Nuzlocke: LeafGreen Part 4 ~ Vermillion City

The journey to Vermillion City begins with an infuriating incident with a Butterfree on Route 6. I can say I rotated everyone in and out at least once just to avoid getting raped-shanked by Poison or Sleep Powder. Gah, that was a long few minutes. But, other than that, Richard and A'Tuin perform flawlessly and I make a beeline to Route 11 when I enter the city to see what Pokemon the Random Number God will grace me with.

Sauraz the Sandshrew is his name and he is the real star of today's story. He first showed up at level 14 and throughout Route 11 and all those fiesty trainers on the S.S Anne he did not know the meaning of defeat, or even the near death experience. Sauraz is inordinately fast for a Sandshrew and has no trouble at all taking on Cloysters and Tentacools that would bring a lesser hamster-shrew down.

But then again, perhaps my memory is tainted by the grief. Gary Oak comes along again to ruin my day, like you wouldn't believe. Sauraz takes care of Pidgeotto no problem but I just had to go and get cocky. I'm faster than his Ivysaur, it won't be a problem. Or so I think. Bam! He gets that first Scratch off, no problem. One more hit and that leafy green menace is down for the count right? WRONG. A critical super effective vine whip teaches me the meaning of caution another time. A wise man would learn by now...but apparently I don't. I suspect my bad decision making has something to do with the innumerable distractions in the lounge while I'm at this but it is no excuse. Richard and A'tuin are my only real winners, once again. Hyper Fang chews through Kadabra and Raticate like nobodies business.

With very little time for grief I realize that what I need now is an ace-in-the-hole against Lt. Surges Electric types. Digletts dig in Diglett cave. I catch a Diglett, level 20, name him Rocksteady (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsoRbzdXKRw) and head for the Gym. Cierra looks like she needs to cut down some trees for me so she gets cut so I can get to the Gym itself.

Rocksteady decimates electric Pokemon like its nothing with Dig and Magnitude. Even Lt. Surge is looking easy, when Rocksteady and Raichu face off. I go in for the Magnitude. Magnitude...3. Raichu's double team and Quick Attack take care of the rest. That's another monster down for the count. Raticate subs in and once again I rely on Hyper Fang. Sad day, but at least my run goes on.

Time to head for Rock Tunnel...after I talk to some weirdo talk to me about his Rapidash in exchange for a Bike Voucher anyway. He talks too much, but at least I catch another Voltorb I name Bobby Boom on Route 9/10 on the way. Now to go back and fight all those trainers I skipped near Diglett cave and on Route 9 to train him and see how it goes...


~~~~~===End of Session Adventure Status===~~~~~
Ending Play Time: 6:01
Badges: Boulder Badge, Cascade Badge, Thunder Badge

Pokemon remaining:
A'Tuin, Relaxed Level 25Wartortle
Richard, Lax Level 25 Raticate
Bobby Boom, Level 14 Voltorb
Huninn, Timid Level 16 Pidgey
Cierra, Gentle Level 12 Meowth

Boxed:
Wexley, Level 11 Beedril
Ellena, Level 5 Magikarp
Zeifer, Level 7 Zubat

Pokemon Graveyard:
Leonard, Level 21 Fearow
Sauraz, Level 19 Sandscrew
Rocksteady, Level 23 Diglett

Nuzlocke: LeafGreen Part 3 ~ Cerulean City

After my traumatic experience with Rattata and Rattata violence I made my way for Nugget bridge. Its Gary Oak, again. He blathers on about how I'm trudging along behind him but soon enough the battle begins. I've got Richard and Leonard both to thank for this battle. Gary's Pidgeotto doesn't stand a chance again a critical hit hyper fang but when he sends out Bulbasaur I sub in Leonard for the type advantage on the peck to achieve victory. Wartortle's Mega Punch takes out the rest of the trash, his Abra and his own Rattata.

It is at this point I am beginning to realize just how awesome Hyper Fang is. I stop for a break at the pokemon center and Richard obliterates all of the trainers on the bridge with just that one move, except for a Mankey towards the end. I sub him out intentionally so Wartortle can bite through the last of the competition and then I watch Richard become a Raticate.

I come up lucky on my pokemon catching along the way too. I snag myself a level 8 Weedle with a single tackle from Richard and snag it with a Pokeball. I won't be keeping him along forever but I sub him in and out for the next couple of trainer battles training Leonard so I can have a nice shiny Beedrill to shove in the box for later Pokemon capturing needs. The rest of the trip to Bill's house is fairly uneventful until Leonard evolves when I finish a battle with young boy and his Slowpoke. Leonard is a Fearow and learns pursuit too. Seems like things are getting much better.

Bill's house is what you might expect. Cozy, comfortable, mutant filled thanks to his strange machinery. Do not misunderstand me, but, I mean, I'm glad I was able to help Bill out. But...he fused with a Pokemon and I've never seen that Clefairy come back out of the other teleporter pad. I'd keep an eye on this guy if I was the police but it looks like they are too busy in town solving a robbery involving the infamous Team Rocket. Leonard, however, has both peck and pursuit now so when I, a 10 year old boy, stumble across the culprit I manage to steal back the TM for Dig he stole and end up getting to keep it. He was really going to teach a Diglett dig with a machine? Some people...

Now though, it was time for the big battle with Misty. Her understudied are no problem for a few hyperfangs so I lead off my battle with her with Richard. I focus energy and Staryu hardens. My move pays off- I'm faster and I strike for critical and take it down "from the word go!" Starmie is a more difficult battle, I even make some bad moves. I leave Richard in but his Hyperfang only does about 1/3rd damage. I get a water pulse in my face for my trouble and Richard is confused so I sub him out for Leonard. Leonard gets off one Pursuit, another 1/3rd of Starmie's health but the response is a recover so I'm no where for my trouble. Then the unthinkable happens: Leonard falls to one well places Critical Strike water pulse. My first casualty and my opponent is still at 7/8th or so health.

In A'Tuin to save the day. Starmie's weakness to Bite is more hazard than Recover can take care of and I'm the winner of the cascade badge. I walk sullenly to the Pokemon Center to rest up and bury Leonard. He was so promising...and gone. Soon I have to move on though, towards Vermillion City and my next battles. Along the way I snag Huninn the level 16 Pidgey and Cierra the level 12 Meowth. I keep them with me for now but I don't have any plans to train them-- yet. I'm loath to train another bird, especially one that will already by so far behind where Leonard was and Meowth will just amount to a weaker Raticate. Hopefully Vermillion City and its surroundings will supply me with a suitable monster to train to fill that slow in my team once again...

~~~~~===End of Session Adventure Status===~~~~~
Ending Play Time: 4:06
Badges: Boulder Badge, Cascade Badge

Pokemon remaining:
A'Tuin, Relaxed Level 21 Wartortle
Richard, Lax Level 22 Raticate
Huninn, Timid Level 16 Pidgey
Cierra, Gentle Level 12 Meowth
Wexley, Level 11 Beedril (BOX)
Ellena, Level 5 Magikarp (BOX)
Zeifer, Level 7 Zubat (BOX)

Pokemon Graveyard:
Leonard, Bashful Level 21 Fearow

Nuzlocke: LeafGreen Part 2 Backtracking and Mt. Moon

I've got a whole cadre of monsters and now its time to backtrack and train some of them up. I box Ellena and Ziefer for now and focus on Leonard with a trip through the trainers near Pewter City that I missed and a long stint in Viridian Forest. A slew of slaughtered bugs later I'm ready to head into the Mountain and kick some tail. I mean, really. By the time I got in there the three of them were level 14 and the competition in the mountain were like lambs to the slaughter. A'tuin evolved soon, Leonard was surprisingly helpful and picking up an escape rope and rare candy was just a bonus along the way.

I stopped at the martial artists along the way to Cerulean City and Wartortle trained in the ways of a Mega Punch, just like Gorbash before him. There was a Rattata on the way into the city but he was...easily...slain. I prefer to think of it as something like this:

You come across a cute purple mouse in the night. Another, slightly more innocent mouse comes across it. I smirk menacingly as MY mouse jumps at the first and BITES THE WILD MOUSE IN HALF! Blood, everywhere. Coldly, we return to the hospital to get a band-aid for our own wounds.

Next time: Gary Mother'fricken Oak.


~~~~~===End of Session Adventure Status===~~~~~
Ending Play Time: 2:27
Badges: Boulder Badge

Pokemon remaining:
A'Tuin, Relaxed Level 18 Wartortle
Richard, Lax Level 18 Rattata
Leonard, Bashful Level 18 Spearow
Ellena, Naughty Level 5 Magikarp (BOX)
Zeifer, Naive Level 7 Zubat (BOX)

Pokemon Graveyard:
Empty

Nuzlocke: LeafGreen Part 1 Status

~~~~~===End of Session Adventure Status===~~~~~

Ending Play Time: 1:29

Badges: Boulder Badge

Pokemon remaining:

A'Tuin, Relaxed Level 14 Squirtle

Richard, Lax Level 14 Rattata

Leonard, Bashful Level 6 Leonard

Ellena, Naughty Level 5 Magikarp

Zeifer, Naive Level 7 Zubat

Pokemon Graveyard:

Empty

Nuzlocke: LeafGreen Part 1

After a shamefully short first Nuzlocke run that ended in failure I've begun again with LeafGreen and the lessons from the first time are already coming in handy but more on that as I go along. Once again as my Pokemon journey is about to unfold I have to make the choice. Charmander, Bulbasaur or Squirtle? It didn't seem right to choose Charmander again. Everyone familiar with the games knows that Bulbasaur is the equivalent of easy mode, at least up through the first three badges. Squirtle it is. This time I got a male and I named him A'tuin. If that name means nothing to you I might suggest you read some of these books: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld

But my Pokemon journey begins well. I get my potion, Gary Oak gets on my case first thing but Squirtle has no trouble dispatching my foes and Route 1 has no Pokemon for me because I encounter a Pidgey or 6 on the road to deliver Professor Oak's custom Pokeball. The game really begins when I catch a Rattata that I name Richard between Viridian City and The Pokemon League on Route 23. At first I was depressed at how ridiculously common the little rat was. I encountered another on Route 2 headed towards Viridian Forest once the old man shows me that damned Weedle again and I don't even bother to try and catch it. Viridian Forest was a bust for catching Pokemon as well. My first encounter was with a Weedle while A'Tuin was still only level 7 and a critical hit + poison meant it was time for me to run away and use an antidote or risk losing my ace-in-the-hole already.

So, the grind began. It went reasonably quickly and when both of my 'mons reached level 9 it was time to dispatch Gary Oak's sissy butt again on Route 22. Richard's Quick Attack devastated his Pidgey and Tackle was still good enough for A'Tuin to deal with Bulbasaur at half health when it was time for Richard to switch out. Afterwards I headed back into the forest, had a scare when I nearly lost A'Tuin to a surprise Pikachu on my way out the gate to Route 2 again and made for Brock's Gym. Route 2 had a Pidgey to offer me but a critical hit Tackle from Richard ruined that chance. This time at the gym though, as expected, it was even easier. Bubble was enough to get me through his protege and A'tuin even learned Water Gun just in time for Onix to have the opportunity to fall to that attack too.

So, back towards Mt. Moon, where my problems began last time. This time I was more cautious. I sneaked past a few of the trainers, dealt with the women with a Jigglypuff in the fields and encountered a Spearow in the tall grass. A Tackle and a Pokeball later I'm the proud owner of Leonard. I arrived at the Pokemon Center, rested up, purchased Ellena the Magikarp and even stuck my head in the cave long enough to snag Zeifer the Zubat. So, now the Mt. Moon grind begins again. First, though, time to head back along the route to deal with those trainers and prepare myself for the journey...

Nuzlocke: FireRed Part 3 ~ Magikarp used...splash...-.-;;;

Cerulean City is a rough town. Break ins. Rare Candy littered in the backyard of retired school teachers. Snakes everywhere on Route 4. After my trip to the Pokemon Center for a rest Vlad, Gorbash and Goldman head out with me to the fields of route 4 for some training after my initial explorations of that tough town. A Rare Candy from Mt.Moon and Cerulean boost Vlad to level 14 immediately.

Walking around the first encounter we have is with a Spearow. Vlad easily confuses it with supersonic and after a little flailing around Phoebus is the newest member of my Pokemon team. And so the grinding begins. Gorbash gets to level 22, Vlad to 16, Phoebus to 15 and Goldman to 14 in that field before I just can't take it anymore. I need to move on.

Then that cocky sonuvabitch Gary Oak decides he's going to be between me and nugget bridge. All right, its on, son. One ember from Gorbash is enough for him to switch out his Pidgeotto for Squirtle for the type advantage but I don't give up. Squirtle starts by raising its defense but Gorbash surrounds him with a smoke screen. A water gun gets through but nothing fatal as Gorbash pummels at him with his newly acquired Mega Punch. Out comes Vlad to deal with the already weakened Pidgeotto again but before he can so much as say "Supersonic" he falls to a critical hit Quick Attack and Phoebus is on point. Peck! Critical Hit! Pidgeotto survives but with only a sliver of his energy, but enough to get off a gust and put Phoebus in the red before Pidgeotto falls and Rattata comes next.

Things arn't looking good so I keep Phoebus in the fight rather than risk an all out fight with a weakened Gorbash. Clearly, a mistake. Phoebus doesn't stand up to one Quick Attack and Gorbash is in the fight anyway. Ember about does it but not enough for me to not get laid to waste by another Quick Attack. So, that's it then. My first Nuzlocke game ends...with Goldman...pointlessly splashing away until he gets tackled to death by a purple mouser...

So that's it. I lost all of them. Except for the level 3 Rattata Rachel in my box. Only, Everyone fainting is a game over. There's no way Rachel can get trained at this point. Best spare her the agony and start again, in another, Greener, world for next time...A LeafGreener one...

==R.I.P==
Gorbash The Charmeleon
Vlad The Zubat
Phoebus The Spearow
Goldman The Magickarp
Martha The Mankey
Raena The Rattata

FireRed Nuzlocke Part 2 ~ Mt. Moon Grind

Stepping into the shadows of Mt. Moon it is time to begin Goldman's training. First, though, I encounter a Zubat. A whole cave full of possibilities and I catch a level 7 Zubat. At least he was an easy catch. Wish it was a Geodude but Vlad and Goldman will do. So let the grind begin, right? Another Zubat, switch out Goldman, Gorbash uses ember. Repeat. Stumble across a trainer, use Vlad occasionally. Repeat. Most of the trainers can't take an ember or a metal claw from Gorbash. She is rocking everyone around and out. At one point I use an escape rope to heal up when Vlad and Gorbash are getting tired then set out again to the lower levels.

Team Rocket doesn't seem to be much of a problem until I'm within a hair's breadth of getting out. This one's Zubat is fast and his supersonic confuses Gorbash. She hits herself twice rather than use ember and I don't have any potions left. Vlad is still a level lower and low on health himself, so he can't take it. I risk it...

Gorbash is fine, Zubat is dead and gone and I can go forward. She takes care of the young scientist trolling the cave for fossils and he offers me one...I take the helix fossil. Maybe I'll need this sometime later too. I make a dash for the exit, have a close call with a Paras but I escape the battle before Goldman can either gain anymore experience points or take anymore damage. 

Stepping out of the cave I meet two martial artists. I take one up on his offer and Gorbash now knows Mega Punch, Smokescreen, Ember and Metal Claw. I hop over a ledge and head to Cerulean City's Pokemon Center for a rest for today...

~~~~~===End of Session Adventure Status===~~~~~

Ending Play Time: 3:08

Badges: Boulder Badge

Pokemon remaining:

Gorbash, Hardy Female Charmeleon, Level 19.

Goldman, Modest Male Magickarp, Level 12.

Vlad, Adamant Male Zubat, Level 12

Rachel, Female Careful Rattata, Level 3 (Boxed).

Pokemon Graveyard:

Raena, Bold Female Rattata, Level 9 - Sneak attack by a dirty fighting Sandscrew.

Martha, Naive Female Mankey, Level 12 - Violently pecked to death by Spearow.

FireRed Nuzlocke Part 1 ~ Pallet Town to Mt. Moon Entrance

Professor Oak is telling me that my very own Pokemon journey is about to unfold. Regular life or death cockfights with pocket sized monsters seems like the thing a ten year old boy and his rival, Gary, ought to be getting into so I follow the old man to his laboratory. A fire breathing dragon sounds way more deadly than a turtle and a dinosaur with a plant hitching a ride on his back so Charmander it is. She is a Hardy cute little creature and I name her Gorbash. Not five seconds pass and...Gary already wants to end my Pokemon journey.

Well the jokes on him! Tail Whip, Tail Whip, Tail Whip can't stand up to Gorbash's repeated scratches. My first victory in hand I head to Viridian City to get Professor Oak his package. I stop at home and get the potion from my PC and pick up another from a salesmen along the way and consider myself lucky. Then is happens...my first wild Pokemon battle...and no Pokeballs! No matter, one Pidgey is squarely defeated, then another and its to level 6 for Gorbash.

I quickly retrieve the package after a stop at the Pokemon Center and head home to Pallet Town. I skip the chance to have anymore battles on the way and Professor Oak present me with my very own Pokedex. Gary says something along the way but I do my best to ignore him until his smarmy face is gone and once I have some pokeballs courtesy of Oak I visit his sister to get a map. On my return to Viridian City a number of Pidgey and Rattata succumb to Gorbash's might, no problem, and another visit to the Pokemon Center is in order. Exploring a bit to the west I encounter a female Mankey. One scratch is enough to nearly send her to the grave but I aim my Pokeball true and snatch her up on the first try. Martha is as good a female name I can muster without any forethought and we set off north.

An addled old man shows me how to catch a Weedle but I exit as quickly as possible-- first swinging around back to grab the potion I now spy and then to a small field south of the Viridian Forest. It only takes seconds and there she is, a Rattata. Martha has a close battle with her but once again a Pokeball saved them both from imminent death. I'll call her Raena. She's cute and fast. That'll do. Not exactly eager to press on I return to the Pokemon Center, and begin my training. The Pokemon League isn't that far but not without some training. When all three of my pocket sized friends are level 8 and have had their share of fowl and mice hunting I head towards the league...and there's that Gary Oak again.

Martha has a close battle with his Pidgey and survives a Critical Hit Tackle before I switch to Raena. Her quick attack takes care of both Pidgey and that smarmy son-of-a-gun's Squirtle. I guess Gary will smell me later.

High on my victory my journey continues in Viridian Forest. I encounter a Kakuna right in the gates but Gorbash is a little too eager. She uses her ember and achieves a critical hit. I guess I won't experience the joy of bug Pokemon on my team, at least not yet then. Ember though, works wonders. Gorbash was in no danger the rest of the journey and each of my little friends emerge from the forest 2 or 3 levels higher than when we entered.

Before I head into Pewter city I explore a patch of grass and...another Rattata, female. It couldn't hurt to catch another, and she is the first and only one I'll have a chance for in this area. A single scratch is all it takes and Rachel is in hand. There was no use in training her now though, so into the Pokemon Center she goes, for safe keeping. There may come a day when She is the difference between me and the end of a Pokemon Journey, after all.

Once everyone is well rested its time to take on Brock's Gym. But the unthinkable happens. Mankey defeats the Gym Master's underling's Geodude no problem. Low Kick is all it takes but he doesn't do so well against Sandshrew. I send out Raena in her stead but a sand attack to the eyes and a critical strike with a scratch is all it takes. Raena is slain. I hurry back to the hospital to bury Raena and then heal my remaining two friends. I consider beginning Rachel's training but decide to redouble Martha and Gorbash's training to deal with Brock and avenge my fallen comrade.

Avenge they did, too. A couple of low kicks from Martha and a metal slash's from Gorbash decimate Geodude and Onix. I patch them up and head for Mt. Moon. The trainers along the way seem like nothing...at first.

A youngster with the unfamiliar Spearow and a fetish for short shorts challenges me to a battle. I should have thought it through but all it took was one Critical Hit peck and Martha was gone. Forever. Two dead in one day. I hardly have time to grieve though-- Gorbash begins to evolve after avenging his companions death. Now she really is beginning to look like the engine of destruction the name "dragon" promises.

No more trainers to deal with though, I rush to the Pokemon Center. Along the way I encounter a Pidgey in some tall grass but Gorbash takes him down without remorse. I bury Martha immediately then that's when I spot the fish monger. 500 Pokedollars...for a Magikarp? Seems shady, but going solo seems even worse so I take him up on his offer and Goldman is mine. He's only level 5. He only knows splash. But maybe if he survives his training, he'll prove valuable. For now though, its time to rest...

To Be Continued...

~~~~~===End of Session Adventure Status===~~~~~

Ending Play Time: 1:47

Badges: Boulder Badge

Pokemon remaining:

Gorbash, Hardy Female Charmeleon, Level 16.

Goldman, Modest Male Magickarp, Level 5.

Rachel, Female Careful Rattata, Level 3 (Boxed).

Pokemon Graveyard:

Raena, Bold Female Rattata, Level 9 - Sneak attack by a dirty fighting Sandscrew.

Martha, Naive Female Mankey, Level 12 - Violently pecked to death by Spearow.

Nuzlocke: FireRed

Today is Saturday, September 11th. The grad school began just two weeks ago and that means the only video games I'm going to have time to play starting very soon are going to be the portable variety. If I can't play it on the bus, or in that awkward half an hour between classes then I'm not playing it at all.

And that means Pokemon. Only, which one? I've gotten through every one released to date, EV/IV trained a set of water/dragons in HeartGold, LeafGreen, Emerald and Platinum and I want to do something new but fun.

So!

I'm trying a Nuzlocke run.

For those of you that don't know about that, click here: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Nuzlocke_Challenge

Hard core, huh? It won't be as hard core as some. I've never done this before so I'm going to follow these basic rules:

1) All Pokemon will be nicknamed.
2) All Pokemon that faint will dead and rather than being released will be sent into the last box of the game I'm in. The Pokemon Graveyard.
3) I will only capture the first Pokemon I come across in any one area.

After some consideration I decided I wanted to do it classically, got out the old Gameboy color and popped in Pokemon Blue. Half an hour after that the batteries died and I lost the beginning of a run with a Squirtle named Kooper.

My Red Nintendo DS is at the ready, however, so the game began again with a female Charmander I named Gorbash.

If that name doesn't sound familiar to you, I suggest you watch this clip and shudder: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0j0Bjy6hFc&feature=related

Gorbash is the green one, whose body is currently inhabited by a modern nerd boy. Rest assured not all of my names will be so creative. For now, I'll leave it at this. The real journal of my latest Pokemon journey will begin tonight after I get some adventuring in...

One final note: I'll try and intersperse some of the Nuzlocke run information with other Pokemon happenings in my own private Pokemon world. I have a well trained team to describe, a regular SoulSilver game going and the need to rant about things occasionally. Enjoy.