They are an archipelago of islands in the Kanto region. They can be reached by taking a ferry from either Vermillion City in Kanto or Olivine City in Johto. They are home to a wide variety of pokemon, some of which even have their own regional variations, so they are well worth a visit. And the beaches are amazing.
I think it is easy to view these battles as purely a test of strength, but really, strategy is indispensable if you want to continue winning at the higher levels. You might be able to take down a trainer out on the road with a simple show of force, but that will fail against a proper gym leader. A good strategy can even cover for inherent weaknesses and still secure victory. It's... honestly, in a way I feel it shares some similarities with playing chess. Selecting the right pokemon for the right battle, making sure that you have a strategy available and that you can think on your feet, it's all much more important than just having the pokemon with the highest raw strength.
It doesn't seem very common, but Holly definitely did not enjoy being a Gloom. They have a rather pungent odour that turns off most people and pokemon. As an oddish, she always loved meeting new people and pokemon, but when she evolved into a Gloom she became very self-concious about her new scent. Thankfully she was capable of evolving once more, and now that she is a Vileplume she seems to have regained her confidence and happy nature. I'm glad she is happy again, but to be honest, I thought she looked pretty cool as a Gloom too. I had never heard of any plants that would use scent as a defence mechanism like that.
[Being a Gloom. It's sort of like puberty in a way.]
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I think it is easy to view these battles as purely a test of strength, but really, strategy is indispensable if you want to continue winning at the higher levels. You might be able to take down a trainer out on the road with a simple show of force, but that will fail against a proper gym leader. A good strategy can even cover for inherent weaknesses and still secure victory. It's... honestly, in a way I feel it shares some similarities with playing chess. Selecting the right pokemon for the right battle, making sure that you have a strategy available and that you can think on your feet, it's all much more important than just having the pokemon with the highest raw strength.
It doesn't seem very common, but Holly definitely did not enjoy being a Gloom. They have a rather pungent odour that turns off most people and pokemon. As an oddish, she always loved meeting new people and pokemon, but when she evolved into a Gloom she became very self-concious about her new scent. Thankfully she was capable of evolving once more, and now that she is a Vileplume she seems to have regained her confidence and happy nature. I'm glad she is happy again, but to be honest, I thought she looked pretty cool as a Gloom too. I had never heard of any plants that would use scent as a defence mechanism like that.
[Being a Gloom. It's sort of like puberty in a way.]