TINA's Nuzlocke Series

[There Is No Arceus]

Vermillion is a pleasant little port town, so i decide to go and explore the waters around it for a bit. While doing so, i encounter a Tentacool and name it Hermaeus, but i don't think it'll take Oe's space on the team. I also don't think it's a good idea to take on this city's gym right now; i should gain some more levels first. The route east is blocked by a sleeping Snorlax and i don't have a poke flute on me, so i head north instead, onto route 6. In the grass here, i find a Meowth, upon which I shall bestow the nickname Poema. The underground path is closed, so i head through Tokyo - sorry, "Saffron City", but i also think i'm gonna postpone this gym for now. The guy at the underground path said something was going on at the power plant, so i guess that's my target destination. The quickest way to get there is probably to head east, so i head onto route 8 and beat up all the bikers that are making the roads unsafe. I also run into another Meowth while i'm here, so i nickname this one Gharesh-ri.

I head through into Lavender, and i find that the people here have again converted the graveyard tower into a radio tower. Seriously, does no one here respect the dead? So anyway, i pay my respects at the Hall of Memories, then i head to the tower itself to have them fix my radio, as it hasn't worked properly since i got to Kanto. They tell me though that they cannot help me so long as there are issues at the power plant. So after taking a few pictures of the new radio tower, i take my leave and head north. I head into the vast cave complex known as Rock Tunnel, and stumble around in complete darkness or what seems lik forever because i did not teach any of my pokemon to light up caves. While blindly stumbling about, I run into a little Machop, so i proceed to catch it and name it Afgeragd.

Once i finally reach the other end of the cave, i head north onto route 9 and catch Me'eueweu the Rattata there, only to immediately u-turn south onto route 10 and surf over to the Power Plant. I catch Ratigan the Raticate outside, then i head in to see what's wrong. Apparently, a part has been stolen. Just when i head out to investigate though, one of the cops here gets a call that a shady man has been spotted in Cerulean to the west, so i guess that's where i'm headed. I make my way through Route 9, fighting all the trainers along the way, until i finally arrive in the city of cerulean blues. The shady man was seen in the gym, so that's where i'll be heading. The moment i enter, a Team Rocket grunt bumps into me and then barges past. Too bad Misty and all her gym trainers have headed off somewhere; now it's just up to me to stop him. I pursue the man onto the Nugget Bridge, where i corner him and force him to do battle. One thorough ass-whooping later, and he's ready to spill the beans on where he hid the machine part he stole. It's in the abandoned gym, so i go fetch it, and Buika headbutts a nearby tree to celebrate our victory. A Hoothoot drops out, which i catch and nickname Albert.

Anyway, it's time to head back to the power plant. I give them back the stolen parts, and they get the machinery up and running again. This should be enough to get the radio tower built on the graveyard up and running again, so i fly back to Lavender, and the folks there upgrade my radio to be able to receive Kanto stations. And with that, it's time to call it a day.
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My current team:

Kagamine (Ninetales) lv 48
Buika (Umbreon) lv 48
40 (Forretress) lv 51
Kuwait (Crobat) lv 48
Woolly (Ampharos) lv 48
Oe (Slowpoke) lv 33

 

[There Is No Arceus]

With my radio working again, i head back to Vermillion and then east, where the Snorlax is still taking its nap. I set my radio to play a pleasant Poke Flute tune, which wakes up the sleeping pokemon. It's quite pissed at me for brutally waking it like this, but i manage to calm it down by trapping it in an Ultra Ball. It will be nicknamed Dr Snorlax. PhD is in logistics. Anyway, this allows me to enter the Diglett's Cave, where i catch one of the cave's namesake and name it Jonathan. On the other side, i immediately head north to Pewter City. Pewter has a few places worth checking out, most notably the museum of science. In this museum, you can get fossils revived. This idea excites me so that i decide to head back to the Ruins of Alph for a bit and smash rocks until i find myself an Old Amber. When i finally find one, i head back to the museum and have it revived into the majestic Aerodactyl, which i nickname Joe Biden. This is so cool.

I decide to leave Brock be for the time being and head east onto Route 3. There, i have Buika headbutt some trees until a Pineco comes falling out, but it blows itself up before i can catch it. That's too bad, but there's plenty to enjoy on this route, such as the meteors that fall here from time to time. From the looks of these craters, it's lucky they didn't land a bit further westward to hit Pewter City. Anyway, i take some pictures, then i decide to head on eastward. As i'm fighting through the trainers here, Oe evolves into Slowbro, so it's almost ready to start taking on foes by itself.

I proceed to Mt. Moon, but when i head in, i'm immediately greeted by Eugene. Didn't realise this guy was in Kanto. Anyway, he still wants to be the strongest there ever was through abusing his pokemon, so he challenges me to a battle. He leads with Sneasel and i lead with 40. Gyro Ball takes him out easily, and next is Magneton. This job will go to Kagamine; a single Flamethrower is all it takes. Third is Alakazam, which is a job for Buika. He cannot hurt me, so he just sets up reflect and disables headbutt before going down. Up next is Eugene's ace, Meganium. I decide to give this job to Kuwait, who beats away at this pokemon as it just spams synthesis. I eventually take it down, so Eugene sends out his Gengar. This is again Buika's job; Gengar curses me and i take it out with a faint attack. Last but not least, we're facing Golbat, for which i send out Woolly and bring it to the red with a discharge as it confuses me. A second discharge gets the kill.

Eugene still blames his losses on his pokemon, and heads off to train in the dragons den. That's not my concern though; i proceed through the cave and run into a Zubat, which i shall bestow the nickname MetaKnight. I make a quick stop at Mt. Moon Square to enjoy the view and shoot some more pictures, but unfortunately the Clefairy won't come out today. So i just head on through to Route 4. On this route, i beat up some trainers and continue east until i find myself in Cerulean City again, at which point I decide to call it a day.
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My current team:

Buika (Umbreon) lv 49
Woolly (Ampharos) lv 49
40 (Forretress) lv 52
Kagamine (Ninetales) lv 49
Oe (Slowbro) lv 40
Kuwait (Crobat) lv 49

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Rather than exploring the area around Cerulean, i decide to fly to Tokyo and head due west. This brings me to Route 7, possibly the shortest route in the world. I do run into a Meowth here though, so i end up catching it and naming it S'krivva. There's little else of notehere though, so i head on to Celadon City. I haven't been here in quite a long time, so i decide to go and explore the city for a bit. I show Buika the Celadon Condominiums, where we actually run into Ethan. He tells me that the sound director here in the Game Freak offices has something cool for trainers who manage to get all the Kanto badges. I don't yet have a single one though. So i just head off and up to the roof where i found an eevee all those moons ago. There's just a guy there telling ghost stories though; i listen to one, then it's time to head on.

I find to my pleasure that Team Rocket's influence on the Game Corner is completely gone; in fact the game corner has gotten a complete makeover, replacing those infernal, addicting slot machines where people wasted their money and life away with a skill based game where you can win fabulous prizes. I don't feel like playing though, so i go on exploring. Unfortunately, not all is good news, as the ponds around town have been taken over completely by Grimer. I manage to catch one to help cleanse the water, and i nickname it Smurrie.

I decide to head west onto route 16, but i find this route's grasses infested with the same sludge as Celadon's waters. So i catch another Grimer here, nicknaming this one Blubber. My mood gets even worse when i find out that to progress through this route, you need to ride your bicycle. Blegh, i hate riding a bike. Really prefer to walk. Ah well, guess Buika will have to return to his ball for now. As i am progressing through this route though, things go wrong. An enemy Weezing blew up on Kuwait just as it landed from a Fly; i had anticipated it going for explosion while I was in the air. This blast one-shot my poor bat. Rest in peace, Kuwait, you did well. You helped us through the elite four, and were especially good against Karen. We will miss you.

Kuwait's place on the team will be taken by Dr Snorlax. He is already at the level of my other guys, so there is no need for any training; i just continue down the cycling road. I progress through with no more deaths, until i reach route 18 and i can finally get off this stupid bike. This route's relatively short, so it doesn't take long before we arrive in Fuchsia. The main attraction of this town used to be the Safari Zone, but it has since moved to Kansai and has been replaced with the Pal Park. I do not understand what this place is for though, so i just ignore it.

What i'm not ignoring though is this place's gym; i feel like we're finally ready to begin Kanto's gym challenge. This is a poison gym, so nobody will have to sit this one out. The gym puzzle is the same as always, with the invisible walls, but Janine has pulled her trick of disguising all the gym trainers as her. So Woolly and I look around to try and find who the real gym leader is. Eventually, Woolly helps me find the real one, and we engage in battle. Janine leads with her Crobat, which just rubs salt in the wound regarding what happened to Kuwait earlier, but we'll just have to pull through. Janine confuses me, but my discharge paralyzes and takes her to the red. This prompts Janine to heal as i hit myself. I manage to paralyze and bring her to the red again, but not before getting hit by a screech. It is for this reason that i send our newest member Dr Snorlax in on a full paralysis, and proceed to crunch the bat to death. Weezing is up second, the same pokemon that killed poor Kuwait. This job will go to 40, who takes minimal damage from double hit, as well as from the explosion that follows. Janine goes for one of her Ariados next, so we will use Kagamine here. Flamethrower one-shots, and out comes the second Ariados, who meets the same fate. Last is her Venomoth; Kagamine stays in for this one and brings it down to its Sitrus Berry as it goes for Double Team. This causes me to miss my next move though, and Sludge Bomb brings me into crit range s i have to switch. Dr Snorlax comes in, but keeps missing all its moves as it is brought down to the red by a crit. I switch 40 in, but Venomoth is doing considerably more to him than to Dr Snorlax, so i end up healing Dr Snorlax and bringing him back, only just avoiding getting 40 killed. I finally get a hit with my final PP for Giga Impact, securing the victory in Kuwait's name.

To celebrate this victory, Buika headbutts every tree in Fuchsia until a Hoothoot drops out. It will be named Minerva, but i'm calling it a day for now.
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My current team:

Woolly (Ampharos) lv 50
Kagamine (Ninetales) lv 50
40 (Forretress) lv 52
Buika (Umbreon) lv 50
Oe (Slowbro) lv 45
Dr Snorlax (Snorlax) lv 50

I could have switched 40 in on that exploding Weezing, but i was afraid it might have Flamethrower and i thought i'd survive a non-crit explosion. Really hurts to lose a very good team member like this.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Rather than head on, i decide to go back to Route 18 and look for some pokemon while listening to some beautiful music from Hokkaido - sorry, "Sinnoh". I actually find myself a Shinx; no idea that pokemon even lived in this region. So yeah, i catch it and name it Thundercat. I then head onto the Cycling Road again to pay my respects to Kuwait, and i run into another Shinx. It almost seems like they're drawn by my radio or something. This one roars me away before i can catch it though. Ah well.

When i'm done honouring Kuwait's memory, i decide to go and explore the route between Cerulean and Tokyo, which i hadn't done yet for some reason. My Hokkaido tunes don't seem to attract any Shinx here though; i just find a regular Bellsprout. I'll just catch it anyway though, and name it Taco Bell. My next target for exploration will be the route west of Cerulean, Route 4. We just meet a lowly Rattata here though; it will get the nickname Schemer. This is it for my explorations of this route; i decide to fly to Pewter to explore Route 3 more, but fate ends up sending me in a different direction. I meet an old man here who tells me about his travels through Kansai, and then gives me a Rainbow Wing. This item looks important; i've never seen any pokemon with these kinds of feathers. I decide to take it to the sages in Ecruteak to see if they can explain its mystical aura.

So i once again head through the Bellchime Trail to the Tin Tower. The monks seem to be impressed with te wing, and allow me to climb the tower. I do so to the tune of Hokkaido music blasting through my radio, and i catch a Rattata along the way, nicknaming it Knager. Unfortunately though, when i reach the 5th floor, i find myself too tired to climb the rest of the steps. Really should work more on my cardio. I'm sorry to disappoint Woolly, but we will not be reaching the top together. I use an escape rope and exit the building, though i am glad i got to see some of the interior of this beautiful ancient building.

After resting up, i fly back to Kanto and resume my journey east from Fuchsia City. On route 15, i encounter yet another Shinx; this one i do catch, and it will be named Kiara. This is also where i decide that Oe is finally strong enough to be fending for herself. In fact she manages to decimate most of the trainers in this ledge maze, and i make my way onto route 14. Here, i beat up all the trainers on the two paths north, and i run into a Nidorina, nicknaming it Sister. I proceed into the weird and confusing fence maze that is route 13; seriously, why would anyone build fences in this erratic fashion?

I do find a hidden grove among these fences, where i catch myself one of the elusive Chansey! I bestow this bundle of joy the nickname Eierkoker. Luck stays with us, as we quickly find the exit to the fence maze and make our way onto the piers of Route 12. Here, after fighting off all the fishermen and other trainers, we stumble upon the house of the fishing guru's younger brother. Guy gives us a Super Rod, which i immediately try out, only to land myself a Magikarp. Pretty underwhelming, but we catch it anyway and name it Dory. I push on to Lavender Town, then it's time to call it a day.
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My current team:

Oe (Slowbro) lv 50
Kagamine (Ninetales) lv 51
40 (Forretress) lv 52
Buika (Umbreon) lv 50
Woolly (Ampharos) lv 51
Dr Snorlax (Snorlax) lv 50

Yes, i actually got the 1% chansey encounter

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Time to start my Kanto gym challenge in earnest. My first opponent will be Vermillion's Lieutenant Surge. This is an electric gym, so Oe will be sitting this one out. Instead, i'm bringing Den Uyl the Hoothoot, as death fodder. Surge's gym puzzle is unfortunately the same as always; i still have to sift through garbage to find switches to open the door. Seriously, who ever thought it was a good idea to hide these switches in the trash? nobody likes getting their hands dirty like this. Guess Woolly and i will take that all out on the gym leader. He leads with his Raichu, who paralyzes Woolly immediately, but Woolly brings it to the red with a crit strength. This causes surge to heal, but i bring him back to the red as his quick attacks and shock waves barely deal more than what leftovers recovers. Raichu goes down, and Electrode is next. I send out Buika, not knowing if this is the scary one with Explosion. He screeches me, confirming that this is the scary one. I deal half his health with faint attack, but when i switch in Den Uyl to get rid of the screech, he just sets up a double team. Den Uyl dies to a charge beam, and Buika comes back in. I take him to the red, and then take him out as he throws charge beams at me that don't get a boost. Now it's time for the big guy though: Surge's ace, Electabuzz. I send 40 out to deal with this; Bug Bite deals half and steals the Sitrus Berry while he sets up light screen. The next turn, Electabuzz is dead, and the second Electrode comes in. This is Dr Snorlax's task. The Electrode sets up double team, but i manage to hit for more than half, though Static paralyzes. I miss the next few strengths, but Surge can barely hurt me, so all this means is that the light screen is now gone. After the inverse poke ball finally goes down, Surge goes for his last pokemon, Magneton, and i also go for the final mon that hasn't take the field yet: Kagamine. A specs-boosted Flamethrower takes him out and earns me my second Kanto badge.

My next target will be Pewter City's Brock. This is a rock gym, so Kagamine will be sitting this one out. Instead, we will be joined by Wol the Hoothoot, as death fodder. No gym puzzle here; Oe and I just walk up to the gym leader and initiate the battle. Brock's lead Graveler goes down in one Surf, and next is his Kabutops, for which i will send in Woolly. Woolly takes almost half from a rock slide, and brings Kabutops to a sliver. I anticipate a heal, but instead Brock switches to Rhyhorn on an ineffective Discharge. So i switch 40 in on an Earthquake that does way more than i thought it would. I decide to heal up here, which probably wasn't necessary as he just goes for Scary Face. I bring him to the red, then brock heals so i bring him to the red again. Rhyhorn's last move before going down is setting up a sandstorm, and Omastar comes out next. I opt to give this job to Dr Snorlax, but i deal less damage than he does , so after exchanging blows for a bit, i sack Wol to bring Woolly back in. Woolly's discharge gets the kill, so out comes Onix. Oe comes back out for this one, and Surfs the big snake down as it sets up a sandstorm. Last but certainly least, Kabutops comes back out and i send out Buika. Brock heals though, so this isn't as easy as i thought it'd be. Kabutops hits the hardest, so i end up switching to 40 on a missed Rock Slide. 40's Gyro Balls do out-damage the Kabutops, but brock has one last healing item up his sleeve. This means that I too have to heal again, and that i run out of Gyro Ball PP and have to finish it with Mirror Shot. A victory's a victory though, and i have my third Kanto badge.

When i reach Cerulean City, i find that the gym is still abandoned. So i decide to go looking for the gym leader to give her a piece of my mind. I suspect Musty will be on the cerulean cape, so i head north across the Nugget Bridge, then into the patch of grass to its west. I encounter a Weepinbell here, so i opt to catch it and give it the nickname Belle. I then proceed eastward, catching Pankhaat the Bellsprout along the way. I fight my way through a six-pack of trainers before finally reaching the cape, where i do indeed spot Misty with a guy. For some reason, my presence scares the guy off, which misty doesn't appreciate, but when i scold her for abandoning her gym for so long that Team Rocket thought it a safe place to store stolen goods, she agrees to go back.

So i head back to Cerulean too to take Misty on. This is a water gym, so Kagamine will be sitting this one out again. Instead, i'll be taking Me'eueweu the rattata, as death fodder. No real gym puzzle here; i just have to surf across a swimming pool to get to Misty. So Woolly and i brave the waves and confront Misty for a reckoning. She leads with Golduck, who tries in vain to disable my moves before i've used any, so i discharge him down to a sliver. As Misty heals, i use a Signal Beam so that Golduck will disable that and i can then kill it with another discharge. Next is Quagsire, which is Oe's job. However, after i get in a single Zen Headbutt, Misty opts to switch her Starmie in, so i resort to the regular, non-zen variety of headbutt. We can barely hurt each other, and we both have recovery moves, so this takes forever. Eventually though, i finish her off and Quagsire comes back out. So Oe once again batters away with the Zen variety of her headbutts. After a crit earthquake though, i see that Oe is in crit range, so it is time to switch. Buika comes in and finishes off the beast. Finally, we're facing Lapras, so Woolly comes back out. Lapras misses a Sing, and my discharge paralyzes, meaning the next one can kill without a problem, granting me the victory, and my fourth Kanto badge.

With half of this region's badges in my posession, i think it's time to call it a day.
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My current team:

Woolly (Ampharos) lv 53
Buika (Umbreon) lv 52
Dr Snorlax (Snorlax) lv 52
Oe (Slowbro) lv 52
40 (Forretress) lv 53
Kagamine (Ninetales) lv 52

 

[There Is No Arceus]

My next target will be Sabrina, in Tokyo. This is a psychic gym, so no one will have to sit this one out. The gym puzzle still consists of teleporting around on teleporter pads, so Buika and i have to teleport all over te gym before we finally manage to reach the gym leader. For her lead, Buika is up against his counterpart Espeon, but this isn't remotely an even matchup; even a calm mind-boosted shadow ball only does a sliver to me. Next, Sabrina goes straight for her ace, Alakazam. He gets a reflect up, which is annoying, and his energy ball brings me into crit range as i trigger his berry. So i opt to swap 40 in on a doubly resisted energy ball, but Alakazam then crits a Psychic that leaves me with 4 HP. No matter though, Bug Bite takes it out. Last is Mr. Mime, so Buika comes back out and takes advantage of the fact that mr. mime cannot do anything to him, for a relatively easy 5th kanto badge.

For badge number six, we're targeting Erika in Celadon. This is a grass gym, so Oe will be sitting this one out. Instead, we're bringing Albert the Hoothoot, as death fodder. The gym puzzle here is navigating your way through a series of arches that are overgrown with plants to cloud your vision. Definite improvement over the previous, puzzle-less gym here. Eventually, Kagamine and i make it through the maze and come face to face with Erika. She sends out her Jumpluff, who gets brought to the red by a flamethrower as it hits a leech seed. It dies the next turn though, and next comes Tangela. This is 40's job, but 40 gets put to sleep after just one bug bite. He wakes up almost instantly though, and kills the tentacle monster. Third, we're facing Bellossom, for which 40 will stay in. Bellossom opts to set up sunny day as i steal its berry with bug bite, and a turn later i get the kill. For Erika's final mon, Victreebel, i'm sending Kagamine back out. With the help of the sun, i incinerate the thing and claim my badge.

Before i can claim my final two badges though, i need to do some exploring in the rest of he region. So i fly over to Pewter and set my course due south. Here on Route 2, i run into a pidgey, which i proceed to catch and nickname Vlieger. From here, i head south into Viridian Forest; headbutting the trees in this thick wildland reveals a Hoothoot, which shall be named Fodder. I'm mainly happy the forest is still here; i can imagine an alternate world where logging caused its destruction, or it being reduced to a small tree maze. When i make my way out of this treescape, i find myself a short distance from the city of Viridian, so i opt to head over to challenge the gym there. The gym leader seems to be out of town though. I hear that it has been taken over by someone from my old hometown of Pallet, but they're often away. So, to kill the time until the leader gets back, i opt to surf around a bit on the city's many ponds, catching Tajiri the Poliwag in the process.

Eventually, i lose my patience, so i decide to head south to Pallet Town to give this leader a talking to. So i head south through Route 1, catching Waardeloos the Hoothoot along the way. When i arrive in my old hometown though, i find that the gym leader is not here either. Something very strange happens here though: as i visit my old home for nostalgia sake, i run into my old mom, from before i died and reincarnated. I thought she was incinerated with the rest of Kyushu - sorry, "Hoenn". She tells me about her daughter being away from home; i wish i could tell her i'm right here.

After this interaction, i pay a visit to Professor Oak to confirm he got home safely from the Pokemon League, then i throw out my rod and catch Purity the Shellder. From here, i decide to just proceed to Cinnabar to further my gym challenge, so i set sail onto route 21. I find a patch of grass here, where i actually have a chance encounter with a Mr. Mime. So i catch it and grant it the nickname Ash's Dad. When i do reach Cinnabar Island though, what i find is deeply unsettling. Apparently, once again, the entire town has been wiped out by a volcanic eruption. These people thought it was safe to return to their old homes after the last eruption, only to have it all wiped away again. With this, i lose the will to go on for now, so i decide to just call it a day.
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My current team:

Oe (Slowbro) lv 54
Woolly (Ampharos) lv 55
Buika (Umbreon) lv 54
Dr Snorlax (Snorlax) lv 54
40 (Forretress) lv 54
Kagamine (Ninetales) lv 54

 

[There Is No Arceus]

As i'm exploring the ruins of what was once Cinnabar Island, i come across a familiar face: Ben, my old rival from when i first traveled Kanto. Guy's here lamenting the fate of the island, and tells me he wants to battle me once i have at least seven Kanto badges. Mate, how am i supposed to get that many? The Cinnabar gym has been destroyed, and the gym leader of Viridian won't return to his gym. So yeah, i just fish up a Chinchou, which i name Lampje, then i head on my way. No point in continuing the gym challenge if one of the badges can no longer be obtained, so i just set sail to the east, to route 20. Here, i catch myself a Tentacool, which i will nickname Philip.

I sail on and reach the Seafoam Islands. There's a ladder going up here, as well as a stairs going down. I opt to explore the downstairs area, leading into an ice cave. In these frosty depths, i run into a Dewgong, which i end up catching and nicknaming Zeeziggy. I also find a big frozen chicken here, but it's ugly so i ignore it. I eventually make my way through to the other side of this natural wonder, and surf on toward Route 19. There, i decide that before i head on to Fuchsia, i should do some fishing. I net a Krabby, which i nickname Tamatoa. I find the road to Fuchsia blocked though, so i have no choice but to turn back. As i'm heading through the Seafoam Islands again, i decide to check what was up the ladder, and to my surprise, i find Blaine's gym.

Apparently Blaine survived the eruption and moved here for the time being. Anyway, this is a fire gym, so 40 will be sitting this one out. Instead, we're bringing Fodder the Hoothoot, to serve as, well, fodder. There isn't really much of a gym puzzle here; i just need to beat the trainers so they'll move out of the way. Eventually though, Oe and i manage to reach Blaine and challenge him to a battle. He leads with his Magcargo, but Oe outspeeds and OHKOs with a surf. Magmar is next; he manages to confuse Oe, then he sets up a Sunny Day. When he finally goes for a Thunderpunch, i see that my held Wacan Berry was unnecessary; it barely does anything. I two-shot him hereafter, and last is Blaine's Rapidash. I decide to switch to Dr Snorlax for this one, but i'm already in crit range after one flare blitz. So i switch Kagamine in on a flare blitz, which she is immune to. Rapidash misses a bounce and i hit a silk scarf-boosted return for the kill.

With my seventh Kanto badge in hand, i surf back to what was once Cinnabar Island and show my badges to Ben. He agrees to fight me, but asks that we do so in the Viridian Gym; turns out he is the absentee Gym Leader. He took over from Giovanni once before, so i guess i shouldn't be surprised. Anyway, i think it's time to call it a day.
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My current team:

Buika (Umbreon) lv 55
Woolly (Ampharos) lv 56
Dr Snorlax (Snorlax) lv 55
Kagamine (Ninetales) lv 55
40 (Forretress) lv 55
Oe (Slowbro) lv 56

Didn't realise the road to Fuchsia would still be blocked; i thought that cleared up the moment you entered the route from the south. Kinda annoying, since i don't have a flyer on my crew right now.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Time to head for Ben's gym. If he has a specialty type nowadays, i am unaware of it, so nobody's gonna have to sit this one out. The puzzle here consists of the same kind of sliding ground tiles that Giovanni liked to use when he ran the place. This however means that i cannot have a pokemon outside its poke ball; Buika will have to go back inside for now. I eventually make it to Ben though; he leads with Exeggutor and i lead with Kagamine. I hit him hard with flamethrower as he sets up trick room, then i have to tank a psychic that does just over half as i kill him. Rhydon's next, but Oe out-slows and one-shots with surf. Third up is Machamp; Oe stays in and once again out-slows, as his measly thunderpunch once again proves a wacan berry superfluous. Ben opts to waste a potion here, possibly to make the trick room run out, but i kill him the next turn after tanking another thunderpunch. Time for Arcanine, and i'm giving this job to Dr Snorlax. Despite Thick Fat, Flare Blitz still does almost a third, and my strengts are weakened by intimidate, so i opt to switch to Buika after two turns as Ben heals. This was a bad idea though, as it almost does half. Guess Oe's gonna have to come back in and dodge a crit. Turns out a crit wouldn't even have killed though, and i opt to heal Oe up. If Ben can heal, so can I. Dragon Pulse does a lot to me, but not more than i can recover with Slack Off, so once i'm at decent HP again, i Surf him to death. It's now time for Ben's ace, his Pidgeot. This job goes to Woolly; Discharge does not kill, but it does get the paralysis. His return did over half to me though, so i just hope the paralysis causes me to outspeed. It does, and Pidgeot goes down. Now only Ben's Gyarados is left. Woolly is no longer in any condition to fight it, so i go for my most physically defensive mon, Oe. A mix of Psychic and Slack Off get him down despite his dragon dance, and i've earned my 8th and final Kanto badge.

The moment i step outside, i get a call from Professor Oak. He has a gift for me, that he forgot to give to me after i beat the league. Why isn't this man in a retirement home yet? Anyway, i guess i'll fly over to Pallet and pick up whatever he has for me. The gift turns out to be HM08 Rock Climb, which will allow me to scale tall cliffs. Man's also granting me access to Mt. Silver. Not sure why a researcher has the authority to do that, but it's a good place to train up my pokemon and become even stronger. So yeah, i fly over to Viridian and set my course west for Route 22. On this route, i run into a Rattata, which i end up catching and naming Rataplan. I proceed westward past the pokemon league entry gates. On this rugged route of nature, devoid of any signs of human activity, i decide to have Buika headbutt some trees, and out coms a Heracross. I'll name this guy Horny, but the chance is small he'll see use. I proceed on toward the base of the most magnificent mountain in all of Kansai, where a Ponyta crosses my path. I catch this one and name him Maximus, then it's time to start my training in the caves. However, it is at this point that i find out Oe is unable to learn Waterfall, so i'm going to have to replace someone to explore the full extent of this cave system.

So i make the difficult decision to remove Dr Snorlax from the team. Sorry my guy, you performed very well, and i hope you enjoy your retirement. Joining us instead will be Tajiri the Poliwag. With this new guy on our team, we head into the caves, where we run into a Golbat. This golbat is nothing special, so i name it Average. At this point though, i leave the caves and head for route 15 to try and steal a lucky egg from a Chansey. I try this for a while, but then i give up and call it a day.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Oe (Slowbro) lv 57
Woolly (Ampharos) lv 56
Buika (Umbreon) lv 56
Tajiri (Poliwag) lv 5
40 (Forretress) lv 55
Kagamine (Ninetales) lv 55

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Time to initiate my training on Mt. Silver. What am i training for? nothing really, just trying to get as strong as i can be. I've already beaten every notable trainer in the region, after all. While i am training Tajiri up, it evolves into Poliwhirl, and i immediately use a Water Stone to initiate its evolution into Poliwrath. Some training later, i decide to call it a day.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Tajiri (Poliwrath) lv 38
Woolly (Ampharos) lv 57
Buika (Umbreon) lv 57
40 (Forretress) lv 56
Oe (Slowbro) lv 58
Kagamine (Ninetales) lv 56

Got a Chansey swarm in the meantime, so i do have a lucky egg to work with now. Still gonna be an insane grind though.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Due to my 3DS's battery bulging, this series is on a temporary hiatus.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

This series is no longer on hiatus. Getting a new battery was way easier than i thought. Now back to the endless grind.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

We've been training for quite some time, so i decide it's time to take a break. I've heard of this cave near Cerulean that only the toughest trainers in the world are allowed to enter, so i think we should go check that out. In this cave complex, i run into a Magneton, which i proceed to capture and name Porhop. Unfortunately, it's too dark to see anything in this cave, or even to find the exit again. In the end, Oe and i have to use an escape rope just to find our way outside again. All in all, a miserable experience. Do not recommend.

To cleanse my palette of that awful experience, i opt to spend some time at a real tourist destination: the Dragons Den in Blackthorn. Here, i actually run into Eugene again, who's training his pokemon. Just as we spot each other, the former champion Lance and the gym leader Clair also show up. Lance proposes we all engage in a double battle to test our skill; me and Eugene vs him and Clair. Lance leads with his Gyarados, Clair with Dragonair, Eugene with Meganium and i with Woolly. Gyarados paralyzes Meganium immediately, which causes full paralysis, but i kill it with one thunderbolt as Clair also tries to paralyze Meganium. Lance sends in his Charizard next, who kills Meganuim with a flamethrower before i kill it with another thunderbolt. Clair paralyzes me now though, which is annoying. Anyway, Eugene opts to go for Gengar while lance sends out his final pokemon, Dragonite. Dragonite lands a Draco Meteor on Gengar for the OHKO and Clair tries to hit me with Thunder Wave, but then my crit specs-boosted Thunderbolt brings Dragonite to a sliver. Eugene is down to his last pokemon now, his Crobat. It outspeeds Dragonite and finishes it off, redirecting my thunderbolt to Dragonair and bringing it to the yellow after it paralyzes crobat. This is now a two-on-one, so the next turn, Dragonair gets finished off and Clair goes for her Dragonite. Dragonite's Thunder kills Crobat, meaning it's now a one-on-one. I bring her to the red, then i finish her off after tanking a weak Dragonbreath. Last is Clair's Kingdra, wbo brings me to half before i OHKO it. Victory is ours.

After the battle, everyone just heads off. Eugene tells me that he is going to continue his training in order to become stronger than me, but he finally seems to have learned his lesson about treating your pokemon with love. Anyway, that's enough of a break; back to my training. I train for a while longer, then it's time to call it a day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Tajiri (Poliwrath) lv 69
Woolly (Ampharos) lv 69
Buika (Umbreon) lv 69
40 (Forretress) lv 69
Oe (Slowbro) lv 69
Kagamine (Ninetales) lv 69

I should state up front that I am only going to try the fight with Red once. If i lose, it's over. I'm not training a second team up to that level.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Today, as a break from my normal training schedule at the mountain's base, i opt to scale the mountain's peak. However, when i arrive there amidst a hailstorm, i run into the last person i'd ever expect to encounter here: Myself. My old self, from before I reincarnated. Guess i reincarnated into the past or something. My other self doesn't seem to want to chat though, and sends out Arme Nana the Pikachu to fight me. With no choice but to defend myself, i lead with 40. Arme Nana's Thunderbolt brings 40 down to its Focus Sash, but then i'm forced to make a tough call. With pain in my heart, i tell 40 to make the ultimate sacrifice, and he blows himself up to take out Arme Nana. Up next, i send out Buika while other me sends out Stinky the Charizard. I immediately switch into Oe, who tanks a flare blitz but takes way more damage from Air Slash than i anticipated. She strikes back with an expert belt-boosted Surf though for the OHKO. Fushisaur the Venusaur is up third, and i switch out Kagamine for this. A Charcoal-boosted Flamethrower does about half, but he misses a sleep powder, allowing me to kill the next turn. Donatello hte Blastoise comes in, so i switch again, to Woolly this time. He hits me with Blizzard, but i retaliate with a specs-boosted Thunderbolt for the OHKO. The second last pokemon is Dr Snorlax, carrying the same name as the snorlax we used in this trip through Kanto, for which we send out our newest teammate, Tajiri. My wake-up slaps do less than half unfortunately, but after i tank a giga impact due to my held chople berry, i get to focus punch on his recharge turn, getting me the kill. Last but not least, other me sends out her Lapras, which i honestly didn't remember i had. Woolly comes back out; thunderbolt paralyzes and brings him to the red, but a crit Blizzard gets the kill on Woolly. It's time for my final teammate to take the field: Buika. Other me heals while i set up Sunny Day to get rid of the hail, then i start stalling with Moonlight and leftovers and getting the occasional chip in. An untimely crit means i have to switch though, so Tajiri comes in on a Brine that triggers Water Absorb. Wake-Up Slap brings him into the red, but a Psychic does the same to Tajiri. Other me heals again, and since wake-up slap does less than half, i opt for a hypnosis the next turn. This not only keeps me safe, but also powers up the next Wake-Up Slap, granting me the kill and the victory.

With this victory over the person i once was, I truly feel like i'm on top of the world. I don't think further training here on Mt. Silver would bring me anything. So with that, i decide to go home. Along the way, i think back on all the friends i made on this journey, who did not make it to the end.

Gus-Gus the Rattata. You weren't going to amount to much, but your valiant sacrifice helped us defeat Falkner's gym. RIP

Uitkijk the Sentret. You showed great promise in the early game, and you were of great help against Falkner, but sadly that battle cost you your life. RIP

Katie the Weepinbell. You were with us almost from the start, and you made many fights against Eugene's Bayleef trivial, but then you died to a Raticate in the Rocket Hideout. You were severely missed throughout the rest of our journey. RIP

Dwayne the Graveler. You singlehandedly took out Bugsy and also managed to take out Whitney's beast of a Miltank. Then you met your fate at the hands of Ariana's Gloom, just after your evolution. RIP

Muscle the Machoke. You came in after Katie's death, but while you did not carry your weight in any important battles, we were still saddened by your death in a double battle on Route 47. RIP

Aaravos the Weedle. Your sacrifice allowed us the victory over Pryce. RIP

Yumenom the Hypno. You were invaluable in getting past Morty as well as Chuck, and you did great work in the Radio Tower. Then you lost your life at the massacre in Blackthorn City. RIP

Giggity the Quagsire. You were with us for a long time, even if we did bench you for a bit after we got Yumenom. You were very good in the Slowpoke Well though, and after your return you absolutely slaughtered Jasmine. You were also good in the Radio Tower, but unfortunately you could not withstand Claire's Kingdra. RIP

Khenarthi the Pidgeot. You were with us from the start, and did great work in the Sprout Tower, as well as in Morty's gym. Then you died in the massacre in Blackthorn City. RIP

Santa the Delibird. You were never going to amount to much, but your sacrifice helped us get out of Claire's gym without even more casualties. RIP

Africa the Feraligatr. You were my starter; my very first partner. You were especially good against Morty, and you even managed to take out Clair's imposing Kingdra. Unfortunately the Kimono Girls were too much for you. RIP

Kenya the Fearow. You came in after the massacre in Blackthorn City, but you couldn't manage to survive against the next boss, the Kimono Girls. RIP

Sheeple the Ampharos. You were with us from pretty much the start, and you were vital in defeating Falkner, and many more battles after that. You even managed to survive Clair's Kingdra, but then you too went down to the Kimono Girls' Vaporeon. RIP

Hentai the Tentacruel. You joined us after the massacre the Kimono Girls inflicted on us, and proceeded to be of great help in the Pokemon League. Unfortunately, you couldn't perform your task and kill Lance's Dragonite, but we value your sacrifice nontheless. RIP

Kuwait the Crobat. You joined us for the league, and were of great help against Karen, as well as that guy we don't talk about. Then you lost your life to an exploding Weezing due to a mistake of mine. RIP

Den Uyl the Hoothoot. Your sacrifice allowed us to defeat Lt. Surge. RIP

Wol the Hoothoot. If it weren't for your sacrifice against Brock, we may well have lost a good pokemon. RIP

40 the Forretress. You joined us after the massacre in Blackthorn City, and were of great help against the Kimono Girls, and you were probably my most valuable pokemon against Lance. You also gave it your all against many Kanto gym leaders before making the ultimate sacrifcie against my former self. RIP

Woolly the Ampharos. You came in after the Kimono Girls Massacre, and proceeded to destroy The Elite Four's Will, as well as Lance's Gyarados. You were also of great help against Kanto's gym leaders, most notably Brock, Misty and Lt. Surge. Shame you could not make it through the final battle against my former self. RIP

Special shoutout to Dr Snorlax the Snorlax. You joined us after Kuwait's death, and did great work against Janine and some of the others, but then we had to throw you off the team to make way for a waterfall user. We still appreciate your efforts, even if we did not bring you into the final battle.

And now it's time to contemplate where i will take my journeys next. My mom has heard of a boarding school in faraway Spain where i might learn to become an even better pokemon master. I'll have to leave all my pokemon behind, but it might still be a worthwhile experience.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The winning team:

Buika (Umbreon) lv 78
Oe (Slowbro) lv 78
Tajiri (Poliwrath) lv 78
Kagamine (Ninetales) lv 78

Chapter 14: Violet will start in not too long

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Chapter 14: Violet

Rules for this game will be as follows:

1. The first pokemon i spot when entering an area will be my encounter for that area. If i spot multiple at once, i may choose.
2. I may not use sandwiches to manipulate which pokemon will show up
3. I must fight all the trainers i see, but i do not have to go out of my way to search for all the trainers in an area
4. The challenge is complete once i've beaten the Academy Ace Tournament as well as all the DLC stories
5. I may only terastalize in boss battles
6. I will not be interacting with raid dens
7. Miraidon may be used in the battle against the other Miraidon, but not thereafter. If the DLCs ever mandate the use of a legendary pokemon, i'll make an exception there too.
8. I will not use Auto Battle outside of Team Star bases, or to evolve Pawmo, Rellor or Bramblin.
9. The towns and cities will be considered as separate areas from the surrounding area in terms of encounters

This will be my first time playing the DLCs, and since i've managed to remain mostly spoiler-free, i currently cannot say where exactly the challenge will end.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My mom and i have managed to contact this school in Spain - sorry, "Paldea", and they have a spot open for me! Guess i'll be studying abroad now. So Mom and me fly over to Spain, where Mom as rented a place where she'll stay for a few days.

I spend the night there before it's time for my first day of school. First thing in the morning, i get into my new school uniform and head downstairs, where mom's Skwovet beckons me to speak with mom. She wishes me good luck in my new school career, when the door bell rings. It's Clavell, the school's director. He's here to formally welcome me to Uva AcademyHe wishes to speak with my mom, so i just head back up to my room to fetch my backpack and get ready.

When i get back downstairs, Clavell takes me outside to show off three pokemon; Fuecoco, Sprigatito and Quaxley. Apparently all new students here get one of these. I play with them for a bit as we walk over to the nearby mansion, where they all start playing in the garden. Here, Clavell introduces me to the girl who lives here, Nemo. She's apparently a senior in my class, and she wants to be my rival. Fine, i guess.

Time to pick my starter. I of course go for the cutie Sprigatito, whom i will nickname Razum-Dar. Nemo offers to take care of the Quaxley, leaving Fuecoco in Clavell's hands. Nemo immediately challenges me to come down to the beach for a battle; damn that girl loves blood sport. She decides to go easy on me and not use her strong team, which is probably for the best as i only have Razum-dar right now. She sends out her newly-acquired Quaxley, but Razum-dar takes the thing out with ease. Nemo wants to battle again immediately, but Clavell talks her out of it. We continue to talk for a bit about pokemon and stuff, then Clavell heads off towards the school and invites us to follow.

Nemo and i run into my mother outside the gates of the mansion, and she wishes me luck on my new school with my new friends. She made me lunch for my first day in school; a sandwich with all my favorite ingredients. My mom then heads back home, and Nemo and i proceed onto the route ahead, where she offers to show me how to catch a pokemon. I decline; got plenty of experience with that already. She gives me some poke balls anyway, and right at that moment, a Lechonk enters our path. I immediately catch the thing and name him Director.

Nemo then asks me to head oer to the lighthouse we see in the distance, so that we can get a good view over the school we will be attending. On the way though, we hear a strange noise. I look down the cliff, and i see a strange creature being attacked by two Houndour. Its next roar causes me to lose my balance and fall down, but i manage to break my fall by using my Rotom Phone as a parachute. The Houndour have been scared off though, but the creature seems to be hurt, so i give it my sandwich to help it recover. This helps it get back on its feet, and it beckons me to follow it into the nearby cave. Nemo has found her way into the cave too, but i can't quite get to her yet. So i just keep following the mysterious pokemon as it clears the obstacles in our way. During this traversal, i run into a Yungoos, which i catch and bestow the nickname Trump. Toward the end, we are confronted by a very strong Houndoom, but my mysterious friend jumps in and saves me, bringing me up to where Nemo is.

However, our friend collapses just as we reach the exit. He doesn't seem hurt though, just tired. Nemo and i talk a bit about how he's my pokemon now, then our friend gets back up and we resume our trek to the lighthouse. There, we run into this kid named Arven, the kid of the pokemon professor in this region, who is angry at our pokemon friend for some reason. He says this thing is called Miraidon, but that it can't battle in its current form. He apparently caught this thing in his dad's lab; what kind of trainer would abandon their pokemon like this? So yeah, i challenge him to a battle over this mon's ownership; he leas with Skwovet and i lead with Razum-dar. A few grass moves make short work of the rodent, and Arven agrees to give me Miraidon's poke ball. And with that, Arven heads off.

Nemo and i climb the ladder to the top of the lighthouse, where we get a good view of Madrid - sorry, "Mesagoza" - and the school at its center. We admire the view for a bit, but then it's time to head on. Nemo and i part ways for a bit, and i head into South Province Area One on my way to the city. There, i catch a scatterbug, which i shall nickname Blargh.

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

Director (Lechonk) lv 5
Razum-dar (Sprigatito) lv 8
Trump (Yungoos) lv 4
Blargh (Scatterbug) lv 5

Why do these new pokemon games have these hours-long intros? I'm not even at the school yet.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I proceed up the road to Plato Town, where Nemo feels the need to explain to me how pokemon centers work. Girl, i'm already a region's champion; i've figured this stuff out already. So yeah, i just decide to head on. This town doesn't seem to have much of note going on anyway. I opt for a little training to get everyone up to speed, then i proceed towards Madrid. At the gates though, Nemo runs up to me and wishes to test my strength again. She leads with Quaxley and i lead with Razum-dar. It only takes two leafages to take the duck down, and next is her Pawmi. Nemo uses some kind of weird ball on it though, causing crystals to grow out of its skull. That does not stop its thundershocks from being weak against grass though, so i take it down in a few leafages.

Nemo explains to me that what she did to her Pawmi is caused terastalization, and that it makes your pokemon stronger when using moves of a specific type. Anyway, with the battle done, we can head into Madrid. Nemo feels the need to explain to me what all of the shops here in town are for, like i don't know what a fucking hair salon is. Not in a shopping mood though, so i just head up the stairs towards the school. On the way though, i see some assholes bully a kid, so i opt to step in and beat them up. The experience from these battles causes Blargh to evolve into its second stage, Spewpa. This causes Nemo to become jealous as she wats to be the only one to battle me, but when i tell her why i'm fighting these folks, she decides to support me and gives me the same kind of orb she used to terastalize her pawmi. Guess i can use that too now. I opt to not use it against the goons though; i'm saving that for a battle that matters.

After i beat up the second goon, Nemo explains that these Team Star fellas are fellow students who cause trouble around the academy. The girl i saved also thanks me, and heads off towards the school. Guess i should head that way too. I make my way into the school, where Nemo and i are greeted by Clavell. He welcomes me to the school, but seems shocked when he hears that Team Star is now operating at the school's doorstep. He identifies the girl being bullied as someone named Botan, based on Nemo's description.

Anyway, it's time for my first class. The teacher introduces me to everyone, and the class all ask me questions about what i like about pokemon and such. We learn tons of interesting things for the rest of the class, and then it's time to head off. After class, i explore the school building a bit, and i find Nemo talking to a woman who, it turns out, is in charge of the pokemon league in this region. Apparently, this region has multiple champions, and Nemo is one of them. When i express an interest in becoming a champion of this region too, Nemo explains how one attains that title. It's the same as everywhere else; you beat all the gyms and then the league. Nemo also explains that a large part of this school's curriculum involves travelling across the region and exploring the world, so there is plenty of opportunity to beat all the gyms even while enrolled in this school.

I opt to explore the school some more, and in run into Arven at the cafeteria. He tells me about his quest to find certain herbs, to perfect his picknicks. He's currently researching herbs that can bring a pokemon back to health, which seems like a noble quest, so i offer to help him despite how he acted towards me and Miraidon earlier. He explains that these herbs are guarded by very strong pokemon, some of which belong to never before seen species. We agree to look for them together, and head off for now. As i head out of the cafeteria though, i get a mysterious phone call. Someone named Cassiopeia has hacked my phone, and is now asking me to help them take out Team Star. I don't trust this hacker person, but i guess taking out bullies is something i approve of, so i'll play along until i can find out this mysterious hacker's identity. Clavell walks in as i'm done talking to the hacker, but seems unfazed by it, and goes about his business.

Later in the day, i get a call from Clavell to come to his office. We get a video call from the region's professor, Turo, who is researching Area Zero, the big crater in the middle of Spain. He asks me whether i've encountered a pokemon named Miraidon, which i have. He tells me that this Miraidon has escaped from Area Zero when his son Arven tried to catch it. He no longer needs it in his research though, so he asks me to take care of it. Which i shall. He also explains to me that while Miraidon is currently too weak to battle, i can ride it like a bike. I normally prefer to walk, but even i have to admit, this pokemon is one slick ride. With that, i give the professor my number so he can contact me whenever, and we end the call. Just as i head off though, Nemo enters the office and offers to show me my room, where i'll be staying while i attend this school.

The next morning, all students are called to meet up on the school grounds, so i head down there and Clavell gives a speech about how we're now free to roam the region. As i head out with Nemo, we run into Arven, and the two get into a fight over whether i should be doing the gym challenge or looking for Arven's herbs. Cassiopeia joins in via my hacked phone and argues that i should be focusing on Team Star. These guys realise i have a will of my own right? Anyway, after they disperse, one of the teachers calls me and tells me there is an opportunity to apply for an exchange to Kitakami in Japan. I just came from Japan, so that seems pointless for now, but i'll keep it in mind for later.

As i head west out of town, Nemo calls me to inform me of the nearest gym in that direction, the bug gym. I catch a Mareep and name it Bäää, but then it's time to call it a day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My current team:

Blargh (Spewpa) lv 10
Razum-dar (Sprigatito) lv 12
Trump (Yungoos) lv 9
Director (Lechonk) lv 9
Bäää (Mareep) lv 9

Turns out pokemon despawn when you enter a town and thus cannot be lured in. Guess my rule about towns being separate areas from their surroundings is useless.

Also, why do modern pokemon games feel the need to waste your time with hours of dialogue right at the start?

 

[There Is No Arceus]

As i explore area two of the south province and fight all the trainers, tragedy occurs. A trainer's Maschtiff proved way too strong for my guys to handle, killing Bäää before i saw myself forced to forfeit. It's clear that i need to do a lot more training if i ever want to avenge her, so i beat up a lot of the wild pokemon around the town with the bug gym. While i am doing this though, i notice an Igglybuff stray into the town itself. Since wild pokemon clearly do not belong in towns and cities, i opt to catch it and name it Nena. Another important event also occurs during this training: Blargh has gained enough experience to evolve into the mighty Vivillon.

On my second try, i do manage to defeat the Maschtiff trainer, and the experience from that battle is actually enough to get Razum-dar to evolve into its second stage, Floragato. Guess it's now time to take on the gym. This is a bug gym, so Razum-dar will not be useful, but since i don't have anything in the box, nobody's sitting this one out. When i enter the gym building, i run into Nemo there and confirm to her that i will indeed be taking the pokemon league challenge. She explains that in order to challenge a gym, i have to register at the counter, then take a gym test before i can challenge the leader. So i do that; for this gym's challenge, i have to head to the field outside town and... kick a giant olive around? Whatever, i'll just do it. I get the big olive into the goal, then i head back to town to challenge the gym leader Kaede. She leads with her Nymble and i lead with Blargh. Gust gets the OHKO, so next is Tarountula, who takes two gusts to kill. Last but certainly not least is her Teddiursa, which she terastalizes into the bug type. My gust does less than half though, and five hits from Fury Swipes mean i have to switch. Director comes in, but takes a fury cutter for almost half. I'm probs going to have to sack someone here. I terastalize in the hopes that i might outspeed and kill, but Teddiursa outspeeds me and kills with the next fury cutter, so i have no choice but to go back to Blargh. I protect against the incoming Fury Cutter, then i heal up. Kaede tries to get a new fury cutter streak up, so i just protect again the next turn and then hit him with a gust. This brings him to the red, so another gust kills.

We won, but we lost a friend in the process. Rest in peace Director. You showed great potential, and it really hurts to lose you this early on. After the battle, i get a call from Nemo; she consoles me over the loss of Director, and encourages me to look forward towards the next challenge. For now though, it's time to get back to Madrid; class is about to start. I attend my classes, then it's time to call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Blargh (Vivillon) lv 15
Razum-dar (Floragato) lv 17
Trump (Yungoos) lv 14
Nena (Igglybuff) lv 13

No idea how the despawning works, but the igglybuff was very clearly in town. It also shows that on its stat screen.

 

[TheCapsFan]

Been a while since I checked in on progress - seems like the challenge is going well!

Interested to see how you are tackling encounters in S/V, rather than using Raid battles you're simply going for the first encounter in each area within the provinces. I was considering doing the former over the latter.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I opt to go explore east of town next, where i catch Donald the Yungoos. As i'm exploring the fascinating rock formations here though, i get a call from Arven. Apparently, one of his herbs can be found nearby, guarded by a powerful rock pokemon. Before i head over to the titan's location though, i make a quick foray into South Province Area Five, where i catch yet another Yungoos. This one will bear the nickname Nr. 45. Sure enough, when i approach the location Arven indicated, i see a giant Klawf hanging from the wall. I pursue it for a bit, until it attacks me. I lead with Razum-dar and terastalize immediately to power up my grass moves, then i hit it with a powerful Magical Leaf. This scares the Klawf so that it opts to flee rather than retaliate. I give chase, and the klawf leads me to the location of the herbs. It it at this point that Arven finally catches up to us; Klawf has used the herbs to heal and power himself up, so we're gonna have to deal with it together. Arven sends out his Shellder and i once again lead with Razum-dar. This time though, i deal just less than half to him after terastalizing, but he only ever targets Arven's Shellder, so i'm never in danger. After we beat the thing, Arven and i head into the cave behind it and find the spices he was looking for. We make some sandwiches with the stuff; i opt to share my sandwich with my Miraidon, which pisses Arven off for some reason. Whatever; he should be happy i'm helping him at all.

Miraidon reacts very positively to the sandwich; in fact it seems to have recovered an ability it had lost. Miraidon can now speed up while i am riding it. That should be great for traversing the vast Spanish landscapes. Seeing this makes Arven forget his anger for some reason and become happy; i don't get this guy's deal. Anyway, i still have plenty of time before class starts again, so i opt to explore further eastward. I head into the town of Artazon, and opt to challenge the gym there. This is a grass gym, so nobody will be useless here. Not that i would have anyone in the box to replace them with. In the gym building, i run into Nemo, who wishes me luck in the upcoming battle and gives me some PP Ups to help out. Anyway, this gym's challenge revolves around finding ten sunflora that are roaming around town. Some of these Sunflora try to resist so i have to defeat them in battle, but eventually i get all of them.

Time to head back to the gym and challenge the leader. He opts for a display of acrobatics before the battle and comes jumping down the windmill for some reason, then he sends out his Petilil. I lead with Blargh and two-shot him with Bug Buzz while he misses a Sleep Powder, so next is Smoliv. Smoliv goes down in one hit, which leaves just Sudowoodo. I opt to terastalize Blargh here to get rid of my flying type, and the gym leader terastalizes into a grass type, making this a truedawoodo. We both deal way over half to each other; i may have been at risk of a crit here. No matter though; i outspeed and get the kill. The gym leader congratulates me and gives me my badge, but once i'm done, some guy approaches me in the gym building. Guy's apparently a member of this region's Elite Four, and he was impressed by how i wiped the floor with the gym here. He's also a teacher at the school; guess i just haven't been paying attention in his classes, cause i don't recognise him. Anyway, speaking of classes, i should head back to the school.

After attending my classes for today, i decide to call it a day for now.
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My current team:

Nena (Igglybuff) lv 17
Trump (Yungoos) lv 17
Blargh (Vivillon) lv 18
Razum-dar (Floragato) lv 19
Donald (Yungoos) lv 14
Nr. 45 (Yungoos) lv 20

 

[There Is No Arceus]

Been a while since I checked in on progress - seems like the challenge is going well!

Interested to see how you are tackling encounters in S/V, rather than using Raid battles you're simply going for the first encounter in each area within the provinces. I was considering doing the former over the latter.

yeah, i considered doing that as well, but i wasn't sure how i should treat deaths during raid battles as you can only use one pokemon and they come back later in the battle. So i decided to just not do raid battles and instead employ the same rules as in BDSP's underground. I'm gonna need to use similar rules in LGPE anyway once i get there; might as well use them already.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

With class done for now, i decide to go explore Area One of the West Province, northwest of the Bug gym. Here, along the road, i encounter a Phanpy, which i swiftly catch and bestow the nickname Dumbo. Dumbo will be joining our team in Donald's place. The experience from Dumbo's capture causes Nena to evolve into Jigglypuff; guess the Happiness from gaining a new friend was just too much for her. I proceed up the mountain path, but then i opt to turn around and head towards Area Four of the South Province. The moment i enter the area, i immediately spot a baby Toxel. I couldn't possinly resist such cuteness incarnate, so i catch it and bestow upon it the nickname Akachan; looks like Trump is off the team. After that quick foray though, it's back to the west province.

While i am exploring these hills, i opt to investigate a windmill park when Arven suddenly calls me about a nearby Titan. The road towards it is rife with danger though, so i popt to first get my new guys some training against the trainers in the region. When Nr. 45 evolves into Gumshoos though, i decide it's time to take on the big bird. I find that the titan Bombirdier is throwing dons of rock down the slopes of the mountain here; i'll have to ascend while avoiding those. Since this is a Flying monstrosity, i decide it's best if Blargh and Razum-dar sit this one out; Donald and Trump will be joining us again for the time being. I avoid all the boulders, which seems to enrage the Bombirdier so it engages me in battle. I send out Nr. 45, but since i got this thing's type wrong, my bites do not do a lot. I end up sacking Donald to get Nena in safely. Nena misses a Sing though, and he does over half to me. Nobody can safely come in now, so i opt to heal until he misses one of his rock throws. After a while though, i decide to change course and sack Trump to bring Dumbo in, as he can't be critted for a one-shot. I proceed with healing strats, but i get defense curls in from time to time to reduce the amount of healing i need. After six defense curls, i proceed with a Rollout, which damages the titan so much it retreats. It clears the boulders to a cave nearby and eats the special herbs to regain its strength, when Arven shows up. Together, we take on the rejuvenated titan; i lead with a severely damaged Nr. 45 and Arven leads with Nacli. I heal Nr. 45 and then Dumbo, then i bring Dumbo in to set up Defense Curls. Nacli's Smack Down allows me to hit the bird with ground moves though, so i opt t terastalize and take the bird out with a Bulldoze after it kills Nacli. We had to sacrifice two guys, but we got the win.

We head into the cave the beast created, and sure enough, we find the spices Arven is looking for. He makes us both a sandwich out of these herbs, and i again opt to give my sandwich t Miraidon, hoping it will soon regain its true form and thus the ability to battle. It works to an extent; Miraidon has regained enough strength to use the move Surf outside of battle. Good thing i have the required badge already. At this point, Arven opts to share with us why he is doing all of this. He sends out a severely injured Mabosstiff and feeds it his sandwich. This Mabosstiff apparently got injured in Area Zero; so bad that even the pokemon center cannot help it. He's been looking for these healing herbs to bring his friend back from the brink of death. He found an ancient tome while looking for a cure, and it describes the location of all of these herbs. That's how he knows where to find them. After this explanation, Mabosstiff opens its eyes for the first time in a very long time; i can't help but share Arven's joy at this turn of events; we have to find the remaining three spices. For Mabosstiff's sake.

With my newfound ability t Surf, i opt for an expedition to the South Paldean Sea, where i catch a Buizel and name it Buizerd. Thre's not much to see or do in the seas though, so i opt to head back to the West Province to explore further. I continue to explore Area One, when i get a call from the mysterious hacker Cassiopeia. They're calling me about a nearby Team Star base; they want me to beat up all the grunts there and dismantle the base. I still don't trust this person, but Team Star are bullies who need to be taken down, so i cooperate. While we are talking, i am approached by a fellow student by the name of Clive. Guy offers to help us take out the evil team; no reason to turn down help, i guess. Clive manages to pry from Cassiopeia that she has some connection to Team Star, but there's no time to dwell on her identity; we'll figure that out later. Cassiopeia explains how one takes out a Team Star base; we first have to beat the guard at the gate, then the goal is to beat up all of the grunts' pokemon until we get the attention of the local boss. The boss is our main target; taking them out will put an end to the base itself.

The trainers at this base use Dark-type pokemon, so nobody will have to sit this one out. I beat up the girl guarding the gate, then Clive and i head into the base, and Nena, Blargh and Nr. 45 start beating up all the pokemon there. This calls the attention of the boss, Giacomo, who comes riding in on a very fancy car. He leads with his pawniard, so i sen out Blargh. Things immediately go very wrong though. My Bug Buzz lowers Special Attack and thus triggers Defiant, boosting his Attack and causing his Aerial Ace to OHKO. I send out Dumbo next, who takes heavy damage from a Metal Claw and does not kill with Bulldoze, triggering Defiant yet again. I've little choice but to stay in and risk being outsped. He does not outspeed though; i do. Pawniard goes down, but up next, i have to face Giacomo's car, which is actually a buffed-up Dark-type Revavroom. I opt to bring Nena in ona Wicked Torque; he brings me into crit range with a Swift, so i opt to heal. I have to continue healing and occasionally dealing damage until eventually this very cheesy strategy gets the best of him. Towards the end, Giacomo goes for a Metal Sound, triggering Competitive and allowing me to kill the car.

This victory allows me to get through to Giacomo. He agrees to leave the team and attend classes again at the school. He tells us a bit about his organization; they apparently haven't seen the big boss in over a year. The organization itself was formed out of students who were the target of bullying and wanted to team up against it. How the tables have turned. As i walk out of the base, i get another call from Cassiopeia; she has hacked the servers at the pokemon center to allow me to make more TMs than i could before. When the conversation is done, Botan shows up to thank me for dealing with this team star base. No idea how she knew i was here; does she have something to do with this Clive person or something?

We hold a funeral for Blargh, who was sadly taken from us by Giacomo's Pawniard, then we replace her with our newest catch, Buizerd. With that, it's time to call it a day.
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My current team:

Dumbo (Phanpy) lv 20
Nena (Jigglypuff) lv 21
Nr. 45 (Gumshoos) lv 23
Buizerd (Buizel) lv 10
Razum-dar (Floragato) lv 22
Akachan (Toxel) lv 20

Yeah, i played horribly against both opponents. Way more deaths than was necessary. I was planning to retire Blargh soon as early game bugs don't stay good, but it still hurts to lose her like this.