Pokemon Colosseum: No Snag Challenge
Can I beat the game with only Espeon and Umbreon?
Welcome, one and all, to my newest challenge. And the header image is deliciously appropriate because those two are the only companions I plan to take on my upcoming adventure.
As anyone familiar with the game knows, Colosseum has a famously shallow pool of Pokemon to choose from when selecting a team, making it fairly difficult to put together a decent squad. And yet, how to make it more difficult? After rejecting "no evolve" and "no purify" as not sufficiently challenging enough, I decided a snagless challenge would be the route to take. That's right, no capturing allowed - my starter duo are the only Pokemon allowed to be used in this challenge.
Rules
Fairly self-explanatory but a couple of points to clarify.
-Espeon and Umbreon are the only species that can be used. This means no catching Shadow Pokemon until the story is over (I'll be playing into the postgame right up until the end of the story). I haven't played the game in a couple of years and I don't think any Shadow Pokemon are mandatory captures (as a couple in XD are) but, just in case there's any I've forgotten, in the event that a Shadow Pokemon is captured, it must be boxed at the earliest possible opportunity.
-"Ah, but GT!" I hear you all clamouring to type. "You're forgetting that other Pokemon! You know, the one that's not a Shadow Pokemon and that you're forced to take with you!" Yes, I'm with you. Plusle, the game's sole gift Pokemon. On paper, it's an exception to my rule. However, as the spirit of the challenge is to only have two Pokemon on my team, accepting Plusle as a third would go against this and so Plusle must be boxed as soon as it is received.
(Also I used Plusle during my last playthrough so on a personal level, I'd just rather not again)
Right, let's get into it!
Part One
I boot up my game, choosing the name Eryll for my hero, and watch him gleefully destroy Team Snagem's HQ before escaping with the dynamic duo.
A long drive through the desert later, I arrive at the Outskirt Stand and check out my partner duo. Both boys*, Espeon is Hardy, and Umbreon is Bold. Not too bad! We can definitely work with that.
After observing Trudly and Folly depart, I enter the building proper. There's nothing much to do in here but after watching a news report about the terrible explosion I caused, Rider Willie comes after me and challenges me to a battle. This goes easily, as it generally always does. I'm expecting much of the game until Pyrite Cave to be fairly easy as the starter duo are quite powerful early on. Willie suggests that I head to Phenac City to compete with other trainers, and that's about as much of a reason as the plot will ever provide, I do so.
At the entrance to the city I encounter Trudly and Folly struggling to lift a squirming sack. Hey, sounds like there's a person in there! Being the dashing hero I am, I engage Folly in a battle and completely annihilate his two Whismur. Trudly and Folly promptly flee, though they leave their neat van behind.
Two citizens rush over as I untie the sack and set free a young girl. She tells me her name, which I decide is Violet, and thanks me for saving her from those goons. I don't particularly want her following me around but she keeps insisting, so I eventually agree to let her join me and trail around after me. One of the citizens recommends we talk to the Mayor, so we head up to his house, but not before having a look around the city and battling a couple of trainers loitering around. Inside one of the houses, a man complains that all the TV channels are devoted to the news about the explosion at Team Snagem's HQ, rather than showing anime as he'd prefer. Well, quite.
I head up to the Mayor's house, but before I can enter a strange man with wild, free-flowing white hair walks out, pays me a compliment, and says we'll probably meet again soon. Equal parts arbitrary, cryptic, and unsubtle. Typical Pokemon plot, really.
Anyway, the Mayor is a kindly-looking jolly fat man named Es Cade, who welcomes us into his house. He also appears to have some random floozy hanging out in his bedroom upstairs. Typical politician. Violet explains that she was abducted by some goons with a peculiar Pokemon, and Es Cade states he will order an investigation into the matter promptly. Well, if I've learned anything from studying politics, it's that investigations, inquiries, and reviews always result in hard action and severe consequences. I look forward to the results.
Es Cade urges me to enter the city's Colosseum challenge. Well, what sort of criminal would I be if I didn't unthinkingly obey an authority figure's command? I head over there, but am informed that the challenge has started. Upon exiting, I'm ambushed by three Team Snagem goons! They're understandably angry at me for blowing up the hideout, so one of them challenges me to a battle. It goes the same way as all other recent fights have done.
Violet craps her pants at the revelation that I'm a lawbreaker, but since girls love bad boys, she quickly gets over it and decides to keep following me around.
She suggests that I buy some Pokeballs, but the mart in Phenac doesn't stock any. A lady doing her shopping informs us that Outskirt Stand sells them, so away we go - Violet rudely turfing Espeon and Umbreon out of the sidecar and back into their Pokeballs - and the vendor there very kindly gives me five for free. That's all I'll need for now... no sense wasting money.
Upon our return to Phenac, one of the women we met earlier tells us that there's some sort of commotion going on at the Mayor's house! To action! I rush over to find Orre's top superstar, Miror B. He instructs his goons to take care of us and splits. Folly challenges us again but is easily dispatched. Then Trudly has his turn and sends out a shadow Makuhita! Violet tells me that that's the strange Pokemon she saw earlier, and that it's of paramount importance that I catch it. Sure babe, no problem.
Espeon blasts the big fat sumo bear with Confusion, and that's the end of that. Dismayed at their loss, Folly and Trudly flee again. Violet, still not getting it, laments how terribly sad it was that we weren't able to snag his Pokemon. Read the room, girl.
Anyway, we leave, but Miror B has strategically blocked all three exits to the city with his trio of colourful underlings: Bluno, Verde, and Rosse. Since it makes absolutely no difference, I choose proximity and fight Verde at the western exit. His Shadow Bayleef puts up a tough fight and even manages to paralyse Umbreon before I take it down, but take it down I do.
Verde flees, and Violet insists we chase him and his buddies to Pyrite Town. Sure thing, but before I do that, let's heal. Oh yeah, and save the game, too.
Before I go I decide to call in on the Pre Gym and do a bit of grinding. Might as well, since the levels of the trainers in here don't ever increase, and I'm never going to be able to fight Justy in this run (he requires a full team of six to challenge). After wiping out all four trainers, Umbreon is at level 29 while Espeon is at level 28.
To Pyrite Town! But that's for the next update. For now, farewell. Tune back in later on for the next pulse-pounding installment.
Current team
Espeon Level 28 (Male) | Umbreon Level 29 (Male) |
Confusion Return Reflect Helping Hand | Bite Secret Power Taunt Snatch |
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*fun trivia #1: both starters in Colosseum are always male, due to this game being released before FRLG. This prevented players from breeding them in RS to obtain Eevee. They're also both shiny-locked (as is Duking's Plusle and I believe also the prize Ho-oh from Mt. Battle), which is incredibly lame.
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