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...