Gameplay
This is really just the starting sequence of the game where you choose the Pokémon you want to have as your character and partner, so don't expect much action here.
Chapter 0
This is the first part of the game. This basically involves a eight-question quiz determining the Pokemon you play as. You can change it after the quiz, so don't worry.
Questions
The first question will either be...
- A nerve-racking first day at school! You want to make friends with someone you just met. What do you do?
- Turn to them and introduce yourself
- Wait nervously for them to talk to you.
...or you will be asked:
- A new student transfers into your class. What do you do?
- Offer to show them around the school.
- Wait to see what kind of person they are.
The second question will either be...
- Disaster strikes! You've lost your wallet! Now what are you going to do?
- Calm down and retrace my steps.
- Tear the place apart in a frantic search.
...or...
- Two of your friends are fighting, and you wish they'd stop. What do you do first?
- Ponder what the real issue is between them.
- Jump right into the fray to make them stop.
The third question will either be...
- Everyone at school is talking about this great new book, but it's big and long...
- Of course you get it! They say its great!
- You don't want to read anything that long.
...or...
- They start selling a new kind of pastry at your favorite bakery...
- You try the new variety without hesitation!
- You stick with your regular favorite.
The fourth question will either be...
- Halfway to school you realize you forgot something. You'll be late if you turn back...
- You hurry back to get it anyway.
- You can't be bothered to get it now.
...or...
- You've been hiking up a mountain for two hours but still haven't reached the peak...
- You pump yourself up for one last push!
- You give up on it and head home.
The fifth question will either be...
- All right! Dinnertime at last! You're starving, and you can hardly think about anything else except the chance to eat...
- You wait until everyone is ready to start.
- You start eating as soon as you have your food.
...or...
- You want to jump rope during recess, but everyone else wants to play tag...
- You give in and play tag with your friends.
- You convince all your friends to jump rope.
The sixth question will either be: (where the game starts to ask about your character, or nature)
- A wizard appears before you! He says he'll transform you into anything! What would you want to be?
- A cute little critter, beloved by all! (Pikachu)
- A cold-blooded reptile with strength. (Charmander)
- A freewheeling bird that wings across the sky! (Torchic)
- A wild beast that is one with nature. (Riolu)
...or...
- All right! It's snack time! And today we've got...cake! Woo-hoo! What kind of cake do you pick?
- Simple-but-sweet strawberry shortcake. (Oshawott)
- Rich and creamy cheesecake. (Fennekin)
- Measured and mature green-tea mousse. (Snivy)
- Classic chestnut-cream confection. (Chespin)
...or...
- Spring, summer, fall, or winter... Which season do you like best?
- Spring, the season of buds and blooms! (Chikorita)
- Summer, the time for sea and sand! (Bulbasaur)
- Fall, when crickets chirp and dusk comes early. (Turtwig)
- Winter, when a blanket of snow covers all. (Totodile)
...or...
- We're going to the beach! Best. Day. Ever. Time to kick back and enjoy the breeze. What view do you find yourself staring at?
- The glittering blue stretch of sea. (Piplup)
- The endless expanse of the sky. (Froakie)
- The sandy shore being lapped by waves. (Chimchar)
- The gently swaying strands of dune grass. (Treecko)
...or...
- You've been given a piece of blank drawing paper! You're asked to draw a picture of the ocean. What color do you make it?
- Brilliant green with tropical corals. (Cyndaquil)
- Bright blue with crystal-clear water. (Squirtle)
- Glimmering orange to reflect the sunset. (Tepig)
- Rich cobalt blue to show great depth. (Mudkip)
The seventh question will always be...
- All right! Vacation time at last! What kind of music fits your mood? (Note that only four of these choices will appear. Also, if you reject the player that's presented to you and pick a Pokémon that has the same type as the partner that would be presented to you, a Pokémon of a different type will be presented as your partner instead. For example, if you answer "fall" to the seasons question, which would make your player Chimchar, then answer "opera" to the music question, which would make your partner Totodile but reject Chimchar and pick Piplup, because Piplup and Totodile are both Water-types, you'll be presented with a Pokémon of a different type for your partner instead.)
- Can't sit still. Time to polka! (Oshawott)
- Feelin cool, so it's time for some jazz! (Froakie)
- Getting excited! Time to samba! (Chespin)
- Gotta get moving with some EDM! (Riolu)
- I don't need anybody. I'll listen to a solo. (Treecko)
- I wanna dance and sing to some pop music! (Fennekin)
- I want to listen to some golden oldies. (Bulbasaur)
- I want to loudly sing anime theme songs! (Tepig)
- I'll rock out to some hard rock! (Pikachu)
- I'm feeling laid back. Time for some folk. (Torchic)
- I'm in the mood for a sophisticated waltz. (Squirtle)
- I'm in the mood for dramatic opera. (Totodile)
- I'm in the mood for some happy pop music. (Piplup)
- I'm in the mood to sing in a chorus with friends. (Chikorita)
- I'm stuck in a rut. Time to do the tango! (Snivy)
- Punk rock that makes your spirit explode! (Chimchar)
- So much to do! I need marching music! (Charmander)
- The freshest, latest rap to make my fingers snap. (Turtwig)
- Time to sip some tea and listen to classical. (Cyndaquil)
- Time for some pleasant, happy reggae. (Mudkip)
The eighth question will always be...
- What would be the best word to describe your partner?
- Cool! (Male)
- Cute. ♪ (Female)
After The Quiz
After the quiz, you will then be able to change the Pokémon that was chosen to whichever one you want, if it doesn't suit you. You can choose whatever Pokémon you want for your main character, but it's recommended to have a water type for better maneuvers in watery dungeons. Also, because some of the storyline dungeons have a ton of Fire types. When you are ready, the game will begin.
Chapter 1
Those That Live in This World, And Those That Have Come to This World
The game will begin with a cutscene in which it shows Deoxys looking over at the world, clearly worried. After the cutscene, another will start with the player waking up in a small clearing within a forest. The player notices how thirsty they are and heads over to a pool in the clearing. After taking a drink (and exclaiming how fresh and delicious the water was), they realize that they are a Pokémon. They begin to freak out again before hearing weird noises coming from the Beeheeyem nearby. The Beeheeyem attack, causing the player to run. They run until they run into Nuzleaf, who also gets hit by the Beeheeyem, causing both of the Pokémon to run.
Open Pass
They run through the first two dungeons, with Nuzleaf explaining the way the game works. The first dungeon is particularly easy. All you have to do is do what Nuzleaf tells you. The first enemy you see will get killed by Nuzleaf, but the next one you have to do on your own. It's recommended to use your best move. Each starter has one move that's actually good, while the rest are decent. Use the best move you have and move on. The next room gives you your first item, an Oran Berry. Useful mainly for when you get dealt too much damage (which shouldn't happen this early, by the way). The next room has some stairs for you to use. Go down the stairs. On the next floor, Nuzleaf will let you take the lead. After he tells you that you can lead the way, the controls will appear on your bottom screen. Press B and continue through the hallway. Kill all enemies you come across.
When you get to the next flight of stairs, go down them. The game will then ask you to Save and Continue. Just select Save and Continue and keep going. This will often happen before the next cutscene and/or dungeon in the story. After you escape the dungeon, Nuzleaf will ask you why they attacked you. After a cutscene in which he questions you, you and Nuzleaf continue on to the next dungeon.
Lush Forest
The first thing Nuzleaf explains is that when you make a move, so do your enemies. So you can sit there all day and they won't do anything until you do. Useful, but not at the moment. In later dungeons, when you need to be more strategic, this helpful hint is useful. The best way to skip a turn and make your opponents move is to use A to feint. A isn't all that powerful so this is it's only purpose in the game (apparently). After Nuzleaf so perfectly demonstrates this on an opponent (before killing it), he leads you to another room to let you test it. Then, when you reach a particularly long hallway, he shows you how to run, and lets you demonstrate it. Here you can open up the menu if you'd like and mess around with your settings. Once you're satisfied, run after him.
After he's done teaching you the rest of the controls, you get a notification saying that you can check the menu any time for info on the controls. Go down the stairs and enter the next floor. The next floors are easy. There are some enemies sleeping near some of the room entrances (either the developers are trying to troll you or it's so you can gain Exp. early in the game. There are only 4 floors in the dungeon so this should be fairly easy. Find the stairs and kill all enemies on your way.
After getting through the dungeons, Nuzleaf will decide to leave you behind because you caused trouble, before realizing that you ARE a kid. He then decides to take you to Serene Village, where you will meet your partner in the game.
Chapter 2
Meeting Your Partner
Once you get to Nuzleaf's house, a cutscene will play where Nuzleaf shows you around. When he shows you your room, he wonders why the Beeheyem were chasing you. He then decides to go enroll you in the school (to avoid suspicion, apparently), and tells you to "not stick one toe outside this house" until he gets back. From this point, you can move around, but the moment you do, a cutscene plays where you see someone in the window, and decide to confront them outside. When you do, your partner will appear and say "I knew it!", surprising you quite a bit. Your partner then welcomes you to Serene Village and proceeds to drag you around the village. When you get to the village square, your partner will make a slightly rude joke about Miltank, and then proceed to show you around the village. He tells you about the Kecleon Shop and the Deposit Box (both of which are extremely useful, especially later in the game). He tries to tell you about some of the other shops before a bunch of angry villagers come after him, supposedly for somethings he did. Who knew people hated him so much?
Your character wonders what in the world just happened before deciding to explore.
Exploration
When the cutscene ends, you get another notification saying that you can save anytime by going to the X menu. This is yet another relatively handy tip for later in the game. Press B and start exploring!
Cafe Connection
This cafe can hold items per the request of people you rescue during missions. This feature isn't really useful until you actually start doing missions (after Poliwhirl River), but it's worth knowing about for later mainly so you can easily get the items that you receive from people.
Kecleon Shop
A shop containing useful items. If you got some items in the dungeons you did, you can sell some items (don't sell your Oran Berries or Tiny Reviver Seeds as they will be useful for the dungeon you are about to do) and get some money. If you can afford it, buy more Tiny Reviver Seeds as a failsafe. The best way to use them is to fill your inventory halfway with Tiny Reviver Seeds or Reviver Seeds and put the rest of the seeds in your Deposit Box, so you have more when you run out. This strategy is easier to do later in the game, when you have access to Cofagrigus's Shop.
Hawlucha's Slam School
Useful for learning moves that you either got rid of in the past or didn't mean to get rid of. Later in the game, when you recruit Smeargle, you can use his Sketch on a Pokémon to learn a move that you like, then go to Hawlucha to learn Sketch again. You can create a perfect playable character this way.
Deposit Box
You can drop off gold and items in here for later. Super useful in more ways than one.
When you are done exploring, go to the gate on the eastern side of the village square to initiate a cutscene. Once the cutscene is over, go through the village gate and follow those kids.
Foreboding Forest
When you enter through the gate, it will show a cutscene of a Deerling, Pancham, and a Shellmet arguing over a kid who ran off into the woods. They will ask you to go rescue him. Goomy is 5 floors into the dungeon, so this should be fairly easy. The first floor will again show you how dungeons work. The first item it shows is a Blast Seed. It's particularly useful for bosses and wiping out enemies in one shot (do not waste these on enemies, only on bosses). The second item it shows is a Wand. Specifically, a Slumber Wand. It's mainly useful for when you are trying to keep a boss from attacking you and also for when you don't want to fight enemies in a hard dungeon. They can be used several times before breaking. Orbs either affect everyone in a room or the entire floor. They're a lot like Wands, in a sense. The next and final item you get is a Warp Wand, which is extremely useful when you want to get rid of an enemy and you don't have a Petrify Wand (more on those later). When you come across the stairs, go down them. From there, you have to survive 4 more floors of easy enemies.
When you get past the 5th floor, you encounter Goomy, who is cowering in the back of the room. When you calm him down, he immediately goes back to crying about how scared he is. you lead him back to the other kids, where Goomy shows the kids the paper. Shelmet and Pancham decide that Goomy's writing is laugh worthy and takes it to show the entire village. Poor Goomy. When the scene ends, it will show another scene of Nuzleaf yelling at the player for disobeying him, before he decides that it was only natural you'd want to explore. He says he's pretty lax about rules, and that he won't stop you from exploring. He WILL punish you if you skip class though, so don't do that. Speaking of which, your first day of school is tomorrow! Save the game and get ready.
School
Nuzleaf will lead you to school before introducing you to the principal (and the grumpy Vice Principle). He then sees himself out before kids start arriving. The principal introduces you to the other kids (much to their shock). A earthquake will then occur before you realize, that's your "partner" and he just "inflicted mortal pain" on your head. After he apologizes for crashing into you (and knocking you out), you pass out.
You then wake up in the school nurse's office (Audino) and she tells you to rejoin the class when you are ready. Exit through the southern entrance to rejoin the class (which is being taught by Farfetched at the moment). The other kids welcome you back and Farfetched starts yelling at them to sit down. Class continues normally until the end of school.
After school, your partner offers to show you a really nice place in the village. You and him run back through the path before Pancham and Shelmet stop you and offer to show you an even scarier dungeon than yesterday's dungeon (it's not that scary, so don't worry). Save and continue.
Drilbur Coal Mine
This dungeon is particularly easy to clear compared to the later dungeon, Poliwhirl River. It has a few fire types (which should be easy for you to take out if you chose a water type partner). It also has a mildly annoying enemy called Numel, who is resistant to thunder types. Although, it does take extra damage from Water types due to being a Fire and Ground type, so keep that in mind. There's also quite a few Rock types which should be easy to take out. The dungeon has 7 floors, with a rest stop on Floor 4. When you reach Floor 4, restock your Tiny Reviver Seeds and Oran Berries, then continue.