Pokemon White 2: The Audino Solo Run

Although things didn't quite work out between me and Omega Ruby, I couldn't get that Audino solo run out of my head. I really wanted to cruise around with that cute creature, preferably immediately. I wanted it so bad, in fact, that I even felt ready to renounce Mega Evolution for the time being. That's when I remembered that Audino is a Gen V 'Mon that appears really early on, and that I hadn't played White&Black 2 since 2017. And with that, the die was pretty much cast; and it wasn't long before I was rushing through Unova with abandon and that adorable pink and white creature by my side.

Audino's colour scheme actually reminded me of strawberry and vanilla ice cream, which is why I named him 'Gelato'. I fully expected him to be one of those 'Mons that are good for little beyond being unbearably cute; but he took me by surprise by holding his own like a boss on the battlefield. He held his own so well, in fact, that he became able to one-shoot the opposition right after the Second Gym and never stopped after that. Sure, his learnset is not quite tailor-made for solo runs, with way too many status effect Moves learnt upon leveling up; but he still managed to make the most of the few offensive Moves he had access to.

I had to rely on Return, Double Slap and Secret Power, complete with Refresh, during the early stages of my run; and while that Move pool was efficient enough given the benefit of the STAB, it still had the potential to land me in hot water against Ghost 'Mons. A change was in order; and as soon as I could, I traded Double Slap for Signal Beam — soon followed by Shadow Ball and Psychic, which came to replace Refresh and Secret Power. Return obviously didn't go anywhere, and remained my surefire one-shooter all the way to the Pokemon League. I got to upgrade my Move pool once again right before Victory Road, when I got hold of Flamethrower, Ice Beam and Thunderbolt in one fell swoop — better late than never, indeed! Needless to say, the Pokemon League was very much a one-shooting festival, and I was crowned Champion after 13 hours of delightful roaming.

I was actually surprised by the length of my run. Those 13 hours felt much shorter, and this is in no small part due to BW2's utterly stellar pacing. I'll say it: when it comes to all things pacing, that pair is my absolute favourite in the whole series. Never before — or since, for that matter — has progression been so smooth and effortless in a Pokemon game, with HMs being handed to you long before you even need them and milestones flowing naturally into one another. Dungeons are a delight to explore and open areas a delight to roam, leaving you sated without being bored. And beyond that most excellent pacing, there is a real sense of urgency at work in the whole game: battles are more frantic than ever before (or since), biking is crazy fast, you can run indoors, and the game does everything it can to spare you trips through the menu. I daresay that BW2 perfectly managed to capture and convey the feverish quality of urban american lifestyle; and my, was such a move very welcome indeed after the sheer sluggishness of Gen IV.

Rediscovering BW2 after a whole two years away from Gen V was pure and utter delight. I swear those games are just tailor-made for solo runs, with Return being handed to you right after the first Gym and the Lucky Egg right before the sixth, and tall grass teeming with wild Audinos. In fact, it makes things nearly too easy. Oh, who am I kidding? I just love it, and I totally wish all Pokemon games could emulate that awesome arrangement! I also came to terms with the fact that my Trainer plays somewhat of a secondary role in the narrative and just goes with the flow. There's actually something strangely refreshing in being a bit of an observer in other people's stories, and simply giving a hand as you go along instead of being the driving force behind all things narrative. At least I'm not pitted alone against a whole villain team this time around, and everybody cooperates and contributes to save Unova from a new ice age — about time, shall I say!

I also have to admit that with hindsight, Hugh is actually my favourite of all the post-Gen IV friendly rivals. His tale of revenge and retrieval makes him kinda relatable, but not to the point of making him endearing: he remains standoffish enough to be stimulating to beat (gotta show that bossy prick I'm not his personal slave, indeed!) and there's always a modicum of welcome distance between my Trainer and him. I would describe our relation as a reluctant partnership: it's pretty clear we're not best buddies and probably won't ever be — and as far as friendly rivalvry in Pokemon goes, I'd have this any day of the week over 'rivals' fawning over me or wanting to be my BFF.

Now that I reacquainted myself with the awesomeness of BW2, I have a number of solo runs lined up for the pair. Also, I officially declare that all my BW2 runs to come will solely feature the female Trainer; I just cannot for the life of me deal with how utterly crappy the male Trainer looks, from his horrendous haircut to his ugly outfit — without forgetting his lousy poses. And why on earth does he look so much younger than the female Trainer? I totally feel like I'm Hugh's little b*tch when I play with that scrawny male Trainer, and I'm not having any of it. I'd rather have his more assertive and older-looking female counterpart, thank you very much! And with that, dear fellow gamers, I'll see you soon for more Gen V tidings. Thanks for reading as usual, and drop by anytime!