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- Oct 23, 2018
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@Calaf For better or worse, all of your observations are spot on.
Okey-dokey, Team Rocket Hideout time. Demo returns to the Celadon Game Corner, does not partake in any gambling, and reveals the entrance to the base by activating the "secret" switch hidden behind the poster. Proceeding through the levels is quite uneventful, actually. The puzzles aren't bad and there are numerous high-quality items lying around. I suppose I should have expected that from an extensive crime syndicate. Again, though, all the really useful things like TMs, vitamins, and Rare Candies are going to be stockpiled for later in the game. At one point Demo picks up an Iron. Wait a minute...huh? Zubat? Is that you?
The Pokémon used by the Grunts are all in their low 20s, and even upper teens for those who have more expansive rosters. Pathetic. They use Rattata, Raticate, a few Machop, the occasional Drowzee, and then a load of Poison-types. In other words, while some members of Demo's team take longer than others to get KOs, everything performs pretty well in the long run. Curium, for instance, burns through a lot of PP on Body Slam. Magnesium is forced to rely on Leech Seed and Tackle, for the most part. Against one Grunt, however, things start to look up a bit. He's got four Pokémon and leads with a Rattata. Two Tackles defeat it, and Magnesium grows to Level 30...where he learns Razor Leaf! Aside from a 5% drop in accuracy this is an improvement over Vine Whip in every way: noticeably more power, an improved crit rate, and most importantly, two and a half times more PP. Seriously, only 10 PP on Magnesium's only STAB sucked. The Ivysaur then proceeds to oneshot everything else on the Grunt's team, another Rattata and two Raticate, by landing a crit Razor Leaf on each one. Good times.
On the lowest level of the hideout Demo swiftly silences a Grunt cowering in a back room. There didn't seem to be anything special about him at first, but once he's beaten, an item appears beside him. Huh, that wasn't there before. Demo snags the Lift Key and then has to return to floor B2 only to take the elevator right back down to B4, albeit a different part.
Demo is all set to throw down with the mysterious Boss of this organization, but as soon as he steps off the lift, two familiar (and very weird) faces accost him. Oh yeah, I remember you guys from Mt. Moon. They apparently remember Demo as well, and are excited for the chance at a little revenge...but let's see if they remember one other detail. Jessie and James, do you recall how Demo was in possession of a Magikarp the last time you fought him? Unfortunately for you, that humble creature is now a Gyarados. It was precisely for moments like these that Demo named her Sodium. I can only imagine how salty the Rockets must be as Sodium rages through their team, two-hit KOing all three enemy Pokémon and not even getting poisoned in the process. They skedaddle, leaving Demo along down here with just one other man.
The Boss of Team Rocket congratulates Demo on making it that far, but doesn't waste any more time than that on the pleasantries. His name is Giovanni, and he leads with a Level 25 Onix. Sodium barely takes one look at the other serpentine Pokémon before sending it to the grave with Water Gun. The same fate meets the Level 24 Rhyhorn. Come on, Giovanni, are you even trying? Lastly, he sends out a Level 29 Persian; that's more like it. It takes a moment before I realize that's the same level as Demo's Pokémon, but being a Persian, it's faster. The first seed of worry is planted when its opening Bite is a crit, but it still does a little under half of Sodium's health, while Sodium's own Bite curiously does about the same back. Persian essentially wastes the next turn with Growl, while Water Gun pushes it into KO range of anything but Tackle. Another Bite from Persian is mercifully neither a crit nor a flinch, and a final Water Gun ends things.
Giovanni seems strangely unperturbed; he agrees to step aside, but not without the ominous remark that he hopes to see Demo again. Whatever, dude. Just give me my Silph Scope and honestly we can pretend this never happened...uh, where's the Silph Scope? The Boss disappears without handing anything over. That's a bit weird, but maybe I'll get it later. Demo turns to leave...and there it is. The utter BUFFOON was standing on top of the blasted thing. I hope it still works.
No more room for items!
...is there a word for being the opposite of a genwunner? Because that would be about how I feel right now.
Demo has nothing on hand which I particularly want to get rid of, so he hikes back to the Pokémon Center to use the PC before returning to the hideout. At least he can just take the lift all the way down, this time, instead of going through the puzzles. After much more strife than was necessary, Demo claims his prize...wait, why did he even want this thing again? Oh yeah, in a convoluted way he needs it to move Snorlax, so he can continue on his quest and discover more elements. Rocket, shmocket. Democritus is Greek, remember? He couldn't care less who's running the region as long as they don't bother him personally. Now let's go catch us a GHOST.
Demo finds a GHOST on the third floor of Pokémon Tower...except it's not a GHOST, it's a Gastly! This one happens to be at level 25, which I think is the highest they come, very nice. Two crit Razor Leafs from Magnesium nudge it into the red, then a Sleep Powder from Phosphorus makes for an easy catch. Let's see, Gastly is a species made of poisonous gas. so the choice of nickname seems obvious enough, right?
Obtained Chlorine the Gastly in Pokémon Tower!
Since Demo cleared this place out last time he came through, all he has to do is proceed directly up the tower while fending off the occasional Ghost-type. He does, of course, pay another visit to the one competent Channeler in the whole building (not that his team was in desperate need of healing). On the second-highest level is where events take a new turn. The Silph Scope reveals the entity blocking the stairwell to be the ghost of a Marowak! It's at level 30, and while I feel bad about attacking it, Demo has to do what he has to do. A crit Razor Leaf from Magnesium ends the fight in one turn. Dang, every single time he's used that move it has been a critical hit. However, it seems the defeat was good for the spirit, as it now freely departs to the afterlife. Not dark at all.
At the "summit" of Pokémon Tower Demo bumps into none other than Jessie and James. Back so soon, are we? They throw a slight curveball and lead with Meowth this time; Phophorus needs two Confusions and a Gust for the win, while it Growls a couple times and tosses out a single Bite. The surprises aren't over, however, as they then send out an Arbok. Decided to evolve some Pokémon, did you? Phosphorus goes first and lands Confusion for about 60%. I don't get to see what Arbok would have done in return, since it becomes confused and hurts itself. I'll take what I can get, but that does not involve putting Phosphorus in the way of the incoming Weezing. That'll be Curium's job. After a single Growl its Tackle and doubly-resisted Poison attacks are doing pathetic damage, though it's bulky enough that Curium needs four turns for the kill. In that time the Weezing does reveal Sludge, making me glad Demo recalled his Bug-type Pokémon.
Once Team Rocket blasts off again I'm free to rescue Mr. Fuji. He claims he went there of his own free will, which is rather annoying from our end, but he's at least willing to thank Demo for his trouble by offering up the Poké Flute. It's not like that's all we were after, or anything. We really did care about your well-being, Mr. Fuji, promise. Anyhow, there's now absolutely nothing left to do that doesn't involve getting a Snorlax out of the way, so you know what time it is. That's right, it's time to load up on Great Balls at the Celadon Department Store.
For reasons detailed in the previous update, Demo heads to Route 16 and puts the Poké Flute to his lips. One short melody later, Snorlax attacks in a grumpy rage! Curium is out first so she can minimize Snorlax's attack with six Growls. It mainly responds with the currently-useless Rest, only pulling off one Headbutt near the end of the sequence for 9 damage. Looking good. Curium then tests the waters with Double Kick, which does around a third. Snorlax Rests again, which in any other generation should give me enough opportunity to wear it down into catchable range. However, in Gen I Pokémon wake up from Rest after only a single turn of sleep; they still can't move that turn, but it robs Demo of the catching bonus.
This is how the plan goes. I wait until Snorlax uses Rest, then get off one decent hit with Curium. I switch to Phosphorus on the turn it wakes up and immediately Sleep Powder it. It wakes up right away so I Sleep Powder the dang thing again. Praying it will last, I switch to Sodium and use two Dragon Rages, which have the perk of not critting, until Snorlax is low on health. Then Demo chucks Great Balls like mad. I must get lucky with the sleep duration because Snorlax still doesn't wake up during all this time, and four Great Balls get the job done. I already know what this Snorlax will be named: a heavy, dangerous element for a heavy, dangerous Pokémon.
Obtained Lead the Snorlax on Route 16!
Demo's entire team collectively took only 9 damage during that fight, which means he's perfectly ready to continue on down Route 16.
Boy, Routes 16 and 17 are a drag. Nothing but Poison- and Fighting-types as far as the eye can see. If this was any other Generation, where Karate Chop was Fighting and Bug wasn't weak to Poison, Phosphorus would have had a field day here. Alas for what could have been. She only nearly died once this time.
Whilst clearing out a huge pack of Trainers right at the entrance to Cycling Road, Nitrogen grows to Level 31 and learns Wing Attack! Despite me saying at least once previously how Sand Attack might as well not exist, it's not like Nitrogen really needs both Gust (Normal, physical, 40 power) and Quick Attack (Normal, physical 40 power) at the same time. You never know when Demo might need to roll the dice. Speaking of dice, Magnesium extends his Razor-Leaf-critical-hit streak by at least 4 additional uses. I lost exact count.
Once the northern section is done, Demo finds himself by the one patch of grass on Cycling Road. He...pedals?...into the grass, and out leaps a Ponyta! This is good; Demo doesn't have too much use for Doduo and everything else he has already. Of course a Dragon Rage from Sodium does just over half its health, but Nitrogen's new Wing Attack does just the right amount of damage. Ponyta carries fire just like the mythical figure Prometheus was said to have done, so Promethium it is.
Obtained Promethium the Ponyta on Route 17!
Having thus fulfilled his duty here in the name of science, Demo is free to continue down the road, being challenged by many Trainers as he goes. It's about this time that he finds the only two non-wild Pokémon on the route that aren't either pure Poison-type or pure Fighting-type. Both are Level 29 Voltorb, under the command of a certain Biker. Well, I know what Voltorb like to do, and true to form the first one doesn't hesitate to Selfdestruct in Magnesium's face, for just about exactly half his HP. Curium and Sodium, to whom Demo would normally turn in this situation, aren't in top form, but they both have better odds of surviving than Magnesium. It's the Ground-type Nidoqueen up to bat, but the Voltorb hits her with Screech on the switch. Um, so much for that. The same thing then happens to Sodium, but Demo finally catches a break going back to Curium, when Voltorb sets up Light Screen. After exchanging one or two other blows, the second Voltorb also goes boom; with no Screeches set up Curium survives it comfortably. Sheesh. Demo's odds of losing someone in that battle were...pretty good.
Turns out, the surprises aren't quite over. The split experience from the Biker's last Pokémon nudges Magnesium to level 32...and the Ivysaur evolves into a Venusaur! I had thought it evolved at Level 36, so I was genuinely caught off guard, it came as a real surprise to me. A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.
That's pretty much it for bright spots, however. By the time he reaches the gate leading to Route 18, Demo has approximately 0 Super Potions left and no one at full HP. Curium is almost to the point where she can't fight at all anymore; having burned through most of the PP on Double Kick and Body Slam, only working with Growl and Poison Sting won't get her much of anywhere. There's nothing of actual interest in the gatehouse, but it's a nice little in-game breather.
On the other side, since the team is in rough shape, Demo briefly bypasses the Trainers on Route 18 and darts into Fuchsia City to heal up at the Pokémon Center. He leaves the main bulk of exploration for later and returns for his unfinished business. The first two of the three Bird Keepers are no issue. They use only combinations of Spearow and Fearow, nothing higher than Level 29. While fighting them Sodium levels up and learns Leer. Demo replaces Tackle; Leer will only work with Bite for now, but Bite and Tackle together wasn't necessary.
The third Bird Keeper is another story, however: a Level 34 Dodrio. Yikes. Silicon is out in front, who can't do squat. Let's see. Nitrogen is at full health for the switch-in, and with his strong Fly and priority Quick Attack he should be a decent choice.
Enemy Dodrio used Drill Peck! A critical hit! ...Nitrogen fainted!
Lost Nitrogen the Pidgeotto
Full health to no health just like that. 92 HP lost in the blink of an eye. Oh, that hurts.
We can't mourn quite yet, though. I realize it is a damn good thing Demo went to heal up because otherwise he very well could have wiped right then and there. Even so, this stupid Dodrio is critting left and right. Silicon couldn't take even a non-crit attack from this thing, and Phosphorus and Magnesium are weak to Flying. Aaaaaaahhhhh. A crit Fury Attack with only three hits knocks off 40% of Curium's HP. Sodium takes a two-hit crit on the switch for around a quarter of her health. It uses Growl next, so I'm glad Demo didn't order Bite, but Dragon Rage doesn't push the Dodrio to under half health. Miraculously, neither the next Fury Attack nor the subsequent Drill Peck are critical hits, allowing Sodium to end the battle with Dragon Rage and Water Gun.
Ouch. It's only due to sheer luck that Nitrogen wasn't the only casualty. Rest in peace, ye of the high-pitched screaming battle cry.
I can't bring myself to really care about the Route 18 encounter at this point. Oh, just a Spearow. Tchah. I think this was Demo's last chance to get Doduo, but whatever. That Dodrio is still cursing us from beyond the grave.
Route 18 encounter failed.
With heavy heart Demo returns to Fuchsia City and lays his Pidgeotto to rest alongside his lifelong friend Carbon. As for a replacement, Lead is objectively the "best" Pokémon in the PC right now, but I'd like to begin training a Fire-type. It will be quite useful against Koga's Yellow team, and anything with halfway decent Special is a godsend against Sabrina. On a more practical note, Demo now has nothing in his party that can use Fly. None of the elements at his disposal satisfy both of those conditions currently, but there's one that will...eventually.
Withdrew Scandium the Charmander from the PC
I've wanted to use him since about the moment I got him, but a good opportunity never arose until now. Level 10 is daunting, though.
After running around Fuchsia and finding nothing of interest, aside from the Good Rod in the house of a Fishing Guru, Demo heads south for a spell. He can't use Surf yet, and I wouldn't right now anyway, but there are two Swimmers to beat. Scandium gets his first taste of switch training and Magnesium hits Level 33. Right on the beach there's a curious little house, populated by nothing but a man with trivial dialogue and a Pikachu. What the heck is this for...oh. This must be where the surfing Pikachu minigame takes place...for those Trainers who still have a Pikachu. The one running around looks just like Carbon, too. Sigh.
The Safari Zone will have to wait. Demo sets off on a much bigger adventure: north to Celadon via Cycling Road, west to Lavender via the Underground Tunnel, and back south along Route 12, to where the second of two sleepy giants awaits. Since I'm only here to knock it out this time, the fight is uneventful. Curium Growls twice for good measure and then spams Double Kick. Once she outmaneuvers the Rest turns, Double Kick is a three-hit KO; Snorlax doesn't put up a fight, and now Demo can return to Cerulean City without having to go through Rock Tunnel again!
This is important because the Grass-types up on the cape are Scandium's best shot at fighting for himself. The little Charmander is Level 14 by now, and a few minutes of targeted arson against the local flora bring him first to 15, when he learns Leer, and then to 16, when he evolves into Charmeleon!
Since an evolved Scandium is much more likely to be capable of taking the occasional hit while switch training, it's time for Demo to once more take up that time-honored tradition while making his way down Kanto's eastern seaboard. He scoots back south and west past Vermilion City. Incidentally, possession of a Charmeleon brings Demo to precisely 30 entries in his Pokédex, which means that he's finally able to receive the Itemfinder from Professor Oak's aide in the gate leading to Route 12. Not that I intend to use it a lot, but still nifty.
The Pokémon used by the Grunts are all in their low 20s, and even upper teens for those who have more expansive rosters. Pathetic. They use Rattata, Raticate, a few Machop, the occasional Drowzee, and then a load of Poison-types. In other words, while some members of Demo's team take longer than others to get KOs, everything performs pretty well in the long run. Curium, for instance, burns through a lot of PP on Body Slam. Magnesium is forced to rely on Leech Seed and Tackle, for the most part. Against one Grunt, however, things start to look up a bit. He's got four Pokémon and leads with a Rattata. Two Tackles defeat it, and Magnesium grows to Level 30...where he learns Razor Leaf! Aside from a 5% drop in accuracy this is an improvement over Vine Whip in every way: noticeably more power, an improved crit rate, and most importantly, two and a half times more PP. Seriously, only 10 PP on Magnesium's only STAB sucked. The Ivysaur then proceeds to oneshot everything else on the Grunt's team, another Rattata and two Raticate, by landing a crit Razor Leaf on each one. Good times.
On the lowest level of the hideout Demo swiftly silences a Grunt cowering in a back room. There didn't seem to be anything special about him at first, but once he's beaten, an item appears beside him. Huh, that wasn't there before. Demo snags the Lift Key and then has to return to floor B2 only to take the elevator right back down to B4, albeit a different part.
Demo is all set to throw down with the mysterious Boss of this organization, but as soon as he steps off the lift, two familiar (and very weird) faces accost him. Oh yeah, I remember you guys from Mt. Moon. They apparently remember Demo as well, and are excited for the chance at a little revenge...but let's see if they remember one other detail. Jessie and James, do you recall how Demo was in possession of a Magikarp the last time you fought him? Unfortunately for you, that humble creature is now a Gyarados. It was precisely for moments like these that Demo named her Sodium. I can only imagine how salty the Rockets must be as Sodium rages through their team, two-hit KOing all three enemy Pokémon and not even getting poisoned in the process. They skedaddle, leaving Demo along down here with just one other man.
The Boss of Team Rocket congratulates Demo on making it that far, but doesn't waste any more time than that on the pleasantries. His name is Giovanni, and he leads with a Level 25 Onix. Sodium barely takes one look at the other serpentine Pokémon before sending it to the grave with Water Gun. The same fate meets the Level 24 Rhyhorn. Come on, Giovanni, are you even trying? Lastly, he sends out a Level 29 Persian; that's more like it. It takes a moment before I realize that's the same level as Demo's Pokémon, but being a Persian, it's faster. The first seed of worry is planted when its opening Bite is a crit, but it still does a little under half of Sodium's health, while Sodium's own Bite curiously does about the same back. Persian essentially wastes the next turn with Growl, while Water Gun pushes it into KO range of anything but Tackle. Another Bite from Persian is mercifully neither a crit nor a flinch, and a final Water Gun ends things.
Giovanni seems strangely unperturbed; he agrees to step aside, but not without the ominous remark that he hopes to see Demo again. Whatever, dude. Just give me my Silph Scope and honestly we can pretend this never happened...uh, where's the Silph Scope? The Boss disappears without handing anything over. That's a bit weird, but maybe I'll get it later. Demo turns to leave...and there it is. The utter BUFFOON was standing on top of the blasted thing. I hope it still works.
No more room for items!
...is there a word for being the opposite of a genwunner? Because that would be about how I feel right now.
Demo has nothing on hand which I particularly want to get rid of, so he hikes back to the Pokémon Center to use the PC before returning to the hideout. At least he can just take the lift all the way down, this time, instead of going through the puzzles. After much more strife than was necessary, Demo claims his prize...wait, why did he even want this thing again? Oh yeah, in a convoluted way he needs it to move Snorlax, so he can continue on his quest and discover more elements. Rocket, shmocket. Democritus is Greek, remember? He couldn't care less who's running the region as long as they don't bother him personally. Now let's go catch us a GHOST.
Demo finds a GHOST on the third floor of Pokémon Tower...except it's not a GHOST, it's a Gastly! This one happens to be at level 25, which I think is the highest they come, very nice. Two crit Razor Leafs from Magnesium nudge it into the red, then a Sleep Powder from Phosphorus makes for an easy catch. Let's see, Gastly is a species made of poisonous gas. so the choice of nickname seems obvious enough, right?
Obtained Chlorine the Gastly in Pokémon Tower!
Since Demo cleared this place out last time he came through, all he has to do is proceed directly up the tower while fending off the occasional Ghost-type. He does, of course, pay another visit to the one competent Channeler in the whole building (not that his team was in desperate need of healing). On the second-highest level is where events take a new turn. The Silph Scope reveals the entity blocking the stairwell to be the ghost of a Marowak! It's at level 30, and while I feel bad about attacking it, Demo has to do what he has to do. A crit Razor Leaf from Magnesium ends the fight in one turn. Dang, every single time he's used that move it has been a critical hit. However, it seems the defeat was good for the spirit, as it now freely departs to the afterlife. Not dark at all.
At the "summit" of Pokémon Tower Demo bumps into none other than Jessie and James. Back so soon, are we? They throw a slight curveball and lead with Meowth this time; Phophorus needs two Confusions and a Gust for the win, while it Growls a couple times and tosses out a single Bite. The surprises aren't over, however, as they then send out an Arbok. Decided to evolve some Pokémon, did you? Phosphorus goes first and lands Confusion for about 60%. I don't get to see what Arbok would have done in return, since it becomes confused and hurts itself. I'll take what I can get, but that does not involve putting Phosphorus in the way of the incoming Weezing. That'll be Curium's job. After a single Growl its Tackle and doubly-resisted Poison attacks are doing pathetic damage, though it's bulky enough that Curium needs four turns for the kill. In that time the Weezing does reveal Sludge, making me glad Demo recalled his Bug-type Pokémon.
Once Team Rocket blasts off again I'm free to rescue Mr. Fuji. He claims he went there of his own free will, which is rather annoying from our end, but he's at least willing to thank Demo for his trouble by offering up the Poké Flute. It's not like that's all we were after, or anything. We really did care about your well-being, Mr. Fuji, promise. Anyhow, there's now absolutely nothing left to do that doesn't involve getting a Snorlax out of the way, so you know what time it is. That's right, it's time to load up on Great Balls at the Celadon Department Store.
For reasons detailed in the previous update, Demo heads to Route 16 and puts the Poké Flute to his lips. One short melody later, Snorlax attacks in a grumpy rage! Curium is out first so she can minimize Snorlax's attack with six Growls. It mainly responds with the currently-useless Rest, only pulling off one Headbutt near the end of the sequence for 9 damage. Looking good. Curium then tests the waters with Double Kick, which does around a third. Snorlax Rests again, which in any other generation should give me enough opportunity to wear it down into catchable range. However, in Gen I Pokémon wake up from Rest after only a single turn of sleep; they still can't move that turn, but it robs Demo of the catching bonus.
This is how the plan goes. I wait until Snorlax uses Rest, then get off one decent hit with Curium. I switch to Phosphorus on the turn it wakes up and immediately Sleep Powder it. It wakes up right away so I Sleep Powder the dang thing again. Praying it will last, I switch to Sodium and use two Dragon Rages, which have the perk of not critting, until Snorlax is low on health. Then Demo chucks Great Balls like mad. I must get lucky with the sleep duration because Snorlax still doesn't wake up during all this time, and four Great Balls get the job done. I already know what this Snorlax will be named: a heavy, dangerous element for a heavy, dangerous Pokémon.
Obtained Lead the Snorlax on Route 16!
Demo's entire team collectively took only 9 damage during that fight, which means he's perfectly ready to continue on down Route 16.
Boy, Routes 16 and 17 are a drag. Nothing but Poison- and Fighting-types as far as the eye can see. If this was any other Generation, where Karate Chop was Fighting and Bug wasn't weak to Poison, Phosphorus would have had a field day here. Alas for what could have been. She only nearly died once this time.
Whilst clearing out a huge pack of Trainers right at the entrance to Cycling Road, Nitrogen grows to Level 31 and learns Wing Attack! Despite me saying at least once previously how Sand Attack might as well not exist, it's not like Nitrogen really needs both Gust (Normal, physical, 40 power) and Quick Attack (Normal, physical 40 power) at the same time. You never know when Demo might need to roll the dice. Speaking of dice, Magnesium extends his Razor-Leaf-critical-hit streak by at least 4 additional uses. I lost exact count.
Once the northern section is done, Demo finds himself by the one patch of grass on Cycling Road. He...pedals?...into the grass, and out leaps a Ponyta! This is good; Demo doesn't have too much use for Doduo and everything else he has already. Of course a Dragon Rage from Sodium does just over half its health, but Nitrogen's new Wing Attack does just the right amount of damage. Ponyta carries fire just like the mythical figure Prometheus was said to have done, so Promethium it is.
Obtained Promethium the Ponyta on Route 17!
Having thus fulfilled his duty here in the name of science, Demo is free to continue down the road, being challenged by many Trainers as he goes. It's about this time that he finds the only two non-wild Pokémon on the route that aren't either pure Poison-type or pure Fighting-type. Both are Level 29 Voltorb, under the command of a certain Biker. Well, I know what Voltorb like to do, and true to form the first one doesn't hesitate to Selfdestruct in Magnesium's face, for just about exactly half his HP. Curium and Sodium, to whom Demo would normally turn in this situation, aren't in top form, but they both have better odds of surviving than Magnesium. It's the Ground-type Nidoqueen up to bat, but the Voltorb hits her with Screech on the switch. Um, so much for that. The same thing then happens to Sodium, but Demo finally catches a break going back to Curium, when Voltorb sets up Light Screen. After exchanging one or two other blows, the second Voltorb also goes boom; with no Screeches set up Curium survives it comfortably. Sheesh. Demo's odds of losing someone in that battle were...pretty good.
Turns out, the surprises aren't quite over. The split experience from the Biker's last Pokémon nudges Magnesium to level 32...and the Ivysaur evolves into a Venusaur! I had thought it evolved at Level 36, so I was genuinely caught off guard, it came as a real surprise to me. A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.
That's pretty much it for bright spots, however. By the time he reaches the gate leading to Route 18, Demo has approximately 0 Super Potions left and no one at full HP. Curium is almost to the point where she can't fight at all anymore; having burned through most of the PP on Double Kick and Body Slam, only working with Growl and Poison Sting won't get her much of anywhere. There's nothing of actual interest in the gatehouse, but it's a nice little in-game breather.
On the other side, since the team is in rough shape, Demo briefly bypasses the Trainers on Route 18 and darts into Fuchsia City to heal up at the Pokémon Center. He leaves the main bulk of exploration for later and returns for his unfinished business. The first two of the three Bird Keepers are no issue. They use only combinations of Spearow and Fearow, nothing higher than Level 29. While fighting them Sodium levels up and learns Leer. Demo replaces Tackle; Leer will only work with Bite for now, but Bite and Tackle together wasn't necessary.
The third Bird Keeper is another story, however: a Level 34 Dodrio. Yikes. Silicon is out in front, who can't do squat. Let's see. Nitrogen is at full health for the switch-in, and with his strong Fly and priority Quick Attack he should be a decent choice.
Enemy Dodrio used Drill Peck! A critical hit! ...Nitrogen fainted!
Lost Nitrogen the Pidgeotto
Full health to no health just like that. 92 HP lost in the blink of an eye. Oh, that hurts.
We can't mourn quite yet, though. I realize it is a damn good thing Demo went to heal up because otherwise he very well could have wiped right then and there. Even so, this stupid Dodrio is critting left and right. Silicon couldn't take even a non-crit attack from this thing, and Phosphorus and Magnesium are weak to Flying. Aaaaaaahhhhh. A crit Fury Attack with only three hits knocks off 40% of Curium's HP. Sodium takes a two-hit crit on the switch for around a quarter of her health. It uses Growl next, so I'm glad Demo didn't order Bite, but Dragon Rage doesn't push the Dodrio to under half health. Miraculously, neither the next Fury Attack nor the subsequent Drill Peck are critical hits, allowing Sodium to end the battle with Dragon Rage and Water Gun.
Ouch. It's only due to sheer luck that Nitrogen wasn't the only casualty. Rest in peace, ye of the high-pitched screaming battle cry.
I can't bring myself to really care about the Route 18 encounter at this point. Oh, just a Spearow. Tchah. I think this was Demo's last chance to get Doduo, but whatever. That Dodrio is still cursing us from beyond the grave.
Route 18 encounter failed.
With heavy heart Demo returns to Fuchsia City and lays his Pidgeotto to rest alongside his lifelong friend Carbon. As for a replacement, Lead is objectively the "best" Pokémon in the PC right now, but I'd like to begin training a Fire-type. It will be quite useful against Koga's Yellow team, and anything with halfway decent Special is a godsend against Sabrina. On a more practical note, Demo now has nothing in his party that can use Fly. None of the elements at his disposal satisfy both of those conditions currently, but there's one that will...eventually.
Withdrew Scandium the Charmander from the PC
I've wanted to use him since about the moment I got him, but a good opportunity never arose until now. Level 10 is daunting, though.
After running around Fuchsia and finding nothing of interest, aside from the Good Rod in the house of a Fishing Guru, Demo heads south for a spell. He can't use Surf yet, and I wouldn't right now anyway, but there are two Swimmers to beat. Scandium gets his first taste of switch training and Magnesium hits Level 33. Right on the beach there's a curious little house, populated by nothing but a man with trivial dialogue and a Pikachu. What the heck is this for...oh. This must be where the surfing Pikachu minigame takes place...for those Trainers who still have a Pikachu. The one running around looks just like Carbon, too. Sigh.
The Safari Zone will have to wait. Demo sets off on a much bigger adventure: north to Celadon via Cycling Road, west to Lavender via the Underground Tunnel, and back south along Route 12, to where the second of two sleepy giants awaits. Since I'm only here to knock it out this time, the fight is uneventful. Curium Growls twice for good measure and then spams Double Kick. Once she outmaneuvers the Rest turns, Double Kick is a three-hit KO; Snorlax doesn't put up a fight, and now Demo can return to Cerulean City without having to go through Rock Tunnel again!
This is important because the Grass-types up on the cape are Scandium's best shot at fighting for himself. The little Charmander is Level 14 by now, and a few minutes of targeted arson against the local flora bring him first to 15, when he learns Leer, and then to 16, when he evolves into Charmeleon!
Since an evolved Scandium is much more likely to be capable of taking the occasional hit while switch training, it's time for Demo to once more take up that time-honored tradition while making his way down Kanto's eastern seaboard. He scoots back south and west past Vermilion City. Incidentally, possession of a Charmeleon brings Demo to precisely 30 entries in his Pokédex, which means that he's finally able to receive the Itemfinder from Professor Oak's aide in the gate leading to Route 12. Not that I intend to use it a lot, but still nifty.
Curium (Nidoqueen)
Level 32
-Growl
-Poison Sting
-Body Slam
-Double Kick
Phosphorus (Butterfree)
Level 32
-Flash
-Gust
-Sleep Powder
-Confusion
Sodium (Gyarados)
Level 32
-Dragon Rage
-Leer
-Bite
-Water Gun
Magnesium (Venusaur)
Level 33
-Tackle
-PoisonPowder
-Leech Seed
-Razor Leaf
Silicon (Dugtrio)
Level 32
-Scratch
-Growl
-Dig
-Cut
Scandium (Charmeleon)
Level 16
-Scratch
-Growl
-Ember
-Leer
Titanium (Geodude)
Level 10
-Tackle
Boron (Spearow)
Level 12
-Peck
-Growl
-Leer
Germanium (Oddish)
Level 12
-Absorb
Fluorine (Rattata)
Level 14
-Tackle
-Tail Whip
-Quick Attack
-Hyper Fang
Bromine (Squirtle)
Level 10
-Tackle
-Tail Whip
-Bubble
Mendelevium (M.delevium, Nidoran♂)
Level 18
-Tackle
-Horn Attack
-Double Kick
-Poison Sting
Copper (Magnemite)
Level 16
-Tackle
Iron (Zubat)
Level 21
-Leech Life
-Supersonic
-Bite
-Confuse Ray
Bismuth (Eevee)
Level 25
-Tail Whip
-Sand Attack
-Growl
-Quick Attack
Chlorine (Gastly)
Level 25
-Lick
-Confuse Ray
-Night Shade
Lead (Snorlax)
Level 30
-Headbutt
-Amnesia
-Rest
Promethium (Ponyta)
Level 30
-Ember
-Tail Whip
Carbon (Pikachu)
Level 19
-ThunderShock
-Growl
-Quick Attack
-Thunder Wave
Killed by a BubbleBeam from Misty's Starmie
Nitrogen (Pidgeotto)
Level 32
-Wing Attack
-Sand Attack
-Quick Attack
-Fly
Killed by a critical hit Drill Peck from a Bird Keeper's Dodrio
role this update and throughout the challenge either, though. Named them after the wrong element, in hindsight. 86'd a lot of Pokémon for atomic element #96.