Blog Archives
Jyger and N. Harmonik’s Blind Reaction To Pokémon Generations Episodes 3 & 4
Sorry this is a little late, but it totally dropped my mind to post this the past couple of days. 😛 Anyway, same deal as always. If you haven’t seen the original videos, here they are:
And now, here’s our blind reactions. ^_^
Upcoming Plans For Jyger’s Rant + DC Rebirth Questionnaire
So, just thought I’d keep everybody up-to-date with what I’m doing for the next little bit. First off, if you’re wondering where the updates to my Nuzlocke run are, I’m still playing the game and getting screencaps of myself, but updates are gonna be kinda sporadic. This is because of two things that are happening that I’ll get into in a bit, but for now, don’t worry, the adventures of Mikey, Oswald, and the rest of my team will continue soon.
One major reason why the Nuzlocke updates will be spaced out, though, is because of Marvelous May. Speaking of, today is the cut-off date, so as of right now, I’m no longer taking votes. That means that tomorrow, I will be posting the finalized roster for the fan-vote tournament. Please remember that voting on individual match-ups won’t occur until May, when said match-ups are posted.
As most long-time readers of my blog know, N. Harmonik is my proofreader, and the two of us have done vlogs where we watch the newest Death Battles as of late. However, for this week, her and her mother have gone to Disney World. As such, I’ll be doing the Death Battle vlog solo this week (which is actually cool for me, since I don’t need to wait a few days to see it). But, when she gets back, N. Harmonik has agreed to do an article talking about her time in Disney World, along with photos she’s taken, so look forward to that. ^_^
On top of all that, expect there to probably be a quick vlog and/or slideshow of me going to Free Comic Book Day, as I am prone to do, and don’t be surprised if there’s some coverage of news regarding the upcoming DC Rebirth. Speaking of, I’ve been meaning to ask everybody here, if you were Geoff Johns and looking to steer the ship that is the DC Universe in a specific path, what would it be and what books would you want running as part of this new direction? Just something that’s been on my mind a lot lately is all. Oh, and lastly, sometime within the next couple of months, I plan to do a How To Drop The Ball In Comics about The New 52. Just one last look at everything that went pretty alright and horribly wrong with the reboot.
And in regards to my writing, after all of this is out of the way, I plan to go back and finish J.A. Phillips Presents Batman and Robin. After that, I’ll probably get to work on either Primal Strife or the long-awaited Season 2 of Power Rangers Guardians of Gaia.
Anyway, that’s all I can think of at the moment in terms of future plans. Lemme know if you have any thoughts on my current gameplan and projects, and I’ll try to get back to you. Ja né!
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

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 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…
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
Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Part 4.2

My team at the beginning of this phase.
Last time in the Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Challenge, I arrived in Vermilion City, but in order to better ready myself both for the Trainers on the S.S. Anne and Lt. Surge, and to increase the number of pages in my Pokédex, I used my new VS Seeker to re-challenge Trainers I’d previously encountered for additional Experience in order to level up and evolve my team. This time, feeling ready for battle, I took my team to the S.S. Anne.

And for those wondering, who have never played these remakes of the original games, yes, the truck is still there, and NO, there is not a Mew under it…though you CAN find a Lava Cookie.
I quickly learned that, while the bulk of the party had ended, there were still a number of rowdy Trainers on board looking for battles. Feeling prepared, I took my team inside and unleashed hell upon the ship’s passengers and crew.

Wish I’d gotten a screenshot of this, but his Growlithe? First time I’ve ever seen Roar fail.

Yeah, I keep hearing about how Trainers on this ship found their Pokémon from all over the place, and yet I think I can count on one hand the number of Pokémon on this ship that you can’t catch or see up to this point.

Like this fellow, for example. ^_^

Or this one. Also, kinda surprised to see that this Tentacool could tank a Confusion as easily as it did. I think it only did like 50% of his HP, and then he smacked Buttery around for her lunch money for a few rounds before he finally went down.

Never has that been more true than in a Nuzlocke Challenge.

See now, this guy investigates Team Rocket from a luxury cruiser and barely gets anything done. If Looker was here with just a suitcase full of disguises, a single Pokémon, and a preteen sidekick, he’d have the organization on its knees by now. lol

Okay, who leaves a Hyper Potion just sitting around in a bucket??? o.O

So where’re Dewey and Louie? 😛 Also, gotta say, I prefer the older Sailor sprites. Made them look a lot more butch.

Oh God, could you imagine if there were only the first 100? There’d be only two Ice-types, seven Psychic-types, no Legendaries, no Eevee, Voltorb wouldn’t be able to evolve, and no Dragon-type Pokémon to speak of outside of Mega Charizard X. o.O
After a while, I managed to beat all the Trainers on board, so I decided to head to the Captain’s cabin, having heard that he was apparently some kind of sword-master who could teach Pokémon how to use Cut to go through branches blocking paths. However, as it turned out, I wasn’t the only one with that idea, as Tim was waiting for me on the way there and itching for a fight.

Okay, I know the idea is to make it seem like our Rival is WAY ahead of us, but I think if he had over 40 Pokémon, he wouldn’t have a team of FOUR.

*sigh* What could’ve been. I suppose I could always get an Abra at the Celadon Game Corner, though. Still, not like I could evolve it into Alakazam anyway…

Hey, you evolved your Starter Pokémon! And it only took you 3 badges and the majority of a lap around the western half of Kanto to do it. -_-
Anyway, having beaten Tim for…God, what is this? The fourth time now? And he’s still ahead of me? Whatever, I beat Tim and made my way into the captain’s cabin, where I-

OH, DEAR LORD, THAT IS THE MOST DISGUSTING THING EVER! WEEZING, MUK, AND GARBODOR ARE RECOILING IN DISGUST OVER THAT!

Oh God, the things I do to earn badges…T_T

After much deliberation, I decided not to make Hank my Cut Slave, since that’d mean either grinding him up in levels too or risking his death. Trinity’s a much better choice for now.

Y’know, I get why the original games do this, but why is it, in FireRed and LeafGreen, are you forced to leave the port after the S.S. Anne leaves and can never return to get that Lava Cookie?
So, with Cut in hand, I headed back to the Pokémon Center to heal up and plan for the Gym. With the Trainers inside focusing on Electric-type Pokémon, most of my team would be at a severe disadvantage. As such, I decided to go in with Drakeman, Oswald, and Trinity. With preparations complete, I entered the Gym and took on the slew of Electric-types.

Seriously, how the hell is America canon in the Pokémon World when no other real world country seems to exist? O_O

I’m not even touching this one. 😛

Admittedly, Trinity did most of the heavy lifting in this Gym, but Drakeman and Oswald DID see their share of combat.

Admittedly, I kinda wish Surge’s Raichu was more like it was in the anime: Possessing powerful attacks but lacking any kind of defensive moves.

Three badges, baby! 😀
So, with my third Gym Badge finally obtained, I decided to heal up and call it a day. Next time, I’ll be heading through Diglett’s Cave to go back and get some previously unobtainable items before trekking through Rock Tunnel to get to Lavender Town. Ja né!

Also, I taught Milo Cut since Trinity is instead going to be a back-up Ground-type for Oswald.
Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Part 4.1 (SPECIAL GRINDING EDITION!!!!)

I love these “previously on”‘s that the journal provides. ^_^
Last time in the Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Challenge, I made my way up through Nugget Bridge and Routes 24 and 25, battling Tim Oak and the various Trainers along the way, caught some new Pokémon, met up with Bill, got a ticket to go to the party on the S.S. Anne, fought some Rockets up to no good, and managed to score the Cascade Badge from Misty. This time, I decided to head south to Vermilion City. Unfortunately, while I could’ve otherwise cut through Saffron City…

Danged dehydrated guards. -_-
…yeah, that was a thing. lol So, instead, I took the underground path and came out in Route 6, on the other side of Saffron, and battled my way through some Trainers.

Yeah, as a matter of fact, there are NO Bug-types on this Route.

… …Screw it, play the damn clip. XD

HEY, someone’s actually got an evolved Pokémon! 😀

…Okay, YOU are just cheating. Also, Jeff meets Camper Jeff. 😛
Anyway, to make a REALLY long story short, I made it to Vermilion City, healed up, went to the Pokémon Fan Club, listened to the chairman talk for God knows how long about his Rapidash in ways that STILL haunt me to this day, got the Bike Voucher, and traded it for a bike back in Cerulean. Afterward, I noticed that my overall Pokédex count was low (in terms of captures), and I realized why: Because I can only catch one Pokémon per Route, and the only other Pokédex pages are provided by gift Pokémon and evolving them and the Pokémon I catch. Unfortunately, battling wild Pokémon and once-off Trainers for experience meant filling up my Pokédex enough to get the items that Professor Oak’s aides have would take FOREVER. On top of that, I also wasn’t feeling great about my levels going into S.S. Anne and battling Surge. Luckily…
…YEAH. So, after catching the Pokémon found in the surrounding area…

Milo and Otis reference, AND I used to sort-of have a cat named Milo. Really, it was a neighbour’s cat, but he liked us more. lol

Get it? Edge? He’s a SPEARow?

THIS bitch almost killed Buttery. It was SO close, I thought for sure she was about to be killed. O_O
…I decided to go about training by battling Trainers and then having rematches via the VS Seeker. However, what ended up happening was that I took SOOOOOO many photos of me grinding levels. So, with that said, here’s a quick rundown of some of the highlights. ^_^

My boy! 😀

Why can’t you be like that other Bug Catcher and have an evolved Pokémon?

Came prepared for you this time, asshole!

NOT how I meant!

Okay, Santanico doesn’t have Intimidate, thank goodness, because there’s NO WAY it should’ve worked here had she.

Butterfree’s actually REALLY good at the Para-fusion combo, and the only reason Buttery doesn’t use it is because…I’m going for something else. 🙂

I was expecting this battle to be a little closer, to be honest.

Not sure, but I think this might be the first case of seeing a Fire-type so far.
Anyway, after a while of that, I was rewarded with the following:

Also, since he’s not a mandrake anymore, I think I’ll be renaming him when I reach Lavender Town.

Pretty sure Edge just replaced Damian on my team, but of course, I’ll keep Damian as a back-up Flying-type and an HM Slave for when I get HM 02.
With all that done, I finally decided to return to Vermilion and head to the S.S. Anne. So, sorry this article turned out to basically be one big grind session, but I figured I’d include it just for funsies, and so that you know just how much time was put into preparing. Anyway, be sure to check in next time for Part 4.2 as I take on the S.S. Anne. Ja né!

The results of my training. A shame Milo won’t get Limber until evolving, because he’d otherwise be great for the Vermilion City Gym.
Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Part 3

My team at the beginning of this phase of my journey.
Last time in the Pokémon FireRed Text-And-Screencap-Only Nuzlocke Challenge, I headed into Mt. Moon, battled several tough Trainers, added new members to my team, evolved a couple of pre-existing ones, took down several members of Team Rocket, and obtained both the Dome Fossil and Moon Stones. This time, starting off in Cerulean City, I decided to prep my team for taking on Misty by battling the Trainers on my way to meeting up with Bill the Pokémaniac, creator of the PC Storage System. Before that, though, I decided to swoop back to Route 4 (the eastern half of it, anyway) and do some training. And, while I was there, I caught a new Pokémon.

No, I’ve never watched From Dusk till Dawn, but I was trying to come up with a nickname for this, and that was the best I could think of. lol
…I’ll be honest, I have no idea what I’m gonna do with this one. Not because I have any kind of issue with Ekans, just that my team has already become a little Poison heavy, but we’ll get to that in a bit. Still, might be a good idea to have it as a back-up. In the meantime, though, I had…slightly different snakes to concern myself with.

“Which is why I only have a team of 4!” XP

I swear, it’s almost like this Abra is here specifically for the purpose of getting the newbie on your team some experience. That said, probably the best use of Leech Life and Astonish I’ve ever gotten.

…Okay, I’m with Petty Artist on this one: You fucking hack evolved your Level 17 Pidgey into a Pidgeotto, but you didn’t evolve your Level 18 Starter? I honestly can’t think of anyway this guy could insult me as a Trainer any more than thinking I couldn’t handle his Ivysaur at this point.

… …Okay, well, I stand corrected. Tim, I’m gonna kill one of your Pokémon the next time we meet.
Anyway, with that out of the way, I decided to make my way to-

…Hel-loooooo. 😀

Honestly, at this point, Oswald’s kinda become my primary battler for dealing with other Poison-types, unless I’m confident that Buttery can get a quick Confusion in without getting hit.

…SERIOUSLY! What IS it with these people not evolving their Pokémon?! Although it was hilariously adorable when I had Oswald use Focus Energy, and then immediately after, the Nidoran did it, like he was trying to copy his big brother or something. 😛

… … …Why, hello, Pork Laser. It’s been a while. WELCOME TO DIE.

YES! 😀

… … …OH…Wait, does that mean the others were all members of Team Rocket, too? Some of them were kinda young to be grunts, is all.

Seriously, what was your plan? That you were somehow going to beat a guy who had taken down five other Trainers with your two Pokémon? It’s not like you were even higher leveled than the rest of them, either. The girl with the twin Nidoran was tougher than you.
Anyway, now that I’d gotten past Nugget Bridge, I found myself with…a grassy patch on Routes 24. This is where I got a little nervous. Not because there was anything in the grass that could kill anyone on my team, but because it is known for being home to ABRA. And…well, I’ve gotten to know my luck as it pertains to rare Pokémon at this point. If I ran into Abra, there was no way I was gonna catch one before it could teleport away, and that’d be TWO ROUTES locked off on my journey at that point. So, with fingers crossed, I entered the patch of grass, and…

Fuck, I’ll take it! I don’t even care that I named it after Hank Pym, I’ll take it! XD
So, with that done, I let out a sigh of relief…and then recalled that Abra was on Route 25 as well. Because why not at this point? I also knew there were Kakuna on Route 25, too, so I decided that, so I wouldn’t end up wasting that Route on the evolved form of a Pokémon I already had, that I should first evolve Hank.

And since I’d gone to the trouble of getting a Kakuna, I thought “What the hell, let’s go all the way to Beedrill.” So…

Aww, he looks so happy to be fully evolved… … …I wonder if I should tell him I’m planning to use him as my Cut HM Slave? 😛
And thus, with a Beedrill in my box, I headed for Route 25 and waited to see what I’d find…

…Well, I think I know who is gonna be fighting Misty’s Staryu. 🙂
Now that I’d caught a couple of new Pokémon, I decided it was time to make my way to Bill’s, while training my team up for Misty by battling the Trainers and wild Pokémon in the area. And thus, TRAINING MONTAGE TIME!

Hmm, not quite as epic as Mr. Satan’s, but good nonetheless. lol

“Sempai noticed me! And then he blew me the fuck away!” XD

It’s always strange to find someone with the same Pokémon as a Gym Leader one city away, only higher leveled. It’s like “Why wasn’t THIS person the Gym Leader?”

As you can see, Katherine’s kinda stopped being as helpless as she was when I caught her. 🙂

Okay, THIS asshole scared the shit outta me, and here’s why: I totally forgot that Slowpoke learn Confusion at Level 17 in FireRed and LeafGreen. I guess I must’ve had the other Generation III games on the mind, wherein Slowpoke doesn’t learn Confusion until Level 20. As such, I sent Drakeman in to deal with him, thinking the best he could do was Water Gun. When Confusion hit, I thought for sure I was about to see my first casualty. And how I didn’t, I’ll NEVER know. O_O

…Sure enough, I ran into three of these things, and before I could hit them and try to beat them for Exp, they each Teleported away.
With all the Trainers on the way to Bill’s place defeated, I made my way inside. Problem was, Bill didn’t seem to be home. Instead, there was a Clefairy sitting around…with a human face… … …At this point, I was ready to piss myself in terror. Then it started talking. And thus, a thousand Creepy Pastas were written. 😛

Yeah, I’m kidding, I know it’s really Bill. I’ve never understood this line of dialogue, though. Why would he say that?

The technology of the Pokémon world will never cease to astound me. Why can’t humanity be inspired to make Poké Balls and PC Storage Systems like we are with stuff from Star Trek?

Yeah, not gonna lie, I’m kinda with Bill on this one. Maybe it’s just because I prefer to dress like a dirtbag hipster, but whatevs. I’ll take the free tickets to a cruise liner party.

So these must be the “lots of pages to my Pokédex” that Tim was talking about. Don’t get me wrong, I love Eevee and the Eeveelutions (that sounds like a band), but it’s FOUR pages. I had that many when I first got the freaking ‘dex.
Anyway, with that done, I decided to head back to Cerulean City, just in time to notice a house had been broken into. The officer outside said it was Team Rocket…well, no shit. I could see the Goddamn Rocket Grunt standing in the back yard from right there. How do you not see that? Apparently, the police in Kanto are completely inept, OR they’re on the take. It’s one or the other. Either way, I decided I’d need to go all vigilante and take the law into my own hands by dealing with the grunt myself.

…No. The Team Rocket uniform kinda gives you away. In fact, why aren’t you wearing a disguise like your buddy on Nugget Bridge? o.O

One rather embarrassing ass-kicking later. lol

Man, could you imagine if EVERYBODY was able to deal with loss of property that well?

Yeah, we never really did find out what that was about, huh?
And thus, with Team Rocket beaten down again, the Nugget Bridge conquered, a few more pages added to my Pokédex, and some much-needed training done, it was finally time to deal with Misty. As always, I went into battle using the same number of Pokémon as the Gym Leader’s, meaning I needed to decide which two would take on her Staryu and Starmie. I’d already decided that, based on type and overall performance (and luck) thus far that Drakeman would lead against her Staryu, but there was still the matter of her Starmie. Katherine now knew Bite, but I wasn’t sure if she could one hit KO her opponent, nor was I confident in her ability to tank a Water Pulse from a Starmie. I could’ve worked to evolve her into a Golbat, as I had thought about before, but that felt like I’d be committing to making her a full member of my team, and with Oswald and Drakeman in the party already, I was clearly a bit too Poison heavy. As such, I ultimately decided to go with Mikey, matching his bulk against Starmie’s Special Attack. With my two party members chosen, I headed for the Gym…

Not kidding, first time using Bullet Seed, and it hit 5 times. Seriously, Drakeman, you are the luckiest Goddamn Oddish EVER, not to mention one hell of a trooper. Speaking of, btw? I was originally gonna name him Steve. I’m not kidding, if he survives to Lavender Town and that kind of crap keeps happening to him, I’m changing his name. lol

Honestly? Not as bad a policy as some would suggest.

Not gonna lie: I had to use a LOT of Potions in this battle. Also, I wanted to punch myself for not raising Mikey ONE LEVEL so that he’d learn Bite. Once again, my lack of memory of the movepools in this game nearly gets one of my team members killed. Clearly, something I’m going to have to be a LOT more careful of.

Two badges down, six to go. 🙂
With the Cascade Badge in hand, my business in Cerulean City was finally complete… … …BUT, before I called it a day, there was still one last thing I had to do. After healing up and withdrawing my team, I called out Oswald and gave him one of the Moon Stones I’d found in Mt. Moon, and watched as he evolved to his final stage.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the most powerful member currently on my team, and the Pokémon who will lead said team to victory against Lt. Surge.
So, once again, I managed to get through a phase of my journey with no fatalities. Still, I can tell that what luck I’ve had thus far is gonna run out soon, so I’m gonna have to play it smarter next time, as I make my way south to Vermilion City in order to attend the S.S. Anne party and battle Lt. Surge for the Thunder Badge. Ja né!

We’re gonna need a lot more training and a lot less weaknesses to Electric attacks to deal with Surge. But where can I find a really strong and swift Ground-type?