EXP. Share: Pokemon Playthrough Podcast

WE DO IT ALL. (We think.) From unearthing the apparently controversial sweetie that lies in the depths of Area Zero; to a final confusing encounter with Arven's parents; seeing what our friends in Team Star are up to; and the latest dance craze sweeping Kitakami—started by a twisted little monster called Pecharunt. And, Josh finally watches Thir13en Ghosts. Because we did it, Bug Catchers. We did it all. We shared our experience playing every Pokémon game... at least for now. Thank you for joining us on this nearly five-year journey through countless regions and nine generations. We couldn't have done it without you.

The valiant knight Don Joey and fun-loving guy Esteban Humano enter the Blueberry Academy's Terarium and it's THUNDERDOME! These are some of the toughest fights we've taken on in all our years, even if not all Elite Four members were pulling their weight (and certainly not in terms of the Elite Tests). Also, it's our penultimate episode of the season, so clear the runway for some rants!

We're back from our travels and travails, chasing waterfalls and mostly finding big, bad battles at the top of all of them. Don Joey's knights-errant couldn't resist the call to put down the Kitakami Ogre Clan, seek the riches of the Glitterati, and the glory of the Academy Ace Tournament. Meanwhile, Esteban Humano and his totally human friends spent the time learning how to scuba dive? But it turns out they have a ferry service or something to the Blueberry Academy, so six months' training was pointless. Once there, we meet our new Clavell, Nemona, Carmine, and Kiki—well those last two are there, and the latter has NOT taken our break-up well.

Arven, aka Billy from Stranger Things, assembles a team of people just crazy enough to venture down into the Great Crater of Paldea and see just how deep the rabbit hole goes. Naturally, Don Joey & Esteban Humano fall into that category. Together, they venture into Arven's heart of darkness, where the whole episode becomes learning that a guy we harangued as being a pure and simple nepo baby actually finds out his parents are dead, and then they are recreated in AI, which also want him dead. Sad! (And that's mostly not a comment on the freaky new Paradox Pokémon we meet.)

So it's come to this: the conclusions (perhaps?) of all three Paldean paths. And boy, do Don Joey's knights finally get the glorious battles they were thirsting for—along with a hefty side dish of lengthy cutscenes. We take on Arven/Arwen/Billy, undoubtedly not helping with his daddy issues; finally find out who Cassiopeia is (the one character NOT played by Clavell); and go toe-to-toe with La Roux, Baby Poppy, King Larry, a weeping German, and La Primera in the Pokémon League. Plus, Nemona simply won't stop battling us. Doesn't she have student council things to do? Seems like the academy is pretty loose with its rules-enforcement.

In an attempt to get our adventurers' levels back on the... well, level, we take on the final three Paldean gyms and the final Team Star Base. One valiant knight faces some tough battles, while a less valiant traveler follows a slightly different path—one which involves a lot of rolling balls of poop up the sides of mountains, until finally, Sisyphus can end his eternal quest. But is he even the same guy anymore?

On the road outside Cascarrafa, Don Joey & Esteban Humano encounter Lysander Lux, a traveling merchant with exquisite taste in fashion, Pokémon, and ruthless capitalism. The trio descends upon the Water and Normal gyms, in particular finding a kindred spirit (aka disenchanted drinker) in Medali's Larry, who's just trying to make it through the day. Tell us about it, buddy. Tanner comes down pretty hard on the gay duck Pokémon, and Greg forwards that as well as Josh's lack of Britney Spears discography knowledge to the Council—just in time for Pride Month. Also, they battle to determine if EXP. Share can, for once, retain its own IP.

Don Joey & Esteban Humano return from their gap year to return their dragon motorcycles to their former glory, and rid Paldea of (most of) the notorious Team Star. They find that the land has been overrun with discordantly leveled trainers and Pokémon, but they are also sweet as hell. (Except for maybe one on Esteban's team, who gets herself into a PR crisis.) We also mash our 'mon together for the first battle of the season... to not-so-surprising results.

It's a, a guy hunt! Our heroes find themselves caught in a Challengers type of situation, caught between Kieran & Ogerpon, and in order to resolve that tension we must take on the "Loyal"/"Lousy" Three. Traversing Kitakami leads Don Joey to meet some rather aggressive locals, while Esteban Humano is confronted by a goo-loving freak deep in the mountains. Will this love/hate triangle reach its matchpoint this week? Or will there be one more volley left in this story? Either way, we hope you "love" it (that's a tennis joke).

Hola—or rather, konnichiwa! Don Joey & Esteban Humano are taking the next semester (aka two episodes) to complete a study abroad program over on Kitakami. As soon as they make landfall, they meet their home stay frenemy Carmine, and boyfriend, Kieran, and learn a bit about this land's strange ways. Or at least, the denizens of Mossui Town think these two are the strange, inept city slickers from Paldea, and boy are they wrong. We mop the floor with pretty much everyone here on the quest to *Brooke Valentine voice* hunt a guy.

Esteban Humano & Don Joey sally forth into unexplored, ambiguously named lands such as the East Province (Area Two), and meet some pretty interesting new characters. Like Clive, who definitely is not Professor Clavell, who is also certainly not Mr. Walksabout. Esteban tries to take over Giacomo's crew and steal his Starmobile, while Don Joey has to kick out some rabble rousers from his noble fellowship. Then, they both are forced to become influencers when confronted with Iono, the famous girlie streamer/Gym Leader.

Don Joey & Esteban Humano head west (young man) and find a land full of soaring wind turbines and very upsetting birds. Then, they swing east to critique an artist's life work (terrible) before taking him on in the gym, and discovering his battling is even worse than his sculptures—meeting many new 'mon and humans along the way.

We and our characters haven't quite mastered "Paldean" yet, but please join us as we all sally forth to find what adventures this mysterious land holds. Will it be a P-Iwannadie-a or a Palslaya? You'll have to listen to find out (and ideally don't ever listen to or mention again Josh's cover of the "Uva Academy School Song"). Notes: Featuring "Naranja/Uva Academy" by Toby Fox.

We're joined by Greg Leatherman this week, who told us he was inspired to pick up Pokémon Unite for the first time after he heard our first episode featuring Bree Van Durr and Chef Greenring. He fell in love with the game and has been playing ever since all thanks to us! Anyway, he's on to learn from an actual Expert and Vetern what it takes to go toe-to-toe in the Aeos Islands.

Well, we've played pretty much all the Pokémon games out there so it's about time we gave something else a shot. That's right, EXP. Share is a Palworld playthrough podcast now*. Your favorite podcast titans tried out winter 2023's hottest survival game/Pokémon rip off, and palled around with their Pals in Palworld for a few hours. What we thought about it might surprise you! *We'll be back in Aeos Island for Pokémon Unite next week with our pal Greg Leatherman, don't you worry.

What are the odds that Josh Fjelstad, Brooklyn podcaster, would be friends with a renowned slug scientist, who studied at KNOWN medical school, Cornell University and studied THINGS including SLUGS once? Pretty low, honesty, but here we are. We're joined for our finale in ol' Hisui by friend of the show and friend of the us, Mike LeVine. And YES, he does have a PhD and NO it's NOT in slugs. This is it for our little sweeties Doug Farmer and Soren though! So long, slug-lovers!

We weren't given Waterfall so this isn't really a waterfalls episode, but it's got that feel, doesn't it? With Palkia and Dialga safely behind balls Soren and Doug are largely left to their own devices, which gives Doug plenty of time for soul-searching. And by soul I mean slug.

I guess, uh… I guess we're done here, folks. Honestly, kinda came out of nowhere but seasons over and show is over and our souls are locked in old Hisui forever thanks to the actions of Doug Farmer and Soren. Let's at least get one last Fur Affinity Check in for old time's sake, right? Please tell our families we loved them. And tell Melli we hated him.

After quelling the final Frenzied Noble, we think we'll be hailed as heroes and Doug Farmer & Soren will get statues in their honor erected across the land. Instead all hell breaks loose, the simulation breaks, and immediately Commander Kamado places all the blame for everything at our feet. Banished from Jubilife, we're forced to subsist on dwindling potato mochi supplies and a shadow network of allies. Most of our "friends" like Warden Lian and Mai offer nothing but barely kind words, until a Trainer Banger swoops in and takes us under her motherly wings.

We've got one more frenzied beast to quell, and whoo doggy is she a big one. But first we have a whole long checklist to take care of including tracking down some mythical beasts with the help of some light cheating, chasing down an errant Braviary and its emotionally challenging warden, and filling out bellies with enough potato mochi to block us up for days. Someone get Doug Farmer a bran muffin or something.

A Bug Pioneer joins us on the journey through HI-SU-IIIII, hailing from another strange, exotic, and faraway shore: Jersey. You can probably figure out where she wormholed in from. Fortunately, she's here just in time to take down the Frenzied Lord Electrode, and more importantly, support Josh in preventing Tanner from ramming through some pretty outlandish new "slugs" for Doug Farmer's team. Notes: Thanks for joining us, Erica, whose handsome dog you can find on Instagram @erica_h!

Welcome to the Cobalt Coastlands, Bug Pioneers. There's plenty of East Sea Shellos to go around, so grab a leaden ball, hop on your Basculegion, and enter bullet time – we've got some slugs to hunt. Our problematic faves, the Fortune Sisters, are back and up to more mischief this week, stealing beautiful little 'Mon and turning them into frenzied, raging monsters that we'll have to put down, Survey Corps-style.

Doug Farmer and Soren may not know how they got to old Hisui, but they certainly know what they're doing now that they're there, and what they're doing isn't very nice. Members of the Survey Corps live by the 3 C's: Catalogue, Capture, and Kill (It's a dialect thing, it doesn't translate well.) – and these two do so with such ruthless efficiency that they're accidentally wiping out whole evolutionary lines. Next in their sites: A lovely, frenzied ballerina Lilligant that can't be allowed to see the light of modern Sinnoh.

It's a new year and it's a brand-new game (to them) neither of the boys has ever touched—a truly open world, unknown & unexplored new land called Hisui. Except wait it does seem to have some striking similarities to the world they explored in the last game. We'll have to get to the bottom of that. And who better to do it than through Josh & Tanner's definitely completely original and in no way related to previous characters in the EXP. Share universe? Meet your would-be champions (or whatever they do here in Hisui) for our jaunt through Pokémon Legends: Arceus, as we navigate new mechanics, new trainers, and their first challenge of getting a Kleavor to settle down. Notes: Featuring "Celtic Fantasy Music with Nature Ambience" by Coya Music and "Almost Heaven" by Freesound Music

Welcome to the lawless Aeos Islands, where the rich come to get richer, younger, and more beautiful as the poor and destitute of the Pokéworld grind it out in the brawling pits, harvesting rare Aeos energy to power the ruling class' abhorrent experiments with the laws of nature. Meet Bree Van Durr, a lofty figure brought low, washed up on the fabricated shores with a Gothic Horror Mewtwo in tow. She'll have a long path to travel if she ever hopes to take on undefeated Pokémon Unite champion Neon Greedent Evangelion and his thankless personal chef, Greenring.

The #GrimSeason comes to its end. Will Crystal Ball & Shadow Josh suffer any further losses at the Pokémon League? Will either one play through all the postgame, or simply give up? Join us as we finish BDSP and share all of our thoughts about it.

What a leg! Really, so much happened this week, there's almost not enough time to cover it all, and there's certainly no room to get into all the specifics here in the episode description. These things have a character limit, you know. I could probably get into the boss battle atop Team Galactic HQ or the lake spirits freeing Dialga from Cyrus' red chain, but I don't think there was really anything else notable or humbling or humiliating that happened to Tanner or anyone else this week worth mentioning here.

Crystal Ball foresees a long trek ahead, and her soothsaying powers once again do not disappoint. She and Shadow Josh spend some time at the Canalave Library hoping to beef up on the Legendary Gulpin Egg—or so they thought. Instead, they're railroaded into having to go investigate all those multi-tailed lake freaks and once again, bail everyone out of a bunch of trouble they got themselves into. AND climb a mountain.

We decided to get out ahead of some pretty labored metaphors while we're paying our quarterly taxes and getting out ahead of our waterfalls this season, you know, like a Basculin swimming upstream. Okay, now that I'm seeing it written out I see Josh's point. We went to Canalave City and took on Byron in Canalave Gym. We crushed him.

After a particularly dark chapter in the #GrimSeason last week, our heroes/antiheroes are blessed with a short and relatively painless jaunt. That's thanks to Cynthia, who comes out of nowhere with "Secret Medicine" that takes care of the Psyduck blockade up on Route 210. She also makes Crystal Ball & Shadow Josh meet her grandmother up in Celestic Town, who needs an Old Charm for some reason. After that, they finally get to take on the Hearthome City Gym Leader, Fantina, and maybe dust off the Super Contest Contest? Featuring: "Memorial Day (Alex Productions)" by Breaking Copyright.

Crystal Ball chose to take the road less traveled this week by bee-lining down the Valor Lakefront and right into the hungry battlefields of the Seven Stars Restaurant. Shadow Josh, on the other hand, stuck to the rivers and lakes that he's used to—by taking what may or may not be the prescribed route down to Pastoria City. Either way, both… creatures made it to take on Crasher Wake, but it was pretty brutal for one of them. #GrimSeason Featuring: "Santeria (Sublime)" by CC Karaoke.

Traversing like a fifth of the map this early on in a Nuzlocke is no small feat, and regrettably some small feet on someone's team didn't make it through the other side of Mt. Coronet pass. But, we didn't let that stop us from enjoying the jaunty music and wind in our hair careening down Cycling Road—at least that buoyed our spirits enough to weather fighting some dad impersonating a Pichu's mom or the freak with three Mr. Mimes. Oh, and Maylene's fearsome Lucario. The #GrimSeason continues down a dark path. Notes: Featuring "Sea of Love (Cat Power)" by FakeyOke.

Some of us tried our best but we STILL didn't succeed this week, but that's okay, because we're taking the long view as we look ahead to, well, a very easy gym in Eterna City. The road was a little rocky along the way, and not like ice cream, like difficulties. it wasn't nice. We didn't have a nice week. #GrimSeason

Welcome to the Grim Season. Not only have we dragged ourselves back to Sinnoh for 2021's kawaii/chibi/uwu overhaul, but we've decided to doubly punish ourselves with another take on the Nuzlocke: SOUL LINK! Meet our twisted new avatars for the season, our first impressions of Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, and find out if one (aka both because our souls are intwined) of us happened to suffer any dearly departed 'mon on the first leg. Notes: Featuring "(Free) Horror Ambiance - Ominous Background Music" by ESN Productions.

Hi, it's us, Todd Snap. (Not the hunk, a different one.) We didn't want to leave you all high and dry for three weeks so we met up to play through the new Pokémon Snap! Then we had a few too many and went back to the studio to complain about it, mostly. Enjoy!

In the season 8A (that's right, we're calling it now) finale, our podcast titans recount their trials and travails conquering the Crown Tundra; attempts to land that hot date with Miss Honey; the hideous Legendaries they fought in Dynamax Adventures; the Galarian Star Tournament and Ball Guy's bogus grand prize; and finally throw Drew England's Connecticut champions up against Wellington Smithsmith's wealthy industrialists to determine who has the most powerful team in the archipelago.

This week we downloaded some content from the eShop to continue our journeys for the hefty sum of $29.99 American, but you know what they say: do it for the Vine. And we're glad we did, because we love this dang place. Some of us more than others.

Wellington Smithsmith & Drew England make landfall on the Armor of Isle—sorry, that is, the Isle of Armor. They're immediately accosted by a couple of escaped circus freaks, who inadvertently introduce them to the locals' warriors path. Along with several children who have seemingly never wielded a Poké Ball before, they must complete three trials in order to ultimately take on the island's defender, Master Mustard. (And, in Drew England's case, win the affections of Miss Honey.) But it doesn't end there. They must also fall in love with a kung-fu bear and then climb a couple of scary towers so that it can finally become its truest self, or something poetic like that. Plus! Even more Wild Area antics.

It's that time of the season once more are we set aside our goals and ambitions and finally just wander around the Galar region aimlessly just trying to find stuff we missed during our playthrough. I promise, it's much more exciting than it sounds. If you're expecting a battle, you'll be sorely disappointed though, because Josh doesn't have the chutzpah to take on Tanner's All-Connecticut All-Stars. Music: TLC - Waterfalls (SNES Remix), used with permission from Meme Music

30+ hours into the game, it appears that Pokémon Company finally remembered that they needed to have some bad guys in this game. So they crammed both the criminal syndicate and corporate overlord into one big, confusing plot that involves a bunch of guys in Oakleys, an underground power plant, and a non-Euclidean pile of poison bones. Oh, and Drew England meets someone(s) new from the Great State of Vermont.

A brief leg this week that we've bulked up with plenty of Wild Area shenanigans and by playing ahead to Wyndon JUST A LITTLE BIT. But you'll be glad we did, because there was PLENTY to take care of this week, especially for Josh who toiled for hours to catch Tanner a Stonjourner that he doesn't even like. Special apology to anyone from New Hampshire this week.

It's been a generation or two, but eventually the water routes come for us all. Fortunately, this time we have the aid of a beleaguered doctor who mysteriously controls all of the bike technology in Galar, and he's upgraded our Bikes into Water Bikes. Hope our indentured Rotom like to swim! On the far shore, we discover that Marnie is yet another nepo baby, who takes us to her family's private entrance to the giant garage that is Spikemuth—and away from the riot of challengers who she decided weren't worthy. Turns out her brother Piers isn't either, because his team is a joke.

Lock up your Hot-Mom-loving spouses and loved ones this week—at least, if you're playing Shield, because Circhester (pronounced see-sir-shrrr-sr) Gym has plenty to go around! You ever just start writing a sentence just to see where it goes? I am surprised as you are by that last one. Anyway, the other game has someone called Gordie. ¯(ツ)/¯

Tough week for Drew England as we check in on all the various competitions from the Wild Area, but can he redeem himself in a head-to-head battle with Smith-Smith's team of titans? You'll have to follow us through the unsavory Glimwood Tangle filled with drug addicts, into Ballonlea (pronounced baloney-ah) where we're invited to battle in an opium den, and through a side-quest to secure a representative for the great state of Vermont. It's quite a journey.

Drew England spends some time chilling in the Wild Area, and Wellington Smithsmith recruits a new entrepreneur there after learning about another one of Chairman Rose's sham companies while touring Hammerlocke. Josh reveals a provocative new theory about Galar's Two Princes, and Tanner has some provocative thoughts about Gigantamax Gengar as well as Ball Guy (as usual). They also unveil a couple of new competitions—both of which Josh didn't know about—both for themselves as well as you, Bug Catchers. Check out the Rotom Circuit #1 on our socials @expsharepod, and send us your high score after YOU do the math! *We'll be taking next week off for the Fourth of July, and back with your regularly scheduled episode on Tuesday, July 11th.*

Drew and Wellington push on this week into new ventures and new areas as they finish what they now know was essentially the opening tutorial sequence. With just Kabu left to stop them, a pitiful fire-type gym leader, it's only a matter of time before their sick machinations are unleashes upon the Galar region. (We're talking mostly about Wellington Smithsmith here, obviously.) It was a pretty breezy visit for both gents, to be honest. But at least they got the chance to stop by and see Motostoke's famous Fireman Octillery!

The route was short and yet, it was still full of terrors. Or maybe that's just the bit when we tried to figure out how to battle each other online for the first time. You be the judge, but please don't make fun of us too much. We're two grown adult men after all, how were we supposed to know that a hidden menu is what you use to fight each other, rather than the one on the main menu THAT SAYS "VS" ON IT. Please excuse us. We also have a controversial pick for Trainer Danger, but Joshy's Sweetie and Tanner's Ew Make Me Barf Pokémon of the Week certainly are not.

We're joined by Greg Leatherman this week aka. Madison Sinclair who is busy, busy, busy building the most fabulous team of “Pokemon Drag Race” stars. Meanwhile, Drew England and Wellington Smith Smith are just trying to make it to Turffield so they can take on *checks notes* J.K. Rowling? Huh. Along the way we learn about hawk in Timbs, a pretty complicated conspiracy about gigantamaxing, and a Pokemon that's just a big wad of, well, it'd be impolite to day what it looks like. 

‘Ello guv! Welcome to a new season of Exp. Share on an all new system, in an all-new region, with a lovely emerald isle (close enough) FILLED with all-new Barfies and Sweeties. Join industrialist Wellington Smith Smith and New England ambassador Drew England as they make their way to Motostoke City for the Pokemon Champions League opening ceremony. Along the way they meet weird dogs with lovely voices, some rowdy and fun-lovin' Stans, and the single most dangerous stranger to date: The Ball Guy. Chip chip, cheerio!

Season 7B/C draws to a close, even if maybe everyone participating in it didn't quite make it to the finish line. We've cleared the runway for David Sims, aka GringusD, to join us again after a brief hiatus to talk about Let's Go, the first time he played versus returning to it. Aside from traversing the surprisingly devastating Victory Road and taking on the Elite Four, we cover what we like and don't like both about the game and our own EXPLocke—with which one of our hosts once again struggles to keep a firm grasp on the rules of his own damn playstyle variant. You might as well call Josh & Tanner Pete & Chasten at this point because they're a family of Mayors Cheat.

The long and storied saga is finally drawing to a close. It was months in the making, but we've finally pushed through and all it took was a little light penis trauma along the way. I am, of course, referring to Tanner's kidney stone, but while we're on the topic of penis trauma, we've got a HOT new segment for you this week and the best part is that we want to hear from you, so make sure to tag us when you take to Twitter and TikTok to tell us about your #MountablePokemon. We also played a little Pokemon this week, but really, it was a VERY little amount. Still somehow Josh managed to cheat for abut half of it.