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Trainer LEO would like to battle.

  • Trainer LEO sent out CATERPIE
  • Trainer LEO sent out RATICATE
  • Trainer LEO sent out NIDORINA
  • Trainer LEO sent out DIGLETT
  • Trainer LEO sent out SLOWBRO
  • Trainer LEO sent out ________

Trainer LEO smiles at you, "Can you figure out what my last Pokémon is?" and hands you a note - "It's not a sequence, nor a list"

Jynx, Mew, Beedrill, Nidoran♂, Miltank, Klink, Nihilego, Kabutops, Silcoon, Kakuna, Snivy, Absol, Lapras, Aron, Dartrix, Sawk, Minun, Gyarados, Onix, Durant, Shinx, Metang, Paras, Zorua, Marill, Klang, Cherrim, Pidgeot, Tentacool, Hoopa, Oddish, Houndoom, Bellsprout, Unown, Zapdos, Golem, Muk, Jirachi, Ferroseed, Riolu, Komala, Gorebyss, Pikachu, Machamp, Joltik, Skitty, Ariados, Ditto, Dodrio, Murkrow, Sliggoo, Golisopod

What is his last Pokémon? It is NOT in the list

Hint 1:

Since this is not a list, let's strip it from the item separator , :

JynxMewBeedrillNidoran♂MiltankKlinkNihilegoKabutopsSilcoonKakunaSnivyAbsolLaprasAronDartrixSawkMinunGyaradosOnixDurantShinxMetangParasZoruaMarillKlangCherrimPidgeotTentacoolHoopaOddishHoundoomBellsproutUnownZapdosGolemMukJirachiFerroseedRioluKomalaGorebyssPikachuMachampJoltikSkittyAriadosDittoDodrioMurkrowSliggooGolisopod

Hint 2:

The title also functions as a hint.

Hint 3:

The message in hint 1 has a length of 323 characters. The fact that 323 is the first Fibonacci pseudoprime is just a happy coincidence.

Hint 4:

You will need to put your skills at a slight variation of the game "Who's that Pokémon" to the test. The answer will not be given to you.

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  • 3
    $\begingroup$ +1 just because it’s a pokemon themed puzzle $\endgroup$
    – PDT
    Commented Jul 25 at 18:19
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    $\begingroup$ The Pokédex numbers of the five Pokémon that Trainer LEO sent out are 10, 20, 30, 50, and 80. That leads me to believe that this is a Fibonacci sequence, and the next one should be 130. Except that's Gyarados, who is in the names given, and the last sentence seems to imply that none of those names are the answer... $\endgroup$
    – GentlePurpleRain
    Commented Jul 25 at 18:54
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Hm. GPR's observations, which are supported by the trainer's name, and the hint could lead to a useful indexing scheme to extract an eight-letter word, but either it doesn't work out or I'm just not seeing it. $\endgroup$
    – M Oehm
    Commented Jul 27 at 7:06
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Also, I'm starting to suspect that the answer is some glitch pokémon. $\endgroup$
    – Victor Stafusa
    Commented Jul 28 at 22:54
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Oy! Everything seems to point towards Farfetch'd now ... ;) $\endgroup$
    – M Oehm
    Commented Jul 29 at 10:46

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
13
+50
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The last Pokémon is:

Totodile:

Totodile with mouth shut

Observations

The Pokédexes of the first five Pokémon that trainer Leo sent out are 10, 20, 30, 50, and 80. This is a Fibonacci series, where the each element is the sum of the previous two. The name of the trainer, Leo, hints at Leonardo da Pisa, anoter name of Fibonacci.

The title is the name of the online game Who's that Pokémon, where players must recognize Pokémon by their silhouettes. Four options are given, like in Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

The given names have 323 letters (including one symbol) in total when run together without spaces and commas. These letters can be arranged in a rectangle of either 17×19 or 19×17.

The answer:

After a bit of experimentation, I got a promising bitmap. (I highlighted each letter individually in both orientations and looked for letters that never appear near the corners, which led me to U, M, A and H.)
The letters are arranged in 19 lines with 17 letters each in the same order as they appear in Hint 1. Now highlight the letters whose position in the alphabet form the beginning of the canonical Fibonacci series 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, ...: A, B, C, E, H and U: 

· · · · M E · B E E · · · · · · ·
· · · A · · M · · · A · · · · · ·
· · · H · · E · · · A B U · · · ·
· · · C · · · · A · U · A · · · ·
· A B · · · · A · · A · A · · · ·
A · · · · · · A · · M · · U · · ·
A · A · · · · · · · · U · A · · ·
H · · · M E · A · · · A · A · · ·
· U A M A · · · · · · A · · C H E
· · · M · · · · E · · · E · · A C
· · · H · · · A · · · · · H H · U
· · · · M B E · · · · · · U · U ·
· · · · A · · · · · · · E M M U ·
· · · A C H · · E · · · · E E · ·
· · · U · · M A · A · · · E B · ·
· · · · A C H U M A C H A M · · ·
· · · · · · · · · · A · · A · · ·
· · · · · · · · · · · M U · · · ·
· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

The answer in colour

pixellated Pokémon

Credit

Many of the obervations are taken from the comments below the question. So thanks to everyone who shared their findings, especially to GentlePurpleRain who spotted the Fibonacci pattern and to MrClarinico for identifying the Pokémon.

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  • $\begingroup$ I think it looks like a ROT13(Gbgbqvyr) $\endgroup$
    – MrClarinico
    Commented Jul 31 at 6:47
  • $\begingroup$ Aha well done! And I agree with MrClarinico's ID above... $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Commented Jul 31 at 6:48
  • $\begingroup$ Oh, thank you, @MrClarinico. In the catalogues I browsed, the mouth was wide open, so I missed that completely. $\endgroup$
    – M Oehm
    Commented Jul 31 at 7:14
  • $\begingroup$ Yes, good job! Side Node: rot13(Perqvgf gb WrsserlZNA1234 sbe gur cvkry neg (gur bayl ernfba vg qbrfa'g unir gur rknpg fnzr oynpx pryyf vf orpnhfr V znqr genafpevcgvba reebef :)). V ernyvmr gur lryybj cneg vf gbb sne qbja va gur yvaxrq neg, ohg gung'f jung vg vf fhccbfrq gb or svyyrq yvxr.) $\endgroup$
    – Lukas Rotter
    Commented Jul 31 at 7:44
  • $\begingroup$ Good job creating the puzzle, I'd say. So the mouth is actually open and where I put the yellow stripe. Anyway, I'll leavit it as it is, since you have linked to the original art. $\endgroup$
    – M Oehm
    Commented Jul 31 at 7:54

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