I’ve done it! My original stated intention has been fulfilled!

When I devised “A Grand Ambition” after the release of Pokemon X and Y, but more importantly, Pokemon Bank, I intended to play through the earliest entries in the series that would allow me to transfer Pokemon to the, then, newest entries. Then, I’d transfer all those creatures to Pokemon Bank and thereby, any of the 3DS games. This meant playing through at least one of each of the “core” releases going back to the Game Boy Advance and GameCube. After starting on this journey back in 2013, the series saw the release of three more sets of games pertinent to my goal: the remakes OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire, the digital re-releases of Red, Blue, and Yellow (made compatible with Pokemon Bank), and the all new entries Sun and Moon. Naturally, they were added. In the end, here’s the list of games I played, completed, and then exported Pokemon from:

1. Pokemon Ruby – Pre-existing save file from back in the day. I only transferred out a few notable ‘mon.
2. Pokemon Emerald – Purchased explicitly for this purpose. Played through for the first time.
3. Pokemon LeafGreen – Transferred any notable Pokemon from my original save file, then started a clean game and completed.
4. Pokemon Colosseum – Owned since back in the day, completed for the first time.
5. Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness – Purchased explicitly for this purpose. Played through for the first time.
6. Pokemon Diamond – Pre-existing save file from back in the day. I only transferred out a few notable ‘mon.
7. Pokemon Platinum – Purchased explicitly for this purpose. Played through for the first time.
8. Pokemon HeartGold – Transferred any notable Pokemon from my original save file, then started a clean game and completed.
10. My Pokemon Ranch – Purchased explicitly for this purpose. “Played” through for the first time.
11. Pokemon Battle Revolution – Received as a gift, explicitly for this purpose. Played through for the first time.
12. Pokemon White 2 – Purchased explicitly for this purpose. Played through for the first time.
13. Pokemon Y – Purchased explicitly for this purpose. Played through for the first time.
14. Pokemon OmegaRuby – Purchased explicitly for this purpose. Played through for the first time.
15. Pokemon Dream Rader – Purchased explicitly for this purpose. Played through for the first time.
16. Pokemon Yellow – Purchased explicitly for this purpose. Played through for the first time.
17. Pokemon Sun – Purchased explicitly for this purpose. Played through for the first time.

That’s seventeen titles I played and exported Pokemon from! Not counting the paired releases (Ruby/Sapphire, Diamond/Pearl), I skipped a few that I could’ve exported Pokemon from, most notably Black/White. I figured playing one of those releases would’ve been too similar to White 2. Then again, these games are all quite similar, eh? I also skipped out on one or two of the Ranger spin-offs. They had a legendary Pokemon or two that could’ve been exported after completing them.

Now that this has been completed, I’m actually hooked on OmegaRuby more than ever! Right now, I’m two Pokemon shy of completing the regional PokeDex (211 Pokemon) and then I’ll work on the National Dex (something like 700?). Once completed, I’ll earn a Shiny Charm which improves the odds of finding shiny Pokemon, and likely, that’ll be my next major hunt: shiny Pokemon.

In the end, Pokemon is never-ending for me.