Alright, before I start grinding I need to catch a new teammate from route 104! Let’s see what fate gives me...
*a lv 4 female Wurmple appears*
Dangit, I was really hoping for a Wingull... Well this will have to do.
*several Astonishes and one Pokeball later*
Welcome to the team Katie. Why Katie? Because... caterpillar, katerpillar... dang it, it works alright? Shaddup D:
Hmmm it has a Relaxed nature... with a defensive nature like that, I kind of hope she becomes a Dustox instead of a Beautifly.
Anyway, it is TIME TO GRIND!
*insert favourite montage music here*
*a few battles later*
Well Jack now has Ember! Finally it can make use of its typing.
*a few more battles later*
Dash learned Tail Whip! How incredibly useful! *sarcasm*
*a few more after that*
And now Lily knows Absorb! That’ll make training her a bit easier, though it’s still a weak attack...
*and after even more battles!*
Katie learned Poison Sting now. That’ll be of some use now, but even more so once she evolves and she can stall people out with poison and Harden.
*A little while later*
Dash learned Headbutt! FUCK YEAH! Even though his Attack is pretty much crap, Headbutt is an insanely high BP move at this point in the game. Seriously, he gets it at level freaking NINE. A BP 70, STAB move. With a flinch chance. On a very fast Pokemon. Tell me that’s not awesome?
*GASP! Even more battles later!*
Wooo Katie evolved into Cascoon! Just as I’d hoped! She’s going to be a defensive beast once she evolves, at least for the next few gyms anyway.
*Later still*
Penny learned Howl! Well, it’s something at least... not much use now with all the Growls flying about and her overall low power, but later on it could prove useful.
*And finally*
Penny learned Sand-Attack, which could be quite useful indeed... Or might see no use at all seeing as she can’t really risk taking a hit.
Alright, everyone is at lv 9 or higher now, which should be enough for the upcoming areas. Katie is going to take point for a while since I want her to evolve into Dustox ASAP. Onwards, through Route 104 and Petalburg woods!
First though I’m stocking up on some supplies. I was fortunate enough to have Dash collect two Nuggets while I was training, so I can buy a lot more stuff than I usually could at this point. I usually don’t use the X items, but in a Nuzlocke I think they might prove useful so I’m picking a few up.
There are just a few trainers on Route 104, so this shouldn’t take long.
*Against a Seedot with Katie*
Lol these things are so funny when they’re using Bide. I can just use Harden and String Shot to stall them out and then their Bide does nothing! Foolish fools!
*Against Rich Boy Winston*
Man this battle is just turning into a war of Hardens and Tail Whips... and had to use a Potion. I swear, Poison sting has a 10% poison rate not 30% >.>.
*way too many turns later*
Finally I poison it and get it in the red! One more tur-
*Winston uses a FULL RESTORE*
A Full Restore!?!?!? BEFORE THE FIRST GYM EVEN!?!??! I know they’re supposed to be rich but that’s just CHEATING! .... goddamit.
*after being forced to use another Potion, it finally faints*
Wow that was lame... but it was worth it because...!
*Katie is evolving! Congratulations, your Katie evolved into DUSTOX!*
VICTORY!
*learns Confusion over String Shot*
:3
Anyway, it is time to enter Petalburg Woods and capture a 6th member for my team! Let’s see what I come across here...
*Zigzagoon*
Well, add one to the repeat Pokemon tally... NEXT
*Female lv 5 Slakoth*
....Of course. The rarest and yet most useless Pokemon in the woods... *sigh* Well once it evolves it could be useful. Welcome to the team Jane, but I don’t know if you’ll be staying for long... Well I ought to get you caught up with the others anyway, since after you become a Vigoroth you’ll be quite useful...
*While grinding with Jane*
Why does Yawn only ever seem to put to them to sleep for one turn -.- useless piece of...
*A little later*
Jane learned Encore! Well that could be handy for dealing with Traunt... at least they equipped this dang thing with moves that help alleviate its lame-ass (dis)ability.
*Later still*
Alright, I got Jane up to level 10 and she’s not as bad as I feared. She has pretty good Defense and Attack, so as annoying as Traunt is at least she can take the hits that come from dealing with it. Still, I don’t think I’ll be using her much in trainer fights until she evolves in 8 levels.
Alright, time to actually go all the way through Petalburg Woods this time. This shouldn’t be too challenging.
Bug Trainer: “I had all these Pokemon but I couldn’t win...”
Yeah, when they’re all lv 3 Wurmple you might have an issue winning. *sigh* Seriously, who stocks up on 6 lv 3 Wurmple?
Oh noes, some Shroomish loving freak is being attacked by a Team Aqua grunt! I’ll just quietly slip away... wait I have to save him? Aw cmon =(
*Dash 2HKOs his Poochyena with Headbutt*
Lolololol weaksauce. Well I get a Great Ball (that would be a lot more useful if I hadn’t already gotten 3 Ultra Balls thanks to Pickup) and he dashes off. What a waste of time! :D
Alright, so there are a few bushes I can’t cut yet here, but beyond that I’m done in here. Now I get to see the other side of Route 104. If I remember correctly there’s a female copy of that Rich Boy up here... what’s the bet she has a Full Restore too -.-
Oooo I got TM09 Bullet Seed! It’s not nearly as powerful as it is in Gen V, but it is better than Absorb... I guess I’ll teach it to Lily, but for now I’m keeping Absorb alongside it for healing.
Ah yes, Lady Cindy, the other rich kid up here. She has the same Zigzagoon and probably same strategy. I hope I can just flat out KO the damn thing before she gets a chance to use her Full Restore...
*manages to do so*
Alright then, hopefully the rest of my battles here will be just as easy.
Man, giving Lily Bullet Seed has already proven useful. It’s a pretty useful attack at this stage of the game. With this I probably won’t even have to use Jack against Roxanne after all, meaning I don’t have to grind until he evolves and gets Double Kick.
Ah and now it’s time for my first Double Battle! This should be fun.
A Lotad and Seedot? Wow, I happened to pick just the right Pokemon to lead with... Jack and Katie are perfect to take on these two!
*Battle is easily won*
Gina (one of the twins): “Big guy is strong! We have to train lots more!”
Me Jimera! Me use Hulk speak! Me like you! Uhg uhg!
Anyway, after murdering one of the infamous Magikarp trainers (they do not be deserved to be called Fishermen), I just collected some berries and moseyed on into Rustboro City! This place will be fun to look around! (not)
Wow these little kids seem to be blown away by the concept of evolution... which is kind of weird since evolution isn’t exactly unusual in the Pokemon world =/. Pretty damn sheltered, aren’t you, you brats.
Old guy: “For my own Pokemon, I give them perfectly suited nicknames! It’s my expression of, uh... originality, yes, that’s it!”
*His Pikachu’s name? Pekachu.*
BAHAHAHAHAHA ok I’m not going to say my nicknames are terrible anymore. I have been outdone.
Ah, this guy gave me HM 01 Cut because he says my Pokemon look great. I’m not sure how he decided that, considering all my Pokemon are in their Pokeballs, but I’ll just take his word for it. Maybe he’s one of Superman’s relatives with X-Ray vision or something. Anyway, Dash is going to get it, since he’ll be sticking around as an HM slave anyway... and at least he gets STAB from it.
Teacher: “Students who don’t study get a little taste of my Quick Claw!”
O.O I’m pretty sure corporal punishment isn’t allowed anymore... errr can I see that? Yeah, well you’re not getting it back now psycho. I’m reporting you to the cops.
Hmmm this kid wants to trade his Makuhita for my Slakoth... that’s actually not a half bad idea. However, I think I’ll wait until I get to Granite Cave and make sure I don’t get one there naturally anyway. If not, it could be a very useful trade.
And that’s everything around here for now, so let’s see what’s in the surrounding area hmm?
Alright, let’s see what Pokemon I can find on Route 116...
Oooo a lv 6 Male Nincada! Two Pokemon for the price of one! Of course, Shedinja will die the second I forget what moves an opponent has, but it’s something right?
*Catches it*
Welcome to the team Kage! I’ll take you out in place of Jane for now, since she’s pretty much useless until she evolves... and even then I’m probably better off trading her for that Makuhitta.
Hmm, Kage has a Serious nature. No loss, no gain I suppose.
Anyway, time to look around the rest of Route 116 and take out the trainers here, getting Kage up a bit in the process.
Alright, I’ve done everything I can before I fight Roxanne, except catch a Wishmur in Rusturf Tunnel. I probably won’t be using it though, seeing as I already have Dash as a solid Normal type.
*I catch me a lv 7 male Wishmur.*
Hello Megaphone, and goodbye Megaphone. Won’t be seeing you again.
Alright, it’s the favourite part of everyone’s play-through now! Yup, it’s grinding time! I got to get my Pokemon up a few levels for Roxanne, so I got some work to do. Also, Kage is still only level 7. That needs to change.
*After a bit of grinding*
Good lord, right now Kage is almost as bad as Jane was. Pathetic attack and low HP mean that it can’t dish out or take hits well. It has great defense, but that tiny HP really lets it down... *sigh* it’ll be worth it when it evolves... it’ll be worth it when it evolves...
*Kage learned Sand Attack!*
Well that’s something... will make using him a bit easier.
*a bit later*
Penny is pretty damn useless too, thanks to not having any STAB and her terrible defense. Once she learns Bite it’ll be much better though, even if it does come off her lower special attack.
*a while later*
Holy crap, when she levelled up to lv 12 Penny got THREE points in attack. At level TWELVE. That Lonely nature is really showing up... worst Defense on the team, but definitely the highest Attack. Of course she can’t really take advantage of it...
*later still*
Finally, Penny has learned Bite! Now she might actually be of some sort of tiny use. Or not. Time will tell...
*later still*
Alright, Katie learned Gust! She might not be a powerhouse offensively, but an extra attack type added to my repertoire can’t hurt.
*and yes, later still!*
Alright, Lily gets Nature Power over Growl. While it’s usually just Stun Powder, it does have its uses. At least more so than Growl does.
*Even later still!*
Alright, Dash learned Sand-Attack over Tail Whip. Sand-Attack is nice to have early game...
*And even LATER still! (yes, this grinding is taking a long time. Sapphire is bad for that)*
Hot DAMN is Bite ever so much more useful than Tackle. Low Sp. Attack be damned, it’s still doing twice as much damage as Tackle. Hell, it flat out OHKOs some of these wild Pokemon, something only Jack and Lily can match (and Lily only when she gets 4 or more hits in with Bullet Seed).
*MOAR LATAR*
Man, Kage requires a TON of EXP to level up... Nincada must be in that group that only takes 600k exp to get to level 100 but requires a ridiculous amount of exp prior to level 50 compared to the other groups.
*....*
Alright, I’m not giving Fury Swipes to Kage since it’s unreliable as hell. SCRATCH is even better than it... at least it’s consistent. I can’t wait until he evolves and actually becomes useful...
*Congratulations! Your Lily evolved into Lombre!*
But she’s not cute anymore... I mean... YAY! *shifty eyes* none of you saw that.
*and finally*
Alright! Everyone is at level 14 now, which should be good enough for taking on Roxanne.
First though, her lackeys need to fall. That should be no trouble though. Then Lily is going to wipe the floor with Roxanne. I very much doubt I’ll have much difficulty with her.
Heh, one of the Youngsters in here intended to show me how Gym trainers were better.
It’s safe to say he failed in that endeavour.
Penny’s Bite tore through the Geodude of both the Youngsters in this gym (seriously ALL THEY HAD WERE GEODUDE). Now Lily just has to go in and absolutely wreck Roxanne.
Well Roxanne is a pretty damn polite Gymleader. I think she’s the first one I’ve fought in around 2 months that didn’t say something along the lines of “YOU’LL NEVER BEAT ME WAHAHAHAHA!!”
Alright, Lily vs her Geodude. Guess how this is going to go.
*Geodude is filled full of seed shaped holes*
Nosepass is next. I think more dakka is in order, don’t you?
*PEW PEW PEW*
Well that did a little over half, but it critted with Rock Tomb bringing Lily to half HP. Just for safety’s sake, I’m going to use Absorb this time.
*Roxanne used a Poition, Absorb only does 10 damage...*
Well that didn’t help much. Ah well, MORE DAKKA!
*it hangs on with literally 1 or 2 hp, strikes back with another Rock Tomb*
OH CMON! Now I’m in the yellow and maybe even slower than it... goddamit. MORE DAKKA!
*Roxanne uses another potion, but it is not enough!*
YES! It’s about time! Well it didn’t go quite as smoothly as I had hoped but the battle is won with no casualties! So long, and thanks for the fi- er, Stone Badge. And TM 39 Rock Tomb. Much appreciated.
And so ends another thrilling chapter of my challenge! Weren’t you just enthralled by the intense danger of fighting dozens of Zigzagoon and Whismur? I know I was! Anyway, until next time, AUDIOS!
Wait, as soon as I stepped outside of the gym there was a commotion as that Aqua Grunt struck again! God this Devon employee is pathetic. Anyway, looks like I’ll have to jump to the rescue next episode. But really, AUDIOS!
END OF CHAPTER SUMMARY:
Badges: 1
Location: Rustboro City
Captured Pokemon: 8
Casualties: None (at this point, it would be embarrassing to have any)
Current Party and Comments:
Jack the Torchic
Level: 14 - Nature: Sassy - Ability: Blaze
Item: None
Moves:
Scratch
Growl
Focus Energy
Ember
Not much to say here, except that Jack has maintained his usefulness, thanks to the power of his Ember attack and his decent bulk (compared to the rest of my team that is). I can’t wait for him to evolve though.
Penny the Poochyena
Level: 15 - Nature: Lonely - Ability: Run Away
Item: None
Moves:
Tackle
Sand-Attack
Bite
Man, did learning Bite ever change the field for Penny. Before she was totally useless, thanks to having a ridiculously low Defense stat and not being able to take advantage of her high Attack with a weak, non-STAB Tackle. Once she got Bite though, she saw an insane jump in power, comparable to going up an evolutionary stage. Even if the attack comes off her unimpressive special attack, it still hits harder than almost anything else I have at the moment. If only it were physical this generation...
Dash the Zigzagoon
Level: 14 – Nature: Hasty – Ability: Pickup
Item: None
Moves:
Tackle
Headbutt
Cut
Sand-Attack
Headbutt has turned Dash into a beast of an attacker. Despite having the lowest Attack stat on my team (seriously) the high base power and STAB bonus of Headbutt means he’s still one of my heaviest hitters. Add that to the fact that I have yet to encounter anything that can out speed him without priority and that Headbutt has a flinch chance, and you have one potent fighter. Just don’t ask him to take a hit. Oh, and Pickup is pretty damn nice too.
Lily the Lotad
Level: 15 – Nature: Modest – Ability: Swift Swim
Item: Quick Claw
Moves:
Astonish
Bullet Seed
Absorb
Nature Power
Likely my MVP at the moment, Lily is a beast. STAB Bullet Seed is actually quite powerful at this stage in the game, and the ability to recover decent amounts of health with Absorb and paralyze with Nature Power (usually, since most battles occur in tall grass) is very useful. Hell, she was beasting it up even before she evolved. Now that she’s evolved, there isn’t much that can stop her at this point in time. However, I expect her usefulness to see a sharp drop over the next few chapters as the rest of the team catches up to her.
Kage the Nincada
Level: 14 – Nature: Serious – Ability: Compoundeyes
Item: None
Moves:
Scratch
Leech Life
Harden
Sand-Attack
Right now my LVP in terms of in-party Pokemon, but that’s subject to change. At first even with his sky-high defense, his low HP meant he couldn’t take any hits, but after he levelled up a bit it stopped being an issue. Leech Life is also useful for extending his life, though the low damage means low healing, lowering its overall usefulness. The real issue is that he can’t dish out any damage between weak attacks and a low attack stat. What I really can’t wait for though is for it to evolve; I’ve never tried using Ninjask or Shedinja before, and I am very excited to try them both out. Sure they might turn out useless anyway, but it’s a new experience and that’s exciting for me.
Katie the Dustox
Level: 14 – Nature: Relaxed – Ability: Shield Dust
Item: none
Moves:
Gust
Confusion
Poison Sting
Harden
Katie was a solid member of the team ever since capture, but since all she fought as a Wurmple were low level wild Pokemon, that’s not necessarily saying much. That set aside though, she has performed just as well as I expected her to. At this point in the game Dustox is a defensive beast, even more so after getting in a Harden. Poison stall is a strategy I’ve used with Dustox plenty of times in the past and I’ll likely use it again. However, as with all early game bugs, her usefulness WILL drop off fairly rapidly. Seeing as she doesn’t even get any decent bug type attacks until she’s really high level, expect to see her retired before the third gym. I’ve always liked Dustox, but really there’s only so much you can do with a Pokemon that has a BST of 385 and no unique qualities. Of course though, she will almost certainly see action against Brawly, so it’s not like she’s getting shoved off to the side for no good reason!
Boxed Pokemon:
Jane the lv 10 Slakoth:
Likely to not be used, but not likely to be traded off either since with Jack I don’t really need Makuhitta
Megaphone the Whismur: Not likely to be used, since I already have Dash. Could be useful in a pinch thanks to large a special move pool and great mixed stats once evolved.