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- Dec 15, 2018
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- 538
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- The Netherlands
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Okay, real talk. I didn't plan on recording this challenge. Last week, I started up a casual Wedlocke challenge on Pokemon Platinum while I had quite a bit of spare time over the holidays. I didn't mean to have it be a serious, recorded challenge run, just a little playthrough to pass some time. However, recently a few new challenges have been appearing on the forums after what seemed to be a quieter period and I got inspired while reading through them. So, I thought ‘why not record this challenge after all?’ and now here we are. Just a casual Wedlocke without any complicated rules but with grinding, deaths, the works. As I'm writing this, I'm currently at Solaceon Town with this challenge, so the first few updates will take some remembering, but I'm sure it will be fine! I hope you guys will follow along for the journey!
Before we head into the first update, let's have a look at the rules for this challenge:
Without further ado, let's get this show on the road!
___
___
Before we head into the first update, let's have a look at the rules for this challenge:
- Pokemon that faint are considered dead and will be permaboxed.
- You can only catch the first Pokemon you encounter on each route. However, in the Wedlocke challenge, Gender clause applies: you must have 3 male and 3 female Pokemon at any time, so if your team consists of an uneven number of males or females, you must catch the opposite gender to balance out the team. Encounters of the wrong gender do not count in this case.
- Pokemon are paired up and fight in teams. When in battle, you can’t switch to Pokemon of another pair.
- Genderless Pokemon cannot be paired. As such, they do not count as encounters and cannot be caught.
- Pokemon cannot be deposited in the PC.
- All Pokemon will be nicknamed.
- Dupes clause: If my first encounter in an area is a Pokemon I have already caught, that encounter doesn't count. This also applies to Pokemon that belong to an evolutionary family I have already caught. This clause is used to stimulate variety and to make every Pokemon caught unique within the challenge.
- Shiny clause: If I encounter a shiny Pokemon, I am allowed to catch it. If this occurs, a Pokemon from the PC must be replaced with the shiny pokemon.
- Gift clause: gift Pokemon may be accepted and count as a bonus encounter.
- Male Combee clause: If I encounter a male Combee from a Honey tree, I will allow myself to soft reset for a female, as male Combee are hopelessly weak.
- My starter Pokemon will be determined by the last digit of my trainer ID.
- The use of items in battle is limited to three items per pair.
- A level limit will be used throughout the game, set to the level of the highest leveled Pokemon on the team of the upcoming Gym Leader or Champion.
- As the switching possibilities are already very limited in a Wedlocke, I will play on ‘Shift’.
Without further ado, let's get this show on the road!
___
I start up the game and as I take my first step in my room, my neighbor Damion barges in. Because my first few playthroughs in gen 4 were on Pokemon Diamond, I've gotten used to the standard name there. As a result, I now find it odd to name him anything else. He proposes we go to Sandgem Town to ask professor Rowan for a Pokemon. It seems as well a way to spend a Saturday as any, so we head on over to Route 201. After a brief cutscene where professor Rowan appears and lectures Damion for wanting to dash through the tall grass, he decides it would be a good idea to give a rare Pokemon to some reckless kids. I get the first pick and after a quick glance at my trainer ID, which ends with an '8', I pick Piplup 
. She turns out to be female, which I think is pretty cool considering the small odds. I decide to name her Sissi, after the 1955 movie about the young Austrian empress which is still usually aired around Christmas here. Let's hope she lives to become the empress she's destined to be 
.
After the obligatory rival battle, which we easily win by spamming Pound, I play through the rest of the start of the game. We head on over to Sandgem Town to thank the professor, get the Pokedex, get a Parcel back home to give to Damion and finally get Poke Balls from Dawn after she shows us how to catch a Pokemon, which means the challenge is officially on!
While getting my encounters on Route 201 and Lake Verity first would be the safest, as it would guarantee me to get a Shinx on Route 202 thanks to Dupes Clause, I'd rather pair Sissi with a Shinx for the sake of type synergy. So, I decide to make the big boy play and get my Route 2 encounter first, at the risk of getting a Bidoof there. Thankfully, I find a male Shinx 
first, which I name Gascon. Afterwards, I loop back to get my encounters at Route 201 and Lake Verity: a female Bidoof 
called Dorothy and a male Starly 
called Tempest. (With regards to already getting my starter on Route 201: I always count the starter to be the encounter for the starting town)
On the way to Jubilife City, I train up the party to about level 10. We meet Looker and obtain the Poketch through the delightful ol' side quest with the clowns and the coupons before heading on to Oreburgh City. As we exit Jubilife City, Damion is waiting to challenge us to a rematch. My Starly, which does have Wing Attack, beats Damion's Starly which doesn't, as well as his Turtwig 
.
Afterwards, I attempt to expand the team a bit further, but no dice: Tempest knocks out a Budew 
on Route 204 with a critical hit Quick Attack and the Abra 
on Route 205 Teleports away after my Poke Ball fails. We have better luck after we reach Oreburgh City though: in the Oreburgh Mine I catch a female Geodude 
(hah), who I name Bertha. At this point, I can choose to pair her with either a Zubat or Psyduck from the Oreburgh Gate or a Ponyta or Machop on Route 207. Because I already have a Water type and a Flying type on the team, I go with the latter and find a male Ponyta 
, which I name Blaine, thus completing my team of six. I decide to hold off on the Oreburgh Gate encounter until later.
Afterwards, I train up the team to about level 13/14, with the exception of Dorothy, who I can't train too well against the wild Pokemon around Oreburgh City. I then challenge the first Gym Leader of the game, the Rock-type user Roark.
I think this is where I'll leave things off for now. On the next update, we'll head on towards Floaroma Town on our way to Eterna City, where we'll attempt to obtain our next gym badge. Furthermore, we'll try to get some evolutions as well, as no less than four team members are within several levels of evolving. Thanks for reading along and I'll see you all next time!
. She turns out to be female, which I think is pretty cool considering the small odds. I decide to name her Sissi, after the 1955 movie about the young Austrian empress which is still usually aired around Christmas here. Let's hope she lives to become the empress she's destined to be . After the obligatory rival battle, which we easily win by spamming Pound, I play through the rest of the start of the game. We head on over to Sandgem Town to thank the professor, get the Pokedex, get a Parcel back home to give to Damion and finally get Poke Balls from Dawn after she shows us how to catch a Pokemon, which means the challenge is officially on!
While getting my encounters on Route 201 and Lake Verity first would be the safest, as it would guarantee me to get a Shinx on Route 202 thanks to Dupes Clause, I'd rather pair Sissi
with a Shinx for the sake of type synergy. So, I decide to make the big boy play and get my Route 2 encounter first, at the risk of getting a Bidoof there. Thankfully, I find a male Shinx first, which I name Gascon. Afterwards, I loop back to get my encounters at Route 201 and Lake Verity: a female Bidoof called Dorothy and a male Starly called Tempest. (With regards to already getting my starter on Route 201: I always count the starter to be the encounter for the starting town)On the way to Jubilife City, I train up the party to about level 10. We meet Looker and obtain the Poketch through the delightful ol' side quest with the clowns and the coupons before heading on to Oreburgh City. As we exit Jubilife City, Damion is waiting to challenge us to a rematch. My Starly
, which does have Wing Attack, beats Damion's Starly which doesn't, as well as his Turtwig . Afterwards, I attempt to expand the team a bit further, but no dice: Tempest
knocks out a Budew on Route 204 with a critical hit Quick Attack and the Abra on Route 205 Teleports away after my Poke Ball fails. We have better luck after we reach Oreburgh City though: in the Oreburgh Mine I catch a female Geodude (hah), who I name Bertha. At this point, I can choose to pair her with either a Zubat or Psyduck from the Oreburgh Gate or a Ponyta or Machop on Route 207. Because I already have a Water type and a Flying type on the team, I go with the latter and find a male Ponyta , which I name Blaine, thus completing my team of six. I decide to hold off on the Oreburgh Gate encounter until later.Afterwards, I train up the team to about level 13/14, with the exception of Dorothy
, who I can't train too well against the wild Pokemon around Oreburgh City. I then challenge the first Gym Leader of the game, the Rock-type user Roark. I lead with Bertha against Roark's own Geodude . Bertha uses Defense Curl and Rock Polish until she's at +6 Defense and +4 Speed while the opposing Geodude struggles to damage her. She then proceeds to break down the opposition with Rock Smash, which I had taught her just before the Gym. The opposing Geodude is soon defeated despite Roark using a Potion to heal it.
Roark sends out his Onix
to replace the Geodude. Onix doesn't damage Bertha either, but succeeds in getting off two Screeches before falling to Rock Smash, decreasing Bertha's defensive buffer to +2.
Finally, Roark's ace Cranidos
comes out. It manages to score a scary critical hit with Pursuit against my Geodude, but is swiftly dispatched with Rock Smash nonetheless, earning us the Coal Badge!
against Roark's own Geodude . Bertha uses Defense Curl and Rock Polish until she's at +6 Defense and +4 Speed while the opposing Geodude struggles to damage her. She then proceeds to break down the opposition with Rock Smash, which I had taught her just before the Gym. The opposing Geodude is soon defeated despite Roark using a Potion to heal it. Roark sends out his Onix
to replace the Geodude. Onix doesn't damage Bertha either, but succeeds in getting off two Screeches before falling to Rock Smash, decreasing Bertha's defensive buffer to +2. Finally, Roark's ace Cranidos
comes out. It manages to score a scary critical hit with Pursuit against my Geodude, but is swiftly dispatched with Rock Smash nonetheless, earning us the Coal Badge!I think this is where I'll leave things off for now. On the next update, we'll head on towards Floaroma Town on our way to Eterna City, where we'll attempt to obtain our next gym badge. Furthermore, we'll try to get some evolutions as well, as no less than four team members are within several levels of evolving. Thanks for reading along and I'll see you all next time!
___
Pair 1:
Sissi the Piplup (♀)
Level: 14
Nature: Hardy
Ability: Torrent
Moveset:
Gascon the Shinx (♂)
Level: 14
Nature: Hasty
Ability: Intimidate
Moveset:
Pair 2:
Dorothy the Bidoof (♀)
Level: 10
Nature: Bold
Ability: Unaware
Moveset:
Tempest the Starly (♂)
Level: 13
Nature: Mild
Ability: Keen Eye
Moveset:
Pair 3:
Bertha the Geodude (♀)
Level: 15
Nature: Sassy
Ability: Rock Head
Moveset:
Blaine the Ponyta (♂)
Level: 13
Nature: Timid
Ability: Flash Fire
Moveset:
Sissi the Piplup (♀)
Level: 14
Nature: Hardy
Ability: Torrent
Moveset:
- Pound
- Growl
- Bubble
- Water Sport
Gascon the Shinx (♂)
Level: 14
Nature: Hasty
Ability: Intimidate
Moveset:
- Tackle
- Leer
- Charge
- Spark
Pair 2:
Dorothy the Bidoof (♀)
Level: 10
Nature: Bold
Ability: Unaware
Moveset:
- Tackle
- Growl
- Defense Curl
Tempest the Starly (♂)
Level: 13
Nature: Mild
Ability: Keen Eye
Moveset:
- Growl
- Double Team
- Quick Attack
- Wing Attack
Pair 3:
Bertha the Geodude (♀)
Level: 15
Nature: Sassy
Ability: Rock Head
Moveset:
- Rock Smash
- Defense Curl
- Rock Throw
- Magnitude
Blaine the Ponyta (♂)
Level: 13
Nature: Timid
Ability: Flash Fire
Moveset:
- Growl
- Tackle
- Tail Whip
- Ember
None so far.
None so far. :)
occupies Dawn's Chimchar 
with Fake Out, Gascon's Spark just barely fails to take out the other grunt's Stunky 
, which retaliates by hitting Gascon with Screech. I decide it would be best to take out the Stunky before switching out to my Piplup to avoid her taking two hits. As the Glameow is Intimidated, I should be fine unless they get a critical hit, I think to myself. 
and Tempest 
.
Bite doesn't do all that much. A second Flame Wheel does the trick.
comes out next. Squints while looking at the level. That just ain't right. 
. I name her Victoria, after the British queen. Long may she reign.
. It's a male, so I catch him and name him Langley, as a loose play on the word 'languidness' ("the quality or state of lacking physical strength or vigor"). With a full team of 6 members once more, all we need is some training before we can resume our journey towards Eterna City.
with its supposed base Attack stat of 5 knocked out a Pokemon I wanted to catch. 
. Cheryl and I then make it out of the forest and say goodbye. As a parting gift, she gives us a Soothe Bell, which should come in handy should we ever use Sona 
which I call Yogi. After we finish training and Tempest 
is up next, but is swiftly dispatched of with Bug Bite as well as it uses Grass Knot in vain. Why it wouldn't set up Leech Seed is beyond me, but I'll take it.
is the final obstacle in the way of us winning our next Gym Badge. It manages to win a few turns after a successful Stun Spore, but the paralysis also means it can't effectively hurt Victoria, as its Poison Sting can't inflict poison anymore. In the end, Roserade is easily defeated just like its allies, earning us the Forest Badge!
. Between Skuntank's decent stats and the deadly combination of Screech and Night Slash, this thing is a real challenge ender. I wonder what the top 3 strategies to take it out would be?
. 
, who don't pose as much of a challenge as I remember: Victoria :victoria: easily knocks it out with Bug Bite after it declines to attack and goes for an X Special instead. We finally reach the highest room in the building, where Jupiter awaits.
, which I name Pax. Finally, we have only one more errand to run in Eterna City, to pick up the Explorer Kit, before we're off to the races. Well, the closest thing to it I suppose: Cycling Road.
, who I nickname Aegis.
, which happily Sparks away against the Electric-weak couple, and a Chimchar 
, we arrive in Hearthome City.
, who I name Cashmere.
. The goal: setting up Double Team six times without getting burnt too much by the Duskull's Will-o-Wisp. I manage to let Tempest set up enough copies of himself, although at the cost of two Burn Heals as well as one Super Potion, because Duskull managed to get in some chip with Pursuit as well. The foe attempts to burn Tempest once more, which would dampen his offensive presence by a lot, but thankfully misses twice as Wing Attack puts an end to it despite a timely Super Potion.
enters the stage next, but fails to perform: it misses once with Confuse Ray and once with Hypnosis before kicking the bucket as well.
comes out. Fantina doesn't appear to want to play the accuracy game anymore and goes for Magical Leaf. Despite it being not very effective, Mismagius starts off strong by getting a crit, knocking Tempest to about half of his health. At this point, I'm fresh out of healing items I can use on this pair, so I would be in a pretty bad spot, were it not for the fact that I taught Tempest Pluck for this exact reason: he steals the opposing Mismagius' Sitrus Berry, regaining a nice chunk of health while simultaneously denying the boost to the opponent.
, we encounter the much rarer Chansey 
and a Bonsly 
. I know better than to underestimate these little guys: if I recall correctly, Bonsly has a base Attack stat of 70 or so (did some research: it's actually 80), which packs quite a punch at this point in the game.