moveset.  Tagtree Thicket to the north was home to new wild Pokemon and the Poison Team Star base.  


Pokemon Violet had some graphical glitches, as seen in a Tera Raid battle with a Finizen when its HP bar didn't lower in time.  It made it seem that one Acrobatics did much less damage than it actually inflicted.  Grafaiai seemed to be the evolved form of Shroodle, and would make a good candidate for a solo due to how ugly it looked.


Pokemon Trainer Youssef was a kid who admired Atticus the Poison type Boss, and took the place of a Team Star Grunt.  His Gulpin and Shroodle were easy to defeat.  Atticus talked as if he wanted to be an actor in Romeo and Juliet:  "Naught but punishment awaits thee, wretch!  A plague on your house!"  His declamation was more true than he realized.


Atticus's Lv 32 Skuntank was fragile enough to kill with one Acrobatics.  Lv 32 Muk (Kanto), however, survived one Acrobatics and poisoned Jumpluff with Sludge Wave.  This was probably not the deciding factor in the battle considering how strong Atticus's team was.  Next was a Lv 33 regular Revavroom, who crashed into Jumpluff with an Iron Head before wrecking after two Acrobatics.  The first Acrobatics being a critical hit likely mattered.  Last was the specialty Lv 32 Revavroom, the Navi Starmobile.  Noxious Torque was its signature attack, and its ability spread Toxic Spikes, irrelevant to a solo challenge.  Jumpluff could only reduce Navi Starmobile's HP by 1/3 before fainting.


After exploring Tagtree Thicket and part of the desert for a while, Arven called REDACTED to tell her about the Lurking Steel Titan.  This turned out to be an Orthworm with a silly face.  Jumpluff tried both Sleep Powder and Leech Seed, though she didn't need to.  Headbutt dealt a pathetic 11 damage, and Iron Tail missed.  Giga Drain dropped Orthworm's HP from about 2/3 to 1/4 with a single cast, and that was with a type disadvantage!



Arven showed up for Phase 2 with a Lv 28 Toedscool.  Toedscool's Supersonic failed, and Iron Tail connected with Jumpluff's body after Orthworm woke up.  Toedscool cast Hex as Jumpluff sapped Orthworm's health with Giga Drain, and for once, my Pokemon killed the Titan.  The Salty Herba Mystica gave Miraidon the power to jump higher.  
 

Jumpluff Lv 48 @ Nothing


HP:  154
Attack:  82
Defense:  99
Special Attack:  75
Special Defense:  113
Speed:  118


Giga Drain
Acrobatics
Sleep Powder
Leech Seed


Wild Pokemon Seen:  Varoom, Cufant, Voltorb, Grafaiai, Shroodle, Floette, Passimian, Impidimp

Tera Raids and random Terastallized Pokemon:  Finizen, Dunsparce, Arrokuda

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Violet Solo Jumpluff Part 12


REDACTED's next session began with combing the Zapapico desert.  A non-Titan Orthworm was available, and it turned out to be pure Steel rather than Steel/Ground like I'd expected.  Orthworm did not evolve, and had a new ability called Earth Eater that healed it when hit with Ground attacks.  Changing a weakness into an immunity is the best passive a Pokemon could hope for.


Glimmet in a mine tunnel was Rock/Poison, and looked like a flower.  Lea the Student sent out a Snover against Jumpluff, and confirmed my suspicion that snow had replaced hail.  A Crunch TM was found inside another mine tunnel.  Useless for Jumpluff, but good for any solo that needs a physical Dark move.  Returning to a Pokemon Center close to the desert after beating enough local trainers gave REDACTED a Punching Glove, an item that increased the power of punches and prevented "contact with enemy" penalties from activating.  Hitmonchan must be salivating right now.


While exploring the arid East Province Area Three, it started. . .raining?  Anything was possible when I was crazy enough to try a solo Jumpluff challenge.  Efren the Worker had a Stonjourner, a previously Sword-exclusive Pokemon I never thought would appear again.


Next, I went south of REDACTED's house and rode on Miraidon the jet ski over the southern ocean.  One sandy island had a Surf TM, a high priority for any aquatic solos.  The far southeast of Paldea was a swampy area with Lv 23 Pokemon, as if GameFreak expected me to go there sooner.  Any Legends Arceus fans were sure to be disappointed with Stantler's Pokedex entry:  "It's said that this Pokemon used to be stronger long ago when it had many enemies, and that it was even able to evolve under its own power".  Does that mean turning one into Wyrdeer is impossible in Violet? 


The swamp was Dreepy's habitat, in case anyone wanted a Dragapult.  Dreepy's Pokedex entry raised questions about its species in life:  "It has a habit of biting at Clauncher even though it doesn't feed on them.  This is said to be vestigial behavior from when Dreepy was alive".  So were Dreepys originally Bagons or Dratinis?
   

A purple sigil on a cliff wall had this to say when I clicked on it:  "HEREIN LIE SEALED THE RUINOUS TABLETS".  Closer to Mesagoza, I encountered a Lv 5 Flamigo.  Which means a flamingo monster is early enough in the game to be solo eligible.  An Eviolite was the prize for defeating trainers in southeastern Paldea, which will be necessary for any unevolved solos.


Back in Tagtree Thicket, REDACTED met some Team Star dropouts.  Catching a Mimikyu raised yet more questions about Pokemon metaphysics:  "Mimikyu was only recently identified as a Pokemon.  Previously, people thought it was just a ghost wearing a cloth".  So there's a distinction between non-Pokemon ghosts and Ghost types?
   

At Lv 50, Jumpluff barged into Treasure Eatery and displayed her Tera Type balloons menacingly at Larry.  She equipped a Lum Berry that was meant to guard against Glare, but instead was used up on a Yawn from Komala.  Two Giga Drains made Komala go from Comatose to flatline.  Dudunsparce woke up early and stared with its signature Glare, though it failed to do any other harm before dying to two Acrobatics flips.  Jumpluff survived the exchange of Acrobatics and Staraptor Facades with 74/162 HP, and claimed the Facade TM for herself.



Geeta healed Jumpluff just before she had to fight Nemona again.  Her Lv 36 day Lycanroc lead dashed with Accelerock for minor damage before Giga Drain vampirism restored Jumpluff to full HP.  A Terastallized Acrobatics tore apart Goomy with one hit.  Lv 36 Pawmo whiffed with Thunder Wave as if I were playing Crystal again, and succumbed to two Giga Drains.  Nemona's last Pokemon was her fully evolved starter, a Lv 37 Meowcarada.  One Acrobatics made it lose all nine lives. 


As a reward for beating Nemona, Geeta gave REDACTED the TM for Tera Blast.  Tera Blast was a move that was ordinarily an 80 power Normal special attack, but would change to the Pokemon's Tera Type upon Terastallizing.  It also used either Attack or Special Attack depending on what was higher.  Checking the Pokedex revealed Meowscarada to be Grass/Dark, and Pawmo to be Electric/Fighting.  


REDACTED returned to Uva Academy and took many classes and midterms.  The reward for passing midterms was experience candies.  Some of the classes gave new information, or at least provided a needed refresher on the vagaries of Pokemon mechanics.  Primeape had a new evolution called Annihilape that was based on having some specific move.  The likelihood for Shiny Pokemon was now 1 in 4000.  Criticals only had a 1.5 damage multiplier.  Criticals had been weakened in some earlier installment, though I don't remember which.  The critical chance in Violet was slightly above 4%. 


Tyme the math teacher referenced the never-ending debate over the merits of Surf vs. Hydro Pump, though she was more interested in Rock Slide vs. Stone Edge.  (The answer, of course, is that both Rock Slide and Stone Edge will disappoint you because GameFreak thinks it's a good idea to give Rock attacks abysmal accuracy.  My nickname for the latter move is "Stoned Edge" because the Pokemon must be high when trying to aim it.)


According to Raifort the history teacher, the Paldean empire and the surrounding nations merged 800 years ago.  Even though empires tend to break apart rather than consolidate when they decline.  Uva Academy was founded 805 years ago, and has remained mostly the same since except for the Poke Ball design that even Raifort thought was tacky.  She told a fairy tale about a king who bought four treasures from a merchant:  "a vessel, a sword, a set of tablets, and a set of beads".  A "terrible disaster" destroyed the king's castle overnight.  Maybe these were the RUINOUS TABLETS that the sigil was warning about?


Heath explored the crater in the center of Paldea in the Area Zero Expedition and wrote an account of his exploits called the Violet Book.  After a while, everyone thought Heath was lying, and so his work lay neglected in used bookstores.  (Another difference Pokemon humans have from real humans:  no one is interested in the supernatural in Pokemon land.  Despite all the Channelers, there seem to be no occultists.)


Salvatore the language teacher asked the common meaning of several phrases that translated as "I love you".  My eye actually drifted to "Ich liebe dich" first because I knew it from a Mary Worth comic.  That's how Zak proclaimed his love for Iris.  (And now, Zak only seems to "love" Iris because she resembles his former babysitter, but that's soap opera comics for you.)  Couldn't distinguish between Pikachu's angry voice and happy voice.


Dendra the teacher informed everyone that the way to break a Tera Shield in a Tera Raid was to use a Terastallized attack.  However, in Tera Raids, you have to use three moves before being able to Terastallize if I'm not mistaken.  Don't think I've ever had to deal with Tera Shields, but maybe those appear in 4* and up.  Brassius came as a guest to Hassel's art class.


When REDACTED returned to Alfornada, she received a Lucky Egg in the Gym tower.  Due to the plentiful experience candies in Violet, it won't be nearly as much of a staple hold item as it was in White.  Jumpluff stared down Gym Leader Tulip's Farigiraf and failed to KO it with Giga Drain after the initial Terastallized Acrobatics.  Farigarif's Zen Headbutts bashed Jumpluff down to 108/163 HP.  A second Giga Drain sent Farigiraf crashing to the ground and raised Jumpluff to Lv 51.  Gardevoir was killed with a lucky critical Acrobatics.  Third was the Lv 44 Espathra, who cast Psychic against Jumpluff to bring her down to 79 HP.  A Giga Drain finisher restored her to 89 HP just in time for Lv 45 Florges.  I think it used Moonblast against Jumpluff shortly before the fatal Acrobatics gave REDACTED a victory at 40 HP.  Florges definitely didn't take advantage of its Terastallized status.  Tulip's reward TM was Psychic.


Hassel was excessively enthusiastic about my solo Pokemon:  "Hardly had you sent out Jumpluff before you launched into your strategy!  That unrelenting offensive!  That flurry of attacks!  What an efficient way to corner the opponent!"  As if using Acrobatics over and over was an unprecedented tactic.


Daniela's Lycanroc once more entombed Jumpluff in a Rock Slide.  She can beat Gym Leaders, but regular trainers are out of her reach.  Dachsbun the pure Fairy evolution of Fidough was a wild Pokemon in the Alfornada area, as well as Sylveon.  Eevee and its evolutions are not so rare in Paldea.  A Pokedex check proved Farigiraf was still Normal/Psychic.

 
Jumpluff barely defeated Eric the Worker who had Electric Terrain, making his monsters immune to Sleep Powder for a few rounds.  To go from Guatemala to Guatepeor, he had an Ice Fang Luxray with Intimidate and a Thunderbolt casting Eelektross.  Giga Drain, Sleep Powder, and Leech Seed were all necessary for Jumpluff to ignore the odds.  


Bellibolt from Iono's Gym turned out to be the evolution of Tadbulb.  Rabsca was the evolution of Rellor.  REDACTED and Jumpluff's next destination was Glaseado Mountain Path, as there was nowhere left to go but north.


Jumpluff Lv 53 @ Nothing


HP:  172
Attack:  94
Defense:  110
Special Attack:  83
Special Defense:  125
Speed:  130


Giga Drain
Acrobatics
Sleep Powder
Leech Seed


Wild Pokemon:  Orthworm, Glimmet, Rolycoly, Carkol, Masquerain, Stantler, Croagunk, Dreepy, Zangoose, Pawniard, Mimikyu, Dachsbun, Sinistea, Bronzong, Bellibolt, Dratini

Tera Raids and Random Terastallized Pokemon:  Clauncher, Crabrawler, Tinkatink, Growlithe, Finneon, Luvdisc, Nacli

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Violet Solo Jumpluff Part 13


West Province Area Three was the base of Glaseado Mountain, the Ice type region of Violet.  Snow was in fact the replacement for Hail.  The difference was that Snow didn't damage Pokemon like Sandstorm or Hail.  Blizzard still had the accuracy boost, and Ice types now gained Defense from the weather.  Bad news for a Jumpluff, even if she could Terastallize to make her double weakness disappear.


One trainer had a Toedscruel.  I'll admit to being surprised to see it because I misread the Pokedex numbers and assumed Toedscool was a one-off monster.  Backtracking and fighting trainers in the Dalizapa Passage cave leading to Glaseado Mountain got REDACTED an Expert Belt which Jumpluff would never use.  Examining Dachsbun in the box taught me about its ability Well-Baked Body, which gave it immunity to Fire and a +2 Defense boost when hit by that type.


Greavard was a common Ghost type dog with a candle on top.  "This friendly Pokemon doesn't like being alone.  Pay it even the slightest bit of attention, and it will follow you forever".  That's how it felt within the game, since REDACTED constantly had to run away from wild battles.  Greavard was sometimes hard to see since it was much smaller than Miraidon.


Paldea Wooper's evolution was called Clodsire instead of Quagsire, and had a different moveset which included Megahorn.  Xabier the Courier nearly defeated Jumpluff with an Endeavor using Staraptor.  If only it knew Quick Attack!  The spelling of "Xabier" made me think of all those Spanish Internet comments that misused the letters "b" and "v".


REDACTED found both the 7th and 8th Gyms on Glaseado Mountain, but did not take on the Ice and Ghost Gym Leaders.  The Ice Gym Leader must have felt insulted when he didn't even get a town to go along with his tower.  Instead, Miraidon jumped down to the river delta of North Province Area Three.  REDACTED backtracked to a Glaseado Mountain Pokemon Center to get a Blizzard TM reward for fighting the trainers, then took a Flying Taxi to Atticus and his Poison base.


Both Skuntank and Muk fell to one Acrobatics flip.  Atticus's regular Revavroom survived the first Acrobatics due to its Steel typing and struck back with Iron Head.  It took three Acrobatics to kill the Lv 32 Navi Starmobile Revavroom, and that was when Jumpluff was both Terastallized and 23 levels higher.  Noxious Torque poisoned Jumpluff, and she only survived with 77/178 HP.  Atticus surrendered a Gunk Shot TM upon being defeated.


While examining the updated TM crafting list at a Pokemon Center, I learned that Jumpluff could use Thief.  Never got that TM, but it was trivia worth knowing in case one of the Elite Four members was Steel type or something.  North Province Area Three was home to Team Star's Fairy base.  I actually forgot to heal after the Atticus battle, so Jumpluff had to fight Harrington the guard's Lv 48-49 Morgrem and Hattrem while poisoned and at low HP.  Harrington was still so weak that it was an easy victory.  


The Fairy base was the funniest of them all.  Team Star's second line of defense was a horde of auto-battling Jigglypuffs!  Since none of them were OG PUFF from the Fire Red playthrough, Jumpluff thrashed them.  Ortega the boss, however, was much more competent.  He led with a Lv 50 Azumarill that took a little more than 50% from Acrobatics and whiffed a Bounce.  Jumpluff Giga Drained Azumarill and stared down a Lv 50 Wigglytuff.  Wigglytuff Played Rough with Jumpluff, and my solo monster returned the favor with Acrobatics + Giga Drain.


Lv 51 Dachsbun took around slightly under half from Acrobatics, and Jumpluff tried to recover some HP with Giga Drain after a Play Rough.  Ortega's Lv 50 Fairy version of Revavroom had Misty Surge to summon Misty Terrain.  It was immune to Leech Seed and took only mild damage from Acrobatics.  Revavroom steamrolled Jumpluff under its Magical Torque.


After that defeat, REDACTED searched the northern coast of Paldea.  A Pollen Puff TM was eligible for Jumpluff, and was a 90 power Bug special attack.  An Ice Beam TM was on a small sandbar, and Brick Break was close by.  Leaf Storm was a Pokemon Center reward for defeating trainers.  Miraidon glided over to North Province Area One and bought many Ultra Balls and Quick Balls at the Pokemon Center.  Jumpluff was delighted to find TMs for both Seed Bomb and Swords Dance and finally ditched Sleep Powder and Giga Drain.  No chance for a Rain Dance + Terastallized Hurricane combo, since Jumpluff couldn't generate tropical storms by TM.


Three sisters in a marshy region with watchtowers claimed the title of dragon's tail, dragon's wings, and dragon's breath.  Jumpluff defeated them all, but had to Terastallize and use Swords Dance against their Noivern.  North Province Area Two was a bamboo forest, which was NOT home to Pangoro.  One trainer there had a Lv 50 Arboliva, the evolution of Smoliv.  Arboliva generated Grassy Terrain when killed with Acrobatics.  Another trainer had a Lv 49 Talonflame, but this was not the Gale Wings priority Brave Bird version feared on Smogon during the Kalos era.


Jumpluff actually used Pollen Puff against Ana Maria the Student's Bronzong because it insisted on using Iron Defense.  She had some strange dialogue about kids thinking professional wrestling was trendy.  It certainly was in the 1990s, but it's probably not as popular today.


Eri wanted to guard the Fighting base herself, but Carmen of Team Star convinced her that she needed to rest.  Carmen's Croagunk and Lv 55 Primeape were maimed by Acrobatics.  The Fighting base itself was more creatively designed than the others, and so REDACTED had to climb a slope during her auto-battles.  There was a chance that Jumpluff could actually lose, since one of the auto-battles was against a Crabominable that reduced her HP to about half.  Yet somehow one of the ceremonial Magikarps defeated a Crabominable at the beginning.  The mechanics behind auto-battles in Violet must be weird.  Level doesn't seem to matter much, and Speed may be irrelevant.  In any normal battle, Jumpluff would be much faster than Crabominable and slaughter it with Acrobatics.



Eri theoretically had a type disadvantage against Jumpluff.  In practice she was prepared for a mediocre Grass/Flying monster.  On the first attempt, her Lv 55 Toxicroak had the best possible roll for Poison Jab:  both poison status and a critical hit!  Lv 56 Annihilape, the final Fighting/Ghost evolution of Mankey, had a chance to barely survive a  Lv 58 +0 Terastallized Acrobatics and knew Ice Punch.  Lv 55 Passimian had about the same HP and Defense as Annihilape, and could cut Jumpluff's Speed by placing her in a Rock Tomb sepulcher.


It may sound strange to anyone who remembers Lucario's reign in the Sinnoh era, but Eri's Lucario seemed like the best setup bait for Swords Dance.  The only move I saw it use was Dragon Pulse.  Eri's Lv 56 Revavroom survived a +2 Terastallized Acrobatics on the first attempt and ran over Jumpluff with Spin Out.  Spin Out was probably a Steel move and definitely gave its user a -2 Speed penalty.  Combat Torque was the Fighting version of the Torque moves. 


No matter how hard Jumpluff tried, she lost to Eri again and again.  Maybe it's better for REDACTED to try gaining the last two badges, or visiting the Dragon Titan in the unexplored northwestern area of Paldea.  I'll have to give Team Star credit for being the strongest antagonists in any Pokemon game save perhaps N and Ghetsis at the end of White.
 
 
Jumpluff Lv 58 @ Nothing


HP:  187
Attack:  102
Defense:  119
Special Attack:  91
Special Defense:  137
Speed:  143


Seed Bomb
Acrobatics
Swords Dance
Pollen Puff


Wild Pokemon Seen:  Axew, Cubchoo, Snom, Froslass, Greavard, Cryogonal, Clodsire, Hawlucha, Heracross, Luxray


Tera Raids and random Terastallized Pokemon:  Varoom, Skiploom

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Violet Solo Jumpluff Part 14


In the town of Montenevera ("Mt. Refrigerator"), REDACTED found a new held item called a Covert Cloak.  This prevented side effects of enemy moves from activating.  One resident told REDACTED that Tyme the Uva Academy math teacher was the former Gym Leader, and she gave her position to her sister Ryme 1.5 years ago.  The date was suspicious considering how many of the Team Star flashbacks occurred at that time. 


Inside the Gym, Nemona told REDACTED that less than 10% of trainers earned six badges.  Nemona's team was weak for this point in the game, and either the Fairy or Fighting Team Star bosses would have clobbered her.  Day form Lycanroc, Sliggoo, Pawmot, and Meowscarada were all Lv 42-43 and perished to one hit of Seed Bomb or Terastallized Acrobatics.  It was a flawless victory at Lv 58 without so much as an Accelerock.


The Gym Test for Nevera was to win several double battles as an "opening act" for Ryme.  MC Sledge the host looked like the least likely rapper ever.  I can't do him justice by describing his appearance, so look up a picture of him, readers.  First was Gym Trainer Tas with Lv 40 Greavard and Shuppet.  Second was Gym Trainer Lani with Lv 40 Misdreavus and Haunter.  Haunter killed the ceremonial Magikarp companion with Hex.  MC Sledge himself was third, with Lv 40 Drifblim and Sableye.  Acrobatics knocked out Sableye, and Drifblim decided to Self-Destruct rather than follow MC Sledge's orders.


One boy lost a rap battle with Ryme:  "Listen up, Ryme-your reign ends here!  You're gonna get rung up by this pro cashier!"  Ryme's rejoinder?  "Pro cashier?  Well, I'm about to check out.  Musta got your rhymes on deep discount!"


Ryme led with Lv 41 Mimikyu and Banette.  Since Mimikyu's Disguise would have to be broken in order to deal any direct damage, it was saved for last.  Mimikyu's Shadow Sneak murdered Magikarp, and Banette also used Shadow Sneak against Jumpluff.  Acrobatics felled Banette, and the audience praised REDACTED's Terastallize timing.  Throughout all the Montenevera Gym Battles, lasting for more than one turn granted automatic stat buffs. 


With an Attack gain, Jumpluff's next Acrobatics eliminated Houndstone, the evolution of Greavard.  Toxtricity's Poison/Electric typing would have resisted all of Jumpluff's attacks if Ryme refused to Terastallize.  Instead, Toxtricity died to one Acrobatics.  Meanwhile, Mimikyu was gashing Jumpluff with weak Slashes.  One Acrobatics broke the Disguise and caused Mimikyu's head to slump, and the second won REDACTED her 7th badge with 137/190 HP.  Ryme's TM reward was Shadow Ball. 


Poppy the little girl turned out to be an Elite Four member when introduced to REDACTED.  New classes were unlocked, and REDACTED passed all the final exams except for Languages.  Why Languages?  Several questions were based on subtle differences between Pikachu's cries, and no, these weren't the shouts from the cartoon.  They were more like the cries from the original games.  The reward for passing the classes was more experience candy.  Raifort the history professor told her class that Professor Turo was responsible for inventing Terastallizing technology 10 years ago.


Glaseado's Gym Test was the easiest of them all:  complete the slalom Snow Slope Run in less than 1:30.00.  REDACTED's time was 00:39.86.  No enemy trainers.  Gym Leader Grusha was an anticlimax for what should have been the worst type for Jumpluff to fight against.  Jumpluff Terastallized immediately against Frosmoth to shed the double weakness and set up Swords Dance.  Frosmoth botched a Blizzard, which was the only attack Grusha used in the entire battle.  Lv 47 Frosmoth, Beartic, Cetitan, and Lv 48 Altaria all blacked out after a single +2 Terastallized Acrobatics.  Grusha the ex-snowboarder gave REDACTED the TM for Ice Spinner, and Geeta suggested taking the Champion Assessment at the Pokemon League.


The last major unexplored region other than the central crater was Casseroya Lake in the northwest of Paldea.  Dragonair was the first 4* Tera Raid, and the first to set up a Tera Shield which Jumpluff had to break with Terastallized Acrobatics.  The AI companions took this battle more serious than previous Tera Raids and brought evolved Pokemon like Hypno, day Lycanrock, and Greedent. 


One trainer had a Lv 53 Garganacl, the final form of Nacli.  REDACTED took a detour to the nearby Socorrat Trail, an autumnal meadow.  Anyone wanting to evolve their Sinistea would have to find a Cracked Pot, and there was one here.  A sigil for one of the cursed tablets was located here too.  REDACTED caught a wild Mabosstiff and found out it was essentially a Dark version of Stoutland.      

 
REDACTED returned to Casseroya Lake and caught a Dondozo, a large pure Water catfish that was supposed to be the dupe of Tatsugiri.  Its ability of Oblivious matched its theme, and in Violet, Oblivious gave immunity to Intimidate.  There must have been many complaints in doubles tournaments about Intimidate in general and Landorus Therian in particular for GameFreak to include this many countermeasures in Violet.


To find the False Dragon Titan, REDACTED had to fight many Tatsugiri before finding the right one.  They had several variations but all of them were Dragon/Water.  The Titan fight began with a Donzozo that was easily dispatched with Swords Dance + Terastallized Acrobatics.  Dondozo's best move was Body Slam.  Phase 2 was also against Dondozo, and this time Arven came to help with a Lv 55 Greedent that used Take Down.  But Tatsugiri was the monster that ate some Herba Mystica, and dealt enough damage with Dragon Pulse to reduce Jumpluff to 64/202 HP at Lv 63. 


Spicy Herba Mystica was the final flavor, which allowed Miraidon to climb walls.  It also cured Mabosstiff, who was grateful enough to fetch its Poke Ball for Arven.  Professor Turo called and ordered Arven to open his laboratory near the first lighthouse that REDACTED visited on Poco Path.  Arven was furious, as Turo had been a neglectful father and this was the first conversation he had in years with his son.


Jumpluff Lv 63


HP:  202
Attack:  110
Defense:  130
Special Attack:  98
Special Defense:  148
Speed:  154


Seed Bomb
Acrobatics
Swords Dance
Powder Puff


Wild Pokemon Seen:  Swalot, Staraptor, Forretress, Toedscruel, Mabosstiff, Glalie, Dondozo

Tera Raids and random Terastallized Pokemon:  Dragonair

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Violet Solo Jumpluff Part 15


REDACTED glided around the Casseroya Lake region until Jumpluff reached Lv 64, and then returned to the Fairy base to have a rematch with Ortega.  Azumarill Bounced on the first turn, giving Jumpluff the opportunity for two Swords Dances instead of one.  Acrobatics kicked Azumarill, Wigglytuff, and Dachsbun in the face, though it took two to wreck Revavroom.  Revavroom ran over Jumpluff with Steel Roller before dying, resulting in a 131/205 HP victory.  Eri was even easier at Lv 64.  Toxicroak failed its critical and poisoning rolls for Poison Jab, and +2 Terastallized Acrobatics were sufficient to trash her entire team.  Even the Fighting type Revavroom collapsed after one hit.


After defeating each Team Star base, more of the truth about what happened 18 months ago was revealed.  Ortega had designed the Starmobile modifications for the Revavroom, but it was Mela who figured out that Charcadet's evolution was needed to power one.  Ortega was the heir to "a major apparel company", though his status didn't prevent him from being bullied at Uva Academy.  Team Star formed to rout the bullies, causing them to drop out of school. 


Harrington was once the director of Uva Academy, and apparently not a good one.  Clavell's tenure was "rainbows and butterflies" in comparison to what happened in the past.  Harrington "assigned 18 months of overseas study" to the head of Team Star so they could return home to Galar.  Violet takes place after Sword and Shield, since there's a reference to the destruction of the Stow-on-Side mural. 


To the surprise of no one, Cassiopeia told Clive and REDACTED that she was the true boss of Team Star.  To finish Operation Starfall, REDACTED would have to fight her in the schoolyard at night.  Pokemon Violet has a day/night cycle, but it isn't based on real time like in earlier games.  So this condition isn't as much of a hassle as it sounds.


Jumpluff's three options are to go with Arven to the lighthouse lab, pass the Champion Assessment, or defeat Cassiopeia.  Now I'm beginning to suspect that Team Star's leader is Penny rather than Geeta.


Jumpluff Lv 64 @ Nothing


HP:  205
Attack:  112
Defense:  132
Special Attack:  100
Special Defense:  150
Speed:  157


Seed Bomb
Acrobatics
Swords Dance
Pollen Puff


Tera Raids and random Terastallized Pokemon:  Pichu, Gastly

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Violet Solo Jumpluff Part 16


Lv 64 Jumpluff decided to try her skill against Arven first at the Poco Path Lighthouse.  What Professor Turo needed from the laboratory was a copy of the Violet Book.  Arven and REDACTED sparred to see if they were ready to fight the toughest Pokemon in Paldea.


Arven led with his Lv 58 Greedent who paralyzed Jumpluff with Body Slam after she Swords Danced.  A +2 Acrobatics hunted the squirrel, though Jumpluff was stiff with paralysis when Lv 62 Garganacl appeared.  Even with Swords Dance, super effective damage, and a same type attack bonus, Seed Bomb failed to knock out Garganacl.  The first Stone Edge missed, but the second impaled Jumpluff.  She was not ready for the Great Crater of Paldea if she couldn't even defeat two of Arven's Pokemon!


Did Jumpluff have any better luck against Team Star?  To no one's surprise, Clive was really Clavell.  What did surprise me was that he was also Cassiopeia.  The female voice on the phone calls was only a recording he had arranged.  Clavell led with a Lv 60 Oranguru that had two counters for a Swords Dancing Jumpluff.  First was Foul Play, a Dark type move that used her own boosted Attack stat against her.  On Take 2, Oranguru increased its team's Defense with Reflect. 


Take 1 was actually more successful since Jumpluff at least saw the final Pokemon on Clavell's team instead of just his lead.  In that attempt, Lv 60 Abomasnow, Houndoom, Polteageist, and Amoongus all fell to one Acrobatics.  Lv 61 Quaquaval, the Water/Fighting final evolution of Quaxlet, was hardier than it looked and survived an Acrobatics.  Its Terastallized Aqua Step sent Jumpluff from 133 HP to 0.  Should have used Seed Bomb.


The Elite Four was no more successful in the end.  Rika conducted an interview with REDACTED before the battles, asking how she came (by Flying Taxi), and which Gym Leader was hardest (Larry).  Rika herself was a Ground specialist with Lv 57-58 monsters, indicating that the developers intended for the player to visit the Pokemon League first.  Whiscash knew Blizzard but missed before the fatal Seed Bomb.  Donphan had Sturdy to prevent one-hit kills and used Stone Edge.  After that was Camerupt and Dugtrio, who both fell to Swords Dance Acrobatics.  Rika's final Pokemon was a Terastallized Clodsire, who also died to Acrobatics.


What killed the Elite Four session was Poppy the Steel master.  Even her Copperajah was too resilient for Jumpluff.  Copperajah exploited Jumpluff's featherweight status with Heavy Slam, and neither Thief nor Acrobatics dealt much damage.  Thief was worthless in retrospect since even a resisted Acrobatics would have been stronger.


Jumpluff's experience candy sugar rush grew her to Lv 71.  I could have gone much higher, but that would have made the rest of the game too easy.  Arven's Greedent failed to paralyze with Body Slam.  Two Swords Dances later, and Jumpluff felled his monsters one by one with Seed Bomb or Acrobatics.  Arven's other Pokemon were Lv 60 Scovillain, Lv 61 Toedscruel, Lv 59 Cloyster, and his signature Terastallized Mabosstiff with Intimidate.


After REDACTED's victory, Arven said that to stand a chance in Area Zero, they would need to bring along a Champion and "somebody who can deal with crazy tech".  That meant Nemona and probably Penny from the other two storylines.


Jumpluff Lv 72 @ Nothing


HP:  230
Attack:  125
Defense:  148
Special Attack:  112
Special Defense:  169
Speed:  176


Seed Bomb
Acrobatics
Swords Dance
Sleep Powder

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Violet Solo Jumpluff Part 17


REDACTED had planned on using a clever Loaded Dice + Bullet Seed strategy against Rika to get around her Donphan's Sturdy, but her player forgot to swap out Seed Bomb.  Donphan withstood a regular Seed Bomb, but missed with Stone Edge.  Dugtrio and Camerupt were easy to kill, and Seed Bomb made Rika regret Terastallizing her Clodsire.


Only Poppy's nonsensical decisions saved Jumpluff from defeat.  Copperajah woke up early from Sleep Powder, which only allowed Jumpluff two Swords Dances instead of three.  Lv 58 Magnezone was one of the worst Pokemon a Jumpluff could fight against, as it resisted both of her main attacks and could use super effective Electric shocks.  However, Penny saw a solo physical attacker, and thought Light Screen was the way to go.  Lv 58 Corviknight survived the first Acrobatics yet failed to finish off the 46/230 HP Jumpluff and set up Iron Defense instead.  Bronzong barely withstood the first Acrobatics and pounded Jumpluff with Iron Head. . .but she lived with 3 HP!  Acrobatics struck down the Lv 59 Tinkaton in one hit.


Remember the interview question about the hardest Gym Leader?  It became relevant when Larry became the third Elite Four member!  He had changed his specialty from Normal to Flying in the meantime.  Jumpluff set up Swords Dance against Lv 59 Tropius, who summoned Sunny Day.  The second Acrobatics killed Lv 59 Altaria, though Larry's returning Staraptor forced Jumpluff to Swords Dance again after Intimidate.  Jumpluff took a Brave Bird at 143/233 HP, and Acrobatics flipped around Staraptor and the Lv 59 Electric version of Oricorio.  Lv 60 Flamigo was last, and one Acrobatics avenged Jumpluff's defeats at Larry's Gym.


Hassel the art teacher was the Dragon master of the Elite Four.  His Lv 60 Noivern bit with Super Fang to reduce Jumpluff's HP to half on the Swords Dance turn.  Acrobatics at +2 Attack ravaged Noivern, Lv 60 Dragalge, Lv 60 Haxorus, and Lv 60 Flapple.  But Hassel's Lv 61 Baxcalibur, the final stage of Frigibax, endured an Acrobatics and flash-froze Jumpluff with Icicle Crash.


Take 2 against Hassel involved setting up Swords Dance twice against Noivern.  Noivern started with Super Fang as usual and followed it up with Dragon Pulse to cut Jumpluff to 72/233 HP.  After that, all of Hassel's monsters were slain in one hit each.


Geeta as the Top Champion was the final opponent in the Pokemon League gauntlet.  She began with a Lv 61 Espathra that benefited from Swords Dance via Opportunist, but its Lumina Crash must have been a special attack since it only knocked Jumpluff down to 188/236 HP.  It did cut her Special Defense by two stages, though.  Acrobatics turned the peacock into a feather pillow.  Geeta sent out a Kingambit which was part Steel type, and had a special ability called Supreme Overlord that generated this message:  "The opposing Kingambit gained strength from the fallen!"  Acrobatics couldn't even reduce Kingambit's health bar by half, so Jumpluff had to use another Swords Dance.  Kingambit whiffed two Stone Edges in a row, so AI trainers were betrayed by Rock inaccuracy as well.


Lv 61 Veluza fell to Seed Bomb.  It was a strange choice for a Top Champion team considering it was a mediocre mid-game fish.  I was afraid when Lv 61 Avalugg appeared, as it was an Ice type with extreme Defense.  Jumpluff still crushed it in one hit with Acrobatics.  Lv 61 Gogoat's only contribution to Geeta was making Jumpluff spend one Acrobatics PP.  Lv 62 Glimmora was an unknown Pokemon to me, so I tried Acrobatics.  When Geeta Terastallized it into a Rock type, I knew I made a mistake.  Geeta threw away her chance of victory when Glimmora cast Sludge Wave instead of a Terastallized Rock attack.  One more Seed Bomb, and Jumpluff became a certified Champion with 31/236 HP!

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Violet Solo Jumpluff Part 18


Forgot to mention this in the last post, but Jumpluff was Lv 74 when she conquered the Pokemon League.  It looked like Director Clavell was going to be an easy victory, but he had one last trick to use against REDACTED:  Effect Spore.  Clavell's Amoonguss had a chance of activating Effect Spore when hit with a "contact move" like Acrobatics, and the victim would suffer a status ailment.  This time, Effect Spore selected paralysis.  Jumpluff was numb when Quaquaval practiced its Ice Spinner + Aqua interpretive dance routine on her.  Effect Spore failed its roll on the next take, and Jumpluff was the victor at Lv 75 with 153/239 HP.


Clavell confessed to not being the real Cassiopeia, who was actually Penny.  Penny had a full team of Eevee evolutions, and began with Lv 62 Umbreon.  Jumpluff Swords Danced twice to play around the Attack drop from Umbreon's Baby-Doll Eyes.  Umbreon attacked with a minor Dark Pulse before falling to Acrobatics.  Jolteon also displayed its Baby-Doll Eyes, but Jumpluff had no sympathy for emotional manipulation and launched Seed Bomb.  Vaporeon, Flareon, Leafeon, and the final Sylveon all perished from Seed Bomb or Acrobatics.  Operation Starfall was complete at Lv 76. 



Clavell scolded the Team Star members for violating school rules, but was supportive of their efforts to rid Uva Academy of bullies.  Their "punishment" was to be allowed to keep their organization and set up Star Training Centers.  All the LP Penny had given to REDACTED after base conquests came from hacking the Pokemon League.


Champion Nemona in Mesagoza was so difficult that Jumpluff had to eat candies to grow to Lv 80.  An unboosted Seed Bomb at lower levels could fail to kill even day Lycanroc.  And Lycanroc was not safe to set up Swords Dance against due to Stone Edge.  Pawmot had both Double Shock and Ice Punch to worry about if not killed immediately.  Dudunsparce was free experience.  Orthworm was the real obstacle on Nemona's team.  Its pure Steel type and high HP and Defense meant a +2 Acrobatics hit for less than half HP.  Iron Tail was a decent attack too.  It took many attempts to win, and Jumpluff finally succeeded by keeping Orthworm asleep for long enough.  Lv 66 Meowscarada was an easy target for Jumpluff the Acrobat.


Penny's last gift for REDACTED was a Draco Meteor TM that Jumpluff couldn't use.  Arven called to gather the team for Area Zero, which will probably be Jumpluff's last adventure.


Jumpluff Lv 80 @ Nothing


HP:  254
Attack:  139
Defense:  163
Special Attack:  124
Special Defense:  187
Speed:  195


Seed Bomb
Acrobatics
Swords Dance
Sleep Powder

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Violet Solo Jumpluff FINALE


Great Crater of Paldea was a disappointing final "dungeon".  It was mostly a meadow that sloped downwards, with the occasional waterfall.  The wild Pokemon at the beginning were reused from other areas of Paldea.  There were a surprising amount of Girafarig for some reason, and other Jumpluffs could be seen flying around.


The research stations were guarded by Pokemon, and REDACTED's companions assisted her.  Nemona used Lycanroc, Arven used Mabosstiff, and Penny used Umbreon.  First was the ordinary Glimmora at Lv 62.  Second was Iron Bundle, an Ice/Water robo-Delibird.  Third was a non-Titan Iron Treads.


Along the way to Area Zero, REDACTED caught an Iron Bundle and an Iron Jugulis.  Iron Jugulis was a Dark/Flying robo-Hydreigon.  Professor Turo revealed that each Iron [NAME] was a Pokemon from the future sent to the present via his time machine.  Miraidon itself was what Cyclizar would become.


The lower levels of Great Crater of Paldea were a crystal cavern, though not nearly as impressive as the one level from Donkey Kong Country.  Miraidon refused to fight or ride around at first because it was traumatized by the other Miraidon, who had defeated REDACTED's in a battle for territory.  Opening Area Zero's gates unleashed a horde of future Pokemon, which Jumpluff and her AI partners defeated.  The new one was Iron Hands, a Fighting/Electric robo-Hariyama.  All Iron [NAME] monsters had the Quark Drive ability, which increased their highest stat in Electric Terrain, or if they were holding Booster Energy.


In case you haven't guessed it yet, GameFreak recycled their Ultra Beast plot from Moon and changed the circumstances from alternate worlds to time travel.  And Violet would have happened if Lusamine were a posthumous jerk rather than a present-day villain.


"Professor Turo" was only a robot with his memories.  He had died when Research Station No. 4 was destroyed.  AI Turo wanted REDACTED to shut down the time machine to prevent future Pokemon such as Iron Treads from ruining Paldea's ecology.  REDACTED got a Booster Energy here.


The catch was that Professor Turo had programmed his AI counterpart to fight against anyone trying to shut down the time machine with his copy of the Violet Book.  When the brainwashing activated, AI Turo started talking with distorted text, such as upside-down "e" or numbers in place of letters.  He opened with Lv 66 Iron Moth, a robo-Volcarona.  Jumpluff Swords Danced as Iron Moth cast Sludge Wave.  Next was Lv 66 Iron Thorns, a robo-Tyranitar that was weak to Seed Bomb.


Lv 66 Iron Hands was guaranteed one attack with its Fake Out flinch.  It could also survive a +2 Attack Acrobatics and retaliate with Thunder Punch.  Lv 66 Iron Bundle may have looked like a Delibird, but it was a far superior Pokemon that outpaced  Lv 81 Jumpluff (!) and killed her with Freeze-Dry.  To triumph, Jumpluff was going to have to eat more candy.  Iron Moth was Fire/Poison, and Iron Thorns was Rock/Electric.


At Lv 86, Jumpluff's +2 Acrobatics was still too weak to take out Iron Hands.  She survived a Thunder Punch with only 14 HP remaining.  Jumpluff finally outran Iron Bundle and knocked its spring out of joint with Seed Bomb.  Last was Lv 67 Iron Valiant, a robo-Gallade that shut down after one Acrobatics.


Jumpluff's role in the story was now over, as the official final battle was a scripted showdown between the two Miraidons.  REDACTED's Miraidon was Lv 68 and had the moves Power Gem, Electro Drift, Endure, and Tera Blast.  Miraidon simply had to Tera Blast until it could Terastallize and win the fight.  AI Turo regained his senses and sent himself to the future to stop the time machine for good.  REDACTED and friends returned to Uva Academy, and it was apparent the entire voice budget was spent on the credits song.


Jumpluff Final Stats


Lv 86 @ Nothing


HP:  273
Attack:  149
Defense:  176
Special Attack:  133
Special Defense:  201
Speed:  209


Seed Bomb
Acrobatics
Swords Dance
Sleep Powder


Jumpluff was a true hybrid Pokemon.  Like many other Grass types, she had to make up for her weak offensive matchups with status ailments and HP draining.  Where Jumpluff differed from other Grass monsters was that it had both the strengths and weaknesses of a Flying type.  Flying had neutral coverage against many types, and was super effective against a few. Regular Grass types would not have to worry about Electric or Rock attacks, but Jumpluff did.  Both types were vulnerable to Ice, and neither had an answer for Steel other than power leveling. 


Swords Dance came late in the game but was essential to victory.  Sleep Powder was unreliable due to fast awakenings and 75% accuracy, but still necessary for Jumpluff to win difficult fights.  Pokemon Violet was one of the hardest installments to try a "no healing or X items in battle" challenge due to its strong trainers and Titans.  And that was with a fully evolved monster, if a mediocre one.  For that reason I wouldn't recommend most unevolved Pokemon for a Violet solo.


Pokemon Violet overall felt like the game that the Alola and Galar games wanted to be.  The Titans were a reworking of Totem Pokemon, and the Iron [NAME] monsters were a remake of Ultra Beasts.  Galar's Wild Area was an early prototype for Paldea, and navigating the world was the real innovation that Violet brought to the series.  It was certainly better than the last few main installments!


Violet does have a postgame featuring rematches against Gym Leaders, so I may try that tomorrow.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Violet Solo Jumpluff BONUS 1


You'd better enjoy this postscript, as my desktop would freeze all day today and I had to type this on a laptop.  And when I first started typing on the laptop, the text was invisible!


All the Gym rematches were in the mid 60s range, and Larry deserved the honor of being first to be humiliated by a Jumpluff.  He opened with Oinkologne, who attacked with Body Slam on the Swords Dance turn.  Jumpluff dispatched Oinkologne, Dudunsparce, Braviary, Komala, and Staraptor with her Acrobatics flips.  Her victory was at Lv 87 with 228/276 HP.


Grusha was second.  Weather in Violet follows the "changes every 15 minutes" joke, and it happened to be Snowing during this battle.  Frosmoth shaped it into a Blizzard as Jumpluff Swords Danced, and Beartic must have had a Snow-based evasion ability.  It dodged Acrobatics and impaled Jumpluff with Icicle Crash.  On Take 2, Jumpluff used Acrobatics right away against Frosmoth to avoid Blizzard, but had to Swords Dance in front of Beartic.  Jumpluff survived Icicle Crash and wiped out Beartic, Cetitan, Weavile, and Altaria with Acrobatics to win with 138/276 HP at Lv 87.


Ryme was easily the worst rematch for Jumpluff.  Her Mimikyu now actually had a decent attacking move in Play Rough, and Houndstone disappeared one turn and attacked on the next with Phantom Force.  Spiritomb and Toxtricity were only a waste of a turn and PP, though they did give more time for Mimikyu to attack.  To win, Jumpluff would have to survive several rounds of Play Rough because Mimikyu was immune to one hit kills.  The successful attempt at Lv 92 started differently since Mimikyu killed the token Magikarp with Play Rough instead of Shadow Sneak, and Banette cut Jumpluff's Speed with Icy Wind.  Acrobatics exorcised Banette and also leaped around Play Rough's low accuracy.  Houndstone was the next round's target as leaving it undead would make it a Phantom Force nuisance.  Spiritomb and Toxtricity were next to go.  Jumpluff endured Mimikyu's Fairy type idea of playing at only 42/291 HP at Lv 92.


     
Iono came after Ryme.  Her Kilowattrel started with the team Speed buff Tailwind and spun in a Hurricane.  Jumpluff waited until after Swords Dancing to Terastallize in case of an early Electric attack.  Acrobatics jumped on Kilowattrel, but Seed Bomb failed to kill Bellibolt even at +2 Attack.  Bellibolt defibrillated Jumpluff with Thunder and sent her back to the Poke Ball.  On Take 2, Jumpluff was forced to use Sleep Powder to buy enough time for two Swords Dances.  She then proceeded to destroy Iono's team with Acrobatics and Seed Bomb.  Luxray, Electrode, and Mismagius perished after Bellibolt.


Brassius of all Gym Leaders was a challenge for Jumpluff for one reason:  Breloom's Effect Spore picked Sleep.  The starting Lilligant was a pushover, and Breloom fell in one hit as well.  Tsareena alternated between the Attack-reducing Trop Kick and Play Rough, so Jumpluff had to Swords Dance again after waking up.  Once her Attack was high again, Tsareena and Arboliva were easy to kill.  Sudowood wasted its Sturdy turn on Trailblaze instead of a Rock move, so Jumpluff conquered at Lv 92 with 89/291 HP.


Katy's team was Lokix, Forretress, Heracross, Spidops, and Ursaring.  Spidops was irritating because it kept cutting Jumpluff's Speed with its signature move Silk Trap that worked like Protect.  Forretress survived an Acrobatics but spent its turn on Curse, so it was a flawless victory at Lv 93.


Kofu wasn't much better.  The only attack he used during the entire battle was a Psycho Cut from his starting Veluza.  After Swords Dance, Seed Bombknocked out Veluza, the Pelipper with Drizzle, Clawitzer, Wugtrio, and Crabominable.


Tulip was the final Gym rematch.  Farigiraf set up Reflect, and to run out the +Defense turns, Jumpluff set up three Swords Dances.  Farigiraf attacked with Zen Headbutt.  Farigiraf and Gardevoir fell while Reflect was still up, but Acrobatics hit for full power against Espathra, Gallade, and Florges.  The last victory was at 205/294 HP at Lv 93.