Pokemon Conquest- Conquest Two: Brush Fire (2/8)

With that done- or not, if you prefer to go a bit more quickly, it’s time to head into the Cave.  Here you will find only one opponent- a Warrior who has no army to be a part of.  Which Warrior you find here depends on how long you spend throwing food at your Pokemon and money and Potions at the Shop salesperson.  Don’t worry too much if you don’t get the Warrior you want- you will never run out of Warriors to encounter, and even if it takes a couple of months’ wait, you can find another Warrior with the Pokemon and Specialties you wanted.

The choice here is between Charmander and Darumaka.  While Charmander eventually becomes the well-liked Charizard, right now what’s more relevant is the base state of either Pokemon.  Where Charmander is slightly stronger on Defense and Speed, Darumaka has much stronger offense- especially with Run Up increasing its attack power the further it moves during its turn.  However, while both Darumaka and Charmander pack an attack with two-square reach, Charmander’s is purely ranged and has a higher chance of causing a Burn.  Darumaka’s attack, while considerably stronger, requires Darumaka to advance a step towards the target it was attacking, making it incapable of attacking across gaps, water, obstacles, or other Pokemon and is a physical attack, which means that Darumaka is harmed automatically by enemies who have Rough Skin, or get occasionally paralyzed by Static.  There is also the fact that while Charmander becomes a Fire/Flying Pokemon and may turn into a perfect fit for Takatora, Rikyuu’s Grass/Fire specialty prevents him from specializing in a single Pokemon to suit both needs- but it also allows him to achieve a high Link rating with two types that have very different strengths and weaknesses.  If you have time to train multiple Pokemon for your Warriors, you may consider Rikyuu the better choice for that reason.

There is one other thing to take into consideration- before too much longer you’re going to get the chance to start Linking your Warriors to new Pokemon, often getting them a better match than the one they start off with.  Once this is the case, Charmander are passably common in Ignis.  Darumaka, on the other hand, you aren’t going to find in the wild for at least a good long while.  This means that if you want to have a Darumaka (and later a Darmanitan), you’re probably going to have to stick with Rikyuu.

Battle: Cave Fight (10 Turns)
Victory: Defeat all enemy Warriors!
Defeat: All your Warriors are defeated!
Secondary Goal: Recruit the Warrior!

(April - June) Takatora: Pow 70, Wis 87, Cha 72, Capacity 6, Specialty Flying/Fire, Skill: Added Bonus (+ side-effect chance)
Charmander, Link 15%/62%, HP 33, Range 4, Attack 23, Defense 17, Speed 24, Attack: Ember, Ability: Blaze

(July) Rikyuu: Pow 68, Wis 66, Cha 75, Capacity 5, Specialty Grass/Fire, Skill: Detox (Remove Poison/Paralyze from all allied Pokemon)
Darumaka, Link 15/68%, HP 37, Range 3, Attack 28, Defense 15, Speed 17, Attack: Flame Wheel, Ability: Run Up