Nuzlocke Challenge

[DetroitLolcat]

Ugh...February is the WORST.MONTH.EVER. Well, let's see if Lolcat can SLAY HIS ENEMIES!
DetroitLolcat's Platinum Nuzlocke Challenge
Part 4: Ripping Roark!

After burying the third useless Bidoof, Lolcat walks down Route 203, for once traveling by day instead of by night. A small paved path led up to a natural staircase, and Lolcat and PengWIN looked for Trainers to battle on the way. The first enemy was none other than a Youngster named Dallas (which is funny, as I live close to Dallas) with a Shinx. Lolcat orders PengWIN to execute Operation Intricate Kill, the most complex strategy known to Pokemon: Spamming Pound. After three iterations of that unbelievably difficult strategy, the Shinx fell and Piplup gained a level. However, Lolcat was forced to backtrack to Jubilife Pokemon Center to restore Piplup's health. Lolcat returns to the Youngster, this time merely passing him, ascending a larger staircase and dodging a second Youngster, and walking up to Oreburgh Gate. Lolcat dodged those Trainer battles for a reason, as there was one thing waiting in Oreburgh Gate: Another Pokemon. And it's not a Bidoof. In fact, only three Pokemon can be found in the dimly lit cave:

Zubat, 50%
Psyduck, 35%
Geodude, 15%

Lolcat says a quick prayer to the Hax God Jirachi asking for a Zubat, or at least a Geodude, as Zubat can beat Gardenia and Geodude covers PengWIN's Electric weakness. After searching the cave for barely a minute, the team's second member steps forth:

Psyduck. DAMMIT!!! Completely redundant type coverage with PengWIN. Lolcat bucks up and counts the blessing that he at least gets a pokemon here, naming the Psyduck Quacka. Thank God the first Gym isn't Electric. Lolcat returns to Jubilife for some serious grinding. Quacka is Modest, by the way. The terrible SpA IV balances it out though. Couldn't be a Zubat, huh? All I wanted was a Zubat, or anything besides the stupid Duck. At least it gets EXP medium-fast. Well, I'm not going to bore you with the grinding details, it's just Lolcat running around the greater Jubilife area while training a Psyduck to level 10. He DID solo a trainer with a Level 7 Kricketot and a Level 6 Zubat, and he was only level 5 at the time. Good omen? Grinding wasn't that bad, either. After level 9 it got Water Gun, a 60 Power move with STAB, so Lolcat decided that it could grind on the way to Oreburgh.

Lolcat returns to the dimly lit Oreburgh Gate, this time in order to cross through. For a mining town such as Oreburgh, it seems fitting for the city to be guarded by a cave. Lolcat feels the transition from the sunny field of Route 203 to the dank, moist Gate. He speaks to the nearby Hiker, probably for a battle. Lolcat says the first word,

"It seems you're a Hiker. That means you're asking for a battle, correct?"

"No, son", explains the Hiker, "I'm just observing. I see you're pretty new to this, and what's this...a Poketch? Brand new. You must be a new Trainer. Ehh, we were all new at one point. So, what brings you here? Vying for your first Gym Badge, or are you just on vacation?"

"I'm going to the Gym for my first badge."

"Hmm...you're challenging ol' Roark, aren't you. He's not much older than you, actually. Probably shouldn't be a Gym Leader either, but he's the son of the Leader in Canalave. With Roark leading the Gym, it's no wonder why the Oreburgh Ironers are the worst Pokemon team in the NPL. You an Ironers fan?"

"Can't say that I am", responded Lolcat. "I do like the Snowpoint Phantoms though."

"Ehh, they're pretty good this season. Well, I'm taking up your time. Here, you'll need this later in your journey. Give it to an HM Slave."

The Hiker hands Lolcat a Hidden Machine for the move Rock Smash. Rock Smash is less useless this Gen, as it's base power is now a monumental 40. So it only takes 40 power to smash boulders? Why can't I just use Pound on them? Either way, Lolcat trudges though the Gate until he meets a Trainer with a Starly. Two Water Guns dispatch it. Same with the Shinx. After that massacre, Lolcat runs to the gate's exit, staring at the light at the end of the tunnel, only stopped by one final Trainer. The Trainer's Bidoof took four hits to slay, but it couldn't defeat Quacka. The sun shone on Oreburgh City as Lolcat steps out of the cave. Lolcat walks into the outskirts of Oreburgh, seeing a Youngster as a town guide.

"Hello, Trainer, I'm a town guide, here to make your experience in Oreburgh both exciting and informative. So, Trainer, what brings you to town?"

Lolcat responds, "I'm here to challenge Oreburgh Gym."

"Wait, you don't have any Gym Badges? Well then we should check out the Gym as soon as possible! Come on, I'll guide you there!"

The two boys walk down a residential area of Oreburgh, seeing that the Gym was located right in the middle of a residential area, so all the nearby Trainers could train there.

"And here we have Oreburgh Gym, home of our town's Leader Roark! Oh, wait, someone's there. Let's see." Lolcat walks up to the person in front of the Gym, realizing that it's Fool. Fool sees Lolcat and engages in conversation.

"Hey Lolcat! You finally got here? You're so slow, always lagging behind me..."

Lolcat responds, "Can it, Fool. You'll never be Gary Motherfuckin Oak, so stop trying. Now what do you want?"

The dejected Fool responds, "This Gym's insanely hard. You should see it. I wonder if he could beat my dad..." Lolcat remembers that Fool's father is a famous battler, though recently he moved to Northeast Sinnoh to challenge the Battle Frontier. "The Leader's over in the coal mine, and he's late to accept challenges! Go find him, Lolcat, and I'll let you get the first match."

Lolcat has been waiting for this opportunity to prove himself as a threat to the Pokemon League, so he relishes the opportunity to cream Roark. Lolcat exits the residential area and enters the Pokemon Center. After healing his tattered team, the newly refreshed Water types charge to the south side of Oreburgh to find the city's leader. Lolcat passes through all the mining equipment, seeing all of the work done to mine coal en masse. Lolcat reads the sign saying, "ENTERING OREBURGH MINE. WILD POKEMON AT WORK. DO NOT DISTURB." Lolcat sees this as his second true opportunity to add to his team. Hopefully the wild pokemon don't show up until the second floor, as the pokmeon are stronger there. After analyzing the situation, Lolcat steps down the wobbly stairs to the bottom of Oreburgh Mine, home of Roark and Lolcat's third teammate. The possibilities of Pokemon include,

Geodude, 65%
Zubat, 25%
Onix, 10%

Unfortunately, none of them are the pick of the litter, as Lolcat cannot evolve a Geodude or Onix, and Zubat gets no good moves until a medium level. Well, I guess the best pokemon is Zubat here, as it provides insurance against Gardenia. However, the hax gods had Geodude in mind. Geodude isn't bad, but Gardenia's looking unbeatable now. Hopefully a Zubat will turn up eventually, or maybe I'll have to go for Rotom. Enough speculation, the Geodude's name will be Stoner. With every new Pokemon comes grinding, so Geodude received three levels of Exp before Lolcat returned to the Mine. Stoner's Base 80 attack helped here, as did that Rock Smash HM from earlier...And Geodude's not all bad. Rock Polish at level 8? Yes, please. Grinding was no hassle, actually. Naive nature, so it gets some Speed in exchange for useless special stat The IVs were okay, there was a 31 or 26 in Special Defense, a 25 in HP, and a 21 is Speed, but the others were bad. Though it was an estimate. Back to the Mine. Lolcat battles a Miner and slays the trademark Geodude with PengWIN. The other Worker had a Geodude and a Machop, but Quacka slew them both. In the back of the mine was the real prize, finding Roark. Roark gives a quick demonstration on how to use Rock Smash then asks Lolcat to challenge him. That beeotch is askin' for it now! After escaping the mine Lolcat returns to the Pokemon Center, then the newly unlocked Gym. The statue in front of the Gym said that Fool had already won here. What an asshole, he said Lolcat could have the first match!

Lolcat trudges though the center of the Gym, seeing the first Gym Trainer. Hmm...it seems you have to win two test battles to see if you're worthy of Roark. Both Lolcat and his first opponent call upon Geodudes to spar. His Geodude was tougher, but Lolcat's knew Rock Smash. Needless to say, gg First Trainer. Stoner picks up Rock Smash, too. The second Trainer became property of PengWIN. Lolcat retreats to the Pokemon Center to heal and debrief his team for the upcoming duel. Lolcat speaks to his three huddled pokemon:

"Okay, we know Roark has Rock-types. Because of that, each of you has a move to hit them super-effectively. Since it's SET mode, switching is going to hurt. I'm going to lead off with Quacka as he can one-shot the Geodude and Onix, when try to get in Stoner for Cranidos. If something goes wrong, PengWIN's serving as backup. He is the strongest, so he should be able to take a Headbutt of two. Ready? BREAK!"

With the battle plans in hand, Lolcat returns to the final battle of Oreburgh Gym.

Roark speaks, "SO, Lolcat! You've met me in the Mine, so I need no introduction. LET US DUEL!"

Boss Battle: Roark!

Lolcat throws a lone Poke Ball with Quacka inside, PengWIN and Stoner watching from the bench. Roark counters with Geodude, expecting to live a hit. Locat got the drop on the Pokemon, shouting for Quacka to use Water Gun on the mutant rock. Onix was the next foe. Onix is surprisingly fast, but Lolcat commanded for Quacka to stay in the fight, to the benched Pokemon's dismays. The rock snake fires off a Screech, but it was no match for the one-shot justice of Quacks the Psyduck. However, Roark shakes off the defeat of his two Pokemon and sends out Cranidos, the Head Butt pokemon. Since Cranidos can hit like a truck, outspeeds Quacka, and probably OHKOs it with -2 Defense, Lolcat commands Quacka to drop to the bench, congratulating the duck on its performance. Stoner enters the field, taking a Headbutt to the face. Geodude resists, so it was nothing. Cranidos Leers and Geodude Smashes, lowering Defense. Cranidos uses Pursuit, doing 48% of Geodude's remaining health. In theory, Geodude should survive it. Rock Smash sends Cranidos to critical condition, and Lolcat seizes the opportunity. Predicting a Potion, Lolcat commands Geodude to use Rock Polish. With blistering speed and great prediction, Geodude sets up unharmed. Lolcat commands the rock to smash one last time, critting (probably an unnecessary crit), sending the baby dinosaur to the hospital. Good game, Mr. Roark.

Lolcat steps outside the Gym after receiving his prize, and returns to the base aka the Pokemon Center, concluding the story.

End of Part 4

TEAM:
Active:

PengWIN (Piplup)
Impish, Level 14
-Pound
-Bubble
-Water Sport
-Growl

Quacka (Psyduck)
Modest, Level 12
-Scratch
-Water Gun
-Water Sport
-Tail Whip

Stoner (Geodude)
Naive, Level 11
-Tackle
-Rock Throw
-Rock Smash
-Rock Polish

BOXED:
None

DEAD:
Derp (Bidoof) x3
Various Natures, Various levels
-Who
-The
-Hell
-Cares?

Well, thanks for reading. I doubt another update's coming this week as I'm going camping this weekend, but you never know. If there's not a lot of homework over the weekend I might have time Sunday. Gardenia's going to be a bitch... (Just under 2000 words, second longest update!)

[Kepperino]

Taking on a Leaf Green Nuzlocke!
I'll try to post my story here.

[ironman]

i just beat team rocket in goldenrod and here is my team up to this point:

PEPPERS the feraligatr

torrent
careful
female
level 38
headbutt
ice fang
surf
crunch
never even used her..she is my strongest and most favorite member and thankfully i never needed her against team rocket...one of the two mvps until now...after snatch my best chance in beating the game(sorry rocker)

SNATCH the gyarados

intimidate
brave
male
level 38
aqua tail
dragon rage
bite
ice fang
only used him in the final battle and in some minor battles to abuse intimidate...he is my best chance in beating clair...

ROCKER the golem

sturdy
serious
male
level 38
rock polish
earthquake
rock smash
rock slide
only used him to prevent the weaker members(missy and sexy bitch) from fainting...he is still one of the two mvps...also used him to beat the final houndoom who caused tones of damage with its faint attack even to him(faint attack was an easy 3hko)

SEXY BITCH the miltank

scrappy
careful
female
level 34
zen headbutt
rollout
body slam
milk drink
if it wasn't for her i would have lost to my rival...she successfully beat meganium by spreading paralysis with body slam, healing over and over with milk drink the petal dances and flinching him with zen headbutt...she is kind of haxy...

MISSY the misdreavus

levitate
docile
female
level 34
shadow ball
psybeam
confuse ray
pain split
really helpful with the many poison types of team rocket...i will totally keep her in my team...she is awesome...and now she can recover and hurt the opponent by abusing pain split...

[Ducklett Stare]

Question ironman, where did you catch your Misdreavus? I'm sure it's in one of your past updates but I don't feel like digging for it :x I always thought you couldn't catch Mis until Mt. Silver. I would totally love to know where you could catch another ghost besides Ghastly that early.

[Texas Cloverleaf]

Safari Zone has an area with both Misdreavus and Murkrow.

[ginganinja]

its also available in the cave on the way to the Safari Zone (Cliff Cave?)

[ironman]

i caught it in cliff cave on the bottom floor it is fairly common i think the first three i met were misdreavus...oh and it was night...

[ginganinja]

Its rare I think lol. Guess you got lucky

[Juukka]

Juukka's Ruby Nuzlocke

Round 2 Finale!

"Cloud! Finish this! EARTHQUAKE!"

My voice boomed as the earth began to shake with incredible force. Chunks of the floor flew off and into the bottomless abyss around the battle field. The debris thickened to the point where neither I nor Steven Stone could see the end result of the battle.

But eventually the dust settled, and floating calmly was my Altaria, Cloud, completely tired after a grueling battle. On the opposite side was Steven's Metagross, fallen to a giant heap upon the wrecked battlefield.

I fell to my knees and cried. It was over. All over. I was the champion. My dream had been realized.

As Steven returned Metagross to its Pokeball, he walked across the battlefield and held out his hand upon reaching me. I stopped my sobbing, looked up, and accepted his help, getting back to my feet.

"Congratulations Juukka, you are the Champion."

It was overwhelming. So much so that I didn't even remember May and Professor Birch walking in to offer their advice (and congratulations). My last memory was walking up to the altar at the end of a long, dark, hallway. Steven said something to me, and I placed the Pokeballs of my three surviving friends onto the machine.

"What about the others?" I asked, barely able to control my emotions.

Steven waited for a moment, then smiled.

"The machine only takes their information, so you don't need to worry about their bodies. They too will be remembered."

I placed the final three Pokeballs on my belt onto the machine and watched as it went to work.

Within minutes, my picture and the pictures of my six friends, the six Champions, lit up the wall. The fallen trio looked so happy, so healthy, just as I had remembered them.

"Thank you Steven. Thank you, for everything."

I took my Pokeballs back and we proceeded to leave the Hall of Fame room.

"So what are your plans now?" Steven asked quietly.

"I don't know," I replied as I pondered the question further, "I think I'm going to hide away for a while. Find a nice beach or something somewhere and get good and lost for a while."

"And what about your Pokemon?"

"Some will come with me, some will stay with Professor Birch. At the moment, I just can't take the stress of losing more friends. These guys, they're all I have right now."

And so I disappeared into the darkness, my reign as Champion existing in title only, not in duty. One may be able to find me somewhere a little more desirable than on the road, pitting my best Pokemon friends against the world's best.

While my journey ends, things have really only just begun. I don't intend to stay away forever. Someday... Someday I'll get the itch again, and next time I'll have a new crew of friends to help me out.

But for now, I rest a Champion.

----------------------------

So hopefully you enjoyed my semi-dramatic written passage there. Just something special to cap off my first successful Nuzlocke.

Here's a rundown of events after the eighth Gym:

-Added Tracy the Electrike to the Party
-Battled through Victory Road and vanquished Wally
-Had everyone except Tracy and Oddball the Bellossom at LV50+ (46+48 respectively, Kipula was LV 52)
-Team effort took out the first two opponents
-The third battle was easy up until Walrein showed up. Tracy fell to a powerful Blizzard and Oinky was ripped apart by a lucky Sheer Cold
-Fourth battle was uneventful, simply switching between Cloud the Altaria and Kipula to vanquish the Dragon Master

The Champion battle with Steven was stressful, to the point where I thought defeat was imminent.

Cloud the Altaria and Kipula worked in tandem for a while before Aggron came out and threatened to crash through my team. I sent out Yunti, who did an admirable job on Aggron while I healed up. But he fell to a Critical Hit Thunder :(

So then Cradily came out and I used a tandem of Bellossom and Altaria to PP stall Cradily's Ancientpower move, then had to use a boat load of hyper potions while I outwaited Sludge Bomb (not to mention Pecha berries).

Finally Cradily got to Struggle and Cloud got set up to +6 ATK +6 SPE, and it put its newfound Earthquake move to good use.

Next came Claydol and Skarmory who both fell to Fly, and finally Metagross who was powerless in the face of a +6 Earthquake.

And with that I was the champion!

Now it's time for the roundup! I'll post my survivors and thoughts on them. Then my deceased and thoughts on them. Since anyone left in my PC saw no battle action, I won't post or mention them, since they're in previous posts and contributed nothing to my victory.

Also, since I am going away for three months, this will be my one and only Nuzlocke for a few months (that I get to post anyway). Keep on Nuzlocking and hopefully even with Gen 5 I'll have time for another adventure! These things are too much fun!


The Survivors


Kipula LV 53

Careful Nature
Surf
Ice Beam
Earthquake
Protect

My starter and overall MVP. Though Kipula's role was mostly as a sponge/support player in the Elite Four, he was constantly a threat to any opponent he fought (save Cradily with Giga Drain) and had fantastic coverage. He only had a few close calls during the game, including taking a mid health Self Destruct to the face and surviving.

I was glad to have Kipula as a safety net, but he definitely lowered the difficulty of the challenge. His presence was invaluable, but next time it's definitely Treecko or bust for me in Ruby.


Cloud LV53

Brave
Fly
Dragon Breath
Earthquake
Dragon Dance

My Elite Four savior! Died twice (but saved by revives as a Swablu) and in the end proved to be a wise investment of my Revives and several hours of grinding. His STAB move was worthless but Fly and Earthquake became potent after a few DDs. A nice bulky Poke to have and with the right situation can set up and save your ass. Not a Pokemon I normally would have thought would be useful for a Nuzlocke due to its poor Attacking power but no longer!


Oddball LV48

Modest
Magical Leaf
Sleep Powder
Stun Spore
Acid

Oddball was an interesting member of my team. He made Wallace's Gym a breeze but became dead weight afterwords. Magical Leaf was a 90 BP never miss move, but ultimately lacked a lot of power. However, Sleep Powder helped me out numerous times. He definitely came in handy at times but the lack of a powerful attacking move (Petal Dance was not worth the lock for extra 10 BP) really hindered his usefulness. Probably my LVP, even though he wasn't on the team until Lategame.

The Deceased

ROUND 1


Lylli Died LV11 V Lad Machop

-My first dead friend. Learned the importance of locked in moves (Uproar)


Jarri Died LV 21 V Lad Aron

-My first of two Tailow/Swellow. Learned the importance of switching out at low health. Could have been a powerhouse...


Teemu Died LV23 V Watson Voltorb

-My original starter took a Self Destruct to the face... Was having a hard time beating opponents but I knew in my heart of hearts he would become powerful someday.


Jaarpi Died LV 25 to Watson Magneton

-Was my team powerhouse, but couldn't power through Watson's heavy steel.


Toni Died LV 21 to Watson Magneton

-Gave his life trying to whittle down Magneton's health. A noble way to die.


Heike Died LV24 to Camerupt

-Part of my rebuilt Round 1 Team, Roselia died in an effort to stop the bleeding caused by Maxie's powerful Camerupt.


Katri Died LV25 to Golbat

-Died to a critical hit off of Maxie's Golbat. Was my only hope of beating Camerupt.


Pertu Died LV 26 to Golbat

-Was on his way to killing Golbat with Shockwave before being critted. His death turned the tide of the battle and led to my Round 1 demise.


Sami Died LV 19 to Camerupt

-Sami could have been a star like Cloud, but I decided to not level him up before taking on Maxie and it cost me dearly in the end.

Round 1 MVP


Leo

Died LV 26 to Camerupt

Leo held on to beat Watson, and fought admirably against all odds versus Maxie's Camerupt, but simply didn't have the defenses to take so many STABed attacks. Was a real hero for my team and one I wanted to avenge.

ROUND 2


Ilkka LV 31 - Fell to Norman's Slaking

Was a team powerhouse, but was not strong enough to defeat two Slakings and a Vigoroth. Died valiantly in battle. Would I have added Oinky otherwise?


Gonnoly LV26 - Fell to Norman's Slaking

This game has a way on punishing me for using favourites. Every Pokemon I used except Kipula that was picked for a strategic advantage died, and Gonnoly was no exception. Was the first recipient of a revive that ultimately led to nothing. His life was too short...


Laurie LV10 - Died to Norman's Slaking

Laurie can be described as my midgame MVP, because without her sacrifice, my team would not have even defeated Norman. She came in and got off two Tail Whips before falling to Slaking, but allowed Jarrila to come in and finish off the beast. A true Nuzlocke hero.


Jarrila LV40 Died to Lunatone's Psychic.

Jarrila was a team powerhouse, and taught me that especially in double battles, no chances should be taken that are unnecessary. I decided to use Jarrila's turn to awaken Kipula from sleep, only to have Lunatone blow her away with Psychic. Had I switched to Yunti, she never would have died. A fatality that is truly on my hands.


Tracy LV46 Died to Glacia's Walrein

Tracy was added specifically to help tackle Glacia, which my team had a tough time matching up with type wise. However one mistake I made was not giving her the Magnet I had in my bag, which may have been enough to tackle Glacia's Walrein. She fell just short of a KO, and was dismantled by a Blizzard. Her time on the team was short, but without her I don't know if my team would have gotten through. Also another victim of the favourites game, I used Manectric my first time ever through Ruby and this time Nuzlocke gave it a cruel fate.


Oinky LV50 Died to Glacia's Walrein

Oinky was just a cute little Spoink that turned into a real strong player on my team. With key resistances to Ice and a godly Psychic attack, Oinky dispatched many a foe and would have made it to the end. However Sheer Cold connected at the worst time and one of my favourite Pokemon this round bit the dust.


Yunti LV51 Died to Steven's Aggron

My last casualty game in to try and weaken Steven's Aggron with Rock Smash and Intimidate. Yunti was my first captured Pokemon this round, and although at one point was regulated to the PC, always found a way back into my party and back into usefulness. Once she learned Strength she was a powerhouse. Definitely an underestimated team member and someone who carried the load until a Critical Hit from Aggron's Thunder.

-----------------------------------

So there you have it folks, my first ever completed Nuzlocke! My biggest lesson learned is that you need to be open minded with this challenge, and while planning is necessary, ultimately so much is up to luck that you have to roll with the punches. Go with your gut, and try to find use to the Pokemon you find, even ones that have poor competitive reputations... You never know which one might be a future star!

The heartbreak of losing a member is as bad as people have described it... This is definitely not a challenge for the meek.

Props!
-I finished the challenge!
-My starter survived
-I found use in Pokemon I otherwise wouldn't have
-Steven's Cradily for having low PP attack moves
-Yunti the Mightyena for easily being my KO leader despite mediocre stats

Slops!
-Round 1 Failure
-No Treecko :(
-Oinky and Yunti dying :(
-Kipula making it too easy at times
-Me for general incompetence, several avoidable deaths

Will you see me again? Well, I guess fate will be the judge of that...

[Carbon Lifeform]

Carbon's Pokemon Emerald Nuzlocke Run: Update 4 (Brendan and Wattson)

Well, despite what I worked myself up saying that his Combusken might tear through my team, Brendan was about as dangerous as a puppy. Queen Zeal and her newly acquired Spark tore through Wingull, and got a lucky Paralyze and Crit on Lombre. She managed to Thunder Wave Combusken and take the next Double Kick like a champ. The poor bird was taken down by Dustox, who I knew could survive at least two Embers/Pecks and could easily respond with Confusion and Gust.

I trained a lot for Wattson, and it was surely needed. On Route 110 I caught a Seedot, which I later found only had a 1% spawn chance. This means I'll probably lose him later, like I did Ralts. ._. I trained him a bit too, so he's a prepared backup in case one of my team bit the dust going through Wattson. His name is Starky.

Along the way, a few important moves were learnt: I taught Rock Smash to J Fly the Grovyle, Queen Zeal learned Encore [very important!], and Suicoon the Dustox learned Psybeam. After getting all of my team to level 23, I figured I was semi-prepared to face Wattson. I also picked up the Revive on Route 110, which I will be using as a mulligan if needed.

Against Wattson I first sent out Skates the Aron, because he was the only member on my team I was certain could survive the potential Selfdestruct from Wattson's Voltorb, and he did just that. It did a laughable six damage. :)

He sent out Electrike next, so I responded with Suicoon. A lot of people seem to think Dustox is weak, but he's probably as good of a wall, besides Aron, as you can get early in the game. He has fantastic early-game typing and resistances, along with moves that are helpfully SE against a lot of common trainer pokemon and wild ones too in Gust and Confusion/Psybeam. Electrike went down pretty easily thanks to some confusion from Psybeam.

I was going to send Skates back out against Magneton, but then remembered that Magneton have Magnet Pull even in Gen III (for a while I thought it was a Gen IV introduced ability) and that Skates wouldn't be able to handle multiple Shock Waves. So I sent in J Fly, who could deal SE damage with Rock Smash and resists Shock Wave. I got three Defense downs on Magneton, allowing me to strike through Wattson's Super Potion (though I did have to use one myself; stupid Sonicboom being OP in the early game) and eventually KO Magneton.

His last pokemon was Manetric, and it was the one I feared most. But I had a plan, and Queen Zeal was the key player. Knowing that I was faster (I did some stat calculation to find out what his Manetric's max speed could be, and Minun was faster than that) I used Thunder Wave, only to be Thunder Wave'd back in return. This was perfect. I then used Encore, crippling Manetric. I chipped away at Manetric's health (and the health it recovered with the Sitrus Berry) with Quick Attack and Spark, and then when the encore would end I would just send an Encore back and he'd be stuck Thunder Waving me pointlessly again. Finally, the beast went down with no damage to Queen Zeal. My plan had worked; I had beat Wattson with no deaths.

Right now I'm still in Mauville, will continue to Fallarbor tomorrow.

The Team:

...

---

Nofirth the Skitty, level 23.
His attacking stats are falling behind as the levels pick up, but still has use thanks to Cute Charm and the great move in Sing. Assist has also been very helpful considering every move on my team except Gyarados' Splash is either an attacking move or something that neuters the opponent like Thunder Wave. Current LVP, but probably not going to be replaced with Starky due to Flannery's fire types coming up.

Skates the Aron, level 23.
An excellent wall - takes the popular Normal type moves like a champ and has excellent attacking power with Headbutt and Metal Claw, with Mud-Slap and Rock Tomb for coverage. Considering replacing him if I get a Numel up on Route 111, if only because Numel learns a stronger Ground-type move and I need that for Flannery. Will definitely remain as a steady backup if I do replace him though.

J Fly the Grovyle, level 24.
My starter, and most trusted companion. His usefulness has been nulled a little bit because I've, unfortunately, screwed around with his movepool. He carries Absorb/Quick Attack/Pursuit/Rock Smash, the two that I use most stemming off of his (albeit only slightly) lower Attack stat. Great type coverage though, and beats out Starky for Grass-type position in my team any day.

SwdRvlnLht the Gyarados, level 23.
The training I put into getting this Gyarados has yet to fully pay off, though I've managed to keep him alive so far and I'm hoping to see the benefits start coming when I get Surf. Lack of a water move is hurting him, and me, right now. Probably tied for Current LVP due to Tackle being his only really good move, since Bite is Dark-type and feeds off of his low Special Attack. Tackle is useful, though, and I taught it Torment from the TM back in Slateport so he can have some uses for right now. Not replaceable, though.

Suicoon the Dustox, level 23.
The pokemon I'm most glad to have caught instead of KO'ing. Dustox saved my ass back in Dewford when Ralts was offed and has continued to be a wonderful teammate. Running Gust and Psybeam alongside Protect and Moonlight allows me to wall most pokemon without flying-type moves. He has great typing for early in the game and doesn't take shit from anybody. Tied for current MVP.

Queen Zeal the Minun, level 24.
Minun has been, undoubtedly, a force to be reckoned with. Although shunned by most players as a run-of-the-mill electric type with no great moves, Minun's excellent use of Spark and Quick Attack gives her all the attacking moves she needs, while Thunder Wave and Encore completely deny her opponents a chance to attack her. Tied for MVP with Dustox because she is the reason I could beat Manetric, and also has helped me out of tight spaces by being the fastest member of my team.

The Box:

...

---

Lolumad the Whismur, level 7.
FntasticFox the Zigzagoon, level 4.
Starky the Nuzleaf, level 23.

The Graveyard:

...

---

Imune2Crit the Ralts, level 16. Struck down by a wild Focus Punch in Brawly's Gym. Will be missed dearly. RIP.

Sorry about the somewhat late (and long!) update, I had some make-up work to take care of because I've been out of school ill for a few days.

EDIT3: Long Term Predictions?

...

---

Flannery: If I get a Numel, Flannery will be a piece of cake. Otherwise, will probably result to statusing with Queen Zeal and taking the strong fire hits with SwdRvlnLht.
Norman: Another tough fight for me. Best choice is making sure I have Grovyle up to a level where it can stand to take some hits while firing back with Rock Smash. Will need smart play.
Winona: Queen Zeal. That's pretty much the end. Aron/Numel can take her too, if I lose the Queen.
Tate & Liza: Gyarados and Surf will probably save my butt here. Sceptile will do well too.
Juan: Queen Zeal, again. Also Sceptile.
Sydney: Hopefully I have something with a good fighting type move by now, don't want to be relying on Rock Smash. If a I get a Numel I can neuter Shiftry easily, though.
Phoebe: A Shiftry of my own is looking good here, as STAB Dark moves would be great.
Glacia: Numel, again. I really need one.
Drake: Hmm. Anything I can get Ice Beam on, really. Maybe Gyarados? Aggron's Steel typing would serve me well.
Wallace: Queen Zeal and J Fly.

Most Likely Elite Four Team (from my current members and ones I hope to get soon):
J Fly the Sceptile
Queen Zeal the Minun
____ the Numel
Starky the Shiftry
SwdRlvnLht the Gyarados
Skates the Aggron

Looks pretty good. Hoping to get Dustox on there somehow, I really like him. It'll depend on what happens along the road. I can probably expect to lose someone to Flannery if I don't get a Numel, and probably to Norman too. I think I have the rest of the leaders covered though, type-wise. Key players I need around are Queen Zeal and J Fly, along with SwdRlvnLht. May end up trading Nofirth the Skitty for the Numel if I catch one instead of leaving behind Skates. The only two I can say that I'd feel comfortable to lose right now, although it would hurt my feelings it wouldn't break my chances of success, are Nofirth and Starky.

Anyone have any thoughts on the above? All comments appreciated. :) Also; any suggestions for a name for a Numel? Maybe if I give one a name right now it'll help my chances. They have a 75% chance of showing up in the patch of grass outside the Fiery Path, but I really need one and relying on that 75% chance is like relying on Sleep Powder to put your opponent's biggest sweeper to sleep. =/

[Zosodojo777]

Update:
I entered The rustboro city gym quite underleveled. I figured Theodore the Treeko would be able to sweep everything, and this proved true, at least until I hit Roxanne's Nosepass. Then I discovered That Theodore could not take Nosepass alone, as Nosepass's damage output far exceeded mine. So, I switched Teddy out for Zachariah the Zigzagoon to get some growls off. Fortunately Nosepass missed with rock tomb, and then proceeded to use harden continually. After 6 times, he decided to attack, but Zach had already worked his attack down six times, and launched a tail whip or two. Nosepass was still doing noticable damage. Probably a four or five hit ko. So I swithed Teddy back in and absorbed him to death. GG.
I then moved up to RT 116 and encountered...
A Ninjask! Wicked sweet, Ninjask is basically two pokemon in one. Now it's just grindan time before i Take out the Magma Grunt and head for Dewford.


Current Team

...

---

Theodore the Treeko
Current MVP, obviously. My starter, not much to say.

Zachariah the Zigzagoon
A reliable damage dealer, especially with headbutt. that move is ridiculous early game. Also, Pickup is amazing. I already have a rare candy.

Reagan the Ralts
Very lucky find. He already murders stuff with confusion, I can't wait until he powers up, though he will likely steal many of my TM's, seeing as he only learns psychic moves by level up.

Niniag the Ninjask
Uncertain how well he will perform, but two evolutions in one is a nice bonus.

Sylvester the Shroomish
I haven't used him at all. A backup if Theodore dies.

Deceased

...

---

Whitney the Wurmple
I think I knew her for less than five minutes. She was a sacrifice to a hungry tailow.

[Texas Cloverleaf]

I has started another Nuzlocke on my Emerald version...

Standard early game crap happens, choose an Adamant Mudkip who I name Monty, laugh at May`s weakness without catching pokemon on routes 101 and 103 due to encounters pre-pokeballs. Moving onto 102 I capture Stinger the Wurmple while Monty grins to around level 10. More Wally crap happens. Spend 5 mins talking to Dad because of not paying attention. Head out of Petalburg and capture Hound the Poocheyena who gets designated as fodder along with Stinger. In side Petalburg Woods I run into a pair of Wurmple`s and a Pooch before encpuntering the coup de grace, Spore the Shroomish (Brave). More grinding ensues and I am about to take on Roxanne with Spore and Monty at level 13 and 14 respectively. Things are lookig good atm despite Spore being a n eventual pain in the ass to level thanks to his experience tier. I won`t use anything on the route north of Rustboro so hopefully I encounter a Abra or Aron in Granite Cave.

[ironman]

Originally Posted by Fat ginganinja

Its rare I think lol. Guess you got lucky

actually you are right...according to serebii it has something like 5%...second time i get really lucky after miltank...

[Terrador]

Originally Posted by Fat Carbon Lifeform

Carbon's Pokemon Emerald Nuzlocke Run: Update 4 (Brendan and Wattson)

Well, despite what I worked myself up saying that his Combusken might tear through my team, Brendan was about as dangerous as a puppy. Queen Zeal and her newly acquired Spark tore through Wingull, and got a lucky Paralyze and Crit on Lombre. She managed to Thunder Wave Combusken and take the next Double Kick like a champ. The poor bird was taken down by Dustox, who I knew could survive at least two Embers/Pecks and could easily respond with Confusion and Gust.

I trained a lot for Wattson, and it was surely needed. On Route 110 I caught a Seedot, which I later found only had a 1% spawn chance. This means I'll probably lose him later, like I did Ralts. ._. I trained him a bit too, so he's a prepared backup in case one of my team bit the dust going through Wattson. His name is Starky.

Along the way, a few important moves were learnt: I taught Rock Smash to J Fly the Grovyle, Queen Zeal learned Encore [very important!], and Suicoon the Dustox learned Psybeam. After getting all of my team to level 23, I figured I was semi-prepared to face Wattson. I also picked up the Revive on Route 110, which I will be using as a mulligan if needed.

Against Wattson I first sent out Skates the Aron, because he was the only member on my team I was certain could survive the potential Selfdestruct from Wattson's Voltorb, and he did just that. It did a laughable six damage. :)

He sent out Electrike next, so I responded with Suicoon. A lot of people seem to think Dustox is weak, but he's probably as good of a wall, besides Aron, as you can get early in the game. He has fantastic early-game typing and resistances, along with moves that are helpfully SE against a lot of common trainer pokemon and wild ones too in Gust and Confusion/Psybeam. Electrike went down pretty easily thanks to some confusion from Psybeam.

I was going to send Skates back out against Magneton, but then remembered that Magneton have Magnet Pull even in Gen III (for a while I thought it was a Gen IV introduced ability) and that Skates wouldn't be able to handle multiple Shock Waves. So I sent in J Fly, who could deal SE damage with Rock Smash and resists Shock Wave. I got three Defense downs on Magneton, allowing me to strike through Wattson's Super Potion (though I did have to use one myself; stupid Sonicboom being OP in the early game) and eventually KO Magneton.

His last pokemon was Manetric, and it was the one I feared most. But I had a plan, and Queen Zeal was the key player. Knowing that I was faster (I did some stat calculation to find out what his Manetric's max speed could be, and Minun was faster than that) I used Thunder Wave, only to be Thunder Wave'd back in return. This was perfect. I then used Encore, crippling Manetric. I chipped away at Manetric's health (and the health it recovered with the Sitrus Berry) with Quick Attack and Spark, and then when the encore would end I would just send an Encore back and he'd be stuck Thunder Waving me pointlessly again. Finally, the beast went down with no damage to Queen Zeal. My plan had worked; I had beat Wattson with no deaths.

Right now I'm still in Mauville, will continue to Fallarbor tomorrow.

The Team:

...

---

Nofirth the Skitty, level 23.
His attacking stats are falling behind as the levels pick up, but still has use thanks to Cute Charm and the great move in Sing. Assist has also been very helpful considering every move on my team except Gyarados' Splash is either an attacking move or something that neuters the opponent like Thunder Wave. Current LVP, but probably not going to be replaced with Starky due to Flannery's fire types coming up.

Skates the Aron, level 23.
An excellent wall - takes the popular Normal type moves like a champ and has excellent attacking power with Headbutt and Metal Claw, with Mud-Slap and Rock Tomb for coverage. Considering replacing him if I get a Numel up on Route 111, if only because Numel learns a stronger Ground-type move and I need that for Flannery. Will definitely remain as a steady backup if I do replace him though.

J Fly the Grovyle, level 24.
My starter, and most trusted companion. His usefulness has been nulled a little bit because I've, unfortunately, screwed around with his movepool. He carries Absorb/Quick Attack/Pursuit/Rock Smash, the two that I use most stemming off of his (albeit only slightly) lower Attack stat. Great type coverage though, and beats out Starky for Grass-type position in my team any day.

SwdRvlnLht the Gyarados, level 23.
The training I put into getting this Gyarados has yet to fully pay off, though I've managed to keep him alive so far and I'm hoping to see the benefits start coming when I get Surf. Lack of a water move is hurting him, and me, right now. Probably tied for Current LVP due to Tackle being his only really good move, since Bite is Dark-type and feeds off of his low Special Attack. Tackle is useful, though, and I taught it Torment from the TM back in Slateport so he can have some uses for right now. Not replaceable, though.

Suicoon the Dustox, level 23.
The pokemon I'm most glad to have caught instead of KO'ing. Dustox saved my ass back in Dewford when Ralts was offed and has continued to be a wonderful teammate. Running Gust and Psybeam alongside Protect and Moonlight allows me to wall most pokemon without flying-type moves. He has great typing for early in the game and doesn't take shit from anybody. Tied for current MVP.

Queen Zeal the Minun, level 24.
Minun has been, undoubtedly, a force to be reckoned with. Although shunned by most players as a run-of-the-mill electric type with no great moves, Minun's excellent use of Spark and Quick Attack gives her all the attacking moves she needs, while Thunder Wave and Encore completely deny her opponents a chance to attack her. Tied for MVP with Dustox because she is the reason I could beat Manetric, and also has helped me out of tight spaces by being the fastest member of my team.

The Box:

...

---

Lolumad the Whismur, level 7.
FntasticFox the Zigzagoon, level 4.
Starky the Nuzleaf, level 23.

The Graveyard:

...

---

Imune2Crit the Ralts, level 16. Struck down by a wild Focus Punch in Brawly's Gym. Will be missed dearly. RIP.

Sorry about the somewhat late (and long!) update, I had some make-up work to take care of because I've been out of school ill for a few days.

EDIT3: Long Term Predictions?

...

---

Flannery: If I get a Numel, Flannery will be a piece of cake. Otherwise, will probably result to statusing with Queen Zeal and taking the strong fire hits with SwdRvlnLht.
Norman: Another tough fight for me. Best choice is making sure I have Grovyle up to a level where it can stand to take some hits while firing back with Rock Smash. Will need smart play.
Winona: Queen Zeal. That's pretty much the end. Aron/Numel can take her too, if I lose the Queen.
Tate & Liza: Gyarados and Surf will probably save my butt here. Sceptile will do well too.
Juan: Queen Zeal, again. Also Sceptile.
Sydney: Hopefully I have something with a good fighting type move by now, don't want to be relying on Rock Smash. If a I get a Numel I can neuter Shiftry easily, though.
Phoebe: A Shiftry of my own is looking good here, as STAB Dark moves would be great.
Glacia: Numel, again. I really need one.
Drake: Hmm. Anything I can get Ice Beam on, really. Maybe Gyarados? Aggron's Steel typing would serve me well.
Wallace: Queen Zeal and J Fly.

Most Likely Elite Four Team (from my current members and ones I hope to get soon):
J Fly the Sceptile
Queen Zeal the Minun
____ the Numel
Starky the Shiftry
SwdRlvnLht the Gyarados
Skates the Aggron

Looks pretty good. Hoping to get Dustox on there somehow, I really like him. It'll depend on what happens along the road. I can probably expect to lose someone to Flannery if I don't get a Numel, and probably to Norman too. I think I have the rest of the leaders covered though, type-wise. Key players I need around are Queen Zeal and J Fly, along with SwdRlvnLht. May end up trading Nofirth the Skitty for the Numel if I catch one instead of leaving behind Skates. The only two I can say that I'd feel comfortable to lose right now, although it would hurt my feelings it wouldn't break my chances of success, are Nofirth and Starky.

Anyone have any thoughts on the above? All comments appreciated. :) Also; any suggestions for a name for a Numel? Maybe if I give one a name right now it'll help my chances. They have a 75% chance of showing up in the patch of grass outside the Fiery Path, but I really need one and relying on that 75% chance is like relying on Sleep Powder to put your opponent's biggest sweeper to sleep. =/

Use Gyarados m0ar to get Intimidates off on Norman's Slaking; also, Leaf Blade would hit harder on Norman. Also, give Gyarados Secret Power ASAP. Barring a crit (like mine; RIP Draco), you should handle him just fine.
Also, should you fail to get Numel, Trapinch has access to strong Ground and Fire moves to RAEP the E4 with. Good luck.

[Carbon Lifeform]

Originally Posted by Fat Terrador14

Use Gyarados m0ar to get Intimidates off on Norman's Slaking; also, Leaf Blade would hit harder on Norman. Also, give Gyarados Secret Power ASAP. Barring a crit (like mine; RIP Draco), you should handle him just fine.
Also, should you fail to get Numel, Trapinch has access to strong Ground and Fire moves to RAEP the E4 with. Good luck.

That's true; I hadn't really looked into moves I'll be getting soon yet. Good idea on Secret Power Gyarados. The Building effect applies Paralysis, which will be nice against Flannery as well if I don't want to risk sending Queen Zeal in. Thanks for the Trapinch suggestion too; I'll look into that should I fail to find a Numel. :)

EDIT: Just realized: Norman's Slaking will be an absolute joke. Dustox has Protect for his attacking turns. Easy win, as long as I can kill him in ten attacking turns. I have some X Specials I can apply in the Truant turns though. Should be good. :)

EDIT2: Hell yes level 14 female Numel caught on Route 112! :) Her name is Poshul.

[Texas Cloverleaf]

*cough*Toxic*cough*. Availabe as soon as you get Strength.

[Carbon Lifeform]

While Toxic would be even easier, it would require me giving up Moonlight on Dustox, which I'm not sure I want to do if I can just muscle my way through Slaking. I'll think about it though.

[Carbon Lifeform]

Sorry about the double post, but it seems no one wants to post after me. Next poster will open the 100th page! Awesome, guys!

Carbon's Emerald Nuzlocke Update 5: The End of Mauville through Flannery

Left Mauville, fought the Winstrates, went to Route 112, caught a female Numel. This is perfect, because Flannery's Torkoal and Camerupt know Attract and are both females, meaning Poshul can strike at them without fear of being immobilized. Grinded her a bit on the grass types near Verdanturf so she could learn Magnitude at 19, then got Strength and taught it to her too.

Went through Fiery Path, found a female Koffing. Her name is Swan Song because of their exploding tendencies. Fought my way to Fallarbor. Got TM43 [Secret Power] and taught it to Gyarados. Caught a female Spinda named Lollygag in Route 113. I love Spinda. Got TM32 [Double Team] and after a little thinking taught it to Numel.

Went to the Dig site and got TM28 [Dig] and taught it to Aron. Also got TM05 [Roar] but have not taught it to anyone yet. Route 114 offered me a Nuzleaf, but I already have one so I KO'd it. Caught up with the Teams in the Meteor Falls. Was offered a Zubat but she was too low-leveled and all of my hits were easy OHKOs so I ignored her.

Continued to the top of Mount Chimney, where I fought Maxie. Minun took out his Mightyena and Zubat easily [Spark was a 2HKO on Mightyena and an OHKO on Zubat] and Numel got a lucky Magnitude 10 and OHKO'd his Camerupt. Continued down the Jagged Pass, where I caught Luccia the female Spoink. She seems to be a confident replacement should Dustox fall. Gyarados learned Dragon Rage here.

Arrived in Lavaridge, and wasn't feeling in the mood to grind. So I went right to the Gym. The trainers there were worth enough EXP to satisfy my grinding needs. Flannery wasn't as hard as I expected. Magnitude 7 and 8 took down her Numel and Slugma. I sent out Gyarados against Camerupt, where Dragon Rage was a fancy 2HKO due to the cheapness of always 40 damage. It got an Attract on me but I was not immobilized. Brought out Numel for her Torkoal, survived the Overheat and responded with a Magnitude 6. Her Torkoal had a White Herb so its Sp. Atk reduction was lost, and I knew Numel couldn't take another, so I switched to Gyarados for the KO with Dragon Rage. Flannery down. :)

The Team, and their moves, since I did a lot of TM teaching this run:
(note: I updated these movepools with a list of potential replacements so you can see my thoughts. These are in [brackets].)

...

---

Skates the Aron, level 26.
~Headbutt
~Rock Tomb [TM]
~Dig [TM] -- [Earthquake (via TM)]
~Metal Claw

J Fly the Grovyle, level 26.
~Absorb -- [Leaf Blade]
~Pursuit -- [Detect]
~Quick Attack -- [Slam]
~Rock Smash [HM]

SwdRvlnLht the Gyarados, level 26.
~Secret Power [TM]
~Bite -- [Dive / Waterfall] NOTE: I plan on teaching him Dive for the part of the plot where I need this move, and then deleting it and replacing with Waterfall.
~Torment [TM] -- [Surf]
~Dragon Rage

Suicoon the Dustox, level 26.
~Psybeam -- [Psychic (via TM)]
~Gust -- [Silver Wind / Toxic]
~Protect -- [Aerial Ace (via TM)]
~Moonlight -- [Giga Drain (via TM)]

Queen Zeal the Minun, level 26.
~Quick Attack -- [Return (via TM)]
~Encore
~Spark -- [Thunderbolt (via TM)]
~Thunder Wave

Poshul the Numel, level 26.
~Ember -- [Flamethrower]
~Magnitude -- [Earthquake]
~Strength [HM]
~Double Team [TM]

The Box:

...

---

Lolumad the Whismur, level 7.
FntasticFox the Zigzagoon, level 4.
Starky the Nuzleaf, level 23.
Swan Song the Koffing, level 16
Nofirth the Skitty, level 24
Lollygag the Spinda, level 16
Luccia the Spoink, level 20

The Graveyard:

...

---

Imune2Crit the Ralts, level 16. Struck down by a wild Focus Punch in Brawly's Gym. Will be missed dearly. RIP.

Sorry for the kind of brief detail here, I've got homework to do now.

The Updated Future Predictions Log, Because It's Better Than Homework!:

...

---

Norman: I'm sure I can dispose of his Linoone, Vigoroth, and Spinda rather easiy just by nuking them. They only go to a max level of 29, so they aren't too bad. Skates laughs at Normal-type moves, along with the Psychic and Dark moves that some of his team carry. Slaking is destroyed by Dustox and his Protect stalling.
Winona: Queen Zeal has lasted so far. Skates has Rock Tomb as a backup. Others can probably strike hard enough by that point.
Tate & Liza: Sceptile and Gyarados will probably serve the best here.
Juan: Queen Zeal and Sceptile will do well here.


Sidney: Will probably just end up using hard-hitting to muscle my way through.
Phoebe: The only one I'm unsure on; should I bring a Shiftry just for her?
Glacia: Numel/Cameupt. <3 Also Skates, I guess.
Drake: Skates has a nice Dragon resistance. Ice Beam on one of my pokemon will help tremndously.
Wallace: Trolled by Queen Zeal and J Fly.

Any suggestions? I hope you guys enjoy reading these as much as I enjoy writing them out! All insight is appreciated; thanks to those of you who have made suggestions already! I'm very proud of how well my first Scramble is going. I guess I've played pokemon too much in the past and I know all the good grinding spots. :P

EDIT: Updated the party's moves with likely future replacements.

EDIT: Made the post a lot better by adding lots of sprites because yay. Also corrected the spelling of Sidney's name.

EDIT: Added a bit more detail to the journey so far. Next update may be a little late tomorrow as I plan to include both Norman and Winona in one go. I'd like to hurry ths along a little; I feel like I'm grinding too much and am fairly confident in my ability to bypass both of those two without major issues.

[Flamestrike]

Originally Posted by Fat Carbon Lifeform

Sorry about the double post, but it seems no one wants to post after me. Next poster will open the 100th page! Awesome, guys!

I figure I may as well do this... with update #14 of Flamestrike's Nuzlocke challenge! After 23 pages!
Update #1
Update #2
Update #3
Update #4
Update #5
Update #6
Update #7
Update #8
Update #9
Update #10
Update #11
Update #12
Update #13

Brandon stood in front of the Indigo Plateau. He had hoped he would never have to put his Pokemon through some of the toughest fights in either Jotho or Kanto ever again, yet here he was. He needed answers and he wouldn’t allow anyone to stand in his way.

The last time he was here, he had beaten Lance, who had told him it was done. The challenge was over; no longer would his Pokemon die when they were defeated in battle, unlike al other Pokemon. Because of this he decided to relax, and when he was given a ticket on the S.S. Aqua to Vermillion City, he decided to take on the Kanto Gym Challenge. He had nothing to lose; his Pokemon could be revived now, after all.

Then Anthony fell in battle to Lt. Surge’s Electabuzz.

He didn’t even need to go ask the nurse at the Pokemon Center. He had seen enough of his Pokemon die to know what it looked like, and as soon as he saw his Mamoswine hit the ground, he knew he had lost yet another friend. He finished off Lt. Surge and immediately headed back to the Indigo Plateau, only to find the Elite 4 were no longer taking challengers in order to further train. So Brandon did the only thing he could do. He beat the rest of the Kanto Gyms, training his remaining Pokemon and adding a new one, Courtney the Starmie. He trained, and trained, and trained some more, his Pokemon every bit as willing to do whatever it took to end this nightmare as he was. And now, on the first day that the Elite 4 were willing to accept challengers, he was ready.

He entered the first room, Petula the Gengar following behind with about the most serious face she could make with her perpetual smile, and walked up to Will, the first member of the Elite 4. Will went to speak, but Brandon cut him off. “Why are my Pokemon still dying?” he shouted.
“Sorry bud, I don’t have your answers. Only Lance knows anything about your little challenge.”
“Fine then. Send out your Pokemon and let’s end this.”
“Heh, someone’s awfully confident. I remember your little Gengar, and I don’t intend on letting it destroy me so easily this time. Go, Bronzong!”

Will smirked as his bell-shaped Pokemon took to the field. Brandon had never seen a Bronzong before, since it came from the faraway Sinnoh region. He knew that it was steel and psychic type though, meaning that it wouldn’t take super effective damage from Shadow Ball. Brandon didn’t care though; he knew that Will was underestimating Petula’s strength. “Petula, Shadow Ball!” The Gengar was only too happy to oblige and quickly summoned a ball of dark energy and fired it at Bronzong. To Will’s surprise, the Shadow Ball hit Bronzong so hard it went flying into the wall behind him, and when the dust settled it was knocked out, leaving a bell-shaped dent in the wall and wiping the smirk off Will’s face. None of his other Pokemon fared any better, each falling to a single Shadow Ball just like in their first matchup. Brandon didn’t even bother staying to talk, moving right along to Koga’s room.

Koga fell quickly to Tyler and his powerful Psychic attacks, as did Bruno after him. Next came Karen, who smirked as Brandon entered the room, Houston following. “I take it you’re here to put your Pokemon at risk of dying yet again?” she sneered.
“I’m here to end this once and for all, and I intend on making sure that none of my friends die in the process.”
“You know Brandon, I don’t understand you. You could just as easily end this by going home and not battling, yet here you are fighting. Why? Why not just ignore the challenge?” Brandon was struck dumb by the question. She had a point, after all; he didn’t need to fight. Hell, it was his decision to go to Kanto and challenge the Gyms there. Had he not done that, Anthony would still be around. But then he realized what his reason was. He replied, “Could you stop battling Pokemon forever? As a Pokemon trainer, surely you know how fun it is to battle, for trainer and Pokemon alike. Stopping my battling would be like ending my life, and the life of my Pokemon. It’s not an option.” To his surprise, she smiled. “Good answer. It seems you have the right idea after all.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ll find out eventually. In the meantime, we have a battle to fight. Go Weavile!” Brandon had seen this Pokemon before, an evolution of a Jotho Pokemon though not usually found there. Before he could react, Karen called her attack. “Weavile, Ice Punch!” Houston had stepped forward and was hit square in the stomach by the smaller Pokemon’s icy fist, but was barely phased. Brandon retaliated. “Houston, Rock Slide!” The Machamp crushed Weavile under an avalanche of boulders, knocking it out with ease. “Weavile, return!” Karen called, then she laughed. “Heh, I forgot just how strong that Machamp of yours is. But I have something new just for it. Go, Honchkrow!”

Replacing Weavile was a dark-coloured bird, which Brandon recognized as the evolution to another Pokemon native to Jotho. He knew its powerful Flying type attacks would tear Houston apart, so he called Houston back and sent out Jill just as Karen called her own attack. “Honchkrow, Thunder Wave!” Instead of hitting its original target, however, it hit Jill, who was completely unaffected. “Jill, Stone Edge!” Brandon commanded. Karen responded, “Honchkrow, Sucker Punch!” The bird managed to hit Jill, but the massive Golem shook it off easily and tore through Honchkrow with a bunch of sharp rocks, scoring another knockout for Brandon. Karen returned Honchkrow and sent out her Absol. Brandon wasted no time. “Jill, Earthquake!” Jill jumped and caused a massive quake that knocked Absol out in one hit, causing Karen to frown in frustration. Brandon said nothing, keeping the same determined look on his face as Karen sent out her next Pokemon, Houndoom. Karen got Houndoom to use Nasty Plot in an attempt to get the power necessary to knock out Jill in one hit, but Brandon had Jill use Earthquake again, taking down Houndoom before it could actually pull off an attack. “Dammit!” she exclaimed, wondering how she could get past this Golem. “Fine then, if I can’t kill you outright I’ll have to wear you down slowly! Go, Spiritomb!”

Brandon went right to work. “Jill, Earthquake!” However, this time the quake wasn’t enough and Spiritomb remained in fighting shape. “Spiritomb, Confuse Ray!” Brandon saw the all-too-familiar ball of light fly into Jill’s head and knew he didn’t want to risk her hitting herself and letting Karen pull off her strategy. He called back Jill and sent out Matty as Karen called for a Pain Split. To Brandon’s horror, he watched as Spiritomb healed almost all the damage he had inflicted to it while also doing a decent chunk of damage to Matty. Not wanting to take a chance, Brandon decided to recover some of Matty’s lost health. “Matty, Roost!” The Togekiss obeyed, landing on the ground and recovering its lost health, looking about as good as it did when it first came in. Karen then called her attack. “Spiritomb, Curse!” Brandon had seen the move before, but it still gave him shivers. Spiritomb stabbed itself with a ghostly nail, clearly injuring itself in the process, but then an unseen force also hurt Matty, leaving it a fair bit weaker. Brandon decided to take advantage of Spiritomb weakening itself to take it out before it managed to heal itself with Pain Split again. “Matty, Air Slash!” Matty bent the air in front of Spiritomb, using it to slash right across the ghost Pokemon and knocking it out. Grimacing, Karen sent out her final Pokemon, Umbreon, while Matty once again took damage from the unseen force. Realizing that the Curse would eventually kill Matty, he switched him out for Houston while Karen called for Payback from Umbreon. Houston’s resistance allowed him to take the hit with ease, however, making Karen scowl. “Umbreon, Curse!” Brandon expected Houston to be hit with the same unseen force, but instead all that seemed to happen was that Umbreon got slightly stronger, but he noticed he also seemed slower. Brandon decided to take advantage. “Houston, hit it with a Dynamic Punch, then hit it with a second one right after!” The first connected and sent Umbreon flying, but Umbreon somehow managed to stay standing, recovering a slight bit of health with a Berry it had been holding. However, the Curse had made it too slow to launch a counterattack despite Karen’s command, and Houston finished it off with the second Dynamic Punch.

Karen recalled her last Pokemon, and Brandon went to walk into the Champion’s room, but to his surprise Karen stopped him. “Don’t ever forget why you fight. As strong as your Pokemon may be, your motivation will always be your strongest weapon, and it may soon be your only weapon.” Brandon wasn’t sure what she meant, but he thanked her anyway and she let him go. He advanced into the huge hall, seeing Lance ahead. He returned Houston and got Courtney out, who fell in obediently behind him, and prepared for the final battle.

Alive

---

Alive:
Matty the male Togekiss: Level 75, Quiet nature
-Roost
-Fire Blast
-Aura Sphere
-Air Slash
A leader both on and off the battlefield, Matty came in to take down Spiritomb for the team, and continues to keep everyone's spirits up. He probably won't see much action against Lance, but if he does I know that he'll do fine.

Jill the female Golem: Level 75, Rash nature
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
-Double-Edge
-Rock Climb
Jill proved her worth and put my fears that she would become useless late game to rest by playing a large role in defeating Karen, taking out half her team on its own and helping with Spiritomb as well. She also got in on the action against Koga, and will look to help out more in the future.

Tyler the male Alakazam: Level 76, Bashful nature
-Recover
-Focus Blast
-Psychic
-Shadow Ball
Not only has Tyler been very helpful through all the training, sharing his wisdom with the others, but he has proven invaluable against the Elite 4 as well, defeating Koga and Bruno almost singlehandedly.

Houston the male Machamp: Level 75, Relaxed nature
-Payback
-Rock Slide
-DynamicPunch
-Earthquake
A physical powerhouse, Houston pulled his weight against Karen, destroying Weavile then coming back later on to bring down Umbreon. With Rock Slide now for the extra coverage, he has definitely earned his place on the team.

Petula the female Gengar: Level 75, Rash nature
-Hypnosis
-Shadow Ball
-Thunderbolt
-Focus Blast
The troublemaker has focused her attention much more on getting stronger lately, and while she still likes to have fun it's clear in battle that she is now all business. Her dominance over Will only further shows just how valuable she is to this team.

Courtney the genderless Starmie: Level 75, Docile nature
-Thunderbolt
-Ice Beam
-Hydro Pump
-Surf
Despite being a new member to the team, Courtney has quickly pledged her assistance to the team. A hard worker both in and out of battle, Courtney has become an inspiration of sorts for the rest of the team, and while she didn't see any action against the Elite 4, she will definitely prove her worth in the final battles.

Boxed

---

Boxed:
Catherine the female Caterpie: Level 4, Lax nature
Laura the female Spearow: Level 3, Sassy nature
Kaila the female Drowzee: Level 10, Modest nature
Zach the male Nidoran: Level 12, Lax nature
Justin the male Kakuna: Level 13, Careful nature
Eric the male Sudowoodo: Level 20, Lax nature
Dylan the male Mankey: Level 15, Docile nature
Natasha the female Flaffy: Level 16, Mild nature
Jenn the female Rattata: Level 15, Bashful nature
Jillian the genderless Magnemite: Level 16, Jolly nature
Kayla the female Gyarados: Level 21, Jolly nature
Luke the male Tentacool: Level 20, Modest nature
Bill the male Weepinbell: Level 22, Modest nature
Colleen the female Gligar: Level 24, Calm nature
David the male Snorlax: Level 50, Modest nature
John the male Diglett: Level 17, Rash nature
Chris the male Onix: Level 34, Sassy nature
Nikita the female Krabby: Level 25, Impish nature
Austin the genderless Ho-oh: Level 45, Timid nature
Adam the male Tauros: Level 20, Hardy nature
Michelle the female Doduo: Level 4, Calm nature
Rebecca the female Tangela: Level 30, Serious nature
Daniel the male Quagsire: Level 45, Timid nature
Nathan the male Donphan: Level 40, Serious nature
Phillipe the male Ponyta: Level 32, Calm nature

Dead

---

Dead:
Corey the male Cyndaquil: Level 13, Mild nature
-Quick Attack
-Leer
-Smokescreen
-Ember
Though shy, Corey was brave and always willing to stand up for his friends. He was my first Pokemon and I had hoped to have him along for the entire challenge. Unfortunately, Falkner ended those hopes with a critical hit Tackle from Pidgeotto that took me by surprise and ended my starter's life. RIP

Nick the male Rattata: Level 12, Mild nature
-Rock Smash
-Tail Whip
-Quick Attack
-Bite
Nick was the troublemaker of the group, but he was always ready to fight for his friends and was really close to Corey. After Corey's death I figured Nick was my best bet to finish off Falkner's Pidgeotto, but Roost gave it just enough time to kill Nick. RIP

Andrew the male Zubat: Level 20, Careful nature
-Wing Attack
-Supersonic
-Astonish
-Bite
Andrew was the oddball of the group, and sometimes got on everyone's nerves, especially Melinda, who disliked him. However, the rest of the team liked him, and he became close friends with Jill. Sadly, he was a victim of my overconfidence, and was beaten by a Kadabra's Confusion before he had the chance to do anything. RIP

Melinda the female Weepinbell: Level 21, Lax nature
-Vine Whip
-Sleep Powder
-Cut
-Poison Powder
After the deaths of Corey and Nick, Melinda quickly became a key member of my team. While a great friend, she was rather uptight, and as a result she didn't get along with Andrew. However, after Andrew's death she was wracked with guilt, and determined to be friendly to any and every new member that joined. Unfortunately, she didn't live long enough to see a new member, as a Bite crit, Sleep Powder miss, and Ice Fang all combined to bring her down. RIP.

Sara the female Pidgeotto: Level 22, Relaxed nature
-Whirlwind
-Twister
-Gust
-Quick Attack
My team leader after Corey's early death, Sara was easy to anger but a great friend nonetheless. She bonded well with everyone on the team, and was saddened by every loss. However, not long after Melinda's death, she fought a Charmeleon and after missing multiple Quick Attacks due to Smokescreen a Dragon Rage killed her. RIP.

Kyle the male Chinchou: Level 48, Hasty nature
-Surf
-Blizzard
-Discharge
-Signal Beam
Kyle was a key member of the group from day 1; his combination of types plus the ability to learn Blizzard made him invaluable. The team also loved him and his carefree, friendly attitude. He certainly didn't deserve the death he got; I got greedy and was using Signal Beam to kill a Donphan when I should have played it safe and killed it with Surf, and Kyle was killed by a lucky Magnitude 10. RIP.

Anthony the male Mamoswine: Level 50, Jolly nature
-Ice Fang
-Ice Shard
-Endure
-Earthquake
When he first joined the team, he was an extremely shy Swinub, ashamed of his pitiful battle skills. Two quick evolutions later, and he was suddenly a powerful Mamoswine, clearly a major powerhouse of team. He was extremely arrogant because of this, but Kyle's death humbled him and he started to become more cooperative. He shared in the glory of the Elite 4 victory, but was killed in the battle with Lt. Surge by Electabuzz's Low Kick. RIP.

A few things to note:

-tl;dr version: Gengar sweeps Will, Alakazam sweeps Koga and Bruno, Machamp, Golem and Togekiss all team up to take down Karen. Don't worry, Starmie will get its chance against Lance as hinted to in the story.

-Technically Alakazam didn't sweep Koga; I lead with Golem because of Skuntank, taking a Cross Chop from Toxicroak in the process, until Venomoth came out at which point I decided that I didn't want to take a Psychic at my level of health and went to Alakazam to finish the job. Just felt it would be simpler (and less long) to do it this way.

-I have already beaten Lance, but this update is already more than long enough (if not too long), so I'll just put it with Red in the final update. As you can probably guess, I had very little trouble with Lance thanks to Starmie.

-I also updated the Alive and Boxed, if anyone cares.

Comments and criticisms are appreciated, I plan on continuing this story into Sinnoh when I do Diamond so anything to help me improve the writing would be nice.

[Texas Cloverleaf]

I have continued on in my Emerald Nuzlocke. When we last lwft off Spore and Monty were about to take on Roxanne. Well that went down easoly as Spore spammed Leech Seed and Absorb for the KO`s. A bit of girinding and Monty evolved into Marshtomp. May was a bit of a hassle as I realized I cant touch Grass types but Stun Spore allowed Monty to get in on a Quick Attack and 2HKO the half health Treecko. Moving on to Dewford Granite Cave was cleared with the addition of Balboa the Naive Aron to the team. Brawly and his trainers went down without too much of an issue. Monty went out and tanked Karate Chops and Focus Punches while I spammed X Attacks and Defenses and Makuhita was able to be 2HKOed through the Sitrus Berry. The trainers after were used to train the team a bit although the prevalence of Water and Grass types as well as the Set battle option meant that training of Balboa was not extensive. I am currently about to face May with about 4 trainers to grind on. Wattson is likely to fall easily with Balboa and Monty able to wall him almost completely.

Team
Balboa the Aron lv 14, Naive, Rock Head
Metal Claw, Rock Tomb, Mud Slap, Headbutt

Spore the Shroomish lv 21, Brave
Mega Drain, Tackle, StuN Spore, Leech Seed

Monty the Marshtomp lv 21, Adamant
Mud Shot, Tackle, Water Gun, Bide

[Team Magma Boss Maxie]

sweet stories cant wait for the next ones

[Ducklett Stare]

This update was the first of your stories I've read, Firestorm - I usually see the wall of text and just go O_o. I've been missing out though, your Elite 4 fights made for a fun read, I'll probably go back and check out the others now.

Also, woot for 100 pages of Nuzlocke!

[Flamestrike]

Originally Posted by Fat Ducklett Stare

This update was the first of your stories I've read, Firestorm - I usually see the wall of text and just go O_o. I've been missing out though, your Elite 4 fights made for a fun read, I'll probably go back and check out the others now.

Also, woot for 100 pages of Nuzlocke!

Haha, I assume you meant me and not Firestorm since I'm pretty sure he's never actually posted in this thread :P
Yeah, that's the main reason I stopped doing them after I did two or three midway through the challenge. People didn't seem to be reading them and I figured it was because they were too long/wall-of-text-y. So I went back to the less descriptive and not so wally style, but I've been wanting to go back to the story. That being said, when I get to Diamond updates will be much shorter; main problem with this one was that I didn't want to split it up into two posts when I was already ready to go with both. In Diamond it'll be one major battle per update, if even.

[Texas Cloverleaf]

No, no, we like long updates. I love reading about other peoples challenges I just dont like wasting a pc to say so. Like Magma leader said, Keep `em coming.

In other news I faced May yesterday after posing and despite some rediculous hax (no full para for 25 turns?!?) Spore eventually took down Grovyle with the 6HKO Headbutt.

[Ducklett Stare]

Originally Posted by Fat Flamestrike

Haha, I assume you meant me and not Firestorm since I'm pretty sure he's never actually posted in this thread :P
Yeah, that's the main reason I stopped doing them after I did two or three midway through the challenge. People didn't seem to be reading them and I figured it was because they were too long/wall-of-text-y. So I went back to the less descriptive and not so wally style, but I've been wanting to go back to the story. That being said, when I get to Diamond updates will me much shorter; main problem with this one was that I didn't want to split it up into two posts when I was already ready to go with both. In Diamond it'll be one major battle per update, if even.

Derp, I'm a moron, sorry ><. Flamestrike, Firestorm, they're kinda similar and easy to mix up xP

When I say 'wall of text', I'm being kind of dramatic; your paragraphs are well spaced and everything and it's all easy on the eyes, I was referring to length (which, again, there's nothing wrong with). Regardless, if you keep writing I'll keep reading from here on. People just need to not be intimidated by the prose and dive in, haha.