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After a quick grinding session and an evolution from Kovu, I headed to the Oreburgh Gym, where I let Jonathan take care of it. He learned Curse and also evolved by the end of the Gym battle. The Mine Badge is mine!
I ran back to Jubilife City where I battle alongside Lucas some Team Galactic grunts. I received a Props Case before heading north to Floaroma Town. Ravaged Path only offered me Zubat as partners, so I couldn't catch anything (wow, Psyduck are much rarer in DP than they are in Pt!). I picked up a few berries and eventually found out about a poor little girl's situation. I kicked some more Team Galactic grunt butts before obtaining a key to the Windworks and some honey, which I quickly slathered on a nearby tree. Once inside the Windworks, I defeated Mars with Kovu and Jonathan (Kovu's Intimidate came in handy for Mars' Purugly). I then proceeded to catch two new Pokémon before saving my progress. My encounter on Route 205 ended up being a female Pachirisu, much to my displeasure. I love Pachirisu, but I tend not to pick Pokémon I use in my main files in Nuzlockes. Nicknamed her Dawn and kept her around for weakening purposes. Really wanting a Shellos as my Water type, I sacrificed Drifloon for an encounter in Valley Windworks and it worked in my favor: a beautiful male pink Shellos appeared! I only managed to use one Quick Attack with Dawn before it brought her to red with Water Pulse. I tossed one Pokéball at it and it caught him, which was a relief due to my bag only containing two Pokéballs... Nicknamed him Jello and healed him at the Pokémon Center while at the same time boxing Dawn.
I defeated Gardenia and whoever that Team Galactic admin is, but...
Gardenia was easy enough- a Wing Attack from Sharla was enough for any of her Pokemon. The admin was a little tough as well, but still, I managed to deal with her with help from my new Cranidos, Maul. He managed to weaken her Skuntank significantly, and let Sharla finish it off with no deaths.
But as I was training up Maul a bit on Cycling Road- tragedy struck. A Staravia took weakened Maul with Endeavour, and, unwilling to risk his death, I sent out Sharla instead, who got hit with another. I thought her Quick Attack would finish it, but... It missed, and a final Wing Attack killed her.
But not everything's doom and gloom on my end. My first encounter on Wayward Cave was a Gible, which I nicknamed Gyorg, so I have a viable option for late game! I also got to Hearthome and got my Eevee from Bebe. I nicknamed him 'Noctilum' (Sylvalum started a trend, apparently, among my Eevees!), evolved him into Leafeon, and began to grind.
Team so far:
;394; Stratus, level 26
;404; Six Stars, level 25
;190; Apex, level 25
;408; Maul, level 27
;470; Noctilum, level 23
I trained up Jello to level 16 at the Valley Windworks and then continued my journey towards the Eterna Forest. A young woman named Cheryl was afraid to go through the thick forest on her own, so she offered to heal my Pokémon everytime we battled to go through with me. I took the opportunity to have a double encounter while I was with Cheryl. A female Buneary and a Wurmple appeared and I screamed. FINALLY SOME FEMALE POTENTIAL! I quickly took out Cheryl's Chansey in one hit and proceeded to defeat the Wurmple before throwing Pokéballs at Buneary. I caught her, named her Vittany and happily added her to my team. I levelled her up to level 19 along with Jello so they could be on par with Jonathan and Kovu. I then battled the trainers in the forest and went straight back to grinding, where I put them all to level 23 in preparations for Gardenia's gym. I finally arrived at the end of the forest and parted ways with Cheryl.
I went back to Floaroma Town to capture the little bugger who was shaking the honey tree. A female Wurmple showed up! I simply threw a single Pokéball at it and she was caught. Nicknamed her Persephone and sent her to the PC. I went back to Eterna Forest, finally got out of it and defeated the fishermen nearby with Jonathan. Eterna City then welcomed me with open arms! I met a strange lady who goes by the name of Cynthia. She talked to me about her passion for myths and gave me this useful Cut HM. Before entering the gym, I tested my luck and went on Route 211 for a capture. I ran into a wild female Meditite! I used a female Meditite in my precious Sapphire Nuzlocke so unless I am in major trouble, I don't think I'm going to use this one. But it's a good Pokémon nonetheless. I caught her and named her Majalis before sending her to the PC (her 'locks' reminded me of lilies of the valley, so I made a quick research and named her after the scientific name of the flower, convallaria majalis).
With nothing else to do really and a team ready to take on some action, I went straight for the gym. The flower ladies inside were really easy to defeat. Gardenia scared me a little bit, but really she couldn't do anything to my Jonathan, so even though I didn't really have type advantage, she didn't either. Jonathan went after her Cherubi first, which I used to set up three Curse on it, while Cherubi performed Safeguard/Growth shenanigans. One Bite was enough to take both Cherubi and Roserade out after such setup. I decided to risk it afterwards, as I sent in Kovu against her Turtwig. Turtwig easily survived two Bite and had set up Reflect/received a Super Potion. That's when I got tired and sent out Jello on the obvious potion use. Did I tell you guys about my Jello's nifty Hidden Power ? It happens to be Ice type. A critical hit Hidden Power was all it took for the Turtwig to be taken out. The Forest Badge is mine!
Team Galactic's HQ was not a difficult place to walk in. The only thing I was truly afraid of was Jupiter's dreaded Skuntank. I first intended on using Jello against her Zubat with Hidden Power but Vittany was a level under Kovu and Jello, so I thought a hit or two from her would be enough to take out a weak Zubat. I was really glad I did so because the only move Zubat revealed before being knocked out was Giga Drain! I think Jello could've taken that hit fine, but I was happy I didn't take the risk. Skuntank was scaring me a lot. I opted to go for Kovu to get a free Intimidate right off the bat. I then switched out into Jonathan as it missed a Poison Gas. It then used SmokeScreen twice as I used Curse twice. Luckily, both of my following Razor Leaf landed. It was a hair shy of being taken out before it ate the Sitrus berry it was holding on to. While I used Razor Leaf, Skuntank used Screech twice. Not wanting to risk it, I switched back into Kovu. It landed two Night Slash without a critical hit and I managed to take it out with a final Spark. Thank god this stressful battle is over...
After that, the owner of the bike shop, once saved, gave me a bike for free! I was also asked to visit an old man who is very fond of underground exploration. He gave me an Explorer Kit. I used it to go underground and within 15 minutes I found what I came down there for: a Skull Fossil. I will revive this fossil in Oreburgh City in a near future for a powerful encounter indeed.
After training most of my team to level 30, and evolving Six Stars and Maul, I took on Fantina. She was a joke. Maul's Assurance OHKO'd Duskull and Haunter, while Six Stars took out Mismagius without too much damage.
Similarly, the fight against Barry was a cakewalk. Six Stars KO'd Staravia and Buizel, Stratus KO'd Ponyta, and though it was much slower than the rest, Noctilum managed to KO his Grotle without much difficulty. Afterwards, I made my way to Solaceon and began the trek to Veilstone.
On the way there, tragedy struck, though. My first encounter of the route was a Scyther, so I went to switch out my Kirlia, Nimue, for Maul.
I forgot about Pursuit.
EDIT: After the tragedy with Nimue, I began to rebuild my team and prepare for Maylene. I found the TM for Dig south of Veilstone and taught it to Noctilum, making him my prime choice for the gym. At the same time, I added my sixth team member to my team, a Houndour I caught on the route below, nicknamed Quinn.
While training, Stratus evolved into Empoleon, I taught Grimm Steel Wing, I bought a Fire Blast TM for Quinn so that she'd have a STAB mov for her best stat, and made a few new captures, such as Bruno the Hippopotas, a Rhyhorn whose name I've forgotten, and Cyanide the Croagunk.
I'll take on Maylene's gym tomorrow and update with my progress.
Team so far:
;394; Stratus, level 36
;405; Six Stars, level 35
;409; Maul, level 35
;470; Noctilum, level 35
;123; Grimm, level 35
;229; Quinn, level 35
Deaths:
;397; Sharla, level 3-27 (Killed by another Staravia's Wing Attack)
;281; Nimue, level 17-27 (Killed by Grimm's Pursuit)
After going down the cycling road and gaining a few levels through trainers, I met with Lucas and received a Dowsing Machine app for my Pokétch. I then went down the muddy slide and quickly arrived in Oreburgh City where I revived my Skull Fossil. A nicknamed the little Cranidos Alec and temporarily put it in my party: I really wanted a Stunky and if I caught one on Route 206, I would choose it over Alec, not wanting to train two Pokémon at once. Dawn the Pachirisu helped me with cutting down the trees. My encounter for Route 206 ended up being a Kricketune which I fled from after using multiple balls and having my Kovu in low health. Alec officially joined the party. Before going to Wayward Cave, I levelled him up to be on par with his teammates. After that, I helped Mira, a little girl trapped in Wayward Cave, to get out. I believe I ran out of Pokéballs or accidently knocked out a Bronzor in there...
I defeated the trainers on Route 207 and I believe my encounter in Mt. Coronet was a Chingling. I believe I accidently knocked out this little one as well. I met with a strange man on my way out, speaking of myths, time and space... Out on Route 208, my encounter was a Psyduck. I don't recall my inability to catch it either, but I think I had a shortage in Pokéball. Anyway, at some point in my journey my captures were running dry and I packed myself with Pokéballs at the PokéMart in Hearthome City.
I met with a Contest Judge, my mother (who happened to carry around a beautiful gown for the Contests I am never going to participate in) and Fantina. Speaking of Fantina, I decided to go to her gym only to find out she was 'out of the gym'. I was recommended to go to Veilstone City and Pastoria City before coming back here. On my way out of Hearthome, I encountered my rival, who was crushed at the hands of both Jonathan and Kovu. Realizing after my battle that I had a Buneary in my team, I decided to go for a walk in Amity Square with Vittany, where I collected TM Attract, TM Secret Power and a Spooky Plate.
Out on Route 209, I encountered two Bibarel in a row, preventing from another catch. Disappointed, I defeated all the trainers on the route and entered the Lost Tower. In there, I encountered a female Gastly which I caught and nicknamed Soul before sending her to the PC. Once in Solaceon Town, after collecting a few berries and a Seal Case, I entered the Solaceon Ruins, where I met a R-shaped Unown. I caught it and nicknamed it Reagan and sent it to the PC. It coincidentally also had a Relaxed nature, which made me giggle. I went all the way down the ruins and collected the few items there.
On Route 210, I defeated the accessible trainers and then attempted to catch something. A male Ponyta popped out of the grass! I was quite happy about this catch, since Ponyta is basically the only Fire-type Pokémon I have access to since I didn't pick Chimchar. I nicknamed him Marx and sent him to the PC. Marx is going to be my back up if I don't catch a Stunky. On Route 215, I believe I encountered two Ponyta in a row, thus ending my potential capture on said route. I defeated all the trainers and quickly decided to train my Pokémon up to level 32 in preparation for Maylene. While doing so, Jello, Kovu, Alec and Jonathan all evolved. I had hopes Vittany's friendship was high enough for her to evolve along her companions but she unfortunately did not. Curious about Vittany's friendship, I made a trip all the way back to Eterna City to get the Friendship Checker app. As I suspected, she was not too far away from maximum friendship. On my way back to Veilstone City, I remembered I didn't pick up the Happiny egg in Hearthome City. Making steps to hatch an egg was the perfect opportunity for Vittany to gain love. Once Meredith the Happiny hatched, I noticed that Vittany's friendship was maximized. I then proceeded to level her up one more level and she evolved into a Lopunny!
My fight against Maylene was rather easy. After easily knocking her gym trainers out of the way, Jello took care of her Meditite fairly easily and Kovu took down her Machoke in one Charge and Spark combination. Lucario went down after a single Earthquake from Jonathan. The Cobble Badge is mine!
As such, I made my way to Route 214, where I battled a few trainers and caught a female Hippopotas in the Maniac Tunnel and a... FEMALE STUNKY ON ROUTE 215. I was super happy this was a female! I caught her, named her Daisy (quite ironic, but really, I named her after a cat I had years ago who was black and had a white belly). I went back to Route 210 to grind her up and then went back to Valor Lakefront, where I encountered a Kricketune and fled from it once again. I battled the trainers inside the restaurant and the trainers on Route 213. I encountered there a wild Floatzel that I accidently took down with a critical hit. I have now recently saved inside Pastoria City's Pokémon Center. I will be attempting to catch something in the Great Marsh and then it's Gym time!
Another day, another Pokemon killed by a random wild. Seriously. My luck, people.
Before I get onto that, though, I should probably update. I defeated Maylene. Grimm was my main fighter during that battle, with STAB/Technician Wing Attack tearing apart almost everything in her path. The only time I took her out of the battle was to take down Lucario. I sent out Noctilum instead, who managed to KO it with two Digs.
Afterwards, I went to Pastoria and fought Barry. Nothing special. Just another clean sweep of his team. Speaking of which, it was pretty ironic that he regarded Wake as his master, considering, if anything, Wake was even easier than him. Everything was OHKO'd by either Six Stars or Noctilum.
After fighting Wake, I chased down a Team Galactic pawn, got to Celestic, picked up a rather nice pair of Wise Glasses for Quinn, beat Cyrus, and got Surf.
I decided to train before I went too far into Canalave. Everything went well until I got to Maul. Guess who misjudged its damage range? Me. Sodding Gastrodons...
I've got my Gible, Gyorg, in the back of my party holding an EXP Share to gain levels. Before I do anything major with him, though, I'll take a trip to Iron Island in the hopes of finding a replacement for Maul...
Team so far:
;394; Stratus, level 45
;405; Six Stars, level 45
;470; Noctilum, level 45
;123; Grimm, level 45
;229; Quinn, level 45
;443; Gyorg, level 17
Deaths:
;397; Sharla, level 3-27 (Killed by another Staravia's Wing Attack)
;281; Nimue, level 17-27 (Killed by Grimm's Pursuit)
;409; Maul, level 20-42 (Killed by a wild Gastrodon's Mud Bomb)
... I failed to catch a Wooper in the Great Marsh. Anyway, the Pastioria Gym was rather easy to conquer. Used both Kovu and Jonathan for this. The Fen Badge is mine! I also received the TM Brine and used a Heart Scale to teach Jonathan Wood Hammer.
On Route 212, I failed to catch a Pokémon. I defeated all the trainers on the route and visited the Trophy Garden, in which I encountered YET ANOTHER Kricketune. I finally decided to catch one. Caught her, nicknamed her Esmeralda and sent her to the PC. I arrived in Hearthome City ready to take on the gym! ... but the absence of the elevator made me realize I had forgotten the Team Galactic grunt in Pastoria. So I run back down to Pastoria and get this business going. I also encounter my rival Eric, which I utterly destroyed in battle once again. I followed the fleeing grunt up to the lakefront and defeated him as he was exhausted. I then met with Cynthia, who informed me about the Psyduck group that was blocking the way to Celestic Town. I rushed back there, healed the Psyduck group and I met with her again and she gave me the task to deliver a special charm to her grandmother. I travelled across the thick fog and finally made it to the little town of Celestic. I decided to go fish for an encounter and I got a female Magikarp that I nicknamed Chelsea. I gave Cynthia's grandmother the charm and she informed me about some space goon blocking the ruins and threatening the townspeople. She also gave me the useful HM Surf, which I quickly used on Jello. I battled the grunt, entered the cave and learned a bit more about Sinnoh's legendary lore. I met with the creepy man once more and I learned his name was Cyrus. He told me about his grand plans for this region and then vanished. I failed to catch something on Route 211, so I flew back to Hearthome City with Heather in the PC.
Fantina's Gym was easier than I expected to be. I suppose it is partially due to Daisy's presence in the party. The battle against the leader was fairly easy too. The Relic Badge is mine! I received the TM Shadow Claw, which I used on Daisy.
With now the ability to Surf, I backtracked a little before heading for Canalave City. I went back on Route 212 to get the TM Poison Jab for Daisy. I then went on the water routes south of Sandgem Town. On Route 219, I caught a male Tentacool, nicknamed Edwin. On Route 220, I encountered a male Wingull. I caught him and nicknamed him Kite (throwback to 2014 Sapphire Nuzlocke). On Route 221, I encountered a Floatzel, which I managed to catch and nicknamed Keith. Battled the few trainers there for some useful experience. Back on Route 218 towards Canalave City, I failed to catch something (I think I encountered two Floatzel). In Canalave City, I fought with Eric once again, which was very easy. I then took a boat for Iron Island where I met with Riley and failed to catch something (got scared of the Graveler/Steelix combination). Once the Team Galactic grunts kicked out of the mount, Riley offered me an egg, which I refused.
The Canalave Gym was also a walk in the park. I mainly used Daisy's Flamethrower and Jonathan's Earthquake for the trainers in there. Byron was not much of a threat. The Mine Badge is mine!
I had to make a stop to the Canalave Library to meet with Professor Rowan, Eric and Lucas. Once there, a massive earthquake shaked the earth below us and we learned about the attack at the lakes. The Professor assigned us each a lake. I made a quick stop to Wayward Cave's secret entrance where I could now get the TM Earthquake and teach it to Alec. I then went to the exploded Lake Valor and kicked some Team Galactic butts some more. I also met with Saturn, another Team Galactic commander and defeated him easily enough. I flew back to Lake Verity where I saw Lucas and Rowan being attacked by grunts. I helped Lucas fend them off. I also learned I should go aid Eric at Lake Acuity, so I flew back to Veilstone City and took Amanda out of the PC to train her to Veilstone's west route. I will need a Bibarel for the job! I quickly evolved Amanda into a Bibarel and taught her a few useful HM moves - Strength and Rock Smash notably. I flew back to Celestic Town and entered Mt. Coronet.
Once out on Route 216, I encountered a male Sneasel, which I caught and named Benny. Route 217 was harder to get through, though. I finally had my first death on this Nuzlocke... Unfortunately a critical hit Water Pulse from a trainer's Golduck was enough to take my Kovu out (he was in yellow but I didn't expect Water Pulse to do so much). With the hail and the confusion this Golduck was doing to my team, I had to do many switch in and out and eventually it got one of my members...
R.I.P
KOVU
LEVEL 5 TO LEVEL 42
If it is any comfort, I encountered a male Machoke on Route 217 and nothing on Acuity Lakefront. I nicknamed Machoke Enrique and sent him to the PC. Once in Snowpoint City, I switched Amanda for Daisy and levelled her up accordingly. I am not gonna pick a sixth team member yet, as I would like to test my luck with a Chatot encounter later on. Flying type could come in handy.
Current team
- Jonathan ♂ - Overgrow - Level 42
- Jello ♂ - Storm Drain - Level 42
- Vittany ♀ - Run Away - Level 43
- Alec ♂ - Mold Breaker - Level 42
- Daisy ♀ - Aftermath - Level 42
Alive members in the PC (backup)
- Heather ♀ - Keen Eye - Level 2
- Amanda ♀ - Simple - Level 3
- Oscar ♂ - Synchronize - Level 5
- Josephina ♀ - Sturdy - Level 6
- Desna ♂ - Inner Focus - Level 6
- Dawn ♀ - Run Away - Level 9
- Persephone ♀ - Shield Dust - Level 7
- Majalis ♀ - Pure Power - Level 13
- Soul ♀ - Levitate - Level 18
- Reagan - Levitate - Level 16
- Marx ♂ - Run Away - Level 18
- Meredith ♀ - Natural Cure - Level 1
- Wendy ♀ - Sand Stream - Level 23
- Esmeralda ♀ - Swarm - Level 17
- Chelsea ♀ - Swift Swim - Level 18
- Edwin ♂ - Liquid Ooze - Level 20
- Kite ♂ - Keen Eye - Level 29
- Keith ♂ - Swift Swim - Level 30
- Benny ♂ - Keen Eye - Level 32
- Enrique ♂ - No Guard - Level 36
Deceased members
- Kovu ♂ - Intimidate - Level 5 to level 42 - Died to a trainer's Golduck's Water Pulse (critical hit).
After travelling to Iron Island and finding a Steelix there, I opted to leave Gyorg on my team. I put an EXP Share on him as I went through the Canalave Gym. Much to my amazement, Quinn did absolutely nothing in this gym- Stratus and Noctilum were enough to decimate the many steel types that stood in my way. This extended to Byron as well- I led with Noctilum against his Magneton. Noctilum outsped, allowing me to OHKO it with a Dig with no problems at all. As his Steelix came out, I switched to Stratus, who managed to OHKO it with a Surf, as he's been doing with this whole gym. Bastiodom was a little more problematic- due to its weight, I figured Grass Knot would be effective. It wasn't. It only took just under half its health. In return, its Metal Burst took out a rather frightening chunk of health. Worried, I healed, it taunted me, and I finished it off with a Surf.
Soon after I got out, Lake Valor was attacked. Eager to get more EXP for Gyorg, I went there, fought the Team Galactic Grunts, and took on Jupiter. I lead with Six Stars. His Spark managed to OHKO Golbat. It was basically the same story with his Toxicroak, except that Grimm OHKO'd with her Wing Attack. Surprisingly, her Bronzor was the most problematic thing- though I sent Quinn out to Fire Blast it into oblivion, she missed twice and ended up taking a Rock Tomb. There, I switched to Stratus and let him deal with it instead. After, I went to Lake Verity and fought off Mars. Same Golbat KO'd by Six Star's Spark, and the Bronzor actually was hit by Quinn's Fire Blast this time. Predictably, Purugly was the most trouble. I'm certain that if I'd used anyone other than Noctilum, I'd have another death. Even with Noctilum's high defences, it dealt a lot of damage to him. Thankfully a few Razor Leaves could finish it.
After this, I returned to Canalave, and began the grind for the rest of Gyorg's levels. Nothing bad happened, and soon, Gyorg evolved into Garchomp.
Now to keep him alive.
EDIT: I defeated Candice today. It went a lot better than I though it would- her Sneasel's Slash did more to Quinn than I anticipated, and I worried that I would lose her. However, the battle was easy enough- she managed to defeat the rest with Flamethrower, even her Froslass after Snow Cloak and Double Team.
Team so far:
;395; Stratus, level 50
;405; Six Stars, level 50
;470; Noctilum, level 50
;123; Grimm, level 50
;229; Quinn, level 51
;445; Gyorg, level 50
Deaths:
;397; Sharla, level 3-27 (Killed by another Staravia's Wing Attack)
;281; Nimue, level 17-27 (Killed by Grimm's Pursuit)
;409; Maul, level 20-42 (Killed by a wild Gastrodon's Mud Bomb)
@Everlasting: Hey, if you don't mind me commenting, it's actually quite the relief seeing another Nuzlocker play on shift mode! I always admittedly worry about doing so, but seeing that I'm not alone puts me at ease. Thanks!
@Everlasting: Hey, if you don't mind me commenting, it's actually quite the relief seeing another Nuzlocker play on shift mode! I always admittedly worry about doing so, but seeing that I'm not alone puts me at ease. Thanks!
Aaaah, you're welcome. :3 I liked playing in shift mode because set mode can sometimes put you in a bad corner when you could've shown what you're capable of had you been able to switch out... Also because it makes grinding against trainers through VS. Seeker much easier if you want to train multiple Pokémon on the same trainer. It's just a pain when your Pokémon get half the experience they could've had.
I've sort of abandoned my Diamond Nuzlocke. Not because I was afraid I couldn't do it, but because I had recently finished playing through Platinum before starting it and I was getting kinda bored... The game is not erased, however, so I might come back to it in a distant future (doubt it ). I will add, though: Daisy died from a Quagsire's Earthquake inside Candice's gym and Jello died from Cyrus' Weavile in Spear Pillar. Jonathan, Vittany and Alec are the only "originals" alive. I have caught a male Finneon (nicknamed Finn) to replace Jello and also caught a male Abomasnow (nicknamed Frost) on Mt. Coronet exterior, which was added to the party as well. I intended to catch a Chatot to fill up my team but I never got around to it because... you know... I don't wanna play this Nuzlocke anymore... :c
Aaaah, you're welcome. :3 I liked playing in shift mode because set mode can sometimes put you in a bad corner when you could've shown what you're capable of had you been able to switch out... Also because it makes grinding against trainers through VS. Seeker much easier if you want to train multiple Pokémon on the same trainer. It's just a pain when your Pokémon get half the experience they could've had.
It's kind of the same thing with me, actually. You've probably guessed from my overlevelling, but I like getting the full experience so that grinding and everything is a lot easier, and that everyone will be less likely to die. I have to admit, though, another part of it is that I'd rather have Pokemon fall to lapses in judgement rather than chance or anything.
Anyhow, I went through the Team Galactic building, Mt Coronet, and most of the Distortion World. In the building, Cyrus was relatively easy. I led with Stratus against his Sneasel, and though Stratus took a Slash, he OHKO'd it with Flash Cannon. His Crobat turned out to be the most difficult to KO. I led with Six Stars, but was hit with a Supersonic and ended up confused. He defeated it with a Spark, however, when he hit half HP, thankfully. The rest were taken out rather capably by Six.
At Spear Pillar, the Double Battle was kind of problematic, but Stratus managed to take everything out. Including half of Barry's Pokemon. Surf was too useful not to lose.
But then DW Cyrus turned out to be more difficult than I expected. His Houndoom fell easily enough- Gyorg's Earthquake took care of that. Stratus dealt with his Weavile with Flash Cannon again, and though it survived, and Stratus took a Night Slash, it fell after a second. Six's Spark managed to OHKO his Gyarados. However, his Honchkrow survived a Spark and retaliated with Night Slash- and hit with a critical. Horrified, I watched Six's HP fall- but stop at 22HP, much to my relief. I healed the next turn, and two more Sparks were able to finish it. The Crobat fell without another incident- two Surfs from Stratus were enough to finish it.
I haven't caught Giratina yet, but I'm probably going to Master Ball it.
Team so far:
;395; Stratus, level 52
;405; Six Stars, level 52
;470; Noctilum, level 50
;123; Grimm, level 51
;229; Quinn, level 51
;445; Gyorg, level 51
Deaths:
;397; Sharla, level 3-27 (Killed by another Staravia's Wing Attack)
;281; Nimue, level 17-27 (Killed by Grimm's Pursuit)
;409; Maul, level 20-42 (Killed by a wild Gastrodon's Mud Bomb)
So recently I did a HeartGold Nuzlocke, which promptly ended at Jasmine (curse those thunderbolts and my arrogance)
So now I'm doing a Platinum Nuzlocke, which is doubly exciting since I've never actually played Platinum so far.
RULES
-Must Catch first Pokemon I encounter on each route/area
-If a Pokemon faints, it is considered dead and gets placed in the "DEAD" PC Box
-Dupes Clause; in a new area, if I encounter a Pokemon I've caught before or got the evolutionary line of, I will run away. If the same thing happens twice, I run again. However the third encounter, no matter what, counts as that area's encounter.
-Gift Pokemon (excluding the starter) can be taken but will count as that area's encounter. The starter doesn't count as that area's encounter.
I started my game, chose Nolan for my rival name (never done one of the pre-created options so thought why not?) and chose Chimchar for my starter. As of right now I'm grinding my team up and preparing for the second Rival battle, about to go fight the trainers north of Jubilife.
BADGES: 0
RIVAL BATTLES: 1
The Team
;390; Hephaestus the Chimchar. Male. Level 9. Timid Nature
Hephaestus, or Heph, is the quiet powerhouse of the team. At the current time he's the strongest Pokemon I have, but early game that's expected with the starter. Like his predecessor, Vulcan the Cyndaquil, he is named after an ancient God of Fire.
;396; Maverick the Starly. Male. Level 9. Lax nature.
Maverick, AKA That-Damn-Maverick, was the first capture of the game. He hits hard and fast, and will hopefully last long enough to become a Staraptor. However the previous bearer of his name (a Spearow in my HG Nuzlocke) died to Bugsy's Scyther, so the past may haunt me yet.
;399; Doofy the Bidoof. Female. Level 7. Modest nature.
Doofy is definitely the weak link in the team. She struggles to beat Pokemon one or two levels lower than herself, often relying on Heph, Maverick or Electra to save her. As much as I loathe making a Pokemon the designated HM slave, it maybe be Doofy's calling. We'll see. Biggest claim to fame so far is scoring the first crit of the game.
;403; Electra the Shinx. Female. Level 8. Serious Nature
Electra has some serious potential; easily the third strongest member on the team, plus her intimidate ability cuts through attack like a hot knife through butter. At the moment she only has tackle for an attacking move, but its enough to grind with.
;406; Drew the Budew. Male. Level 8. Lax Nature.
Drew is the newest member of the team, but has already caught up or even exceeded older members in terms of level. Wild Shinx and Bidoof fear him and his absorb, which with his decent defense stat makes it very hard to lower his HP. Will be invaluable against Roark's Geodude and Onix.
Well, I caught Giratina a little while ago, and ended up getting my final gym badge a couple of days ago. Gyorg crushed everything with Earthquake, or Quinn with Flamethrower, leaving me with the same team for Victory Road.
I'll likely train Six Stars and Noctilum to level 60 on the water route before proceeding.
EDIT: Right, so remember what I said about grinding Six Stars and Noctilum? Well, plans have changed. I looked over the E4's teams and decided that, in the long run, an extra counter to Cynthia's Garchomp would do me more good than Noctilum would. So I unboxed Locke, the Sneasel I caught, and began training him. He evolved into Weavile soon afterwards. I'm just hoping he'll survive Victory Road once he hits level 60.
Everyone will be trained to 60 before Victory Road, and I'll take on the E4 at 65.
But anyhow- I've never really expressed my opinions on any of my teammates before, so because it will likely be a while before I can even dream of taking on the Elite 4, I might as well leave something for people to read. (Besides, no guarantee that everyone will be alive.)
Team so far:
;395; Stratus
Level 55
Naive/Highly Curious
Ice Beam/Flash Cannon/Surf/??? (currently Waterfall)
Can't say I really expected Stratus to get this far! I've always found using the Piplup line a chore, and I've heard that the line has a terrible learnset, but honestly, Stratus has turned out to be a joy to use (if only with the support of TMs). Honestly, it's made Empoleon a personal favourite Steel type.
;405; Six Stars (Intimidate)
Level 56
Careful/Quick tempered
Thunder Fang/Leer/Crunch/Spark
Well then. This was also quite unexpected. I suppose you've gathered this, seeing as I made Luxray my avatar pretty late into the Nuzlocke, but Six Stars is one of my favourite Pokemon that I've used in a Nuzlocke. Though not quite as fun to use as his predecessor in White 2, Misfortune the Zebstrika, he's the Pokemon that I feel was more of a starter than even Stratus was. Seeing him nearly die to that critical made me realise exactly what his value to the team was. I'm glad he's lived this long.
;123; Grimm (Technician)
Level 55
Brave/Likes to thrash about
X-Scissor/Steel Wing/Night Slash/Wing Attack
Despite Grimm's rather grim entry on the team, being the one that killed Nimue, she's really pulled her weight. Technician does a lot to support her, so she's often OHKOing anything I put her up against. Truth be told, I definitely think Nimue was a good price to pay for her. She'll likely be my main force during the Elite 4, what with Aaron, members of Lucian's team and Cyntha being weak to some of her attacks.
;229; Quinn (Early Bird)
Level 55
Mild/Often dozes off
Fire Blast/Sludge Bomb/Flamethrower/Odor Sleuth
Quinn's a little undescribable. Though she shared Stratus' issue of a lacking moveset through most of the run, she was easily able to clean up anything that Stratus couldn't handle, and, though not a main player on my team, was a real powerhouse when she was used. I fear that her time might be up against Lucian's Bronzong, though, so I'm saying it right now- it was a joy to use her through this run.
;445; Gyorg
Level 56
Careful/Likes to fight
Dragon Claw/Earthquake/Crunch/??? (currently Rock Climb)
Though Maul's replacement, and though he hasn't gotten much use for fear of his death- his Earthquake is OP.
;461; Locke
Level 47
Lax/Sturdy Body
(Moveset not finalised. Moveset will likely be Night Slash/Avalanche/Shadow Claw/Something else)
As a more recent member, I don't have much of an opinion on him. He seems fragile, though...
Deaths:
;397; Sharla, level 3-27 (Killed by another Staravia's Wing Attack)
;281; Nimue, level 17-27 (Killed by Grimm's Pursuit)
;409; Maul, level 20-42 (Killed by a wild Gastrodon's Mud Bomb)
Following my successful Nuzlocke in the VC release of Red, I decided to flash forward to Gen IV and start one in Diamond. I failed a Pearl Nuzlocke last year (at the hands of Cynthia), so I'm hoping for better luck (and better planning on my part) this time around! I've boosted my chances a bit by instituting a Dupes Clause, which I hadn't incorporated in my Pearl run.
THE COAL BADGE:
After my pal Barry and I received starter Pokémon from Professor Rowan (somewhat by accident), I decided to start my Sinnoh League quest by challenging Oreburgh City Gym Leader, and coal mining enthusiast, Roark "The Rock." I played things safe by sending out Narcissus (Budew) first and paralyzing Roark's Geodude with "Stun Spore." While Roark had Geodude set up "Stealth Rock" to punish me if I made any substitutions, I boosted Narcissus's special abilities with "Growth", then sapped the life out of Geodude with "Mega Drain." Since this strategy worked so well against Geodude, I took the same approach with Roark's Onix: "Stun Spore", followed by "Mega Drain." I worried that Narcissus couldn't withstand a crushing "Headbutt" from Roark's ace, Cranidos, so I opted for a Rock-VS-Rock finale and switched in Quarry (Geodude.) Although Cranidos still managed to inflict a decent amount of damage, even with ineffective attacks, Roark's dino was no match for a series of super-effective "Rock Smash" strikes.
Once I'd proven myself worthy of the Coal Badge, Roark showed my Pokémon how to make full use of "Rock Smash" outside of battle, which allowed us to clear away the boulders inside Ravaged Path and continue onward to Eterna City, site of the next Sinnoh League Gym.
THE FOREST BADGE:
En route to Eterna City, I had multiple run-ins with members of a bizarre, troublesome organization known as "Team Galactic." I first encountered them harassing Professor Rowan and Dawn as I made my way back through Jublifie City; fortunately, their Pokémon skills were no match for Dawn's and mine. Just outside Floaroma Town, a little girl informed me that more of their members were holding men hostage, including her father, at Floaroma Meadow and Valley Windworks. While infiltrating the latter, I came up against a high-ranking member known as Commander Mars. Unlike her underlings, and in spite of her apparent mental instability, Mars proved to be a very capable Pokémon Trainer; thankfully, Quarry (Geodude) and Virago (Machop) were able to narrowly defeat her "Toxic"-wielding Zubat and surprisingly speedy Purugly, thus enabling me to reunite that little girl with her dad.
With type compatibility in mind, I lead with Eyrie (Starly) in my match against Eterna City Gym Leader Gardenia, Master of vivid plant Pokémon. Although I thought a single "Wing Attack" would earn me an easy first victory, her Cherubi caught me off-guard when it survived the hit and fired back with "Leech Seed." After that, when I tried to quickly finish the job with a "Quick Attack", Gardenia utilized a Super Potion to keep Cherubi on the field even longer. Eyrie eventually managed to conquer the cherry before having too much health sucked out of her by "Leech Seed", but I knew that I needed to call her back when Gardenia sent out her Turtwig. I thought it'd be fun (and fitting) to pit starter-against-starter, so I called on Hothead (Chimchar) while Turtwig set up a "Reflect." I realized this screen would prove problematic, seeing as Hothead's only Fire-type move ("Flame Wheel") is a physical attack, so I tried to counteract its effects with "Leer." Hothead eventually toasted Gardenia's turtle, but not before taking some damage from "Grass Knot" and "Razor Leaf"; consequently, when Gardenia's Roserade appeared, I had to make another substitution. I figured that my newest companion, Regina (Murkrow), was just the bird for the job. She lived up to my expectations by surviving a "Magical Leaf", before pulling apart Gardenia's prize Pokémon with a single critical-hit "Pluck."
After awarding me the Forest Badge, Gardenia showed my Pokémon how to utilize "Cut" to fell obtrusive bushes, which will help me scope out that new Team Galactic Building in town sometime tonight…
Virago (Machop) is still alive and well – I just sent her to stay with Professor Rowan in order to free up space on my team for Regina (Murkrow), since I've never travelled with one before (during a Nuzlocke, or any playthrough, for that matter.)
1.) I must catch the first Pokémon that I encounter in each Route/Area and no others. Shinies are an exception.
1a.) Duplicates Clause: I can only catch one member from each evolutionary family.
2.) I must nickname every Pokémon that I catch/receive.
3.) I must release every Pokémon that faints.
4.) I can catch/receive Legendaries, but never use them in battle.
5.) I can accept gift Pokémon and use them in battle, if they are the first and only Pokémon that I obtain in that location.
6.) I can trade strictly for the purpose of evolution and only using items obtained within this game, if any are required. I cannot perform any in-game trades.
7.) I can equip my Pokémon with any available held items.
8.) I cannot use any healing items during battles (against Trainers or wild Pokémon), apart from any items held by my Pokémon at the start of the battle.
9.) In Gym/Rival/E4/Champion battles, I can only use the same number of Pokémon as the Gym Leader/Rival/E4/Champion.
10.) Battles must always be set to "Set", not "Shift."
THE COBBLE BADGE:
During my investigation of the highly-suspicious Team Galactic Eterna Building, I discovered that Rad Rickshaw, owner of the local Cycle Shop, had also infiltrated the structure in order to recover some stolen Pokémon. I decided to aide him in his quest, and found myself up against another Team Galactic Commander: Jupiter. I managed to overpower her poisonous Pokémon party with Regina (Murkrow) and Quarry (Geodude), after which Rad thanked me with a brand-new bike!
While sightseeing in Hearthome City, I ran into my mom at the Contest Hall, learned that Gym Leader Fantina isn't accepting any challenges for the time being, and then got ambushed by Barry during a night-time stroll. After defeating him with the help of Oculus (Luxio), Hothead (Chimchar), Quarry (Geodude), and Narcissus (Roselia), I decided to take his advice and head toward the Veilstone City Gym instead.
Despite her young age, Veilstone Gym Leader Maylene has already built a local reputation as a barefoot, fighting genius. With this in mind, I started our match using Burlesque (Mr. Mime), who I'd met as a Mime Jr. back on Route 209. Taking advantage of her natural wall-building skills, I instructed her to set up "Reflect", while Maylene's Meditite boosted her offensive power with "Meditate." Safely behind the screen, Burlesque blasted away both Meditite and Maylene's next choice, Machoke, with just one super-effective "Psybeam" each. Although these first two match-ups went extremely well, I knew that the real battle was just beginning when Maylene's ace roared onto the field: Lucario. I managed to paralyze Lucario with Burlesque's "Secret Power", but that wasn't enough to keep the Aura Pokémon from skillfully executing "Drain Punch." Lucario's part-Steel-typing allowed him to absorb "Psybeam" much better than Maylene's Meditite or Machoke, and after a nearly-devastating "Bone Rush" barrage, I had to recall Burlesque. I sent out Narcissus next, which may seem like an odd choice, but he carries a very special secret weapon: Fire-type "Hidden Power." Although Lucario nearly claimed victory with a "Metal Claw" and "Bone Rush" combination, Narcissus's superior speed allowed him to end the match with one final fireburst.
Eyrie (Starly) and Oculus (Luxio) are both still alive and well – they're just staying with Professor Rowan now, so that I can get acquainted with a Mr. Mime and Barboach for the first time ever.
THE FEN BADGE:
Shortly after I exited the Veilstone Gym, Dawn came rushing up and told me that her Pokédex had been swiped by a couple Team Galactic thugs. Although she was afraid to confront them alone, with our combined powers, we managed to subdue the perps and reclaim her stolen goods. With her Pokédex safely back in hand (and Professor Rowan none the wiser), Dawn suggested that I venture south to Pastoria City, since there's no telling when Fantina will start accepting challengers again.
Following a (thankfully) Galactic-free trek down Routes 214 and 213, I arrived at the Pastoria City Gym, home of the Torrential Masked Master: Crasher Wake. Our match proved to be full of VERY close calls. Replicating my successful Veilstone Gym strategy, I lead with Burlesque (Mr. Mime) in order to set up "Reflect"; however, instead of going with "Bite" as expected, Wake commanded his Gyarados to use "Dragon Rage." Even after utilizing her held Oran Berry, Burlesque was still left with just slightly less than half of her health. Since Burlesque's the only member of my team to wield an Electric-type move ("Shock Wave"), Gyarados's greatest weakness, I decided to risk keeping her on the field; thankfully, Wake called for "Bite" next, which Burlesque withstood before frying his ferocious fish. Wake kept the surprises coming by replacing Gyarados with his usual ace: Floatzel. Having barely survived the last match-up, I immediately found myself in another very tight spot: if I recalled Burlesque at the wrong moment, Wake could finish her off with "Pursuit", but because his Floatzel was faster, keeping Burlesque out meant certain doom. I gambled once again and called Burlesque back; much to my relief, Wake had instructed Floatzel to use "Swift" instead of "Pursuit." After enduring two near-death experiences, the rest of our confrontation went swimmingly, as Narcissus (Roselia) sapped Wake's Floatzel and Quagsire dry with "Giga Drain."
Now that I've successfully earned two additional Badges since my last visit to Hearthome City, I think it's about time to make my return and demand a battle with Fantina…
1.) I must catch the first Pokémon that I encounter in each Route/Area and no others. Shinies are an exception.
1a.) Duplicates Clause: I can only catch one member from each evolutionary family.
2.) I must nickname every Pokémon that I catch/receive.
3.) I must release every Pokémon that faints.
4.) I can catch/receive Legendaries, but never use them in battle.
5.) I can accept gift Pokémon and use them in battle, if they are the first and only Pokémon that I obtain in that location.
6.) I can trade strictly for the purpose of evolution and only using items obtained within this game, if any are required. I cannot perform any in-game trades.
7.) I can equip my Pokémon with any available held items.
8.) I cannot use any healing items during battles (against Trainers or wild Pokémon), apart from any items held by my Pokémon at the start of the battle.
9.) In Gym/Rival/E4/Champion battles, I can only use the same number of Pokémon as the Gym Leader/Rival/E4/Champion.
10.) Battles must always be set to "Set", not "Shift."
So, after a few days of grinding, I've reached adequate levels for taking on the E4. Although I posted before, I'll repost their current status here for those who are curious.
I defeated my rival, Tyson, though. Although Six Stars didn't quite KO his Staraptor and took a Brave Bird for it, Stratus OHKO'd his Torterra, Gyorg destroyed Rapidash, Six took down Floatzel, and Grimm took out Heracross. Gyorg also managed to take down his Snorlax, though it survived an Earthquake and hit him with Body Slam.
The Elite 4:
Aaron was a cinch. Grimm's Wing Attacks took out Yanmega and Heracross. Quinn took out Vespiquen and Scizor, whereas Gyorg EQ'd his Drapion. Nothing survived.
Bertha's Whiscash survived Gyorg's EQ, but was quickly taken out with a Crunch and another EQ. I sent out Stratus against Gliscor- but it outsped and nearly destroyed him with a critical Earthquake. He survived with 2HP, and countered with Ice Beam. From there, I opted to Surf and defeat her Hippowdon. Gyorg covered the Golem, and I switched back to Stratus for Surf. It fell in one hit, much to my relief.
From there, I healed Stratus and Gyorg, then went on to Flint.
You can probably guess how Flint went down. I led with Gyorg.
Lucian was infinitely easier than I anticipated, actually. I led with Grimm against his Mr Mime. An X-Scissor, then Wing Attack, defeated it and Gallade. I switched to Gyorg for the rest. A Crunch OHKO'd his Espeon and Alakazam, and two Fire Fangs were enough to put down his Bronzong.
And, finally... The Champion.
Two of Gyorg's Earthquakes put down Spiritom . Her Garchomp was next, so I switchd to Locke. He OHKO'd it with Ice Punch. Gyorg took care of Lucario. Six Stars took out Milotic with two Sparks (she healed). I sent out Grimm against Roserade, healed Six, and took it down with Wing Attack. Finally, Six took out Togekiss with three more Sparks.
And so my Nuzlocke ended, with none of my team dead, and with three total fatilities.
Elite 4 Team:
;395; Stratus @Quick Claw, if I can find it.
Level 64
Naive/Highly Curious
Ice Beam/Flash Cannon/Surf/Waterfal
Can't say I really expected Stratus to get this far! I've always found using the Piplup line a chore, and I've heard that the line has a terrible learnset, but honestly, Stratus has turned out to be a joy to use (if only with the support of TMs). Honestly, it's made Empoleon a personal favourite Steel type.
Well then. This was also quite unexpected. I suppose you've gathered this, seeing as I made Luxray my avatar pretty late into the Nuzlocke, but Six Stars is one of my favourite Pokemon that I've used in a Nuzlocke. Though not quite as fun to use as his predecessor in White 2, Misfortune the Zebstrika, he's the Pokemon that I feel was more of a starter than even Stratus was. Seeing him nearly die to that critical made me realise exactly what his value to the team was. I'm glad he's lived this long.
;123; Grimm (Technician)
Level 63
Brave/Likes to thrash about
X-Scissor/Steel Wing/Night Slash/Wing Attack
Despite Grimm's rather grim entry on the team, being the one that killed Nimue, she's really pulled her weight. Technician does a lot to support her, so she's often OHKOing anything I put her up against. Truth be told, I definitely think Nimue was a good price to pay for her. She'll likely be my main force during the Elite 4, what with Aaron, members of Lucian's team and Cyntha being weak to some of her attacks.
;229; Quinn (Early Bird) @Wise Glasses
Level 63
Mild/Often dozes off
Fire Blast/Sludge Bomb/Flamethrower/Nasty Plot
Quinn's a little undescribable. Though she shared Stratus' issue of a lacking moveset through most of the run, she was easily able to clean up anything that Stratus couldn't handle, and, though not a main player on my team, was a real powerhouse when she was used.
Though Maul's replacement, and though he hasn't gotten much use for fear of his death- his Earthquake is OP. It's made him a pretty brutal member of the team. I have faith in his ability to take out Lucian's Bronzong.
;461; Locke @NeverMeltIce
Level 63
Lax/Sturdy Body
Night Slash/Ice Punch/Shadow Claw/Revenge
Though a recently-added member chosen solely as a Garchomp killer, Locke's proven to be a solid team member so far, if a little fragile. He won't be seeing much action until Cynthia, however.
Deaths:
;397; Sharla, level 3-27 (Killed by another Staravia's Wing Attack)
;281; Nimue, level 17-27 (Killed by Grimm's Pursuit)
;409; Maul, level 20-42 (Killed by a wild Gastrodon's Mud Bomb)
THE RELIC BADGE:
As I was about to set off for Hearthome City, I discovered a Team Galactic bomb plot and pursued one of their grunts in possession of a suspicious package. While attempting to tail this goon, Barry appeared out of nowhere and insisted that we battle immediately. Fortunately, Hothead (Monferno), Regina (Murkrow), and Burlesque (Mr. Mime) made quick work of his surprisingly under-leveled team, allowing me to catch up to the grunt before he'd gotten too far. I managed to deter him from Lake Valor by defeating him in battle, but he still managed to escape with the package intact. Shortly after he vanished, I came across Cynthia, who had given me HM01 back in Eterna City. This time she entrusted me with a SecretPotion to heal the Psyduck horde on Route 210, so I plotted a course that would allow me to swing by Hearthome City on the way.
That detour ended up being a waste of time, however, since Fantina was nowhere to be found when I reached Hearthome, so I pressed onward to see if those suffering Psyduck were still huddled on Route 210. I found them exactly where I had last time, and shortly after I administered the special medication, I encountered Cynthia once again. She asked if I could deliver something to her grandma in Celestic Town, and since I'd never been there before, I figured it would be a good opportunity to take in some new sights and gain some experience before checking in at the Hearthome Gym yet again. When I arrived in Celestic Town, I instantly came across another Team Galactic bomb threat at the site of some ancient ruins. Just as I'd done by Lake Valor, I managed to prevent any destruction by subduing the grunt in charge of the mission, after which Cynthia's grandma thanked me with her granddaughter's old HM03. While I was training on nearby Route 211, I heard that Fantina had finally returned to her post at the Hearthome Gym, so I made my way back there as quickly as possible.
At long last, I finally found myself on the Hearthome Gym battlefield, face-to-face with the alluring, soulful Fantina. After so many false starts to this showdown, I had plenty of time to plan my strategy, so I confidently sent out Quarry (Graveler) first. Fantina decided to go on the defensive by commanding her Drifblim to use "Minimize", which caused Quarry's "Rock Blast" to miss its mark several times. Even when "Rock Blast" did finally make contact, it failed to KO Drifblim, which left Quarry on the receiving end of an "Ominous Wind." I reluctantly recalled Quarry and relied on my safest bet: Regina. The effects of "Minimize" was meaningless against Regina's "Faint Attack", which also vanquished Fantina's second selection, Gengar, with a single hit. Fantina attempted to halt Regina's momentum by instructing her ace, Mismagius, to unleash a "Confuse Ray"; however, I'd expected such tactics from a Ghost-type expert, so I'd equipped Regina with a Persim Berry before our match. Instantly relieved of any confusion, Regina condemned Mismagius to the spirit realm with one final "Faint Attack." As I made my way to the Pokémon Center with my Relic Badge in hand, I bumped into Cynthia yet again, who thanked me for my efforts in Celestic Town and suggested that I head west to Canalave City: home to a renowned library and, most importantly, a Gym.
THE MINE BADGE:
Shortly after arriving in Canalave City, I had another run-in with Barry, who'd just earned his sixth Badge at the Canalave Gym. Feeling cocky fresh off his victory, he challenged me to a battle on the spot, but his team was no match for my dynamic duo of Burlesque (Mr. Mime) and Narcissus (Roselia.) Although he urged me to challenge the Gym as soon as possible, since he's a big fan of rushing into everything, I decided to do a little sightseeing (and pre-Gym training) on nearby Iron Island first. While exploring the former mine, I encountered its current owner, Riley, attempting to uncover why the local Pokémon were excessively agitated. As we ventured deeper together, we teamed up to battle several Trainers along the way, and it was during this series of bouts that I experienced my first fatality. As we were tag-teaming Ace Trainers Brenda and Jonah, I decided swap out my newest companion Tootsie (Skuntank) in favor of Narcissus, who I thought could easily eliminate Jonah's Floatzel; however, Floatzel immediately lashed out with a critical-hit "Ice Fang", and Narcissus wilted forevermore. In spite of this tragedy, Riley and I pressed onward and discovered that Team Galactic were to blame for upsetting the resident Pokémon. After chasing these villains off the island, Riley thanked me with a Pokémon Egg, which seemed especially symbolic in light of Narcissus's demise.
Despite being hailed as "The Man with the Steel Body", Canalave Gym Leader Byron's defenses had some serious flaws, which made my match against him my easiest Gym experience yet. In fact, Tsunami (Whiscash) swept Byron's entire team in his Gym debut: washing away Bronzor and Steelix with "Surf", then reducing Bastiodon to rubble with an 8-rated "Magnitude." As I exited the Gym with my shiny new Mine Badge, I bumped heads with Barry once again, who abruptly dragged me off to the Canalave Library.
Narcissus {Roselia} ♂
- Naughty, Natural Cure, Route 204
- Fell to Ace Trainer Jonah's Floatzel on Iron Island
1.) I must catch the first Pokémon that I encounter in each Route/Area and no others. Shinies are an exception.
1a.) Duplicates Clause: I can only catch one member from each evolutionary family.
2.) I must nickname every Pokémon that I catch/receive.
3.) I must release every Pokémon that faints.
4.) I can catch/receive Legendaries, but never use them in battle.
5.) I can accept gift Pokémon and use them in battle, if they are the first and only Pokémon that I obtain in that location.
6.) I can trade strictly for the purpose of evolution and only using items obtained within this game, if any are required. I cannot perform any in-game trades.
7.) I can equip my Pokémon with any available held items.
8.) I cannot use any healing items during battles (against Trainers or wild Pokémon), apart from any items held by my Pokémon at the start of the battle.
9.) In Gym/Rival/E4/Champion battles, I can only use the same number of Pokémon as the Gym Leader/Rival/E4/Champion.
10.) Battles must always be set to "Set", not "Shift."
THE ICICLE BADGE:
While Professor Rowan updated us on his research regarding the legends of Sinnoh's lakes at the Canalave Library, we experienced what initially seemed like an earthquake, but turned out to be an explosion caused by Team Galactic at Lake Valor. Fearing that they might be targeting all three lakes, Barry promptly left to inspect Lake Acuity, while Professor Rowan returned to Lake Verity with Dawn, so I flew off to Lake Valor and found myself up against a Galactic Commander I'd never met before: Saturn. Tootsie (Skuntank) mauled his entire line-up, including his menacing Toxicroak, but he still managed to escape with Lake Valor's guardian Pokémon: Azelf. Since there was nothing more I could do there, I rushed to check on Professor Rowan and Dawn at Lake Verity, where I had another collision with Commander Mars, who'd been in charge of their Valley Windworks operation. Quarry (Golem) steamrolled her entire roster, but as I tended to Dawn and Professor Rowan, she made off with Lake Verity's guardian Pokémon: Mesprit. Although we emerged from these altercations unharmed, we'd failed to stop Team Galactic's grand scheme from moving forward at two of the three lakes, so the only thing left to do was head north and try to assist Barry at Lake Acuity.
After trudging through the snowbanks along Routes 216 and 217, I discovered nothing more than a couple of low-level Team Galactic Grunts lurking around Lake Acuity, so I pressed onward to check for Barry in nearby Snowpoint City. Since he was nowhere to be found at the Pokémon Center, Mart, or the Snowpoint Gym, I decided to challenge Gym Leader Candice, the Diamond Dust Girl. I relied on Monferno (Hothead) for the first time since our Eterna Gym match and he didn't disappoint, roasting Candice's first choice, Snover, with a single "Flame Wheel." Inexplicably, she then sent out her usual ace, Abomasnow, who Hothead instantly thrashed with "Close Combat." "Mach Punch" eliminated her third choice, Sneasel, before she even had the chance to order an attack. Although I'd expected Hothead to perform well, this match was going suspiciously easy, and it turned out that this Ice-type expert's true secret weapon was her Medicham. Knowing that Hothead's defenses had been lowered after using "Close Combat", I recalled him in favor of Burlesque (Mr. Mime), who took way more damage from Medicham's "Ice Punch" than I'd anticipated. Since more than half of her health had been depleted in a single blow, I had to substitute Burlesque with someone else, so I hoped that Tsunami (Whiscash) would have the bulk for the job. Thankfully, he withstood Medicham's "Force Palm" and then drowned the Meditate Pokémon with a critical-hit "Surf." After I'd received my Icicle Badge and made my way back to the Pokémon Center without any sign of Barry, I decided to scour Lake Acuity once again.
THE BEACON BADGE:
When I returned to Lake Acuity, I discovered that I'd arrived just moments too late this time, as Barry lay in defeat before Commander Jupiter. With her mission already complete, Jupiter didn't bother to attack me before fleeing back to the Veilstone Galactic Building. Having failed to save any of Sinnoh's lake guardians, I had no choice but to head to Veilstone City and set them all free. As I battled my way through the Team Galactic HQ, I finally came up against their ultimate leader: Cyrus, a man I'd actually met briefly before at Mt. Coronet and Celestic Town. After Burlesque (Mr. Mime) and Hothead (Monferno) decimated his Pokémon, he informed me that he no longer needed the lake guardians anyway and I could just take them if I wished. It seemed that his vision was still progressing as planned, regardless of my attempted interventions, so he departed for Mt. Coronet while I tried to locate the legendary Pokémon. I found them encased in the basement and guarded by Commander Saturn, but once Tootsie (Skuntank) and Regina (Honchkrow) wrecked his Pokémon party, I was able to release them and pursue Cyrus to Mt. Coronet.
I fought my way to the summit of Mt. Coronet, where I found Jupiter, Mars, and Cyrus utilizing the red chain they'd made from the lake guardians's powers to summon and enslave the guardian of time: Dialga. Just as Jupiter and Mars were about to stop me from interfering, Barry suddenly appeared to offer some assistance and enact some revenge on Jupiter for his defeat at Lake Acuity. With our combined powers, we thoroughly thrashed the two Commanders; however, this bout left Barry's Pokémon completely drained, so I had to confront Cyrus on my own once again. As the very fabric of our universe began to tear apart due to Dialga's overwhelming power, the lake trio materialized before us and released the temporal deity from Cyrus's red chain. Furious for having his ultimate achievement sabotaged, Cyrus unleashed the full power of his Pokémon team, but they were still no match for Tsunami (Whiscash), Quarry (Golem), and Hotshot (who'd evolved into Infernape as we battled through Mt. Coronet.) With the red chain obliterated and his Pokémon defeated even at their full strength, Cyrus abandoned his plans, leaving me to becalm Dialga on my own and restore balance to the entire Sinnoh region. Supported by Professor Rowan and Dawn, I managed to subdue Dialga and convince it to peacefully return to its own realm, thus ending the crisis caused by Team Galactic.
With Team Galactic in shambles and the universe still intact, I was able to focus on earning my eighth and final Sinnoh League Gym Badge. Just as I arrived in tech-savvy Sunyshore City, I encountered Flint of the Elite Four, who'd heard about my achievements and hoped that I could re-invigorate the Sunyshore Gym Leader: Volkner. After easily winning match after match, Volkner had completely lost his enthusiasm for battling, but with a little help from Flint, we convinced him to accept my challenge. Volkner seemed thoroughly unimpressed when I made the predictable choice of sending out Gound-type Tsunami against his Raichu, but "Earthquake" allowed me to claim an early lead. Having seen this tactic from countless challengers before me, Volkner called on his Octillery next. Knowing that Octillery can learn "Bullet Seed", which would mean certain doom for Tsunami, I replaced him with Burlesque. Octillery fired off "Aurora Beam" instead, and Burlesque managed to wear down the tanky cephalopod with a series of "Thunderbolt" and "Psychic" strikes. Volkner kept me on my toes by unveiling his Ambipom third, who immediately exited the match with "Baton Pass" before even boosting any of his stats. This meant that I had to face Volkner's ace: Luxray. Since Luxray are capable of learning "Crunch", I promptly withdrew Burlesque in favor of Hothead, who found himself on the receiving end of a surprisingly painful "Thunder Fang." Fearing that Hothead couldn't withstand another charged chomp, I brought back Tsunami, who endured Luxray's "Crunch" before setting off a fatal "Earthquake." With only Volkner's Ambipom remaining, I knew that my last badge was within reach, and I wanted to earn it with my starter on the field. While Ambipom boosted his special abilities with "Nasty Plot", I swapped in Hothead once more, who promptly pummeled the primate with a super-effective "Close Combat." More stunned and enthralled that he'd been in a very long time, Volkner enthusiastically awarded me the Beacon Badge and wished me luck on my next endeavor: challenging the Pokémon League.
Quarry (Golem) is still alive and well – I just sent him to stay with Professor Rowan after a long journey together, since I expect my new friend Parasail (Mantine, who I met as a Mantyke while surfing along Sunyshore City's beach) to be especially helpful at the Pokémon League.
Narcissus {Roselia} ♂
- Naughty, Natural Cure, Route 204
- Fell to Ace Trainer Jonah's Floatzel on Iron Island
1.) I must catch the first Pokémon that I encounter in each Route/Area and no others. Shinies are an exception.
1a.) Duplicates Clause: I can only catch one member from each evolutionary family.
2.) I must nickname every Pokémon that I catch/receive.
3.) I must release every Pokémon that faints.
4.) I can catch/receive Legendaries, but never use them in battle.
5.) I can accept gift Pokémon and use them in battle, if they are the first and only Pokémon that I obtain in that location.
6.) I can trade strictly for the purpose of evolution and only using items obtained within this game, if any are required. I cannot perform any in-game trades.
7.) I can equip my Pokémon with any available held items.
8.) I cannot use any healing items during battles (against Trainers or wild Pokémon), apart from any items held by my Pokémon at the start of the battle.
9.) In Gym/Rival/E4/Champion battles, I can only use the same number of Pokémon as the Gym Leader/Rival/E4/Champion.
10.) Battles must always be set to "Set", not "Shift."
I just defeated Cynthia and successfully completed my Diamond Nuzlocke! Huzzah!
VS AARON:
After quite a bit of pre-Pokémon League grinding, I entered my match against Bug-type master Aaron feeling pretty confident. Things started out as smoothly as I'd expected, with Burlesque (Mr. Mime) melting Dustox's mind with "Psychic" and frying Beautifly with "Thunderbolt"; however, my confidence came crashing down when Aaron's Vespiquen withstood "Thunderbolt" and fired back with a super-effective "Attack Order." Luckily for Burlesque, it wasn't a critical hit, so she survived long enough to finish the job. Not wanting to take any chances against Aaron's part-Dark Drapion, I withdrew Burlesque in favor of Regina (Honchkrow), who immediately found herself on the receiving end of a frigid "Ice Fang." After healing off the damage with "Roost", Regina flattened the foe with a Sky Plate-boosted "Fly." With my first Pokémon League victory in sight, Regina swiftly subdued Aaron's last resort, Heracross, with one final "Fly."
VS BERTHA:
Much like my match against Aaron, my battle with Ground-type master Bertha featured a single heart-stopping moment. After tripping up her Quagsire with a Choice Specs-boosted "Grass Knot", Hothead (Infernape) failed to take out her Whiscash in one shot, which left him open to a super-effective Water or Ground assault. Much to my relief, Whiscash unleashed a mediocre "Rock Slide" instead, which Hothead easily endured before claiming another victory with "Grass Knot." Bertha's Hippowdown and Golem both went down without any trouble, but I feared that her Sudowoodo wasn't heavy enough to take massive damage from "Grass Knot", so I called upon Tsunami (Whiscash) to end the match with "Earthquake."
VS FLINT: Parasail (Mantine) performed beautifully in her major-battle debut against Fire-type master Flint, who remembered me from Sunyshore City. While his Rapidash sprung into the air, Parasail set up "Rain Dance" in order to activate her nifty Swift Swim Ability. After surviving a critical-hit "Bounce", she swept away Flint's Rapidash, Infernape, and Steelix with a single "Surf" each. Flint tried to disrupt my momentum by having his fourth pick, Drifblim, use "Double Team"; however, that simply wasn't enough to prevent Parasail from deflating the Blimp Pokémon with two "Ice Beam" blasts. When Flint unveiled his trump card, Lopunny, I replaced Parasail with Hothead (Infernape) in order to deal some super-effective Fighting-type damage. Although "Charm" allowed Lopunny to survive Hothead's "Close Combat", a final "Flamethrower" reduced Flint's hopes for victory to ashes.
VS LUCIAN:
Psychic-type master Lucian lived up to his reputation as the most respected member of the Elite Four. Although Tootsie (Skuntank) soundly defeated his Mr. Mime with a single "Night Slash", he then unleashed his usual ace, Bronzong, which forced me to make a substitution early into our match. Regina (Honchkrow) and Bronzong slowly chipped away at each other with "Night Slash" and "Gyro Ball" respectively, but Regina's ability to heal herself with "Roost" enabled her to emerge victorious. She swiftly squashed Lucian's Medicham with "Fly", but when his Alakazam emerged, I decided to make another substitution and turn this into a Psychic-on-Psychic showdown. After Burlesque (Mr. Mime) electrocuted the Psi Pokémon with a couple of Choice Specs-boosted "Thunderbolt" strikes, I brought our match full-circle by sending out Tootsie once again. Just as she had done with Mr. Mime, Tootsie tore right through Lucian's Girafarig with "Night Slash" – which meant I was just one more challenge away from achieving Sinnoh League glory.
VS CHAMPION CYNTHIA:
Finally, I'd earned the right to challenge Cynthia: the woman who'd aided me throughout my journey, and the single greatest Trainer in Sinnoh. She started our momentous match with her weakness-less Spiritomb, but Regina (Honchkrow) still managed to wear her down with "Fly." Fearing the bulk of Cynthia's beautiful Milotic, I switched in Parasail (Mantine) to inflict some serious poison with "Toxic", and then brought out Burlesque (Mr. Mime) to set up duel screens. Seeing that Milotic had lost a sizable chunk of health to the effects of Parasail's poison, I thought that a single "Thunderbolt" could send the Tender Pokémon to the murky depths for good; tragically, she survived the shock and sent it right back to Burlesque with "Mirror Coat." Burlesque's final sacrifice was not in vain, however, as Milotic finally succumbed to the increasing poison on that same turn, resulting in a double-KO. RIP.
Not knowing who Cynthia would send out next, I took a chance on Hothead, who turned out to be the perfect pick for toasting her Roserade. Cynthia relied on her Gastrodon next, so I replaced Hothead with Tsunami (Whiscash.) He withstood "Stone Edge" and "Muddy Water" without much trouble and took care of Gastrodon with two "Earthquake" strikes. Tsunami kept his momentum rolling by burying Cynthia's Lucario with "Earthquake" as well. When her cherished Garchomp appeared, I tried to keep my cool by commanding Tsunami to heal with "Rest." This allowed Tsunami to survive "Giga Impact" and inflict some damage with "Earthquake." While her Garchomp was forced to waste a turn recharging, I seized the opportunity and brought back Hothead. Fittingly, my beloved starter was the one to earn me the title of Sinnoh League Champion on the very next turn with a critical-hit, Fist Plate-boosted "Close Combat."
With Sun and Moon arriving VERY soon, I ended up rushing things a bit toward the end (I usually like to space out my Elite Four challenges for dramatic effect, but I ran through them all and Cynthia in the same day.) Speaking of Sun and Moon, I plan to take a break from Nuzlockes for a while to enjoy pressure-free playthroughs of these brand-new games, but I'm sure I'll tackle a Gen VII Nuzlocke someday. Huge "THANKS!" to anyone who checked this out – and happy gaming!
Narcissus {Roselia} ♂
- Naughty, Natural Cure, Route 204
- Fell to Ace Trainer Jonah's Floatzel on Iron Island Burlesque {Mr. Mime} ♀
- Bashful, Filter, Route 209
- Fell to Cynthia's Milotic at the Pokémon League
1.) I must catch the first Pokémon that I encounter in each Route/Area and no others. Shinies are an exception.
1a.) Duplicates Clause: I can only catch one member from each evolutionary family.
2.) I must nickname every Pokémon that I catch/receive.
3.) I must release every Pokémon that faints.
4.) I can catch/receive Legendaries, but never use them in battle.
5.) I can accept gift Pokémon and use them in battle, if they are the first and only Pokémon that I obtain in that location.
6.) I can trade strictly for the purpose of evolution and only using items obtained within this game, if any are required. I cannot perform any in-game trades.
7.) I can equip my Pokémon with any available held items.
8.) I cannot use any healing items during battles (against Trainers or wild Pokémon), apart from any items held by my Pokémon at the start of the battle.
9.) In Gym/Rival/E4/Champion battles, I can only use the same number of Pokémon as the Gym Leader/Rival/E4/Champion.
10.) Battles must always be set to "Set", not "Shift."
This might be a tad awkward to introduce, but remember my first Nuzlocke, SoulSilver? Well, for old times' sake, I've started a new Nuzlocke- but this time in the Kanto arc. That means:
-I must deposit all of my old team. Any Pokemon that was on my final Johto team will be deposited to make way for Kanto's team.
-Except for one- my choice being Crunky the Flaafy, nickname changed to Raiden for this arc- I must start fresh. Every Johto-caught Pokemon is off limits, aside from him and HM/Headbutt users.
-I can, however, return to Johto to train if I need to.
-All other standard Nuzlocke rules apply.
-Dupes and shiny clause is on. I may choose not to catch something I've already caught in Johto.
Naturally, I haven't made much progress at all with this run. I've been going around parts of the region, catching Pokemon. So far, I've decided on four team members. I'll train them to level 40-50 before moving on.
EDIT: Well then, looks like I'm breaking the 'only one Johto Pokemon' rule already! While training Orpheus near Violet City, I ran into and caught a shiny Bellsprout! I called her Isabelle, and decided to put her on my team. Thankfully she was nowhere near as stressful to catch as Osiris- it just took me one Ultra Ball.
EDIT: And already, I've had my first death... While grinding, Mowi got a crit on an Anger Point Tauros. You can probably guess the result. So I replaced her with an Impish Wurmple named Spyke, who evolved into Beautifly, and picked up Poppy the Slakoth from Route 25. I plan to continue training them today.
However, Raiden evolved at last, as did Isabelle! (Then Orpheus did.)
EDIT: I finished my grinding with no further fatalities, though I did replace Orpheus with Rocket the Magcargo. She's probably my most ironic catch, being a Timid Magcargo who's quick to flee. I plan to start Kanto tomorrow.
I got the Machine Part back, at least- I managed to take out the Rocket Grunt's Golbat easily with Raiden. However, now that I look at the gym leaders' levels, I'm thinking I should train to at least level 50 (55 for Spyke) before I make any more progress.
EDIT: And finally I'm getting somewhere! I fought and caught Lakys the Snorlax, and went through to Pewter. I fought through and made my way to Mt Moon, where I was surprised by my rival. The battle wasn't bad, actually- Rookie took out Sneasel in two Returns, Raiden took out Feraligatr with two Discharges (it was paralysed, potentially saving Raiden, as he hit half-health), Alakazam was taken out with a Bug Buzz from Spyke (it used Reflect kind of stupidly) Golbat fell to Raiden's Discharge, Rookie OHKO'd Magneton with Earthquake. I thought Gengar would be tough, but I paralysed it with Isabelle, switched to Rocket while it couldn't move, and weakened it with Fire Blast. It lived... And promptly fainted itself with Curse. Good job, Silver.
I'll start on the gyms once I've discovered every town.
EDIT: Quick update: thanks to Sinnoh Sound, I caught a Buizel called Banzai on Route 22. I began training him- Rookie's cool, but Rocket can cover the Pikachu and Charizard, and a little extra power would be useful. Then I somehow accidentally pulled off the ledge glitch, so Raiden ended up vanishing. Just thought you might like to know.
EDIT: Brock is down! It was actually a pretty easy battle- Banzai and Isabelle were all I needed to take him down. I led with Banzai against his Graveller, Onix and Rhyhorn, all of which he OHKO'd with Surf. Isabelle took a hard hit from Kabutops' Rock Slide, but she was able to take it and Omastar down capably with Leaf Blade.
Misty was slightly trickier. Raiden's Discharge didn't quite KO Golduck, so she switched to Quagsire while I sent out Isabelle. After that, however, Raiden handled the rest with relative ease.
Hello guys i finished my pokemon black nuzlocke so i am starting a nuzlocke on diamond! basically i did all the intro stuff and got my starter named Randy and then a Starly named Astra and then a Shinx named diana yay shinx! then while grinding a bit Astra got critted by another starly R.i.P thats my first post thanks for reading! Not trying to sound mean but this nuzlocke really likes to give me girl pokemon for some reason! aside from randy.
). I will add, though: Daisy died from a Quagsire's Earthquake inside Candice's gym and Jello died from Cyrus' Weavile in Spear Pillar. Jonathan, Vittany and Alec are the only "originals" alive. I have caught a male Finneon (nicknamed Finn) to replace Jello and also caught a male Abomasnow (nicknamed Frost) on Mt. Coronet exterior, which was added to the party as well. I intended to catch a Chatot to fill up my team but I never got around to it because... you know... I don't wanna play this Nuzlocke anymore... :c