Type Preview: Fairy

Introduced in X/Y to serve as a hard check for the Dragon type (super-effective AND immune), the Fairy type is quite a potent one, with wide movepools and a good variety of dual types.

Which is a good thing, because they have some, shall we say... statistical issues.

Type Effectiveness:
Attacking: Double damage to Fighting, Dragon and Dark. Resisted by Fire, Poison and Steel.
Defending: Super effected by Poison and Steel. Resist Bug, Fighting and Dark. Immune to Dragon.

Dual types:
Water, Psychic, Steel, Electric, Rock, and Normal. Grass and Flying are locked to Friend Safari or Pokemon Bank.

Probable Final Team:
Azurill/Marill/Azumarill: Unlike the Ghost run, it's Fairies for all gyms, and they're all I'm catching. The annoying parts are going to be: a) finding one with the ideal nature (Attack boostng)/ability (Huge Power) combo, and then getting it to happy-evolve before Marill learns Rollout at level 10.

Ralts/Kirila/Gardevoir: So much of this team is built on the early routes. I've used Gardevoir before, but not in a run where it got the Fairy type. Unlike Gengar, though, its Mega is like Mawile's and stuck in the postgame. For various reasons, I'm hoping for a Modest one with Synchronise ability.

Swirlix/Slurpuff: Provides a pure Fairy, I didn't realize a) that its stats were as balanced as they are, and b) it learns Surf so I don't have to waste that slot on Azumarill. Bonus: Learns Flamethrower and Thunderbolt.

Mawile: Steel/Fairy is the best defensive type combo in the game, Mawile has Intimidate, and I figured I used Sableye on the last run so I should use its actually-functional counterpart in this run. Provides a physical/special balance.

Snubbull/Granbull: Another re-typed Fairy, will provide coverage with elemental Fangs, another dose of Intimidate, and someone's gotta learn Strength.

Xerneas: You give me an uber, I'm going to use it. No exceptions. Plus, it's an excuse to get one I want.

Why not use...?
If there's a lot of options for a type, I'll explain why I'm not using it at the endgame. Ghost didn't have that problem, fairy does.

Flabebe/Floette/Florges: It'll be there until Team Flare, but if I'm going to bring three pure Fairies I'm going to make them as strong as possible.

Spritzee/Aromatisse: For one thing, I'm in X. For another, it's MORTALLY slow. I'll sacrifice Moonblast for something that won't have to constantly heal.

Eevee/Sylveon: I've used Sylveon before, and a combo of bad movepool and the time it takes to get a usable one isn't worth it.

Dedenne: Yes, it'd provide an Electric STAB, but I bet Gardevoir (among others) can still outdamage it. And it doesn't even learn a special Fairy move!

Mr Mime: Gardevoir > Mr Mime as far as Psychic fairies go, and it's just bloody creepy.

Carbink: Too defensive for the run, movepool issues.

Major Battle Expectations:
Viola: Marill will roll everything to death.
Grant: Mawile will Rock Smash Amaura to death, and the team being able to resist Strong Jaw Bite will make this far easier than the Ghost run.
Korrina: Hopefully the grinding will allow me to have Gardevoir here for an easy win.
Ramos: I may not be able to super-effect anything, but Mawile will resist everything.
Clemont: High Special Defenses will open the door to an easy win
Valerie: Going to have to overpower everything since Mawile's STAB comes at the Move Returner and I don't think anyone's going to have Poison moves.
Olympia: Gardevoir's gonna wreck a lot of stuff, with Granbull along for the ride.
Wulfric: Install Mawile, problem solved.

Rival: I'm going to go Fennekin as a starter, so the rival I fight the most has -Dark Greninja. and the other has -Fighting Chesnaught  at the end. Thankfully, Absol will *not* be a problem this time.
Team Flare: The mostly Dark-types shouldn't be a problem.
Elite 4 and Champ: I'll definitely save Wikstrom for last, but Drasna goes first.

Trainer:
For the first time, I play a guy. And his name? On the suggestion of my brother... Takei. As in George Takei. Oh my, indeed.