The COOLTRAINER run is a thematic run that limits the player to the monster families used by COOLTRAINERs from 1st or 2nd Generation. The limited pool of monsters is considered difficult/tedious enough on its own to be enjoyable and encourage trying new monsters, while retaining visual appeal, type coverage, and HM availability.

After all 16 badges have been earned, the COOLTRAINER must gather all of the monster families and complete them for the POKéDEX. (exceptions are made for monsters unavailable in their version, since trading in these games isn't easy any more) Their final test is to beat RED at MT. SILVER, limiting themselves to the below listed monster families.

Other POKéMON may be caught during the run, but must never gain EXP until post-run. This discourages keeping non-thematic monsters around as HM slaves.

Once the above conditions have been achieved, the game is considered open for regular play.

COOLTRAINERs may use the monster families listed below. Families marked with asterisks (*) must be traded for if you are playing Crystal.

1. ☑ BELLSPROUT
2. ☐ BULBASAUR*
3. ☑ CATERPIE
4. ☑ CHANSEY
5. ☐ CHARMANDER*
6. ☑ DIGLETT
7. ☐ DRATINI
8. ☑ EEVEE
9. ☑ ELEKID (Shiny!)
10. ☑ EXEGGCUTE
11. ☑ GOLDEEN
12. ☑ GROWLITHE
13. ☑ HOPPIP
14. ☑ HORSEA
15. ☑ KRABBY
16. ☑ MAGNEMITE
17. ☑ MARILL
18. ☑ MEOWTH
19. ☑ NIDORAN
20. ☑ ODDISH
21. ☑ PARAS
22. ☑ PIDGEY
23. ☑ PIKACHU
24. ☑ POLIWAG
25. ☑ PONYTA
26. ☑ PSYDUCK
27. ☑ RHYHORN
28. ☑ SANDSHREW
29. ☑ SEEL
30. ☑ SHELLDER
31. ☐ SQUIRTLE*
32. ☑ STARYU
33. ☑ TANGELA
34. ☑ TAUROS
35. ☑ TENTACOOL
36. ☑ VOLTORB
37. ☐ VULPIX*
38. ☑ WOOPER

Essentially, you miss out on the Kanto starters plus Vulpix if you can't trade.

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Items or monsters written in bold face indicate that I acquired them.

I started with CYNDAQUIL to get SILVER to pick FERALIGATR. He's probably the toughest of the three, but COOLTRAINERs get ample access to GRASS types, so I'm not concerned.

Things went somewhat slow since I started playing in the evening. This limited my POKéMON choices to POLIWAG and BELLSPROUT. Catching POLIWAG went well; he trounced ROUTE 30. I went to grind in DARK CAVE, when I found a DUNSPARCE out of swarm! It's a shame I can't use her in the run, but it saves me from waiting for a phone call post-run.

BELLSPROUT would normally be cake to catch, but being stuck with only a POLIWAG adds some challenge. I waited until POLIWAG learned HYPNOSIS (level 7) before catching BELLSPROUT. It gave me a few turns to weaken it (barely) with a barrage of BUBBLE. My first ball did the trick, so no worries there. I raised BELLSPROUT in DARK CAVE for a while before heading to VIOLET CITY.

There was no way I was going to make it through SPROUT TOWER without catching a PIDGEY or teaching BELLSPROUT WRAP. Since it was almost 02:00, it was a ripe time to get some grinding in before Morning starts at 04:00 (and then bed time). So BELLSPROUT learned WRAP (level 11) grinding on some POLIWAG on ROUTE 30 (higher encounter rate), and we headed to SPROUT TOWER.

BELLSPROUT and WRAP worked out really well. Her double resistance to GRASS made this dungeon cake, but WRAP only has 20 PP and is low-powered, so there was a POKéMON CENTER trip in the middle.

I should've gone back before taking on SAGE LI… My POLIWAG ran into some bad HYPNOSIS luck, and BELLSPROUT was out of WRAP PP. Thankfully, she was level 14 and had plenty of GROWTH and VINE WHIP; enough to save me in the fight! His final POKéMON gave BELLSPROUT SLEEP POWDER (level 15), which makes two for two in terms of Sleep infliction. With HM05 FLASH in tow, it was time to challenge FALKNER.

POLIWAG demolished that gym… HYPNOSIS ftw! With the ZEPHYR BADGE and TM31 MUD-SLAP acquired, I can now venture down ROUTE 32.

ROUTE 32 went well. I picked up a WOOPER. He's my first ELECTRIC-immune type, which will be handy later against the rival's MAGNEMITE. I have to be wary of GRASS types now, though. Morning looms closer, so I'll be able to catch up on type coverage soon. I headed back to DARK CAVE to level up WOOPER. When I came out, it was Morning! My first encounter was a male PIDGEY, which I caught quickly. I caught CATERPIE and HOPPIP on my backtracking journey through ROUTE 30 and 31. When I headed back to VIOLET City, I swung by ROUTE 36 (to the west) for GROWLITHE. Next is UNION CAVE!

Things are starting to look better for me in terms of type coverage! I found a SANDSHREW pretty quickly. I'm reaching a point now where I need to decide who deserves to be in the team right now. FIRE is rare, so GROWLITHE has a guaranteed spot for now; I'll need him against BUGSY and ILEX FOREST in general. Naturally, I went down to B1F to get TM39 SWIFT. The journey through UNION CAVE went by pretty smoothly. No major hiccups. ROUTE 33 is easy, as usual. HIKER ANTHONY got lucky on two LOW KICKs in a row versus my WOOPER, but PIDGEY trounced him.

It's time to take down TEAM ROCKET at the WELL! Sadly, MAREEP isn't available to me to take out the ZUBAT. GROWLITHE has pretty solid stats for his level, so it seemed like a good time to give him more EXP.

Now it's time to face off against AZALEA TOWN's gym! PIDGEY is really close to evolving, so I gave him most of the early EXP. GROWLITHE's stats easily match against even BUGSY's monsters, so this gym was cake. I took the HIVE BADGE, TM49 FURY CUTTER, and bee-lined to the POKéMON CENTER before facing off against SILVER.

SILVER isn't that bad if you have decent type coverage. GROWLITHE's BITE will sweep GASTLY. BELLSPROUT's VINE WHIP dominated CROCONAW without a second thought. Last was ZUBAT… yawn. WOOPER SLAM'd it away.

Here's the first "big" dungeon of the game. The FARFETCH'D quest went by without a hitch, and now I have HM01 CUT. It turns out that BELLSPROUT was the only member of my team who could learn CUT; this was fine since she needed a better physical typed move anyway. WRAP is kinda bad on its own. :)

* sleep, work, etc. *

It's a little after midnight, which is a prime time to catch PARAS! There are a lot of WATER and GRASS types available to me at this point, but PARAS is the only poké who naturally learns SPORE (at level 25; cancel evolution at 24) in 2nd Generation. Its handy, despite the horrid type matchup and mediocre stats. With TM02 HEADBUTT available, it gives me another way to find eligible monsters. The rest of the forest was a breeze.

*sleep*

On the way out of ILEX, I picked up TM12 SWEET SCENT. If I ever get around to raising CATERPIE or PARAS, it'll come in handy. It's nice to see daylight again. WOOPER struggled with SAMUEL's team, but pulled out another level from it. He really won't take off until he becomes QUAGSIRE at lvl 20. BRANDON's SNUBBULL spent most of the match debuffing WOOPER; too bad he had nothing to counteract WATER GUN. I picked up GINA's number since she'll give you a LEAF STONE eventually. PIDGEY evolved after taking out IAN. Poor WOOPER's been having trouble, now that wild pokés are breaking level 10; his speed is crap. Everybody held together, though, and now we're in…

We've reached the biggest city in Johto, wee! The DEPARTMENT STORE is our first stop after the POKéMON CENTER. It's a good time to stock up on LEMONADE and other cheaper, better items. I swung by the UNDERGROUND to pick up the COIN CASE and some easy experience. WOOPER's getting better, bit by bit. I took the quiz for the RADIO CARD at the RADIO STATION, and picked up the BLUE CARD, too. It's an easy way to get an early ULTRA BALL or other prizes. This run will also involve more than 20 POKéMON, so getting BILL's cell phone number from his sister at his house is handy. He'll call you to let you know when a box is full.

* work *

The trainers went by fairly quickly, up until the cop. His last GROWLITHE kept spamming ROAR, so it was tedious to take it down.

The music here is really calm. It's hard to resist taking a moment to chill out with it. I snagged the QUICK CLAW, and gave it to WOOPER. I went into the BUG CATCHING CONTEST with BELLSPROUT, and… well, a BEEDRILL got me. I should've kept him asleep for longer. I felt he was just a level or two shy of being effective. After that embarrassment, I walked it off and fetched TM28 DIG, then cleared the trainers and moved on.

I'm not sure if you're required to approach the SUDOWOODO in Crystal, but I know the quest was changed a bit. It doesn't hurt to get the extra EXP before WHITNEY. The SCHOOLBOY gave me enough EXP to get WEEPINBELL, so that's nice, too. I picked up the TM04 ROLLOUT on my way back to GOLDENROD CITY.

It's a bit past midnight now. On my way to get the BICYCLE, I noticed one of the NPCs says he can't find the BIKE SHOP. He must be blind. I hopped on my bike in front of him and rode around a few times. It felt apt. It was clever of Game Freak to sneak in the "you advertise for me, I give you X thing" model; it's too relevant these days.

The astute reader of the monster list will note that the COOLTRAINER doesn't have easy access to FIGHTING-type moves (or monsters)! To fix this, I need to visit the NATIONAL PARK during Morning or Day to catch a NIDORAN♂. POLIWAG doesn't learn any FIGHTING type moves naturally. NIDORAN's DOUBLE KICK will at least be serviceable, thanks to LEER. Luck was on my side, and I nabbed a DITTO for post-run breeding. I need to wait to get NIDORAN, so I used this time to grind.

* sleep *

I fell asleep before actually grinding, haha. Now that it's Day, I can go fetch NIDORAN♂! He even comes with DOUBLE KICK at level 12. NIDOKING is incredibly versatile and has above average stats overall. He'll make a great addition to the team.

* work *

By the time I was done grinding NIDORAN♂, he became NIDORINO and learned Poison Sting. WOOPER and POLIWAG could use some evolution right now, but Route 36 will be much easier to grind on. NIDORINO can get the job done. It's time for WHITNEY to get a beat-down!

The first trainer was massacred by NIDORINO. Poor SENTRETs didn't stand a chance. The second trainer's MEOWTH got a few flinches in on NIDORINO, but POISON STING proc'd. :3 The second MEOWTH was a bit more aggressive, but SLASH was only doing 7 damage to NIDORINO. He ate a ton of hits in this fight. I'm reaping the rewards of choosing him already!

One LEMONADE later and NIDORINO's back in the game. Third trainer's up. Snubbull gets stomped as well, thanks to the second DOUBLE KICK critting. This NIDORINO (now lvl 20) is fuckin' gangsta.

Semifinal trainer is next. JIGGLYPUFF is not what I call strong and cute (unless your name is Hungrybox and we're playing Melee). NIDORINO continues his onslaught. Boy, I'm getting deja vu with these balloons. Three in total. Damn. So much for "strong". Level 21 now, btw. :)

It's time to give WHITNEY something to cry about. (But I saved anyway; this is WHITNEY!)

Normally, I lose my first fight against WHITNEY. She tends to have really good luck, and MILTANK is just beastly this early in the game. But COOLTRAINER's too cool for that. We need to get her taken down ASAP, before MILTANK has an opportunity to build the DEFENSE CURL + ROLLOUT combo. POLIWAG is quick enough to get HYPNOSIS on the first turn; the rest will be up to NIDORINO. If he gets KO'd, WOOPER will resist ROLLOUT and be able to stall.

WHITNEY's CLEFAIRY and my NIDORINO. POISON STING procs on the first turn! METRONOME… and it's REST. Now I get 2+ free hits. Thanks, RNG! CLEFAIRY eats feet to the face.

Now it's me and WHITNEY's bovine abomination. She gets the jump on me with ROLLOUT.. shit. POISON STING didn't proc. I bide a turn with LEER. Maybe she'll miss… Nope. Still got hit. But now her defense is down. NIDORINO can handle only one more hit. I used a LEMONADE to eat hit 4, and NIDORINO still dropped on hit 5. For an 80% accuracy move, MILTANK has good luck. Now the battlefield is open. NIDO's down, and I only have one REVIVE.

PIDGEOTTO's turn. I tried to use SAND-ATTACK and met ATTRACT. This cow is too fast! I can't have a sitting bird out against a ROLLOUT user. No way. WOOPER gets swapped in. I went with TAIL WHIP while MILTANK STOMPed him. Ow… WOOPER responded with a SLAM. Another STOMP, damn! WOOPER can't survive another STOMP. I pray to the RNG and do not falter. Next turn, MILTANK missed STOMP and WOOPER KO'd MILTANK with a final SLAM!

And now WHITNEY's in tears. *mic drop*

May NIDORINO's valiant efforts go down in COOLTRAINER history. I couldn't have done it without you! Seriously, he took 95% of the gym on his own. He has a permanent spot among COOL POKéMON. Bravo!

This team is shaping up really well. After WHITNEY's tantrum, I walk out with the PLAIN BADGE and TM45 ATTRACT. Good riddance.

After healing my monsters, PICNICKER GINA calls me; she had a LEAF STONE! I don't remember the OG having so frequent of calls. Whatever, I'm cool with it.

* sleep *

It's Day now, and there are a few things I want to handle before night time.

First up is the SQUIRTBOTTLE quest. It's a shame I can't keep SUDOWOODO in my team; he's pretty handy and gets an interesting moveset. Still, I go in with WOOPER so I can handle his ROCK THROW. WOOPER knows HEADBUTT now, which is more reliable than SLAM. After some SAND-ATTACK spam with PIDGEOTTO and HYPNOSIS + DOUBLESLAP from POLIWAG, SUDOWOODO finally stayed in the ball. Now he can enjoy a good rest in the PC. I nabbed TM08 ROCK SMASH on the way to VIOLET CITY.

With CUT and HEADBUTT, I can take care of a few more things near here, like the HYPER POTION behind the POKéMON CENTER. Let's head east.

My first HEADBUTT is an EXEGGCUTE! Perfect. WEEPINBELL put him to sleep and got the capture, but not before burning 7 or 8 balls. >:/

Next is the BUG-CATCHING CONTEST. I caught a level 13 SCYTHER, but then picked up a level 14 PINSIR with higher HP, so I took him to the contest. I ended up getting 353 pts, shy of BARRY's 366. What a dick. Oh well, I still got an EVERSTONE. It's also night time, so there's not much to go HEADBUTTing for. I swung through ROUTE 32 for TM05 ROAR, and a TENTACOOL, one of my favorite WATER-types. Through UNION CAVE, I caught a GOLDEEN on my way to AZALEA to give KURT more APRICORNs.

I finished the loop and headed to…

The first order of business was seeing BILL at the POKéMON CENTER, so the TIME MACHINE will be setup tomorrow. I got tired and closed the 3DS after this.

YOUNGSTER JOEY wanted a rematch; I figured, "why not?" His RATTATA is level 15 now, so that's nice. I headed back to GOLDENROD CITY so I could pick up the EEVEE from BILL. On the way there, WOOPER finally became a QUAGSIRE! I soft-reset a few times, and got an EEVEE with perfect SpAtt and SpDef DVs. I'm not sure what it'll become, but right now it looks like a great contender for an ESPEON or UMBREON. I put it in the box for later.

Since I'm soft resetting, I may as well get one annoying thing out of the way: the ODD EGG. For those who don't know, the ODD EGG hatches a poké that knows DIZZY PUNCH, and has a 1 in 8 chance of being shiny! Be sure to save before entering the DAY CARE so you can add entropy or change RAM slightly before taking the EGG; that's when its contents are set! If you save after getting the egg, you're screwed.

So it's 2 AM and I'm watching TAS runs while I soft reset for the ODD EGG. Here's some more trivia for you:

The ODD EGG POKéMON is actually one of only two variations, and both are female (except for TYROGUE):

• DVs of zero in everything;
• DVs of 2/10/10/10 (that is, a 2 Attack DV and 10 in everything else)

Naturally, we want the second option, which is guaranteed to be shiny. And we want an ELEKID. Why?

• The ODD EGG poké, if shiny, is guaranteed to have HIDDEN POWER GRASS;
• ELECTABUZZ can learn all three elemental punches;
• ELECTABUZZ is mostly a special sweeper, and won't miss the lower Attack DV.

(this info comes from Bulbapedia's ODD EGG page)

If I can nail a shiny ELEKID, the resulting ELECTABUZZ will be a reliable special sweeper who can take down dragons and paralyze as needed. Very potent, and I've never tried it so it'll be fun!

For the record, the odds of getting a shiny ELEKID are about the same as encountering a CHANSEY in 1st Generation's SAFARI ZONE (~1-2%). I'm keeping count of the soft resets, for the lulz.

It takes about 10-15 minutes of bike riding to hatch the ODD EGG, so I can get 4-6 eggs per hour.

Challenge Complete: The Wait for ELEKID! See 2018-02-26.

The soft resets continue. (see ODD EGG Status)

The soft resets continue. (see ODD EGG Status)

The soft resets continue. (see ODD EGG Status)

The wall of soft-resetting for a shiny ELEKID was broken! Just moments before midnight, too! This concludes five days of soft-resetting, for a grand total of 47 soft resets. The time spent actually racking up steps ranged from 15-30 minutes per reset due to distractions. At minimum, 11 hours and 45 minutes was spent biking up and down central GOLDENROD. I spent my nights racking up BLUE CARD points, so I got something done. :)

Today, I trained ELEKID up and gathered berries from my past JOHTO travels. Gave KURT a few BLACK APRICORNs since I'll need HEAVY BALLS later. I started grinding ELEKID in DARK CAVE, since she knows ICE PUNCH and could dispatch the GEODUDE with ease. ILEX FOREST proved to be another good grinding spot.

A little after 1, I got back to the game and matched against SILVER in ECRUTEAK. ELEKID did surprisingly well against HAUNTER, then I switched out for GROWLITHE when MAGNEMITE showed up. I ended up losing GROWLITHE after CROCONAW came out, when I switched to WEEPINBELL. Lastly, I switched to ELEKID for ZUBAT because I needed EXP for her. DIZZY PUNCH did its job handily.

With the gerbils released from the rubble, it was time to face off against MORTY. I snagged the ITEM FINDER and headed to the gym.

The big thing to worry about here is Ghosts using CURSE. It's a pain in the ass. Thankfully, GROWLITHE will BITE'em up before they have a chance to do anything!

By the time I reached Morty, GROWLITHE was already about half past level 22. I started with BITE, but GASTLY got the jump on me with LICK. We exchanged blows, but now GASTLY was slivers away from a KO. A second LICK; good, no PAR. EMBER put GASTLY to rest.

HAUNTER's next. GROWLITHE was already too slow for the GASTLY. These guys are well-trained. HAUNTER takes a chance with HYPNOSIS and misses! GROWLITHE responds with a solid BITE. HAUNTER succeeded the second time around; now I'm a sitting pup. HAUNTER strikes with NIGHT SHADE, bringing GROWLITHE to around half HP. GROWLITHE woke up instantly and burned him to a crisp with EMBER!

…Damn, this dog is tough.

Now MORTY's not fuckin' around; a level 25 GENGAR. Lovely. I chanced ignoring a POTION hoping he'd CURSE first, but alas GENGAR's SHADOW BALL took the pup down for the fight. :(

Time to get crafty. I sent PIDGEOTTO out. I figured he'd use CURSE to get past PIDGEOTTO's NORMAL typing, but he chose HYPNOSIS. Now I know two of his moves. DREAM EATER follows, finishing off PIDGEOTTO! :(

Alright, time to get serious. My two leads just got decimated. I sent NIDORINO out, but he didn't have anything useful against a GENGAR; I went with LEER to stall, while GENGAR spent a few turns using HYPNOSIS. When NIDORINO was put to sleep 3 turns later, I swapped out to WEEPINBELL. There isn't much of a type advantage, but there's SLEEP POWDER! That'll give me enough cover to switch to ELEKID and get a LIGHT SCREEN in before he can SHADOW BALL. EDIT: This does not work in 2nd gen because SHADOW BALL runs on ATTACK. Oops. ELEKID succeeds, moving on to a hefty THUNDER PUNCH! Four turns in after the second T-PUNCH. He can be a real threat now, and he still has 30% or so of his HP. GENGAR wakes up and puts ELEKID to sleep! I switched to WEEPINBELL again, to make DREAM EATER whiff. Unfortunately GENGAR uses HYPNOSIS again and WEEPINBELL is down. Quaggy can't really do much here and ELEKID can't take a single SHADOW BALL hit. We need GENGAR asleep! I use my one and only AWAKENING to bring WEEPINBELL back, forcing another DREAM EATER whiff. GENGAR missed with HYPNOSIS again and WEEPINBELL connected with SLEEP POWDER.

Anyone telling you that 2nd Generation is defensive isn't lying. Matches can go on like this without any effort. I continue juggling and send out ELEKID for the second time. ELEKID and GENGAR both spend 2 turns asleep when ELEKID wakes up and bops GENGAR with two more THUNDER PUNCHes, sending the annoying ghost back to the grave!

Finally, MORTY's last HAUNTER. This match has exhausted a third of my team, and what's left can't hit GHOSTS very well. ELEKID's out there though; let's make the most of it! ELEKID is strangely faster than this particular HAUNTER, so she gets the first hit. HAUNTER reponds with MEAN LOOK. Welp, there goes the juggling defense. :P Time for good old fashioned poké battling. The second THUNDER PUNCH paralyzes HAUNTER! ELEKID is hit with NIGHT SHADE; ouch. He's level 23 and I have 27 HP left. ELEKID finishes HAUNTER off with a final THUNDER PUNCH!

I walk out of the gym with the FOG BADGE, TM30 SHADOW BALL, and a stronger respect for my team.

After a quick visit to the POKéMON CENTER, I swung by to face off against the KIMONO GIRLS and earn some HMs. Quaggy needs SURF!

First off is MIKI, on the far right. She uses JOLTEON against QUAGSIRE. Lul. Two HEADBUTTS and JOLTEON hit the floor.

KUNI's next, with VAPOREON. I chose PIDGEOTTO to fight her. SAND-ATTACK and GUST paved the way.

ZUKI's up, with UMBREON! This one's a tough nut to crack. QUAGSIRE was faster and abused HEADBUTT. PURSUIT and TACKLE aren't enough, ZUKI!

We're at the semi-final, against SAYO, with ESPEON. QUAGSIRE probably shouldn't be out, but HEADBUTT will hit hard against ESPY. It wasted a turn on SAND-ATTACK while Quaggy HEADBUTTed it out of the room.

Our last KIMONO GIRL is NAOKO, with FLAREON. PIDGEOTTO should be able to handle this, despite having "meh" defenses.

The old man hands over HM03 SURF after gushing over how awesome I was. I guess I have my first groupie now. I taught QUAGSIRE SURF and we moved onto the next challenge.

ROUTE 38 and 39 went fairly well. I saved MILTANK and received TM13 SNORE for the trouble. It takes 7 or 8 BERRIES. Once I got to OLIVINE I saved. Not very eventful.

The first order of business is in the café, where I got HM04 STRENGTH! North of the POKéMON CENTER I picked up the GOOD ROD! With this, I can pick up a few more pokés.

I went up to ROUTE 39 for MEOWTH and MAGNEMITE since it's around 1AM; I'll have to catch TAUROS and the others when it's daylight. Pretty tired tonight, so I headed back to OLIVINE and saved.

Daylight Savings Time begins again, but I haven't set the game time yet so I used the 'extra' hour to hunt down TAUROS. The alternative was to beeline to NEW BARK TOWN for a single conversation. I took this opportunity to get some grinding in, too. It didn't take very long to find him; around 10-15 minutes.

I went to the harbor to nab SHELLDER, then caught STARYU and KRABBY at the shore.

Time to cross the sea to CIANWOOD CITY! These parts tend to be rough since they limit your party's viable members. WATER is potent and couples well with a lot of other types. GROWLITHE will have the most trouble here, so he goes to the back. ELEKID goes to the front to have maximum monster coverage.

SWIMMER♂ SIMON's TENTACOOL withstood a THUNDER PUNCH, and poisoned ELEKID. DIZZY PUNCH finished it off. The second TENTACOOL went down similarly. So much for a warm up!

Time for SWIMMER♀ PAULA. Her STARYU didn't have a chance against ELEKID. SHELLDER met the same electrifying fate.

SWIMMER♂ RANDALL continues the trend and ELEKID one-shots everything. Those 11 hours of soft resets are paying off now. ELEKID's soaking in the EXP, hitting level 25.

SWIMMER♂ GEORGE is up next. This guy has a full team! Good, I'd like to spread some EXP to NIDORINO to help against CHUCK. He leads with TENTACOOL. Good, POISON-type can't be poisoned. HORN ATTACK leads the charge through half of GEORGE's team. Now STARYU comes out. It's a bit tougher since NIDORINO's best move right now is HORN ATTACK, but his stats make up for it. NIDO takes out another TENTACOOL, and lastly REMORAID. I decide to have a little fun and poison him before NIDORINO's horn ends him.

I move through the WHIRL ISLANDS and come across SWIMMER♀ KARA. I had switched to WEEPINBELL prior to the fight since she could use the EXP too. STARYU gets the jump with HARDEN, of all things. WEEPINBELL has a high ATTACK, but it's not put to good use until you get SLUDGE BOMB, which I'm saving for a male, with better DVs. WEEPINBELL puts it to sleep with SLEEP POWDER, which gives her enough time to setup with GROWTH. I try not to GROWTH more than twice; VINE WHIP will hit plenty hard by then. Sleep must last at least two turns, so it's optimum strategy. STARYU wakes up from its nap with RAPID SPIN, and WEEPINBELL's VINE WHIP slays it. Thanks for the setup! Now WEEPINBELL will preserve PP with VINE WHIP, which starts at only 10 (with a max of 16). Next is STARMIE, who wasted turns with RAPID SPIN while WEEPINBELL put it to sleep. VINE WHIP does the same thing, with the benefit of GROWTH allowing it to one-shot… or so I thought! STARMIE holds on with a sliver of HP, but still couldn't wake up… Sucks for KARA; at least her STARMIE's decent!

WEEPINBELL's trying to learn ACID now. The tough decision with ACID is "is it better than GROWTH?", and that leads me to question her viability on the team. VICTREEBEL doesn't learn a lot of good moves, and GRASS-types are under-powered in 2nd Generation. VICTREEBEL's stats match a physical sweeper, which can be done much better by another poké. But ACID can reduce DEFENSE while attacking at the same time; it's a benefit that's hard to overlook. The future VICTREEBEL will have high ATTACK and won't miss the damage much. Meanwhile, RAZOR LEAF will (later) replace VINE WHIP well enough to not need GROWTH. So, ACID it is. Still, now is a good time for me to consider who my main physical sweeper will be. I'll need it for the ELITE 4.

SWIMMER♂ MATHEW (weird spelling but okay) meets eyes with me, and his KRABBY whittled NIDORINO down to 1 HP before it was KO'd by DOUBLE KICK. NIDORINO needs a special type move to get around tanks…

SWIMMER♀ DENISE is next up, with SEEL. NIDORINO has trouble against HP sponges like him, but REST couldn't save it from HORN ATTACK.

SWIMMER♂ BERKE's QWILFISH went down fairly easily.

SWIMMER♀ WENDY is last. Nice, a HORSEA! It used LEER; too bad it couldn't last two turns! The second HORSEA surprised me with DRAGON RAGE; NIDORINO was at 35 HP so down he went… ELEKID returned the favor with THUNDER PUNCH.

At this point, I'm down one monster and the important members of the team are tired. Time to hit the POKéCENTER.

FISHER RALPH just called me about the QWILFISH swarm, so I gotta make Chuck quick if I want to catch the swarm! Onward I go.

Let's see how NIDORINO fares here. Being POISON-type, he has a defensive advantage and can dish out enough pain on his own. PIDGEOTTO will back him up if he fails.

BLACKBELT YOSHI leads with HITMONLEE! The best hitmon of the three overall, and a considerable threat. His defense is low, however, so let's take advantage of that with LEER. HITMONLEE's DOUBLE KICK crits on the second hit, leaving NIDORINO at 60% or so HP. Two HORN ATTACKS took him out after the LEER, but not without a considerable blow to NIDORINO's HP.

Due to how the sprites are setup here, BLACKBELT LAO starts a battle immediately, giving the player no time to react. This one's HITMONCHAN, who is a bit more defensive but has elemental punches. None of them are super effective against NIDORINO, though, so there's still an advantage. One LEMONADE to get NIDORINO back in the game, and 'CHAN hits with THUNDER PUNCH. Clever, trying to paralyze. NIDORINO hits with his HORN ATTACK like always. 'CHAN hits with COMET PUNCH 3 times. We're about equal in HP now. I take a risk with POISON STING, and it poisons HITMONCHAN! Being poisoned also lowers DEFENSE, so it's a free LEER. HITMONCHAN hits with ICE PUNCH, and one last HORN ATTACK takes him down. Ding! Level 27, which means FOCUS ENERGY! It replaces LEER, since higher crit rate is more useful in the long run.

At this point I realize I need STRENGTH, so I give it to QUAGSIRE in place of SLAM. In essence it was an accuracy buff.

Next up is BLACKBELT NOB with a MACHOP. I gave NIDORINO a BERRY so he could heal mid-battle without wasting a turn. I went with a FOCUS ENERGY to HORN ATTACK, but MACHOP's SEISMIC TOSS stopped me. Oops. I send out PIDGEOTTO. It's time to end this! MACHOP goes down with GUST. MACHOKE comes out, who will be a problem since PIDGEOTTO's only level 24. PIDGEOTTO uses SAND-ATTACK, but MACHOKE strikes with ROCK SLIDE! PIDGEOTTO hangs on. Wow. Let's go with GUST and tempt the RNG. MACHOKE loses a third of his HP and misses with SEISMIC TOSS! Nice. Let's try that again. MACHOKE tries another ROCK SLIDE… and another miss! The third GUST finishes MACHOKE and my birdy lives to see another fight. Let's go back to the POKéCENTER.

I should've grinded with PIDGEOTTO, but there's no point in lamenting now.

BLACKBELT LUNG (?) promises to shatter my hopes. Well then. Let's see how he handles NIDORINO. MANKEY has a low DEFENSE, so HORN ATTACK takes most of his HP down. Similar things happen with the next MANKEY, but now that I know what to expect, I used FOCUS ENERGY to add extra oomph. Last is PRIMEAPE, who is slower than NIDORINO! I continue with HORN ATTACK, but didn't get a critical hit. Oh well; LUNG got shattered instead!

I'm not sure my team is ready for CHUCK, to be honest. POLIWRATH is easy to dismiss, but he's a real contender, if you put the work in to build and breed his moveset. The FIGHTING type adds some weaknesses, though, so that's a plus.

So, here we are with a level 27 PRIMEAPE. NIDORINO is level 28, though. PRIMEAPE hits 3 times with FURY SWIPES, and I go for POISON STING, for fun. No proc, oh well. Back to HORN ATTACK. PRIMEAPE LEERs before being KO'd, so I need to swap out to avoid an easy loss. I don't do that, because he might use DYNAMIC PUNCH. NIDORINO will resist that (0.5x damage), while PIDGEOTTO would face x1 damage. I heal NIDORINO to give us a better shot at the badge. Oof, Surf! HP is back down to what it was. It turns out that NIDORINO is faster, and gets lucky with POISON STING! Now I can wall him to assure a KO. POLIWRATH SURFs NIDORINO out. I'm tempted to use PIDGEOTTO, but WEEPINBELL is the wiser choice. POLIWRATH lines up with MIND READER, while ACID lowers his Defense. I block the MIND READER with a free swap to PIDGEOTTO. POLIWRATH tried to use HYPNOSIS instead of what I expected (DYNAMIC PUNCH). The past few turns have left their mark on POLIWRATH. With PIDGEOTTO in place, we aim for the KO with GUST. . POLIWRATH gets lucky and hits with DYNAMIC PUNCH, knocking PIDGEOTTO to 3 HP. I chance confusion and lose against the RNG. I send out WEEPINBELL and it doesn't matter how the turn ends, because it will be VINE Whip or the poison that gets him. Situations like this prove the power of POISON. POISON is about wearing an opponent down and having near-certainty of that monster being KO'd within the next 5 turns if it isn't swapped out (factoring in attacks). The lowered DEFENSE gives it an offensive edge compared to other status inflictions, too.

When I send out WEEPINBELL and aim for VINE WHIP, POLIWRATH goes first on a failed HYPNOSIS. The poison takes him, carrying my victory. A brief moment for NIDORINO and PIDGEOTTO. Their sacrifice was not in vain. CHUCK hands over the STORM BADGE and TM01 DYNAMIC PUNCH. I talk to his wife, teach PIDGEOTTO HM02 FLY, and head down to ROUTE 32. Maybe the QWILFISH are still there!

Score! My first fishing attempt got a QWILFISH! Too bad I ran out of balls to catch it with… Oops. A quick stop in GOLDENROD for GREAT BALLS, and I caught the next one. Yay for multi-tasking! I'll be able to meet up with trainers a lot better now. I forgot about the medicine you get from CIANWOOD, so I looked around for that and found myself fighting EUSINE!

He leads with DROWZEE. NIDORINO needs out of there! GROWLITHE could use the EXP, let's do it. Two BITEs in, DROWZEE HYPNOSIS'd GROWLITHE. RNG was not in my favor, so GROWLITHE goes down. Lesson learned: don't over-extend. Now there're no anti-PSYCHIC moves on my team, and two monsters weak to it. Great… PIDGEOTTO goes into the fray with GUST. DROWZEE puts him to sleep, too, so I switch out to ELEKID and DIZZY PUNCH it out! HAUNTER is next, and paralyzes ELEKID before being KO'd. ELECTRODE follows, who gets ICE PUNCH! ELEKID faltered a bit through the paralysis, so she got laid out by three ROLLOUTs. I'll send QUAGSIRE out. This'll be fun since he resists ROCK. ROLLOUT strikes again, but QUAGSIRE soaks it up and SURFS him away!

After EUSINE takes off, YOUNGSTER JOEY called me up for a battle. Why not? I could use the EXP.

So I can't face JASMINE until I find her in the LIGHTHOUSE, fetch AMPHY's medicine, and come back. Oops. On the way I grab TM 34 SWAGGER. The trip goes well; the trainers weren't much of a threat, as usual.

JASMINE's probably my favorite 2nd Generation gym leader. She's kind, has a cool hair style, and isn't full of herself. Her gym is empty, too. Maybe she's too cool for groupies? Regardless, I march forward and face JASMINE. Sorry, girl. I'm glad AMPHY's better, but it's time to melt your ass.

JASMINE sends out MAGNEMITE against my WEEPINBELL. Naturally, I use SLEEP POWDER and switch to GROWLITHE. EMBER takes it down before it could wake up! Next is STEELIX… and it's level 35. I wasn't ready for this one. GROWLITHE takes a chance with EMBER, but STEELIX responded with ROCK THROW, knocking him down to 3 HP. I switch out to QUAGSIRE. STEELIX used ROCK THROW again, but it wasn't very effective. I respond with SURF, while STEELIX uses SUNNY DAY. Clever plan, JASMINE… SUNNY DAY's gonna last 5 turns, so I use SURF again to wear him down while I wait. STEELIX then uses IRON TAIL. Double resistance really helps here! QUAGSIRE continues sending waves of SURF despite the debuff from SUNNY DAY, finishing with 25/90 HP. Pretty tough poké! MAGNEMITE is JASMINE's final team member. QUAGSIRE SURFs on it, but SUPERSONIC struck. I gamble and try SURFING once more… and he still obeyed, finishing MAGNEMITE and JASMINE!

JASMINE is graceful and politely grants me the MINERAL BADGE, and timidly hands over TM23 IRON TAIL. Not a bad run, especially considering I was under-leveled. There's a good mid-game grinding spot coming up soonish.

Wow, has it really been almost 9 months? Jeez, does time fly! It's Smash Ultimate Eve and in celebration of Pichu returning, I shall resume the 2nd gen playthrough!

To the east, toward MAHOGANY TOWN!

Morning started just as I entered, so we're already off to a good start. I snagged the ULTRA BALL on my way across, when I ran into SUICUNE again! It ran off and I went to pickup apricorns when I realized that my bag was full, so I had to double back to clear some space. I came back, nabbed the SUPER POTION, and SURFed forward, facing off against FISHER TULLY. WEEPINBELL got the jump on his QWILFISH with SLEEP POWDER, leaving him wide open for the punishment. After the fight, TULLY offers to share items he finds. My contact list was full (seriously Game Freak, 10 slots?) so I deleted FISHER RALPH's number since I have a QWILFISH already. By the time that was done, LASS DANA wanted to battle. She can wait until I get to MAHOGANY. It didn't take long, since the trainers were pretty weak. Once I laid waste to DANA and returned to MAHOGANY, it was time to head north.

BTW, if you check out the radio in your POKéGEAR and turn it to the highest frequency, you can hear the radio signal TEAM ROCKET is using to force the MAGIKARP to evolve. Pretty creepy!

Not much to speak of here. I paid the toll by accident, but oh well! They'll be repaid. :) At least GROWLITHE is getting some much needed EXP. I snagged the MAX ETHER along the way.

I came in from the west side to get the FULL RESTORE, RARE CANDY, ELIXER, TM10 HIDDEN POWER, and finally TM43 DETECT. Quite a trek, but worth the loot! I backracked to the east side, then flew back to ECRUTEAK CITY to stock up on BALLS. It's red GYARADOS time!

I lead the battle with WEEPINBELL. If I can get GYARADOS to sleep, we'll have easy pickin's for catching him. SLEEP POWDER connected after the second attempt, and I had GYARADOS ready to be caught when he woke up and THRASHed WEEPINBELL out. QUAGSIRE was up next, and he soaked up BITEs until my 6th GREAT BALL captured GYARADOS, ending our little stand-off! I grabbed the RED SCALE as well, and met up with LANCE at the shore.

* sleep *

My buddy got Smash early (it's literally midnight and he's been playing at least an hour :P), so I'm being careful and staying off the Internet until I get my copy later today and have had enough time to explore the game. This site is on my LAN so it's technically not on the Internet. :) Besides, it was fun coming back.

Now that LANCE told me what's up, we gotta take down those ROCKET losers. I swing by the POKéCENTER for a quick heal and descend into the hideout…

Oh boy, guaranteed encounters! Normally I'd be annoyed, but this means some EXP. We're close to the 30s across the board, but we need to gain a few more levels if we're going to be ready for CLAIR by the time we get to BLACKTHORNE CITY. I put GROWLITHE up front since he has higher EXP requirements and I'll need him to take on PRYCE later.

The first ROCKET GRUNT went down without any problems. The second managed to confuse GROWLITHE with ZUBAT's SUPERSONIC, but that didn't stop him! GRIMER came in next and POUNDed on GROWLITHE while he was derping for two turns. When GROWLITHE came back with EMBER, it burned! I used this moment to start sweeping with TAKE DOWN. GRIMER went down and the RATTATA to follow just had no chance.

Even the puny SCIENTIST deeper within the hideout, with his sad MAGNEMITE trio, couldn't stand to the might of GROWLITHE. I stole his GUARD SPEC., hit the switch, and continued my power walk through this joint to get the HYPER POTION and NUGGET.

I followed LANCE through another section, knocking out GOLBATs and KOFFINGs.. until I met this GLOOM that got lucky with STUN SPORE. She gave me some trouble, but GROWLITHE survived.

GROWLITHE's level 29 now, so I switched out to ELEKID so she can get closer to evolution.

I push onwards, determined to find who's responsible for this radio signal forcing POKéMON to evolve!

One of the SCIENTISTs sprung a DITTO on me. I switched to QUAGSIRE to steer the TRANSFORM. I thought QUAGSIRE was faster, but DITTO got lucky with a critical SURF. WEEPINBELL cleaned up the mess for me. There was an X SPECIAL, a PROTEIN, an ICE HEAL, and two FULL HEALs in it for us, so that's nice. We went up a floor and resumed.

Just as I was approaching the boss's office, SILVER snuck up on me. Oops. I'm down two monsters! Let's see what I can d– ah, the punk walked off. I forgot about this encounter. I grabbed the ULTRA BALL and casually opened the shutters.

After the executive's nice evil speech, he throws… a ZUBAT at me? Come on. PIDGEOTTO bats it out of the sky. The follow-up RATICATE knocked out my bird, though… sheesh. Enough BS, WEEPINBELL's got this. RATICATE got the SCARY FACE out, but SLEEP POWDER prevailed and that's all it took. KOFFING was up next, but he met the same fate with SLEEP POWDER. Don't underestimate GRASS type, people, even if it does suck in 2nd gen!

After getting the password from the MURKROW, I dipped down to get TM46 THIEF. Then I met up with LANCE to free the ELECTRODE. So I'm up against the EXECUTIVE's ARBOK. I don't have much going on with my team since GROWLITHE, QUAGSIRE, and PIDGEOTTO are all knocked out and I don't have any REVIVEs (would rather save up for GAME CORNER coins). I lead with NIDORINO, who has a good defensive advantage here. HORN ATTACK carries him through as ARBOK uses LEER and follows up with… BITE? That's Special type in 2nd gen, bruh. NIDORINO gains level 29, giving us the oomph we need to continue. GLOOM is next, and missed with its SLEEP POWDER. NIDORINO continues with HORN ATTACK unabated. Next is MURKROW. Pfft. HORN ATTACK continues to be reliable. Is this the best TEAM ROCKET has to offer after three years?

After this mess, I rushed to KO the ELECTRODE as soon as possible, since SELF-DESTRUCT doesn't screw around and NIDORINO (my highest DEF monster who isn't KO'd) only has 50 DEF. The first two ELECTRODE went down fairly easily, but the last one blew up on me and took out NIDORINO. That's okay, though. LANCE hands me HM06 WHIRLPOOL before taking off. Let's go back to the POKéCENTER and get some rest for my tired monsters.

I didn't forget about this playthrough, I promise. :) Smash Ultimate has been stealing most of my attention, but I'm just about finished with it now, with only some Spirits, some music, and the last of the Online challenges left. It's surprisingly easy to 100% Ultimate, compared to Sm4sh or Brawl. But enough about that.

Let's take on PRYCE, since TEAM ROCKET hasn't taken over the radio tower completely yet.

MAHOGANY TOWN is in the foothills of the MT. SILVER mountain range, so you expect it to be a little chilly, but the gym is something else. Littered with blocks of ice that you slide across, just getting to PRYCE is a puzzle! I approach the guy on the far left, leading with WEEPINBELL. Why WEEPINBELL? Easy: most ICE-type POKéMON also tend to be WATER or some other type that's weak to GRASS; at least in 2nd gen. You've got LAPRAS, the SEEL line, the SWINUB line, and CLOYSTER. It's high-risk/high-reward, though, since ICE will take down GRASS in no time. Let's see how it works out. :)

BOARDER RONALD leads with SEEL. See? This should go well. WEEPINBELL missed with SLEEP POWDER, while SEEL took advantage with AURORA BEAM. It stung, but only took about 20% of WEEPINBELL's HP. SLEEP POWDER connects on the second attempt, paving the way for VINE WHIP. It took two uses, though, so we'll need to be careful of PP going forward. DEWGONG follows, and SLEEP POWDER connects with it! This one took three hits, leaving VINE WHIP with only 5 PP. The last monster is SEEL. This time I opted for ACID; it took three turns and left WEEPINBELL pretty low on HP. Instead of cheesing this with the POKéMON CENTER, let's see how far WEEPINBELL can go! RONALD hands over his cash and we move onward, to the other side of the room.

SKIER CLARISSA sends out a DEWGONG. Boy, we've got déjà vu. I got cocky with SLEEP POWDER again, but it didn't pay off. Poor WEEPINBELL. :( ELEKID hops right in to avenge her fallen comrade with a meaty THUNDERPUNCH, which paralyzed! DEWGONG responds with AURORA BEAM. ELEKID punches again, leaving DEWGONG with a sliver of HP. DEWGONG had the initiative, but was stunned in PAR when ELEKID finishes the fight with DIZZY PUNCH!

That's two down… Let's go up and to the left for our next defender, BOARDER BRAD. He leads with SWINUB. Neat choice against my ELEKID. ICE PUNCH can hit him for 1x, but is it worth chancing a GROUND-type attack? Only one way to find out… ELEKID connects with the ICE PUNCH. SWINUB counters with… POWDER SNOW? Okay… one ICE PUNCH later and SWINUB is off the ice. The second SWINUB leads with ENDURE. Joke's on you, bud; ELEKID can't take him out in one hit! ELEKID strikes with ICE PUNCH, and starts the next turn with DIZZY PUNCH, confusing the SWINUB! The opponent manages to see through the stars and gets a TACKLE in. Huh. Next turn SWINUB tries to pre-empt with ENDURE, but confusion caused a self-KO, finishing the battle. I almost feel bad for the little piggie. Almost.

After that bout, I went right, up, and left to face the next trainer. SKIER ROXANNE sends out her only POKéMON, a JYNX! This should be fun. ELEKID puts up a LIGHT SCREEN so JYNX will have to work harder. JYNX uses POWDER SNOW, leaving ELEKID with a tiny bit of HP. ELEKID's almost to level 28, so I swap out for GROWLITHE. JYNX's turns are numbered. :) GROWLITHE switched into JYNX's ICE PUNCH; no big deal. GROWLITHE has two different tools at his disposal here (EMBER and BITE). I command a BITE, hoping to be faster than JYNX so I can flinch lock. Sadly, JYNX is faster with a DOUBLESLAP. It only got two hits in. BITE strikes, and it seems JYNX has some great SPDEF. JYNX starts the next turn with another DOUBLESLAP, and GROWLITHE responds with a critical hit EMBER! Dang, this pup is tough.

I work my way around the gym so I can reach the final minion, BOARDER DOUGLAS. He leads with SHELLDER. ELEKID punts him across the arena with THUNDERPUNCH. As much as I like SHELLDER, his SPDEF was nerfed in the move to 2nd gen, exposing him to a stat weakness. The second member is… another SHELLDER? That one gets punted, too. Now the big gun, CLOYSTER, comes out. Here's where ELEKID will make or break its onslaught. It takes aim for a third THUNDERPUNCH, and surprisingly CLOYSTER falls to it in a single hit. Nerf, indeed!

Only PRYCE is left now. I'm done with this icy tomb. Let's turn up the heat!

PRYCE leads with SEEL. We've seen this episode already, boys! However, ELEKID's low on HP and LIGHT SCREEN will help more than an incomplete KO. The screen goes up, SEEL strikes with ICY WIND, but gets a critical, knocking ELEKID out! Poor thing, had a great run. Back into the POKé BALL. I accidentally sent QUAGSIRE out, unsure if he had a ROCK-type move yet. He doesn't… but he'll take 1x damage from ICE-type moves, so that's a plus. SEEL continues with ICY WIND, which procs and lowers QUAGSIRE's SPEED. Well, it's not like he had much to begin with. QUAGSIRE responds with STRENGTH, tanking HEADBUTTs from SEEL as he continues barely fazed… but then SEEL uses REST! There goes some of that work… Keep going, QUAGSIRE! He managed to knock out SEEL before he could wake up. Phew.

Next up is DEWGONG. QUAGSIRE only manages to get a single hit of STRENGTH in across the four turns that ensued. HEADBUTT from DEWGONG is effective in flinch locking! At this point, I'm down three party members. I gotta turn this match around! Out goes PIDGEOTTO. Yes, it's suicide, I know. Bear with me. I lead with SAND-ATTACK, and DEWGONG's ICY WIND misses! Here's my opportunity. I'll use FLY to waste another of DEWGONG's attacks. DEWGONG wastes an AURORA BEAM, while PIDGEOTTO knocks a decent amount of HP off with FLY. DEWGONG gets a second attack due to turn order, and PIDGEOTTO's on the ropes now. He kicks up another wave of SAND-ATTACK before falling to another AURORA BEAM. That's fine, I've got what I need to reduce damage. I send out GROWLITHE to clean up the mess with EMBER. It doesn't do too well thanks to DEWGONG's high HP and decent SPDEF. He strikes GROWLITHE with ICY WIND to lower his SPEED, and then used REST. Perfect. GROWLITHE comes at the sleepy seal with TAKE DOWN, eating recoil along the way. On turn three, DEWGONG wakes up and RESTs again! Ugghh. Keep it up, GROWLITHE. He woke up again at the end of REST and caught GROWLITHE at low HP with a HEADBUTT, leaving only NIDORINO behind. This is gonna be a doozy. NIDORINO kicks DEWGONG out of the arena with DOUBLE KICK, paving the way to PRYCE's final POKéMON…

POLISWINE appears on the field, and I already know this match is gonna be ugly. He has a GROUND-type advantage… I can only hope he doesn't have anything too good, or I'm toast. NIDORINO leads with another DOUBLE KICK to put a barometer on this match. It takes about 20% of his HP. PILOSWINE hits back with a 3-hit FURY ATTACK. This might be winnable! DOUBLE KICK continues. PILOSWINE used BLIZZARD, whoa… thankfully it missed! He's in KO range now, but PRYCE uses a HYPER POTION… Dick. Next turn, DOUBLE KICK again and BLIZZARD again, but this one hit! NIDORINO tanks the blow and issues a final DOUBLE KICK, ending a treacherous and tense GYM battle!

PRYCE commends my perseverance and hands me the GLACIER BADGE, which will let me use WHIRLPOOL out of battle! I also get TM16 ICY WIND. It's time to rest my monsters up!

As soon as I walk outside, PROF.ELM calls me about the radio broadcasts. I knew it was soon! Let's call it a night for now, though.

* sleep *

Over the past few weeks, I played a round here or there on breaks at work. I don't have any play-by-play info because of this. It was fairly boring stuff, though, so you didn't miss anything.

I stormed the first part of the GOLDENROD RADIO TOWER fairly well, though the EXECUTIVE at the end wore me down badly with a barrage of KOFFING and WEEZING. He gave me the key, and to the UNDERGROUND I went!

Once inside, SILVER showed up! I was ready for him, though, so the fight wasn't even a challenge. I fought the trainers in the shutter room, claimed my SMOKE BALL, and continued. I found an ULTRA BALL in the next room, and another ROCKET GRUNT is hanging out and waiting for me. He leads with RATICATE against my WEEPINBELL. RATICATE leads with SCARY FACE. It connects, and WEEPINBELL strikes with VINE WHIP! Sadly it only does about 20% damage. Let's up the ante. RATICATE continues with HYPER FANG. It hits pretty hard, but WEEPINBELL's had enough of the crap. It CUTs and it's a critical hit! RATICATE just got RATICUT. The EXP from the bout brings WEEPINBELL to level 30! Woot!

Next out is GOLBAT. Lovely. GOLBAT beats WEEPINBELL in speed, partly due to the SCARY FACE from the RATICATE. LEECH LIFE hits for only a little damage, meh. I respond with SLEEP POWDER, which connects! I swap out for GROWLITHE, and launch an assault with EMBER. It hits for decent damage, and GOLBAT's still asleep, even with the extra turn! GOLBAT's still stuck in sleep, while GROWLITHE uses TAKE DOWN and it hits! There's only a little more left, pup. I tell him to BITE, and the match is finished. GOLBAT won't have a clue what happened.

It's been a little bit. I've only had time to play Pokémon at work, so notes are sparse.

With the KEY CARD in hand, I opened the shutter to the eastern side of the building and faced off against a ROCKET GRUNT♂. GROWLITHE tore him, his RATICATE, and his KOFFING a new one! Onward to the next floor.

Oh look, another (female) ROCKET GRUNT! GROWLITHE mows down the ODDISH, GLOOM, and both EKANS! Jeez.

(no time the rest of the day)

Let's keep goin'! This ROCKET EXECUTIVE thinks himself a fortress. Heh.

The EXECUTIVE's GOLBAT takes the first turn against GROWLITHE with WING ATTACK. It hurts quite a bit due to the level difference, but GROWLITHE returns the favor with TAKE DOWN, eating a little recoil. GOLBAT finished him off with WING ATTACK before he could act again. ELECTABUZZ emerges and clips GOLBAT's wings with some THUNDERPUNCH. Bam. Next floor.

GROWLITHE's out of the fight for now, but the dream lives on! I rearrange my party to put PIDGEOTTO up front, so I can disrupt accuracy in the early match. A ROCKET EXECUTIVE♀ greets me. You ready for this, lady?

She leads with ARBOK. PIDGEOTTO begins with SAND-ATTACK. It connects! ARBOK still connects with GLARE, though. I had foresight way back in VIOLET CITY or whatever, and PIDGEOTTO happened to be holding a PRZCUREBERRY, turning the match in my favor again. I ordered him to FLY so ARBOK had less chance to strike him, but GLARE still connected before ARBOK went down.

MURKROW emerges and it totally has the upper hand right now. PIDGEOTTO tried to fight through the paralysis, but only managed to connect with one QUICK ATTACK before MURKROW's PURSUIT whittled it down for the KO. Damn… that's two monsters down now.

ELECTABUZZ comes out and puts an end to the bird with THUNDERPUNCH.

VILEPLUME is sent out. I bet she thinks she's set. "GRASS resists ELECTRIC! I'll put it to sleep or poison it, then absorb HP until it's gone." Indeed, it does, but… ELECTABUZZ strikes with ICE PUNCH, dealing a devastating blow to VILEPLUME. It barely hangs on and responds with ACID, but ELECTABUZZ's DEFENSE didn't fall. One final ICE PUNCH put an end to this particular EXECUTIVE's career.

Just after this match, the final ROCKET EXECUTIVE♂ shows up. Do I even get a break? Fine. A single team stands between me and the end of TEAM ROCKET!

LET'S FUCKING DO THIS.

The match begins with HOUNDOUR against my ELECTABUZZ. Easy. ELECTABUZZ uses LIGHT SCREEN, cutting the following EMBER into pitiful damage. THUNDERPUNCH brings HOUNDOUR to the brink of consciousness, but he responds with a BITE. Too bad that it's still SPECIAL-based in 2nd Generation, or that might've hurt. One DIZZY PUNCH finishes HOUNDOUR.

The EXECUTIVE sends out KOFFING. THUNDERPUNCH brings it to the brink as well. It manages to get a SLUDGE in before ELECTABUZZ finishes it with ICE PUNCH. Is this… the best they have?

HOUNDOOM enters the arena. Alright, that's more like it. Let's go.

ELECTABUZZ leads with LIGHT SCREEN, since it dissipated last turn. HOUNDOOM strikes with FAINT ATTACK, knocking out about a third of ELECTABUZZ's HP. I order another THUNDERPUNCH, bringing HOUNDOOM down to KO range, but high enough to not trigger the EXECUTIVE to use a FULL RESTORE like a little bitch. HOUNDOOM hits back with EMBER, but it doesn't do much. ELECTABUZZ finishes with a critical DIZZY PUNCH, ending the resurrection of TEAM ROCKET!

After a silly speech and an escape, I find the real DIRECTOR, who thanks me profusely and hands over the CLEAR BELL. I nab the ULTRA BALL in the room and head back to the POKéMON CENTER to heal.

Have I mentioned how much I love this ELECTABUZZ?

Not much time today.

With the CLEAR BELL in hand, I went north and through the NATIONAL PARK. I saw SUICUNE on ROUTE 36, but it took off in a hurry. I remembered that I could FLY then, and flew to MAHOGANY, so I could go east.

PSYCHIC PHIL wasn't a challenge at all, but after the battle, MOM called to tell me about a DOLL she had ordered me. Nice, I guess. I'll check out what it is the next time I swing back home.

After PHIL, I nabbed the BURNT BERRY and MAX REPEL and wiped out the other trainers on my way to the ICE PATH!

No time.

I nabbed HM07 WATERFALL on my way through the ice mazes at the beginning. Now I have all the HMs! I followed the pathway to the end and down the ladder.

Here's where the fun begins, the STRENGTH rock puzzle! I start by pushing the bottom-most rock to the right, then I push the upper rock to the upper hole, and the rock that we pushed against the wall down and into the second one. Just two more! I take the southeastern route to the other side, then push the northern boulder in before the southern one, then fall in.

I landed 3 tiles east and 1 tile south of the way forward. I go west, then north and east to get to the center and claim my FULL HEAL before going down the ladder.

Down here is a ROCK SMASH boulder… but I don't have any monsters that know it. No shortcut for me. No big deal, just go around the long way for the NEVERMELTICE. This will come in handy againt CLAIR. Anyways, I head back east and go up the ladder.

After some finagling, I jumped off the cliff to skid into the wall, then over to TM44 REST.

On my way through, I grab an IRON, then head for the ladder.

Now I'm on the other side and can grab the PROTEIN! One last detour to the PP UP on my way out.

It's bed time, so off to the POKéMON CENTER I go. We made it!

There's not much to do here right now except look for CLAIR so I can get my final JOHTO badge. The MOVE DELETER is here, so it's good to remember for when you want to change your HM loadout.

Since it's SATURDAY, SANTOS was hanging out on a nearby cliff on the east side of town. I went around to chat with him, nabbing a SPELL TAG, which helps with GHOST-type moves. I went back to the POKéMON CENTER to rearrange my items, then I used my IRON on ELECTABUZZ and PROTEIN on NIDORINO to help'em just a pinch.

Before we press on, I have a conundrum: ELECTABUZZ is holding a SMOKE BALL right now, when the NEVERMELTICE could help it hit harder with ICE PUNCH against CLAIR's dragons. I'm going with the SMOKE BALL for now since it gives ELECTABUZZ a nice built-in defensive advantage. We'll see if it works in my favor. Onward to the GYM!

*sleep*

Alright, we're finally at the eighth gym! Upon entering the gym, there's lava in the floor and a trainer's already waiting for me. Good; I'm itching for a fight!

(new format, let me know how it is)

PAUL sent out DRATINI first, to meet my GROWLITHE. I order him to BITE, so if GROWLITHE is faster I can get the flinch. It does decent damage, but DRATINI responds with THUNDER-WAVE. Now the pup's paralyzed. I order GROWLITHE to BITE again, but DRATINI moves first with DRAGON RAGE. GROWLITHE can only withstand one more hit of that before he goes down. Luckily, the second BITE sent DRATINI to about 1/3rd HP. DRATINI strikes again with DRAGON RAGE, and GROWLITHE was too paralyzed to act. Ugh. Rather than give DRATINI another free DRAGON RAGE, I let GROWLITHE go down. QUAGSIRE enters the arena. I order him to HEADBUTT. DRATINI gets another DRAGON RAGE in, but falls to the HEADBUTT. Good.

Another DRATINI emerges. Jeez. Let's go with HEADBUTT again, since he's holding the QUICK CLAW. It didn't proc, so we ate another DRAGON RAGE, but it did decent damage to the DRATINI. QUAGSIRE can't endure another hit, so I try HEADBUTT one more time. It didn't proc, again, sadly. QUAGSIRE goes down. Let's send out ELECTABUZZ. I'm done being nice. A single ICE PUNCH sends DRATINI flying.

A third DRATINI, how creative… ICE PUNCH takes out this one, too.

With PAUL out of the way, I go to the POKéMON CENTER and return for the next trainer.

Or I would, but what about QUAGSIRE? He can learn ICE BEAM… It appears in Crystal the only way to get it is through breeding, or MOVE TUTOR, which is inaccessible until I defeat the ELITE FOUR… I guess we're gonna press on. Oh well.

Back in the GYM, I move up to the 2nd floor to drop the first boulder, and challenge the next trainer.

Another COOLTRAINER. I'm in my element, now! She sends out a SEADRA. Wrong answer. THUNDERPUNCH from ELECTABUZZ gets a critical hit and SEADRA is KO'd before it can act! Hoo, impressive for a four level deficit! It was just enough to send ELECTABUZZ to level 34. Thanks for the level-up!

I continue making my way through the second floor, until I reach the northeast where I find another trainer.

HORSEA goes down with a THUNDERPUNCH. So does SEADRA. Are we really in the final GYM?

After taking out CODY, I drop the final two boulders to the floor below and take the stairs down. There's a trainer waiting for me. Let's go.

Alright, I'll have to be a bit careful due to the level difference. I order ICE PUNCH. It takes a little over half its health. It used THUNDER-WAVE, but it missed! ELECTABUZZ finishes the fight with ICE PUNCH. Whewh.

With MIKE cast aside, I march onward.

DRATINI goes down to ICE PUNCH, just like the others, and ELECTABUZZ hits level 35! DRAGONAIR hits the field. I order another ICE PUNCH, which drops DRAGONAIR to 10% health! THUNDER-WAVE fails again, and a second ICE PUNCH takes it down.

Do you think I'm serious now, LOLA?

I cross the final boulder and stand in front of CLAIR. She brags about her ability to challenge the ELITE FOUR, but she doesn't realize who she's standing in front of. I am the trainer who brought down TEAM ROCKET the second time! Let's go, CLAIR. Time to eat ICE!

DRAGONAIR comes out first against ELECTABUZZ. I put up a LIGHT SCREEN to give us some breathing room, while DRAGONAIR hits with SLAM. ELECTABUZZ follows with ICE PUNCH, taking DRAGONAIR down to about 40% health. THUNDER-WAVE strikes this time and ELECTABUZZ is paralyzed. I use my final PARLYZ HEAL to bounce back and DRAGONAIR SLAMs again. One more ICE PUNCH takes out the DRAGONAIR. Whewh.

Another DRAGONAIR. Jeez! ELECTABUZZ strikes with another ICE PUNCH. Not quite a KO… DRAGONAIR hits with another THUNDER-WAVE. I tell ELECTABUZZ to use ICE PUNCH one more time! DRAGONAIR's SLAM missed and the ICE PUNCH connected for the KO! ELECTABUZZ is a bit weak right now, and we still have two more to go.

A third DRAGONAIR. Wow. I go for another ICE PUNCH. DRAGONAIR uses SLAM first, buth both moves connect. ELECTABUZZ is sitting at 18 HP… I switch out to QUAGSIRE so he can eat a hit or two. DRAGONAIR missed with SLAM. I tell QUAGSIRE to use AMNESIA, and DRAGONAIR uses DRAGONBREATH. I go another round of AMNESIA and DRAGONAIR gets a crit on SLAM. I use a LEMONADE to bounce back from that. SLAM misses again. I use a LEMONADE on ELECTABUZZ now. SLAM misses yet again! Good. I use this last defensive turn to rid ELECTABUZZ of paralysis. SLAM misses again!! This is too funny. I order STRENGTH. DRAGONAIR hits with SLAM for once, and QUAGSIRE gets a critical with STRENGTH to take out DRAGONAIR! Hoo, couldn't have pulled this off without you, QUAGSIRE! This KO gave ELECTABUZZ level 36 and QUAGSIRE level 32, so that's nice.

CLAIR's final monster is KINGDRA. The problem with this guy is his only weakness is DRAGON. I have no DRAGON-type moves. But we still have ELECTRIC and ICE with ELECTABUZZ. I order QUAGSIRE to use AMNESIA again since he'll need it against KINGDRA. KINGDRA's DRAGONBREATH paralyzes QUAGSIRE, preventing the AMNESIA. It looks like it doesn't need it so badly, but still. I try again. KINGDRA uses SURF, but it doesn't do much. AMNESIA works. I spend next turn healing QUAGSIRE. KINGDRA breaks out a HYPER BEAM, erasing a portion of my healing but leaving him open for a turn! This is my chance! QUAGSIRE was paralyzed, sadly… KINGDRA uses HYPER BEAM again, taking out QUAGSIRE. That's fine, I get a free turn. ELECTABUZZ goes out and uses ICE PUNCH. It doesn't do much since it's 1x damage. Next turn, I use a pre-emptive DIZZY PUNCH. No proc. KINGDRA uses SMOKESCREEN and it hits. ELECTABUZZ continued with DIZZY PUNCH but it never proc'd and KINGDRA takes ELECTABUZZ down with HYPER BEAM. Alright, you only have 3 more PP of that, ass. I send out WEEPINBELL. It managed a few hits, but went down to HYPER BEAM. PIDGEOTTO lowered his ACCURACY and got a hit in, but fell to HYPER BEAM. NIDORINO poisoned KINGDRA but fell to SURF. GROWLITHE is my last poké, and severely under-leveled. I don't have any REVIVEs left. Hoping against all odds, I order GROWLITHE to fight. KINGDRA's SURF misses, he takes poison damage, and GROWLITHE finishes the fight with TAKE DOWN!

(Note: Gym leaders are able to use items; CLAIR used a FULL RESTORE and a FULL HEAL in this fight. Because of this, I felt it fair to use my own items. Trying to play fair against an opponent using FULL RESTORE and FULL HEAL is bullshit.)

CLAIR's mouth hangs agape. "I lost? I don't believe it. There must be some kind of mistake… I won't admit this. I may have lost, but you're still not ready for the POKéMON LEAGUE." Pfft. Whatever, girl. You're the one whose KINGDRA lost to an under-leveled GROWLITHE. Try not spamming HYPER BEAM next time.

"If you can prove you've lost your lazy ideals, I will recognize you as a trainer worthy of a GYM BADGE!"

Fine. Let's get that EXTREMESPEED DRATINI and rub it in your face! I return to the POKéMON CENTER to regroup and prepare for the DRAGON'S DEN.

CLAIR's got some nerve, demanding I pass some silly test to get a BADGE. I beat her at her own game, ffs. I head up to the cave behind the GYM.

This place is sacred in the POKéMON world. It's a shrine dedicated to DRAGON-type monsters. I climb down the ladder and out to the cave, to be met with an attacker! His DRAGONAIR falls in one hit and I move on. Calm down, kiddo!

I SURF out to the west side to find another trainer who thinks I don't belong here. Her HORSEAs and SEADRA drop in a single hit each. Like I said, chill out.

I continue south and grab the MAX ELIXER before fighting the twins. Their DRATINIs get KO'd by ICE PUNCH.

Next is the east side. I head over and grab the CALCIUM. Looks like I'll need WHIRLPOOL to advance. I know just the poké for these HMs: PSYDUCK! I happen to have one in BILL's PC, so let's go teach him some HMs. I'll swap out WEEPINBELL for now since she won't be useful in this area until I start heading south, down the mountain. I deposit PIDGEOTTO for now too, since I'll need an open spot for that DRATINI.

With the new HM slave in tow, I return to the DRAGON'S DEN and get past the WHIRLPOOL. Once across, I make my way to the shrine and further east. In the southeast corner is a hidden REVIVE. From there I went north to claim my DRAGON FANG, then returned to the shrine.

Now is generally a good time to save, to make sure you get the quiz questions correct. If you get the answers correct, you'll be rewarded with a DRATINI that knows EXTREMESPEED! Be sure to have an open slot in your party!

Inside the shrine, I was met by a group of elders. One of them gave me a set of questions to answer:

• What are POKéMON to you? A friend, of course…
• What helps you to win battles? It's strategy. I just beat CLAIR with a low-leveled team.
• What kind of trainer do you wish to battle? Oh, easy. Anybody!
• What is most important for raising POKéMON? Violence and knowledge make one powerful, but only Love creates a bond.
• Strong POKéMON. Weak POKéMON. Which is more important? Both.

The sage commends my dedication and empathy for POKéMON, when CLAIR bursts into the shrine. She asks me how it went. "I guess there's no sense asking. You did fail?"

lol, no.

INCONCEIVA– wait, "That can't be! You're lying! Even I haven't been approved!"

The sage interrupts, setting the record straight. "This child is impeccable, in skill and spirit! Admit defeat and confer the RISINGBADGE! …Or must I inform LANCE of this?"

CLAIR hands over the RISINGBADGE, allowing me to use WATERFALL out of battle. It also grants me authority to command any POKéMON, regardless of level. I am a full-fledged POKéMON TRAINER!

The sage tells CLAIR to reflect on what she lacks and I have. CLAIR leaves the shrine and the sage says "come back later". Okay, gramps. I leave the shrine, where CLAIR stops me, apologizes, and hands over TM24 DRAGONBREATH. Then she tells me how to challenge the POKéMON LEAGUE and wishes me luck. Tsundere, indeed.

Right now is a good time to do soft resets for a perfect DV EXTREMESPEED DRATINI. Have fun with those odds, though. I can come back and soft reset any time.

When I walked outside, PROF. ELM called me and said he had something for me. Weird. I swing by the POKéMON CENTER to heal up. At this point, there are a number of places I can go:

• MT MORTAR
• WHIRL ISLANDS
• UNION CAVE
• RUINS OF ALPH

Looking at the list of monsters I still need, I can get MARILL, HORSEA, TANGELA, and SEEL here in JOHTO. I should catch those before we move on. But first, let's go home and say hi to MOM! We could FLY, but I need to go down the mountain for items anyway. To the south we go!

There are a lot of ledges to jump from here. If you want to avoid a bunch of walking, be sure to bring a monster that can FLY. You'll need it to get every item here and on ROUTE 46. DARK CAVE is available through here too, but unless you have FLASH you're kind of screwed. I'll be staying outside this time around.

I found an ELIXER on the first ledge on the western side, with the grass. I went back up so I could jump down the ledge and fight the trainers to the east. COOLTRAINER RYAN was a pushover, but I thank his existence since he has an ELECTABUZZ!

Rather than FLY back up to BLACKTHORN and jump down a different path now, I'm waiting until I get to the bottom of the mountain. This ensures I'm finishing one path before taking another and cuts down on the number of times I'll need to FLY. Since I'm on the far right path already, I'll continue following it.

A little ways down, I found a MAX POTION before jumping off the ledge. COOLTRAINER KELLY greets me with her MARILL. QUAGSIRE makes a good first impression with HEADBUTT. MARILL responds with ROLLOUT. Let's wrap this up before it has a chance to gain momentum! QUAGSIRE uses HEADBUTT again to stop MARILL. WARTORTLE comes out next. Nice. QUAGSIRE uses AMNESIA to give him some breathing room against WARTORTLE. He responds with BITE, which dealt almost no damage! Hah! Let's clean up with HEADBUTT! The first one flinches WARTORTLE, opening him up to the KO with another HEADBUTT! KELLY sends out a final WARTORTLE. QUAGSIRE continues with his HEADBUTTs while WARTORTLE tries to WITHDRAW, but it doesn't help him! QUAGSIRE is not to be underestimated!

I continue south, where I run into BLACKBELT KENJI. QUAGSIRE hit MACHOKE first with HEADBUTT, and you can guess what happened the turn after. Afterwards, I jumped to the west to nab the NUGGET. I continued on the left path and found a REVIVE. I went back to the eastern path to get to a lake with a tree containing MYSTERYBERRY. Awesome! In the water is a hidden PP UP, too. Even better.

There wasn't much here. A trainer fight or two, a BERRY, and a PRZCUREBERRY. I skidaddle through ROUTE 29 and finally arrive home!

I swung by PROF. ELM's place to see what he wanted. His research was going well and he gave me a MASTER BALL! Woot! I'll save this one for a legendary or something. Anyways, time to visit home!

Looks like MOM has saved up 34k for me so far! Awesome, I'll keep it in there for now. It looks like she bought me a CHARMANDER DOLL and CLEFAIRY DOLL, too.

At this point, I went to BLACKTHORN to scoop up the rest of the items and trainers on ROUTE 45 and 46. I got an X SPEED and some EXP out of it. My next real objective is to catch a HORSEA, which we'll find at the WHIRL ISLANDS.

I rode PIDGEOTTO to CIANWOOD, then SURFed to the east to ROUTE 41!

I started with the northwest island. Each one has a different pathway throughout the maze, and there tend to be hidden items, too! There's a MAX ETHER on the 2x2 portion of land here. Let's go inside!

I SURFed to the east to collect the ULTRA BALL, then went down the ladder.

Down here, I used STRENGTH to go north and claim an ESCAPE ROPE. A SEEL appeared and I caught it, too!

* work, sleep, etc. *

I backtracked a little bit to explore, but didn't find anything. On the way back I caught HORSEA! There aren't any more monsters here that I need, but since I'm here why not explore and loot the place a bit?

I went to the east side to explore. The ITEMFINDER went off, so I found an ULTRA BALL to the north. Afterwards, I went back south and up the stairs to the CALCIUM, then up the ladder.

It was a straight shot outside.

It turns out that this leads to the southeastern island. Since I've already gone to the northwest, I'll go to the northeast island this time.

* work, sleep, etc. *

PSYDUCK's tagging along because it knows a bunch of HMs.

I hop down the ledge to the east and am greeted by an item on a ledge. The bottom route will take me there, but I won't be able to come back. I turn back and a ZUBAT attacks. I knock it across the room and continue, taking the northern ledge to the ladder down.

I take the pathway all the way south to the ladder down.

Immediately in front of me is a MAX REVIVE! Awesome! I'm also right on the water; we're close! I SURF onto the water and take the waterfall down. PIDGEOTTO takes out a HORSEA on the way.

The cave to the west is special, but I can't do anything there yet, so I take the ladder up.

I SURF to the west and climb up the next ladder.

I sense a pattern here…

I go up and out of the cave, which takes me to the tiny ledge in the middle of 1F. I hop down it and head southwest, following the way out.

There are still a few items left down in the WHIRL ISLANDS, but I'll come back for them later. For now, let's go to ROUTE 44.

I flew to MAHOGANY to get here, so nothing of note really happened. We're here for a TANGELA! It should be easy to find one. When I went to the island of grass, I picked up another MAX REVIVE! Cool. I found a TANGELA, but QUAGSIRE got a critical with SURF and KO'd it in one hit. Ouch. After a few more randos and different monsters up front, NIDORINO was the one to help me get TANGELA!

Now I can go home and prepare for my journey to VICTORY ROAD.

Before I headed home, I stopped by the GOLDENROD DEPT. STORE for BALLs and LEMONADE. LEMONADE is the most cost-effective healing item in the game. It costs only 350P and heals for 80 HP, meaning you pay only 4.375P for every HP it heals, compared to the 6P per HP of a HYPER POTION. Still, HYPER POTIONs heal more at a time so a stockpile goes a longer time. By late game you should probably have a bit of both. Anyways, I was heading home, to see what fate has in store for me to the east!

I swung by home to talk to MOM, then SURFed to the east…

I want to take a minute here and talk about how mind-blowing this moment was in 2000. Back then, video games were barely becoming mainstream enough for people to start shedding the "nerd" stigma. That didn't really go away until the mid-2000s, when the Wii hit the market. Anyway, back to this moment. Up to this point, you had no reason to believe you were in for anything except a new Elite Four. Indigo Plateau isn't mentioned, there's no hint of a new region on the Town Map… nothin'.

So, when you disembark onto the land on the opposite side of New Bark Town, a man stops you and says, "Do you know what you just did? You just took your first step into Kanto!" Kid me thought, "Kanto? What's that?" Then I opened the PokéGear, toggled to the map, and my jaw dropped. To this day, no other generation of Pokémon has ever done two full regions and sixteen fuckin' badges. And no other Pokémon game has had that crazy of a twist since.

It's one of my fondest video game memories, solidifying 2nd generation as my favorite.

Milestone: First Steps into Kanto! TIME: 49:34, POKéDEX: 47

So we made it to Kanto. woot! I venture forth to take a look around. At the end of the channel to the east was a RARE CANDY. Well worth the trip. I then went into the cave.

I SURF to the west to get the MOON STONE. Now NIDORINO can be evolved! (I won't do this yet, but it's nice to have!) Next, I climb the waterfall and exit the cave.

When I exit, COOLTRAINER MEGAN greets me. GROWLITHE and NIDORINO make short work of her BULBASAUR family. The lady in the nearby house commends the attachment I have to POKéMON, and gives me TM37 SANDSTORM as a reward. Awesome!

When I head back out, I SURFed further east, where I was stopped by COOLTRAINER BLAKE. His team fell to my might and I pressed on. COOLTRAINER BRIAN stopped me along the bridge, but his SANDSLASH went down well enough. PSYCHIC GILBERT is next, but ELECTABUZZ just plowed straight through his team! I notice an item to the south, so I SURF around the reef to get to it, using WHIRLPOOL as needed. BIRD KEEPER JOSE is there to defend the item, but I clipped his wings. He steps aside and I pick up TM22 SOLARBEAM before moving onward.

Next trainer. COOLTRAINER REENA almost topples my QUAGSIRE, but he holds on with 1 HP to deliver the win! I love this guy. :)

VICTORY ROAD is just up ahead! Let's go all the way! I meet FISHER SCOTT on the bridge and take out his fish. Now that I'm on land, I can scope out some monsters! Sadly, I don't think there's much here at night. I get to the midpoint in the woods and head back so I can write notes on the Weekday Kids:

I looped around and came back to where I was, then went north to find a house with a berry tree behind it. Nice. Inside, the lady healed my POKéMON! Even better. It may be a good idea to grind here once I've cleared the area.

Outside, COOLTRAINER JOYCE thinks herself good enough to beat me. She was wrong. (Though, watching my QUAGSIRE take out a CURSE-ing BLASTOISE was nice. Didn't think he could do it.) The tree had an ICE BERRY on it, which I nabbed before pressing further north. This route is huge!

COOLTRAINER GAVEN is the next contestant. His team is fun, but ineffective against mine. Next up is COOLTRAINER JAKE. His money led to MOM buying something for me, so that's nice! I'll need to check my PC later to see what it was.

On the last few ledges was a MAX ELIXER, and one final trainer battle before entering the building… COOLTRAINER BETH. She mentions a trainer named SILVER who was super intense. Sounds familiar… No matter. Her RAPIDASH falls to the unwavering tide of my team's assault. I walk away from the ember-ridden grass and into the building… To meet my fate at the POKéMON LEAGUE!

"Only trainers who have proven themselves may pass. Oh! The eight BADGES of JOHTO! Please, go right on through!"

When I entered the last door, I found myself in a foreboding cave…

Sorry it's been a while. Life's been busy.

Inside was a fairly average looking cave. I grabbed the FULL HEAL from the nearby rock, then went to the right and up the steps. Along the way, I snagged a RHYHORN, adding yet another notch to my bow, so to speak. :)

When I got to the north side, I grabbed another FULL HEAL and a MAX REVIVE. Nice! After all of this, I made my way to the northwestern corner and up the ladder.

I grabbed the HP UP and advanced to the ladder.

I climbed the nearby stairs and looped around to the south, down the ladder.

I grabbed the FULL RESTORE, then jumped off the ledge and back to the last ladder I was at.

I went the other way, all the way to the pit at the end.

Here is TM26 EARTHQUAKE! Woot! I'll need to save this one for a max ATT DV 'mon. I then jumped off the ledge to the east and advanced toward the ex– SILVER?!

He leads with SNEASEL against my NIDORINO. SNEASEL goes down in a single DOUBLE KICK!

KADABRA comes out and uses FUTURE SIGHT while NIDORINO takes him down in two HORN ATTACKs!

GOLBAT is up next. His WING ATTACK was too much, though, and NIDORINO passes out. Damn.

ELECTABUZZ is sent out against GOLBAT. Before GOLBAT could act, it's clipped out of the sky with a critical hit THUNDERPUNCH! NIDORINO is avenged.

MAGNETON enters the fray. I switch to GROWLITHE, into a THUNDER WAVE. Two FLAME WHEELs later, and GROWLITHE wins the bout. But he's down 40 HP thanks to two SONIC BOOMs from MAGNETON…

FERALIGATR comes out and takes out GROWLITHE with WATER GUN. Oh well, you tried.

ELECTABUZZ returns to finish the job: one THUNDERPUNCH paralyzes FERALIGATR and drops him to 2 pixels of HP. One DIZZY PUNCH finishes the gator.

HAUNTER comes out, and predictably falls to THUNDERPUNCH.

I have three words for you, SILVER: WHERE. U. AT?

After SILVER whines because he lacks empathy, I walk through the last corridor. It leads to a small yard on ROUTE 23 and a large building. This could only mean one thing…

Yep; I have grinding to do.

I caught a PONYTA!

Wut? Is zlg coming back to this? Holy shit! It's been… eight months or so…

Sorry, guys. Life's been tough, but I've snuck time in here and there to grind up.

At last, after countless battles inside VICTORY ROAD and ROUTE 27, my team is ready to challenge the ELITE FOUR! Unfortunately, I forgot to visit MR. POKéMON earlier, so I took a huge detour to go back and redeem my RED SCALE for the EXP SHARE. Woot! Too bad I didn't get it until after they hit 40… Oh well.

Life's settling down soonish, so I'll have more time to play. This is a milestone that's pretty motivating!

Well, the run is a little over two years old now! This goes to show how difficult it is to maintain momentum when you're writing about a playthrough. Lots of real life stuff hampered my progress, but part of how I've been able to write is keeping short notes on my phone and expanding them when I write here. We'll find out if it works.

At long last, it's time for me to challenge the ELITE FOUR! I walk into the foreboding INDIGO PLATEAU building, stock up on a few items, and press onward. A strange, masked man greets me and invites me to challenge him. Let's go!

WILL leads with XATU, while I lead with ELECTABUZZ. THUNDERPUNCH takes it out in a single shot! BOOM!

JYNX is sent out next. ELECTABUZZ casts LIGHT SCREEN, while JYNX connects with LOVELY KISS. ELECTABUZZ is stuck in sleep for a few turns, enough time for JYNX to KO with DOUBLESLAP and PSYCHIC. Damn, my best monster! I'm trying to ration my items for the last few fights, since I didn't go gung-ho in preparations and would rather my team show their worth.

I send out GROWLITHE. JYNX gets a two-hit DOUBLESLAP, while GROWLITHE responds with FLAME WHEEL. Next turn, JYNX misses with LOVELY KISS and a second FLAME WHEEL takes her down.

SLOWBRO is next. GROWLITHE isn't fazed by a WATER/PSYCHIC-type; we have BITE! SLOWBRO responds with AMNESIA next turn, but GROWLITHE continues to BITE. SLOWBRO got a single shot of PSYCHIC out; the rest was flinch-lock to KO. Hell yeah.

The second XATU is next, who outspeeds GROWLITHE and KOs with PSYCHIC.

QUAGSIRE emerges. No ELECTABUZZ, no GROWLITHE… we gotta make this work. XATU connects with CONFUSE RAY. QUAGSIRE sees through the confusion and protects himself with AMNESIA! XATU uses REFLECT, protecting himself from physical type moves. QUAGSIRE hits himself in confusion. XATU strikes with PSYCHIC, dealing a decent amount of damage, but SURF does good damage to XATU as well. The turn is repeated with the same outcome, but QUAGSIRE is beefier and takes the KO.

EXEGGUTOR is next. This is bad. A single GRASS-type attack can drop QUAGSIRE and he doesn't know ICE BEAM yet (because I'm waiting to breed a better WOOPER), so he's a sitting duck. I switch out to NIDORINO, into an EGG BOMB from EXEGGUTOR. Not too shabby. NIDORINO tries using POISON STING to maybe get some PSN going, but it doesn't work and PSYCHIC stomps him out of the match.

Alright, I'm done with this. I need a diversion so I have enough time to use a REVIVE on ELECTABUZZ. PIDGEOT is sent out. I lead with SAND-ATTACK, making the following PSYCHIC miss! Now's my chance! I revive ELECTABUZZ, while PIDGEOT takes the second PSYCHIC from EXEGGUTOR. I use a second turn to heal ELECTABUZZ all the way. Next turn, REFLECT wears off and I advance with WING ATTACK. It does a fat bar of damage to EXEGGUTOR but his high HP makes him beefy. PSYCHIC finishes off my bird.

ELECTABUZZ, now just as ready as she was at the beginning of the match, gets sent out and finishes off EXEGGUTOR with ICE PUNCH. Get out of my face!

WILL commends my tenacity and permits me to advance. I heal my monsters with items and we press on to the next room. This one's a more serene, grassy room, and a ninja-like trainer stands in the center…

As old-time fans know, KOGA was originally the FUCHSIA CITY GYM LEADER. He displaces AGATHA as the status-based ELITE FOUR member. His specialty in poison, paralysis, and sleep make it important for a trainer to be able to handle these threats if they want to be considered competent. In 2nd gen, status inflictions are very effective because they shorten the number of turns needed to KO a monster. This is important in 2nd gen due to the focus on defense and endurance. Enough waffling though, let's get to the fight!

So, this ninja guy likes to play defensively. Okay, I gotchu.

KOGA begins the battle with ARIADOS, against my QUAGSIRE. Oops, kind of neutral here. I switch to GROWLITHE while ARIADOS uses AGILITY. Next turn I strike with FLAME WHEEL, dealing considerable damage to it. ARIADOS uses DOUBLE TEAM, to waste my PP. Too bad the next FLAME WHEEL connects and finishes him off. Not a single offensive move!

Next up is FORRETRESS. FLAME WHEEL delivers a OHKO. gg

MUK comes out next. I strike with FLAME WHEEL once again, while it uses MINIMIZE. This is much like DOUBLE TEAM. I switch back to QUAGSIRE, into a SLUDGE BOMB. Next turn, QUAGSIRE leads with EARTHQUAKE but misses. MUK punishes with TOXIC. Oh no… I'm not backing down yet! I command QUAGSIRE to EARTHQUAKE again and MUK goes down for the count.

KOGA sends VENOMOTH next. It hits with SUPERSONIC, but QUAGSIRE is able to see through it and defends himself with AMNESIA. VENOMOTH advances with PSYCHIC, but the AMNESIA helps. QUAGSIRE hits himself in confusion and TOXIC's effects strike again. QUAGSIRE uses SURF next turn while VENOMOTH misses with SUPERSONIC. TOXIC strikes again, and QUAGSIRE's HP is getting low… VENOMOTH acts first next turn and takes him out with PSYCHIC. So, I guess the tables have turned!

Out goes GROWLITHE. VENOMOTH is faster than him, too, and SUPERSONICs, but it misses. FLAME WHEEL finishes off the bug, bringing GROWLITHE to level 41!

CROBAT is next. This guy is ugly. Three levels higher, top-5 SPEED in the game, and quite strong to boot. CROBAT begins the match with DOUBLE TEAM. I lead with TAKE-DOWN but it misses. This turn plays out again, then CROBAT uses TOXIC while I miss TAKE-DOWN again. I switch out to ELECTABUZZ, into WING ATTACK. No big deal, she resists it. ELECTABUZZ begins using THUNDERPUNCH to get past the veil of DOUBLE TEAM. It takes three turns, but when it connects it brings CROBAT to a sliver of HP. KOGA uses a FULL RESTORE next turn, and THUNDERPUNCH misses. CROBAT uses DOUBLE TEAM yet again, but THUNDERPUNCH connects! One last WING ATTACK from CROBAT and THUNDERPUNCH remains true, KOing the deplorable bat.

ELECTABUZZ hits level 41!

KOGA is impressed with my ability to get past his under-handed tactics (without SWIFT or HAZE, to boot!) and grants me passage.

This guy has always been fairly easy, since FIGHTING- and ROCK-types typically lack good SP.DEF. Sadly, I do not have a XATU or something else awesome to use against them, so we resort to other types. As a side note, this fight contains some of the funniest turns in the whole run.

BRUNO flexes hard in an effort to intimidate me, but a few FIGHTING types won't dissuade me!

HITMONTOP emerges, against my QUAGSIRE. HITMONTOP leads with DIG, right into an EARTHQUAKE! BOOM! I laugh hysterically at my successful prediction and the HITMON goes down. If this were a 3-D game, BRUNO's mouth would be wide open.

For those who don't know, EQ does double damage to opponents who are underground. He was screwed from the beginning.

QUAGSIRE hits level 41!

HITMONLEE is next. This guy doesn't learn DIG naturally, so I can't pull the same trick. He leads with HI JUMP KICK, crashing into the wall. QUAGSIRE uses EARTHQUAKE, bringing HITMON to a sliver of HP. Next turn, HITMONLEE uses DOUBLE KICK and QUAGSIRE finishes him off with STRENGTH.

Are you sure you're ELITE FOUR material, BRUNO?

HITMONCHAN is next, leading with MACH PUNCH. QUAGSIRE hits with EARTHQUAKE, bringing him down to about 1/3 HP. 'CHAN hits with another MACH PUNCH, and SURF washes him away.

Next up is MACHAMP. He's much higher level, fully evolved, and has one of the highest ATTACK scores in the game. This guy could sweep my entire team if I'm not careful! I command QUAGSIRE to EARTHQUAKE, hoping to trigger the QUICK CLAW, but CROSS CHOP decimates QUAGSIRE.

NIDORINO is next, leading with POISON STING, but it doesn't proc. He takes a ROCK SLIDE from MACHAMP, dealing about 40% of HP. A second POISON STING procs, and NIDORINO takes another ROCK SLIDE. I heal NIDORINO next turn, but ROCK SLIDE brings him back to where he was. It's clear NIDORINO can't handle this… I tell him to HORN ATTACK before MACHAMP hits with another ROCK SLIDE, KOing him.

Alright, I'm done. PIDGEOT is sent out. MACHAMP is in the yellow now, and poisoned. I lead with WING ATTACK and it finishes MACHAMP off. Whewh! We're not done yet, though.

ONIX is sent out. PIDGEOT uses SAND-ATTACK while ONIX whips up a SANDSTORM. I switch out to WEEPINBELL, ONIX misses with EARTHQUAKE, and VINE WHIP takes down the rocky snake with one shot!

BRUNO admits defeat and congratulates me as I move onto the next challenge after healing my monsters…

KAREN replaces LORELEI as the tricky type user. DARK-types are often paired with other types in 2nd gen, meaning you'll need to understand dual-type interactions to master your approach. My team's only defense against pure DARK is DOUBLE KICK from NIDORINO, so this match will count on me taking advantage of the secondary type's weaknesses instead.

KAREN sends out UMBREON against my ELECTABUZZ. UMBREON uses SAND-ATTACK while I put up a LIGHT SCREEN since DARK-types are special in 2nd gen. ELECTABUZZ hits first next turn with DIZZY PUNCH, but it doesn't proc. UMBREON responds with MEAN LOOK, trapping me until one of us is KO'd. Alright, we're gonna play this game.

The problem here, KAREN, is that I'm not trapped in here with you; you are trapped here with me.

ELECTABUZZ connects with THUNDERPUNCH, paralyzing UMBREON. UMBREON gets lucky, avoiding paralysis and connecting with CONFUSE RAY. ELECTABUZZ hurts herself while UMBREON uses FAINT ATTACK. A few more turns pass with both of our monsters struggling with their status inflictions. The confusion wears on ELECTABUZZ, so I spend a turn to heal while UMBREON is paralyzed. Next turn ELECTABUZZ snaps out of confusion and comes back with another THUNDERPUNCH. CONFUSE RAY strikes again, and a few turns later a final ICE PUNCH finishes off UMBREON.

VILEPLUME is sent out, straight into an ICE PUNCH. It doesn't KO, though, and a retaliating PETAL DANCE takes down ELECTABUZZ.

GROWLITHE emerges and burns VILEPLUME to a crisp with a critical hit FLAME WHEEL. Don't piss off my pup!

GENGAR is next. This could get ugly. He leads with CURSE, sacrificing half of his HP to hurt me. GROWLITHE BITEs to leave him in the red. Next turn GENGAR uses LICK, but it doesn't proc. A second BITE finishes off GENGAR, but the CURSE deals its damage.

These situations can be tricky to navigate for strategy. If I switch away, I have a weakened pup in reserve and risk damaging the monster that comes out. In this situation, the smarter move is to advance with your current monster until it gets knocked out so you can start the next monster fresh.

MURKROW comes out next, taking down GROWLITHE with a critical FAINT ATTACK before he has a chance to react. Karma's a bitch.

I send out PIDGEOT. Bird versus bird now. I lead with WING ATTACK, while MURKROW strikes with FAINT ATTACK. Next turn, I use FLY to avoid whatever MURKROW throws out and finish it off on the second turn.

HOUNDOOM slowly creeps onto the field from KAREN's side and stares down my PIDGEOT. It ruffles its feathers and looks back to me for guidance. This is possibly the strongest DARK-type in the game sans TYRANITAR, and he has beneficial typing to go with it. I sigh to myself because PIDGEOT and I both know he's probably going to go down. It's no reason to give up, though!

PIDGEOT gets the advantage and leads with SAND-ATTACK. HOUNDOOM's FLAMETHROWER misses, giving me some grace period to work with. My best move here is FLY, to deliver the hardest hit and waste his PP. It connects with a critical hit, but it's not enough to finish him off and my bird is burned to a crisp.

I send out QUAGSIRE, who gets smacked with CRUNCH. It's not enough to take him down, and EARTHQUAKE knocks the dark doberman out of the ring!

KAREN is surprised but excited to see me advance, wishing me luck against the CHAMPION.

Finally, I step into the next room, a winding corridor that leads to the final challenge of my JOHTO LEAGUE journey…

…LANCE!? That guy who helped me take down TEAM ROCKET? He was so nice, but… he's incredibly strong. Do I have what it takes to beat this guy?

There's only one way to find out!

Good lord, this guy is tough. Three DRAGONITEs is just ridiculous. His AERODACTYL isn't legitimate (can't have ROCK SLIDE and ANCIENTPOWER at the same time) either, and their stat EXP is either quite high or maximum. DRAGONITE can't be gotten legitimately until level 55, too. If you think about it, this guy is a cheater. By the way, this is one of two matches that I will be covering like an actual story. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

LANCE's wry smile upon my surprise of his true identity sets the tone for this match. He's not going to hold back, so I won't either. I've come so far, trained and fought so hard. I can't let this be the end of my campaign!

GYARADOS flashes onto the field, his roar echoing throughout the building, shaking the walls as his form floats above us. LANCE chuckles and comments, "You don't have to do this. Your monsters are lower level than mine. I've trained for many years and developed a strong bond with my beloved dragons. While you are a talented trainer and have done well to make it this far, championship is an entirely different level of POKéMON. Are you ready?"

I wavered, saying "Y-yes… Yes, I am ready. I've come too far to back down now!" I send out PIDGEOT, whose size is tiny compared to the giant ATROCIOUS monster in front of us. His feathers ruffle again and I can see him begin to shake. He turns back to me for guidance, comfort, any sign that this fight will go well. I smile at PIDGEOT, "It's going to be okay. You might get KO'd, but we can do this. Please, just believe in me. I believe in you."

PIDGEOT nods and turns to face his adversary. LANCE stays quiet for a moment, letting the events sink in. "Finish this, GYARADOS. HYPER BEAM!" I shout, "PIDGEOT, FLY out of the way! Don't let that beam hit you!" PIDGEOT soars, narrowly missing the HYPER BEAM. The wall crumbles at the impact site, taking a chunk out. PIDGEOT looks at the destruction, then at me. "Now!"

PIDGEOT nosedives into GYARADOS, striking him across the face with the full weight of his body. It deals a decent chunk of damage, but GYARADOS is already ready for another HYPER BEAM and takes it out in a single shot. I can see PIDGEOT's face smile in slow motion as I recall him to the POKé BALL before he hits the ground.

I'm sorry, buddy. You still did good.

LANCE barks, "SERENA, you'll need more than a bird and an idea to take me down. Your monsters can sense your doubt!"

I stand there, looking at my roster to decide who to send out. I have to think carefully, because whoever gets sent out is going to need to be able to contend with DRAGONs, with a high speed. Is LANCE right? Is my doubt showing now?

I respond, "LANCE, doubt is a natural part of battle. Without it, we aren't motivated to surpass our limits! Doubt creates risk, and risk is the only way to win. I believe in my friends, the monsters who've helped me bring justice to JOHTO!"

LANCE chuckles for a moment. "Nice speech. You certainly have insight. But do you have skill? Choose your monster or forfeit!"

I look back at my belt to decide who to send out. Most DRAGONs or DRAGON-likes are part FLYING, and DRAGONs are weak to ICE, too. I throw the POKé BALL onto the arena, "I choose ELECTABUZZ!" With a flash, the electric cat sparkles brightly as she enters the field. She looks up at GYARADOS and smiles back at me.

LANCE's smile turns to a stern, surprised glare. A shiny? How on Earth? He knows what my ELECTABUZZ is capable of. "GYARADOS, take it down with HYPER BEAM!" I shout, "ELECTABUZZ, watch out! Take it down with THUNDERPUNCH!"

GYARADOS rears his head back as the orb of energy builds in his mouth. Before anything else can happen, ELECTABUZZ leaps forward and uppercuts him with a flurry of sparks. The massive beast crashes down to the field as ELECTABUZZ lands and stares at LANCE.

"Good work. You took down a single monster. We appear to be an even match, but few can stand to the might of DRAGONs! Go, DRAGONITE!" DRAGONITE is a mythical POKéMON that few have ever seen, let alone battled. Its size and docile looks belie its destructive power. LANCE continues, "You can still forfeit, SERENA! Can you handle total defeat? Can you handle turning back after letting your team down? Battling is much more than strength. Your monsters depend on your judgment, and they suffer when you falter."

I respond, "I accept defeat when it happens, LANCE, but that's not happening today! ELECTABUZZ, ICE PUNCH!"

ELECTABUZZ grins as she leaps at DRAGONITE and socks it right in the face with a giant ball of ice. It sends DRAGONITE flying into the wall. The wall crumbles, leaving a crater in it as DRAGONITE lands, barely hanging onto consciousness. "I told you I'm not backing down!" I bark at him.

LANCE's face is no longer relaxed. One of his DRAGONs just got smacked hard by a little cat! Can they defeat it before it has a chance to take them down? "Very well," LANCE says. "Neither will I. THUNDER WAVE!"

DRAGONITE sends out a wave of magnetism in an effort to paralyze ELECTABUZZ. "Watch out, dodge it and hit him with another ICE PUNCH!" ELECTABUZZ leaps into the air again, this time slamming down on DRAGONITE's head with the block of ice attached to ELECTABUZZ's fist. The dragon lets out a weary roar as it collapses.

ELECTABUZZ hits level 42!

"Is this it?", thought LANCE. "I feel strange about this kid. I'm kind of excited. It's been a while since I've had a match this good. That ELECTABUZZ looks even more confident now…"

"Alright, SERENA. You're good. But can your cat endure?" He sends out another DRAGONITE.

At this point, SERENA and ELECTABUZZ are quite motivated, in the heat of the action. "Another DRAGONITE? Are there not a lot of DRAGONs out there?"

"No, they're just my favorite POKéMON," replies LANCE.

"ELECTABUZZ, ICE PUNCH again!" This one hits the gut of DRAGONITE, knocking it back a good 30 feet, but not into the wall. "DRAGONITE, THUNDER WAVE!" The magnetism latches onto ELECTABUZZ, stifling its movement.

LANCE smirks. "It's over for your cat now. DRAGONITE, HYPER BEAM!"

DRAGONITE's head rears back, the energy orb building on its horn instead of its mouth. It lunges forward with its head, sending out a kaleidoscopic beam of pure energy. It crashes into ELECTABUZZ, careening it across the field and into the wall.

I rush to the site of the blast. After the dust clears, a yellow hand punches through the rubble and ELECTABUZZ emerges. "Yes! ELECTABUZZ, LIGHT SCREEN!"

"How on Earth?" thinks LANCE. "I hit it with so much raw power; how did it hold on?"

LANCE speaks, "You're lucky, SERENA. Most POKéMON cannot stand to such power. Can your streak continue? LIGHT SCREEN won't save you from HYPER BEAM."

"Yes, ELECTABUZZ can! Your DRAGONITE has to recharge. You're stuck! ELECTABUZZ, here's a FULL RESTORE!" I run to her aid and spray the medicine on its fur, curing its paralysis and rejuvenating it.

LANCE's look turns to a grimace as ELECTABUZZ rushes at DRAGONITE for a final ICE PUNCH, totally helpless. "Alright, you've taken down two DRAGONITEs, but I know three of ELECTABUZZ's techniques now! You've shown too much of your hand!"

"Try me," I say.

LANCE sends out a third DRAGONITE. I giggle and say, "LANCE, isn't this a rerun? ELECTABUZZ, ICE PUNCH!" The DRAGONITE is knocked across the field, but braces itself with its claws in the ground. "DRAGONITE, what are you waiting for? HYPER BEAM!" LANCE yells.

Side note: LANCE is dumb to be using HYPER BEAM. It has 150 power, but you lose a turn to recharging if you hit. RETURN or FRUSTRATION have a base power of 102 at maximum happiness or misery, and don't suffer from the post-attack recharge. BODY SLAM is another great contender at 80 power because it has a 33% chance of causing paralysis. Had LANCE been using those moves, he'd have an easier time.

Another blinding flash of multicolored light bathes the battlefield. "ELECTABUZZ, brace yourself!" She digs her claws into the ground, only being pushed back a few dozen feet. "Yes! Finish it off, now!" I scream. ELECTABUZZ dashes forward to clock DRAGONITE in the face with another ICE PUNCH, and the dragon drops to the floor, limp.

ELECTABUZZ hits level 43!

LANCE's expression changes. What used to be a smirk morphed into a concerned glare.

"What did you say about doubt, LANCE? Will the CHAMPION fall today?" I say with a smile.

"Touché, SERENA! Don't get too cocky, you're still not done." LANCE replies, returning the smile.

LANCE throws an ULTRA BALL into the ring and an AERODACTYL comes out. Its tough, rocky skin and swift movements make it hard for ELECTABUZZ to position herself for striking.

"Watch out ELECTABUZZ! Here's a HYPER POTION!" I heal ELECTABUZZ, then AERODACTYL conjures a giant boulder and smacks ELECTABUZZ with ANCIENTPOWER. It doesn't proc. ELECTABUZZ hangs on fairly easily, but is a little shaken.

"Alright, take it down with THUNDERPUNCH!" I call out.

"Not so fast, SERENA! AERODACTYL, HYPER BEAM!" Its speed blindsides ELECTABUZZ and buries her into the ground, leaving a large crater, KOing the cat. I call her back, whispering as I hold the ball, "Thank you, ELECTABUZZ. You did so well. We're going to make it. He can't stop me!"

LANCE grins, his hands visibly shaking as the adrenaline starts rushing through both of us. "What are you mumbling about over there!? Items can't replace your ELECTABUZZ's poor DEFENSE! Who in your party can withstand a flying fossil?!"

I tell him, "Your fossil is fast, but still prone to type match-ups. I choose QUAGSIRE!"

LANCE begins laughing hysterically. "That dopey thing? Sure, it's WATER-type, but it's slow as molasses! AERODACTYL, show her the value of SPEED! HYPER BEAM!"

"QUAGSIRE, SURF!" I exclaim. The beam squarely strikes QUAGSIRE, taking a moderate chunk of its health, but he's spongy so it barely moves him. "It's time for your fossil to go back to prehistory where it belongs! You're mine!" Water starts to flow into the arena, seemingly from nowhere. The tide rises extremely quickly as a wave builds and carries QUAGSIRE with it.

LANCE watches in horror as the wave crashes against AERODACTYL, knocking him out of the sky.

"You depend too much on raw power, LANCE. HYPER BEAM's recharge is leaving you wide open," I tell him.

LANCE stands there, staring at his final ball; an old, worn POKé BALL from many years ago. In it contains the first POKéMON he ever received. "Well, old pal, it's up to us now. Take that dopey slug to the cleaners!"

He throws the BALL and out comes a CHARIZARD. He spawns in the air and crashes onto the field, across from QUAGSIRE. LANCE continues, "You've done well to bring me to my oldest companion, but we've been through everything together. Your assault ends here! CHARIZARD, SLASH!"

"QUAGSIRE, watch out!" I cried out. Before I could finish saying it, CHARIZARD dashes forward and swipes QUAGSIRE's face with his sharp claws, sending him flying and tumbling across the ground. LANCE yells, "Yes! A critical! Accept your fate, SERENA! Your QUAGSIRE can't endure much more. Your ELECTABUZZ is down. Who else do you have who can stand to the might of a fire dragon?"

I reply, "I don't need anyone else. QUAGSIRE is my friend and he believes in me! Use SURF, QUAGSIRE!"

The waves build again as CHARIZARD flies upward to try to avoid them, but the tide is too high and slams him against the ground, its flame growing dimmer. "No! CHARIZARD!" LANCE yells. He turns to me with the most serious glare I've seen all match. "That's it, you're going down. Come on, CHARIZARD! Blast that tadpole away with HYPER BEAM!"

"QUAGSIRE, finish it with SURF!"

This beam was larger and more intense than the others, flinging him toward me. I jump out of the way, running to QUAGSIRE's aid as he's buried in the wall behind where I was standing.

"CHARIZARD and I have fought through hundreds of battles together. Our bond is unmatched! Let's see what else you have!" LANCE yells.

QUAGSIRE's silhouette comes into view, shaking and struggling to stand. I run through the dust, coughing, desperate to see if my friend is okay. He's bruised and his forehead has a gash in it. When he sees me, he calls out weakly. With a heavy breath, I approach QUAGSIRE. "Are you okay? You look pretty bad, and I'm out of POTIONs, buddy! I'm so sorry! …Come on… let's get into the BALL. I'll figure out a way to do this." QUAGSIRE glances at me, then to CHARIZARD and LANCE, both also recovering from his prior SURF. The expression on its face changes. Its brows furrow and it shakes its head. "Quag!" it says, leaning against me before limping forward. He turns back expectantly.

LANCE stares silently from the other side of the arena, knowing what's in store for him next turn. He whispers to himself, "SERENA… you care so much for your team. It reminds me of that one kid years ago…" LANCE sighs and looks back at us.

Tears well in my eyes as I nod back at QUAGSIRE. It smiles weakly before turning to face CHARIZARD. "Finish this, QUAGSIRE! SURF!" I exclaim, my voice wavering.

QUAGSIRE struggles to lift his arms due to fatigue, but successfully summons the wave, crashing against CHARIZARD and knocking it out. LANCE calls it back before its flame can be put out, and his gaze falls to the floor. The arena lights dim as they're turned off, leaving standard lights along the top of the walls to illuminate the room.

…It's over… That's it… I'm.. the POKéMON LEAGUE CHAMPION! I run to QUAGSIRE's side, hugging his slimy body with all the force I can. He slumps over, bringing me with him to the floor.

LANCE looks up in response to the noise and walks over to me. "…It's over. But it's an odd feeling. I'm not angry that I lost. In fact, I feel happy. Happy that I witnessed the rise of a great new CHAMPION!"

I pull myself up and call QUAGSIRE back to his ball. "Thank you, QUAGSIRE, for your valiant effort. And thank you, LANCE," I say, wiping the slime off of my hands so I can offer a hand to LANCE.

He shakes my hand, saying, "…Whew. You have become truly powerful, SERENA! Your POKéMON have responded to your strong and upstanding nature. As a trainer, you will continue to grow strong with your POKéMON."

In the distance, hurried breathing and muffled banter begin approaching. They make it all the way down the hall until they see LANCE and me.

"Oh, no! It's all over!" MARY says to PROF. OAK.

PROF. OAK mutters, "If only you weren't so slow…" then approaches me.

He says, "Ah, SERENA! It's been a long while. You certainly look more impressive. Your conquest of the LEAGUE is just fantastic! Your dedication, trust, and love for your POKéMON made this happen. Your POKéMON were outstanding, too. Because they believed in you as a trainer, they persevered. Congratulations, SERENA!"

MARY butts in with her microphone, "Let's interview the brand new CHAMPION!"

LANCE interrupts, "This is getting to be a bit too noisy. SERENA, could you come with me?" I follow LANCE into the room on the far side as MARY complains, "Oh, wait! We haven't done the interview!"

The next room has dark, sparkling tiles on the floor and a giant computer in the center. LANCE and I approach it as he turns to me.

"It's been a long time since I last came here. This is where we honor the LEAGUE CHAMPIONS for all eternity. Their courageous POKéMON are also inducted. Here today, we witnessed the rise of a new LEAGUE CHAMPION–a trainer who feels compassion for, and trust toward, all POKéMON. A trainer who succeeded through perseverance and determination. The new LEAGUE CHAMPION who has all the makings of greatness!" LANCE concludes his speech and smiles at me.

I blush and feel my eyes getting misty. "You don't have to say that…"

LANCE shakes his head. "I do. Your battling was impressive. I've not felt a rush like that in three years. Please, allow me to register you and your partners as CHAMPIONS! It's a great honor."

He guides me to the machine, where I place my POKé BALLS and let the computer download their statistics.

Milestone: Become the LEAGUE CHAMPION! TIME: 59:35, POKéDEX: 50

I just want to say that the credits music is one of my favorite tracks in the game. Hearing it brings back memories of my teenage years, where I spent hours and hours battling, trading, and breeding to craft the best teams. There's a bittersweet feeling to the melody that triggers a little sadness that the JOHTO campaign is over. But that's okay, because we're not done yet!

In the tradition of the POKéMON LEAGUE, I am happy to present to you CHAMPION SERENA's inaugural team!

With this behind us, it'll be time to start the KANTO circuit. Stay tuned!

At last, I've returned to this playthrough! Life has had so many ups and downs, but I wanted to resume things here so I can move onto other projects. Onward we go!

When I returned to NEW BARK TOWN, PROF ELM had an S.S. AQUA TICKET for me! I sorted through my POKéMON in the PC, then answered a few phone calls I had gotten on my POKéGEAR for battles. This led me to a few places I had forgotten to venture with SURF. With a few more trainers out of the way, I flew to OLIVINE CITY and boarded the S.S. AQUA!

This portion of the game is a great intermission before you start Kanto proper. The music is super catchy, to boot!

So this little girl went missing, and her grandfather wants me to find her. Weird, why so lazy, gramps? I had to find a sailor's buddy, first, to get to where the girl was. Talk about a hassle with the locals. I hope the rest of KANTO isn't this much of an issue!

Along the way were a bunch of trainers. None had particularly impressive teams but they were good practice.

Disembarking to VERMILION CITY meant I could swing by the GYM and get the THUNDER BADGE right off the bat! I did just that. The trainers guarding SURGE were rather tough, but WEEPINBELL made quick work of them. By the time I got to LT. SURGE, I needed to leverage QUAGSIRE's GROUND typing. Unfortunately, his RAICHU took out QUAGSIRE via using DOUBLE TEAM a lot. He couldn't get any hits off, it was annoying. I eventually gained victory over the LEADER, and the THUNDER BADGE is mine!

I stopped by the POKéMON FAN CLUB to chat with people, too.

With LT. SURGE beaten, it was time to see if I could get the MAGNET TRAIN working again. I got myself over to the POWER PLANT, caught a VOLTORB in the grass outside, earned TM07 ZAP CANNON and went up to the cape to see Misty. When I returned to Cerulean, I fought MISTY! Her underlings were no challenge to me whatsoever, thanks to WEEPINBELL and ELECTABUZZ! They were both essential to toppling MISTY and getting the CASCADE BADGE.

My team is level 42 or higher at this point, with WEEPINBELL being the highest at 46. Things are looking good, let's continue! Not much happened in my journies, until after the ROCK TUNNEL.

Upon getting to LAVENDER TOWN, I swung by the RADIO TOWER to get the EXPN. CARD, which will let me get KANTO radio stations, including the POKéFLUTE station that I'll need for waking up SNORLAX later. I made my way westward.

Once I made it here, I gathered the FOCUS BAND, UPGRADE, and looked into COPYCAT. I wonder if she still needs another POKé DOLL. I continued westward after going north to ROUTE 5 and getting the CLEANSE TAG from the old woman.

When I got to town, my first goal was fighting ERIKA! So off I went to the gym, and did just that! GROWLITHE and NIDORINO were my best buds in the gym. I earned the RAINBOW BADGE and TM19 GIGA DRAIN, then made my way to the rest of the city.

At the GAME CORNER, I bought a bunch of coins with my money and picked up TM15 HYPER BEAM and TM29 PSYCHIC.

At the DEPT. STORE, I bought TM10 HIDDEN POWER, TM17 PROTECT, and TM18 RAIN DANCE. While I was at it, I picked up a POKé DOLL for COPYCAT and a bunch of LEMONADE. From here, it was time to go south!

I fought the trainers here and nabbed the hidden MAX ELIXER on my way to the next town.

My only real reason for being here is to get the SOUL BADGE and TM06 TOXIC! JANINE's team was tough – especially VENOMOTH with its PSYCHIC move – but in the end I won! Next up is tracking down a CHANSEY to catch, to the east.

The trainers here are more of a hassle than anything. GROWLITHE and QUAGSIRE make quick work of the trainers as I pick up the PP UP and make my way northeast.

On the north end is a patch of grass blocked by a CUT tree. I get inside, and spend some time looking for a CHANSEY.

The next morning, I catch a CHANSEY after a bunch of random battles! It took nearly 10 ULTRA BALLs to get the job done, but I now have the hardest monster to catch in the COOLTRAINER-DEX! There are only a few base forms left for me to get (without trading).

I use this newfound energy to blast through ROUTE 13 and 12, grabbing CALCIUM (x2), ELIXER, and NUGGET, looping around to ROUTE 11, where I can wake up SNORLAX and get to the west side of KANTO!

We're finally getting back around to VERMILION CITY! I snag the REVIVE hidden in the bush, and the BERRY from the nearby tree before moving westward. Trainers here are pushovers in the low to mid 30s. PIDGEOT was low on levels, so I relied on him through this.

At last, it's time to open the way to DIGLETT CAVE! I tune my POKé GEAR to the POKéFLUTE station and start the battle with SNORLAX!

Leading with PIDGEOT, I lower his accuracy with SAND-ATTACK. He's level fifty, so I need some way to lower damage since my team is still in the high 40s. Most of these turns, SNORLAX is using SNORE, weirdly. He only used ROLLOUT once, and missed, while we lowered his accuracy. Now we switch to WEEPINBELL!

SNORLAX misses with BODY SLAM and WEEPINBELL retaliates with SLEEP POWDER, connecting! SNORLAX can still fight in his sleep, but he'll be easier to deal with now since his accuracy is so low, and I won't risk triggering a different status infliction. Time to start pummeling! I order WEEPINBELL to attack with ACID, so SNORLAX's DEFENSE can be debuffed. I've sussed out his moveset now, so only PIDGEOT or GROWLITHE are really in any danger.

This SNORLAX is carrying LEFTOVERS, making it a huge pain to keep him at low HP long enough to get a few attempts at catching. A brave trainer can send out an empty-handed monster with THIEF to steal it, but none of my team have it so that strat isn't available. Would be an easy way to neutralize that threat.

SNORLAX wakes up after my onslaught with ROLLOUT, and misses. SLEEP POWDER connects again next turn and I continue. He was down to about 20% HP when he woke up. Now we're at about half. SNORLAX finally uses SNORE and connects, before I start throwing balls. Unfortunately, he keeps waking up. He uses REST a few times between naps, making it hard to time a ball throw appropriately.

After some struggling, I almost had him but scored a critical hit.

So naturally, I reset the game… lmao.

—

Let's go get some more supplies, so it's easier to outlast him! It'd be nice if I could find some HEAVY BALLs for sale, but alas. I swing by CELADON's store to nab more ULTRA BALLs and some healing items. I also found the POKé DOLL for COPYCAT. She gives me the MAGNET TRAIN PASS so I can take the MAGNET TRAIN back to JOHTO any time I want! Yes!

With that done, I went back to AZALEA TOWN to see if maybe I left any BLK APRICORNs with KURT and score a HEAVY BALL or two. Sadly I was wrong. Just FAST BALLs! Let's leave some BLK APRICORNs with him anyway. I have 4 in the PC.

—

Since I'm in JOHTO, let's go look for a MARILL and knock another monster off the checklist! Looks like they hang out in MT MORTAR and ROUTE 42. Sadly, that's only at night! You can tell at the entrance of MT MORTAR by running into MACHOP instead of MARILL. I'll have to come back later. Back to SNORLAX!

With some more supplies in tow and a better idea of what I'm up against, I challenge him once again! But first let's go into the POKéMON CENTER…

I heal, and on my way out, a nurse stops me and gives me a GS BALL! Can it be?! Will CELEBI await me in ILEX FOREST later?! I'm psyched! This content was locked away in the original US release of POKéMON CRYSTAL.

I have no clue how this is unlocked; I'm going to assume it's the first CENTER you go into after taking the MAGNET TRAIN for the first time. It's either that, or GOLDENROD's in particular. Would be a good point to get it, since the whole game is available to the player now, sans MT. SILVER.

SNORLAX's moveset is BODY SLAM, ROLLOUT, SNORE, and REST. He's designed for longevity. Let's show him who can outlast who.

I lead with PIDGEOT and SAND-ATTACK, once again. It worked really well last time. I get his ACCURACY down to its lowest, then switch in NIDORINO.

SNORLAX is asleep, so NIDORINO hits with DOUBLE KICK, to add some oomph to the fight. It takes out a solid 20% or so of his HP. Not bad! I can get better gains after switching to WEEPINBELL, if he becomes a hassle.

NIDORINO gets him down, but my attempts to catch didn't work. BODY SLAM connects and NIDORINO goes down. I send out WEEPINBELL and put SNORLAX to sleep so we can save this fight! It took a lot of SLEEP POWDER and ACID follow-ups, and ACID never proc'd a DEFENSE debuff, but in the end I got him down to a sliver before LEFTOVERS kicked in, threw an ULTRA BALL, and SNORLAX is mine!

He's not part of this challenge, but since there's only one or two in the whole game, it's important to catch it for post-challenge gameplay.

Let's go through the tunnel now!

I'll have to be careful and use the ITEMFINDER in here to nab the MAX REVIVE. In the mean time, let's catch a DIGLETT! WEEPINBELL is useful again here. It took a few BALLs, but in the end I caught a DIGLETT! There are only three base form monsters left in the COOLTRAINER-DEX that I have access to: PIKACHU, MARILL, and DRATINI! DRATINI is already guaranteed; I just want to reset to get a great set of DVs. Will need to save up for RARE CANDY to check its stats. :) Anyways, onward to the west side of KANTO! We'll save SABRINA for later.

I personally like to go south first, all the way to the SEAFOAM ISLANDS, then fly back to VIRIDIAN or PEWTER. Let's go north (and behind the cave, grabbing the CARBOS) so we can fly to PEWTER CITY later, then back south toward VIRIDIAN CITY.

I'm heading through the area representing VIRIDIAN FOREST from first generation, grabbing the MAX POTION, FULL HEAL, MAX ETHER, PSNCUREBERRY, FULL RESTORE, REVIVE, DIRE HIT, ELIXER on my way south. Quite a profitable trip already! The BUG CATCHERs were easy, too.

I head down to talk to the sleeping guy to get TM42 DREAM EATER. This might come in handy later! Let's continue south.

Wow, the music brings back some serious memories.

Let's jump down and grab the BITTER BERRY, battling the easy-ish trainers as I go south..

This is where it all began! Let's swing by to see PROF. OAK! He tells me to come back after I have KANTO's eight badges; will keep that in mind. Let's continue southward.

More trainers, this time ELECTABUZZ is getting some experience! She'll need it against future WATER or FLYING types.

This is a great pit stop. I healed at the CENTER, then chatted with BLUE so he'll show up at his GYM and nabbed the RARE CANDY before going eastward.

More water, and only one trainer. Huh.

It's time to face BLAINE! QUAGSIRE will make a fine partner for this battle. It was a close call with his RAPIDASH's FIRE BLAST, but QUAGSIRE emerged the victor and I claimed the VOLCANO BADGE! Cool beans!

No play-by-plays here anymore, except for key battles, if you haven't noticed since I got to KANTO.

Now to loop around to FUCHSIA to collect any items, and head back to PEWTER CITY!

More trainers, more easy EXP. ELECTABUZZ learned THUNDERBOLT here though, so that's awesome!

Onward we SURF… and more trainers we defeat! The trip to FUCHSIA went went. Let's go to PEWTER!

The man in the northeast side of town has a SILVER WING for me. Now I can visit LUGIA!

Let's swing by the GYM and give BROCK a beatdown. QUAGSIRE single-handedly took out his entire team! I claim the BOULDER BADGE and make my way to the east.

I was about to head eastward, when PICNICKER GINA called and ended up having a LEAF STONE for me! Nice luck for me! I'll have to go get the other elemental stone numbers some time…

When I came back to KANTO, I was ready to pummel the gauntlet of trainers on the way to MT. MOON. Sadly it is not a Monday night, so I won't be able to capitalize fully on this trip, but it's okay.

As soon as I enter, SILVER approaches me for a rematch! Alright, let's go! He surprised me with an ALAKAZAM and GENGAR. QUAGSIRE was weakened, and ELECTABUZZ ended up going down, but WEEPINBELL saved the day. Still the champ, bb.

Let's wrap up this stretch and FLY to SAFFRON to take down SABRINA! Easy trainers, like usual, and easy pickings for the HP UP. Good stuff.

Returning to SABRINA's gym was a fun diversion. Ultimately, I gave GROWLITHE some extra EXP and took the MARSH BADGE as my victory prize. Only one badge left! I swing by MR. PSYCHIC's house to get TM29 PSYCHIC since I forgot to earlier.

I'm not wasting any time. I can practically taste the cold air of MT. SILVER – a place only true masters get to visit!

The fight with BLUE was intense. His ALAKAZAM had my team on the ropes for a while, due to lacking STEEL or DARK types. GROWLITHE, ELECTABUZZ, and QUAGSIRE were all essential to the win, but the whole team was necessary to take BLUE down. QUAGSIRE was the last standing team member, in typical clutch fashion!

With the EARTH BADGE in tow, I have become a regional celebrity! I have all the badges from two whole regions! Has any other trainer done this? Let's go see PROF. OAK and gain entry to the mountain.

CHALLENGE COMPLETED: Become a KANTO Regional Champ!

It's time to face the pinnacle of challenge in the JOHTO region! I'm mostly here for the items. Before I bother grinding for RED, I want to specially breed a team so I'm not wasting the limited evolution items that are available to me. It's pretty easy to avoid fighting him, so this is just covering the last bit of content.

At the far west end, I found a FULL RESTORE. That's nice, in an area with monsters easily reaching or exceeding level 40. My own team is barely hitting 50 at this point. Anyways, after stopping by to heal, I doubled around the wooded area to the house on the base of the mountainside. She asks me to leave and hands over TM47 STEEL WING, a great move to give to a flyer! I head out to the far corner of the clearing and nab the RARE CANDY before heading back west. I'll drop off some items before I head into the cave.

At last, the final challenge of the run! I make a dash around the place with HMs and my ITEMFINDER. Among the spoils are PROTEIN, ESCAPE ROPE, ULTRA BALL (x3), DIRE HIT, MAX ELIXER, PP UP, MAX REVIVE, CALCIUM, and FULL RESTORE! It'll be a while before I can come back and face RED at full power!

That wraps up the main plot's content!

—

I'll try to keep at the run from here, but with 16 badges and only a few monsters left to catch, don't be surprised if I end up never facing Red. I still haven't faced up against Red in my SoulSilver playthrough, and it's from 2010. The level scaling of 2nd gen is unfortunately kinda crap. I'll end up beating the Elite Four a lot or something. Once I explore Mt. Silver, the run's focus will go completely meta.

I won't be covering location-by-location anymore, and will instead talk about the goals in the final stretch, in addition to finishing touches I want to do before pronouncing the run finished and fleshing out the rest of the Pokédex.

Shortly after looting MT. SILVER, I flew to VIRIDIAN CITY and went to catch a PIKACHU. It took some work, surprisingly, but the level 12 PSYDUCK that was tagging along for HMs worked out in weakening PIKACHU enough to catch. Good stuff. DRATINI is already in the bag, I'll just have to reset for stats.

In the evening, I went to MT. MORTAR to fetch a MARILL! It was caught on the first throw. That's the last of the monsters that I need to actively catch! DRATINI can be gotten from the DRAGON'S DEN anytime.

I'm thinking, instead of crafting an entirely new team, I want to tweak what I have now and try to make it better. It has a better feel, and will be less work overall. I have zero interest in grinding out an ideal breed. It's a lot of work and I've done it dozens of times at this point in my life.

The first step is to take a critical look at my team, and how I can improve it enough to be ready to face RED. Here's the data, which we'll compare to what's available in the monster pool for COOLTRAINERS to improve it. So, without further delay, let's put the team up, as they are today!

This girl is actually somewhat solid! She's been essential in stopping an assault in its tracks, and for catching monsters. Even back in the BELLSPROUT days, it's been reliable. If I were to replace her, it would be with EXEGGUTOR, or maybe something better complementing GROWLITHE or FLAREON. It would give me the PSYCHIC type, as well. We'll see.

I feel like it needs to drop ACID for SLUDGE BOMB, and CUT for either RETURN or another strategic move in the cases where SLEEP POWDER can't help much. RAZOR LEAF could be replaced with GIGA DRAIN, but the PP limitations introduced aren't really worth it, maxing at 8…

I'm pretty satisfied with this moveset. It's been SO effective, and it's shiny! What's not to love?

I would replace STRENGTH with ICE BEAM, and AMNESIA's up in the air. Maybe HAZE or HIDDEN POWER FLYING could be fun?

If I end up using one of these, I'd like to go SLUDGE BOMB, EARTHQUAKE, THUNDERPUNCH, and something else in the last slot.

FLY has strategic uses, but can be replaced with STEEL WING or a funny HIDDEN POWER, like FIGHTING or GROUND, if needed. QUICK ATTACK could be replaced if needed, but I'm not sure what with. RETURN, for damage?

I think GROWLITHE gets CRUNCH through breeding with HOUNDOUR or HOUNDOOM, so I would need to breed to get the best version of this monster. The plan is to evolve at 50, so FLAMETHROWER replaces FLAME WHEEL, then use a FIRE STONE and teach EXTREMESPEED over TAKE DOWN. AGILITY could be replaced, but I'm not sure what with, that would increase type coverage.

Current candidates for replacement are NIDORINO and/or GROWLITHE.

I'm considering ESPEON, with the max SpAtt and SpDef EEVEE that I got back in the early game. It would give me better coverage for POISON, FIGHTING, and GHOST types, and I may be able to pair it with BITE, ZAP CANNON, or something else crazy.

Also under consideration is FLAREON. It can learn SHADOW BALL via TM, and has an ATTACK high enough to make it hurt for GHOSTs and PSYCHICs. (Fun fact: in HGSS, the reverse is true due to the physical/special split on all types. This means GENGAR can hit much harder with it than in the originals.) And it can carry on BITE from EEVEE. DARK types in 2nd gen often have secondary types (UMBREON being the only pure DARK type up to this point), and it's easier for COOLTRAINERs to target those types offensively than to get BUG or FIGHTING-type moves to target their DARK typing. GHOST type moves hit everything except NORMAL, and very few things resist it.

While ARCANINE can get CRUNCH to hit PSYCHICs hard, PSYCHIC types often have high SP.DEF. FLAREON's higher ATTACK, plus SHADOW BALL, makes hitting PSYCHICs, in particular, a lot more effective. It uses the same evolution item and gets the job done from a better angle.

I will need some time to think about it, but that's what's up!

I've been thinking about how I want to tackle the last of the run's objectives, and I realized I could train for RED and evolve monsters at the same time, using the EXP SHARE. I can give it to the monster I want to evolve, then go train at MT SILVER. Leveling both monsters will take more battles, but by the time my main team hits level 60, I should be able to OHKO every wild monster. This should make evolving and training for RED both go by simultaneously, more or less, and be a better use of time. Tuning in nightly for BUENA's password to get RARE CANDY is another, longer-term way to do it and hardly requires any combat.

• get some evolution stones so I can fill out the monster families
• acquire Dratini from Dragon's Den
• plan changes to my team to face Red with
• evolve remaining monsters
• defeat Red
• pronounce the run finished – maybe beat the E4 with the final team for 'proof'

~~DISCUSSION~~