Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Part 7.2

Not THAT handily. Like I said, Giovanni’s Kangaskhan can actually be kinda tough.

Last time in the Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Challenge, I found out that the Silph Scope, required to identify the ghosts of Pokémon Tower, had been stolen by Team Rocket. As such, I stormed their hidden base underneath the Rocket Game Corner and defeated their boss, Giovanni, thus reclaiming the Silph Scope. This time, I headed back to Lavender Town to enter the Pokémon Tower, find Mr. Fuji, and uncover the truth of what was happening. However, almost as soon as I made my way to the second floor of the tower…

…Tim? There are days I worry that I enjoy beating the shit outta you and your team a little TOO much. Cue theme song!

Needless to say, Mikey has gotten a wee bit tougher now that he’s become fully evolved.

DEATH FROM ABOVE PART 3!!!

I’m warning you, Tim. I’ve got Ethers, and I’m not afraid to use ’em!

Anyway, after that all-too-casual-by-now ass-kicking, I made my way to the upper floors…and maybe I was a little crazy, but it seemed like something wasn’t quite right…

I know, I’m taking a big leap here, but it just seemed like things weren’t quite ordinary.

Sure enough, after defeating a couple of the Channelers…

…Great. Demonic possession. Rated E for Everyone!

So yeah, the Ghost-type Pokémon in the tower have been possessing the Channelers to battle anyone who tries to ascend to the top. So, after capturing one for myself…

Yeah, I know it was the most obvious thing to call him, leave me alone. lol

…I began battling my way through the Channelers, releasing them from the control of their Ghost-types upon defeat.

Okay, you’re either possessed, or you’re vampires. I don’t care which one, just make up your mind.

Luckily, Edge and Milo are both Normal-type Pokémon with Dark-type moves, so they’re immune to anything the Gastly can use on them but can dish out super effective damage in return.

… …Uhhhhh…

Nnnnnoooope! Nope! Nope! No, no, no, no, NO, NO, NOOO! NNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE! XD

Just to keep his Special Attack stat high enough to deal with stuff like this.

Oh good, a friendly one!… … …Wait, if this area is purified, why not corral all the other Channelers into this spot and let the energies undo the possession?

Anyway, it didn’t take long for me to defeat all the Channelers and free them from their Ghost-type Pokémon. However, just as I reached the staircase leading to the top, where I guessed Mr. Fuji was, I ran into a whole new problem…

… …Aaaaannnnd scared.

OH CRAP, IT’S MISSINGNO. IN ITS GHOST FORM!!! SOMEONE CALL LORD VYCE AND TELL HIM THE ENTITY IS HERE!!! XD

Who’s that Pokémon?!

It’s…Marowak!

…So yeah. Long story short, Cubone’s mother returned from the dead as a spirit of vengeance. In fact, if I may speculate, I’d go so far as to guess that the other Ghost-type Pokémon weren’t really trying to cause trouble as much as get people’s attention. Especially because, as it turned out, Team Rocket was hiding out on the top floor. They’d kidnapped Mr. Fuji when he tried to deal with them himself. After calming Marowak’s soul…

…rather violently, actually…

…I made my way up the stairs to deal with Team Rocket personally.

…THIS.

IS.

FOR.

MAROWAK!!!

One rather violent beat-down set to Through The Fire And Flames later…

You’re lucky I don’t believe in eye for an eye.

Good. After all that, at least she’s at peace now…

…Oh. Well, yeah, I’ll gladly take this, too. I mean, if you really WANT to reward me. lol

Feeling a lot better, I decided it was finally time to wake up the Snorlax south from Lavender Town. However, I knew that, when Snorlax wake up unplanned, that they can attack whatever wakes them in a pretty massive rage. Also, in battle, it could use Rest to recover all damage it’d taken. As such, I came up with a plan: I’d have Poe, immune to all of Snorlax’s attacks and now having learned Hidden Power, hit Snorlax with it to have it lose some health and force it to use Rest, at which point, Poe would then use Spite to reduce Rest’s PP. After Rest was completely depleted, it would then just be a matter of weakening Snorlax enough to get in a Great Ball. That would fall to Martini, who would use Thunder Wave to paralyze Snorlax and leave it vulnerable. But first, I’d have to do some grinding with him, possibly even enough to evolve him into a Dragonair.

Overall, the plan seemed pretty close to perfect… … …so I guess I only have myself to blame for just how badly it went wrong. I was on Route 16, trying to get Martini experience, when we ran into a Doduo. It was one level beneath Martini, so…against my better judgment, I sent him to fight the Doduo, thinking he could handle it alone. One lucky Fury Attack later, and Martini was already low on HP, so my first impulse was to recall him and send out Oswald. Except, in a panic, I’d forgotten that, in FireRed, Doduo learn Pursuit at Level 9, and…

…

…My first loss. First soldier down. And one who would’ve been a HUGE help in the game but I’d barely gotten a chance to get to know, all because I made an error in judgment. N. Harmonik was actually quick to point out that I’d done pretty well for myself to last this long without suffering a loss. Probably to make me feel better, which I appreciate. And yet, all I could think of was “Martini was dead, and it was my fault”. And, after returning to the Pokémon Center, I must’ve gone at least a half hour without doing anything in the game. Finally, I knew the pain of losing a Pokémon. I’m not an idiot, really. I know it’s just a game. And yet, that fact didn’t seem to make me feel much better. I’m pretty sentimental, so losing a Pokémon hit me pretty hard. But, after a while of looking at Martini’s grave…

Yeah, I decided to go with making a box of my PC a cemetery (which I spelled wrong, lol) for dead Pokémon instead of releasing them right away.

…I eventually came to a decision: Never again. I wouldn’t make such mistakes so easily again. I would familiarize myself with the movesets of every Pokémon I encountered from now on and make sure to know my team inside and out, their strengths and limitations. And so, with a heavy heart, I left the Center and made my way to face Snorlax, never forgetting who was left behind.

Met in Celadon City
Level 18 – 19
Even in death, he was merely shaken, but never stirred.

… … …Anyway, I got to Route 12, and used the Poké Flute to wake up Snorlax. As expected, he was PISSED, but fortunately, the plan to force him to use up all his PP for Rest worked. Mikey took care of the rest, and when all was said and done…

Now I just need a bumbling sidekick to follow him around. I’m thinking a Duskull. XD

So yeah, with Pokémon Tower dealt with and Snorlax awoken and caught, I decided to call it a night. Next time, though, I’m probably gonna be doing some traversing around the locations in Kanto I’ve already been to, largely due to another new item I’ll have obtained. Ja né!

Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Part 7.1 (SPECIAL GAMBLING EDITION!)

Tenacity is a must in a Nuzlocke.

Last time in the Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Challenge, I learned about everything going on in the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town, but to advance up through it, I’d need the Silph Scope prototype in Celadon City. And hey, it wasn’t like there was anywhere else to go or anything else to do, since sleeping Snorlax were blocking not one but two routes, and Saffron City was still under lock-down. Anyway, while looking for the scope, I detoured to the Gym and won the Rainbow Badge. This time, with my team prepared (and cue obligatory shot of my team because I forgot to include one at the end of last time)…

Ta-da. lol

…I decided to check around town and see if I could find any leads on the Silph Scope. Finally, I managed to find a scientist who worked for Silph Co. who claimed that the scope had been stolen by a thief. Given that Team Rocket grunts were pretty much everywhere in this part of town, it didn’t exactly take a genius to figure out what happened. Also, since the small casino in Celadon was named the Rocket Game Corner, it was pretty obvious that this was their hideout. But how to get in without arousing suspicion?

Y’know, I really look at this as win/win. He gets past his gambling problem, and I get a way into the casino. What could go wrong?

…Huh. Well then, it seems the only way to win-I mean, FREE these poor Pokémon is to obtain the necessary coins required to purchase them.

Yeah, note to self: Never go to Vegas. I have no patience when it comes to lining up the slots, preferring to just hit them rapid fire and hope for the best. The results are more often than not piss-off screens like this. 😛

Okay, confession time: In the end, I ultimately decided to just buy enough coins to trade them in for a Dratini.

Anyway, after I’d finished gambling for a bit (leave me alone, I’m 30 years old and will gamble all I fuckin’ well like, lol)…

I love how it doesn’t even give you the option. It just KNOWS you want to push it at this point. And honestly, have you ever found an important looking button or switch in a game and said “No, I do not want to push it”? lol

THE NERVE!

Yeah, spoilers for later in this article, but I thought I’d get one last Mega Punch in here, because I replace it later. Sorry.

Well, that confirms that.

Not gonna lie, MIGHT’VE been overkill. 😛

“Or else” what? You’ll continue doing a shitty-ass job in my general direction?

Who’s eating dreams now, bitch? XD

…Judge Judy, you wanna field this one?

Oh, and as I was beating the crap outta Rocket Grunts, guess what happened? 😀

The quite literal tank of my team has arrived. ^_^

Yes, I think it’s reasonable to suggest that I have a problem with a mafia-esque group who steal Pokémon, have knowingly committed grand theft, and have murdered innocent Pokémon on at LEAST one occasion that I know of.

Funny story: The guards’ strongest Pokémon were a Sandslash and an Arbok. I defeated both with draining attacks: Giga Drain and Dream Eater.

So, YOU’RE the head honcho. Been waiting a while to have a face-to-face meeting with you.

Again, I won’t lie to y’all. Giovanni’s Kangaskhan? One tough momma. I like to think that if these games get remade again to include Mega Evolutions, Giovanni’s Kangaskhan will be able to do so.

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that thus far in this playthrough alone…lol

YOINK! 😛

…Anyway, with all that taken care of, I decided both I and my Pokémon could use a break before heading back to Pokémon Tower. So, with that said, come back in a bit to find out how that went, as well as my attempts to awaken Snorlax… … …and the unfortunate events that occurred as a result. Ja né!

Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Part 6

The team at the beginning of this part.

Last time in the Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Challenge, I got the Flash HM, almost had the shit scared outta me by Milo and a Dugtrio, and made my way to Lavender Town, during which, I taught my team some new tricks, and caught a couple of new team members, like this one…

I am SO sorry, Bro-Orb. lol

…This time, having arrived in Lavender Town, I decided to take a quick look around and see what all was available to me in town. Pretty much immediately, I found the Name Rater’s house, which meant it was time to make a correction. 😀

YUP. XD Also, from now on, I’m gonna be waiting until I can get back to the Name Rater’s house before I give a nickname to my Pokémon. Reason being, I want to be able to check their Natures and whatnot before settling on a name. You’ll see why in a bit…

I’ll never get over the irony that I made it here for the first time with no losses to my team.

Oh…So, like, they captured some poor Cubone’s ma?

… … …OH…

Aw man, I LOVE Mr. Fuji! He’s like one of the best managers ev-…OH, right, sorry. Wrong Mr. Fuji.

Anyway, after checking around, I learned that Mr. Fuji went into Pokémon Tower, the grave-site of all Pokémon in Kanto, but that some kind of ghosts are blocking the means to advance. Without an item called the Silph Scope, I decided to head to the location of a prototype of the device, and the site of my next Gym Challenge: Celadon City. However, as per the norm, I found myself facing down…a ROUTE. FULL. OF. TRAINERS.

Okay, why change his line from “rambling, gambling dude”? Is it to avoid issues of gambling? But there’s still a frigging casino in Celadon. o.O

Not gonna lie, I kinda wish there were Vulpix in this version. Mainly because I’ve seen a lot of Growlithe at this point. lol

Okay, I know I’ve been saying there needs to be more Trainers with evolved Pokémon, but I’m honestly shocked to see Muk this early.

So you’ll switch in the middle of the match when the referee isn’t looking to screw with me?…Wow, I’m making a lot of wrestling references today. lol

I know a lot of people aren’t fans of Double Battles, but I really like them. ^_^

Ohh, I know THAT pain…

Just a touch, but think about this: If you all move in one direction like that, it’ll look really badass. lol

I was gonna hit it with Dig, but every time I hit Pikachu like that, Static kicks in, and that’s SO annoying sometimes.

POKÉMON ON MOTORCYCLES!!!

MY BOY! 😀

Anyway, with all that taken care of, and a new member of the team obtained…

Yeah, to complete the pair with Milo. lol

…I made my way through the second underground path to get to Celadon City…although, I have to ask: The staircases going into both underground paths are the same size, which would indicate that they’re both at the same depth underneath Saffron City… … …So how do they not intersect? I mean, I guess one MUST be under the other, but the physical evidence doesn’t back that up. And yeah, I know, top-down 2D RPG, but it didn’t HAVE to be this way, especially since we’ve had FOUR GAMES (not counting separate versions) where we go to Kanto, and not once has there ever been an attempt to fix the problem.

Goddammit, another one?! -_-

Anyway, I got to Celadon City, and pretty much immediately recognized there might be a problem going on in town.

I know I might be reaching, but I’m pretty sure something’s gone wrong in this city.

…Regardless, I did some digging around town, and couldn’t help but find maybe one or two interesting points of interest. 🙂

You don’t say…

FREEDOM!!! XD

Y’know, I don’t think we EVER got an explanation as to why Eevee was just sitting in a Poké Ball on that desk for no reason. And yeah, regarding his name…

…THIS is another part of why I’ll be waiting to decide on nicknames. I decided to wait and see which Nature Eevee had before committing to a specific evolution. And yeah, I know what everyone says about Flareon, but I still like it.

For now, though, keeping Firefox at the Daycare.

If I need to explain this one, clearly nobody saw Batman Beyond. lol

…Isn’t this town supposed to be really big on keeping the environment clean and stuff?

Hel-loooo, second Double Battle! 😀

I actually really like this Double Battle. It’s a great way to train by using the VS Seeker against this duo over and over.

And thus, a 3’11”, 83.8 lbs. bird obtained the ability to ferry my 5’10”, 200+ lbs. fat ass across the region with no difficulty! 😛

Anyway, shortly after I obtained the Fly HM, I realized that my Pokédex now had 29 pages to it, meaning I only needed one more to obtain the Itemfinder. Now, I could’ve simply given Otis a Fire Stone, too, but I chose to let it learn some new attacks before evolving it. Also, I could’ve fished out a Magikarp from…well, ANYWHERE I hadn’t caught anything already that had water present, to make the 30th page, but I didn’t wanna waste a location on that. Luckily, with Magikarp in mind, I recalled a certain someone I met at the Pokémon Center near Mt. Moon who might have a solution to my problem.

Normally, this would be the worst use of 500 bucks ever, but at this point, that’s kinda chump change. lol

On my way! 😀

YOU GOT A THIIIIINNNG!…50 is going to be a bitch and a half. XD

So, after all that, and a bit of grinding that I wisely chose to keep off-article this time, I was ready to take on the Celadon City Gym, when I found myself with a problem. See, I was planning to go in with Otis, Edge, and Damian. However, you need to Cut your way to the Gym, none of them could learn Cut, and as I’ve noted before, I only ever challenge Gym Leaders using the same number of Pokémon as they have, and the Celadon City Gym Leader, Erika, has three. So, I unfortunately had to cancel Damian’s spot to my team for the Gym Battle and sub him out for Milo. Luckily, that doesn’t apply to the other Gym Trainers, so with him still on my team, I stormed the Gym.

#RememberGourdon

Seriously, why does EVERY girl in this game think I’m a pervert? Did someone staple a sign to the back of my jacket or something saying “Sexual Predator, Keep Away!”? o.O

Oh God, setting the smell Gloom makes ON FIRE. THAT’S gonna have some terrible results.

Y’know what else you shouldn’t like in this Gym? 😀

DEATH FROM ABOVE!!!

Anyway, with the other Gym Trainers defeated, I returned Damian and the rest of my team sans Milo, Otis, and Edge to the PC and took on Erika.

DEATH FROM ABOVE PART 2!!!

I REALLY hate to talk smack on Tangela, but…yeah, it really is the easiest of Erika’s team. To be fair, though, the rest of them are all fully evolved. Why she didn’t have an Exeggutor instead, I have no idea.

I had totally forgotten Milo’s Hidden Power was Flying-type. 😛

And that’s half the badges obtained! 😀

And thus, we’re now at four badges, with the other four still to go. Next time, though, I plan to check out exactly what Team Rocket is doing in Celadon City and hopefully locate the Silph Scope. Ja né!

I forgot to take a photo of my team at the end of this part, so I’m just posting this. lol

Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Part 5

For those wondering, it wasn’t a quick victory. Raichu kept using Double Team over and over. I forget how many times Trinity missed before finally nailing the little bastard. 😛

Last time in the Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Challenge, I stepped on board the S.S. Anne looking for a party and instead found myself with a bunch of tough Trainers and my Rival all looking for battles. After beating them all and getting the HM 01 to teach my Pokémon Cut, I cut down the branches blocking the way to the Vermilion City Gym and challenged the Gym Leader, ultimately coming out with a win and the Thunder Badge. This time, before making my way to Rock Tunnel (because a certain lazy sleepyhead Pokémon was blocking the fast way to Lavender Town), I decided to trek through Diglett’s Cave to obtain HM 05, which would be necessary to traverse the dark tunnel.

Y’know what’s ironic? Nowadays, Flash has an accuracy of 100%, making it actually kinda useful. Naturally, now that that’s the case, it’s no longer an HM. I’m still waiting for Cut to have a new effect or whatever, only for it to be permanently replaced by Rock Smash. lol

After getting the Flash HM, I decided to go around looking for new items…

SO tempted to make the Pokémon cloned from this Amber part of my team when the time comes.

…visit move tutors I couldn’t reach before…

And yes, THIS is what I’ve been waiting to do with Buttery: Sleep Powder + Dream Eater.

…and decided to re-challenge old Trainers I fought back on Route 3.

Okay, I’m just gonna say this right now: Can you imagine going on a journey as long as this one for real, going through tall grass and rocky caves, in SHORTS?! o.O

At this point, I was feeling pretty good about myself and my team. In fact, as I was on my way back to Vermilion through Diglett’s Cave, because I don’t have anyone that knows Teleport or Fly, I was thinking to myself about how I’ve kept back-ups for my team in my box and at the Daycare, and how I might someday find myself in a situation where someone on my team is going to die and I’ll have to make a choice as to who that is, but ultimately realized that I couldn’t really consider letting any of them die. The six in my party currently had been doing such a good job, and other than for the sake of traversing certain areas or challenging specific Gyms, I saw no reason to split up a winning team and didn’t wanna see any of them die. And just as I was thinking that…

…This game is intent on giving me a heart attack. I just know it.

Fucking Dugtrio pops up outta nowhere. It had never even occurred to me that I might end up running into another one after Trinity. Heck, more often than not, I’ll usually only ever run into ONE Dugtrio in Diglett’s Cave one time and then never again. But now, here one was, at Level 29, facing down Milo, who was at Level 23. I couldn’t recall him, I couldn’t run away. For a few moments, I was frozen thinking that, because I’d chosen not to have a Flying-type out in front, Milo was about to die. And I just remembered thinking to myself about how, it doesn’t matter how prepared you think you are, how strong you think your team is, and how cool a head you can keep, sooner or later, in a Nuzlocke, somebody dies. And there’s no doubt in my mind that that’s the case. No matter who you are, in a Nuzlocke, someday, somebody will die… … … …but, then again…somedays, everybody lives. 🙂

CLOSEST. BATTLE. EVER.

Thank GOD I had an X Attack and an X Defend in my backpack and had neglected to sell them, because otherwise, there’s NO fucking way, with a 6 level difference and a mass power advantage, that Milo could’ve beaten Dugtrio! And as it was, I still ended up having to use a shit-ton of Potions to keep him alive! Also, not kidding here, the last attack before I took Dugtrio out was a Mud-Slap that nailed a critical and reduced Milo’s accuracy. Milo almost died from a FUCKING MUD-SLAP! That would’ve resulted in the worst eulogy EVER! XD Anyway, after that, I opted to move Edge to the front to deal with Diglett for the rest of the trip, and decided to teach Milo Water Pulse in case something like this ever happened again. Oh, and on top of all that, after surviving that battle, Milo proceeded to find a TM 10, which taught him Hidden Power, and apparently, his Hidden Power is Flying-type, meaning he now has a means of taking on Fighting-types. At this point, I might as well just call Milo the Flukemaster.

Oh, and funny story, Drakeman later took out Machop in a single turn with Bullet Seed. It’s almost like him and Milo are trying to out-fluke one another. 😛

So yeah, after all that, I made my way back to Cerulean City and Cut my way to Route 9, where another slew of Trainers were in my way to Rock Tunnel. So, of course, after a quick battle montage…

Yeah, when I’m paralyzed and still getting my turn ahead of you, YOU ARE FREAKING SLOW. lol

… … …KEEP YOUR FETISHES TO YOURSELF!

First time seeing Charmander, if I’m not mistaken. Awesome. ^_^

Y’know, I can’t help but watch this and cringe at the thought of the dental work poor Milo is going to require.

Suffice to say, Dream Eater? Working out well for me. 🙂

…I made it to Route 10 and the entrance of Rock Tunnel. Of course, this meant I had new Pokémon I could obtain, so I opted to take care of that first. Especially since I hadn’t caught anything in a while and still needed new Dex pages.

I was gonna call him Bolder, but I didn’t know his Nature. Wish we could check that stuff before giving nicknames. Also, I kinda forgot to get a picture of the other Pokémon I caught: A Voltorb I named Bro-Orb. I’ll include it in the next part. lol

With that out of the way, and having taught Flash to Bro-Orb, I made my way into Rock Tunnel. Unfortunately, I had to go sans Buttery, since I figured the mass number of Rock-types in Rock Tunnel could end disastrously for her, so she missed out on some training. Will have to make this up to her later. Anyway, I ventured into Rock Tunnel and had Bro-Orb hit the Flash…and I swear, somedays, I feel like we depend on Pokémon hidden techniques far too often to get around. You give me a lamp with plenty of fuel to keep it lit, and I’ll make it through this tunnel with little to no difficulty. But yeah, new dungeon meant another battle montage!

Y’know, I don’t really feel like arguing cute Pokémon vs big ones. I get the points on either side. Still, I’m just gonna say this: In a Nuzlocke, where you’re taking on progressively stronger opponents and criticals can equal death? Go big. There’re exceptions, of course, but for the most part? Bigger is better.

And another Charmander! Kinda weird place to train one, though.

Actually, I have a friend who once cosplayed as Eevee. Was adorable. lol

Heh, funny you should mention that…

And I thought cats hated water. 😛

Something that’s always bugged me about dungeons in Pokémon: Other than Strength puzzles, there aren’t a lot of dungeons that have traditional RPG puzzle solving. That’s more saved for the Gyms. What’s up with that?

So, one or two members of my team learned new tricks in the dungeon…

…I think they may have been concerned that Milo was showing them up. lol

FIRE AWAY! 😀

Okay, gotta ask: Do ALL creepy perverts in the Pokémon world wear bright red and blue? Am I just wearing the wrong clothes or something?

… … … … … …

… … … …Screw it. Pokémon MMD clips, I need you again!

Thank you!

Umm… … …no. lol

Oh hey, it’s one of the missing Dudley Boyz! I guess Big Daddy Dudley had some ‘close friends’ in Kanto, too. XD

Anyway, that was pretty much my trip through Rock Tunnel in a nutshell. Although, that said, just before I got out and into Lavender Town…

…Yyyeah, despite Oswald and Drakeman’s best efforts, I think it’s safe to say that Milo was the MVP of this part. lol Also, while I’m gonna miss him finding items all the time, immunity to paralysis is gonna be great.

But yeah, with that, I safely made it to Lavender Town and rested up my team. Next time, I’ll be checking the town out before heading to Celadon City and gaining my fourth badge, but not before I get a couple of things done, like getting a shot of Bro-Orb. lol Ja né!

For reference, this was my team at the beginning of Part 5…

…and this is my team at the end of it. lol