TINA's Nuzlocke Series

There Is No Arceus · Aug 14, 2023

I immediately decide to bring the news of my victory over all the gyms to my friend the Trick Master, and to my surprise, he already has something new planned out for me. This time, he has taken inspiration from the Mossdeep Gym and various Team Rocket bases, and he has installed floor panels that slide me in a certain direction. I eventually make my way through this puzzle, and he rewards me with a PP Max. This was fun, but something tells me that this was my last visit here in a very long time, perhaps ever.

With that, i fly to Mossdeep and make my way over to Ever Grande City, which seems to consist only of a pokemon center, a cave, and the pokemon league. Not much of a city, but whatever. I fish up Jabu-Jabu the Wailmer, then i head into the cave, which serves as this region's Victory Road. In this cave system, i encounter a Loudred, which i catch and nickname Thu'um. I of course lose my way in this vast subterranean complex, but eventually i manage to stumble my way toward the exit. Just as i'm about to leave though, i am greeted by a familiar face: Wally. Ever since i beat him in Mauville, he has been working on improving, and now he has collected all eight gym badges. He challenges me to a duel to show how much he's learned since i helped him catch his first Ralts, so he sends out his Altaria. I lead with Feesh and he leads with Altaria. He gets a dragon dance in, but that doesn't stop a crit Ice Beam from one-shotting. Second is Magneton, so i switch to Clay and Earthquake the thing down in one go. Roselia is up third, and this is a task for Benekiptus, so i slay it with one blaze kick. It's now time to face Wally's ace, his Gardevior, for which i decide to bring Ziggy in. Strength does less than i thought though, and his psychics do over half, so i switch Clay in on a Future Sight and start spamming Earthquakes as Wally heals. This eventually brings the Gardevoir down, though due to a miscalculation i did have to dodge a crit. Last is Delcatty, so i send Benekiptus back out and kill it with two rounds of Double Kick.

I may have beaten Wally, but i highly doubt i'm strong enough for the league already; it's time for some training. I train for some time, then i decide to call it a day.
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My current team:

Lily (Cradily) lv 43
Magneto (Magneton) lv 43
Benekiptus (Blaziken) lv 43
Clay (Claydol) lv 43
Ziggy (Linoone) lv 44
Feesh (Gyarados) lv 44

Could have gotten a guaranteed Barboach/Whiscash if i had remembered that repels only work on pokemon that have a lower level than you. But alas.

There Is No Arceus · Aug 16, 2023

After finishing up my training and my preparations, i decide it's time. I head into the pokemon league building and past the badge gates, ready to face my first opponent. That opponent is the dark type user, Sydney. He leads with Mightyena and i lead with Feesh. We intimidate one another, and i surf him down to about a quarter as he sand-attacks. Sydney opts to heal here, but i just bring his health back down immediately, and kill him the next turn. Next up is Cacturne, so i switch to Benekiptus and take him out with a Blaze Kick. Shiftry is third, but i opt to not keep Benekiptus in; instead, i switch for Ziggy and hit a Return for half health. He just sets up a ton of double teams though, but eventually i hit another return, killing him. Sharpedo is up next, for which i opt for Magneto, who one-shots with Thunderbolt after getting hit by a Swagger. Sydney's final pokemon is his ace, Absol, for which i'm sending Feesh back out. Intimidate cuts his attack, but he wastes time with Snatch as i bring him down to his Sitrus Berry. He hits a weak Slash thereafter, but that doesn't stop me from getting the kill. One down.

Next up is Phoebe, the ghost user. She leads with her Dusclops and i lead with Ziggy. My shadow ball unfortunately does less than half as she curses me, then she heals as i tried to land the killing blow. I'll have to switch now. Feesh comes in as he uses Future Sight, but Surf leaves the ghost with a sliver. He confuses me, causing Feesh to hit himself in the same turn as a Shadow Punch and the Future Sight attack. All that did less than half though. Feesh gets the kill the next turn, and up next is the first of Phoebe's Banette. I do not know which of her Banette this is, but i decide Magneto will probably do fine against both. Thunderbolt brings it down to a sliver while a crit Shadow Ball does almost half to me. The second thunderbolt kills, but i still don't know which of her Banette this even was. No matter though; next up is Phoebe's second Dusclops. I send Feesh back out for the intimidate, and heal up a bit so that i can tank a crit. Surf does just less than half, but he can barely hurt me, so i'm free to beat him down. Or so i thought. Pressure has taken its toll on my Surf PP, and it's now all gone. I still have Ice Beam, but it does far less, and i end up having to heal again. I manage to take him out though, and Sableye's next. I decide this is a job for Lily; Giga Drain does just less than half, but the second one healed back almost all the damage his shadow ball did to me. Just as i intend to finish it with an Ancientpower though, Phoebe heals; i thought she was out of healing items. To make matters worse, she attracts Lily, who immediately falls in love with Sableye's good looks. Lily pulls through for the team though, and slays the love of her life with one last Giga Drain. Last is the second Banette, and i still don't know which of the two this is. Feesh comes back out for the intimidate, and hits an Ice Beam as she hits me with Toxic. Guess i now do know which one it is. A second ice beam brings her to a sliver, and a third one kills, giving me my second Elite Four victory.

Third is Glacia, who uses Ice pokemon. She leads with a Glalie and i lead with Benekiptus. She sets up hail immediately as i bring her down to a sliver with Brick Break. Glacia heals here, but a second brick break brings Glalie's health back down, after which Quick Attack kills. Next is the first Sealeo, and i decide to give this job to Ziggy. Return crits and brings him to the red as he hits a powerful Surf. Glacia does not heal here, so the sealeo goes down the next turn. The other Sealeo is up next, and against this one, i'm using Magneto. I outspeed and Thunderbolt is a one-shot, which brings out Glacia's ace, her Walrein. I stay in and bring it to the red with a Thunderbolt as her surf does way over half to me. If that had crit, Magneto would have died. No matter though; Glacia opts to waste some healing items here, but eventually the walrus dies. Last is her other Glalie, so Benekiptus comes back out and brings it to a sliver as it sets up hail. One turn later, victory is mine. 3 down.

Last of the Elite Four is Dragon user Drake. He leads with his Shelgon and i again lead with Ziggy. Return does little, but he just wastes time Rock Tombing my speed down rather than using good moves, so i can get him to use his full restore and then get him back to half health before i'm in any danger. At this point, i bring Benekiptus out and Brick Break him down. Well, that was the plan, but he survived so i had to use a Quick Attack to get the kill. Next is his first Flygon; i don't know which one this is, but bringing Feesh out is wisdom regardless. Dragonbreath paralyzes, which is annoying, but i still bring him down to a sliver with ice beam, and another ice beam kills. Out comes Altaria and i switch to Lily. Lily also gets paralyzed by Dragonbreath, and Altaria gets a dragon dance in, but i get her down to a sliver. Lily ends up in crit range though, so i have to send Magneto out instead. Thunderbolt kills, so now Drake opts to send out his ace, his Salamence. I send Feesh out for the intimidate, then i heal up as i tank a Dragon Claw. I'm in crit range, but it can't be helped. Fortunately, i dodge the crit and OHKO with an Ice Beam. Last is Drake's second Flygon, and i decide to stay in and heal. His sand-attack causes my first few ice beams to miss, but eventually i bring him to a sliver. After Drake heals, Ice Beam OHKOs, so i guess it was a range, Anyway, the elite four has been defeated. Now only one obstacle remains before i can become champion.

That obstacle is Steven Stone, my old friend. He thanks me for saving the world from Team Aqua's foolish designs, then it's time for a battle for the ages. He leads with his Skarmory and i lead with Magneto. One Thunderbolt brings the big bird down, so Steven opts to send out his Aggron. This is a task for Benekiptus, who brings it to about a quarter with brick break before being brought to the red himself with earthquake. A second brick break kills, but Benekiptus probably will not be doing much for the remainder of the fight. Steven then goes for his ace, his Metagross. This means it's time for Clay's pokemon league debut. However, this is where things go wrong. Earthquake does not do nearly as much as i thought it would, and his Meteor Mash does over half and raises his attack. Even if i heal now, he'd just kill me. So i decide that the only sensible course of action is to sacrifice Clay. That does not turn out necessary though; his next meteor mash misses, allowing me one earthquake more than i thought i'd get. That earthquake also crits; i'm not 100% sure if that mattered, but it's still nice that the gods of fate are smiling upon me today. Next is Cradily and i go for Feesh. My luck turns out to have been short-lived; a crit ice beam brings him to the red, but he retaliates with a crit Ancientpower that kills Feesh. So i send out a severely injured Benekiptus; Steven heals, but my brick break does over half. I would have 2HKOed, but Steven is smart and switches in his Claydol. Ziggy comes in on an Earthquake, but shadow ball does next to nothing as Claydol sets up Reflect. I nevertheless keep the Shadow Balls coming as his earthquakes take Ziggy out. This allows a free switch to Lily. Steven decides to heal on Lily's first turn, and Giga Drain does just less than half. He crits an earthquake the next turn, but i heal back enough with Giga Drain to be safe from a non-crit. Steven heals again though; seriously, how many potions does he have? I take him out eventually, but all my PP for Giga Drain is now gone. Steven sends his own Cradily back out to face my Cradily, but i'm not letting that happen; Benekiptus comes back out to finish what he started. Last is Steven's Armaldo, and my strongest option here is Magneto. Thunderbolt gets the two-shot and i get the victory.

We may have won, but the victory came at a great cost. Two of our soldiers bit the dust in this final battle. Ziggy and Feesh may be gone, but they will never be forgotten, for we will keep them in out hearts, always. Anyway, just as we've beaten Steven, Brendan comes barging into the room, trying to relay some advice before i battle the champion. You're a bit late, pal. How'd you get past the Elite Four anyway? His dad Professor Birch is also here to congratulate me on my victory, and to chastize me for pursuing the gym challenge over the pokedex challenge he gave me. Look old man, i don't have the time nor the will to collect and train up all the monsters in this region. Pokemon are for battling, not collecting. So yeah, Steven and i leave those guys behind and enter the Hall of Fame, where my triumphs and those of my pokemon will be recorded for the ages. I decide to take some time here to commemorate all of my friends who died to make this dream a reality.

Ziggo the Zigzagoon. You tagged along with the team for quite some time, finding us many useful items. You ended up giving your life so that we could gain the victory over Brendan. RIP.

Boet the Zigzagoon. Like Ziggo, you tagged along for much of the early game, and found some pretty cool stuff with your Pickup ability. Then you valiantly gave your life so that we could defeat the Winstrates. RIP.

Herb the Gloom. You weren't with us for long, but you showed great potential while you were with us. It really did hurt to lose you to Wattson's exploding Voltorb. RIP.

Blub the Magikarp. You were but one of many Magikarps we met on our journey, but we still value how you sacrificed your life against Wattson. RIP.

Parhuda the Magikarp. This is essentially the same story as Blub; we greatly appreciate how you gave it all to allow us to defeat Wattson. RIP.

Ninjutsu the Ninjask. it was your endurance that allowed us to get past Roxanne; you almost beat her all by yourself. Unfortunately, you ended up dying to a stray Selfdestruct, but your offshoot The Shadow ended up helping us out long after your death, so in a way, you helped us beat Wallace too. RIP.

Birdyman the Swellow. You joined us all the way before the first gym, and you singlehandedly managed to take out Brawly without even taking one HP of damage. Then sadly we lost you to a selfdestructing Koffing, just after you evolved into your final form. RIP.

Tunnel Rat the Sandslash. You joined us after Ninjutsu and Birdyman passed, but you were not strong enough to stand up to Flannery's Torkoal. RIP.

Splasher the Magikarp. You had little potential, but you still gave your life to allow us to beat Flannery. RIP.

Perdita the Manectric. You joined us just after the second badge, and you were a pivotal member of our team. You especially proved your worth against Flannery, taking down several of her pokemon. Unfortunately, the wiled Kecleon proved too strong, and it killed you without mercy. RIP.

Hentai the Tentacool. Tou were far from the only Tentacool we met on our journey, but we still appreciate your sacrifice against Tate & Liza.

Feesh the Gyarados. You joined us after Ninjutsu and Birdyman died, and you grew to be one of our strongest soldiers. You proved your strength against Flannery even though you didn't yet know water moves, you took out Winona's ace, and you especially proved your worth in the battle against Tate & Liza. You were also great against Elite Four Phoebe, but sadly you lost your life against the champion. RIP.

Ziggy the Linoone. You were with us almost from the beginning, and you proved your worth in a great many battles. Our victory over dad was mainly because of how well you handled his Slaking. You did fall off towards the end, and we kept you around mainly for pickup and HMs, but we still value your sacrifice that allowed us to beat the champion. RIP.

With that, it's time to celebrate my victory. During these celebrations, i notice something in the sky...
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The winning team:

Magneto (Magneton) lv 51
Lily (Cradily) lv 50
Benekiptus (Blaziken) lv 51
Clay (Claydol) lv 50

Chapter 12: Red will start in not too long

There Is No Arceus · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter 12: Red
Rules for this game will be as follows:

The challenge is complete once i defeat the Pokemon League
I will not be making use of the Game Corner
Pokemon i encounter while my box is full do not count as my encounter for that route. When this happens, i must head back to a pokemon center immediately and change the box.

Time for the OG pokemon game. TBH while i respect these games a lot for what they started, the dated mechanics make them hard to revisit. I don't expect this run to be difficult though.
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As I open my eyes, i find myself in this strange black-and-white realm . What happened? Last thing i know, i was celebrating my victory over the Kyushu pokemon league, now i'm suddenly in this strange place. My head hurts...

Suddenly, i hear a strange yet familiar voice call out to me with a familiar question:

"Are you a boy or a girl?"

G-Girl, i stammer, as a black-and-white apparition of Professor Oak appears in front of me. He continues to talk for a bit about the world of pokemon while i just stand here in disbelief. Suddenly, when he is done, i'm transported to a colorless version of my old room in Pallet Town. I decide to go and explore this strange world and head downstairs and outside. When i try to enter the grass north of town though, the professor stops me and takes me to his lab, where i also meet this world's version of Ben, my old rival from Kanto. Oak allows me to have one of his pokemon, so i pick the Bulbasaur, whom i immediately recognise as Bulborb, my starter from when i first traveled Kanto. But wait, how's that possible? Didn't he...

Anyway, Ben picks the Charmander and insists that we do battle, claiming that this is some kind of test. Ben's Charmander just keeps growling our attack down, but that doesn't stop me from just spamming tackle for the victory. Ben mumbles something about passing the first test and heads off, so i guess i should head off too now. I travel north to Viridian City and head into the Poke Mart to buy some balls, but the guy there decides to use me as his errand girl and sends me to deliver a parcel to Professor Oak. I resent being treated this way, but the guy won't sell me poke balls until i deliver this, so i guess i have little choice. Oak gives me a pokedex in return, which is cool i guess.

I head back to Viridian and buy some poke balls, then i immediately head back to Route 1 to do some catching. There, i run into Kyne, the pidgey i first met back in France. But wait, didn't she... Well, anyway, i proceed onto route 2, where i meet another old friend: Tori the Pidgey, from my second trip through Kanto. I then decide for a quick foray into Viridian Forest and catch a Weedle that bears an uncanny resemblance to Blargh, my Wurmple/Dustox from my first trip through Kyushu - sorry, "Hoenn". I also make a foray into route 22 and run into my old friend Konaan the Nidoran-male, though he was a Nidoking when we beat the Kanto pokemon league together.

At this point, i decide it's probably wisdom to train these guys up a bunch. During this training, Blargh evolves into Kakuna. When i'm done, i decide to head further west, where i run into Ben again. He says something vague about me being able to live if i pass the tests, then he proceeds to challenge me to a battle. I lead with Bulborb and he leads with Pidgey. I immediately set up a leech seed as he uses Gust, then i start spamming Tackle. However, he gets a crit, so i have to switch to Blargh. Blargh barely does anything, but Leech Seed damage eventually gets the better of him, and he goes down. Ben then sends out his other pokemon, his Charmander. I've been hit by many sand attacks, so i opt to just switch to Konaan. Charmander just keeps spamming Growl for some reason, meaking i can kill him just by spamming Horn Attack. After my victory, Ben says something cryptic about completing trials alongside my old allies, and then he heads off.

I think i'll call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Kyne (Pidgey) lv 8
Bulborb (Bulbasaur) lv 8
Blargh (Kakuna) lv 8
Konaan (Nidoran-Male) lv 9
Tori (Pidgey) lv 3

There Is No Arceus · Aug 19, 2023

Route 22 is a dead end without any badges, so i decide to instead head north through Viridian Forest. However, when i reach Pewter City, i realise i have a problem: i have no tools to defeat Brock. All of my damaging moves are either Normal type or Poison Sting. So i've got no choice but to do some training. During this training, Blargh evolves into Beedrill, its final form.

When my training is done, i decide to go challenge brock's gym, even if i still cannot hit his rocks for neutral damage. I only have five pokemon, so it wouldn't make sense to have anyone sit this one out. There's no gym puzzle here; i just walk up to Brock and challenge him. He leads with Geodude and i lead with Bulborb. I set up Leech Seed, then i switch to Blargh and start spamming Fury Attacks that do next to nothing. A long time later, Geodude goes down and Brock sends out his other pokemon, Onix. I opt to send Bulborb out again to seed him, then i start spamming growl. 6 growls later, i start using Tackle instead, going back to Growl whenever he Bides. It takes forever, but eventually the Onix goes down and victory is mine.

My first badge from this strange land is in the pocket. I can't explain why, but somehow i feel this badge resonate with my very soul. It's like i've reclaimed a part of myself that i had lost. Anyway, i think it's time to call it a day.
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My current team:

Bulborb (Bulbasaur) lv 13
Konaan (Nidoran-Male) lv 12
Blargh (Beedrill) lv 12
Kyne (Pidgey) lv 12
Tori (Pidgey) lv 3

There Is No Arceus · Aug 21, 2023

With this badge in hand, i proceed my journey and head to Route 3, where i find Birdperson, a Pidgey i once met in a dream about Kanto. In the pokemon center before Mt. Moon, i find another old friend, as a guy there tries to sell me Feesh, the Magikarp/Gyarados that joined me on my most recent journey through Kyushu and was with me just before i came to this land. But wait, didn't he... Well, i guess it doesn't matter, as I don't have any money. I'll just buy him later. For now, i head into Mt. Moon, where yet another old friend awaits. Bruce, the Zubat/Golbat/Crobat who joined us throughout our first trip through Hokkaido, is here with us now. I beat one trainer in this great maze, then i head back to purchase Feesh. Feesh won't be good for some time though, so i just head back into Mt. Moon, knowing fully well i'm gonna end up lost.

While i'm wandering through this cave system, i run ito some of those Team Rocket crooks. How many times do i have to destroy that organization before they finally stay disbanded? Anyway, they're looking for fossils again; i should probs try to beat them to it. No way i'm finding my way anytime soon though. I continue just blindly stumbling about and beating any trainers in my path, when suddenly, Bulborb evolves into Ivysaur. Konaan also evolves into Nidorino, adding to my strength and allowing me to power through these yakuza goons. I do manage to beat them to the fossils, but some nerdy guy claims both of them as his. So i beat up the nerd and take the Helix Fossil.

Not long after, i finally reach the end of that seemingly endless tunnel, and find myself on route 4. I jump down the ledges here and run into Minnie, the Rattata from Hawaii. Last time we met, she was a dark type though. No matter; i head on into Cerulean City, then i decide to call it a day.
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My current team:

Blargh (Beedrill) lv 16
Kyne (Pidgey) lv 16
Konaan (Nidorino) lv 16
Bulborb (Ivysaur) lv 16
Tori (Pidgey) lv 3
Feesh (Magikarp) lv 5

probs gonna evolve Konaan into Nidoking after i've beaten Misty. It won't learn any more useful moves either way, but evolving into a ground type just before the water gym doesn't seem sensible.

There Is No Arceus · Aug 22, 2023

Before i go and challenge Misty's gym, i decide to head north. At the base of Nugget Bridge though, i run into Ben again. I opt to ask him some questions about this black-and-white version of Kanto, and he tells me it is a testing ground for me. Before i can ask for more information, he challenges me to a battle. He leads with Pidgeotto and i lead with Blargh. I spam Fury Attacks while he throws quick attacks and sand-attacks at me, and i manage to take him down just as i enter crit range. Next is his Abra, who cannot do anything to me, so i decide to give Kyne the experience. Rattata is up third, and i switch to Bulborb, who dodges a hyper fang, tanks another and then two-shots with vine whip. Last is Charmander, so i go for Konaan. Konaan takes minimal damage from Ember, though he does get burned. Doesn't matter though; Horn Attack was still a three-shot.

Ben heads off before i can ask why i need to be tested, so i guess i should just head on to Bill's house. I head across the Nugget Bridge and beat up all the trainers there, including a recruiter for Team Rocket. An Abra teleports away from me on the grass west of the bridge, which sucks, but i'll just head on. Further along the path to Bill, i meet a Weedle who bears a striking resemblance to Groentje, the Metapod/Butterfree who helped us when i was traveling Kanto with Arme Nana the Pikachu. Kyne also evolves into Pidgeotto while we are here, the final form it reached when we were traveling France. Let's hope it stays alive for longer now. Things also take a less great turn though, as i have to sacrifice Tori to get Bulborb in against a Slowpoke.

When i reach Bill's house, i find that he has once again gotten himself turned into a pokemon. Someone ought to protect that man from himself. Anyway, i help him out, and he rewards me with a ticket to a party on the SS Anne in Vermillion City. Nice; i usually arrive too late for these parties, but i'll see if i make it this time. Anyway, i head back outside onto the Cerulean Cape. This place is usually really pretty, but without colour it loses much of its charm. So i'll just head back to town and challenge the gym.

This is a water gym, so no one will have to sit this one out. The gym is a pool; the only challenge is to not slip and fall into the water. So i make my way to Misty and challenge her; she leads with Staryu and i lead with Bulborb. Misty's tackles do next to nothing, so i can just two-shot with vine whip. Next is Starmie; i keep Bulborb in and proceed to Vine Whip it to death. Misty decides to waste an X Defend here for some reason, but of course that does not prevent me from getting the kill. To celebrate this victory, i give Konaan a Moon Stone and evolve him into Nidoking, even though he did not actually contribute in this gym.

As i leave the gym, i notice that one of the houses in town has been broken into. I head in to investigate; seems the thief actually dug a hole through their wall. He's still in the yard though; i beat him up and he returns the TM28 Dig he stole. The original owner has learned to live without it though, so he lets me keep the TM. No one on my team can learn it though. So i just head through the guy's yard and south onto route 5, where i meet up with Susan, the Bellossom who helped me face down Rayquaza, though she's just an Oddish now. There's a daycare on this route, but i see little reason why i wouldn't just raise my pokemon myself.

The road to Tokyo - sorry, "Saffron City" - is closed, so i have to go through the underground path to Route 6. On these grassy plains, i run into a Mankey whom i immediately recognise as Rafiki, the Grookey i started my adventures with back in Britain. Unfortunately though, things go sour here once more, as i'm forced to sack Groentje the Weedle against a Butterfree to bring Blargh in. Doesn't take long before we reach Vermillion City though, and with that, i decide to call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Blargh (Beedrill) lv 19
Kyne (Pidgeotto) lv 20
Konaan (Nidoking) lv 20
Bulborb (Ivysaur) lv 21
Feesh (Magikarp) lv 5
Birdperson (Pidgey) lv 6

Apparently, Nidoking cannot learn Dig. This means it won't be getting a useful STAB move until Silph Co, when i can get Earthquake.

Also, i'm gonna have to do something about my crippling weakness to psychic

There Is No Arceus · Aug 24, 2023

I'm not really in the mood for the boat party yet, so i decide to go explore Route 11. There, i run into Jessie, the Seviper i travelled with in the US, though she's an Ekans now. The other end of this route is blocked off by a sleeping Snorlax, so i can't go there yet. Kanto should really do something about its Snorlax problem. Anyway, i'm not really feeling like partying yet, so i decide to stay here for a bit and train Feesh up, to be a member of my team. I train for some time, then i decide to call it a day.
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My current team:

Feesh (Magikarp) lv 18
Kyne (Pidgeotto) lv 23
Konaan (Nidoking) lv 23
Bulborb (Ivysaur) lv 23
Blargh (Beedrill) lv 23
Birdperson (Pidgey) lv 6

There Is No Arceus · Aug 26, 2023

My training is not yet done, but i'm afraid of missing the party again, so i opt to just switch train Feesh aboard the SS Anne. Unfortunately though, the party has already ended by the time i arrive, but there are still plenty of trainers aboard. While i am fighting them, Feesh evolves into Gyarados and joins my team proper. I make my way towards the Captain's Cabin after hearing he's seasick; no idea why someone susceptible to that would become a boat captain, but i guess that's none of my business. On my way there, i run into Ben again. I ask him to elaborate on what he said last time about this being a testing ground, and he tells me that this entire plane has been constructed from my memories, which is also why i keep meeting my old friends from previous journeys. He then challenges me to a battle to test my progress; he leads with his Pidgeotto and so do I. With a few gusts and quick attacks, the enemy bird goes down, and next is Raticate. I pick Konaan for this job, and kill him with two horn attacks. Then comes Kadabra, so i go for Feesh and Bite him down a few tomes for the kill. Last but not least, we are facing Charmeleon, and i opt to stay in and 2HKO with Bite as he just Leers me.

Ben again heads off without answering any of my unanswered questions, so i just head on and give the captain a backrub to help with his sickness. Out of gratitude, he gives me his HM01 Cut, which i teach to Blargh immediately. Party's over now though; i head to the exit and watch as the ship sails off into the distance.

With this HM, i can now reach the Vermilion Gym. This is an electric gym, so Kyne and Feesh will be sitting this one out. Instead, we are taking Bruce the Zubat and Minnie the Rattata, as death fodder. The gym puzzle confirms what Ben said about this place being built from my memory, as the puzzle is still just as bullshit as the last time i was here. I have to sift through garbage in the off chance that i might find a switch in them. There isn't even a chance to wash one's hands afterwards. So i just challenge Lt. Surge immediately after opening the doors; he leads with Voltorb and i lead with Blargh. Surge feels the need to use an X Speed for some reason, allowing me to kill him with two twineedles. Next is Pikachu and i go for Konaan. I outpseen and horn attack one-shots, so Surge is down to his ace, his Raichu. Raichu cannot hurt Konaan in any way, allowing me to beat away at him until i have my 3rd badge.

With this third badge in hand, it feels like another part of me has been restored. I take my time to celebrate my victory, but then i decide it's time to go exploring again. I head into the nearby Diglett's Cave, where i run into John, the Diglett/Dugtrio who traveled with me and Arme Nana through much of Kanto. It's really quite impressive how the Diglett made such a large tunnel. On the other end, i find myself on Route 2, south of Pewter City. One of Professor Oak's aides gives me HM05 Flash here for catching more than 10 kinds of pokemon, but no one on my current team can learn it. I also decide to pay another visit to Pewter itself, and to the Museum of Science in particular. They actually give me a piece of Old Amber they had on display; not sure if museums are supposed to just give their valuable displays to random customers, but whatever.

I've little other business in Pewter, so i head back through Diglett's Cave to Vermilion. There, i visit the Pokemon Fan Club to see whether they also house fans of pokemon battling, but i just end up listening to the president drone on and on about how much he loves his Rapidash. He realises in the end that i was completely bored, and gives me a Bike Voucher as compensation. Eh, i prefer to walk. Still though, since i'll be heading through Cerulean anyway, i might as well exchange it. So that is exactly what i end up doing; i trek up north to Cerulean and exchange the voucher for a bike i'm never gonna use, then i decide to call it a day for now.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Feesh (Gyarados) lv 22
Bulborb (Ivysaur) lv 25
Konaan (Nidoking) lv 25
Kyne (Pidgeotto) lv 24
Blargh (Beedrill) lv 24
Birdperson (Pidgey) lv 6

There Is No Arceus · Aug 28, 2023

With my newfound ability to Cut small trees, i decide to make my way east onto route 9. On this rugged mountain route, i meet up with Mickey, another Rattata i first met in Hawaii. Further on, on the riverside Route 10, I meet up with Tanzania the Spearow. Neither of these guys are joining the team though. Instead, i head into Rock Tunnel, but it's pitch-black in here. Can't see a thing. I do manage to throw a poke ball at a sound i heard in the darkness, which turned out to be Tsuyoi, the Machop who helped us out in Hokkaido. He too won't get on the team though; no point in letting in more psychic weaknesses.

After blindly stumbling through the cave for what feels like forever, i finally see light coming from outside. I've found the way to Lavender Town. I beat up the few remaining trainers on the way and then heal up at the pokemon center, happy that i finally made my way back to civilization. I decide to celebrate this through some rest and relaxation on the pier south of the city; some time by the seaside is just what i needed.

The road here is blocked though; same Snorlax that blocked my way when i headed east from Vermilion. So i just head back to lavender and pay my respects at the Pokemon Tower. It's strange; i feel this place resonate with the very core of my being. I've visited here before, but never before have i felt like this is truly where I belong. On the second floor, i run into Ben, who explains to me exactly why i have this fealing: I am in fact dead. That is why i am in this testing ground. Before i can ask what killed me though, he challenges me to a battle. He leads with his Pidgeotto and i lead with Konaan. I take him out with two hits from Thrash, and Ben goes for his Exeggcute. This is a task for Blargh, who one-rounds the thing with Twineedle. Up third is Gyarados, and i respond with a Gyarados of my own; two dragon rages later and the water snake is down, though he did hit me with one too. It's now time to deal with Kadabra, so i send out Kyne and Quick Attack it to pieces. Last is Charmeleon, so i send Konaan back out. Thrash does over half, but he burns me with ember so the second hit does not kill. Thanks to a growl, neither does the third hit, so Charmeleon is left with a sliver when Thrash runs out. I opt to switch Kyne in on a growl, and one quick attack later, i've won.

I try to get to the top of the tower to figure out the meaning of all this, but the way is blocked by an angry ghost. Guess i'll need the Silph Scope to identify what this thing is. For now though, i'm calling it a day.
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My current team:

Kyne (Pidgeotto) lv 28
Bulborb (Ivysaur) lv 29
Blargh (Beedrill) lv 28
Feesh (Gyarados) lv 28
Konaan (Nidoking) lv 28
Birdperson (Pidgey) lv 6

Navigating Rock Tunnel without Flash is a pain

There Is No Arceus · Aug 30, 2023

To get more answers, i will probably need to climb to the top of the tower, but i will have to get the silph scope first. As such, i leave Lavender and head west onto Route 8, where a wild Growlithe roars me away. This road to Tokyo is also blocked, so i have to use the underground path to reach Route 7, which can barely be called a route. I do run into Herb here, the Oddish/Gloom that was with us for a short while in our most recent Kyushu journey. When i reach Celadon City, i look around a bit for Team Rocket, as i have forgotten where their hideout is. On a rooftop, i find Buiri, the Eevee/Jolteon i met in this exact location when i first traveled Kanto. He will once again become my sixth team member, and will once again evolve into Jolteon using a Thunderstone i buy at the department store. It's already at a pretty high level, so i will not have to train it up.

After searching for a while and not finding any team rocket hideout, i decide to take a break and explore Route 16 to the west. The main path is blocked by a sleeping Snorlax, so i take the northern route. This is a dead end, but i do obtain HM02 Fly here, through means i shall not disclose. Not only does this make travel a lot easier, it also means Kyne now has a STAB move. So with that, i opt to fly back to Celadon and continue my search for the yakuza. I remember now that they always had this base beneath the Game Corner, so i just charge straight in. Self-preservation is for the living, after all.

I manage to swipe the lift key off one of the grunts, then i proceed to fight my way through to the big bad himself. Giovanni is unwilling to just give me the Silph Scope he stole, so i will have to battle him for it. He leads with Onix and i lead with Bulborb. Razor Leaf crits and gets the one-shot, and next is Rhyhorn, who awaits the same fate. Last is Giovanni's ace, his Kangaskhan, for which i opt to use my newest team member, Buiri. I take him down in two thunderbolts, granting me the victory and the Silph Scope.

Since i'm in town anyway, i decide to challenge the local gym before i head back to Lavender. This is a grass gym, so no one will have to sit this one out. No puzzles here; just some pleasant greenery (well, black and white-ery) and a few cuttable trees. So i just make my way through to Erika and challenge her to a battle. She leads with Victreebel and i lead with Blargh. A quad-effective Twineedle gets the kill, and next is Tangela. This is Kyne's job; Fly does not one-shot, but all Tangela does is Constrict, so i can just fly again and kill him. Last is Vileplume, so Blargh comes back out and launches another quad-effective twineedle for the kill.

With that, i decide to call it a day for now.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Konaan (Nidoking) lv 29
Bulborb (Ivysaur) lv 30
Buiri (Jolteon) lv 29
Feesh (Gyarados) lv 29
Kyne (Pidgeotto) lv 30
Blargh (Beedrill) lv 31

There Is No Arceus · Aug 31, 2023

Time to return to Lavender and finally get some answers. I head into Pokemon Tower and use the Silph Scope to identify the angry ghost. It is in fact a Marowak; the Cubone Mother. Bulborb takes it out in two razor leafs though. As the soul finally finds rest and moves on to the afterlife, i proceed on to the top floor. On that floor, i run into the spirit of Talos, the Golurk who helped me beat Ghetsis, though he has lost his form and now roams around as a Haunter. A bunch of Team Rocket grunts also hang around here, so i beat them up and they leave. That just leaves one person here besides me: Mr. Fuji. I'm hopeful that he can explain why i'm here and what all of this means, so i boldly ask him, and he takes me back to his house so that he can explain everything.

Apparently, the same meteor that threatened the Kyushu - sorry, "Hoenn" - region when i first traveled through there, the one i destroyed while riding on Rayquaza, also existed in the alternative universe i found myself in after the Ultra Wormhole. Since there was no mega evolution in that timeline, that meteor destroyed the entire region, killing everyone, including me. However, almighty Arceus saw the heroics i had performed back in the living world, saving the entire world multiple times, and so he thought it a waste to let me into the afterlife just yet. This testing ground was built from my memories to see whether i am worthy of reincarnating back into the living world; if i succesfully manage to collect all the badges and defeat the pokemon league, I will live once more. I guess Arceus is real after all.

With that, Mr. Fuji gives me a Poke Flute and sends me off. The road to Tokyo is still blocked by the guards, so the logical place to head now is down south. I use my poke flute to wake up the snorlax sleeping there, whom i immediately recognise as Dr Snorlax, with his PhD in Nutrition. He's a bit grumpy at first, but i manage to subdue him and net him in a poke ball. This means the end of Blargh's time on my team; sorry buddy, you did great, especially against Erika, but i'm not going to keep a Beedrill on me forever.

Further south on the route, i meet the Fishing Guru, who gives me his Super Rod. I think i'll head a bit further south before i test it out though. I proceed onto Route 13, one of those weird fence maze routes, and test out my new rod there. I fish up Ursula, the Tentacool/Tentacruel who helped us become the champion of Hawaii. I proceed through the maze and head south onto Route 14, where a bunch of bikers and other low-lifes tend to gather. I beat up the low-lifes here and run into a Venonat which i immediately recognise as Mug, the Grubbin/Charjabug from back in Britain. There's more good news though; on this route, my starter Bulborb evolves into Venusaur, it's final form. This will add some extra power to a team that's honestly not lacking in that department.

Fuchsia City is now finally in sight as i march onto route 15. On this final stretch of land, i run into yet another old friend; Jinglebell the Victreebel, from our adventures through Kansai. He's an Oddish this time, so his name makes a bit less sense, but whatever. When i finally arrive in Fuchsia City, i decide to call it a day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Konaan (Nidoking) lv 33
Bulborb (Venusaur) lv 32
Buiri (Jolteon) lv 33
Kyne (Pidgeotto) lv 33
Dr Snorlax (Snorlax) lv 33
Feesh (Gyarados) lv 32

There Is No Arceus · Sep 2, 2023

I don't think i'm strong enough for Fuchsia's gym yet, but while i'm here, i might as well pay a visit to the city's famous Safari Zone. In here, I run into Belle, the Cinccino who helped me beat Ghetsis, though she's a male Nidoran now. Trans rights. Anyway, i make my way to the other end of the safari zone, where a guy gives me HM03 Surf as a reward for making it this far. Along the way, i stumbled upon a set of golden teeth, which i assume belong to the safari zone warden. My business here is concluded, so i head out of the Safari Zone and give the warden his teeth, for which he rewards me with HM04 Strength. I immediately teach both of my new HMs to my team, though i will not be able to Surf out of battle until i get Koga's badge. I then decide to pay a visit to the warden's neighbor, the Fishing Guru's brother, and he gives me the Good Rod, which i proceed to test out on his little pond. I manage to fish up Dumb Fish, the karp i bought from a salesman when i was first in Kanto, though it's a Goldeen now.

With that, i decide to go explore due west. Unfortunately, you're not allowed to cross the cycling road on foot; i'll have to ride my bike. I really prefer to walk, but whatever. I fish up Tajiri the Poliwag here though; nice to meet an old friend from Hawaii. Further north on the Cycling Road, i meet Nigeria the Spearow, who helped me clear Sprout Tower. On the Celadon end of Cycling Road, i find that the path is still blocked by a Snorlax, so i whip out my poke flute and wake up what i now recognise as Kabisha, the Snorlax who traveled with us through France. Unfortunately though, my box is full, so i can't catch it. I just run and change my box, but when i come back, i find that Kabisha has left the vicinity. Eh, she disappointed back in france, so there's a decent chance she'd disappoint again. I do meet another old friend though; Skeever, the Rattata/Raticate from when i first traveled this region.

There's few places left to go now, so i take some time to contemplate what to do next. At this point, I remember that the gate guards to Tokyo are always complaining about how thirsty they are; i might be able to bribe them with a drink. Celadon's department store sells drinks, so i head there and buy a Fresh Water. While i'm here, i figure i might as well fish up Soema, the Kantonian Slowpoke i got on the Isle of Man. My bribe works and i get into Tokyo, but i immediately notice a Team Rocket presence. I'll need to get some more levels in before i try to root them out though, so i head for the Fighting Dojo here in town and beat up all the black belts. As a prize for beating them all, i get Jackie the Hitmonchan, who joined us at this exact spot so long ago.

With that, it's time to take on the rockets. I overhear that they are targeting Silph Co, the building with all the annoying teleporter pads, so i head there. I beat up a bunch of rockets and teleport around until i find the card key to open the doors, then i systematically go through every floor to make sure i drive out every single yakuza member from this building. As i'm doing this, Kyne evolves into Pidgeot, a stage she never reached when we traveled through France. This means my team is now fully evolved and ready to face any challenge thrown my way.

Just when i've almost cleared out the entire building, i run into Ben, here to test me again. He leads with his Pidgeot and i lead with Buiri. A single Thunderbolt is enough for the kill, and next is Exeggcute. I opt to go for Kyne here, and she almost takes it out with a Fly; would have been an OHKO if it weren't for Reflect. Stun Spore paralyzes me though, but Ben just goes for a leech seed thereafter, allowing me to get the kill. Third is Gyarados, so i go back to Buiri and blast the thing into oblivion with a Thunderbolt. Alakazam is up next, so i go to Dr Snorlax. Alakazam decides that disabling Amnesia is the best course of action, so i kill it with a single Body Slam. Last but not least is Charizard, but this is nothing Feesh can't handle. I do take a Slash, the first damage i take at all in this fight, but i still 2HKO with surf. As a reward for my victory, a guy here gives me Yonaoshi, who is unfortunately no longer a Whiscash but rather a Lapras.

I press on and find Giovanni extorting the company president, so i challenge him to a battle. He leads with Nidorino and i lead with its evolution, Konaan. One earthquake takes it out, and Kangaskhan is next. I decide this is Feesh's job, and two surfs later, he's gone. Rhyhorn is third, but it dies to one surf. Last is Nidoqueen, and i figure that the appropriate counter for the Queen would be the King. Konaan comes back out and two-shots with Earthquake, taking only minor damage from a scratch. With that, Giovanni and his goons fuck off, and the president gives me a Master Ball as thanks for my help. With that, i think i'll call it a day.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

My current team:

Konaan (Nidoking) lv 37
Dr Snorlax (Snorlax) lv 37
Feesh (Gyarados) lv 37
Bulborb (Venusaur) lv 37
Buiri (Jolteon) lv 38
Kyne (Pidgeot) lv 37

yeah, my box was full precisely at the moment when i engaged with the second snorlax. screw gen 1's pc system

There Is No Arceus · Sep 3, 2023

With the rockets dealt with, i decide to take on Tokyo's gym. This is a psychic gym, so Bulborb and Konaan will be sitting this one out. Instead, i'm taking Skeever and Minnie the Rattatas, as death fodder. The gym puzzle revolves around navigating the same kind of teleporter pads we saw in Silph, which is about as annoying as it was there, but i'll just do it. I eventually make my way through to Sabrina and challenge her to a battle; she leads with Kadabra and i lead with Feesh. Sabrina decides that using recover while at full health is the optimal play, so i kill the kadabra with a crit Bite. Second is Mr. Mime, and i go for Dr Snorlax here. Thanks to a barrier, body slam only does about half, though it does paralyze. A second body slam leaves Mr. Mime with a sliver though, and he hits a crit Confusion. I opt to rest this damage off as Mr. Mime is repeatedly fully paralyzed, only hitting me with a doubleslap the turn i wake up. As such, he goes down and Sabrina sends out her Venomoth. This is clearly a job for Kyne, who kills it wit a Fly and a Wing Attack. That just leaves Alakazam, so Dr Snorlax comes back out and hits a body slam that doesn't kill, while Sabrina's Psybeam leaves me in crit range. I decide it's wisdom to sack Minnie here, which may have been a bad move as Alakazam goes for Recover and then Reflect. In fact, he just keeps spamming Reflect. This does mean i get a few Tail Whips in though, before Minnie dies and i go for Feesh. Alakazam then just uses another useless Reflect as i Bite him down. Five badges in hand, and one step closer to the living realm.

Since i'm strong enough to beat Sabrina, i'm probs also strong enough for Koga. So i fly to Fuchsia and challenge his gym. This is a poison gym, so no one will have to sit this one out. The puzzle here revolves around navigating invisible walls, which presents an interesting challenge. I eventually manage it though and make my way through to Koga. He leads with Koffing and i lead with Konaan. One critical earthquake takes him out, and next is Muk, who is taken out by a regular earthquake. Koga's second koffing is up next and also dies to an earthquake; weird how the Koffing here do not levitate above the ground. Last is Weezing; Earthquake does not one-shot this thing, but Koga just wastes time with an X Attack. So i get the kill on the next turn. Victory is mine, without taking any damage.

With this badge, i now have the ability to Surf over water, which i will use for some exploration. My first target will be Kanto's power plant, by the entrance to Rock Tunnel. Inside, i encounter a very special friend of mine: Arme Nana the Pikachu. I have so many memories with this guy as we traveled all of Kanto together, took on the elite four and became the champion. I know this incarnation is just a memory though, and not the real deal, so he will go to the box. I continue looking around and find many cool items in the plant, as well as a bunch of Voltorb pretending to be items. There's also a big electric chicken here, but it's ugly so i ignore it.

Once i'm done in the power plant, i decide to go explore the seas south of Fuchsia. I know Cinnabar Island is somewhere in these waters, but i don't remember exactly where and i don't have a map. So i head south onto Route 19 and fish up Ingrid, the Popplio/Brionne/Primarina from Hawaii, though she's take the form of a Horsea in this realm. I sail west from here until i hit land, in the form of the Seafoam Islands. This seems like a perfect spot for some fishing, so i fish up Past, the Frillish/Jellicent from New York, who is a Goldeen here. I also decide to go and explore the intricate cave system located on these islands, and i find Donald here, the Golduck with whom i traveled France. I also meet a big frozen chicken here, but it's ugly so i ignore it.

Once i reach the other exit, i surf west again until i hit Cinnabar, then i decide to call it a day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Dr Snorlax (Snorlax) lv 40
Kyne (Pidgeot) lv 39
Buiri (Jolteon) lv 41
Konaan (Nidoking) lv 40
Feesh (Gyarados) lv 40
Bulborb (Venusaur) lv 40

That Koga fight seemed completely free, but if Weezing had exploded rather than using an X Attack, i'd have had a problem

There Is No Arceus · Sep 5, 2023

Blaine's gym is locked, so i decide to go fishing for now. I fish up Toto, the Totodile from my travels through Kansai, who is a Staryu this time. I also decide to check out the lab here on the island, and they actually have a device to restore my fossils back to living pokemon. They turn my Old Amber into Furuitori the Aerodactyl and my Helix Fossil into Ming the Bastiodon, who is an Omanyte now.

Looking for even more time to kill before Blaine comes home, i decide to go and surf a bit on the seas north of the island. On these vast seas, i find a tiny piece of land, where i run into Basil, the Raticate from Hawaii. At this point, i decide to just head back to Cinnabar, but the gym is still locked. So, with even more time to kill, i go explore the ruined mansion on this island. In these ruins, i find the spirit of Kaboom the Electrode, who is now a Koffing. There's also a bunch of journal pages detailing the creation of something called a Mew-Two, but i don't care. What is interesting is the key i find in this place; it unlocks the door to the gym. Blaine and his trainers were actually trapped inside.

Guess now is the time to take on the gym. This is a fire gym, so Bulborb will be sitting this one out. Instead, i'm bringing Ingrid the Horsea, as death fodder. The puzzle here is just that i have to fight all the trainers and then the path will open; there's strange machines connected to the doors, but i don't trust them. I eventually make it to Blaine and challenge him to a battle; he leads with Growlithe and i lead with Konaan. One earthquake takes care of him, and next is Ponyta, who awaits the same fate. Third is Rapidash, who goes down to a crit Earthquake, but for Blaine's last pokemon, i decide to shake things up. He sends out his Arcanine and i send out Feesh. My first Surf leaves him with a sliver, and the second one kills as he launches two take downs that take me over half health. Seven badges down; only one left before i can challenge the pokemon league and return to the living realm.

That one gym is in Viridian City, so i fly over there to challenge it immediately. This is a ground gym, so Buiri will be sitting this one out. Instead, i am once again bringing Ingrid the Horsea along. The gym houses the same kinds of sliding floor tile puzzles seen in rocket bases; guess i already know who i'll be facing at the end. Surprise surprise, it's Giovanni. He leads with Rhyhorn and i lead with Feesh. One surf takes care of him, and next is Dugtrio. I opt to go for Bulburb against this one, and i take him out with a crit Razor Leaf as he just growls at me. Giovanni's Nidoqueen comes out next, and i decide to face the queen with the king. Konaan's Earthquake takes her out in one shot, and Giovanni brings out his own Nidoking for an honour battle. Konaan however proves himself the king of kings by annihiliting his rival to the throne with a single Earthquake. Last is Rhydon and i send Feesh back in. A single surf later and all eight badges are mine.

So with that, i just have one trial left. I head west on my way toward the Indigo Plateau, but on my way, i run into Ben again, He congratulates me on passing all the tests up to this point, then he challenges me to another test before i undertake the final one. He leads with Pidgeot and i lead with Konaan. Pidgeot opts to do nothing but spam Agility, so i take him down with ease. Next is Rhyhorn, which is Bulborb's task. One Razor Leaf blows him away, and Exeggcute is up third. This job will go to Kyne; Fly does not OHKO, but he just misses a Stun Spore so it doesn't matter. The second fly kills and Ben sends out his Gyarados. I have Buiri to take care of this; one Thunderbolt later and the big water snake is in the ground. It's then time for Ben's scariest pokemon: Alakazam. Dr Snorlax comes out and tanks a nasty Psybeam that leaves him in crit range, but he does manage to get Alakazam's health down to what i assume would be the red, had this region not been black and white. I switch Kyne in on a psybeam that does over half and take him out with a Quick Attack; had to risk a crit there. Ben's final pokemon is Charizard; i switch to Feesh and take him out with a few surfs as he just spams Rage for some reason.

With Ben defeated once more, i decide to call it a day for now.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Kyne (Pidgeot) lv 41
Konaan (Nidoking) lv 44
Dr Snorlax (Snorlax) lv 42
Bulborb (Venusaur) lv 42
Feesh (Gyarados) lv 43
Buiri (Jolteon) lv 42

There Is No Arceus · Sep 6, 2023

I head on, proudly showing my accumulated badges to the gate guards. Along the way, i run into Riri, the Lucario from my first Hokkaido trip, though he seems to have disintegrated into a pile of goo called a Ditto. I proceed on into the Road of Victory, where one final old friend awaits me; Dashiro, the Sawk from France, though he has taken the form of a Machop. He gets a master ball to the face, and gets transferred to the PC. I then proceed to get absolutely lost in this massive cave; while i stumble about, i fun into a big flaming chicken, but it's ugly so i ignore it.

I eventually make it through and onto the Indigo Plateau, the site of the Pokemon League. I'm not yet strong enough to take it on though; i have to get some more training in first. A lot of training later, i decide to call it a day.
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My current team:

Feesh (Gyarados) lv 44
Konaan (Nidoking) lv 44
Bulborb (Venusaur) lv 45
Buiri (Jolteon) lv 45
Kyne (Pidgeot) lv 45
Dr Snorlax (Snorlax) lv 45

There Is No Arceus · Sep 9, 2023

With my training done, it's time to take on the Elite Four. My first opponent will be Lorelei, the ice user. She leads with Dewgong and i lead with Buiri. Thunderbolt brings her to a sliver, but she uses a super potion for some reason instead of attacking, so i just take her out. Cloyster is next, but it falls to a single Thunderbolt. Third is Slowbro, who awaits the same fate, and then comes Jynx. I decide it's probably wisdom to let Dr Snorlax handle this one, and he manages to take it out with just a single body slam. For Lorelei's final pokemon, Lapras, i switch back to Buiri and take it out with a crit thunderbolt. One down.

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Up third is Agatha, the ghost trainer. She leads with Gengar and i lead with Dr Snorlax. She confuses me, but Dr Snorlax pulls through and hits a psychic for... very little. I hit myself for a few turns thereafter, but Agatha decides to waste this time by spamming confuse ray and dream eater even though i'm not asleep. I eventually snap out of confusion though, and kill the gengar with two more psychics. Golbat is up next, so i opt to send Buiri out. One thunderbolt nails the thing, and third is Haunter. I go for Dr Snorlax again, but he puts me to sleep immediately. I wake up immediately though, but he just puts me back to sleep. Fearing the Dream Eater, i switch to Kyne on a night shade. Kyne takes the haunter out in two flys while Haunter misses a hypnosis. Up fourth is Agatha's Arbok, and i opt to send Konaan out for this one. One earthquake is enough to kill it, and the same applies to Agatha's last pokemon, her second Gengar. Three down.

Fourth is my old friend, dragon master Lance. He leads with his Gyarados and i lead with Buiri. Thunderbolt blasts his big water snake from the sky, and second is his Dragonair. Konaan will take care of this; a crit earthquake kills in one shot. Lance then sends in his second dragonair, who also goes down to a crit earthquake; two crits in a row. Fourth is Lance's Aerodactyl, against whom i send out Feesh. Surf OHKOs, meaning Lance is down to his last mon. Against his Dragonite, i opt to go for Dr Snorlax, but Ice Beam does not one-shot. Dr Snorlax tanks a Hyper Beam that would have killed had it crit, then he kills the big dragon with another ice beam.

With the elite four defeated, i walk into the champion's room to see what my final test will be. It turns out i have to face Ben one last time. He confirms to me that if i manage to win this battle, i will be allowed to reincarnate back into the living world, but that he will put up as tough a battle as he can. So begins my final test. He leads with Pidgeot and i lead with Konaan. I launch a Thrash, but it does considerably less than i thought it would, and his mirror-moved Thrash does far more and kills Konaan before his thrash loses its steam. Buiri comes for vengeance and blasts the pidgeot down with Thunderbolt, and up next is Alakazam. I send out Dr Snorlax to face this daunting foe, but he takes over half from a psychic. Body Slam does leave the Alakazam paralyzed and with a sliver, so i outspeed the next turn and get the kill. Third is Rhydon, which means Bulborb will make his Pokemon League debut. As expected, Razor Leaf crits and kills the thing in one shot. It's then time to face Exeggutor, which is a job for Kyne. Fly does less than half, but he can barely hurt me so it doesn't matter. I take him out and get ready to face Ben's second-last pokemon, his Gyarados. As usual, the water snake is Buiri's job, and Thunderbolt gets the better of him. Last is Ben's ace, his Charizard. Feesh comes in and surfs him down as he throws the match my using Rage. I've won.

As the thrill of victory courses through my veins, i see the black-and-white world around me dissolve, and a strange figure appears. I look closer and see that this is Looker, the international police detective. He tells me that that role was only a ruse so that people would not be suspicious of him; he is in fact an agent of Arceus sent to watch over me throughout my travels. He is most pleased with the amount of times i saved not just one particular region, but the entire world. Though my biggest challenge, he says, is yet to come. Arceus needs me alive to stop a universe-ending catastrophe in the future, though Looker reassures me that this threat is not immediate.

And with that, he disappears and sends my spirit flying through the void, on my way back to the world of the living. As i move through this metaphysical space, my mind turns towards the friends who did not see this journey through to the end:

Tori the Pidgey. You were not the only pidgey in our crew, but we still value your brave sacrifice against that dastardly Slowpoke on the way to Bill. RIP.

Groentje the Weedle. We already had a Beedrill to serve us, so you probably wouldn't have been too useful, but you still gave your life for the cause against that Butterfree before Vermillion. RIP.

Minnie the Rattata. You were meant to be sacrificed against Sabrina, but the tail whips you got in may have won us the battle, even if they cost you your life. RIP.

Konaan the Nidoking. You were with us for the entire journey, proving pivotal in more battles than i can count. You singlehandedly took out Koga, and were instrumental in defeating Lt. Surge, Blaine, and Giovanni. You were definitely the backbone of my team, and the MVP of this run. Really sad that you could not see the run get finished, dying in the final battle. RIP.

Special shoutout to Blargh the Beedrill. You were invaluable in the early game, and did great in many of the tough battles in that time. You fell off towards the mid-game though, but you still managed to pull your weight in the fight against Erika. Unfortunately, we had to replace you soon thereafter. Have a good life.

And so one journey ends as another begins, as i feel myself emerge from my new mother's womb. We'll see what adventures and friendships await in my new life.
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The winning team:

Kyne (Pidgeot) lv 50
Buiri (Jolteon) lv 52
Feesh (Gyarados) lv 50
Dr Snorlax (Snorlax) lv 51
Bulborb (Venusaur) lv 50

Chapter 13: Soul Silver sill start in not too long

There Is No Arceus · Sep 11, 2023

Chapter 13: Soul Silver

Rules for this game will be as follows:

The challenge is complete upon defeating Red
Legendary pokemon, roaming or otherwise, will not count as my encounter for that location
the Safari Zone will count as a single area in terms of encounters
I will not manipulate the time of day to get certain encounters
I may revive a single fossil; this will be my encounter for Pewter City
Pokemon purchased from the game corner will count as my encounter for their respective cities.

Time for a return to Johto, the best version of Johto this time. This is not a perfect game, but it´s definitely way better than actual gen 2, and more difficult to boot. I expect way more of a challenge here than in the last game, even if i know this region by heart.
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Having been reborn in the Kansai - sorry, "Johto" region, my childhood years here were very pleasant. Me and my friend Ethan often play together on the scenic streets of New Bark Town, and Professor Elm, a friend of the family, often stops by to teach me everything about Pokemon. Little does he know i was a pokemon master in a previous life. Japanese school life was tough from time to time, but i made it through.

This was my life up until i reached the age of 10, the age at which one receives one´s first pokemon. As i head down into the living room to greet my mom, she tells me that Professor Elm is looking for me. So she gives me a bag and a trainer card , and sends me on my way. As i step outside, Ethan´s Marill bumps into me, but i just ignore it and head over to the professor. The professor was apparently looking for me because he has an errand for me; he wants me to pick up a package from his friend, Mr. Pokemon. This is a dangerous journey, which means he is giving me a pokemon of my own to protect me; I´m going to be a trainer again! I of course pick the cutie Totodile and name him Africa. Ethan´s always walking around with his mon outside its ball, so i think i´ll try that too.

When i step outside, i actually run into Ethan and his Marill, and i show them my new Totodile. He´s quite impressed by its cuteness, and implores me to show it to my mom before i head off. So i show off Africa to mom; good thing i did, cause it turns out my Pokegear has just gotten back from repairs. Wouldn´t want to leave home without that. Time to head off though. Just as i´m about to step out of town, the professor runs up to me and gives me his number in case something happens; dunno why we never exchanged numbers before.

So yeah, we head through Route 29 to Cherrygrove City. There, a guy decides to show me around town, then he gives me his running shoes as a reward for my patience in listening to him. Thx, i guess. Time to head on to Route 30 though, where Mr. Pokemon lives. When i arrive there to pick up the package, i find that Professor Oak is also here, the senile professor from Kanto. Pretty surprised that he´s still kicking, but i digress. I don´t have his family´s contact info, so i can´t inform them that their granddad has wandered off again. I just give him directions back home, and as a reward, he gives me a Pokedex i´m never going to use.

The moment i step outside, i get a call from Professor Elm, telling me to get back immediately. So i hurry back through Cherrygrove, but i´m stopped by this redhead kid who wants to do battle. His chikorita proves no match for Africa though; as the redhead heads off, i spot that he dropped his trainer card. Guy´s name is Eugene; not that it matters. Eugene quickly comes back to pick it up, and i proceed back to New Bark Town to meet with the professor. There´s apparently been a break-in; a Chikorita has been stolen. The cop immediately accuses me, but fortunately Ethan comes in just at that moment and says he saw a red-haired boy run off. That sounds exactly like Eugene, so i give the cops everything i remember from that trainer card.

As i give Mr. Pokemon´s package to the professor, he remarks that i have become very good with pokemon, and suggests that i take the gym challenge alongside Africa. I immediately accept of course, and i head over to my mom´s place to tell her i will be heading out. She offers to handle some of my money, which seems like a good idea. So now my journey starts in earnest; on Route 29, Ethan is kind enough to show me how to catch a pokemon, then he gives me 5 poke balls so i can try it for myself. I manage to net myself a Sentret, which i nickname Uitkijk. Haven´t yet revealed to Ethan that i´m a reincarnated legend, so i have to pretend to be a noob at this. Anyway, i head on and make a brief excursion onto route 46, where i catch Gus-Gus the Rattata. This is a dead end though+ can´t climb the mountains here. So i just head on through Cherrygrove and onto route 30, where Aaravos the Weedle awaits me in the grass.

I proceed onward to route 31, where i manage to obtain a Pidgey and name her Khenarthi. there is an entrance here to the aptly-named Dark Cave, but it´s too dark for exploration, so i just catch a Geodude and name it MickJagger, then i proceed on my way to Violet City. In the city gates, i run into Ethan again, and he decides to just give me his VS Recorder. Not something i have use for, but i appreciate the sentiment. In the pokemon center in this city, i actually run into one of my childhood idols; Primo from the Teachy TV is here. Now is my chance to say to him the things i´ve been wanting to tell the man for so long: "Huge Power Talent Synchronize Take it Easy", Water Veil Friend Huge Power Come On" and "Magazine Truant Minus Match Up". Out of gratitide for informing him of these things, he gives me no less than three pokemon eggs. Out of excitement for what might hatch from these eggs, i start hyperactively running around town and onto Route 32, where a Bellsprout interrupts my joyous escapades. I catch it and name it Katie, then i proceed to run around like crazy. An excursion onto the route west of Violet leads to a guy who opts to randomly give me HM06 Rock Smash, which i won´t be able to use until i have a badge, but it´s still nice to have.

Some running later, and the eggs actually start hatching. It is now my job to take care of a baby Mareep, Slugma and Wooper. I name them Sheeple, Gerrit and Giggity, respectively, then i decide to call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Africa (Totodile) lv 8
Uitkijk (Sentret) lv 3
MickJagger (Geodude) lv 4
Sheeple (Mareep) lv 1
Giggity (Wooper) lv 1
Gerrit (Slugma) lv 1

There Is No Arceus · Sep 13, 2023

My team will consist of Africa the Totodile, Uitkijk the Sentret, Katie the Bellsprout, Sheeple the Mareep, Giggity the Wooper and Khenarthi the Pidgey. So yeah, time to start training these guys up.

Once i´ve trained them up to a decent level, i decide to take them on a trip to Violet City´s touristy spots. So i enter the Sprout Tower with Giggity by my side; the shaking central column is really impressive. I catch myself a Rattata while here and name it Jaq-Jaq, then i proceed to make my way to the top. There, i see that Eugene has just beaten the tower´s elder in battle; the elder gives him the Tm for Flash, but chastises him for how harshly he treats his pokemon. Eugene isn´t impressed though, and uses an escape rope to get out. Since i´m here, i might as well battle the elder too; he leads with Bellsprout and i lead with Khenarthi. Two gusts take him out as he just sets up a growth, and next is his ace, his Hoothoot. I switch for Sheeple for this; she doesn´t yet know any electric moves though. Thanks to a series of growls, he outdamages me, though he does get paralyzed from Static before i have to switch. Uitkijk comes in on a peck, then kills the thing in two more hits as it misses a Hypnosis. Last is another Bellsprout, so Khenarthi comes in and gives it the same treatment as the first one. Victory is mine.

The elder gives me the TM for Flash, like he gave Eugene. I bid him farewell, but i don´t think i´m ready yet to face the gym leader, so i get some more training in. Once i´m at an appropriate level, it´s time to head in. This is a flying gym, so Katie will be sitting this one out. Instead, i´ll be taking Gus-Gus the Rattata, as death fodder. The gym puzzle here involves trying to avoid falling to my death as i cross narrow boardwalks high up in the sky. I eventually manage this and make my way to the gym leader. I look Sheeple in the eyes, and see her brimming with confidence for the battle ahead. Falkner leads with his Pidgey; he unfortunately outspeeds and tackles me, and i just miss out on the one-shot with thundershock. I expected a healing item, but Falkner goes for another tackle as i take him out. I opt to stay in for Pidgeotto though; static paralyzes him, but my thundershock does far less than i thought it would, so i´ll have to switch. Khenarthi comes in, but immediately gets put in crit range. I opt to risk it and go for a sand-attack, but then i´m reminded that Keen Eye is a thing. I decide to sack Gus-Gus now to get Giggity in and hit a tail whip, but gust does over half to me. So i switch to Africa and hit a scratch, risking the crit. At this point, i decide the best course of action is stalling with potions, but a while later i come to see that this strategy is hopeless as he has way more Gusts than i have potions. To make matters worse, he can simply Roost off any damage i do to him. I opt to switch in Uitkijk as he is fully paralyzed, then i heal up Sheeple as Pidgeotto is takes me to half health. Uitkijk goes down after using a quick attack and Sheeple comes in; she is the only one with any decent damage output, even if he can still outroost it. Fortunately, i get lucky with the paralysis and Pidgeot goes down.

We won, but at great cost. I´ll never see Uitkijk´s smile again. And to think how close we were to losing many more of our soldiers. Good thing Sheeple pulled through in the end. Anyway, as i step outside the gym, i get a call from the professor, saying that he wants me to carry around the egg that was in Mr. Pokemon´s package. So i go to the poke mart to pick it up from his aide. The moment i leave though, one of those Kimono Girls from Kyoto - sorry, "Ecruteak City" - walks up to me to tell me that this egg is very important, and that i must do my best to protect it. Sure, i guess. Anyway, it´s time to call it a day.
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My current team:

Katie (Bellsprout) lv 9
Giggity (Wooper) lv 9
Africa (Totodile) lv 9
Khenarthi (Pidgey) lv 11
Sheeple (Mareep) lv 12
Egg

Really should have grinded more for the gym. After Pokemon Red, i´m not used to opponents having decent movesets and proper AI.

There Is No Arceus · Sep 14, 2023

With our hearts still heavy from the loss of Uitkijk, we decide to head on onto route 32. This route is actually quite scenic; i love the waterside grasslands with the fishermen fishing on the piers. At the end of this walk though, i find a pokemon center and the entrance to the Union Cave. I head into this mysterious cave together with Giggity, and we immediately encounter a wild Geodude. I catch the thing and nickname it Dwayne. When i reach the other end of the cave, it is of course raining; just my luck i guess. I catch myself a Zubat that happened to be flying around in the rain, and call it Robin.

I arrive in Azalea town just when the rain stops, and i see a confrontation between an old man and what looks like a team rocket grunt. Do i really have to put that organization in the ground yet another time? Seriously, how often have i had to do that by now? Anyway, i go and visit the ballmaker Kurt, but he currently doesn´t have time to make me any balls. He was about to head to the slowpoke well to give the rocket grunts there a piece of his mind. I´ve got nothing better to do at the moment, so i guess i´ll follow him and make sure everything goes all right. However, the moment Khenarthi and me jump down the well, we find Kurt on the floor; he fell hard on his back and can´t help drive out team rocket. So i just charge in and catch a Zubat along the way, naming it Kuwait.

I fight my way through to commander Proton; honestly never realised before these guys even have names. Anyway, i tell him to leave, but he refuses so i have no choice but to beat him up in a pokemon battle. He leads with Zubat and i lead with Sheeple. Thundershock leaves him with a sliver and he confuses me, but Sheeple pulls through and gets the kill. Next is Koffing, a job i give to Giggity. Koffing immediately poisons Giggity though, and then he destroys my accuracy with smokescreens. So once we are both at half health, i switch to Katie. Katie unfortunately misses a wrap and gets a crit against her, so i have to switch again, to Khenarthi this time. Khenarthi outspeeds the koffing, and a crit Gust grants me the victory.

With that, Proton and his goons agree to fuck off, and Kurt comes in; apparently his back has healed. He takes me back to his home in Azalea and asks if i want him to make me some poke balls. I give him a bunch of apricorns, then i decide to head out on my way again. I don´t quite feel up to the task of challenging the gym yet, so i decide to get some training in in the well. During this training, my egg hatches into a cute little Togepi, whom i name Kasumi. Elm immediately gives me a phone call, as if he telepathically knew that the egg had hatched, and asks me to come show it to him, but that´s not feasible atm; maybe i´ll do it once i get fly.

I train for quite a bit, but then it´s time to call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Katie (Bellsprout) lv 14
Khenarthi (Pidgey) lv 14
Africa (Totodile) lv 14
Giggity (Wooper) lv 14
Sheeple (Mareep) lv 14
Kasumi (Togepi) lv 1

There Is No Arceus · Sep 16, 2023

Time to start training up a sixth team member; Dwayne the Geodude will be let onto the team. As i´m training him and the other guys up, Sheeple evolves into Flaaffy, which will help a lot in the coming challenges.

When i´m done training, it´s time to take on the gym. This is a bug gym, so nobody will have to sit this one out. The puzzle revolves around standing on spider-shaped platforms and navigating spider webs. I eventually manage this and make my way to the gym leader, Bugsy. Dwayne seems eager to jump into the fight, so i give him a shell bell and challenge Bugsy. Bugsy leads with his scyther, but Dwayne just takes it out in a single rock throw while it leers at me. Bugsy´s other two pokemon are a joke; Dwayne takes out his Metapod and Kakuna with ease, earning me my second badge.

With that, it´s time to head into the Ilex Forest. As i´m heading there though, that thief Eugene approaches me; he doesn´t believe i beat team rocket, and demands that i show my strength in a battle. He leads with Gastly and i lead with Africa. One bite fells the ball of gas, but next is Eugene´s ace, his Bayleef. I send out Katie here and hit him with a poisonpowder as he sets up reflect. I then wrap him as he... spams Synthesis. Once he is out of PP for his healing moves, he decides to start using Razor Leaf, but it does less than my poison and wrap does to him every turn. so, 36 million years later, he goes down, a fate he could have avoided if he had not wasted all his synthesis PP at the start. Last is Zubat, so i send out Sheeple and nail it with two thundershocks. After this victory, Eugene goes on a rant about how he hates the weak, and heads off into Ilex Forest.

I should probably head in that direction as well. In the forest, i encounter a Weedle, which i catch and name Salvatore. Deeper in the forest, i encounter a kid who has lost his farfetch´d. So, being the good person i am, i decide to help him track it, and he tells me there´s a second one. I track the second one too, and the kid´s employer shows up. He thanks me for getting hold of the Farfetch´d they use to make charcoal, and rewards me with HM01 Cut. I immediately teach this move to Africa and use it to progress further into the forest, to the shrine of the forest´s protector. I head deeper into the forest and see a guy headbutting trees for some reason. He´s doing this so that pokemon will fall out, and offers to teach my pokemon to do this too. So i take Jaq-Jaq the Rattata out of the box and teach him this valuable skill. I also teach it to a bunch of my party pokemon.

With this newfound skill, i head back to Azalea and headbutt the trees until an Aipom falls out. This little bugger will be named Noeklz. And with that, i´m calling it a day.
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My current team:

Africa (Totodile) lv 15
Dwayne (Geodude) lv 17
Giggity (Wooper) lv 15
Katie (Bellsprout) lv 16
Sheeple (Flaaffy) lv 15
Khenarthi (Pidgey) lv 16

Didn´t want to use Geodude because i didn´t want this to be too much of a copy of my Silver run, but i saw no other way to get past Bugsy´s Scyther. it´s always interesting how one pokemon can turn a fight from tough to trivial.

Also, i didn´t realise you can just teach Headbutt to as many pokemon as you want in this game.

TINA's Nuzlocke Series

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