Can I Beat A Pokémon Nuzlocke With ONLY Six Spheals? 

A detail that probably wasn‘t noticed by many: the balls the Speals are in! The twins are in the same ball, Big Bertha in a heavy ball, team leader Alpha in a premier… Such magnificent attention to detail!

The animation. The mock-up documents. The grizzled soldier voice for the narration. The ‘cover story’ (how does a grown adult agent look like a ten year old boy? I love it.) The lore behind every choice and spheal. I knew from the moment I saw this thumbnail I’d adore this video but I still wasn’t prepared.

gotta admit Bertha's baby being named Nelson brought a tear to my eye

Oh wow I wasn't expecting to get so attached to these 6 Spheal so quickly that Nelson getting mauled to death by Archie's damn monster of a Sharpedo made me tear up and exclaim "Nelson noooooo!" Truly an absolute masterclass in storytelling.

Nuzlockes started as stories. The entire point was to get attached to these characters and detail all their best moments. In the shift to a fast-paced RU-vid algorithm, the stories were often lost. A hardcore nuzlocke of one creator became almost interchangeable with that of another creator because there wasn’t enough time to get attached to the characters. A story needs conflict and stakes. When you treat the world as a real world, the stakes get so much higher. Thank you for breaking the mold and returning nuzlockes to their roots. This new method of storytelling is yet another example of how you shift the paradigm. Can’t wait to see what you do next!

> All the pokemon are spheals > You still decided to have two of them in particular be twins Truly incredible writing

I was literally so devastated when we lost Nelson, what a good boy who did his best for the team. I really miss Nuzlockes that have fun stories like this, it makes the losses hit so much harder. Great job, man!

Best. Pokémon. Story. Narrative. Ever. I shed a tear with Nelson's death. It actually was like watching a movie TTwTT 10/10 would recommend and watch again

The Twins being extra small and Bertha being extra large is just the cutest freaking detail.

New decree: Every Spheal in every nuzlocke ever must be named Nelson in honor of his heroic sacrifice

This dude made me cry over a Pokemon fainting in battle. I love Nelson so much.. rest now sweet prince...

Imagine an epilogue: Years had passed. The Retired Champion feels an uncontrollable urge to visit Shoal Cave again. On the way, he notices a rainbow overhead, but overlooks it. Waiting for him at Shoal Cave is a Walrein, wearing a Rocky Helmet.

Now we live in a world where Jaiden Animations is turning into a pokemon streamer and FlygonHG is making super entertaining storytelling with cool drawings

The fact that Bertha and Nelson were best friends in the training academy makes it even more heartwarming that she named her first son after him following his passing.

Why am I crying over 6 Spheal? WHY WAS I BAWLING WHEN THEY VISITED SHOAL CAVE?!? I absolutely loved this entire thing, from the story to the characters, to the gameplay itself.

This is an absolutely legendary video. I put it on thinking "oh, I'll have it on in the background while I get ready for bed, I'll watch like 5 minutes and then maybe the rest in the morning!" No. I watched it all in one sitting. I was that entranced. This was a genuinely moving story. I thought that the narrative was going to be dropped once Archie had been beaten, the idea changing to "Hey, let's beat the champion for fun!" But instead we got a twist villain Disney could never dream of. The ending of "all power is terrible" got me. RIP Nelson.

Gosh, there's so much incredible detail in the Spheal profiles. Alpha is the only agent of Spheal Team 6 with a 100% mission success rate, killing 27 enemies across eight missions. He also conducted the most important assassination in the history of the force, killing [*REDACTED*] in a perfectly-executed mission. Anita killed 431 people across 19 missions, most of which it's safe to assume came during the infamous Mt. Pyre Massacre. She enjoys the hunt. She doesn't hesitate. She is the angel of death. Horatio, responsible for "The Brown Summer," was suspended multiple times while at the academy. 8 confirmed kills across two missions. Ran demolition in the Area Zero incident. Some rumors label him as the true killer of Paldea's famed professor. Eliza was the poison master during the Area Zero incident and is likely the only operative who actually knows what happened that day other than her brother. She was an elite athlete with no rival. None could match her blazing speed. Some Paldeans still campaign to this day for a permanent ban on Spheals after what Los Diablos did there. Bertha was feared even by her classmates. She did not complete daily exercises, but no-one dared question her. She completed two tours in the Unovan deserts. She had only one kill in 17 of her missions. Then suddenly, after she was one of only two survivors of the Chansey Siege of '05, her kill count suddenly went up by 82. She has not spoken to anyone about what happened in the siege, and that report is under top security clearance. Her best friend Nelson was the other survivor of the Chansey siege. He has only two kills to his record. He was not liked at the academy initially, but earned respect by sheer tenacity. The only indicator to any other agents of how the siege went was the number of scars on his round body after the mission. It is theorized that Nelson simply stood in the open and drew attacks while Bertha set up to take out their enemies. It truly foreshadowed his tragic end. They all obey without hesitation. They do not ask questions. And according to the reports, their donor parents were all killed before they were born.

Man, the loss of Nelson nearly had me in tears but Bertha's son being named in his honor took me over the edge. Wonderful storytelling, man. I really enjoyed this and ended up attached to these characters in just under 40 minutes, honestly really impressive.

This was by FAR the best pokemon challenge video ever made. The use of "Amazing Grace" during the shoal cave segment really put me in my feels.

it's 2am, I've work in three hours. I didn't need to be literally crying over spheals. RIP Nelson. flawless story telling, the animation, each spheal personality, all of it, just 10/10 superb!

Despite Flygon being a fully evolved pokémon already, FlygonHG keep evolving his content. That intro was awesome.

The shoal cave scene was the absolute best climax I could have ever imagined for a pokemon story like this one. It's obvious people put a lot of effort into this video, and I hope it grows and ages well in the future!

I’m actually emotional over Bertha naming her child after Nelson. I subbed because of this. Loved all the thoughtful details. The animations were top notch and brought the story to life as well.

NOT BERTHA'S CHILD BEING NAMED NELSON 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 god this was such a great story, what a way to turn a challenge run into an insanely compelling narrative with such emotional impact, absolutely amazing job!

this went from a cool amusing intro to a stupid challenge run to the best story about murderous spheals ive ever seen. also admittedly the only story about murderous spheals ive ever seen, but y'know, it's still really good.

20:00 this is a testament to Flygon’s storytelling, I am IN TEARS

I was expecting this to be: “haha funny man with 6 spheals becoming the Pokémon champion” Instead I got: “Pokémon Gear: Spheal Eater”

I want more like this. I was so unironically invested! The fact it was cute spheals made me really close to tearing up when one "died" even, partially driven by just how played-straight the delivery of the death-speech was. This is such a fun way to present a nuzlocke, and this makes me wish I had the budget and such to do similar.

I love the breaking character with pelipper, so perfect. Also you've still got your regular phrases with this

Damn why did Nelson’s death bring up more emotions than 90% of billion dollar films absolutely spectacular performance by everyone and I hope every Spheal gets the well earned rest in their retirement they deserve

I didnt expect a video with this premise to make me so overwhelmingly emotional. The animated segments were amazingly adorable. I love how you were able to bring back the long forgotten nuzlocke tradition of having an emotional attachment for your team. Reminds me of my childhood.

Rest in peace, Nelson. You were loved and cherished by many, especially Bertha. You will forever live within our memories.

This is already the best nuzlocke yet. Incredible storytelling, awesome characters, a freaking COVER STORY!? If this doesn’t crack 500k views me and my spheals will riot

The fact that Bertha honored Nelson has made her my favorite of the Spheal Team 6 ❤️

THE LOREEEEE dude did good writing this pretty entertaining story love how we constantly find ways to play these games in different ways.

The true spirit of the nuzlocke. Nuzlockes these days are soulless and repetitive, but this is a breath of fresh air

This is the first run I’ve seen in a long time that feels so true to the spirit of Pokémon Hard Mode. It’s not about being the best player, it’s about giving so much life and personality to a Pokémon you only had by chance, that you genuinely feel that loss. Thank you.

Where boys cried: AI Professor Sada/Turo going through the time machine Where men cried: Nelson sacrificing himself to save his best friend, who returned the favor years later by naming her child after him Can't wait for the epic sequel, Squishes Strike Back: The Story of the Goomy Team Six, A Pokemon Y Hardcore Nuzlocke, coming to theaters July 2023 /j Seriously, keep up these story based challenges! I absolutely ADORED both this and the Bunny Only Sword Hardcore Nuzlocke :3

I cried fir real to the death of Nelson, Spheal is my favorite pokémon and him dying like a Champ make me cry... And the newborn Spheal named Nelson at the end brought me a tear of happiness. Very good storytelling ♥️

THIS IS SO GOOD! Insanely well made, the shoal cave segment is unbelievable! You're a great freaking storyteller!

man. the story beats of this nuzlocke got me a whole lot more emotional than i had expected. the spheals getting to just be spheals for the first time in their lives. nelson sacrificing himself, always so dedicated to the cause even if he was never top of his class. the wall grew quiet and unseen as a wall tends to do. i initially followed this channel for its unique nuzlockes, and this one has become one of my favorites.

I love when nuzlockers commit to a story like this. It makes any deaths in the run hit that much harder when there's a backstory. Nelson dying after the spheals finally got to just ...be spheals. No joke, I was tearing up.

I really like the idea of doing hardcore nuzlocke in Gen 6 because of the super training. It gives an edge that can still make it difficult, but gives a greater level of strategy

i love how they all have difrent held items as their personality(exept the leader who has a physical feature;the scar)its a nice attention to detail good job dude keep up the amazing work.

I didn’t expect to be tearing up over Spheals today, but life has a way of surprising you Excellent video, incredible twists, 10/10 you have earned yourself a sub

This is it, this is the best nuzlocke of all time. The storytelling is absolutely immaculate, the animations and drawings great, the music all so fitting. Well done Dr. Flygon, well done.

Never expected a nuzlocke to destroy me emotionally. We will all carry Nelson in our hearts 💙

Super creative take on a Nuzlocke and an amazing excuse to spotlight the adorable Spheel :) 6 of the same pokemon yet somehow didn't feel remotely dull? That's talent my friend!

These story based runs are the most amazing thing that poketube has to offer.

Everyone said it already - incredible. The animation is adorable, the spheals are SO good, the storyline is fun, and the EPILOGUE. Listen. This is like a fanfiction to me. I am obsessed. I want every nuzlocke to be like this. I am losing it.

I came to watch this expecting a nuzlocke I could listen to while drawing but as soon as I saw the art and heard the immersive story telling with clear effort put into making it an interesting watch, I put down my book and began to watch. Happy to say I don't regret it. The amazing visuals, the storytelling that gives you an explanation for questions the viewer may ask, a good plot, the emotional moments, all I can say is it was a good watch. Please keep up the good work.

I never thought that a story about 6 Spheals would literally make me cry. I’ve done multiple nuzlockes and when a lose a Pokémon it makes me a little sad but I can get over it later. But when Nelson died I had to pause the video cause I couldn’t see it through the tears in my eyes

Goddamn I just about burst out into tears over Nelson 😭I'm so glad nobody else had to die and Bertha honored him like that! This was amazing bro!

I feel like FlygonHG keeps making so many Hoenn challenges just so he can keep writing more of Mr. Stone’s love life

Why does a Pokémon challenge run give me more feelings and a better story than most movies these days?

Loving the emphasis on storytelling 💜🖤. GO SPHEAL TEAM SIX!!!

37:08 had me tearing up unbelievable storyline this is the work of a master

31:00 I love how the orchestral version of "the elephants marching" starts playing

Dude made me feel every emotion in a story about spheals

*sniffles* This was beautiful. Really. I loved these characters. They felt like a real family. It was adorable, and sweet, and sad. I felt really sad when Nelson fell. Thank-you for this, Flygon. This was a good, emotional 40 minutes. May the remaining Spheal Six live on happily.

With how well the elite 4 went I’m convinced they knew what you were up to and let you through to accomplish what none of them could.

you definitely captured the spirit of a nuzlocke. reminds me of the storytelling in the comic. i love it when people give their teams/playthroughs unique stories as well, because it shows that everyone's playthroughs of pokémon are unique and this is just one of many ways to enjoy the game.

ohhh the narrative and emotional stakes are SUCH classic nuzlocke stuff and it's really fun and compelling to see in video form like this, down to the clever reframing of story events and everything

I love the commitment, the drawings and the breaking character to rant about Pelipper.

Spheal is the cutest sweetest baby 🥺 and this was a very cute, heartwarming story. More off-the-wall narrative Nuzlocke teams, please!

The story aspect of this nuzlocke made this whole video so much better and interesting. Other youtubers might have just put this out as a normal nuzlocke but with a gimmick video. But your take on this with the Spheal Team 6 made it perfect.

This is cinema gold. I kid you not when I say that this is an absolute masterpiece. The way you mix storytelling and gameplay together is absolutly glorious. This really is so good. This made me subscribe. Thank you for this wonderful video from the bottom of my heart.

I love how Winona’s Pelliper broke Matti…that dumb bird has done the same to me too many times to count. I think I rank him as more dreaded to fight than Whitney and her Miltank, simply from frustration rather than difficulty Edit: Holy hell the Icy cave part almost got me choked up!! Edit 2: Ok…you got me a few minutes later…damn Crobat!!

This felt like an anime... It was beautiful. I rate this a 10 out of 10. Spheal has, and always have been one of my all-time favorite water types. The story was excellent. The bittersweet ending was fascinated. This is what most stories should be.

Wow. This was the first video I’ve seen of yours, and I was just blown away. You are amazing and very talented, and I love the collab for the animation, and with every spheal having a deep backstory. It’s so good I actually cried when Nelson died. And to top it all off, spheal is my favorite Pokémon!

this is real story telling we need a part 2 ASAP

I teared up a little at the part toward the end where he talked about Bertha and her husband's first son, Nelson. AND I AM STILL CRYING WHAT THE HECK

I love the thought that almost everything in sapphire was orchestrated to take down Archie

This really was only 3 months ago… wow. One of my favorite nuzlocke videos though, as others pointed out, the story is what nuzlockes really were about

The loss of Nelson had me in tears and this video got me to subscribe. Keep up the awesome work!

I legitimately cried during this video, both at Nelson's sacrifice and the Where Are They Now section. This was absolutely beautiful. I hope you are able to make more amazing stories 💕

I was more emotionally invested in this story than any Hollywood film from the past two decades. I will never, ever, forget the legacy of the ST6 and the sacrifices they endured

That was amazing. Turning a Nuzlocke into a movie-like storyline was a genius idea and the execution was superb, from storytelling to the actual gameplay.

Honestly I’ve been getting this video in my recommendations for a while now and just ignored it for a while till I finally choose to watch and didn’t expect to witness such a masterpiece of a story and Pokémon nuzlocke. Amazing work. Thank you for such entertaining content

I just got teary-eyed about six spheals and their story about saving the world. This was absolutely amazing, please look into doing stuff like this again in the future!

Yo when we said we liked the narrative style of nuzlock FlygonHg ran with it. I was in tears with Nelson’s sacrifice, but than to see the aftermath seeing the team continue to move on after, brought me to tears again. Not to mention how visiting the cave foreshadowed the tragedy. I did not expect to have such strong feelings while watching a nuzlock, thank you for such amazing work.

That was wonderful! I wasn't expecting a story driven nuzlocke, but I'm all here for it! The animations and little details really brought this to life! Great work.

So, I just discovered this channel. And this is easily one of the best Pokemon-videos I have ever seen. The narrative is amazing!

Bro, the storytelling, the narrative, the character design of each spheal was just amazing! I've always loved your videos (I even rewatch them sometimes) but this is a whole new level. We'll always have Nelson in our hearts

I love the the Flygon breaks character with the rage at Pelliper.

Absolutely killed it in this video. The story telling is top tier, had me engaged and laughing the entire time. Very well done

This was absolutely beautiful, the ending really made me tear up. You wrote such lively characters for them all, I got attached

Literal tears for Nelson. Thank god none of the others died. Well done Flygon, storytelling at its finest.

This was beautiful and nelson was the hero we didn't even know we needed. Rest in peace my boy nelson

This is so amazing, your story crafting was awesome, and I cried when Nelson sacrificed himself. Thank you for making this :)

This is so funny the idea of a nuzlock with a full team of spheals is hilarious and the fact your acting like a secret agent is even funnier

This was absolutely amazing. I think you did a great job writing a coherent plot, and justifying why you couldn't kill Archie in the beginning, as well as why Steven isn't the one dealing with Archie.

Ok Flygon chill, when we said “please more story-driven runs” we didn’t mean they’d all have to be THIS GOOD! Such an awesome video, especially the Cave Arc and the ending. Great job, keep it up ❤️

potentially the best nuzlocke video ever, the story line, the art, the challenge itself was masterful, I almost cried at nelsons death, its beautiful

Why is your story telling in this video so absolutely perfect. Like, I could easily just listen to this with my eyes closed and it’s a perfect audio story where I can see it all clearly. And a moving story too

Bravo! I've been subbed to you for almost a year and I must say I am absolutely thrilled to say that it was a damn good decision. Your growth is amazing and it never fails to impress me. The story of spheal six is a masterpiece. It is a tale of emotions. Spoilers Ahead: I loved the part where Bertha named her son Nelson i almost shed a tear Also really like the Steven letter gag and I'm waiting for the next one. The implication that Steven had already used the ten year old agents was there for the really attentive viewers. Thank you for your wonderful content flygonhg wish you all the best.

This was freaking hilarious, and Bertha's sleepy icon is the best thing ever.

Your story telling is so good i was almost in tears at the shoal cave part. Keep up the good work man

What wasn't there? Action, emotions, sacrifice, compassion and justice! I absolutely loved every second of your video! I wish you the best and I would feel blessed if I could see another video with a similar narration style!

I just expected this to a funny story of 6 spheal stopping team aqua and becoming champion. *that was EMOTIONAL*