Pokemon Blue Nuzlocke Time! (Part 10)

[guardians_song]

Syaoran: You're... selling... Pokemon here?
Man Behind Counter: That's right, kid! And they could be much more expensive, too! Why, this Porygon -
Syaoran: Say, where DID you get that Clefairy? Seeing as how they're only from Mt. Moon and all.
Man Behind Counter: N-no more questions! *slams down windowshade*


Syaoran: (At least the TMs weren't living, breathing creatures...)



Syaoran: ...Yes? Half the population is female.
Old Man: ...Ah, shaddup! I'm lonely!


For posterity, LEERSPEAR pre-Gym. Peck has 33 PP. Let's see how far he goes on this, shall we?

Syaoran: *sigh* I should just get used to this, shouldn't I...

Syaoran: But I'm a Trainer! D:
Lass: You have a Y chromosome!


Syaoran: YOU assaulted ME! D:

Antidotes are heavenly in Nuzlockes.

Syaoran: Your... makeup?


Beauty: Would you like to purchase some for $5.99-
Syaoran: No thanks! *beats a hasty retreat*


Syaoran: No, that's this old guy out-

Syaoran: -side.
Jr. Trainer: Thank you! We'll dispose of him in a little while. :D
Syaoran: ...You mean, drive him off?
Jr. Trainer: Whatever you say, outsider. :D
Syaoran: ...
*outside*
Old Man: *shivers violently for no good reason*


LEERSPEAR: ...Use Rock-or-Electric types, and I might not. Until that point...

Syaoran: (Not another Pokemon-lasher...)

Syaoran: You mean, the ones you don't beat? >:|

LEERSPEAR: ...*is a Flying-type*

LEERSPEAR: Unlike you.
Syaoran: LEERSPEAR!


Syaoran: Well, it is a "hobby"...




Can we make it to the end on just 10 PP?!


Syaoran: Did you get your face in the Sleep Powder again?
Erika: ...None of your business. *dunks face in a bowl of unknown powder and sighs blissfully*

LEERSPEAR: I teach the art of flower RE-arranging. :U

Syaoran: ...I think that your powder-abusing habits may be having an adverse effect on your judgment.
Erika: I have nooooo idea whyyyy you might think - Wooooo! I'm a goat! 8D

Syaoran: (That's what they all say...)

Syaoran: One down...

Syaoran: Two down...

Erika: Ha! Dance of One Thousand Petals!
LEERSPEAR: Urk! Not so damaging, however...

((Turns out I could have gotten by without healing LEERSPEAR pre-battle. Barely.))

Syaoran: Have you considered using more than three Pokemon? :\


((I seriously don't even remember if Erika had a chance to USE Mega Drain in this battle.))

((30 PP to wipe out an entire Gym.
Erika's Gym is remarkably weak on this point. I once wiped it out with 23 Embers from Jahn the Charizard. For such a 'large' Gym, that's pretty pathetic.
Also, note that LEERSPEAR jumped four levels during this Gym. Pretty good, eh?))

Syaoran: (I returned to the Pokecenter to heal my Pokemon, striding past yet another Rocket member in the process...)



((Haven't healed in a while, as you can see, which is why LEERSPEAR had 33/35 PP at the Gym's start. LEERSPEAR was the only member used during the entire Gym.))


Syaoran: (Returning to the corrupt Game Corner, I inspected the poster the man had been guarding...)


Syaoran: (A part of the wall slid back to reveal a stairway, and I carefully trod downwards into the...)

Syaoran: (...well-lit, if unsavory-looking, basement. I might have mistaken it for an ordinary office complex if I knew no better; it even had potted plants. I supposed even Team Rocket valued aesthetically appealing environments.)

Syaoran: (As the first Rocket caught sight of me, I prepared for battle...)

Syaoran: (Darkness closed in, a not-unfamiliar sensations with those who were polluted at heart...
(...But then, what of Shaoron?))

Syaoran: Ugh! What...

Reservoir: Drowned, actually...


Syaoran: (He threatened me, then ran off to alert his fellows. Making haste, I continued onward...)


Syaoran: (Another, loitering in a doorway, bolted to his feet and called out his Pokemon the moment he glimpsed me.)


Reservoir: Tapir for lunch AGAIN?
Drowsee: Ow! Don't make me think you're serious, brat-trained-by-brat!

((I will confess: part of the reason I'm peculiarly fond of Gen 1 is because it couldn't manage more-detailed animations, so it exploited these WTFAWESOME screen-altering effects for all they were worth. Thunder/Thunderbolt, in particular, really shone because of this.
I understand why they toned it down (hellooooo, epilepsy), but still, it's very nice, and an example of low-gen graphics being used to top effect.))


Syaoran: Huh?!
Ambassador: !!! I've received a promotion?
Ambassador #2 and #3: Yes, we heard of your feats of valor, cousin. Join with us, and you shall be granted the power to continue assisting this human in his quest.
Syaoran: Ambassador - Ambassador, I'm so happy for you, but I do have one question -
Ambassador Trio: Yes?
Syaoran: ...How did you get in here?
Ambassador Trio: *sticking out of plant pots* Whatever do you mean?


Syaoran: (This door was shut. Nothing I could do opened it, so I left for now.)


Syaoran: I'll do much more than "diss" you, if it's in my power.


Syaoran: (Unable to do anything more for now, I went down the stairs.)


Syaoran: (Interesting...)

Syaoran: (With Ambassador's increased power, we made short work of him.)

Syaoran: (He seemed smug, but I planned to do that, by fair means or foul.)
Ambassador: If you say so, but digging through concrete flooring isn't terribly enjoyable. Let us try for the 'legitimate' route...



Syaoran: (!!!) So this is where they store their looted goods? Interesting...

((Officially, this trip didn't happen. >_> Darned Gen 1 item limit.))

Syaoran: (I made my way downwards to an elevator...)

Syaoran: (...But it turned out that I needed to unlock it - presumably a line of defense for the Rockets if someone did infiltrate their base.
That said, the only way to deal with a missing key was to find it. I went up the newfound staircase in search of it.)

((...a.k.a. the move that literally hobbled you in Gen 1? No thanks!))


((About her - I took her out, thinking that Giovanni already had his Nido-line creatures in his party, for plot purposes. I'll have to wire around that later, seeing as how he DOESN'T and I didn't have her out when he DID (in Silph Co.).
I think I'm obliged to take her to Viridian Gym just to wrap up that plot point once I get there. Don't let me forget.))

Wormtail: Every rat for himself, and you ain't with me.


Syaoran: But do you have the key?
Rocket: I - Aw, cripes, just leave me be! Come on, man, I'm only sixteen! I - lemme alone!
Syaoran: (He broke down crying, seeming suddenly undersized for his starched-and-ironed uniform. I thought of pointing out that I was only a few years younger than he was, but he undoubtedly understood that; I had no idea what had driven him to this life at such a young age - whether or not it was just the sadistic pleasure of tormenting things weaker than himself, a spoiled brat's thrill at breaking the law, or an impoverished teenager's attempt to get out of the ghetto by any means necessary.

I left him be. I hoped this defeat would serve to scare him straight.

...I hoped.)



Queen Aria: Ha! Who wants to take me on?

((Aaaand suddenly Queen Aria vaults into viability. Unfortunately, I have no real slot on my team for her, since I already have a strong Normal physical attack [with STAB, no less] in Wormtail and a strong Ground-type in Ambassador.))

Syaoran: Do you have any idea where it might be?
Rocket: For the love of - Look, kid, have you actually tried purchasing one? Or known anyone who has?
Syaoran: Uh -
Rocket: Reason is, it's behind schedule! It ain't "outta stock" because it's so popular - it's because Silph is covering their lab-bench-flattened rears by putting that up in the catalogs while they try desperately to bring it to market! There's only a few prototypes circulating at the moment, and though I know we've got one here 'cause the scientists have been swooning over it, I don't know how we got it or who has it !
Syaoran: How do you know all that about the Silph Scope?
Rocket: We've had corporate espionage active at Silph for months. Which is about how long it takes a grunt like me to hear anything important. Now, get that Raticate away from me before it rips my head off, you hear?



Syaoran: (I briefly retreated to the Pokemon Center in order to heal my wounded Pokemon - even they were hard-pressed to fight off an entire hideout of Rockets on their own. Fortunately, no one cut off my retreat, and, when I returned, the poster still worked to open the entrance...)


Syaoran: (At first, I thought he had heard of my assault in my brief absence, but he immediately started cursing me out for my 'interference at Mt. Moon'... It appeared that some of the Rockets involved in that "affair" had escaped the clutches of the police.)

Queen Aria: Actually, that was Body Slam, peasant. Take Down is decidedly inferior.

Syaoran: (He was no more helpful than his compatriot.)


Syaoran: (He had a suspiciously wide grin on his face as he spoke...)

((Frickin'. Epic.
Don't mess with Body Slam, you lot. BD))

((At best guess, Monarch needed to be healed because of confusion.
Confusion is actually one of the blasted nastiest things that can occur in a Nuzlocke. It turns your Pokemon's own strength against them - deadly if you're using a high-ATK Pokemon. I think that's what caused a terrifying screenshot later on, in the case of a Hypno that likely had Confuse Ray...)

Syaoran: (I returned his earlier grin with interest.)

Syaoran: (I was now ready to take on the Rocket Boss... If I could find him.)

Syaoran: (And, at that point, I discovered that word of my assault had indeed spread throughout the base.)



Syaoran: (Fortunately, forearmed was NOT forewarned in their case.)


Syaoran: (I flashed the Lift Key at him, and the smile fell off his face.)


Syaoran: (When I exited the elevator, I found myself on the other side of the locked door...)
Rocket: How'd you - Dang it! Away with you, brat!



Syaoran: (Or, more precisely, one of his Poison Pokemon had corroded a hole in it when Ambassador had dodged its attack with Dig. It would make a convenient shortcut on my way out.)


Syaoran: (One long ride down to B4F later...)


Syaoran: Evil is never beautiful.
Rocket: Hahaha, kid! Your humiliation will be a lovely work of art!

Syaoran: (He dropped to his knees, seeing no 'beauty' in his own defeat.)


Syaoran: (As he wailed in despair, his fellow guard approached.)


Syaoran: (Cursing violently, he flung his Pokemon at me, swearing that he had become stronger since our earlier encounter.)

Syaoran: (Unfortunately for him, so have I.)
Reservoir: You Rockets really have to learn the difference between fire and water. It explains why you keep sending Ground-types out against me.

Syaoran: (Without them able to stop me, it was easy to force the door with a few slams from Queen Aria.)


Took a brief detour over to the side, don't mind me. *whistles*


Syaoran: (The Rocket Boss was a sharp-featured, high-browed man with a cunning smirk and an air of great power. I couldn't help thinking that he would have become a great man had he dedicated himself to any other career - and instead, he had become a great monster.

He waited calmly as I made my way around the desk, looking as though this was nothing more than a student coming up to his professor after class. His personal charisma was immense... but corrupted by a miasma of pure evil.)



Syaoran: (It felt as though darkness engulfed me...
...but this was no bizarre, half-supernatural darkness such as I had felt - or imagined that I felt - from Shaoron. It was just the weight of the man's sheer ruthlessness and evil. I prayed my Pokemon would be enough -)




Syaoran: (His Rhyhorn and Onix, seemingly used more to intimidation than to battle, fell easily. But Giovanni seemed half to have expected that, and tossed out his final Pokemon with an air of anticipated victory...)


Syaoran: (It was a massive, scarred Kangashkan. Its rage seemed barely controlled even as it came out of its PokeBall, and I half-wondered why, when the other Pokemon Giovanni had with him were relatively weak, it had not broken free of the man long ago in a fit of fury -

But then I realized that he likely threatened its infant to make it obey. Of course - nothing was too low for the man.

In the meantime, however, it turned its rage against its owner upon its foes...)

Syaoran: (With every blow it took, its bloodlust increased. Blindly, it swung for Reservoir even when he was hidden from sight, and I had to run back towards the door and ready a 'spare' Pokemon to defend me, lest the Kangashkan decide to take out the Trainer if it couldn't find the Pokemon... certainly, Giovanni would have no objection to such an efficient manner of winning the match!)


Syaoran: (Fortunately, the Dig technique that I had been gifted - coincidentally, by a victim of Team Rocket - so long ago helped Reservoir to dodge its furious attacks, and he ultimately proved the victor, knocking it out when its guard was down.)

Syaoran: (I could only pray that Giovanni didn't punish it for its "failure".)

Syaoran: (Giovanni stared at me in disbelief as his apparent trump card fell, his mouth gaping in shock.)

Syaoran: (An almost nostalgic expression crossed his face before he snorted and shrugged it off, shaking his head.)

Syaoran: (Before I could so much as move, he had one of his "defeated" Pokemon kick sand into the eyes of my team-)

Syaoran: (By the time we could see again, coughing and blinking our watering eyes furiously, he had vanished.)


Syaoran: (I healed Reservoir before the long trek back, then picked up an item he seemed to have dropped in his haste to flee.

According to the lettering etched into its side, it was the Silph Scope! Ecstatic, I put it carefully into my bag and began running for the exit, my mind already turning to the unfortunate people of Lavender Town...)

((And there we end it for now! Here, take a look at our valiant team of Pokemon. ;D))

((Alas, Queen Aria will be taking a royal rest after this - I had a certain dragon-carp to train. However, she got to be pretty good while she was here! [Note that she has an Attack equal to that of my favorite Ground-type glass cannon...] ))

((YES!))

Coming up next: Lavender Town! Rival! Silph. Co! Rival AGAIN! And a rematch with Giovanni! Don't miss! Only available here, on Guardian's Song's Nuzlocke Run! :D

Comments

[sarajayechan]

Mighty impressive team! Also I totally remember the whips from Gen I. They looked cool but I'm glad they got rid of them except for the Tamers in HGSS.