EXP. Share

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, but the latter has NOT taken our breakup 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.

Our noble/ignoble adventurers 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 Veteran what it takes to go toe-to-toe in the Aeos Islands. Notes: Give Master Greg a follow on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, @whitewing and Instagram @lysander03!

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.