>>35277140>secret baseProbably the most trivial thing about the Hoenn games but I just loved the idea of secret bases. The idea of making yourself a little home in some far off corner surrounded by puddles and thick forests was the comfiest thing pokemon games ever did. I think it's the thought of having a life outside just running around and battling people, having a place to come back to, that really immersed you in the world of Hoenn. (Funnily enough that's why DPP's Secret Bases just don't do it for me, because while your base in Hoenn feels like a real outback home, surrounded by waterfalls and trees, your DPP base was a literal hole in the ground that was played up as more of a hidey hole for games of tag more than anything.)
My favorite spot was just under the Regi cave in Route 120, I know there are "better" (more spacy) places elsewhere, but it was in a little corner with a patch of soil outside and a pond, it felt like your very own retreat. Hell, sometimes I'd plant berries and fish and imagine that my character had a dream of one day saving enough money to turn the area into his very own plantation where he could comfortably retire, that's why he became a Trainer, so he could get that money in the first place. Was a silly headcanon but it was comfy nonetheless.
Plus that magical Route 120 music, dear god.
