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Challenge A Fool's Errand - Completing Pokemon Home Without Paying A Penny (COMPLETE)

Dec 1, 2020

Happy December! Transferred Slugma, Mamoswine, and Sirfetch'd this morning to celebrate.

Wonder if someone's doing some sort of Wonder Box giveaway of Kanto starters. I get Blastoise and Charizard in succession. Though not Venusaur, the one I still need. Grrr.

GTS trades: Duosion for Gothita, Gothita for Vanillish, Vanillish for Vanillite, Polteageist for Kabutops, Ampharos for Oranguru, Oranguru for Passimian, Passimian for Wimpod, Kabutops for Tyrunt, Scolipede for Amaura, Sirfetch'd for Lurantis, and Charizard for Klefki.

Wonder Box yields: Tentacruel.

Current progress: 701/898.
 
Dec 2, 2020

Kalos mons have arrived in Go! Not so's you'd notice since only Litleo is common - the starters and Noibat are here too, but functionally nonexistent. Had one spotting of a Chespin a huge distance away and no sign at all of Fennekin. I did eventually get lucky and catch a Froakie, so hurrah for that. And finally at about 9pm I had a sighting of a Noibat about five minutes away from me and yes, yes I ran out to get it. But I'm obviously not about to transfer that, or any of the Kalos starters if I get them. So I doubt that this is going to make much of a difference to my overall progress.

Transferred Litleo, Monferno, Sentret, Slakoth, Grovyle, Reuniclus, Heatmor, Garbodor, and Vigoroth.

GTS trades: Moltres for Lucario, Mamoswine for Sliggoo, Sliggoo for Frillish, Lucario for Zebstrika, Zebstrika for Lycanroc, Lycanroc for Avalugg, Avalugg for Malamar, Aerodactyl for Elgyem, and Blastoise for Barbaracle.

Wonder Box yields: Cubchoo.

Current progress: 721/898. Coincidentally, the total amount of Pokemon in Gen VI.
 
Dec 3, 2020

Transferred Gothita, Fletchinder, Pyroar, Infernape, and Azelf. GTS trades: Goodra for Chandelure, Chandelure for Beheeyem, Reuniclus for Doublade, Doublade for Klang, Beheeyem for Skuntank, Pyroar for Yamask, and Infernape for Gogoat.

Rationalising that it was a successful strategy last time, I transfer another shiny Charizard in the hopes that I can trade it for a Spectrier. No joy. Might have to wait till Tuesday morning when I have a full energy bar and bring out the big guns...

At least I finally got a Gogoat, though. As a Dexited mon that's only available in X and Y, it's surprisingly quite elusive, and I've seen it requested for dozens of Pokemon.

Wonder Box yields: Maractus.

Dec 4, 2020

Sure enough, Gogoat proves to be blue chip - I trade it for a Greninja (Timid level 50 and Protean to boot).

Despite the uproarious reception the lake trio got when they were raid bosses in Pokemon Go last week, it seems main series players are somewhat less taken with them. My Azelf spends all night in the GTS with no results (I asked for a Tapu Bulu) before I change tack and decide to ask for a Chesnaught instead. That only takes a couple of hours. Chesnaught promptly gets traded away for a Delphox.

Other trades: Spiritomb for Fennekin, Fennekin for Chespin, Chespin for Shiinotic, Delphox for Braviary, Shiinotic for Audino. Wonder Box yields: Beartic, Rhydon, and Stunky.

Current progress: 745/898.
 
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Dec 5, 2020

After a couple of lucky encounters with low-CP Snorunt and Gothita, I transfer Froslass and Gothitelle, trading the Gothitelle for a Salazzle and the Froslass for an Azumarill shortly afterwards. I also trade a Yanmega I've had sat around for a few days for a Bewear, as well as Spritzee for Floette then Floette for Flabebe.

Genuinely at a loss as to what to trade my shiny Charizard for, I make a successful request for a Poipole. It's traded up for a Naganadel, and a chain of trades ensues: Naganadel for Guzzlord, Guzzlord for Buzzwole, Buzzwole for Pheromosa, Pheromosa for Spewpa, Spewpa for Trevenant, Trevenant for Toxapex. The Tapus and the Ultra Beasts were an irritatingly large gap in my Pokedex, so it's nice to see that gap start to fill up.

The same goes for Spewpa, actually, which was another surprisingly hard-to-obtain mon. Got you now, you little twerp.

Wonder Box yields: nothing.

Dec 6, 2020

Today's trades: Azumarill for Oddish, Malamar for Vanilluxe. Wonder Box yields: Larvitar, which is traded for Oshawott, which then gets traded for a Servine.

Progress is slowing somewhat, as most of my remaining mons are not particularly desirable. My meter fills up completely in the early hours of Tuesday morning, so I can transfer a few more mons before then and still have it ready for me when I wake up. I'll do that tomorrow.

Current progress: 765/898.
 
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Dec 7, 2020

GTS trades: Servine for Happiny, Archeops for Florges, Florges for Meowstic, Meowstic for Mantyke, Grovyle for Numel, Numel for Camerupt, Camerupt for Mienshao, Mienshao for Munchlax, and Blaziken for Talonflame. Wonder Box yields: nothing.

Unfortunately, while Dratini was an event spawn a few weeks ago, I didn't keep any spare (and none had low enough CP to evolve and transfer cheaply anyway). I do have a Dragonite I could part with and not feel terrible about, but it's a costly 2157 CP - I decide to suck it up for the sake of a new dex entry, and transfer Ferrothorn, Sawsbuck, Rampardos, and Relicanth alongside it. Sawsbuck gets traded for Scizor, while Rampardos gets traded for Tangela.

Current progress: 780/898. More progress today than I expected. Excluding mythicals, I only have 99 Pokemon to go!
 
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Dec 8, 2020

GTS trades: Dragonite for Pachirisu, Pachirisu for Forretress, Forretress for Simipour, Simipour for Simisage, Simisage for Dunsparce, Scizor for Clamperl, and Clamperl for Crawdaunt. Wonder Box yields: nothing.

So today's the day: my transport meter's energy is totally full.

I have a lucky shiny Rayquaza on Go I've never used. Even though it's lucky, the IVs turned out to be awful (12-15-12, for anyone interested) and I feel like investing candy into it would be a waste of resources when I can trade for a better one later down the line. I was resolved to keep all my shiny legendaries where they are, but it's not doing me any good where it is. Why the hell not, right? So it gets transferred, using up my entire energy meter in the process. This better be worth it.

...and it is! Seconds after I place it in the GTS, I get a Spectrier in return. So that's all the Gen VIII Pokemon! (Absent Zarude, which... ugh.)

Okay so on that note, I think it's time for a quick sit rep as to where I am currently and what the plan for the future will be.

I've now gotten all the non-legendary Pokemon from Gen VI, VII, and VIII, as well as all the Gen V Pokemon not currently available in Pokemon Go (and Kecleon). Most of the species I still need are ones I can't get easily. Doduo, Hoppip, Sunkern, Qwilfish, Miltank, Corphish, Chimecho, Luvdisc, and Finneon are all fairly common species, but none are standard spawns where I am and I didn't keep any of the spares from recent events. So they and their evolutions will all need to be traded for.

I've got all the Gen I, II, VI, and VIII tradeable legendaries. From Gen III I'm missing Regirock, Regice, Groudon, and Kyogre, from Gen IV I'm missing Dialga, Palkia, Heatran, and Regigigas, from Gen V I'm missing both the Kami and Tao trios, from Gen VII I'm missing Lunala, Necrozma, Nihilego, Xurkitree, Celesteela, Kartana, Blacephalon, and Stakataka. A handful of those are ones I can transfer, but that'll take a while yet.

Obviously, however, I don't have any mythicals aside from Melmetal because they can't be traded over the GTS. There are three mythicals I can easily get from Go as I have spares - Deoxys, Darkrai, and Meltan - but the others are a matter for later, and will likely be the very last Pokemon I obtain in this challenge. Once I obtain every single non-mythical Pokemon, I will lift the "no free Pokemon" restriction and do some touch trading.

Two different people have already offered (and tried) to trade me a Zarude, but it seems that as of right now it cannot be traded. All the reading I've done suggests that it might not be tradeable until the distribution period finishes, which is the end of March. Ouch.

So that's a pain. But not insurmountable. At this rate, I might be done with this challenge before Christmas. ...and then have to wait three months to get the very last Pokemon. I guess it'll be kind of fitting if Zarude is the last one I obtain!

Current progress: 788/898.
 
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Dec 9, 2020

GTS trades today: Talonflame for Gloom, Sandaconda for Doduo, and Salazzle for Igglybuff. I also transfer a very low-CP Slaking in the hopes that, as a Dexited mon, it'll be useful trade fodder, and duly get a Darmanitan in return. That gets traded for Ducklett not long after, which I trade up for a Swanna, which I trade again for a Deerling, and then trade that for a Krokorok, which I trade for a Krookodile.

Find it utterly fascinating that people will trade evolved Pokemon for their unevolved counterparts. Maybe they're dex completionists like me, or maybe they just want to experience the joy of raising their favourite species all over again.

Wonder Box yields: nothing. I guess I've finally reached the point where the Wonder Box has outlived its usefulness. Was great while it lasted, though. I'll keep exchanging in the vain hope that I'll get sent another Solgaleo.

Dec 10, 2020

Wonder Box yields: nothing. Today's sole GTS trade: Krookodile for Wailord.

That's it. That's the single piece of progress I made all day. Sad.

All is not lost, though, as it turns out I've messed up my count again. Pokemon I have obtained but neglected to mention thus far are Golduck, Machop, Geodude, Krabby, Horsea, Mime Jr and a handful of others as by counting the gaps in my dex I only now have 86 species (including mythicals) to go.

Numbers... they really aren't my strong point.

Current progress: 812/898.

Over 800! Over the final hill! Onwards! To victory!
 
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Dec 11, 2020

I go through my list of what I still need and make a few more trades to try and plug the gaps: Numel for Sharpedo, Combusken for Ninjask, Grovyle for Qwilfish, Crawdaunt for Drapion, Pangoro for Arcanine, Flapple for Venusaur, Trevenant for Miltank, and Galvantula for Lilligant. I also trade the Type: Null I've been sitting on for ages for a Groudon (ballsy trade, that).

Wonder Box yields: Stunfisk!

Current progress: 822/898.

Inching closer...
 
Dec 12, 2020

I make a successful Groudon for Thundurus trade. Annoyingly, Thundurus is the only available legendary in Go I never managed to catch (thanks, coronavirus). That Thundurus gets traded away for a Blacephalon, kicking off a nice chain: Blacephalon for Dialga, Dialga for Palkia, Palkia for Stakataka, Stakataka for Reshiram, Reshiram for Zekrom, Zekrom for Xurkitree, Xurkitree for Nihilego, Nihilego for Kartana, and then Kartana for Golem. Hurrah for getting the last Kanto Pokemon I need, aside from Mew.

I could have tried to palm Kartana off for Celesteela, the last Ultra Beast, but long experience using the GTS in Gen VII has demonstrated to me that Kartana is worthless. I could never get rid of the damn things. It's okay, I'm thinning down the list of absent legendaries quite rapidly so I'll trade for it later.

It's day 1 of December's Community Day weekend, so naturally the Wonder Box is flooded with the various species currently abundant in the real world. I get nothing new, but I do a shiny Weedle, which I try my luck with on the GTS. Literally one second after I close the app, the trade completes and I get a Hoppip. I also exchange Venusaur for Sunflora, and then trade the Sunflora for a Sunkern.

Glad to have gotten those four version mascots out of the way, though. I only have a couple of each of them on Go (I missed Dialga and Palkia the first time around, and only got them during the last Go Fest) so I wanted to avoid transferring them if I could. That, and it's four fewer legendaries I need to drop transfer energy on. Speaking of which, I've got a good amount of charge built up now...

Current progress: 836/898.
 
jordanthejq12 said:
The most competitively-viable Ultra Beast in VGC, and one that will probably be the top dog in OU if/when Pheromosa gets banned...is worthless?

What even is the GTS?
Click to expand...

It's odd. No matter what I put them up for, they never got traded. Perhaps I was just unlucky, but maybe it was just really unpopular at the time. And as R_N said, the fact that the games give you 4 probably meant it wasn't considered that special.

かたわれ時 said:
‘“‘“Fools errand”’”’
Looking forward to the day you complete it ;)
Click to expand...

Thank you! It's been gruelling but fun for all that.
 
Dec 13, 2020

I trade my Sunkern for a Blissey. That's an incredibly uneven trade but I've learned that the the power of Dexit is irresistible. I also trade Arcanine for Cryogonal.

When the community day festivities end, I transfer a Kyogre, Kyurem, and Regirock, as well as a highly underleveled shiny Magmortar. I'm hopeful that the latter will be good trade fodder and...

...it isn't. None of the requests I make are accepted. Fuck, I should have sent Rhyperior instead, but I've already got that registered.

At least I caught a glut of shiny Porygon...

Current progress: 842/898.
 
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Dec 14, 2020

I wake and start the day still heartbroken that apparently no-one loves Magmortar. I have some luck on the GTS though: I trade Kyogre for Tapu Koko, and then trade that for Tapu Bulu.

Thank god for finally breaking into that foursome. The Tapus were proving a right pain to get: I've put a few Pokemon on the GTS asking for them previously and had no luck at all. Two down, two to go...

My meter has just enough charge left on it for one more shiny Pokemon. Dilemma dilemma dilemma. I have six shiny Skarmory on Go and I don't have that registered yet. But, given the lacklustre reception my Magmortar got I'm wondering if a shiny Skarmory will be quite worth it; it seems very much likely that Rhyperior or Alakazam or Porygon-Z would be much better trade fodder. Should I transfer the steel bird or something else, I ponder. I check the GTS and there's one up there asking for a Braviary, which I happen to currently have in my box. So that solves that! I make the trade - Braviary for Skarmory - and thus am done with Johto (except, of course, Celebi).

And then, literally ten minutes later, I check the Wonder Box and there's a Skarmory in there. Incredible.

I use up the last bit of my meter to send over an underleveled shiny Rhyperior and also the Cherubi and Nuzleaf I got from the Celebi research this morning. Sure enough, the Rhyperior proves to be much more valuable, and it doesn't take long for me to get a Lunala for it. I trade the Lunala for a Necrozma, which gets traded for Tapu Fini, which is swapped shortly after for Tapu Lele.

I also receive a level 100 Fearow via the Wonder Box, so promptly trade that for Dusknoir, as well as trading Grotle for Archen and then Archen for Cofagrigus.

Current progress: 854/898.

95% reached! Not a bad day's work. The only (non-mythical) species I still need are...

Seedot, Cacnea, Seviper, Corphish, Chimecho, Gorebyss, Luvdisc, Regice, Torterra, Luxio, Luxray, Wormadam, Mothim, Finneon, Lickilicky, Heatran, Regigigas, Alomomola, Fraxure, Tornadus, Landorus, and Celesteela. I also have Deoxys, Darkrai, and Meltan waiting to be sent too.

Going to try and trade for all the remaining legendaries rather than transferring them. But we'll see how that pans out.

So, with any luck, I'll be finished by next week...
 
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Dec 15, 2020

GTS trades: Glaceon for Chimecho, Chimecho for Fraxure, Tapu Bulu for Landorus, and Landorus for Heatran. I also finally get shot of my shiny Magmortar by trading it for Torterra.

I place my Kyurem on the GTS asking for Regigigas, and someone... sends me a level 100 shiny. What. Well, that's nice. Not sure what I'll be trading that for...

Wonder Box yields: nothing.

Current progress: 860/898.
 
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Dec 16, 2020

Oh, those last few species are proving stubbornly hard to obtain...

GTS trades: Heatran for Regice, Regirock for Celesteela, Gible for Corphish, Unown for Seviper, and Greninja for Mothim (another heart-hurting trade).

I'm trying not to transfer anything so I can charge my meter for the three mythicals I want to transfer, but I cave and transfer Gible and Unown after I see people on the GTS requesting them. I also transfer Luxio and trade it for Luxray.

Things get all the more bizarre with the Heatran for Regice trade. The shiny Regigigas I got was from the Hoenn region originally, and now I get a shiny Regice too, also from ORAS. I would start to wonder if they were from the same person if the Regice didn't have one of those weird website nicknames I've never heard of (SWOSH-X.COM).

Anyway, since Regice has a truly lacklustre shiny, I have no reservation about putting it straight back on the GTS. No-one claims it, probably because no one can tell the difference between the shiny and the regular colouring. Ugh. Come on, there's only one more legendary I need!

Wonder Box yields: nothing.

Current progress: 868/898.
 
Dec 17, 2020

Ah irony, how you tease. Literally as I'm going to bed, my phone pings; the trade went through, and I'm the recipient of a Tornadus, the last legendary I needed.

This is it. The home stretch. Not long to go now.

Now that I have all the legendary Pokemon registered, I feel free to trade them for lesser monsters. I trade Tornadus for Gorebyss, then Gorebyss for Lickilicky. I swap Torterra for Cacnea, Seviper for Finneon, Mothim for Wormadam, Wormadam for Alomomola, Amaura for Seedot, and finally... Celesteela for Luvdisc. That last one was just to shock and scandalise people.

Current progress: 877/898.

I've undoubtedly messed up my count again along the way, but a careful scan of my Pokedex confirms it: this is it! All non-mythical Pokemon obtained at last.

Wow. I finally did it. A little over a month to get nearly the entire roster of Pokemon. If I'm allowed to self-congratulate for a minute, then go me!

But now's not the time to celebrate, because I'm still not done. The main series games count the National Pokedex as complete without mythicals, and I guess you could technically say that by this criteria I have now completed the Pokedex. But to get the ultimate prize - the original colour Magearna - I need the full roster of mythicals too. There are 22 of those to obtain, but as I've already got myself a Melmetal, I only need 21 more Pokemon in total. Let's make a nice neat list to visualise that. I need:

1) Mew
2) Celebi
3) Jirachi & Deoxys
4) Phione, Manaphy, Shaymin, Darkrai, & Arceus
5) Victini, Keldeo, Meloetta, & Genesect
6) Diancie, Hoopa, & Volcanion
7) Magearna, Marshadow, & Zeraora
8) Meltan & Zarude

...so, um... anyone wanna do some touch trading with me?

(Just kidding, I have a couple of friends who can sort me out with most of them. But I may still have some gaps so stay tuned.)
 
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