Surfable, Cutable, Strengthable, Backtracable - Part 32

With my team taking a heavy hit I finally make my way out of Victory Road, but not before I hit a final Boldore...

What happens, you may ask?

I defeat it. What were you expecting?

I have a much weaker team now that I lost some of my strongest and most promising. I need to train and/or find some extremely useful Pokémon. 

The best way I can think of to try and redeem myself is to do some backtracking.

Backtracking in Pokémon games generally means that I need to find Surfable, Cutable and Strengthable areas.

I hop onto Pumprnickl and we Fly back to my hometown, which from there I walk along the first route until I find some Surfable water.

While Surfing I notice that I do in fact enter a brand new area!

Welcome to Route 17.

Here I find a new TM for Toxic (which is generally a great move, but in a Nuzlocke it's not that great).

I head back to find my Pokémon I can catch so after diving into the water I run into a...

It's another female Frillish! I miss Royal already so I capture it and name her Triscuit.

I explore some more and find a few more items and even a guy willing to give me a Pokémon Egg, which would have been great if I remembered that there was one here! 

It contains a Larvesta, a Fire/Bug-type that gets nearly legendary stats.

I'm bummed that I missed this guy, but it's too late.

I explore a little more and find an HM for Waterfall and a TM for Thunderbolt, which I immediately teach to Racksy, who is actually getting a ton of experience in this area with all the Surfing.

I eventually run into another new area that is labeled P2 Laboratory, which holds a single item inside a building to evolve a Porygon, which I don't have.

But there is grass outside which I run through and find...

It's a Watchog, which I catch and name her Wags.

There is only one nickname left on my list now as well... so I go in search for a new area.

I come across Route 18, which is right next to Route 17!

I find a TM for Telekinesis and head into the grass. 

I first run into another Watchog, so I give it another shot...

It's a double battle with a Crustle and a Scrafty (Woodrow), what's with me running back into previous Pokémon I had!?

I go to catch Crustle, it gets burned against Licky and I will not stay in its ball. It gets all the way down to the final turn with the Burn and I finally catch the Rock/Bug-type however and name him the final name on the predetermined list of names. Capcom.

With some much needed training under my belt and three new Pokémon to choose from for my team I finally feel a little more at ease.

My Team:

Racksy (Stunfisk) level 45 - Route 8

Odessa (Cofagrigus) level 40 - Relic Castle

Pumprnickl (Vullaby) level 43 - Route 10

Totts (Boldore) 40 - Twist Mountain

Licky (Chandelure) 54 - Celestial Tower

Triscuit (Frillish) level 15 - Route 17

PC:

Wags (Watchog) level 30 - P2 Laboratory

Capcom (Crustle) level 34 - Route 18

Shorty (Minccino) level 40 - Route 16

Chowchow (Liepard) level 33 - Route 9

The Fallen:

Wallace (Deino) level 43 - Victory Road

Xanadu (Krookodile) level 57 - Desert Resort

Royal (Jellicent) level 53- Driftveil City

Bigguns (Joltik) level 35 - Chargestone Cave

Gregford (Swasbuck) level 34 - Dragon Spiral

Cowface (Zebstrika) 46 - Route 7

Catapult (Trubbish) level 30 - Route 5

Cracker (Foongus) 31 - Route 6

Dexxter (Vanillite) level 30 - Cold Storage

Tumbles (Ducklett) level 29 - Driftveil Bridge

Conch (Liepard) level 34 - Route 2

Zkippy (Lillipup) level 15 - Route 1

Upstairs (Oshawott) level 12 - Nuvema Town

Butterball (Pansear) level 18 - Dreamyard

Yuko (Blitzle) level 15 - Route 3

Amasya (Roggenrola) level 18 - Wellspring Cave

Flathead (Timburr) level 17 - Pinwheel Forest

Woodrow (Scraggy) level 30 - Route 4

Cannot Catch At These Areas

Lostlorn Forest

Ghosts and Mummys and Death - Part 21

A new day brings on a new training session. 

It's time for Cowface to get some much needed training. I want to make him a staple in my team. 

I run around Route 7 and train the zebra and even find a couple decent TMs Charge Beam and X-Scissor. 

I even get a call from my Mom, who is just checking on me. 

After training up Cowface a tad I start training Cracker.

Cracker will be a great addition to the team once he evolves so I have him Giga Drain and Ingrain himself through victory after victory...

Until...

During a trainer fight I send out Cracker and have him use Ingrain. I defeat the first Pokémon easily enough, but the second gives me a start. It's a Ducklett and it will give Cracker a spot of trouble. I try to switch out Cracker, but forgot that I can't if I use Ingrain. I watch in sorrow as Cracker nearly defeats the bird, but takes an Air Cutter to the face...

I sadly take my little mushroom and bury it. 

I take Catapult to the front and begin to train him. He has some bulk and a decent moveset so he can take care of himself a bit.

While fighting random Pokémon in the grass I get nervous while fighting an Emolga so I switch out Catapult, but he is hit by Pursuit, which is powered up when used on a Pokémon that is switching. It deals a massive blow and...

I'm starting to get a sense of deja vu...

I cry a little and start training up Cowface a little more.

I train Cowface until I reach Twist Mountain, but I cannot go any further. 

I decide to train up Odessa a little and then...

He evolves into Cofagrigus! It's a Pokémon design that I both like and dislike, but it's another evolved Pokémon and that means it gets a little stronger as well! I welcome the sarcophagus with open arms (times 4). 

I head over to Celestial Tower and get ready to meet up with Skyla. This is a place to bury Pokémon , and full of trainers and ghosts. It's too spooky for many...

I switch in Cowface for more training and I take a few steps deeper into the tower and...

Oh.

Oh you guys.

It's a Pokémon that evolves into one of my all time favorites!

It's a Litwick! I cross off the next nickname off my list and name it Licky. I'm super super excited for this one!

I don't train it because Cowface is the Pokémon that I need to train the most as it will wreck the next gym. 

After slipping through the tower, fighting and getting stronger I reach the tippy top, where Skyla is waiting.

I talk to her for a bit and ring the bell and she heads back to the gym, where she is waiting to fight me. I head back down the tower and get a little bit of training under my belt, but not much. 

I head to Skyla's hangar and enter her gym...

To fight her next time on Nuzlocke Challenge with Whitemistake!

My Team:

Xanadu (Sandile) level 46 - Desert Resort

Shorty (Minccino) level 35 - Route 16

Odessa (Cofagrigus) level 34 - Relic Castle

Cowface (Zebstrika) 43 - Route 7

Licky (Litwick) 29 - Celestial Tower

Bigguns (Joltik) level 30 - Chargestone Cave

PC:

- - - - 

The Fallen:

Catapult (Trubbish) level 30 - Route 5

Cracker (Foongus) 31 - Route 6

Dexxter (Vanillite) level 30 - Cold Storage

Tumbles (Ducklett) level 29 - Driftveil Bridge

Conch (Liepard) level 34 - Route 2

Zkippy (Lillipup) level 15 - Route 1

Upstairs (Oshawott) level 12 - Nuvema Town

Butterball (Pansear) level 18 - Dreamyard

Yuko (Blitzle) level 15 - Route 3

Amasya (Roggenrola) level 18 - Wellspring Cave

Flathead (Timburr) level 17 - Pinwheel Forest

Woodrow (Scraggy) level 30 - Route 4

Cannot Catch At These Areas

Lostlorn Forest

Interruptions In My (Pokemon) Life - Part 19

I start to head over to Route 6 to meet up with Clay so he can give me that TM that he technically doesn't owe me, but it would be nice to get one...

Bianca stops me before I can get to Clay...

She still has four Pokémon. 

She sends out her Herdier which Xanadu takes down in a couple Rock Smashes, even after she heals it once with a Hyper Potion.

I send out Cracker to get some experience, hoping that eventually he will evolve into a big ole mushroom as Bianca sends out Pansage.

I switch back to Xanadu and take out Pansage with a Crunch after he is bitten himself.

Next is her Pignite, which Cracker sees and then immediately runs back to be switched out with Xanadu. Xanadu gets hit by a critical Take Down. I get scared for Xanadu and have him Dig. 

Dig KO's Pignite.

She sends out her last Pokémon, which is Musharna.

Cracker comes out, but I switch it out immediately for Xanadu, which is super strong against this Dream Mister. It tries to use a Psybeam against Xanadu and it practically bounces off of him harmlessly. 

Xanadu takes a bite out of Musharna like Scruff McGruff takes bites outta crime and down she goes.

With Bianca defeated she gives me a useful HM for Fly, but I can't use it since I have nothing that can learn it, which is a bummer, but that could possibly change in the future. 

I'm about to head up to Clay, but real life intervenes. 

A friend of mine decides that he needs to trade some Pokémon to have them evolve in Pokemon X and Y. I turn off Black for a short time and load up my X. 

I meet him online and trade to have two of his Pokémon evolve. His Magmar and Electabuzz need to evolve!

He begins to trade them to me, but I see that they don't have the hold items they need. So we do it again. 

Sorry for the delay guys, this will hopefully be done soon. 

Eventually everything works out and I get him a Magmortar...

...and an Electivire.

After the trades are over I head back to training. I train my buns off.

Everyone is now level 30 or higher. I think it's a good enough time to stop for today.

My Team:

Xanadu (Sandile) level 44 - Desert Resort

Catapult (Trubbish) level 30 - Route 5

Shorty (Minccino) level 35 - Route 16

Odessa (Yamask) level 30 - Relic Castle

Cracker (Foongus) 30 - Route 6

The Fallen:

Dexxter (Vanillite) level 30 - Cold Storage

Tumbles (Ducklett) level 29 - Driftveil Bridge

Conch (Liepard) level 34 - Route 2

Zkippy (Lillipup) level 15 - Route 1

Upstairs (Oshawott) level 12 - Nuvema Town

Butterball (Pansear) level 18 - Dreamyard

Yuko (Blitzle) level 15 - Route 3

Amasya (Roggenrola) level 18 - Wellspring Cave

Flathead (Timburr) level 17 - Pinwheel Forest

Woodrow (Scraggy) level 30 - Route 4

Cannot Catch At These Areas

Lostlorn Forest

Cilan, Chili, Cress: Brothers in Food - Part 6

I stand outside the Pokémon Gym. 

There is a green haired dude blocking my path. He tells me that he is one of the Gym Leaders here and welcomes me to come inside and fight him. I enter the gym and I am immediately bombared from another fellow who tells me a little bit about the gym and gives me a Fresh Water.

It's nothing special, but it can help later on. I take it and head off into the gym.

In the gym there are three symbols on the floor. Each represent a Pokémon type. I must know what type is strong against another. I know what is so I answer, which then has me fight a trainer afterwards.

I fight the trainer which nearly kills Conch. I realize that if Conch is struggling here, that she will have trouble later on in the Gym. So I run off and train her and Zkippy a little bit more. 

After they each level up, I run back into the gym.

After fighting the second trainer, I didn't struggle as much, but it still feels like my team is too weak. 

No, Thomas... I don't. So I head off to train a bit more. 

During my training I turn on Gurren Lagann...

It's a short lived series, but I've heard good things. Plus it's pretty funny... most of the time... curse you Gurren Lagann for the episode I'm about to watch!

Anyways I train up while giant robots fight on the television, until I feel good about my team.

I head BACK into the gym and meet up with the Gym Leaders.

Chili the redhead uses Fire-types. Cress the blue-haired uses Water-types. Cilan, the one who was blocking me from entering before, has green hair and uses Grass-types.

Depending on the starter Pokémon I chose at the beginning they will use the type that is stronger. In this case it means I will be fighting Cilan. 

I take a deep breath and...

We start the first Gym Battle.

Cilan sends out a level 12 Lillipup. I send out my Upstairs. Lillipup uses Work Up, to boost its attack and special attack. Upstairs follows up with a Water Gun. It takes it down a little more than a quarter. Lillipup Bites my Upstairs, while Upstairs unleashes another Water Gun. This happens one more time. 

Lillipup is in the red and Upstairs won't last another hit. Normally a Gym Leader will heal when it gets this low, so I use this opportunity to switch in another teammate. 

I send in my own Lillipup, Zkippy. We continue to bite each other back and forth dealing about the same damage, until Cilan's Lillipup uses Work Up, which gives me a free hit. His Lillipup goes down and Upstairs ends up growing another level!

So far so good...

Cilan has one last Pokémon, but it's the one that will give us a hassle. He sends out his Grass-type...

Pansage.

It's level 14, making it a higher level than any of mine. This isn't good.

I switched out Zkippy to send in Conch. I have a plan, don't worry. 

Cilan uses Work Up, but I use Sand Attack. I get ready to use another Sand Attack, but he gets off a Vine Whip first, it takes me down to barely above half health. I get off the Sand Attack, lowering his accuracy again, but... Vine Whip has a high critical hit ratio... I play it safe and send in Cilan's nightmare. 

Butterball rolls in and is lucky, because Cilan has his Pansage use another Work Up, boosting his Pokémon's attack. I get ready to use an Incinerate, but he gets off another Work Up. With him powering up this much, I may be in a lot of trouble... the Incinerate hits and we both use the same attack again.

All that it would probably take is Pansage to use Scratch on Butterball, but...

He uses another Work Up!

This is it! I use Incinerate! I watch his health drop... drop... in the red... and it stops with barely less than a sliver.

I  don't want to take any chances. I pick to use Incinerate again... uh oh... Cilan used Vine Whip. I feel tears already dropping on my cheeks and watch as... Butterball takes the hit like a champ! It doesn't even drop him halfway. 

Butterball torches Cilan's Pansage.

I won the first Gym Battle!

Hooray for me!

Cilan gives me a TM for Work Up and the Trio Badge!

I walk out of the Gym with my head held high and a smile on my face. This Nuzlocke is looking pretty simple so far!

My Team:

Upstairs (Oshawott) level 12 - Nuvema Town

Zkippy (Lillipup) level 12 - Route 1

Conch (Purrloin) level 11 - Route 2

Butterball (Pansear) level 11 - Dreamyard