On recommendation, and since I'm not playing Nuzlocke past the Elite Four anyway, I've decided to continue, using Azumarill & Heracross as survivors. Clearly, Kyurem turned them into zombies.
Once outside the cave, I notice the White Plasmas standing in a field of felled trees. Rather destructive a thing for them to do. Their leader says he's glad I'm safe, and spoke of clamp-head disbanding Team Plasma. Later, once I'm back in town, I replace the recently deceased with Jello, Gothorita & Golduck. I'll also use whatever the first Pokemon I find in the next route is... Hopefully not a water type though. I think I have enough of those.
...Huh. I can reach Victory Road without even trying to avoid grass. Oh well. Heading back, the first pokemon I find in the grass is Bouffalant. Could be worse. A pity I don't have Pica to help me catch stuff any more. Still though, I catch it and name it Rendang, which Wikipedia tells me water buffalo are sometimes used for.
After a heap of training (seriously, it's been about a week) to get all my Pokemon up to at least level 55 again, I continue into Victory Road, where I encounter N within a dozen spaces of entering. He again talks about how he used to view the world, and how his views changed. He also mentions that "chemical reaction" thing, but at least this time it's a simile.
Ah, and I finally get Waterfall. I wonder how many hours of gameplay it's been since I did that rush at the end of Autumn.
Well anyway. The badge check turns out to be an overly-elaborate gate system which serves no purpose that a single guard could not. Beyond that yet before Victory Road itself is an odd ruined maze with a couple of moderately useful items inside, as well as a non-ruined building with... a Pokemon Center inside? No trading area admittedly, but it does have a PokeMart section. :/
Inside the Victory Road cave, there are again a heap of ruins. The first enemy trainer has Pokemon about the same level as my own, which turns out to be quite a bad omen when Heracross dies to the enemy Sigilyph. After a surprisingly long walk - after defeating even the second trainer in the area - I finally encounter a Banette. Which I almost knock out, but fortunately leave it with a pixel width of health. After catching it, I have no idea what to name it. Surprise.
I thus go up the nearby stairs and, curiously, find myself outside. Is this the first Victory Road to have an outside?
Death #2: Rendang. Never really was attached to that thing.
Then Golduck a bit later on. Oops. Jello as well, even later. Awkward.
...And then just before I get to the Pokemon League (I can tell because there's roadworks type stuff blocking the way to the old route here), Hugh shows up. Dammit. I was hoping to get to the Pokemon Center which invariably stands at the start of the Pokemon League before the obligatory rival battle turned up. Oh well; let's see how this goes...
Gothitelle vs. Unfezant. I half hurt it, but it U-Turns out.
Gothitelle vs. Bouffalant. So close, and yet so far. Not much health left on this one; I bet Hugh uses a Full Restore.
Azumarill vs. Bouffalant. Max Potion. Doesn't make much difference anyway, as I healed the first turn as well. Afterward, it recoiled itself to death.
Azumarill vs. Serperior. I'm not optimistic, but let's see how this goes.
...OHKO.
That's the end of the Nuzlocke, but I figure I may as well finish up the Elite Four while I'm so close. Heracross is alive right now thanks to a Doctor trainer earlier on in Victory Road, so let's see if he can solo the rest. Since this isn't going to be my team for the Elite Four in a non-Nuzlocke, I'm not going to waste my revives yet. Coincidentally though, I did use up all of my spare healing items while getting to this point, minus one of each item (a habit which I had gotten myself in to, to keep the bag list ordered)
Heracross vs. Serperior. Megahorn and Aerial Ace win that one easily.
Heracross vs. Unfezant. It was faster, so I died. Oh well~
Now to pick an "optimal" team from the Pokemon I've caught so far. Meloetta, Deoxys & Dialga are of course still excluded due to being rather unfair. As event Pokemon always have been. Before I do that though, here lies a list of the eaten or otherwise deceased:
- Margarine the Sunkern, Lv.9
- Ratatouile the Patrat, Lv.9
- Bosintang the Lillipup, Lv.11
- Sashimi the Oshawott, Lv.15
- Raclette the Raticate, Lv.24
- Inky the Yamask, Lv.19
- Onigiri the Gothita, Lv.25
- Dango the Darumaka, Lv.27
- Tisane the Roselia, Lv.29
- Haggis the Flaaffy, Lv.28
- Ozzy the Crobat, Lv.28
- Sauerkraut the Leavanny, Lv.34
- Confit the Swanna, Lv.36
- Tallow the Litwick, Lv.30
- Angkokear the Galvantula, Lv.39
- San Pedro the Maractus, Lv.39
- Gummalapur the Liepard, Lv.41
- Zoroark, Lv.44
- Lentil the Aggron, Lv.43
- Bacon the Spoink, Lv.40
- unnamed Dewgong, Lv.48
- Qotan the Pelipper, Lv.46
- Tallow II the Chandelure, Lv.51
- Pica the Magnezone, Lv.58
- Qotan II the Pelipper, Lv.52
- Jelly the Jellicent, Lv.55
- Cheddar the Lunatone, Lv.51
- unnamed Heracross, Lv.56
- Rendang the Bouffalant, Lv.55
- unnamed Golduck, Lv.58
- Jello the Jellicent, Lv.58
- unnamed Gothitelle, Lv.56
- unnamed Azumarill, Lv.56
With the survivors left behind being as listed:
- Polenta the Audino, Lv.32
- Necco the Alomomola, Lv.40
- Ceviche the Basculin, Lv.30
- Fu Fen the Mantyke, Lv.36
- Gefilte the Basculin, Lv.41
- unnamed Banette, Lv.47
And for the curious, the Pokemon I'm going to use for my Elite Four team are Pica, Tallow II, Heracross, Golduck, Lentil & Dango... the last of whom I greatly look forward to doubling its level before I use it. :P
I think I'll post this now, and give an update, perhaps edited in, as to how things turn out. Laters.
