Growlithe | Pidgeot | Poliwhirl | Ampharos | Machoke | Umbreon |
8 badges.
I came really close to beating the elite four with just Ampharos and Umbreon at level 40, and everyone else at level 32, but I couldn't get past Karen's last pokemon (Houndoom). Koga's Muk gives me problems too, as Koga typically uses a full restore and by that point it gets so hard to land a strong hit on Muk who is constantly using shrink (or whatever it is).
While I don't like grinding I got Pidgeotto into Pidgeot so far, and Machoke has gained a few levels. Once I get everyone up to 40 I should be able to take them on no problem.