Pokemon Soul Silver: Chikorita Run

[wraith89]

[hgsssprite]152[/hgsssprite] Playthrough as Chikorita [hgsssprite]152[/hgsssprite]

"Are you a boy or a girl? Won't you please tell me?"

~ Professor Oak

^--- pervert alert!

So like I said, if I ever get this game, I will take the challenge as the ridiculously challenged Chikorita. While Cyndaquil remained a great force to play as ever since GSC and Totodile got new tools to play with, Chikorita remained largely the same as her GSC counterpart: a support unit starter. And in-game definitely supports offensive type Pokemon more than support Pokemon as your main Pokemon. Not to mention how it is clearly disadvantaged against the first two gyms. Will it be possible to play through the game as Chikorita? In this thread I will write through with my experiences and show you that perhaps it is not all that impossible (or give up miserably). This will be divided into two arcs: Johto and Kanto... and at the end of each I will upload a save file (as usual) for people to download I suppose (and for me to back up). I should have put more screenshots... but I guess it couldn't be helped. I only thought about writing this whole thing now.

Oh, and by the way, I have horrible luck. Yes, I do not believe in luck, but most people will know what I am talking about.

Feel free to comment whenever possible. It is an in-progress thread and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Arc I: Johto League

Starting the Game

Characters:

Name: Gold

Gender: Boy

Description: The main character of this game. Very cynical and often wonders why he is named after a color.

Name: Lyra

Gender: Girl

Description: A girl often confused for Mario by Gold, she slaps him everytime he comes close to calling her Mario. She may have a secret crush on Gold though.

Name: Silver

Gender: Boy

Description: A.k.a piss boy, he is Gold's rival and calls him weak, but is only afraid of getting caught by the police for taking a piss on the left side of Professor Elm's lab. Gold is angry at him for stealing Cyndaquil from Professor Elm before he (Gold) could.

[He was too lazy to get his own sprite]

Name: Professor Elm

Gender: Man

Description: A professor who is too busy (or lazy, depending on how you see it) to do everything himself so he asks Gold to do stuff for him.

[Too good for a picture]

"My real name is *truck passes by* but everybody calls me mom!"

Name: Mom

Gender: Woman

Description: Your mom. What else can I say? She supposedly saves your money but she spends your money without asking on stuff... but usually they're good stuff

[Too scary to have a picture]

Name: Professor Oak

Gender: Erm... am I a boy or a girl? :B

Description: A professor who was smart enough to make an electronic database for storing Pokemon, but has no clue to what gender anybody is. His grandson is pissed at him.

[Does not have a picture]

Name: Mr. Pokemon

Gender: Man

Description: A guy who's last name is Pokemon. He makes some amazing claims of how he can balance a Pokemon egg on one finger and other outrageous claims. "This time", though, he states "it's real"... so he bugs Professor Elm about it.

Name: Officer Krupke

Gender: Man

Description: He came into the wrong musical... and thinks Gold is part of the Jets... so he will find every single excuse to arrest him. However, he did allow Gold to name Silver. Yes, Johto is where the west winds blow, but this is not West Side Story >.>

Well, okay, the beginning of the game is straightforward... although I cannot access my menu! What?! So I go downstairs... and talk to mom, and then she gives me stuff for a touch screen menu? SWEET! So I have to head to Professor Elm... and look out... but some girl's Marrill bumps into me. Oh hey it's Mario! The girl comes up to me and slaps me in the face saying, "NOT MARIO! My name is Lyra!" Oh... how nice. How was I supposed to know? I COULD see the resemblance Pippi Longstockings

And some weird red haired boy is oddly standing at the left side of the lab. I go in to see what he is doing... and I find out the ugly truth: he is pissing on the side wall! Horrified I run away to tell mommy, but before he does that he shoves me, saying "what are you staring at?". Oh yeah?! Wanna mess? Once I get my Pokemon I will beat you into pulps... and tell everyone you were pissing at Professor Elm's lab. Anyways, into Professor Elm's...

Professor Elm calls on Gold to come in to his lab for some fun... but gets some email before he gets to have his fun. This email is from Mr. Pokemon! He says he found an egg and apparently his other claims are just rants. Professor Elm, being as "busy" as always, just sends you to go for him instead. Okay... so time to pick a starter Pokemon!!

[hgsssprite]152[/hgsssprite] --> [hgsssprite]153[/hgsssprite] --> [hgsssprite]154[/hgsssprite]

Chikorita --16--> Bayleef --32--> Meganium

The grass Pokemon of this game... and like most grassers, it learns status moves like Poisonpowder and... that's all? Supportive moves include Reflect, Light Screen, Safeguard, and it learns Synthesis really early to help it recover its health. As for its offensive moves... have fun with Tackle and Razor Leaf for early game... Magical Leaf at level 22 as Bayleef... level 32 Petal Dance as Meganium (as soon as it evolves) and a whopping level 46 for Body Slam as Meganium! Its stats also imply that you use it defensively. What to do with this thing? Get a LOT of Pokemon to support it... trying to solo with this thing will not be easy. I would suggest this Pokemon for advanced players only. If you are not experienced, it will be a rough ride for you. Or so it seems... I suppose time will tell.

[hgsssprite]155[/hgsssprite] --> [hgsssprite]156[/hgsssprite] --> [hgsssprite]157[/hgsssprite]

Cyndaquil --14--> Quilava --36--> Typhlosion

Everyone's favorite... the fire porcupine rides again! He is definitely geared to be an offensive Pokemon, looking at how its stats are aligned. He learns many Fire moves like Flame Wheel and Flamethrower and can certainly put a dent on many things it battles. Also, it is the fastest of the Johto starters. But then again... the only moves it seems to learn are Fire moves, aside from those fringe normal moves like Quick Attack and Swift. And while you get Quilava the earliest of the three starters, Typhlosion makes the latest appearance. But overall, this starter is very well rounded and will serve you well... especially when the 2nd gym leader got so tough. Beginners and Cyndaquil lovers alike should choose this one.

[hgsssprite]158[/hgsssprite] --> [hgsssprite]159[/hgsssprite] --> [hgsssprite]160[/hgsssprite]

Totodile --18--> Croconaw --30--> Feraligatr

The worst starter... in GSC. But due to the totally revamp of the game's mechanics, the guy who sat in the time out bench all of a sudden became the star of the baseball game! With physical moves like Bite and Ice Fang under its disposal, and a decent Special Attack enough to utilize Surf or even Ice Beam (if you can afford it) this guy surely makes the Totodile it used to be look like Magikarp! While Croconaw takes the longest to debut, Feraligatr evolves the earliest of all three (in fact, out of all starters!) and starts out with a brand new Agility. This guy is so good you may even sweep the whole entire game with it! Falkner will not stand a chance, Bugsy is alleviated if you can get Ice Fang in on time, Whitney will eventually fall to its brute force, Bite off Morty's Ghosts, and so on... I am not sure whether to recommend this guy to the beginners or not, but for offensive players, this is the one you are looking for.

So obviously I pick Chikorita, and go on in a journey of doom... fight Pokemon along the way, Pidgeys and Sentrets until I run to Cherrygrove City. But wait! Must talk to mom first... and she gives me a Pokegear. Fun. Now off to Cherrygrove. Ooh a berry tree? Wait, I can't get it. The first critical hit in this game went to the wild Pidgey who Tackled me for a whopping 8 damage. And here I am, at Cherrygrove City. Now some cheery old man comes in and tries to guide me, but he is WAY TOO FAST! How is he running that fast? I'm MUCH younger! Anyhow after a while he gives me the Running Shoes... and I'm able to run. Going off to Route 30 someone stops me... the Old Man wants to give me something else? Cool, a map card for the Pokegear! And I'm off... go to a house to find some guy giving me an Apricorn case. Whee... now I can shake stuff off trees and it gives me these colorful fruits. Heading left, some punk kid tells me they're having a battle and that I cannot pass. COME ON. So I head right... but this route is full of Weedles and Kakunas... the latter which drains 20 of my tackles per battle but gives ~ 40ish EXP after win. All right, a berry tree. Cool, another Apricorn... and Mr. Pokemon's house.

Mr. Pokemon here... gives me an egg. But what could it be? Now Professor Oak comes and... wait what?! OH NO IT'S THE ONE WHO ASKED ME IF I WAS A BOY OR A GIRL!! D: As my player shoots the professor and escapes from the scene of the crim- wait, let me start that again.

Where was I? Oh right! Professor Oak... right... that's where I was. He gives me a Pokedex and tells me to complete it... just like how he tortured some other kid three years ago, but this time the Pokedex is IMPROVED. It holds 251 Pokemon, not just 151! Oh awesome! Now I go out of the house after Mr. Pokemon heals my Pokemon and... guess who is calling? It's Professor Elm! Are you proud that I got the job done? Oh what? No? Wait?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT CYNDAQUIL GOT STOLEN?! I WAS GONNA STEAL IT FIRS- erm I mean... THAT'S HORRIBLE! Going down to Cherrygrove City and still meeting Weedles and Pidgeys and the occassional Kakunas, I start healing up my Pokemon and head back to New Bark Town, but.............. some red haired kid stops me on the way... and he has some punk theme playing. Oh... it's the pisser boy from Professor Elm's lab... and he calls me weak? Pffh... wanna battle? Let's go!

Pisser Boy Passerby Boy

[hgsssprite]155[/hgsssprite]

Cyndaquil level 5

Oh how fun. Wanna see my Pokemon?

[hgsssprite]152[/hgsssprite]

Leafie the Chikorita level 9

- Tackle

- Growl

- Razor Leaf

- Poisonpowder

Ha ha ha... like I said... I will beat you to a pulp. This battle was plain and simple. Poison Cyndaquil... and spam Tackles. And then its down. And you stole it first? Whatever, it's weak. I'll let you keep it.

And now that is done... he says he will be the greatest Pokemon master. In your dreams. Oh by the way, you fail... you dropped your Trainer ID card... and I saw your name. Oh? You noticed! Finally... here, take your card, yes, I saw your name... but it's covered with piss. So ewww... take it back. I'm gonna head back to New Bark Town.

"Rule No. 1: the one who committed the crime will always return to the scene of the crime."*

~ Police Officer

* note: not in verbatim for my memory is fuzzy

Professor Elm's lab... hey it's Officer Krupke. And what?! NO NO NO! You got the wrong guy! That pisser boy with red hair was the one who did this not me! Right Professor Elm? What?! PROFESSOR ELM?! WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE?! TELL THEM THAT I DIDN'T DO THIS!!

... and in comes Mari-erm... what's her face? Lyra, right. She comes in, slaps me for almost calling her Mario again... and tells the Police Officer that it was the red haired boy and not me. Heh heh, it's my girlfriend to the rescue! Oh what? You didn't hear anything! I was only thinking loudly! But hey! Officer Krupke... I saw his name! Yes I did sir... and his name was...

"Enter Rival's name: SILVER"

You're lucky I'm so nice pisserboy... or else my friends would have named you something incredibly wrong. And then Officer Krupke leaves... gee Officer Krupke.. Krup you! And Mari-*gets slapped* Mari-*gets slapped* M-*gets slapped*... FINE! LYRA LYRA... leaves too

Now Professor Elm, who was just standing there and was about to get me arrested, demands that he sees the egg. WHAT?! After all the trouble you put me through, you lazy bum?! NO WAY! But he takes the egg anyways He then tells me to embark on a quest to catch all the Pokemon because some crazy old guy named Professor Oak told me to... but tell mom first? Yeah I must.

Gold: "Mom! You don't understand! There's this pedophile old professor who wanted to know if I was a boy or a girl and some pisser boy who wants me dead and Professor Elm isn't a friend! He's an accomplice of the pedophile and was gonna get me arrested! Please don't let me do this... please don't make me go!!"

Mom: "Oh! You're going on an adventure? Do you want me to save money for you?"

Gold: "But mom! Why am I going on a journey by myself to catch all 250 (plus one) Pokemon?!"

Mom: "Okay, I'll save your money darling. Good luck on your adventure!"

Gold: *sigh* bye mom...

... that didn't work so well. I suppose... and oh no it's ermmmmMari-*slap* Lyra! Hi! So you're gonna show me how to catch a Pokemon? I did this like over 9000 times... no need to show me! Ooh, Pokeballs?! GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME...

*after tutorial ends*

GIMME GIMME GIMME... *receives 15 Balls* GIMME oh. W00t! Thanks M-*slaps and takes 10 balls*. Darn it

Okay, gonna go to this route and capture me some Pogeymans! Heh heh heh.. oh what's this?

New Member

[hgsssprite]016[/hgsssprite]

Pidgey level 2 (Female)

*catches*

Nickname: Pertelote (she looks like my real life chicken)

Pertelote will be my main bird in this game. But people... the problem with Pidgey is that it does not learn good moves. It will learn Gust at level 9... Quick Attack at 13... and will stick with base 40 moves for a long time. Pidgeotto has similar stats to rival bird Spearow... yes, you read me right, PIDGEOTTO has similar stats as Spearow... and Spearow reaches its final form at level 20... it takes Pidgey level 18 to reach Pidgeotto... and level 36 to reach Pidgeot, who is worse than Fearow attack and speed wise. Spearow also learns Aerial Ace... which is at least base 60 power, which reaches 90 with STAB. So beginners, take that gatehouse at the top of Route 29 to reach the mountain route and catch yourselves a Spearow and a Geodude. Pidgeys will frustrate you to no end and you will eventually avoid using it if you are all about power. But why am I catching Pidgey? Because I simply love it <3 yeah... if it's your favorite pokemon or something, don't let what I said stop you. I will use this for this entire game... Pidgeottos are so cool

Okay, now to head to Cherrygrove, heal... go up that route... and wow, the left side is that noob trainer who thought he could block my way. I take down his level 4 runt... erm, Rattata and he asks me for my phone number so he can stalk me. He lost to the other noob up there... let's see why. Youngster Joey lost to Youngster Mike because... oh, Mike has a level 2 Pidgey AND a level 4 Rattata. See? And now I go up and find a bunch of Kakunas killing my Tackle PP (and occassional misses gives it free Hardens) really messed me up. Anyhow, some Bug Catchers are here and my Pidgey finally learns Sand Attack. Ooh... and Bug Catcher Wade asks me for my phone number... aw come on! When am I ever gonna find some girls?

And here I am in Violet City... and go into that huge tower at the top. They call it Sprout Tower because these old dudes... have level 3 Bellsprouts in their teams. OOH... Pidgey training time! And with Pidgey and Chikorita, I bust through the tower, taking everyone down one by one... and eventually reach their leader--- PISSER BOY?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!

Pisserboy: I just beat this guy cuz hes so weak yo! Imma use ma escape rope yo and piss on ya later!

*Silver used Escape Rope*

Hmm... and he left an Escape Rope at the right side just for me. How nice ^^

And here... is the old sage. Let's see what he has...

Name: Elder Li

Gender: Old Man

Description: The peace keeping sage of Sprout Tower... who spends all his entire life and the entire game standing on the same place and talking about the same things... no matter WHEN you come. 24/7... that's kinda scary!

[hgsssprite]069[/hgsssprite]

Bellsprout level 7

[hgsssprite]163[/hgsssprite]

Hoothoot level 10

[hgsssprite]069[/hgsssprite]

Bellsprout level 7

That Hoothoot had Hypnosis, but Chikorita used Poisonpowder and Tackle and Synthesis stall to eventually beat it. The other two were taken down by Pidgey as Vine Whip barely scathes it.

And now the Elder gives me TM70 (Flash). Oh, it's a TM now. How interesting. Now we must head to the gym and beat the first gym leader. *gulp* I don't think I'm ready

And so... WOW! It has an elevator lift! First Bird Keeper fights my Chikorita with a Spearow! Uh oh... but fortunately it spams Growl... although it's annoying

Second one had two Pidgeys who kept spamming Sand Attack... but I smarted up and switched to Pidgey with Keen Eye. But even then they kept spamming Sand Attack. Why AI? Why are you so dumb?

Now finally... the grand maestro of this gym...

Name: Falkner

Gender: Boy

Description: He's too cool for you, so he uses his father's bird Pokemon to do his dirty work.

[hgsssprite]016[/hgsssprite]

Pidgey level 9

- Tackle

- Sand Attack

[hgsssprite]017[/hgsssprite]

Pidgeotto level 13

- Tackle

- Gust

- Roost

My Team

[hgsssprite]152[/hgsssprite]

Leafie the Chikorita level 13

- Tackle

- Razor Leaf

- Poisonpowder

- Synthesis

[hgsssprite]016[/hgsssprite]

Pertelote the Pidgey level 13

- Tackle

- Sand Attack

- Gust

- Quick Attack

I really needed Potions for this battle... or else it would have never worked. Anyways, the Pidgey was not too bad. I started to Poisonpowder it and Tackled it twice for the win. Leafie has 28/35 HP now. Now comes Pidgeotto... this was the big crux of this battle. Pidgeotto proceeded to Gust Leafie for a whopping 8-12 damage... while I Poisonpowder......... to miss >.> next turn I use Synthesis to heal up and Poisonpowder again... and Chikorita is left at 8 HP. I switch out to Pertelote to sponge... a Tackle? Hmm I guess the AI uses weak attacks to finish me off. Pertelote spams Quick Attack while that Pidgeotto spams Roost for no apparent reason and so I use a Potion on Leafie... and I switch to Leafie at the right time. Now Pidgeotto wises up and Gusts all around. I spam Tackles and stall with Synthesis since Poison is slowly taking a toll on Pidgeotto's health. This is where the battle gets fun: Pidgeotto starts Roosting: Leafie hits it with Razor Leaf. Now why would I do that? Pidgeotto resists Grass moves yes? The thing about Roost is that if the opponent is faster, it will shed its Flying type for one turn, so that turn, Pidgeotto is considered a normal type now... so STAB Razor Leaf will hit it for neutral damage. After a while Pidgeotto could not stand... Poison was slowly eating up its health while Razor Leaf hit it while it was Roosting and Synthesis and Potions helped Leafie stay healthy. YES! VICTORY IS MINE! Falkner rewards me with Zephyrbadge and TM51 (Roost).

I must say this battle was so much more enjoyable than his counterpart in the original GSC, who had a level 7 Pidgey and level 9 Pidgeotto with Mud Slap. The reward was also TM31, which was Mud Slap, which was NOT a Flying move. Difficulty? This gym challenge was fairly challenging, all right... but it was fun. In fact, I never had a first gym fight this fun ever! Probably because it wasn't a guy (or girl) spamming Geodudes and owned by Grass or Water moves. This battle was certainly memorable and for those who wish to play Chikorita, I encourage you to continue doing it, because it will not be Ninja Gaiden hard but challenging enough to keep you on your toes. Most people play liberally so they prefer using offensive Pokemon... but if you want to try something different, Chikorita can be your best bet. That is... if you play conservatively.

For people using:

[hgsssprite]155[/hgsssprite]: Spam Ember and whatnot and eventually it will go down. Ember also has that chance of burning Pidgeotto... and Gust will not do enough. If your Pokemon gets low on health, USE POTIONS.

[hgsssprite]158[/hgsssprite]: This one is a little tougher since there is no burn chance or anything, but if you are crazy enough to grind to become Croconaw and Ice Fang it... yeah, they're done. But otherwise, use a combination of Leer and physical attacks like Bite and the birds will go down. Again, if health is an issue, use Potions!

Recommended Pokemon:

[hgsssprite]074[/hgsssprite]

Geodude: This rocky guy is very good early game and will serve you well even after this gym. You can find one in the route above the first route in that patch of grass or you can navigate Dark Cave and find one. However, training it is a bit harder since the Pokemon you find in Route 31 can be Bellsprouts, which utterly destroy it, and Sprout Tower is only filled with Bellsprouts and only 2 Hoothoots. Train in the earlier routes and you can get it to learn Rock Throw, which works very well against birds. If you think you can, try to get Magnitude, and if you predict Roost, hope Magnitude hits 10 or something high.

[hgsssprite]095[/hgsssprite]

Rocky the Onix: Onix is a lot weaker than Geodude, but is more sturdy in terms of defense. Use it to wall whatever Falkner throws at you and hit back with Rock Throw. You can Screech them to lower their defenses by a lot and help another Pokemon sweep if you wish to... and Bind for continuous damage. To get Rocky, go to the house next to the Pokemon Center in Violet and trade the boy your Bellsprout for Rocky.

So after that Professor Elm calls me and YEAH I KNOW GO TO THE POKECENTER TO PICK UP THAT EGG YOU STOLE FROM ME K. THX. BAI. I go to the Pokemon Center... but his Aide isn't there! WHAT?! So I heal up my Pokemon and go to the Mart and... oh what? He's there? I guess it's different from the original game. So now to head down from Violet, pick up that Apricorn... being stopped by a man who gives me a Miracleseed (oh thank you!) which Leafie will enjoy... and down to Union Cave. What adventures await for Gold next?

To be continued...

Edited March 18, 2010 by wraith89

[wraith89]

Previously on Gold's Adventure in a version named after his rival

:

- Gold chooses [icon]152[/icon] as his starter Pokemon

- Gold catches a [icon]016[/icon]

- Gold defeats the Sprout Tower's elder and gains TM70 (Flash)

- Gold defeats Falkner and gains the ZephyrBadge... and TM51 (Roost)

[icon]185[/icon]Mysterious Tree[icon]185[/icon]

Headed left of Violet is a route blocked by some tree. It wiggles. It shakes. But it can't do much else. Some guy stares at it 24/7 and complains he cannot do anything about it Hey! You have Rock Smash! Smash the tree! Wait what do you mean you can't smash trees with that? That tree is really a - oh. I'm not supposed to spoil anything. Moving on.

By the way, the little grass patch at the northwest corner of this route they added in Crystal disappeared... so sorry people, no early Growlithe/Vulpix for you . Of course, this isn't a problem if your starter is [icon]155[/icon]... but for other people, you will have to wait a long time until you can get an actual Fire poke without the usage of the GTS. Anyways, we'll head south.

[icon]201[/icon]Ruins of Alph[icon]201[/icon]

There's really nothing here aside from the northern puzzle where you can basically use your stylus or DS buttons/D-pad to get a picture of Kabuto. Once you match it you will fall from great heights and get bombarded by Alphabet Soup. They look something like this:

201: Unown

They are somewhat like Zerglings... except they do it all wrong. Instead of mass swarming you like they are supposed to, they come attack you one by one. Their only move is Hidden Power.

Rating: ||||| 0/5: Not worth it for battling but fun novelty to collect... especially if you love alphabet soup.

Once that is done, you will get the Unown List (or something like that). Now you won't come back here in a while... so head out. And yes, the music is still creepy. Moving on to the right... and out of the gatehouse...

[icon]179[/icon]Onto Azalea Town![icon]179[/icon]

There is a berry tree to the north of this route and it leads you to Violet City. Oh, and it seems a grass patch was added here. It carries stuff like Rattata, Ekans, Hoppip, Zubat, and the rare Mareep and Wooper. I forgot to mention, if you are REALLY annoyed by Falkner and do not wish to use Geodude/Onix, go for a Mareep.

[hgsssprite]179[/hgsssprite]

179: Mareep

An electric sheep basically... slow but bulky. It evolves at level 15 into some pink sheep and will evolve once again at level 30 into a not-pink not-sheep. Very handy.

Rating: ||||| 3.8/5: Useful throughout many stages of the game. You may find it too slow but it is decently bulky and is powerful with its electric moves. Later on it learns Discharge which has 30% chance of paralyzing its opponents. Charge Beam can power it up 70% of the time. This is the main electric most people get, but in this walkthrough, I will not be using one and certain battles (especially against Gyarados) become a bit more difficult.

Now some man will stop you if you did not grab the Zephyrbadge. If you did get the Zephyrbadge, he will stop you anyways because you didn't grab the egg from the PokeMART (not the Pokecenter). Anyhow, even if you get the egg from the Pokemart, you will be stopped anyways. Thankfully, he gives you a Miracleseed. Whoo hoo! Leafie will surely like this! If you did not pick [icon]152[/icon] give it to [icon]069[/icon], who can be fairly useful.

Then going down I encounter some trainers... who use Rattatas and Zubats. Oh great... maybe I ought to give you a description about Zubat.

[hgsssprite]041[/hgsssprite]

041: Zubat

Remember when I said Unowns were the Zerglings of this game? Well, I lied. It's this guy. He's the Zergling of this game... doing it all wrong. Don't be surprised to encounter him every time.

Rating: ||||| 2.1/5: Zubat is annoying and not so useful either. Good luck getting from level 4 to level 13 to try and learn a "decent attack" (Bite). Before that you will be stuck with 15 PP 10 BP Leech Life, a 55% accurate Supersonic, and the 15 PP 30 BP Astonish. And wait until level 17 to learn the STAB Wing Attack. Then the game will slap you in the face when you encounter higher leveled Zubats in later caves which learned all the moves that you were struggling to learn. Isn't that great? But still, Crobat is awesome, so this is your first chance to catch a potential Crobat. But if you're not interested, then it isn't worth it. The game would be more fun (or worse) if they mobbed you, but mhh...

Hmm... grass or no grass? Ooh Pokeball! Let's go into the Gras-aw darn it! Another wild Zubat appeared! Where's your Firebats when you need to exterminate some Zerglings? Oops wrong game. To my right is Picknicker Liz. She's busy on her phone... and is busy for hours and hours. When they say girls are chatty, they are sure right. I mean... how long can you stand in that corner talking to God-knows-who for 24/7? And you can battle me while doing all that? Crazy... girl. And now she asks me for my phone number! Erm... sure, but don't get my number mixed up for somebody else's, all right?

Moving down is a Camper with a Nidoran Male. How wonderful... but does not ask me for a phone number. To the right is a pier filled with cranky Fishermen. Whatever you do, avoid the one facing south. He has a bunch of Magikarps which are NOT worth the experience (unless you are one of those competitive people looking for 4 Speed EVs and/or almost leveling up). The one in the bottom is Fisherman Ralph, who treats me like a kid... and will ask me for his phone number. Erm... kay. Whoa! Chikorita hit level 16... it's time for an evolution!

[hgsssprite]153[/hgsssprite]

153: Bayleef

Seems Leafie finally evolved... at level 16. She is a decent and bulky grass Pokemon, with access to Synthesis and Reflect, meaning physical moves can have a hard time touching her. She will evolve at level 32.

Rating: ||||| 2.4/5: Why such a low rating for a starter? Because this game seems to favor offensive Pokemon over defensive... and when it comes to offense, Bayleef isn't all that great. Not to mention how Poison heavy this game is. Like... the majority of Team Rocket's Pokemon are poisonous... and even the common Zubat spells trouble for a Bayleef whose only attack aside from Razor Leaf is Tackle. After Union Cave and until after Ilex Forest, Bayleef will not be making a lot of appearances. In order for her to be successful, she needs help from a secondary Pokemon or an entire team. And Bayleef can at least motivate you to catch other Pokemon. If you hate how Razor Leaf sometimes misses (5% chance), she will learn Magical Leaf at level 22.

Now some other Youngster is down here with... a Wooper?! Hey kid! I've been looking for that thing for hours! How'd you get one??

[hgsssprite]194[/hgsssprite]

194: Wooper

A mudfish... quite strong and bulky... but SOOOO slow! But still... it's so cute

Rating: ||||| 3.4/5: You wanted a water? Here it is. And guess what? It takes no damage from electric moves. That's right... NO DAMAGE. But whatever you do... KEEP OUT OF SIGHT AGAINST GRASS POKEMON... because there is NO way it's living through its assaults. It learns a variety of ground moves and evolves at level 20. It's decent... but slow. So if you put it in the front, expect to not run away from anything but Geodudes. It makes a decent HM user with moves like Surf/Waterfall/Strength/Rock Smash/Whirlpool/Rock Climb

Down the route we go and some fatso is blocking the way. MOVE. Wait what? You wanna sell me a Slowpoketail for 1000000 Poke money? That's ridiculous! That's 1 more than the max I can carry... and you say you thought kids today are loaded. Not with that outrageous price you filthy varmin! And what am I supposed to do with a tail that's cut off anyways? Ugh... weirdo. Onto the Pokemon Center.

In the Pokemon Center is some cool fishing guy who gives me an Old Rod. Awesomesauce. Now I'm out and whoops... some guy comes up to me and says "You beat Falkner?" Yes I did... the trainer (I believe his name is Birdkeeper Rod) has a Spearow and Pidgeys or something like that. Carrying on... since my Pidgey made short work out of them. Inside Union Cave!

[icon]095[/icon]Inside Union Cave[icon]095[/icon]

Hmm... the layout of this cave kinda changed overall. In fact, that Firebreather is moved to the northwestern side of the cave... and he has my favorite Fire Pokemon, Vulpix! Don't worry, despite how he says his Pokemon lights up the entire cave, fainting it won't make the cave go dark. I was hoping it would

Down the ladder are some items... and since I can't swim across in fear of those Hikers who did some scary stuff to people in Kanto three years ago I heard... I think I'll just loot the items and get outta here! (By the way don't worry; the girl got out safe thanks to her Wartortle). And going back to that creepy Firebreather who was breathing fire into my face... let's just hope I don't meet a Hike-AHHH! It's a HIKER! His name is Daniel and has a giant rock snake called Onix. Hmm... piece of cake for Bayleef. Just Razor Leaf it. If you are using Totodile, just Water Gun it. If you have Quilava, get a Wooper. Seriously, that Onix can be annoying... but you will come out on top if you try hard enough. Score one for Bayleef. Oh right... information about Onix... coming right up.

[hgsssprite]095[/hgsssprite]

095: Onix

A giant rock snake that is incredibly tough to catch... unless you traded Bellsprout over for an Onix named Rocky. Too bad it wasn't carrying a Metal Coat which would have been very useful, but whatever.

Rating: ||||| 1.8/5: It's a giant rock snake... it has ginormous defense! You will notice that as soon as you get it... but you will also notice his apparent weakness. Seriously? A base attack of 45? And HP of 35? The speed is at least decent... but what is up with that low attack? Yeah, Onix can make a sturdy wall though against physical assaults from your next Gym leader and the leader after that, but it will soon become obsolete when you realize it is not doing enough damage. Geodude will serve you better for the most part, but Onix can be a decent alternative early on. He is pretty much a Jeigan: the really useful guy early on who diminishes in usage in late game... but you can grab one in Union Cave if you feel like getting one. Otherwise, the rock snake is deceptive: it isn't all that powerful at all.

Oh, and it will die to water and grass moves... and pretty much most special attacks it doesn't resist.

Whew... defeated that Hiker. My Bayleef will make sure no Hiker will gang up on- AHH it's another one! This one has three Geodudes... Razor Leaf all three and that's all she wrote! No Hiker will, erm... grab me! Going down is a crazy firebreather who is annoyed at Zubats supersonicing his Pokemon. Well, that's nice, but don't make my life harder! Ugh... Koffings... I suppose my Bayleef won't do. Go Pidgey! Fortunately, his Koffings' Smogs missed on Pidgey. Make sure you have an Antidote just in case your Pokemon gets poisoned. If your Pokemon is poisoned and you have no Antidote, you're bound to have a Potion. Don't worry, just keep walking around until the Poison fades away, and use potion on your Pokemon. Yes, Poison is no longer lethal in the overworld.

Now moving down is... a guy with the creepiest soundtrack ever. But before that let's grab that item first.

It's a... man with a green suit! AHHH! Like... what is he supposed to be?

He has a Slowpoke... which Bayleef can Razor Leaf, Totodile can Bite, and Quilava can... get annoyed by. Score two for Bayleef ^^

Hmm... nothing here... just headed to the right and exiting this creepy cave (finally!). Hey, it's raining. Seems Bayleef is enjoying it. Quilava... will hate it. Score three for Bayleef

Two Apricorn trees down there... and oh eww! It's another Hiker... who has "enough energy" even after the hike through the cave. Help me... I can't get no relief Lord

He has a Geodude... taken down by Bayleef and Totodile/Croconaw... and Quilava who gets even more annoyed thanks to lack of effectiveness and the rain. And he also has a Machop... easily dispatched by your Flier. Totodile's Water Gun is stronger in the rain. Score four for Bayleef! ^^

Now I am onto Azalea Town...

TO BE CONTINUED... I'm really tired...