[OOC: Apologies for the delay, took Halloween off because of excessive alcohol consumption and then my laptop decided to take time off, permanently. We will always remember you, HP Laptop, you were a good companion for four years, even if your keyboard was Australian.]
The Safari Zone
Another chance to catch a new Pokémon! Let’s be hoping we get something good!
Well, it wasn’t what I was wanting, but it wasn’t what I was expecting either. I was hoping for some kind of Nidoran but I was fearing a Paras. However, it is neither of those things.
It’s a Rhyhorn! Badass!
Everything's coming up Milhouse!
AND HOW ABOUT THAT, ONE BAIT, ONE BALL AND I DID IT! NOT EVEN JOKING! IT WAS DESTINY!
Or like, double Milhouse in this circumstance.
I caught a Rhyhorn! Out of dedication to my mother, I call her June. June is tenacious, she is free, she is made of rocks. So, please please please don’t let the Pokémon I named after my mother die. Also now I've let like, six people on a Star Wars forum know my mother's name. Is it weird? Maybe. Is she great? Always.
A serious Queen.
Our family is known for our physically hard heads.
Her Scary Face is renowned.
I still have time to kill in here, so I go explorin’.
Found 1x Leaf Stone!
Found 1x Full Restore!
Found 1x Quick Claw!
There's nothing much to tell you about the surroundings. There's a lot of grassy patches, some wet patches, some rocky bits. It's not really a font of excitement. It's just...well...a Safari. If I'm in a volcano or something I'll tell you some more.
Found 1x TM47 - Steel Wing!
Found 1x Protein!
Found 1x Gold Teeth!
I make my way to a secluded hut at the other end of the park and come across a lone dude just chilling in there. Apparently this is the secret house and I’m the first person to reach it! Huzzah for me! I don’t know how nobody else found this place it’s like three times the size of the rest houses through the park.
Received 1x HM03 - Surf!
Found 1x TM32 - Double Team!
Time is up and I am ejected, but I’ve got everything I need. I can return and sweep for all of the lost items at a later date.
First I’ve got the speak to an old man about his teeth.
I go to Warden Slowpoke’s place and give him his Gold Teeth, he of course, is eternally grateful, as one would be after finding lost teeth. How did they even get out there? As a reward I get a second Hidden Machine! Two in quick succession! Nice!
Received 1x HM04 - Strength!
P-Collins learned Surf!
Macho Man learned Strength!
I get Macho Man to push aside the boulder in the room and get my sweet reward.
Macho Macho Man, I wanna be a Macho Man...
Found 1x Rare Candy!It’s not yet time for the Fuschia City Gym. I’ve got plans and it involves a metric tonne of Pokémon battles. So you better brace yourself for a load of text.
Route 18
Today's training montage squad.
There’s a circle of Bird Keepers just hanging around next to a patch of grass. I think those flying types will be pretty handy to bulk up the June Train (I regret not calling Rhyhorn The June Train now).
Bird Keeper Jacob is first, throwing out his Spearows and Fearow at me, but June is a large rock beast and really not bothered, she just Stomps the feathers off of them.
Won 624 Pokémon Dollars!
Now Bird Keeper Wilton tries out his Spearow/Fearow combination. Would you be surprised to hear that it doesn’t work?
June grew to Level 26!
Won 696 Pokémon Dollars!
The last one is Bird Keeper Ramiro, who has a single Dodrio and suddenly I’m a little bit worried, mostly because it’s level 34. Thankfully we’ve got Burt on the team, who just flattens the three-headed rage machine.
Won 816 Pokémon Dollars!
Now I scout the patch of grass. Hoping for something new, interesting and exciting and what do you know it! A Doduo! I could have my own multiple-headed bird creature! Let’s do this!
…
Let’s not do this!
June Stomps on the wild Pokémon and takes it out in one hit. Obviously she’s not too keen on Flying-types. Or maybe Caw McGraw is bribing her so his position in the squad is safe. I don’t know, man, let’s start a conspiracy thread.
I go through the lookout spot and emerge onto the bulk of Route 18, which is also known as The Cycling Road. So it’s some mandatory bike time for me!
Route 17
EXERCISE? IN MY VIDEO GAMES? NO.
...and suddenly I’m cycling up a big hill. Suddenly I’m full of regret.
Thankfully there’s a biker here, so I can take my regret out on him. Can you do that? Can you unleash regret? If that’s the case he’s pretty much dead. Oh, this got sadder than I had anticipated.
Biker William (really? William?) challenges me at the bottom of the route. No problem I’ll pick them off while they’re tired.
June grew to Level 27!
He has a series of Koffings and Weezings. It’s fine, if not somewhat annoying due to poison but none of them Self-Destruct, so I’ve got that going for me.
Won 500 Pokémon Dollars!
I nip back to Fuschia City to make a vital purchase for this case.
Purchased 15x Full Heals!
Back on the road and Biker Jaxon is my next foe. Let’s do this poison gauntlet.
Wheelz grew to Level 27!
Won 580 Pokémon Dollars!
This is going to get frustrating. Muk and Weezing are so gosh darned tanky.
Cue Ball Corey leads with a Primeape, which is a pretty scary critical hit situation.
Which is exactly what happens…
….AAAAAARRRRGHH!
Wheelz gets destroyed when Primeape rolls out with the critical hitting Fury Swipes. I called it and I didn’t take the precautions. I’m not even sad now, just disappointed in my idiocy. P-Collins wipes the rest of their squad as I just grunt angrily at the situation.
Won 696 Pokémon Dollars!
I was very excited for Venomoth. Alas.
Cue Ball Jamal is my next opponent and I’ve got no time for his nonsense.Burt grew to Level 37!
Won 624 Pokémon Dollars!
Cue Ball Zeek comes next and again, I’m not dealing with these bozos. The kids gloves are off, you killed my little bug baby. YOU KILLED WHEELZ.
REVENGE IS BEST SERVED BY A GYARADOS!
Won 792 Pokémon Dollars!Biker Nikolas is up next on the upwards struggle and I just wipe his pair of Voltorbs. Too easy.
P-Collins grew to Level 33!
Won 580 Pokémon Dollars!
Now Biker Billy! GIVE IT TO ME! And by IT I mean your MONEY. Take your Muk and shove it!
Won 660 Pokémon Dollars!
There’s a patch of grass here on Route 17 and I’m more than glad to check out it, and hey! It’s another Doduo! Stay away from this one, June! Haddock softens the big chicken up with a Fury Attack and success! From death comes new life!
I caught Doduo!
I call him Reginald, because he’s fancy and I’m going to buy a couple of top hats for his two heads. The question is, is he one being or two?
Has two heads but is still lonely, tragic.
An ability that I can not relate to.
Sorry Caw McGraw, you've got more competition.
I end up freewheeling down the hill and get caught by Cue Ball Raul. Jesus, give me a second to find my feet again, man.
Won 696 Pokémon Dollars!
Biker Virgil asks me if I’m going to Fuschia, and well, I think I really have gone the wrong way on this one.
P-Collins grew to Level 34!
Won 560 Pokémon Dollars!
Cue Ball Isaiah is next and geeze, dude, how many vowels do you need in a name? Did Chris name you? That’s a mouthful.
Won 696 Pokémon Dollars!
I am presented with another row of bikers. Doesn’t matter which route I took really, I was always going to end up with a gauntlet of scary men on bikes. Eh, I’m scarier.
That is what I also do in my spare time.
Cue Ball Camron is first.P-Collins grew to Level 35!
P-Collins learned Twister!
Won 696 Pokémon Dollars!
Biker Ruben is second. It’s pretty easy.
Won 560 Pokémon Dollars!
How dare you point at me.
Biker Hideo is third. I’ve not really got anything impactful to say. Can’t believe it’s (mid) November already, where is the time going (and thanks for dating this past-Louise)?Won 660 Pokémon Dollars!
Cue Ball Luke is fourth. We’re getting there, let’s get ‘em done.
P-Collins grew to Level 36!
Won 696 Pokémon Dollars!
Cue Ball Koji is fifth. He wants my bike. I want his money. Let’s so who will win (spoilers: it’ll be me).
It was me.
Won 672 Pokémon Dollars!
Biker Lao is sixth and the last in the line of impudent bikers in my path.
I DO WHAT I WANT.
Won 580 Pokémon Dollars!With that, the Cycling Road is finished, and I’m absolutely cream crackered. I head into the lookout tower and hey, it’s one of OAK’s Aides! What’s he got? He wants to give me an Amulet Coin if I have more than 40 species of Pokémon, which I do not. Ugh.
Route 16
Route 16 has the second Snorlax. This time I’ll just get to kick its arse! This route takes me back to Celadon City, and now I’ve gone full circle. It’ll be Saffron City next but now it’s time for a training montage. Brace yourself, this’ll be a long one. So I'll split it into two parts. Just always remember. If this seems like a grind for you, think of how it felt for me.
Same.
Reginald grew to Level 25!
Reginald grew to Level 26!
Reginald grew to Level 27!
Reginald grew to Level 28!
Reginald grew to Level 29!
Reginald grew to Level 30!
Flailing beaks everywhere!
Reginald grew to Level 31!
Reginald evolved into Dodrio!
I sympathise with the right head most of all.
Well, I mean I guess I’ll have to get a third top hat for Reginald! He’s going to be the fanciest bird on the block. I can feel Caw McGraw’s jealousy from over here.Reginald grew to Level 32!
Reginald grew to Level 33!
Reginald grew to Level 34!
Reginald grew to Level 35!
How are you holding up among all these lines of golden text? Are you surviving? Well, I believe in you.
June grew to Level 27!
June grew to Level 28!
June grew to Level 29!
June learned Rock Blast!
June grew to Level 30!
June grew to Level 31!
JUNE. SMASH.
June grew to Level 32!June grew to Level 33!
June grew to Level 34!
June grew to Level 35!
Haddock grew to Level 31!
So Trump, huh?
Haddock grew to Level 32!
Haddock grew to Level 33!
Haddock grew to Level 34!
Poor Haddock looks hapless from any angle.
Haddock grew to Level 35!Budley grew to Level 33!
Budley grew to Level 34!
That was an interesting choice for your head of state, huh?
Budley grew to Level 35!
Shazam grew to Level 31!
Shazam grew to Level 32!
Many Flying-Type Pokémon perished on this day.
Shazam grew to Level 33!Shazam grew to Level 34!
Shazam learned Rollout!
Shazam grew to Level 35!
Sasha grew to Level 31!
Technically the candidate of 'Did Not Vote' won. So will we just have four years without a President?
Sasha grew to Level 32!
Sasha learned Mirror Move!
Sasha grew to Level 33!
Sasha grew to Level 34!
Sasha grew to Level 35!
Training montage progress! Level thirty-five is the place to be!
