EXP. Share

Now with the ability to Surf, Joshua & Mr. Mime take a trip up to an abandoned Power Plant to try grabbing some exotic Electric Pokémon. They also decide whether to spare or end the lives of the Legendary Birds, as the next stop is the Seafoam Islands, where Articuno lurks its depths. After pushing boulders down a bunch of holes, they ride the waves to Cinnabar where they must explore the mysterious Pokémon Mansion to find a Secret Key that will allow them to battle the seventh Gym Leader, Blaine. Will they defeat him without losing any more of their precious 'mon? Or will Josh's prediction that someone will die in every episode hold true?

Josh & Tanner are joined once again by David Sims, aka Gringus, their eternal rival/friend (it's complicated), and host of Blank Check. In their longest journey together yet, they traverse the docks beneath Lavender Town, take on the menagerie of bird trainers there, get in a tussle with the Cue Balls and Bikers hanging out on Cycling Road, and find themselves in a resplendent Fuchsia City. There, they try their luck at Safari Zone—the best chance they have of catching some exotic 'mon before their final gym battles—and then flatten Koga like one of his disgusting Koffings.

Notes: As always, check out @blankcheckpod, where David and his cohost Griffin are currently running through Robert Zemeckis's filmography (that's the Back to the Future dude!).

While out on the town, Joshua & Mr. Mime hear a rumor that the Celadon Game Corner is actually a criminal outfit. They investigate, and discover that the seedy underbelly of the city extends far beyond—to Lavender Town and Saffron City too. They set out to clean up the mean streets of Celadon, whereupon they receive the unimpressive Silph Scope. It reveals a new area where the trainers can catch a Pokémon—Pokémon Tower—in which they also confront their rival, who is apparently also on a Nuzlocke run because his Raticate died. Sad! With another arm of Team Rocket shut down, they return to Saffron to both cleanse the source of corruption at Silph Co. and face off against Gym Leader Sabrina. By the end of it, they'll need to rename Saffron City to "Crimson City" because its streets will run with Pokémon blood.

Get ready for some tear-jerking(ly off-key) power ballads. After a reprieve in the beautiful Vermilion, Joshua & Mr. Mime are forced to contend with Kanto's darkest depths in order to continue their journey forward, thanks to a blissed-out Snorlax. And given their environs, it should come as no surprise that their adventure takes a dark turn. In Diglett's Cave, Joshua loses a Pokémon he had grown unexpectedly fond of, and in the bowels of Rock Tunnel Mr. Mime experiences an unspeakable loss. When they finally emerge back into the daylight, will they knock Erika's lights out and earn their fourth badge?

After taking Misty out, Joshua & Mr. Mime try to take some time off on the Cerulean Cape and instead are faced with a rival battle, a bunch of bullies on Nugget Bridge, and that Lovecraftian freak Bill. They even have to step in to solve a crime for Officer Jenny. Once they finally make it to Vermilion City, they take a cruise on the S.S. Anne where the joy of receiving HM 01 Cut is cut short when Joshua loses a 'mon overboard. Then, the trainers chop their way into Lt. Surge's trash-filled gym and kick him to curb with the rest of it.

Season 3B, baby! Josh & Tanner outline EXP. Share's official Nuzlocke rules we're abiding by as we go through a beautiful 16-bit Kanto. After covering the rules, we talk about the characters we're playing as this season, and then get back into the good stuff: Level Checks, Sweeties, Barfs, and more. When it's Nuzlocke, will we find ourselves in the Kanto we know and love? Or will we find ourselves in a world of hurt?

Notes: Nuzlocke rules can be found on our @expsharepod social accounts as well as the subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/bugcatchers/comments/ik94yr/nuzlocke_run_house_rules_for_fireredleafgreen/

Looking for some spicy Hoenn action today? We have quite the surprise for you: we've spent the last month battling the very best guests from Season 3A, and a certain GringusD of our past. We've got three battles for ya: first against both Mike (StillJustMike) and Kevin (xRazeOvation) of @PokesportsPod, then Fionnuala Jones of @BandwagonsPod, and finally, season two brawler David Sims of @BlankCheckPod. Oh, and Josh & Tanner fight three times to see who's the season's supreme(on).

Notes: Thanks to our guests for joining us as always, check out their shows below:

The 9-1-Huns return—vindicated—to Pokémon Square. Gengar tries to spew his fake news but Pelipper swoops in and clears Archonis's good name. He then embarks on a quest to solve the latest natural disaster: earthquakes caused by Groudon. After volunteering to take it on, Lombre says the team isn't high ranked enough (would love to see this ugly chinned idiot's Rank Check), and Team ACT goes instead. Nights pass without a word, and the 9-1-Huns have to save everyone again. Which, apparently, also means stopping a giant meteor from crashing into the Pokéarth and killing everyone because this game's story doesn't know when to quit. But we certainly do, because this is the last ep of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon miniseries and we're never playing again!

Notes: Features "Jesus Take the Wheel (Instrumental)" by Carrie Underwood / InstrumentalPraise (YouTube).

The fugitive Pokémon continue their run from the long spoon of the law (Alakazam, is the joke here). The Mon Men run into some trouble on the path to Mt. Blaze, while the 9-1-Huns have to scale it a few times before they finally put down its master, that dumb flaming chicken Moltres. They then stumble into the Frosty Forest, where they have a surprising revelation that takes this bonkers plot to a whole other level—only to be resolved by speaking with the 'mon himself: Ninetales.

Notes: Features "Independence Day" by KaraFun (YouTube).