Live Blogs Ultimate Hoenn Challenge - 17 Monotypes

GoldenSandslash2013-05-09 14:23:40

Littleroot Town

First thing I did (while in the moving van at the start of the game) was to check my ID card. I am number 21668. That means that I will start with Mudkip.

I could glitch around by saving the game inside the truck and then resetting, but the glitch won't really get me anything, so I don't bother. (It just causes some weird animation in Ruby/Sapphire (and it was removed in Emerald.)

I set my clock for 4:00 pm. It is frozen due to my dry save battery, so this means Shoal Cave will always permanently have Low Tide, which is better for training if I ever get stuck there.

I got the Potion from my PC and headed out.

I play through the rest of Littleroot normally, but here's something that I just noticed that cracks me up.

May: Oh, this is silly, isn't it? I... I've just met you, <player>.

I read that as:

Hey, I just met you.

And this is silly.

But my last name is Birch.

So call me "May B."

Hilarious in Hindsight.

Route 101

So, I have to fight the Poochyena, and I choose Mudkip. It won't matter much since I'm not gonna be using it for long, but it's Quiet-natured and its IVs in Attack and Special Defense are at least 20, while the others are below 20.

Fun fact that most Pokémon Players are unaware of: If you spam your status move against this Poochyena, it will eventually flee. You cannot lose this even if you try to. Still, it's faster just to knock it out, so that's what I do.

Oldale Town

I pick up the free Potion from the Pokémon Mart employee. Not much else to talk about.

Route 103

Because May chose Treecko, which has Pound over Mudkip's less powerful Tackle, I'm likely to not win without using a Potion, so I do some training first. No sense in wasting an item on a Pokémon that I'm not going to use.

I trained up to Level 8. Now with higher stats, I bet I can win.

Incidentally, my stats are now at:

• HP: 26 (3 EVs, 0-12 IVs)
• ATK: 18 (2 EVs, 23-26 IVs)
• DEF: 14 (0 EVs, 17-19 IVs)
• SPA: 14 (0 EVs, 0-12 IVs, positive nature)
• SPD: 14 (0 EVs, 20-24 IVs)
• SPE: 10 (4 EVs, 7-18 IVs, negative nature)

After this, I easily won my battle with May, gaining another Speed EV in the process.

So we go back to Littleroot, and I get my Pokédex and five Poké Balls.

Little-known fact: If you walk around either your house or your rival's house, without ever passing between the two, your mom won't give you the Running Shoes, so you can play through the game without them. Also, if you do this, you're an idiot.

The first Normal-type that I can get is Zigzagoon. I must catch one. The one I caught (first encounter) happened to have a wild hold item: Oran Berry. But unfortunately, it used the berry before I caught it. Darn.

It's at Level 3, Bold-natured. Can't say much about its IVs at such a low level, but HP is 23 or less, ATK is 7 or more, DEF is 17 or less, SPA is 7 or more, SPD is 18 or more, and SPE is 13 or less.

Bold-nature. UGH. Why is it that I always seem to get the worst natures in my challenge runs? >_<

Anyways, Gluttony didn't exist in Gen III, so it has Pickup as an ability. And this is BEFORE Pickup got nerfed. So I can take advantage of it.

I go and deposit Mudkip in the PC, I won't be needing it. Maybe I'll come back for it later for HM moves or something.

I go ahead and do some training - Attack EV Training. Cause it desperately needs it in order to make up for that pathetic Bold nature. Hopefully Zigzagoon will pick up a Protein to speed up the training process. (Edit: It did.)

Sixteen Attack EVs and two levels later, Zigzagoon's stats stand at:

• HP: 18 (IV is 0-3)
• ATK: 8 (IV is 16-31)
• DEF: 9 (IV is 0-17)
• SPA: 8 (IV is 15-19)
• SPD: 10 (IV is 18-31)
• SPE: 11 (IV is 5-13)

I invest in some status healers before I leave town. I don't want my only Pokémon to die from overworld poison damage. Yeah, poison hurts you in the overworld in Gen III. Ugh. (Gen IV made it so that a 1 HP Pokémon would be cured of poison in the overworld instead of fainting, Gen V removed the overworld damage entirely.)

Route 102

First trainer battles. Whoopie!

Only the first trainer on this route is unavoidable, but I fight all four of them for the experience.

Bear in mind that the first gym resists Normal-type attacks and the second is for Pokémon that deal double damage to Normal-types. I'm screwed if I don't get a ton of experience, especially with very limited access to TM moves at this point in the game.

Zigzagoon gains 2 HP EVs, 1 Attack EV, and 4 Speed EVs.

Incidentally, I could equip either an Oran Berry or a Pecha Berry to Zigzagoon at this point. I do neither, however, since that would stop Pickup.

Petalburg City

I could activate Mystery Gift here, but there's no point to it, since the challenge rules forbid me from using it anyways. I do take this opportunity to buy some X Items though. Those things could save my life.

I do the incredibly boring and pointless bits with Wally, and then move on. (Also, was I the only one who was angry at the fact that Wally's Ralts is found at Level 5, when the only Ralts that can be found on Route 102 are Level 4?)

Little-known fact: The IVs of Wally's Zigzagoon and Ralts for this tutorial are generated randomly, as are critical hits, misses, etc. If everything goes your way, it's possible that Wally will actually kill the Ralts. But the game proceeds as if he caught it anyways.

Route 104

I can catch a Taillow here. So I do so (Quirky Nature). Zigzagoon has been getting lonely. In the midst of my search for a Taillow, Zigzagoon gains a Speed EV and levels up to Level 8. Oh, and I get INSANELY lucky and my Zigzagoon picks up a King's Rock! Hell yeah!

Zigzagoon's stats are now:

• HP: 24 (2 EVs, 0-11 IVs)
• ATK: 10 (17 EVs, 24-31 IVs, negative nature)
• DEF: 13 (0 EVs, 6-17 IVs, positive nature)
• SPA: 11 (0 EVs, 15-27 IVs)
• SPD: 13 (0 EVs, 18-30 IVs)
• SPE: 15 (5 EVs, 4-16 IVs)

Taillow's stats are:

• HP: 20 (IV is 20 or more)
• ATK: 11 (IV is 10 to 29)
• DEF: 9 (IV is 20 or more)
• SPA: 9 (IV is 20 or more)
• SPD: 8 (IV is 19 or less)
• SPE: 14 (IV is 10 to 29)

As for its nature, I'll take it. Not the best in the world, but it's a lot better than, oh, I dunno, a Bold Zigzagoon. >_<

And like all Taillow, it has Guts for the ability. For this reason, I will not equip a Pecha Berry. Poisoning it may help it. So I give it that King's Rock. It is now the King of all Taillow! Even though it is female. Yeah.

It also is great to have Taillow, as it is a Normal/Flying combo, so I don't have anything to worry about with the second gym anymore at all. The downside is that my fear of that first gym has now been amplified.

E Vs gained from fighting trainers:

• Zigzagoon (+1 DEF, +1 SPE)
• Taillow (+1 DEF, +2 SPE)

Both Pokémon are now at Level 8. I pick up the invisible items on the beach (Potion, Antidote, Heart Scale) and head on into the woods.

Petalburg Woods

E Vs gained:

• Taillow (+15 HP)

Yep. Lots of Grass-type and Bug-type Pokémon here. Ideal spot for training a flyer. Oh, and meet our newest team member:

Level 5 Slakoth, Naive Nature

• HP: 21 (IV is 19 or less)
• ATK: 11 (IV is 19 or less)
• DEF: 11 (IV is 19 or less)
• SPA: 9 (IV is 10 to 29)
• SPD: 8 (IV is 10 to 29, negative nature)
• SPE: 8 (IV is 19 or less, positive nature)

Believe it or not, I think this is my best shot against the first gym. It has really high stats once evolved, so time to train it up. Truant will make that a pain, so time for the ol' Magikarp switch-out method!

My first opportunity is in my first battle against Team Magma. One theory of mine is that Emerald showed the truth of what happened in Hoenn, while Ruby is Team Aqua's propaganda of the event and Sapphire is Team Magma's propaganda of the event. They villify each other and glorify themselves.

EVs gained:

• Slakoth (+1 HP, +1 ATK, +1 DEF)
• Zigzagoon (+1 ATK, +2 SPE)
• Taillow (+1 HP, +1 DEF)

Invisible Items found: Potion, Poké Ball

My stats are now at the following levels:

• Bold Zigzagoon Lv9: 26 / 11 / 13 / 12 / 14 / 16
• Quirky Taillow Lv11: 32 / 18 / 15 / 14 / 12 / 25
• Naive Slakoth Lv6: 23 / 12 / 12 / 10 / 9 / 8

I'll do IV Calculation later, since it pretty much crashed my computer last time (hence why this update took so long).

Time for an edit, cause I did the IV Calculation. Holy shit my Taillow is a god. My Slakoth is shit though.

IVs are:

• Zigzagoon
  • 2-12 HP
  • 25-31 ATK
  • 0-6 DEF
  • 18-28 SPA
  • 18-29 SPD
  • 1-11 SPE
• Taillow
  • 16-25 HP
  • 9-17 ATK
  • 31 DEF (perfection!)
  • 22-30 SPA
  • 4-12 SPD
  • 12-20 SPE
• Slakoth
  • 0-13 HP
  • 0-13 ATK
  • 0-13 DEF
  • 14-29 SPA
  • 14-31 SPD
  • 0-6 SPE

Still got to train up that Slakoth quite a bit. Fortunately, Route 104's north half is here now!

Route 104 (Part 2)

Invisible Items: Poké Ball, Super Potion

Anyways, first guy on this route gives out TM 09, Bullet Seed. I pick it up, though I don't think anyone can learn it on my team.

"I like filling my mouth with seeds then spitting them out fast."

Uh...

You know dude, I'm sorry, but I just don't swing that way. I don't want another guy filling his mouth with my seed. And as for the spit or swallow debate, eh, it's a matter of preference and-

"You can have this, so you try it out!"

No! No! Keep it in your pants there, buddy.

"Use it on a Pokémon, and it will learn a move for firing seeds rapidly." (obtained TM 09)

Oh.

Uh... well, this is awkward.

(Sometimes I wonder if Nintendo/Game Freak put in stuff like this on purpose.)

Oh, and one of the women in the flower shop gives you a random berry every day. Due to my save battery being dry, I only get one. And it was a Chesto Berry, fyi. I also pick up the Wailmer Pail, though it does absolutely nothing in a time-frozen game.

EVs gained:

• Slakoth (+1 HP, +1 DEF, +2 SPD, +4 SPE)
• Zigzagoon (+1 SPE)
• Taillow (+1 HP, +1 DEF, +2 SPD)

Rustboro City

I sell off a Nugget that my Zigzagoon picked up, and then I go ahead and talk to NP Cs to get a Premier Ball, a Quick Claw, and HM 01 (Cut). I give the Quick Claw to Slakoth, who is by far my slowest fighter.

Oh and incidentally, the place where we get the HM for Cut? It's called "Cutter's House."

As I walk in, I scream to him "No! Don't do it! You have so much to live for! Stop!", but he just gives me HM 01. Yeah, Nintendo is totally trolling me here. (Side note: If anyone reading this wants to cut themselves: please seek help immediately.)

There's also an in-game trade here. I could give up Slakoth and get Makuhita. There's nothing against in-game trades in the challenge rules, but Makuhita is a Fighting-type, so I can't use it. If this were a Fighting-type challenge, however, I could (and would) take the trade.

Route 116

I decide to pay an early visit to Route 116. Here, I can catch both Whismur and Skitty, though the latter only appears one out of every fifty encounters. I think this is fine, as it will give me a good chance to train Slakoth, who MUST be at least Level 18 (evolution level) before the gym.

What you're expected to do at the gym is use Mudkip or Treecko if you started with them. If you chose Torchic, then you can use it after it evolves into Combusken. Otherwise, you can catch a Shroomish, Seedot (Ruby) or Lotad (Sapphire). But due to my challenge, I *can't* do that, so I have to settle for this.

Slakoth gets these E Vs: +1 SPE

And at this point, I realize how tired I am of playing, so I'm just gonna continue this later. I'm still maintaining my "two badges per page" thing though. The rest of my quest for the Stone Badge+Knuckle Badge will be editted onto this entry.

And I'm back. More training for Slakoth. Given that I'm doing switch-out training, this helps train my other Pokémon as well:

• Slakoth: +1 SPE
• Zigzagoon: +1 SPE

New Pokémon Captured!

Whismur Level 6, Quiet nature. Not gonna bother with it for now. Gonna just focus on training Slakoth. Though with someone new to train, switch training will go better now, since I can train both at the same time.

And ugh, this'll take forever. Stupid slow experience group Slakoth. Yeah, in case you haven't done the math and figured it out, Slakoth evolves when its total experience points is 7290. I'll be here all day.

Back to the training.

• Slakoth: +2 HP, +2 DEF, +3 SPE
• Whismur: +2 HP, +1 SPE
• Taillow: +2 DEF
• Zigzagoon: +1 SPE

At this point, Slakoth reached Level 9. That's HALF of its evolution level. The amount of experience points it has right now? 928. Yeah, I've basically been making no progress whatsoever here. And it's only going to get worse. Stupid slow experience group. UGH!

Yeah, unless Zigzagoon manages to pick up half a dozen Rare Candies, this isn't going to be happening.

So I need a new plan for this gym. I'm thinking about maybe using Zigzagoon's Headbutt plus King's Rock and hope they keep flinching. But then I came to my senses and realized that this won't work in Gen III.

Crap. What do I do?

I think I'm gonna play until I get a 1% encounter Skitty. And I'm going to pray that it's a male. If it is, then I can rely on Cute Charm to keep Roxanne's Pokémon in love with me. That should shut her down... if I get lucky. And that's assuming that I do get a male Skitty, when 7 in 8 Skitty are female!

After a bunch of time thinking...

I think I realize what I can do though. Raise Zigzagoon to Level 13 so that it learns Sand-Attack. Set up a bunch of Sand-Attack against each Pokémon, then buff up Zigzagoon's stats with X Items and sweep the team with Headbutt.

Given how slow Roxanne's Pokémon are, I can avoid using the X Speed items, I just need a bunch of X Attack to execute the sweep and X Defend to stop her from just getting lucky through the Sand-Attack.

As a result, I am now training Zigzagoon. If I happen to find a male Skitty, I'll take it, but I don't think that's too likely (0.125% chance of encountering one).

• Zigzagoon: +3 HP, +5 DEF, +15 SPE

And now Zigzagoon learns Sand-Attack. I delete Tackle for it, since Tackle is worthless now that I have Headbutt.

Okay, so here's the step-by-step plan for fighting Roxanne now.

• If hit at any time, heal the damage immediately to prevent a KO on the next potential hit.
  • For healing, I have 6 Potions, 3 Super Potions, a Full Restore, and a Revive. Thank you, Pickup.
    • I am also giving Zigzagoon an Oran Berry.
• Use Sand-Attack six times.
• Use six X Defends.
• Use six X Attacks.
• Keep using Headbutt.
• If Zigzagoon faints and the Revive has been used, backup plan is to use Taillow and Peck repeatedly, praying for luck with the King's Rock flinching, and hope she doesn't use Rock Throw.
  • Backup plan's backup plan is to use Slakoth, put them to sleep with Yawn, and then just keep hacking and slashing. Come to think of it, I should delete Scratch for Cut, since that's more powerful. Okay, doing that now.
    • Backup plan for my backup plan's backup plan is to send out Whismur and then just hope it can somehow do something. Yeah, at this point I may as well forfeit.

I am saving my game before fighting Roxanne, simply so that if it fails, I can reset.

And I am not fighting the trainers in the gym. I don't want to waste my time getting discouraged by the fact that literally all of my attacks are "not very effective." And this really does bug my OCD, just... not fighting a trainer. It feels wrong.

Rustboro Gym

All right, as a special treat, I'll give you the play-by-play of the gym battle. I haven't yet decided if I'll do this for every gym leader though.

• Leader Roxanne would like to battle!
  • Leader Roxanne sent out Geodude!
  • Go, Zigzagoon!
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Geodude's Accuracy fell!
• Foe Geodude used Defense Curl!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense rose!
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Geodude's Accuracy fell!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Geodude's Accuracy fell!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
  • Zigzagoon's Speed fell!
  • Zigzagoon restored health using its Oran Berry!
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Geodude's Accuracy fell!
• Foe Geodude used Defense Curl!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense rose!
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Geodude's Accuracy fell!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Geodude's Accuracy fell!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• (Used X Defend)
  • Zigzagoon's Defense rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• (Used X Defend)
  • Zigzagoon's Defense rose!
• Foe Geodude used Defense Curl!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense rose!
• (Used X Defend)
  • Zigzagoon's Defense rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
  • Zigzagoon's Speed fell!
• (Used Potion)
  • (Zigzagoon recovered health)
• Foe Geodude used Defense Curl!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense rose!
• (Used X Defend)
  • Zigzagoon's Defense rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
• (Used X Defend)
  • Zigzagoon's Defense rose!
• Foe Geodude used Defense Curl!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense rose!
• (Used X Defend)
  • Zigzagoon's Defense rose!
• Foe Geodude used Defense Curl!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense rose!
• (Used X Attack)
  • Zigzagoon's Attack rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• (Used X Attack)
  • Zigzagoon's Attack rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• (Used X Attack)
  • Zigzagoon's Attack rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• (Used X Attack)
  • Zigzagoon's Attack rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• (Used X Attack)
  • Zigzagoon's Attack rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
• (Used Oran Berry from Bag)
  • (Zigzagoon recovered health)
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• (Used X Attack)
  • Zigzagoon's Attack rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• (Used X Speed)
  • Zigzagoon's Speed rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
  • A critical hit!
  • Zigzagoon fainted!
  • Go, Taillow!
• Taillow used Focus Energy!
  • Taillow is getting pumped!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Taillow used Peck!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!

And then I reset the game.

Yeah, this isn't working. Defense Curl basically makes it so my attacks were inflicting 1 or maybe 2 damage at most, especially after I gave her ample time to set that up.

Plus, critical hits ignore armor, so Zigzagoon was toast the instant that she got a critical. And it lost all of its stat boosts as a result, so even the Revive would not have helped.

I do realize that I could have had Zigzagoon use Tail Whip to counter the Defense Curl, but it wouldn't have mattered, since she could have just used Defense Curl again to counter the Tail Whip.

I need a new plan.

And I think I've got an idea. Just do exactly what I just did, except try not to go for all six. She started missing with her attacks after only two Sand-Attacks. And Zigzagoon's damage was minimal after only three X Defends. I think I'm gonna go for 4 Sand-Attacks (just to play it safe) and 3 X Defends.

It still won't prevent her from obliterating my entire team if she gets a critical hit, but by giving her less chances to use Defense Curl, I should be able to kill her Geodude more quickly, thereby giving her less OPPORTUNITIES to get a critical hit.

And should Zigzagoon faint, I'll have more X Items to use on it again when the time comes. In fact, if that happens, I may actually use Whismur or Slakoth just as a sacrifice to heal.

And should I fail this attempt, well, more training is really all I can do. I think the Sand-Attack method works, although it's a pretty dirty tactic (both figuratively and literally). If Zigzagoon needs higher stats, I can always train up a bit more on Route 116. That place is relatively good for Speed EV training, and I was actually kinda shocked that her Geodude was faster than my Zigzagoon (though a single X Speed solved that problem). And with a faster Zigzagoon, I could get flinches in with Headbutt.

So yeah, that's basically my plan. It's better than waiting for Slakoth to evolve. (I'm thinking of just not using Slakoth anymore until I get the Exp. Share.)

...

Wait a minute.

I just had an epiphany.

I can make this so much easier.

Think about it like this:

• Slakoth gets lucky with the Quick Claw (50% Chance).
  • If it fails, reset the game until it succeeds.
• Use Yawn.
• Geodude should OHKO Slakoth with Rock Throw or Rock Tomb.
• Geodude falls asleep.
• Send out Zigzagoon.
• Set up a bunch of stat changes without giving her the ability to Defense Curl. (Use X Defends first this time, cause there's no way to know for sure when she'll wake up.)
• Headbutt Geodude into oblivion.
• Headbutt sweep the team.

This actually could work, though it requires getting lucky with the Quick Claw.

I'm gonna give it a try.

Rustboro Gym, Attempt 2

(Quick Claw failed. Reset.)

Attempt 3

(Quick Claw failed. Reset.)

Attempt 4

(Quick Claw failed. Reset.)

Attempt 5

(Quick Claw failed. Reset.)

Attempt 6

• Slakoth used Yawn!
  • Foe Geodude became drowsy!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • (Slakoth loses HP)
  • Slakoth's Speed fell!

Noticing a problem here now. I thought Slakoth would be OHKO'd. Thinking about how Yawn works though, it's actually better that he get 2-hit-KO'd.

• Slakoth is loafing around!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
  • Foe Geodude fell asleep!

WHAT!?

It wasn't even a 2-hit KO? Well, hopefully it won't wake up on the switch-in then.

• Slakoth, that's enough, come back!
  • Go, Zigzagoon!
• Foe Geodude is fast asleep.
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Geodude's accuracy fell!
• Foe Geodude is fast asleep.
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Geodude's accuracy fell!
• Foe Geodude is fast asleep.
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Geodude's accuracy fell!
• Foe Geodude is fast asleep.

I love Gen III's exploitable sleep mechanics.

Except when they're used against me, obviously.

• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Geodude's accuracy fell!
• Foe Geodude woke up!
  • Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!

Figured it'd wake up here. That'd be something if it stayed asleep though.

• (Used X Defend)
  • Zigzagoon's Defense rose!
• Foe Geodude used Defense Curl!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense rose!
• (Used X Defend)
  • Zigzagoon's Defense rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• (Used X Defend)
  • Zigzagoon's Defense rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • (Zigzagoon loses HP)
  • Zigzagoon's Speed fell!
• (Used X Attack)
  • Zigzagoon's Attack rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• (Used X Attack)
  • Zigzagoon's Attack rose!
• Foe Geodude used Defense Curl!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense rose!
• (Used X Speed)
  • Zigzagoon's Speed rose!

This is to counter the speed-lowering from Rock Tomb.

• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!

And now to get rid of those Defense Curls...

• Zigzagoon used Tail Whip!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense fell!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
  • Zigzagoon's Speed fell!
• (Used X Speed)
  • Zigzagoon's Speed rose!
  • Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
  • Zigzagoon's Speed fell!
  • Zigzagoon recovered HP using its Oran Berry!

At this point, I realize X Speeds are a lost cause, so I just go back on the offensive.

• Zigzagoon used Tail Whip!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense fell!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!

Thankfully, I appear to be faster anyways. And now its Defense is neither raised nor lowered from its original stat.

• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Geodude used Rock Tomb!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
  • Zigzagoon's Speed fell!
• (Used Potion)
  • (Zigzagoon recovered health)
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)

Now, here I see a problem. Geodude has lost, at best, maybe 10 or 15 percent of its HP. I can't afford to use that many Headbutts, because she will inevitably get a critical hit before that. Still, I am going to try.

• Foe Geodude used Defense Curl!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense rose!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude loses HP)
  • It's not very effective.

Problem #2: I am slower, and no longer have any X Speeds. Yeah, I only got two, thinking they were unnecessary. I was wrong. For my next attempt (assuming that this one fails), I will buy more.

• (Used X Attack)
  • Zigzagoon's Attack rose!

I need a way through that Defense Curl somehow.

• Foe Geodude used Defense Curl!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense rose!

UGH!

At this point, it's just "first one to get a critical hit wins."

As such, my new plan is to spam Sand-Attack some more to reduce her odds of succeeding, then spam Headbutt to help mine.

• Foe Geodude used Defense Curl!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense rose!
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Geodude's accuracy fell!
• Foe Geodude used Defense Curl!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense rose!
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Geodude's accuracy fell!

And now the war begins.

• Foe Geodude used Defense Curl!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense rose!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.

Yeah, 1 HP damage. But still, I must keep at it until I get a critical hit.

• Foe Geodude used Defense Curl!
  • Foe Geodude's Defense rose!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• (Roxanne used Potion)
  • (Geodude recovered health)
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• (Used Potion)
  • (Zigzagoon recovered health)
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Geodude used Tackle!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!

Did I seriously cause it to run out of PP on Rock Throw? O_o

I might win just off of PP Stalling then.

• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!

Guess not. She was just trolling me.

• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Geodude used Tackle!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • A critical hit!
  • It's not very effective.

Despite that critical hit, Geodude managed to live. Should go down relatively quickly from here though.

• (Roxanne used Potion)
  • (Geodude recovered health)

Ugh. Never mind.

• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.

All right, two problems here.

First, Headbutt is out of PP. I need to use an Ether or a Leppa Berry now if I want to continue to use Headbutt (which I do). Second, this Geodude just keeps healing. I think I will rely on PP Stalling, which means that for her next Pokémon, I need to max out my stats in preparation. Switching back to the X Items.

• (Used X Defend)
  • Zigzagoon's Defense rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
• (Used X Defend)
  • Zigzagoon's Defense rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• (Used X Defend)
  • Zigzagoon's Defense rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• (Used X Attack)
  • Zigzagoon's Attack rose!
• Foe Geodude used Rock Throw!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• (Used X Attack)
  • Zigzagoon's Attack rose!
• Foe Geodude used Tackle!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• (Used X Attack)
  • Zigzagoon's Attack rose!
• Foe Geodude used Tackle!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!

Stats maxed out. Switching back to attacking.

• (Used Ether)
  • (Headbutt's PP was restored)
• Foe Geodude used Tackle!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!

Incidentally, all of these item turns are INCREDIBLY nerve-wracking. Because if she gets a critical hit, Zigzagoon dies and then I will have wasted the item. I cannot let that happen.

• Foe Geodude used Tackle!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Geodude used Tackle!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Geodude used Tackle!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.

By the way, I cannot tell the difference in Headbutt strength from before and after those X Attacks.

Current status:

• Geodude: +6 Defense, -6 Accuracy
• Zigzagoon: +6 Attack, +6 Defense, -2 Speed

By all accounts, I have the upper hand. As I said though, it's just down to the critical hits.

• Foe Geodude used Tackle!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Geodude used Tackle!
  • Foe Geodude's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Geodude lost HP)
  • A critical hit!
  • It's not very effective.
  • Foe Geodude fainted!

YES! YES! I killed the Geodude!

Slakoth and Zigzagoon both get a Defense EV off of that.

• Roxanne sent out Nosepass!

Hey, Nosepass? Say hello to my max attack Headbutt!

• Foe Nosepass used Harden!
  • Foe Nosepass's Defense rose!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Nosepass lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.

Wha-?

It's doing even LESS damage than it was to Geodude.

Crap. I was hoping I could knock it out in one or two hits, three maximum, but it looks closer to about 20. Even critical hits won't exactly help, because Nosepass only had +1 Defense at the time, not much was really happening as far as armor is concerned.

What is very concerning however is that Nosepass doesn't have any accuracy modifiers. I can't just stall it out. It will hit me first.

Oh god what do I do?

Items aren't going to help me much anymore. I'm all out of X Items, and so all I can do is heal status conditions, which isn't going to be an issue here, or heal HP or PP. And since I have +6 Defense, I'm not going to be losing much HP to heal, barring a critical hit. And if there IS a critical hit, then it's game over for my Zigzagoon.

Switching out is a suicide, since I would lose all stat modifiers if I did that. All that +6 Defense will be lost, and she could kill me instantly.

Which means my only option is to fight. And I can use Headbutt, Growl, Tail Whip, or Sand-Attack.

Tail Whip isn't going to do me a lick of good, since she can just Harden to counter it. Growl is pointless, because with +6 Defense, her Attack doesn't matter unless she gets a critical hit, in which case, Growl won't work. The only thing Growl could potentially do is counter an Attack-boosting move that she uses. But she doesn't use any.

So I can either Headbutt or Sand-Attack.

Much like my battle with Geodude, this is all about who gets the critical hit first. Using Headbutt would give me more opportunities, while using Sand-Attack would give her less.

Since I really have no realistic backup plan if Zigzagoon faints, I need to keep it in as long as possible, so I think Sand-Attack is the right course of action. Minimize that accuracy!

If she gets a critical hit, though, I'm dead.

• Foe Nosepass used Rock Throw!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Nosepass's accuracy fell!
• Foe Nosepass used Rock Throw!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Nosepass's accuracy fell!
• Foe Nosepass used Rock Throw!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Nosepass's accuracy fell!
• Foe Nosepass used Harden!
  • Nosepass's Defense rose!
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Nosepass's accuracy fell!
• Foe Nosepass used Harden!
  • Nosepass's Defense rose!
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Nosepass's accuracy fell!
• Foe Nosepass used Rock Throw!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
• Zigzagoon used Sand-Attack!
  • Foe Nosepass's accuracy fell!

How is it that she didn't miss ONCE throughout that whole thing? Oh well, her accuracy is -6 now.

Zigzagoon is down at 7 HP, and Rock Throw was dealing 5 damage to it, so I'm going to heal its HP. I don't think that it can get knocked out with a non-critical, but since damage can vary by 15%, plus taking the stat modifiers into account, I just don't want to risk it.

• (Used Potion)
  • (Zigzagoon recovered health)
• Foe Nosepass used Harden!
  • Nosepass's Defense rose!

Ugh. +4 Defense on that thing. Not gonna bother Tail Whipping, just gotta pray for a critical. Then I can put my +6 Attack to good use. Oh, and unlike Geodude, here I think I only need one critical hit. She wasted her Potions on Geodude, so I think Nosepass is basically healing-free.

• Foe Nosepass used Rock Throw!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Nosepass lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Nosepass used Rock Throw!
  • Nosepass's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Nosepass lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.

For the record, this is the first time Nosepass missed with Rock Throw. It should be missing 70.3% of the time.

• Foe Nosepass used Rock Throw!
  • Nosepass's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Nosepass lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Nosepass used Harden!
  • Nosepass's Defense rose!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Nosepass lost HP)
  • A critical hit!
  • It's not very effective.

YES!

And now its HP bar is basically equal to the amount of damage I was dealing before all of these Hardens. So, in theory I could win without a critical hit, but it's not likely. I gotta get another critical before she does.

Oh, and I'm out of PP on Headbutt again.

• (Used Leppa Berry)
  • (Headbutt's PP was restored)
• Foe Nosepass used Rock Throw!
  • Nosepass's attack missed!
• Foe Nosepass used Rock Throw!
  • Nosepass's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Nosepass lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.

It's in the "red" zone...

• Foe Nosepass used Rock Throw!
  • (Zigzagoon lost HP)
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Nosepass lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Nosepass used Rock Throw!
  • Nosepass's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Nosepass lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Nosepass used Rock Throw!
  • Nosepass's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Nosepass lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
• Foe Nosepass used Rock Throw!
  • Nosepass's attack missed!
• Zigzagoon used Headbutt!
  • (Nosepass lost HP)
  • It's not very effective.
  • Foe Nosepass fainted!

YES!

Ladies and gentlemen, that is how you defeat Roxanne using only a Level 13 Zigzagoon!

I'll note that I had type disadvantage AND was underlevel, and I still pulled out ahead.

Zigzagoon gains a Defense EV!

I got the Stone Badge!

I got TM 39 (Rock Tomb)! (Which none of my Pokémon can learn.)

I'm saving my game before it accidentally freezes or something.

And I'm done playing for now.

Whew, that was intense.

Now that I can Cut...

First things first. I heal my Pokémon at the Pokémon Center, and then go to the PC. I "mark" my Zigzagoon. I'm going to Mark any Pokémon that can successfully pull off a Crowning Moment Of Awesome.

Now, Taillow is my only hope against the next gym, since the Fighting-types within said gym inflict double damage on Normal-types. Taillow, being part Flying-type, removes the Fighting-type weakness. As such, I need to train Taillow up, so I put it at the head of my team. Then I backtrack to get some items that I missed previously due to my inability to Cut, including two invisible Tiny Mushrooms in Petalburg Woods.

Route 116, Revisited

EVs Gained:

• Taillow (+5 HP, +2 ATK, +3 DEF, +1 SPD, +1 SPE)

Taillow learns Wing Attack, and I delete Peck for it, since Wing Attack is infinitely better. I also find an invisible Super Potion on this route.

I fought every trainer with the exception of the Hiker, simply because I am in no position to deal with Rock-types right now.

I deal with the Team Magma event here, and then set sail for Dewford.

Dewford Town

Now, I simply MUST know the trendy saying.

"Listen, have you heard about this new "UPSIDE DOWN WORLD"?

Woah. That is AWESOME! My favorite thing to do in Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald playthroughs is change the trendy saying to "ADULT TOYS", because that just creates hilarious dialogue in the trendy house, but "UPSIDE DOWN WORLD" is so awesome that I'm sticking with that.

I also pick up the Silk Scarf here, which is a necessity in a Normal-type run. I give it to Whismur for now, since it's not holding anything anyways. I also get an Old Rod, but of course, it's pointless in this run.

And then real life pulled me away from my game. I'll have to continue this later.

Update: I'm back now.

Anyways, I go up to Route 106 to do some invisible item searching, finding a Poké Ball, a Heart Scale, and a Stardust.

Now, I feel as though Taillow can handle this gym right now, but since there are trainers here, I figure I may as well fight them.

I use Whismur though, because I haven't used it much yet.

Whismur gets the following EVs: +2 SPD, +2 SPE

I also explore the Granite Cave, picking up HM 05, Flash. I cannot use it without Dewford's badge, but that's okay, since none of my Pokémon can learn it. And even so, I don't need it.

Little-known fact: Because the moves Cut, Fly, and Flash are not required in Ruby/Sapphire, you can skip those gym badges, in theory. Rustboro's gym, however, is mandatory to summon Mr. Briney to take you to Dewford. Dewford's gym is mandatory simply to fight against Norman in Petalburg later. However, you could skip this gym until after defeating Flannery if you were so inclined. Fortree's gym can be put off for as long as you like.

Now, I could get a Skitty for Flash purposes, but that's more trouble than it's worth. I'm just gonna maneuver through Granite Cave blindly.

I still try to explore everywhere so that I get the items (cause free stuff is good). And I also pick up the invisible Everstone. But this game pre-dates the Everstone having a purpose. See, in Gold/Silver, the Everstone originated. Its purpose there was to stop the Pokémon from evolving when held. This was retained until Emerald, which added the second function: There is a 50% chance of an Everstone-holding Pokémon sharing its nature with its offspring, if held by a female or Ditto. Then Diamond/Pearl came along and added another restriction for sharing natures: the holder cannot come from a foreign game. Additionally, they removed the "Stop Evolution" effect from Kadabra. Yes, a Kadabra will always evolve even if it is holding an Everstone. This continued throughout the rest of the series. HeartGold/SoulSilver removed the "female or Ditto" restriction, allowing nature sharing from any Pokémon. Black and White removed the "no foreign languages" restriction. And then Black 2 and White 2 removed the "50% chance of nature sharing", so that it would be a 100% chance.

But since I'm playing Ruby, I can't do anything with an Everstone, besides doing what I could do simply by pressing the B Button.

Eh, maybe I can sell this thing.

Anyways, I complete the mission in the Granite Cave, thus granting me TM 47 (Steel Wing). Steel Wing is an immensely overpowered move for this early in the game.

The only Normal-types that can learn it are Taillow/Swellow and Swablu. Since I don't think Swablu will be as good with it (mainly due to the fact that Swablu is incapable of evolution for this run), I just go ahead and give it to Taillow, to give it a HUGE advantage over Rock-types. My Taillow's moveset is Wing Attack, Growl, Focus Energy, and Quick Attack. I'm debating between Quick Attack and Focus Energy, as far as which move to delete goes.

I feel that Taillow is fast enough that the benefits to Quick Attack are minimal, since the only reason why I would use Quick Attack instead of either Wing Attack or Steel Wing are if I'm against an Electric-type, which resists both. But if I'm facing down an Electric-type, then I shouldn't be using Taillow at all.

But I just don't see a good use for Focus Energy. So, in the end, I delete Focus Energy. (Hey, at least Focus Energy is better than in Gen I, when it LOWERED your critical hit rate, due to a poorly written piece of code.)

I also return to Rustboro briefly to pick up the Exp. Share from Devon Corporation, now that I can. I give it to Slakoth.

Since this fills my inventory, I go sell some stuff and deposit some other stuff. Turns out that the Everstone's selling price is only 100, which really isn't worth it. So I just deposit it. I also deposit rather than sell the Heart Scales (which will be very useful later but pointless now), and the Miracle Seed (because I don't know whether or not I'll get a Grass-type attack).

You know what my least favorite aspect of the older Pokémon games is? The fact that they have inventory limits. It's so frustrating. I'm so glad they gave you a bottomless bag in Diamond/Pearl.

Now, this gym is a Fighting-type gym. You're supposed to use either Psychic or Flying here. The only Psychics that you could get at this point are Ralts and Abra, so if you got one, great. Except for the Psychic/Fighting Meditites in the gym that will resist your Psychic moves. The better option is Flying-types. Wingull and Zubat are nice, as is Taillow.

And I have a Taillow. Yeah, if I didn't, I would probably skip this gym. It's that hard for Normal-types.

Also, I'm updating my rules of the challenge now that I realize a problem with my Psychic-type challenge.

• Old Rule: You must abandon your starter when a typed Pokémon is obtained.
• New Rule: You must abandon your starter when a typed Pokémon that you have obtained learns a damaging attack.

Yeah, Ralts would only be able to Growl, and Abra only Teleport. I suppose I could, in theory, just Growl a bunch, heal its HP when it gets low, and then use Struggle against wild Pokémon until Ralts levels up enough to learn Confusion, but that's just not fun.

*cough* I know because I did it with Metapod on Yellow once. *cough*

Anyways, now I'm just gonna fight against everyone in the gym, with the Exp. Share spreading the love to Slakoth. I just Wing Attack everything.

EVs (given to both Taillow and Slakoth): +3 ATK, +3 SPE

And then all that remains is Brawly's Makuhita. It gets a 4-hit Arm Thrust after a Bulk Up on Taillow, K Oing it. Worse, it does so with 1 HP left, so I could have just Quick Attacked. It wouldn't have mattered though, because he used a Super Potion. And then more stuff happened, causing massive stat increases on his side, while he kept healing.

Eventually, I do kill Makuhita, but I did have to sacrifice Whismur and Zigzagoon to do it.

And I did lose the King's Rock due to Knock Off.

Fortunately, due to the mechanics of how Knock Off works, I am able to regain the item after the battle.

And, of course, Taillow and Slakoth each gain an HP EV.

It was more intense than I thought it would be. So that's why you don't get a play-by-play this time around. I honestly EXPECTED it to be:

• Leader Brawly wants to battle!
  • Leader Brawly sent out Machop!
  • Go, Taillow!
• Taillow used Wing Attack!
  • (Machop loses HP)
  • Foe Machop fainted!
  • Leader Brawly sent out Makuhita!
• Taillow used Wing Attack!
  • (Makuhita loses HP)
  • Foe Makuhita fainted!

Which would not have been worth documenting.

So I got the Knuckle Badge and TM 08 (Bulk Up). This is essentially just using Curse, except no Speed drop. Which is amazing. I seriously am shocked that this move doesn't get used more often in competitive play.

May not be worth a move slot in-game, though.

Of my four Pokémon, only Slakoth can learn it, which would be good on it once it becomes a Slaking. Slaking has enormous Attack, so it could potentially sweep if it had the boost. And with a Defense increase, it could survive its Truant turn. I'll keep that in mind.

I do some training in the Granite Cave, just to make everyone gain a level, so that I can calculate their stats to end this page.

EVs:

• Whismur: +3 HP, +1 SPE
• Slakoth: +3 HP, +1 SPE (Yes, I removed the Exp. Share after a level up to avoid miscalculating EVs.)
• Zigzagoon: +1 HP, +1 SPE

My team right now:

Well, two badges down. Six to go. See ya on the next page (when it's ready)!

Comments

Mysterion Since: Dec, 1969

May 9th 2013 at 3:02:36 PM

Well, that's the hard part done - mostly.

I suggest turning Whismur into your main special attacker for a while. If you feel like grinding the casino for a while, teaching it flamethrower may be your best option for Wattson.