I was bored this week and decided to do something I've never actually done before, a Pokémon Nuzlocke.
Basically you play a Pokémon game with some extra rules to make it more difficult, the most important ones being: any Pokémon that faints is dead and must be released/stored in a box for the rest of the run and you can only catch the first Pokémon you find in each route.
Why did I want to do this? Well, I was playing PokeMMO with a friend of mine and while playing I decided to try it, because "I have nothing better to do!" "Why not?"
Using totally legitimate means of playing I decided to try this challenge with my favorite game: "Pokémon Black", because Gen V is the best and Reshiram is my favorite legendary Pokémon.
It has been a while since the last time I played Pokémon Black though, I think it was several months after it's release date? If I'm right then it was almost ten years...
Heh, that makes me feel old.
After going through the always present introduction to the Pokemon world and the obligatory cutscenes after that I finally get to pick my starter Pokémon.
Tepig's one of my favorite Pokémon. The little thing is too cute. I shall dub thee... Baconator.
I've never realized before how fast this game is compared to others; most Pokémon games start really slow until they finally let the player have some control.
This one has you fighting your rivals immediately after picking your starter Pokémon.
I named my guy "Black" because I couldn't think of a better name so I just used the default one.
There's not much going on at the beginning, most of what happens is me pressing "A" and "B" repeatedly so that I can get to the first route fast enough.
Usually the meat of a Nuzlocke run starts once you finally get some Pokeballs since that's where you get to meet the team of unfortunate creatures that will be accompanying me during this fiasco adventure.
Once I do get the means to capture Pokémon, I begin by praying to the Pokemon god that the first thing that pops up in this route is a Lillipup, because they're good Pokémon to have right now.
Unfortunately for me, my prayers are ignored and then laughed at, as I find a Patrat instead.
Now, Patrat isn't a bad Pokémon (that's a lie it sucks when compared to the vastly superior Lillipup) It's just that these kinds of Pokemon don't work really well with Nuzlocke runs...
Patrat just doesn't have good enough stats to survive what's coming, heck even while i'm trying to level him up a little he still struggles against things with a lower level than his.
But I can always use more cannon fodder so I'll catch him.
Naming every single Pokemon you catch is kind of a must in these runs, as giving them a name creates a small emotional bond with these virtual creatures.
I shall name this abomination of nature "Ratto" because he's ugly and I can't be bothered to give him a better name.
Welcome to the team Ratto, may Arceus have mercy on you because he knows I won't.
With this route's Pokémon caught I continue my journey into the next town/city(?). Nothing much happens there, I meet the game's main villains:
And then this creepy 20 year old guy wants to fight me, a 14 y/o kid.
He then says that he wants us to be the bestest friends ever, and leaves.
...What a creepy guy.
On the next route I finally obtain the ability to press "B" to increase my speed by moving faster (running) and manage to catch a Lillipup.
Lillipup is then christened as Lil' Doge and I proceed to train her as much as possible in this route, she soon manages to get to a higher level than Baconator's and Ratto's.
I stay there for a while, leveling my team (with Ratto falling behind because she's extremely frail) and eventually I get tired and decide to go forward.
Soon I'm interrupted by one of my three rivals, Bianca, who gives me an opportunity to give some more experience points to my cute monsters.
Me being the usual moron I am, decide to give the experience to Baconator, instead of Lil' Doge who could use it way more right now, as she's the one who's most likely going to carry us through the first gym.
Striaton City is where Pokémon Black's first gym is located and depending on which Pokémon you pick as a starter you'll end up fighting someone who has an advantage over your type.
For example, I picked Tepig so I'll have to fight someone who uses water type Pokémon which is why leveling Lil' Doge is important. She's the only one in the team who can be sprinkled with water without dying.
The gym leaders in question. Who you pick at the beginning changes who you fight here.
There's a couple of things that have to be done before I can challenge the gym though, first of all I have to head into the Trainer's school to fight Cheren and then I have to go into the Dreamyard to receive a gift Pokémon , like the gym leader I'll end up fighting this Pokémon changes depending on my starter.
It's a monkey that has the power to control grass called "Pansage" Since I'm extremely original with names I think I'll call him... Monke.
Unfortunately, Monke isn't strong enough for what awaits us at the gym, so i'll have to keep him in reserve until I can move on and level him up a little.
Unfortunately... this did not happen.
I have, once again, demonstrated how much of a Pokemon master I am by forgetting that "Bide" is a move that makes the Pokémon endure attacks for two turns to then strike back with double the damage taken.
The Patrat of Doom.
Therefore, I had to sacrifice Monke to the angry Patrat that would have killed Lil' Doge if I let that attack connect.
I regret nothing!
Then, as if Monke's death wasn't enough, Ratto died as well good riddance. Although his death was during the fight against the gym leaders and his sacrifice was technically more useful than Monke's (because he weakened the gym's strongest Pokémon).
Gone but not forgotten... sniff.
Thanks to the sacrifice of these two (which could have been avoided had I just been a little smarter here) I was able to get the first gym badge.
But my excitement for Ratto's death after getting the gym badge was cut short, when I remembered I needed to use Cut to progress and the only one of my Pokémon capable of using said move was now dead.
At this time, I still hadn't dropped Ratto into the death box so I just used his still warm corpse as a makeshift axe to make a path.
Thankfully, this is the only part right now where Cut is needed to progress and that gives me a chance to catch something that can learn Cut.
After removing the tree and then winning the next two fights against Team Plasma I was able to find the next party member: A Purrloin that I named Katto. Because he was to be Ratto's replacement.
Things are pretty straightforward after this, I headed to another route and immediately began bullying preschoolers so that they would give me their lunch money.
This is how things work in the Pokemon world.
These fights with preschoolers let Lil' Doge evolve to a Herdier, making her a little more sturdier, and the next fight with Cheren (happened shortly after decimating the preschoolers) allowed Baconator to evolve to Pignite.
Then I caught an "electric zebra" and named her ThunderHorse, but the game doesn't let me put all of it so I just changed it to ThunderHrs.
...Then my system decided to be an ass and not save the pictures I took, which is why this post has been lacking when compared to the other things I post (where I just dump image after image explaining what happened).
Most of these images are some I took after the actual events that they reference happened, because I only realized that nothing had been saved after I had beaten the first gym.
So this is as far as I go now. I'll probably continue another day because the whole "not saving my pictures" thing kinda bummed me out.
Like I always say, thank you so much for voting and reading, stay safe everyone!
The team so far.