Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Pokemon SoulSilver - Onward to Viridian City

I went south from Pewter City to Route 2, heading toward Viridian Forest. I fought against a Bug Catcher before I made it to Viridian Forest. I made sure to use a Repel before I went inside, knowing I'd have to deal with a lot of weak Pokemon otherwise.

I fought against another Trainer when I started out, and Claire won the battle and grew to Level 58! I continued around a winding path, and found Dire Hit before I continued on with Edward behind me. I found a Blue Flute, then doubled back to fight another Bug Catcher. Edward grew to Level 58 during the battle with that Trainer, and he wanted to learn Thunder but I decided that the extra power wasn't worth the (relatively) low accuracy. Blake also fought in the battle, and he too grew to Level 58.

I told Blake to quit on a move called Aqua Tail, which was slightly more powerful than Waterfall but with less PP. I continued onward and soon found myself against yet another Bug Catcher, and this one had some high-level Metapods that could do little but Harden. I won the battle easily and continued on.

I found myself against yet another Bug Catcher, then went further south. I found TM77 (Psych Up) before I continued onward. Another battle with a Bug Catcher, another victory for my team. I soon found myself out of the forest, and went through a nearby gate through Route 2 to find a Researcher who handed over Sacred Ash, which revives all Pokemon. I found an Elixir before I went back on the main road again.

I fought against a couple more Trainers along Route 2, where Blake grew to Level 59, before I went south to Viridian City. I went to the Pokemon Center to heal my team before I started to explore. I found Cameron the Photographer, and got a picture taken before I moved on. I found the Gym, but it wasn't open, the Gym Leader was away.

I went into the Trainer House where I found several Trainers all relaxing, and I was told that battles were held in the basement. I went downstairs and saw their Ace Trainer, Cal, but decided not to fight. I'll continue onward soon, since there's nothing more to do here in Viridian City.

Current Team:

Claire (Gengar, Ghost/Poison, Lv. 58)
Seth (Victreebel, Grass/Poison, Lv. 58)
Blake (Feraligatr, Water, Lv. 59)
Edward (Electabuzz, Electric, Lv. 58)
Samuel (Infernape, Fire/Fighting, Lv. 59)
Rayquaza (Dragon/Flying, Lv. 71)

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Pokemon SoulSilver - Mt. Moon

I did some training with old Trainers I fought in Johto, and Claire grew to Level 57, before I took the train back to Saffron City. I flew back to Pewter City, then I headed east on Route 3 and found myself battling a few Trainers on my way to Mt. Moon.

By the time I got to Mt. Moon and healed my team at the Pokemon Center there, Blake grew to Level 57, and both Samuel and Seth grew to Level 58. I went into Mt. Moon ready for more adventure and battles. I went into the caves of Mt. Moon and found myself face to face with Aiden.

Aiden was surprised to see me in Kanto, and he told me he found it easy to train his Pokemon because some of the Trainers here were tough. Aiden knew I was strong, yet couldn't help but to challenge me.

I sent out Claire against his Sneasel, and Claire used Shadow Ball for great damage before it countered with Icy Wind for minor damage. Sneasel used Faint Attack next for massive damage, and Claire used Hypnosis to put Sneasel to sleep. While Sneasel was asleep, Claire tried to use Dream Eater but found it to be unaffected. Sneasel remained fast asleep as Claire used Shadow Ball for great damage, and she gained a bit of health with Shell Bell.

I switched to Edward, and Sneasel woke up to use Faint Attack for great damage. Edward used Thunder Punch to knock out Sneasel, then I kept him out to fight against Golbat. Edward hit it with Thunder Punch for massive damage, and it went down instantly.

Alakazam was sent out next, and I sent Blake out to fight against it. Alakazam used Reflect to raise it's defense before Blake hit it with Crunch for massive damage, a critical hit that knocked it out. I switched out to Samuel against Meganium, and Samuel missed with Fire Spin before it used Petal Dance for good damage. Samuel used Flame Wheel for great damage, then Meganium used Petal Dance again for good damage.

Samuel used Close Combat against Meganium for great damage, then it got confused and hurt itself in it's confusion. Samuel finished Meganium off with Flame Wheel, then Magneton was sent out. Samuel used Close Combat for massive damage, and Magneton went down instantly, then Samuel grew to Level 59!

I sent Blake out against Aiden's Gengar, and it used Confuse Ray to confuse Blake before Blake countered with Crunch for a one-hit KO. With Gengar down, I won the battle! Aiden was frustrated about his loss, realizing that even with his training it wasn't enough. He was frustrated with his Pokemon being weak, but felt that they were getting better after each battle. Aiden mentioned putting them through more training at the Dragon's Den before he left.

I went into the cave and up a ladder, then I found myself at the peak of Mt. Moon, a nice hilly meadow with some trees nearby. I saw a pond to the left, and a shop at the center. I went inside, and the boy told me that Clefairy visit the peak at night. I bought some Lemonade from the elder shopkeeper and went down another ladder to find myself on Route 4.

I think I'll go ahead and do some training on Route 4 before I continue on my way.

Current Team:

Claire (Gengar, Ghost/Poison, Lv. 57)
Seth (Victreebel, Grass/Poison, Lv. 58)
Edward (Electabuzz, Electric, Lv. 57)
Blake (Feraligatr, Water, Lv. 57)
Samuel (Infernape, Fire/Fighting, Lv. 59)
Rayquaza (Dragon/Flying, Lv. 71)

Monday, December 15, 2014

Pokemon SoulSilver - Catching Ho-Oh

I went to Saffron City to heal Seth before I went on the Magnet Train back to Johto. When I got to Goldenrod City, I decided to fly back to New Bark Town to visit Mom, and see how much I had saved up and of course to see how she was doing.

Afterwards, I flew to Ecruteak City, and went through the Barrier Station to Bell Tower. When I got to Bell Tower, I spotted Morty, who told me the Legendary Pokemon didn't choose him. He said that wasn't the end of his future, and that he would continue training until he discovered a new future for himself. I agreed to be part of his training, and was told to call him on Tuesday night if I wanted to battle.

I went inside Bell Tower and headed to the ladder I remembered from before. The Monk ran up to me, spotting the Rainbow Wing I held, and told me to come through. I went up the ladder, then around and up another before I found a kind of maze with ramps going one-way through the place. I got into a battle with a wild Rattata, and escaped to use Max Repel to stop them from interfering.

Soon enough I found myself up another floor, and into another maze. I found a PP Up, and a ladder that went to a dead end on the next floor. I also found an Escape Rope, and a ladder that went to another dead end. The third ladder was the charm, and I found myself at the starting point for yet another maze.

I found a Rare Candy at the center of this maze, and had to make my way to the dead end I found the first time to go down. I used another Max Repel after my first wore off, and after some effort I found myself on the next floor. I grabbed a Max Potion and made my way across some old rope bridges. I found a Full Heal on my way out, and up another ladder to the next floor.

I started to wonder just how MANY more floors I would have to get through to find Ho-Oh, and what effort I would go through to catch it. I found a Max Revive along the way through the floor. I got a call from Lyra as I made my way through, telling me to take a Bulbasaur with me to Route 1 if I ever got the chance. I went along several warp panels, and found a Max Elixir as I went through.

I found a Nugget as I went along, finding myself going between two different floors on these warp panels. I found an HP Up as I continued on, then a Full Restore, until I finally found myself getting to the next floor and near the top. I walked slowly over a pair of rickety planks, and up another ladder where I saw Ho-Oh hovering above the tower.

I saved my progress, before I started the battle. Ho-Oh (Fire/Flying, Lv. 70) exerted it's pressure when I sent out Blake. Ho-Oh used Safeguard, before Blake hit it with Ice Fang for good damage. Ho-Oh used Safeguard again but it failed, then Ice Fang hit again for good damage. I switched over to Edward, who got hit by Punishment for massive damage. Ho-Oh used Punishment again, and Edward was struck down before he could attack, but he left Ho-Oh paralyzed.

I sent out Claire next, and she used Shadow Ball for good damage. Claire hit Ho-Oh with Shadow Ball again after Safeguard dropped, before she took massive damage from Punishment. I sent Blake out next, and Ho-Oh used Ancient Power for great damage. Blake missed with Ice Fang, but Ho-Oh was stopped by paralysis. Blake then hit Ho-Oh with Waterfall for great damage, and it was knocked out.

- - -

I reloaded, and started again. Ho-Oh used Safeguard, then Blake hit it with Waterfall for great damage. Blake hit it with Waterfall again, and it barely clung on in the red before countering with Punishment for great damage. I switched over to Claire, who got hit by Sacred Fire for massive damage and was knocked out instantly.

I sent out the one Pokemon who could take the punishment, Rayquaza, and then I sent out an Ultra Ball which did nothing. Rayquaza was holding up against Ho-Oh's attacks, but was taking lots of damage. I gave Rayquaza some Moomoo Milk, before it got hit by Punishment for great damage. I gave Claire a Revive, and then switched her in again.

Claire was knocked out immediately by Sacred Fire, and I wondered what I could do at this point. I decided to try using my Heavy Balls against it, and it did well with two shakes. Another one did nothing, and Edward took his second Ancient Power to be pushed to the red. Ho-Oh finished off Edward with Sacred Fire, and I had to switch to Blake again.

I tossed another Heavy Ball, two shakes before it broke out, and Ho-Oh used Safeguard again. I knew Heavy Balls were the way to go, with every other one making it struggle, but I had to switch to Rayquaza again after Blake was knocked out. I gave Rayquaza a Full Restore, then tried with another Heavy Ball.

Rayquaza took massive damage from another Ancient Power, then I tossed another Heavy Ball before Rayquaza was knocked out by Punishment. I sent Samuel out next, and Ho-Oh broke free from another Heavy Ball bfore knocking out Samuel with a critical hit from Ancient Power. I had only one Pokemon left, and considered using my Master Ball against Ho-Oh.

Ho-Oh broke free and struck down Seth with Punishment, and my whole team was gone.

- - -

I reloaded the game, and pondered how to proceed. Would it be best to just use my Master Ball against Ho-Oh? I knew I had several more Legendary Pokemon ahead of me, including a roaming Pokemon, and Heavy Balls seemed to help, but at the end of the day I wasn't sure what could be done.

I decided to try starting out with Claire at the front. Claire hit Ho-Oh with Hypnosis, then attacked with Shadow Ball for good damage while it was asleep. Claire used Dream Eater next for good damage, and Ho-Oh remained asleep. I switched over to Blake, and Ho-Oh remained asleep, then it woke up and hit Blake with Punishment for great damage before Blake countered with Waterfall for massive damage.

I sent Claire out, and Ho-Oh used Sacred Fire for an instant knock-out. I sent Edward out next, and Ho-Oh used Safeguard before Edward hit it with Flash. Ho-Oh hit Edward with Punishment for massive damage, then Edward used Flash again. Ho-Oh missed with Sacred Fire, and Edward used Flash again to lower it's accuracy further.

After another couple Flashes to lower Ho-Oh's accuracy to minimum, I gave Claire a Revive then switched her out. Claire couldn't use Hypnosis because of Safeguard, and was then knocked out by Ho-Oh with Punishment. I sent out Rayquaza, then started using Heavy Balls against Ho-Oh.

Ho-Oh's attacks kept missing, and I kept trying out Heavy Balls with minimal effect. I switched to Samuel to use Rock Smash to push Ho-Oh into the red, then I used another Revive to get Claire back up on her feet. Samuel took massive damage from Sacred Fire, before I switched to Claire again, and Ho-Oh used Safeguard again.

I decided to try using an Ultra Ball, and it seemed more effective than the Heavy Ball. Safeguard wore off, and Claire put Ho-Oh to sleep with Hypnosis before I tried again. Ho-Oh woke up after a few tries and used Safeguard to stop Hypnosis from working again. I switched Rayquaza in and another Ultra Ball got Ho-Oh so close to capture.

Ho-Oh was getting weak, more effort to escape, and I knew I was so close. Ho-Oh seemed to gain a second wind and kept avoiding capture with only a single shake at most. Ho-Oh ran out of moves and had to use Struggle, and then it knocked itself out.

- - -

I was starting to wonder just what it would take to capture Ho-Oh. I didn't want to use my Master Ball on it, but it was looking like that was the only option. I decided to try my luck once more, same as before with Claire starting out to Hypnotize, then Blake to do massive damage.

Ho-Oh was only asleep for one turn to let me switch out Blake, who used Surf for great damage. Ho-Oh hit Blake with Sacred Fire for great damage before he countered with Waterfall for massive damage. I sent Samuel out to fight, doing a bit of damage with Rock Smash to push Ho-Oh into the red before I switched to Edward.

Ho-Oh knocked Edward out with Sacred Fire, and I knew Flash wouldn't work this time. I sent out Rayquaza, and tried using a few Ultra Balls, giving Rayquaza a Full Restore when he was hurt and burned. Rayquaza was knocked out after a few more Ultra Balls, and I had to switch to Claire.

Claire missed with Hypnosis, and took great damage from Ancient Power. Claire landed Hypnosis to put Ho-Oh to sleep, and kept trying with Ultra Balls. I tried a Dusk Ball as it was late, and it did little before Ho-Oh woke up and used Safeguard to protect against Hypnosis.

Ho-Oh kept missing attacks, and Claire missed with Hypnosis a couple times, but I kept at it with Ultra Balls before I finally, FINALLY caught it! After so much time and effort, I had finally finished the duo of Lugia and Ho-Oh!

Current Team:

Claire (Gengar, Ghost/Poison, Lv. 56)
Seth (Victreebel, Grass/Poison, Lv. 57)
Edward (Electabuzz, Electric, Lv. 57)
Samuel (Infernape, Fire/Fighting, Lv. 57)
Blake (Feraligatr, Water, Lv. 56)
Rayquaza (Dragon/Flying, Lv. 71)

Monday, December 8, 2014

Pokemon SoulSilver - Catching Suicune

I flew from Pewter City to Cerulean City, then went north to the hill I remembered spotting Misty at. I found Suicune, and saved progress before going up the steps. Eusine was on my heels, knowing he was no match for me, and told me to go ahead and capture Suicune. He said he had known ever since spotting me at the Burnt Tower at Ecruteak City that Suicune would choose me. It seemed that Suicune had been waiting to battle against someone worthy. I saved progress after that, and started my battle.

I sent out Seth against Suicune, and saw that it was a far lower level than Seth was. I was worried about taking it down, so I started with Cut which missed, then it used Rain dance for enhanced water attacks. Seth landed a Cut for good damage, and then Suicune's Rain Dance failed as it was already in effect. Seth used Cut again for good damage, and then Suicune hit Seth with Aurora Beam for good damage.

Seth missed with another Cut, then Rain Dance failed again. I pondered sending out Claire, but I knew I needed to get Suicune worn further before I could attempt sleep. Seth hit Suicune with another Cut, and it went to the yellow. Seth gave Suicune another Cut, and it was a critical hit that knocked Suicune out.

I reloaded my game, and tried again. I kept going with Seth using Cut, and after several blows Suicune was in the red. I sent out Claire, and she used Hypnosis to put Suicune to sleep, and that's when I started tossing Pokeballs. First one did nothing, second one got one shake, third one did nothing. I kept at it, putting Suicune to sleep again after it woke up before trying again.

My fifth Pokeball, an Ultra Ball, caught Suicune! My Legendary Beast trio was complete! After the battle, Eusine complimented me on an amazing battle, having never seen such an intense battle. He bid us both farewell, no regrets on losing Suicune to me. I was just glad to be done with him after all that trouble.

I think next up I'll head back to Johto to find out if Ho-oh is waiting for me at the Burnt Tower, and to also do some training with all the Trainers itching for a rematch!

Current Team:

Seth (Victreebel, Grass/Poison, Lv. 57)
Blake (Feraligatr, Water, Lv. 56)
Edward (Electabuzz, Electric, Lv. 57)
Samuel (Infernape, Fire/Fighting, Lv. 57)
Claire (Gengar, Ghost/Poison, Lv. 56)
Rayquaza (Dragon/Flying, Lv. 71)