greaper-blog

[greaper-blog]

Nuzlocke Entry 5

Day 5-Route 25/Bill’s House

Weather: breezy, warm, cloudy

Entry 1

The day felt tainted from the first strained light of dawn. Hearts heavy with loss, minds full of anxiety for what was to come, we pushed ahead and dragged behind the guilt of the fallen.

A trainer accompanied by a powerful Machop attacked us as soon as we came within sight of Bill’s house. Odetta volunteered to try him, since as a plant she is resistant to striking attacks.

At first it went well. The Machop’s punches and kicks did little to Odetta’s tough roots and slick grass. Odetta slowly but surely began to drain the Machop’s bodily fluids with her sticky pseudopods. The Machop was proud, and even as it weakened it harassed Odetta, calling her names and boasting.

Odetta was a quiet, kind plant. The words hurt more than the Machop’s strikes. Embarrassed, she took a step back towards us. Towards her friends.

The Machop laughed and delivered a superb karate chop. It splattered Odetta like a watermelon caught in a cannon blast.

Matsuoyama attacked and put the Machop down. Odetta’s remains were scattered in the tall grass where she lived, peacefully, until we found her.

We pushed through route 25, talked to Bill, and got the SS Ticket. I am terrified of what’s coming when we fight Misty. Our best hope is gone before we ever got the chance to know her.

Entry 2

We all trained like mad bastards, preparing for Misty. To the south of Cerulean City, we caught a Meowth female, who showed a stubborn fighting spirit as we forced her into a pokeball. I named her Zelia. We can’t afford to train her right now, so she was put in back with Zem. To fight Misty, our best bet is to push Clarence, Jean-Paul, and Matsuoyama to their peak condition.

However, Isaac refused to remain on the bench. Every day, he flopped his way into the frontlines, laboriously crushing Caterpies and Weedles beneath him and ignoring their stings and bites. Sometimes, after hours of this abusive work, his scales would be slick with his own blood.

It’s said that when a Magikarp can leap a mountain in a single bound, it will unlock its true potential. Isaac’s mountain was the training after Odetta died. We thought he’d lost his mind, but one night, we learned what he was up to. Isaac disappeared, and while he was gone, no one could sleep. There was a steady, roaring, ripping noise that kept us all awake. At one point, there was a scream.

In the morning, our party realized that we were surrounded by dozens of feet of rippling blue coils. Isaac had evolved into a Gyarados.

Entry Three We burst into the Cerulean Gym at a run. Jean-Paul and Isaac led the charge, annihilating the Jr. Trainers who tried to block our path to Misty, who waited for us on an archipelago of concrete surrounded by deep water. The Gym Leader gritted her teeth, dug in her heels, and sent out her Staryu to challenge us.

Matsuoyama accepted the challenge. He’d honed his karate chop so expertly that he could shatter boulders and trees, so he was confident that he could split the starfish. Tragically, while Matsuoyama was stronger, Staryu was faster.

As Matsuoyama lined up his deadly chop, he was spritzed with water just as he started his attack. He overbalanced, tumbled, and struck his head against the edge of the arena. He plunged into the water, and sank like a brick out of sight.

Isaac and Clarence dove to rescue him while Jean-Paul impaled the Staryu, finishing it off. As Misty recalled her first defender and prepared her second, Clarence surfaced and shook his head, once. I saw why as Isaac laid Matsuoyama’s body by the poolside. His skull was split open, his body tinged a livid purple. We couldn’t revive him.

Misty sent out her strongest pokemon, Starmie, giving us no time to mourn. Clarence rushed from his friend’s corpse and leapt at the octagonal creature. Using his sharp fangs, he pulverized the Starmie over and over, taking a lot of damage but relentlessly chomping on the Starmie’s gem. He shattered it, then kicked the Starmie with such ferocity that it exploded into pieces all over the gym.

Wordlessly, we took our badge. The price was too high, but we had to accept it. We buried Matsuoyama on Route 4 near Mt. Moon, so his spirit may continue to climb and train in his beloved crags and cliffs. Reverently, Isaac laid down the boulder that guards the body of his mentor, who had taught him the value of careful training and quiet strength.

We remained there for a few days. Cerulean City had taken too many friends, too quickly. Big Pecks, Odetta, Matsuoyama…one after another, this city took them away. We needed time to rest our souls. I’m not ashamed to admit that I considered turning back…for a few nights, it felt like the sanest thing to do in the world. But, in the end, I knew that if I gave up that I’d only ensure that my friends had died for nothing. After mourning, we went on to Vermilion City. In the tall grass outside of town, we happened to find another Oddish. This one was wandering in small circles, singing to herself, and when she spotted us she giggled and waved her grass at us as if we were old friends. I named her Belladonna, and when she learned her name she hugged me with delight.

I smiled, and once again promised myself that this journey would have meaning. I promised myself I wouldn’t lose any more friends.

In my secret heart, I knew I could only keep one of those promises. But, I have to lie to myself if I’m going to make it to the end. Otherwise, I won’t be able to keep any promises at all.

[greaper-blog]

Day Four

Last Time, on Fuck I and Company's Quest:

-Clarence evolved into Wartortle

-The party accidentally killed several new recruits

-We safely got through Mt. Moon, learning new moves and commandeering a Dome Fossil

-We beat our rival, Someone, at the start of Nugget Bridge in Cerulean City.

Day 4-Nugget Bridge/Route 24 and 25

Weather: partly cloudy, warm

Entry 1 With Someone out of the way, we were able to wade our way across Nugget Bridge. Five trainers, in ascending order of experience, would block our path. The first few fights were cakewalks, bolstering the party’s confidence. In hindsight, I suppose it was cockiness. Despite my best intentions, we just weren’t prepared.

A young girl called Reli attacked us with two pokemon. She started with a male Nidoran, so logically Jean-Paul went out with the plan of safely wearing it down. Shockingly, the Nidoran had learned how to hunt worms like a bird, and using sharp beak-like jabs cracked Jean-Paul’s exoskeleton in multiple locations. We were all surprised, and it took me a little too long to recall Jean-Paul, but Big Pecks came out and blew the enemy away with a wing gust.

When Reli sent out her second pokemon, a female Nidoran, it seemed logical to let Big Pecks finish the fight. After all, Jean-Paul was wounded, Clarence was likely to get poisoned on account of his slow movements and conservative fighting style, Matsuoyama couldn’t effectively attack a Poison-type pokemon, and Isaac was as fearsome as a deflated balloon. Big Pecks was tough, fast, and hard-hitting. This was supposed to be easy prey.

It all went to hell from the first turn. The female Nidoran was somehow able to match Big Peck’s speed, and so it got in the first hit before Big Pecks could scatter sand in its eyes. The creature’s sharp claws scratched Big Pecks’ right wing and cut deeply; a horrifying amount of blood matted his feathers, leaving him ground-bound and unable to use his wing-gust attack. However, Big Peck’s sand hit home, and the Nidoran backed off and hunkered down, trying to clear its vision.

With the enemy distracted, I ordered Big Pecks to close in with his signature quick attack. A combination of Big Peck’s natural carelessness, my underestimation of the Nidoran’s capabilities, and simple bad luck caused Big Pecks to prick himself on the Nidoran’s venomous spines. Before we could react, the spiteful creature lashed out blind with its powerful hindquarters, striking Big Pecks twice in the belly.

Big Pecks lost his balance. He tore the wound on his injured wing further open as he tried to get to his feet. He collapsed.

Too late, I saw that letting Big Pecks keep fighting after taking such a severe blow from the Nidoran’s claws was a mistake.

Too late, I recalled Big Pecks and sent out Clarence, who carefully and efficiently finished off the Nidoran.

Too late, I turned to Big Pecks to perform first aid.

Too late.

The venom, combined with the bleeding, had stopped Big Peck’s heart. It had all been a matter of seconds, but he was already cold.

While I held Big Peck’s small, still body in my arms, I heard but didn’t comprehend that Reli had already gone ahead and alerted her superiors that we were coming. We were ambushed by the next trainer, who attacked us with an aggressive Mankey. I was so in shock that I almost lost Jean-Paul, too: he had thrown himself at the Mankey with his whole body, and was wildly wrestling with the simian on the deck of the bridge.

Clarence barked at me, and I snapped out of my fugue just in time. I recalled Jean-Paul. Clarence stoically eliminated the threat. Then, he stoically took out the next trainer’s Pokemon as well. Clarence kept rolling, right up to the Team Rocket crony who oversaw the Nugget Bridge hustle. Clarence maintained his composure as he methodically defeated an Ekans, stomping on the snake’s head and firing water blasts at its head until it was knocked out.

When Clarence saw the Zubat, his composure broke. The things erratic movements, blue color, and sharp fangs must have viscerally reminded him of the creature that took down Big Pecks.

Clarence fired a bullet of water that knocked the Zubat right out of the sky. The fight was already over, but before the Rocket grunt could save his Zubat, Clarence leapt on the small bat and ripped it to pieces with his fangs. He shook it like a dog shaking a rag doll until there was nothing left but shreds.

The Rocket grunt, pale-faced and sweating, handed over the money he’d been extorting from hapless trainers for the past few weeks. We didn’t say a word. There was nothing to say.

The slow-moving water below Nugget Bridge was pink. We found a small, peaceful patch of tall grass to bury Big Pecks. Everyone shared a fond memory of the sassy, good-humored bird, except for Jean-Paul. Wasps do not shed tears, but as Clarence etched the tomb stone Matsuoayama had placed, Jean-Paul crouched in a nearby tree and watched. His antenna waved slowly and carefully in the still warm air, as if he were searching for something he could not find.

Entry 2

We searched for new teammates on Route 24 and Route 25. In the tall grass of Route 24, we snuck up on a sleeping Abra. I hurled a pokeball at it, and successfully caught the cowardly yellow creature before it could teleport away. I named him Zem, who naturally is a careful fellow. He’s almost as helpless as Isaac right now, but someday he may become a powerful teammate.

On Route 25, we were surprised by an Oddish that popped out of the ground and tried to run away. We caught her, and named her Odetta. She’s a little quiet, but was happy to join our team.

As we came to the end of Route 25, Jean-Paul learned how to channel the nutrients of food he’d recently eaten to change the composition and effect of his venom. This technique will allow him to inflict random status ailments on our enemies, including paralysis and burns.

No less impressive in his own way, Isaac finally learned how to protect himself by propelling his body into Pokemon’s faces. He’s growing quite large, almost five feet long now, and his scales are surprisingly hard. Soon, I hope he will tap his true potential.

There is an intimidating-looking maze of hedges and cliffs coming up that block our passage to the Pokemanic Bill’s house. Getting him on our side will be critical for the long-term success of our adventure; he has technological and financial resources available only to those who make the journey to meet and befriend him in person. We’ll stop for now to rest and recuperate before braving the maze.

[greaper-blog]

Day 3

Day Three: Mt. Moon

Weather: Dark, and full of Zubats

As soon as we set foot inside Mt. Moon, we encountered a Zubat. I pulled out a Pokeball to catch it, but Clarence was surprised and splattered it against a stalagmite into pieces with his water gun. In doing so, he evolved into Wartortle.

I guess we don’t need a Zubat.

I chose to systematically explore the mountain, combing over the entire main area before going up each of the ladders and subcaves one by one. We encountered Team Rocket, which are a bunch of chumps, and defeated several other trainers without serious problems.

Matsuoyama led the way in most wild encounters, using rock tomb to smash the Zubats out of the air and thereby strengthen his martial skills. He rapidly grew tougher. He also learned how to strike with a karate chop to split open any Geodudes we found.

Clarence was the backbone of the team, as usual, taking point against trainers to ensure the party’s safety. Whenever the matchup looked favorable, I had him tag out with Big Pecks or Jean-Paul so that they could stay in shape. Jean-Paul has taken to pointedly ignoring Big Pecks whenever possible, but Big Pecks doesn’t seem abashed by this cold shoulder. It seems that the only opinion Big Pecks respects, besides his own, is Clarence’s.

Isaac sat in the back; if he had a thumb, it’d be in his mouth.

Entry Two: Still Mt. Moon We found a TM for Thief, a moderately powerful Dark type move. I taught to Jean Paul, who lacks heavy-hitting techniques to back up his high natural power and speed. Jean-Paul disdained the technique as “crass,” but I persuaded him by explaining that having a more versatile moveset would make him much more deadly against birds. I think Big Pecks overheard me, but if I know him at all, he didn’t pay attention.

Once Matsuoyama was as powerful as Jean-Paul and Big Pecks, we started trying to train Isaac. All he can do is uselessly splash around for a few seconds, then jump out of the way so someone else can end the fight. Big Pecks jokes that he is our bait. I don’t think it’s very funny, because Jean-Paul has a certain hungry look in his eyes whenever he flies over Isaac.

On the home stretch, we encountered several Paras and a trainer with a strong Clefairy. Clarence and Big Pecks were paralyzed, and Jean-Paul got put to sleep. I laughed inappropriately loudly and aggressively while I healed their status conditions. Matsuoyama brown nosed a little by expressing “gratitude that the Trainer had the foresight to be prepared.” The others sulked. Isaac flobbered.

A mad scientist with an assortment of bulky poisonous Pokemon attacked us over some bits of rock. Clarence and Big Pecks were poisoned, but we weren’t in any real danger. We took the Dome fossil, and finally escaped Mt. Moon.

Entry Three: Route Four

On route 4 en route to Cerulean City, we encountered two very enthusiastic karateka who offered us their techniques. They taught Matsuoyama mega punch, and Clarence mega kick.

Then we encountered an Ekans on route 4. As a fellow Poison type, Jean-Paul was sent to safely weaken it. Unfortunately, he killed the Ekans with Thief...literally stealing its life.

That made two ‘mon killed by crits when I wanted to catch them. I called a team meeting and made it clear that this carelessness could not be tolerated. We’re coming up to Route 24, our best chance to catch a grass Pokemon before challenging the Cerulean City gym, and we cannot squander the opportunity by making careless kills. Everyone agreed to be more careful.

We were all very gracious and listened when Issac solemnly, and long-windedly, promised he wouldn’t hurt anything by accident either.

Entry Four: Cerulean City

We arrived at Cerulean, stayed at the Pokemon center, and bought sundries. This time I received no pushback for buying several Super potions and an extra Escape Rope. We decided to start traveling north straight away to Route 24, but just before we reached the bridge we were ambushed by Someone again.

Someone led off with his bad-attitude Pidgeotto, freshly evolved and ready for revenge. It slammed Clarence with powerful wing gusts, while he retreated into his shell. Clarence managed to get the upper hand, until Someone switched to Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur covered Clarence in parasitic seeds, leaching out his energy and forcing a switch to Jean-Paul. JP beat Bulbasaur handily, as he was resistant to all of its grass and poison attacks. Clarence then defeated Pidgeotto in round two, making his record 2-0.

That Pidgeotto’s eyes were full of hate as Someone recalled him before a fatal blow would extinguish them. It would have been better if Someone hadn’t been so quick. I’m sure that Pidgeotto will be big trouble, for a long time.

The remainder of the battle was a formality. Someone sent out a rattata, and Matsuoyama made short work of the small rodent with a powerful karate-chop. Then Someone, in desperation, sent out the untrained Abra he had just caught. Predictably, Big Pecks took the opportunity to call “dibs,” strutted out onto the battlefield, threw sand in the eyes of his helpless opponent, and then started rolling it over with wing gusts in the dirt. Despite himself, Jean-Paul snickered at the performance, since Big Pecks wasn’t actually harming the Abra…at least, not physically. Someone finally surrendered once the Abra stopped sobbing and went limp.

I predict that two members of our party have made two mortal enemies today.

The battle took longer than expected, and took a lot out of Clarence, so we decided to stay the night in Cerulean City after all. Big Pecks wandered around calling for “High Feathers,” but only Isaac wanted to take him up on it. Matsuoyama and Jean-Paul swapped legends from their respective backgrounds, telling stories about the gods of Japan and Gaelic France. Clarence and I plotted our route through Vermillion City.

We understand a lot rides on finding a Grass type on Route 24, because otherwise we will have to try to pass the Cerulean gym by until our team is significantly stronger. Nobody has a good matchup against Misty right now. However, I am confident we will succeed.

[greaper-blog]

Nuzlocke FR: Part 2

Day Two

Viridian Forest

Weather: Drizzling, Humid Jean-Paul struggles on his own. He’s a runt among his brood, but his serious attitude is an asset because of his small size. After receiving some tag-team help from Big Pecks, who is an apex predator in this ecosystem, Jean-Paul finally made his first solo kill on an even smaller Weedle. Rather than be arrogant, Jean-Paul thanked the fallen for its sacrifice. Along our slow wandering through the forest maze, we encountered several trainers, bug catchers. They were easily defeated by Big Pecks, with support from Clarence. Jean-Paul was able to slowly and torturously sting some tame Metapod to death, as the trainers had caught them wild and the helpless Pokemon had never learned how to move in their cocoons. After feeding on the kill, Jean-Paul had enough energy to evolve into Kakuna.

Entry 2, Pewter City After battling several more bug catchers and with the forest edge in sight, Jean-Paul shed his chrysalis for good and evolved into Beedrill. He uses his sting like a rapier, and has become much stronger. However, we know we’re all going to be riding on Clarence’s back to challenge the Pewter City Gym.

At the gym, we challenged the single jr. Trainer. Clarence was ready to take them down, scoring multiple critical hits to wipe out a Geodude and a Sandshrew without taking a scratch.

The experience bolstered Clarence’s confidence enormously, and he finally learned to fire water out of his mouth instead of just foam and bubbles. Seeing that he was feeling hot, we rolled straight on to Brock without stopping to rest. Brock led with his stalwart Geodude. It was promptly annihilated by a high-pressure water jet. Onyx emerged and, with surprising speed, tackled Clarence. Clarence absorbed the blow with his belly and, point blank, blasted water into Onyx’s mouth, knocking it out in one shot. Clarence had solo’d the Pewter City Gym and only took a single hit. We earned the Boulder badge and tm39, rock tomb. Unfortunately, no one can use it yet.

Entry 3, Route 3 Bought supplies for the expedition to Mt. Moon. We now haven’t enough Pokedollars left to buy so much as a bag of chips, but we can’t be too careful. The party mocked my choice to buy several Awakenings and Paralyze Heals, but we’ll see who’s laughing soon enough.

It will be me, because not only will I be right, but my friends will be alive. Route 3 is crawling with trainers. Jean Paul savaged a Rattata with furious rapid jabs of his stinger. Jean-Paul has become an accomplished duelist with his natural weapons. He’s also essentially invulnerable to other bugs. Disaster was narrowly averted when we took a detour down some rocky cliffs. We ran into a small 8 year old boy who was loitering around in the rubble. Big Pecks led off against the child’s shockingly vicious Spearow.

Big Pecks tried to kick sand at it, but the angry bird was unfazed. Big Pecks panicked and switched with Clarence, who was suddenly on his back foot as the Spearow pecked him like a machine gun, scoring multiple wounds in his vulnerable parts. Bleeding and exhausted, Clarence ducked inside his shell, which confounded the Spearow momentarily. Taking a risk, Clarence fired a water jet and hit home, then tagged out with Big Pecks again in the nick of time. Big Pecks took advantage of the sodden Spearow, and hit home with wing gusts to end the battle.

It was a very close call for Clarence. Jean-Paul was furious. He was forcibly sidelined against the bird pokemon by me, and had to be put in his Pokeball to prevent him from illegally rushing into the battle. He blamed Big Pecks for almost getting Clarence killed, and called him a coward. Clarence, as usual, was modest and forgiving in his salt-of-the-earth way, but Jean-Paul’s continental blood was up and he would not calm down. Jean-Paul demanded satisfaction from Big Pecks on the field of honor, so Clarence and I separated them. We cooled off at the Pokemon Center before continuing on our way.

Entry 4, Route 3 After the earlier incident where Clarence nearly died, Big Pecks seems to have taken something to heart. His attitude has subtly shifted. He is trying to spend the time he usually fritters away in combat studying his opponents’ tells instead. He began to anticipate his enemy’s movements, and be there before they knew they were going anywhere. This has developed into a powerful technique that strikes his enemies before they can react. Jean-Paul, still working out his impotent rage, challenged an experienced Jigglypuff. The creature curled up in a ball and inflated itself to make its skin tougher, so JP flew in zig-zags and delivered a single powerful sting to an opening he found. The Jigglypuff attempted to use its signature soporific song, but the buzzing of JP’s wings kept him from being affected. JP continued harassing the jigglypuff, and although all of his stings were mere glancing blows, the puff began to weaken. Its color went from pink, to purple, to an alarming red. Suddenly the puff collapsed foaming at the mouth, leaving JP unscratched and victorious.

Shortly after that, we encountered a wild Mankey hiding in the bushes. His docile nature had made him a pariah among his tribe, as he believed in settling conflicts without violence whenever possible. I named him Matsuoyama, after the legendary martial artist, and taught him rock tomb so that he could throw boulders and crush Zubats…peacefully.

Finally, at the Pokemon center just outside Mt. Moon, we ran into a sleazy obese man who offered us a “premium” Magikarp for 500 Pokedollars. I was prepared to pass on this con, but then I remembered my old Gyarados, Isaac.

On my last attempt at this challenge, Isaac had been killed by a rogue Ditto that copied his body and killed him with his own Dragon Rage. I was heartbroken, and losing Isaac directly led to me failing the challenge by disqualification: I had no Pokemon left who could Surf. Turning down the Magikarp would mean not needing to babysit a worthless koi fish for 15 levels, but this way, I could get revenge on that evil Ditto. Isaac’s sacrifice would not be in vain.

I also remembered Rhonda Mousey, who was brave. I decided to be brave, too.

I named the Magikarp Isaac. That was a mistake: I should’ve called it Isaac II.

Dammit.

[greaper-blog]

Day 1

Travelogue, Day 1, Entry 1. Pallet Town.

Weather: Hot, clear.

Up bright and early to get to the Pokemon lottery on time. Got a Squirtle, exactly what I was hoping for. The Squirtle is Male, with a Serious nature; no obvious strengths or weaknesses outside of being a Squirtle, and therefore perfect. As a no-nonsense kind of Pokemon, I named him Clarence, a no-nonsense handle and homage to my grandfather.

Before I’d had so much as a chance to put away my sharpie, Someone challenged me to a battle. Someone’s a little insecure, and he sent out the Bulbasaur he chose in a blatant attempt to make me look bad. The fight was closer than I would’ve liked, but Clarence won hanging on to his last sliver of consciousness. The journey will go on.

Entry 2, Route 1 On way to Veridian City, Clarence vomited up watery foam and bubbles at an ambushing Pidgey. It was disgusting, but surprisingly effective. We captured the Pidgey, the first wild member of our team. A male, with a Lax nature, boasting good physical defense but poor special defense. His name shall be: Big Pecks.

Entry 3, Route 1/Viridian City Clarence is quite protective of Big Pecks. Big Pecks is a bit overconfident, sloppy in battle but quite charming. Bought sundry in Viridian, in preparation for the forest. Made sure to pick up antidotes, after hearing about other trainers having close calls against poison. Big Pecks got his first KO against a fierce Rattata by accidentally jabbing it in the eye when it tackled him. Big Pecks acted like it was on purpose, and strut around proudly for the next thirty minutes. He also learned that he could kick sand in people’s eyes so he didn’t have to try as hard in combat. Clarence seems exasperated, but continues to guard Big Pecks as he blunders along.

Entry 4, Route 22 Decided to check out the Pokemon League before the forest. On route 22 caught a female Rattata with a Brave nature. Obviously, her name is Rhonda: Rhonda Mousey. Rhonda fights fiercely, in stark contrast with Big Pecks. Rhonda earned her first victory much, much sooner than Big Pecks did. She stood off against another Rattata, hit it with a tail strike to distract it, then charged in despite being wounded and struck to kill. Clarence thinks she can take care of herself pretty well, and continues to keep an eye on Big Pecks, who consistently falls asleep in the bushes when other pokemon are fighting.

Entry 5, Route 22 Catastrophe. Our first casualty: Rhonda stayed in against a weaker Pidgey, and in a terrible accident was disemboweled. We are all in shock. It should never have happened. Big Pecks mopped up afterwards, then nested in a tree for several hours without coming down or speaking. Clarence blames himself, but the fault is mine. I knew what her condition was, but I let her fight anyway. She was brave, and she died. Goodbye Rhonda Mousey, we hardly knew ye. We left Big Pecks in the tree when he wouldn’t come down, deciding to ask about entry qualifications to the Pokemon League. Encountered Someone on route 22. He challenged us to another battle, when we weren’t expecting it. Clarence led the charge, but Someone’s own Pidgey was very aggressive and powerful, opening with a sand attack and then pecking mercilessly. Clarence retreated into his shell and fortunately exhausted the enemy, allowing him the chance to strike back and win.

When Bulbasaur came out, Clarence was already on the ropes. Big Pecks soared to the rescue, tossing enormous amounts of sand into its eyes and then creating a powerful shockwave with its wings to defeat Bulbasaur. After a short rest at the Pokemon center, we carried on to Route 2, but found no new Pokemon to join us. It was getting dark and rain was coming, so we pushed on into the forest to take cover in the trees. There we found a Weedle, Male, Jean-Paul, of a Serious nature. Bonded well with Clarence despite their very different cultural backgrounds.

The fire is smoky from the wet wood, but we’re dry sheltering under a huge pine tree full of Metapods. Big Pecks is sleeping inside one of their shed exoskeletons; Jean-Paul is under my hat, still too young and small to be safe at night on his own; Clarence sits with his back to the fire, on first watch. In a few hours I’ll take my turn, but for now I will sleep and remember. I will be more careful, and hope that Rhonda will be the first and the last casualty in our journey to become Strongest Under the Heavens.

[greaper-blog]

Nuzlocke challenge: Strongest Under the Heavens!

Travelogue, Day 0

Tomorrow, I will set out on my seventh Pokemon journey. I have explored every corner of the Kanto region over the course of 20 years of travel, but I will now get to experience those nooks and crannies in a new way. For my seventh adventure, I will be attempting a Nuzlocke challenge of Pokemon FireRed for the Game Boy Advance. May the Helix preserve me.

The Nuzlocke became popular by way of various webcomics and YouTube videos documenting the experiences of those who attempt the challenge. For a Pokemon adventure to qualify as a Nuzlocke challenge, it must follow these rules:

1)     Any Pokemon that faints for any reason is considered dead, and must be released at a Pokemon center at the first opportunity.

2)     Only the first Pokemon encountered in an area (route, town, cave, etc.) may be captured. If that Pokemon is knocked out, then the opportunity to make a capture in that area is forfeited.

3)     Saving may be done at any time to record progress, but never to undo events; time may only progress forward.

4)     If all Pokemon in the active party have fainted, even if there are useable Pokemon in PC boxes, the game is over.

a.      As a consequence of rule 1, it is possible to end up in a situation in which no Pokemon are alive that can use an HM that is required to progress the game. In this event, the game is over.

There are many other optional rules that can enhance the difficulty and drama of a Nuzlocke run, but the rules described above are the heart of the challenge. It is considered traditional, but not required, to nickname your Pokemon in order to create a stronger bond with them. I will be observing this tradition.

For this Nuzlocke run, the following additional rules will be observed:

A)   The Starter Pokemon will be chosen by a roll of 1d3. 1=Bulbasaur, 2=Squirtle, 3=Charmander.

B)    Event Pokemon, such as Farfetch’d in Vermillion City and Hitmonchan/Hitmonlee in Saffron City, do not count against the “first Pokemon encountered” rule.

C)    If a previously-captured Pokemon is the first encounter in an area, one “do-over” is allowed to attempt to find a new Pokemon in that area. The second encounter in that area must be either captured or defeated, without exception.

D)   If a Pokemon from the same evolutionary line as a previously captured Pokemon is the first encounter in an area, one “do-over” is allowed to attempt to find a new Pokemon in that area. The second encounter in that area must be either captured or defeated, without exception.

E)    Items may not be used in combat.

a.      An exception is made in the event that an item must be used in battle in order to trigger an event flag to progress the game. This may never occur, but my memory of FireRed is a bit hazy.

  G)   Revives and Full Revives may be sold for cash, even though they can’t be used.

H)   The spirit of a Nuzlocke challenge is to make the best of every situation. Therefore, I will attempt to generally maintain an active roster of six Pokemon for use in battle whenever possible. However, I will make use of “HM Slaves” if they appear (such as Lapras) and will not intentionally put them in harm’s way unless that is unavoidable.

I)      In keeping with H, I will try not to grind excessively in order to overpower any point of the game. The guideline will be to have none of my active Pokemon more than 5 levels higher than the current Gym leader’s strongest Pokemon.

a.      Note that this is a guideline, not a rule. I will act honorably within reason.

J)     All evolutions are fair game, including trade evolutions if I can access them.

K)   I may not acquire new pokemon by trading (but see rule J).

L)    No pokemon from outside the game are allowed.

M)  I may run away from wild Pokemon battles at-will.

  The narrative format of this Nuzlocke will be a traditional travelogue. This means it will be in first-person, describing the time, date, location, conditions, and will be written “in character.” Over time, I hope to create an experience similar to reading the journal of an explorer or adventure, transcribing his adventures and experiences alongside his faithful companions. In order to facilitate the reader’s experience, profiles of the Pokemon partners I capture and befriend will be provided as they appear.

 As a final twist, I have recruited several good friends to make their own Nuzlocke journeys in their own games. Not everyone is playing Fire Red, or using exactly the same rules I am, but we have promised that anyone who reaches the end of the game will then compete in a deathmatch to decide who is the Strongest Under the Heavens! I hope I make it.

Updates will be provided at the end of each play session, and each session will span 1-3 hours of play time. I hope you will enjoy reading this experience as much as I will enjoy writing it, and that you will share my triumphs and sorrows over the course of this adventure. On to the Nuzlocke!