Technically, this is a TAS (because I'm playing the game on an emulator), but it should be able to be replicated on a handheld system with enough practice. You'll notice that I scroll through menu commands really quickly and that the clock advances really fast; this is due to the fact that DeSmuME can only run at about 50% of game speed when recording on my computer. You'll also notice that I only need a split second to check stats; this is me pausing the emulator so I don't have to be so precise with timing or decision-making. I can't really do anything about the former short of getting a better computer.
The premise is, essentially, that Pokemon can't gain EXP (and subsequently EVs) from battle. Use of the daycare, in addition to Rare Candies and vitamins, is allowed (but the daycare is a waste of time so...). Everything else is fair play.
General habits that I follow to minimize playtime include using the touchpad for menu commands (using A requires 2 clicks most of the time), running/biking whenever possible, minimizing path lengths, avoiding trainer and wild Pokemon battles, using set battle style when switching is not needed, skipping item balls, using lots of HP recovery items, etc. Any exceptions to these habits are generally made for a good reason.
Also, excuse me for the awkward segment numbering convention, but it's roughly divided based on badges obtained. Excuse me as well for the oversegmentation, because I don't have the patience needed for intense RNG manipulations (that, and a 5 minute segment takes like 12 minutes to record in real time).
Segments 1-1 through 1-3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoHF3VwWe0M
Segment 1-1:
There isn't much that I can improve on here. The most important factor is just to optimize menu commands, which I think I do a decent job of. Before when I am able to set the text speed to fast, holding down A will also increase the text speed. This means that I use B to scroll through the text, which makes it difficult to successively speed through text affirm menu commands. Screwing up on, for example, affirming your name, will cost a few seconds that can be easily shaved off. Speaking of the name, a true speedrunner would just use "あ," but I like to identify myself with "ドンドン" (dondon).
For the starter, I choose Pokabu, whom I believe is the best choice in the context of this speedrun. First, choosing Pokabu prevents my rivals from choosing it, which means I don't have to face a fully evolved Enbuoo in the future (Daikenki and Jarooda have worse type coverage and are easier to battle against). Second, Pokabu is the best starter for the first set of rival battles, with the highest base Atk (63) of the three and the highest physical bulk (65/45). I believe if Pokabu had a +Atk nature on top of its current bases, it would have been able to 3HKO Tsutaaja. Whatever the case, winning these battles is important, if only for the extra cash.
Play time: 0:06
Segment 1-2:
The primary purpose of the segment break is to make sure that I don't encounter any wild Pokemon when walking through the grass on Route 1. The wild Pokemon here are in the level 2-4 range, and are not worth catching. The Pokemon Center tour cannot be skipped, as far as I can tell. I buy 11 Potions for future use; Poke Balls are not necessary as 5 is more than enough for the purposes of this speedrun (no Pokemon should take more than 1 ball to catch).
The first N battle could have gone better if Choroneko didn't use Growl on the first turn. Pokabu 4HKOs at +0 Atk and 6HKOs at -1 Atk. Even if Choroneko used Growl after 2 attacks, I would still have saved a round of battle. That aside, this, along with most other earlygame battles, are straightforward.
Mom gives me the Running Shoes upon entering Route 2, which makes the run progress much faster.
Play time: 0:11
Segment 1-3:
This is a short segment. Wild Pokemon on Route 2 are in the level 4-7 range, and level 7 is a significant improvement on level 5. In order to cut down on time, I will allow myself to encounter only Pokemon that I will catch; I can catch either level 7 Minezumi or level 7 Yooterii on this route. Yooterii has slightly better bases, but the difference is negligible at this level; the important thing is that both of them have STAB Tackle (75 BP) whereas Choroneko only has unSTAB Scratch (40 BP).
Play time: 0:12
Segments 1-4 through 1-6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1j8FncGfdU
Segment 1-4:
This segment serves approximately the same purpose as the previous segment. The reason that I need 2 level 7 Pokemon with STAB Tackle is that one of the trainers in the Abandoned Lot of Dreams has 3 level 7 Pokemon, and 1 vs. 3 does not turn out well, especially given the amount of Tail Whips that are going to be thrown out. It just so happens that I encounter another level 7 Minezumi, which is good enough at this point in the game.
Play time: 0:13
Segment 1-5:
Right at the beginning of the segment, I need to sneak through the grass without encountering another Pokemon. I'm required to battle Belle; there is nothing special about the strategy, but I probably should not have switched the Minezumis at the beginning (the male Minezumi has 14 Atk to the female Minezumi's 13 Atk).
In Sanyou City, I obtain a Dusk Ball from the shady old man in order to make catching Nageki easier. Of all Pokemon that I am planning to catch in the game, Nageki is tied for the lowest catch rate (45), so this item will make the procedure a great deal more painless.
Trainer battles in the Abandoned Lot of Dreams are straightforward and unavoidable. Near the end of the segment I wasn't sure if that person was the one that I had to talk to, so I end up wasting about a second overshooting and then backtracking.
Play time: 0:18
Segment 1-6:
The run is going to be a Yanappu solo up until Shippou City, so it is crucial that I get a satisfactory one. Having 31 HP, 16 Def greatly increases the chances of Yanappu surviving 2 +1 Atk Bites from Koon's Yooterii. I could have used an extra point in Atk, which would have saved me a couple of rounds of combat in the future. The problem with Yanappu is that Vine Whip has only 35 BP and 15 PP, which runs out quickly at this point in the game. Hiyappu is by far the best of the 3 monkeys, with the strongest STAB attack that also has the highest PP (Water Gun at 40 BP and 25 PP), but Tsutaaja is bad enough earlygame that I was willing to pass up Hiyappu.
I make a small detour to get an X Defend, which I probably should not have gotten as it's not going to be useful anytime soon. Next is the second Cheren battle. Pretty easy with a type and a level advantage (one of the few times in this game where I'll have the latter). I heal at the Pokemon Center afterwards because it involves no backtracking and gives Yanappu a fresh 15 PP on Vine Whip for the gym.
In preparation for the gym battle, in most cases it would be prudent to give Yanappu an Oran Berry. With the new Pickup mechanics, however, which allow a Pickup Pokemon to salvage a berry used by another Pokemon, giving my opponent an Oran Berry is a lot more counterproductive than using one.
Play time: 0:24
Segment 1-7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbIKiXYi-24
The first gym battle is easily the most difficult one in the game. Yanappu 5HKOs Koon's Yooterii with Vine Whip and Scratch; Koon's Potion turns that into an 8HKO. Cheer Up also turns Yooterii's Bite into a near 2HKO on Yanappu at +1 Atk. As is evident, I sacrifice both Minezumi in order to get opportunities to get heals on Yanappu. Vine Whip not 3HKOing Koon's Hiyappu is a bummer, but for some reason it wouldn't use Fury Swipes, which can easily KO a weakened Yanappu at any point.
After the battle, I decide not to use the Pokemon Center. It doesn't really matter when I use the Pokemon Center; unSTAB Cut and STAB Vine Whip have almost the same BP (50 vs. 52.5) and 15 uses of Vine Whip can't even last me through the entirety of Route 3, let alone the 2 extra battles in the Abandoned Lot of Dreams. I space out here for a few moments and forget to move forward after Belle hails me down, which wastes about a second. Everything else goes as planned.
Play time: 0:33
Segments 2-1 through 2-4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yj02s8Q5fQ
Segment 2-1:
There are 4 battles in this segment, all of which are extremely straightforward. Cheren's Mijumaru can't really go wrong in a team battle; Water Gun does more damage than anything Yanappu can muster unboosted and Tail Whip lets Vine Whip do more damage.
Play time: 0:39
Segment 2-2:
Avoiding trainers and wild Pokemon encounters. I didn't want to push my luck after finding that Ether so I cut the segment off there.
Play time: 0:40
Segment 2-3:
In addition to being very easy to catch, Otamaro is the most common Pokemon on this route. Level 17 is the jackpot, although its SpA IV could be better...
Play time: 0:41
Segment 2-4:
Capturing Nageki is incredibly essential for defeating Aloe thanks to its amazing bulk. Wild level 17 Nageki have Vital Throw, but it's a huge pain in the ass to catch and find (and half the time it'll appear in a double battle). The day is long due to the season being summer, and I'm not sure if the time counts as being night, but I fortuitously capture it on the first try with a Dusk Ball after a good deal of weakening.
Play time: 0:43
Segments 2-5 through 2-6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veVuBDdL1vM
Segment 2-5:
Nageki doesn't have any damaging moves (other than Seismic Toss, but that doesn't hit for type effectiveness), so teaching it Rock Smash is necessary. It's a shame that Nageki just barely falls short of OHKOing the level 15 Yooteriis, but everything goes smoothly here aside from a small mistake that I make trying to send out a fainted Pokemon on a switch. I change the battle style to set because most gym battles from this point on are going to be solos, and this saves time over the long run.
Play time: 0:49
Segment 2-6:
The battle with Aloe goes well. I give Nageki a Chesto Berry to nullify Aloe's Miruhoggu's Hypnosis, which turned out to be useless because it missed. I had to make sure that Nageki was at full HP with no Def drops against Aloe's Miruhoggu so that it could possibly survive a revenge Retribution, but aside from that, this was a fairly easy fight.
At the Pokemon Center, I deposit Pokabu, both Minezumi, and Yanappu. Preemptively depositing Pokemon means that when I catch new ones, I won't have to backtrack to a PC and withdraw them. At the shop counter, I buy 1 Great Ball for capturing Darumakka later on and 10 Super Potions with the rest of my cash.
Play time: 0:55
Pokemon obtained:
The premise is, essentially, that Pokemon can't gain EXP (and subsequently EVs) from battle. Use of the daycare, in addition to Rare Candies and vitamins, is allowed (but the daycare is a waste of time so...). Everything else is fair play.
General habits that I follow to minimize playtime include using the touchpad for menu commands (using A requires 2 clicks most of the time), running/biking whenever possible, minimizing path lengths, avoiding trainer and wild Pokemon battles, using set battle style when switching is not needed, skipping item balls, using lots of HP recovery items, etc. Any exceptions to these habits are generally made for a good reason.
Also, excuse me for the awkward segment numbering convention, but it's roughly divided based on badges obtained. Excuse me as well for the oversegmentation, because I don't have the patience needed for intense RNG manipulations (that, and a 5 minute segment takes like 12 minutes to record in real time).
Segments 1-1 through 1-3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoHF3VwWe0M
Segment 1-1:
There isn't much that I can improve on here. The most important factor is just to optimize menu commands, which I think I do a decent job of. Before when I am able to set the text speed to fast, holding down A will also increase the text speed. This means that I use B to scroll through the text, which makes it difficult to successively speed through text affirm menu commands. Screwing up on, for example, affirming your name, will cost a few seconds that can be easily shaved off. Speaking of the name, a true speedrunner would just use "あ," but I like to identify myself with "ドンドン" (dondon).
For the starter, I choose Pokabu, whom I believe is the best choice in the context of this speedrun. First, choosing Pokabu prevents my rivals from choosing it, which means I don't have to face a fully evolved Enbuoo in the future (Daikenki and Jarooda have worse type coverage and are easier to battle against). Second, Pokabu is the best starter for the first set of rival battles, with the highest base Atk (63) of the three and the highest physical bulk (65/45). I believe if Pokabu had a +Atk nature on top of its current bases, it would have been able to 3HKO Tsutaaja. Whatever the case, winning these battles is important, if only for the extra cash.
Play time: 0:06
Segment 1-2:
The primary purpose of the segment break is to make sure that I don't encounter any wild Pokemon when walking through the grass on Route 1. The wild Pokemon here are in the level 2-4 range, and are not worth catching. The Pokemon Center tour cannot be skipped, as far as I can tell. I buy 11 Potions for future use; Poke Balls are not necessary as 5 is more than enough for the purposes of this speedrun (no Pokemon should take more than 1 ball to catch).
The first N battle could have gone better if Choroneko didn't use Growl on the first turn. Pokabu 4HKOs at +0 Atk and 6HKOs at -1 Atk. Even if Choroneko used Growl after 2 attacks, I would still have saved a round of battle. That aside, this, along with most other earlygame battles, are straightforward.
Mom gives me the Running Shoes upon entering Route 2, which makes the run progress much faster.
Play time: 0:11
Segment 1-3:
This is a short segment. Wild Pokemon on Route 2 are in the level 4-7 range, and level 7 is a significant improvement on level 5. In order to cut down on time, I will allow myself to encounter only Pokemon that I will catch; I can catch either level 7 Minezumi or level 7 Yooterii on this route. Yooterii has slightly better bases, but the difference is negligible at this level; the important thing is that both of them have STAB Tackle (75 BP) whereas Choroneko only has unSTAB Scratch (40 BP).
Play time: 0:12
Segments 1-4 through 1-6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1j8FncGfdU
Segment 1-4:
This segment serves approximately the same purpose as the previous segment. The reason that I need 2 level 7 Pokemon with STAB Tackle is that one of the trainers in the Abandoned Lot of Dreams has 3 level 7 Pokemon, and 1 vs. 3 does not turn out well, especially given the amount of Tail Whips that are going to be thrown out. It just so happens that I encounter another level 7 Minezumi, which is good enough at this point in the game.
Play time: 0:13
Segment 1-5:
Right at the beginning of the segment, I need to sneak through the grass without encountering another Pokemon. I'm required to battle Belle; there is nothing special about the strategy, but I probably should not have switched the Minezumis at the beginning (the male Minezumi has 14 Atk to the female Minezumi's 13 Atk).
In Sanyou City, I obtain a Dusk Ball from the shady old man in order to make catching Nageki easier. Of all Pokemon that I am planning to catch in the game, Nageki is tied for the lowest catch rate (45), so this item will make the procedure a great deal more painless.
Trainer battles in the Abandoned Lot of Dreams are straightforward and unavoidable. Near the end of the segment I wasn't sure if that person was the one that I had to talk to, so I end up wasting about a second overshooting and then backtracking.
Play time: 0:18
Segment 1-6:
The run is going to be a Yanappu solo up until Shippou City, so it is crucial that I get a satisfactory one. Having 31 HP, 16 Def greatly increases the chances of Yanappu surviving 2 +1 Atk Bites from Koon's Yooterii. I could have used an extra point in Atk, which would have saved me a couple of rounds of combat in the future. The problem with Yanappu is that Vine Whip has only 35 BP and 15 PP, which runs out quickly at this point in the game. Hiyappu is by far the best of the 3 monkeys, with the strongest STAB attack that also has the highest PP (Water Gun at 40 BP and 25 PP), but Tsutaaja is bad enough earlygame that I was willing to pass up Hiyappu.
I make a small detour to get an X Defend, which I probably should not have gotten as it's not going to be useful anytime soon. Next is the second Cheren battle. Pretty easy with a type and a level advantage (one of the few times in this game where I'll have the latter). I heal at the Pokemon Center afterwards because it involves no backtracking and gives Yanappu a fresh 15 PP on Vine Whip for the gym.
In preparation for the gym battle, in most cases it would be prudent to give Yanappu an Oran Berry. With the new Pickup mechanics, however, which allow a Pickup Pokemon to salvage a berry used by another Pokemon, giving my opponent an Oran Berry is a lot more counterproductive than using one.
Play time: 0:24
Segment 1-7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbIKiXYi-24
The first gym battle is easily the most difficult one in the game. Yanappu 5HKOs Koon's Yooterii with Vine Whip and Scratch; Koon's Potion turns that into an 8HKO. Cheer Up also turns Yooterii's Bite into a near 2HKO on Yanappu at +1 Atk. As is evident, I sacrifice both Minezumi in order to get opportunities to get heals on Yanappu. Vine Whip not 3HKOing Koon's Hiyappu is a bummer, but for some reason it wouldn't use Fury Swipes, which can easily KO a weakened Yanappu at any point.
After the battle, I decide not to use the Pokemon Center. It doesn't really matter when I use the Pokemon Center; unSTAB Cut and STAB Vine Whip have almost the same BP (50 vs. 52.5) and 15 uses of Vine Whip can't even last me through the entirety of Route 3, let alone the 2 extra battles in the Abandoned Lot of Dreams. I space out here for a few moments and forget to move forward after Belle hails me down, which wastes about a second. Everything else goes as planned.
Play time: 0:33
Segments 2-1 through 2-4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yj02s8Q5fQ
Segment 2-1:
There are 4 battles in this segment, all of which are extremely straightforward. Cheren's Mijumaru can't really go wrong in a team battle; Water Gun does more damage than anything Yanappu can muster unboosted and Tail Whip lets Vine Whip do more damage.
Play time: 0:39
Segment 2-2:
Avoiding trainers and wild Pokemon encounters. I didn't want to push my luck after finding that Ether so I cut the segment off there.
Play time: 0:40
Segment 2-3:
In addition to being very easy to catch, Otamaro is the most common Pokemon on this route. Level 17 is the jackpot, although its SpA IV could be better...
Play time: 0:41
Segment 2-4:
Capturing Nageki is incredibly essential for defeating Aloe thanks to its amazing bulk. Wild level 17 Nageki have Vital Throw, but it's a huge pain in the ass to catch and find (and half the time it'll appear in a double battle). The day is long due to the season being summer, and I'm not sure if the time counts as being night, but I fortuitously capture it on the first try with a Dusk Ball after a good deal of weakening.
Play time: 0:43
Segments 2-5 through 2-6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veVuBDdL1vM
Segment 2-5:
Nageki doesn't have any damaging moves (other than Seismic Toss, but that doesn't hit for type effectiveness), so teaching it Rock Smash is necessary. It's a shame that Nageki just barely falls short of OHKOing the level 15 Yooteriis, but everything goes smoothly here aside from a small mistake that I make trying to send out a fainted Pokemon on a switch. I change the battle style to set because most gym battles from this point on are going to be solos, and this saves time over the long run.
Play time: 0:49
Segment 2-6:
The battle with Aloe goes well. I give Nageki a Chesto Berry to nullify Aloe's Miruhoggu's Hypnosis, which turned out to be useless because it missed. I had to make sure that Nageki was at full HP with no Def drops against Aloe's Miruhoggu so that it could possibly survive a revenge Retribution, but aside from that, this was a fairly easy fight.
At the Pokemon Center, I deposit Pokabu, both Minezumi, and Yanappu. Preemptively depositing Pokemon means that when I catch new ones, I won't have to backtrack to a PC and withdraw them. At the shop counter, I buy 1 Great Ball for capturing Darumakka later on and 10 Super Potions with the rest of my cash.
Play time: 0:55
Pokemon obtained:
Code:
Pokemon Lv. Nature HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spe Ability
Pokabu 5 Relaxed 22 12 11 9 10 9 Blaze
Minezumi 7 Brave 24 14 12 10 12 11 Run Away
Minezumi 7 Quirky 24 13 10 11 12 11 Keen Eye
Yanappu 10 Naughty 31 18 16 18 13 20 Gluttony
Otamaro 17 Hardy 44 25 23 22 20 27 Hydration
Nageki 15 Serious 63 36 30 17 30 18 Inner Focus