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Trails of Tera Steel (Kiseki-inspired Pokemon Academy Quest)

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My only thing about the voter's decision-making that I...it's not a regret, per se, but more like a resigned acceptance, is that it doesn't feel to me like Mariana is going to get to the 12 KNOW needed to handle the Sealing Spell on her own before it potentially becomes a relevant skill to have? Maybe I'm not looking at the math right in the long term (since learning it is off the table until 6th badge strength anyway) but it feels that between plot and Mary's battle training focus it's not going to happen. Which isn't a bad thing, per se, since tagging in Erika into helping us with a quest to firm up the seals on ancient evils probably slaps both narratively and in terms of delicious lesbian bonding, but I'm weirdly mentally invested in the concept of Mary having this as a skill/ability/knowledge that she handles by herself until a dramatic moment in the plot. An "oh yeah, I can handle that ancient evil no problem, ya'll can focus on the actual problem"-type thing, if that makes sense.

Basically everything else is cool, even if we didn't pick Nacli damn you all but that's the one thing.
 
Krika said:
Basically everything else is cool, even if we didn't pick Nacli damn you all but that's the one thing.
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I wanted the Tinkatink first and Nacli second, but our Mole daughter is also great. I feel ya though. Just not enough Ap. We have missions to try and beat 2 gyms before the next FE and make Renne Badge Level 5 by the next one i think? So yeah our actions are probably going to be geared towards those actions. I want to explore more of Mezagosa to unlock more locals and game mechanics also see if we can use our League points since we have a decent haul.

But thats how the cookie crumbles and all that.
 
Also huh eyes on the prize has been de throned as the lead plan. With the two erika focus ones now tied. One is basically the same as eye on the prize but with Erika, ehile the other has the tournament.
Still anyones game since there has been some multivotes i think.
 
The four leading plans all agree on what I think are the non-optional choices of move training, starting the Gym process, and checking on Elise. The differences are in the remaining two options:

1. Do we focus Renne to get to 4/5 to Bond 3 before the next field exercise (needing at most one action during the FE to make her available for Gym 3), or gamble on leaving her at 3/5 in order to accept a date with Erika for romantic comedy purposes, meaning we might need to spend two or one and a half (for shopping) AP on the field exercise to make the third Gym not a 3v2.

2. Do we take the option that guarantees us benefits for the second Gym battle, and only the second Gym battle, or do take the longer term benefit of Poké XP and, if we're lucky, a very good TM from doing the little cup?

Basically I ended up neutral between the four plans because I think both answers to both questions are valid.
 
That's one of the beautyful things about quests like these, is that even if I may have wanted things to go a certain way (I was a LOUD Nacli supporter), I know I won't be too disappointed since Arvis has so far and I trust will continue make every choice made and character/pokemon we meet/catch enjoyable, it's much easier to take a "just along for the ride" approach to this quests. Whatever the outcome, I can be sure it'll be a damn good read either way.
 
Looking back...there were really no bad options for our third Pokémon. Arvis is both a) incredible at writing Pokémon and would give us a great personality to work with regardless and b) very willing to make something that'd be completely untenable in the Pokémon games work in his system (hi Roland), but also like...the three Pokémon in competition on that poll were all just busted anyway. The list was four competitively viable Pokémon and a Mega-enabled Aron? In the end I'd have been happy with any of those as a game mechanics person.

Still wanted Nacli for the memes, though. Oh well.
 
[X] Plan: Eyes on the Prize, Week 2
-[X] To Train Them Is Your Cause
--[X] Roland: Veil of Shadows
--[X] Ruby: Ironheart
-[X] Knowing is Half the Battle
-[X] The Second Step (1/2)
-[X] Renne
-[X] Elise
 
Adhoc vote count started by ArvisPresley on Mar 29, 2025 at 4:51 AM, finished with 150 posts and 51 votes.
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Vote Closed. Training but Erika takes it.
 
ArvisPresley said:
AP Expenditure depends on how many Training Options are chosen. Current Trainable Pokemon is 2, as such choosing more than 2 options will increase AP Cost to 2. Taking more than 4 will increase AP Cost to 3.
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Wait, I was just checking the training options again to remember what went with our voted options, and I'm pretty sure the bolded part should say 3 trainable Pokémon, not 2. Is this a typo?
 
It's only now that that plan name gives me the mental image of Mariana and Erika lifting comically large books up and down like they're weight lifting at the gym
 
Nerdorama said:
1. Do we focus Renne to get to 4/5 to Bond 3 before the next field exercise (needing at most one action during the FE to make her available for Gym 3), or gamble on leaving her at 3/5 in order to accept a date with Erika for romantic comedy purposes, meaning we might need to spend two or one and a half (for shopping) AP on the field exercise to make the third Gym not a 3v2.
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On the topic of the third Gym. This is just my opinion but I think we have the option for something very devious indeed if Mary can clutch the 3v2 for it too. Imagine how Erika would feel watching her love interest best friend say she isn't good enough after 3v2 three separate gyms in a row all because of Nemona.

Not saying we need to push for this or anything, just saying that it'd be a pretty cool gamble if the cards fall that way.
 
As far as I can tell, we should be a 3/5 bond with Renne, before the Field Exercise. So we should have the time to get the 2 BP we need right before the gym, I hope. I think it's very likely we will have to give up an action we will really want, but so be it, I think it would be an egregious waste to try and to the third gym with a 2-3. I already don't like doing that for the second that we have decent matchups for.
 
I will say if we're going to Artazon or Cascaraffa for the FE (very probable) I'm never going to shut up during the FE until we get Bond 3 Renne, just because those are the two Gyms where Ruby's going to have a rough time.

(We're not going to Glaseado but I am praying that's going to be after we at least have a fourth team member regardless.)
 
Looking forward to seeing if the voting for our fourth member will be as intense as the previous one was
 
StattStatt said:
Looking forward to seeing if the voting for our fourth member will be as intense as the previous one was
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I have no doubts it will. What Im more intereste is the nickname war. Are we going full Trails name or are we going full R names? That is the real question. I would love a Hisuian Samurott (Unlikely) or a good water type and maybe a Larvesta (I love Volcarona)
 
SolarGemX said:
Are we going full Trails name or are we going full R names? That is the real question. I would love a Hisuian Samurott (Unlikely) or a good water type and maybe a Larvesta (I love Volcarona)
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Ruby already breaks the trails theme so I guess we're hitting them with the full R. I haven't played any pokemon since emerald so my only hope for pokes are ones that can hang onto Marianna like Ronald and Renne do.
 
Ryuhwang said:
Ruby already breaks the trails theme so I guess we're hitting them with the full R. I haven't played any pokemon since emerald so my only hope for pokes are ones that can hang onto Marianna like Ronald and Renne do.
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I know if we manage to get a female dragon- dragon adjacent mon I want to name them Rhea. FE: 3 Houses is a mood.
 
I hesitate to discuss it less I manifest people looking for a fourth poke way too early, but I feel like the main thing I want in terms of team composition is a fighting type, since we've got a quartet of Dark legendaries on our long-term agenda, and also we should get into Andosin martial arts when we can, plus we've got multiple instances of Rock, Ice, and Normal on the gym list, with Grusha in particular looming as a fuck-you to Roland and Ruby.

For the remaining 2 I feel like you can never go wrong with any of the game's trillion Water-types, Tinkaline is still an option as a solid pokemon all around, and if Paldean Wooper comes up as an option I'm obligated to bribe, threaten, and blackmail whoever is necessary to get it to win that vote.
 
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Nerdorama said:
if Paldean Wooper comes up as an option I'm obligated to bribe, threaten, and blackmail whoever is necessary to get it to win that vote.
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Having googled what it looks like I must agree, we need a Paldean Clodsire yesterday, they're friend shaped. I'm not particularly fussed about type coverage, we know a good trainer can make up for it.
 
Nerdorama said:
I hesitate to discuss it less I manifest people looking for a fourth poke way too early, but I feel like the main thing I want in terms of team composition is a fighting type, since we've got a quartet of Dark legendaries on our long-term agenda, and also we should get into Andosin martial arts when we can, plus we've got multiple instances of Rock, Ice, and Normal on the gym list, with Grusha in particular looming as a fuck-you to Roland and Ruby.

For the remaining 2 I feel like you can never go wrong with any of the game's trillion Water-types, Tinkaline is still an option as a solid pokemon all around, and if Paldean Wooper comes up as an option I'm obligated to bribe, threaten, and blackmail whoever is necessary to get it to win that vote.
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...Duly noted. So Quaxly or Paldean Water Tauros would work well. And While Paldean Wooper is life, two ground types huh... Well, we will see. Who knows, maybe Great Tusk is running around the desert?
 
SolarGemX said:
And While Paldean Wooper is life, two ground types huh... Well, we will see. Who knows, maybe Great Tusk is running around the desert?
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Aren't duo fights kind of important? Surely at some point we'll come across a Gym or tournament where 2 pokemon that can spam earthquake without hurting each other works well. As long as we train them to compliment each other it shouldn't be too bad?
 
SolarGemX said:
...Duly noted. So Quaxly or Paldean Water Tauros would work well. And While Paldean Wooper is life, two ground types huh... Well, we will see. Who knows, maybe Great Tusk is running around the desert?
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tbh we don't even need a Paldean water type per se. Huge Power Azumarill would fit right onto this team, especially if we don't end up picking up a Tink. Gastrodon's another one I'd pick just for the aesthetics, although combining that with a Clodsire would push us well into "too much Ground" territory, and as a Geewunner, I always have a soft spot for Lapras.

Ryuhwang said:
Aren't duo fights kind of important? Surely at some point we'll come across a Gym or tournament where 2 pokemon that can spam earthquake without hurting each other works well. As long as we train them to compliment each other it shouldn't be too bad?
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Fun fact: Ground doesn't resist itself. Doubles Earthquake spam is best done with a Flying-type partner.


That said, I did just realize that Ruby is Sand Rush, which needs Sandstorm to do anything and therefore synergizes with other Rock, Ground, and Steel types. So we'll see.
 
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