Fatmanonice
Banned via Warnings
Link to original post: [drupal=4464]Fatmanonice's Nuzlocke Challenge: Fire Red Edition Updated 7/21[/drupal]
The Nuzlocke Challenge is named after the comics by the same name where the author records his journeys through different Pokémon games. Some people refer to it as Pokémon: Hard Mode because it makes the games significantly more challenging. You can do this with any Pokémon version and there are three basic rules:
1. You can only catch the first Pokémon you come across in an area. If you make it faint, too bad, you can’t catch any more Pokémon in that area. You can only catch more than one Pokémon in an area if you come across a shiny or if the area has a body of water but, again, you have to catch the first one you come across using surf or a fishing pole or do without. If different areas of the same place have radically different Pokémon (like the Safari Zone or the Route 111 Desert), you can catch one Pokémon per area. Multiple levels of caves like Mount Moon or buildings like the Pokémon Tower DO NOT COUNT. This makes getting certain Pokémon like dratini and ralts almost impossible to get but that’s all part of the challenge.
2. You must nickname every Pokémon you catch. The purpose of this is to try to create a bond between you and your Pokémon because of the final rule…
3. If your Pokémon faints during battle, it’s officially dead. You can’t revive it and you have to release it. NO EXCEPTIONS. If you want your Pokémon to survive, you need to be careful and plan ahead because one mistake can mean losing someone vital to your team.
You officially pass the challenge when you beat the Elite Four in your respective game. For Gold/Silver/Crystal, you only have to do this once and the trip to Kanto is completely optional and, from what I’ve seen so far, most people don’t bother. If you lose all your Pokémon in a battle, it’s game over and you have to start all the way back at the beginning. It’s a really harsh punishment and I’ve come to see that most people lose to the Elite Four in the end. I had recently beaten Sapphire with the Nuzlocke challenge in place so I decided to do the whole thing over again.
When most people do the Nuzlocke challenge, they usually add a few extra rules to make it more challenging and, like them, I’ve added a few of my own:
1. No legendary Pokémon. When you fight them, you have to make them faint.
2. No TMs until you’ve gotten past Victory Road. Up until then, you have to rely on your Pokémon’s natural moves so choose your team wisely. HMs can be used BUT only one person on your team can have a particular move (for example, multiple Pokémon can’t have strength) so, again, be careful who you give certain moves to.
3. If a Pokémon on your team faints, you can’t replace it with the same Pokémon or a Pokémon in its evolutionary line. For example, if you have a pidgeot and it faints, you can’t replace it with a pidgey or a pidgeotto from your box.
4. Your team for fighting the Elite Four cannot have repeating types. If you have a normal Pokémon, you can’t use another normal Pokémon even if it’s normal flying, psychic normal, etc. Up until then it’s perfectly fine especially since it’s borderline impossible not to do this until about the third gym in nearly all the games with the Nuzlocke challenge.
5. No stat boosting items like Iron or Calcium until you’ve reached the Elite Four.
6. New Rule: If you catch a Pokémon that can only evolve through trading, you can only do this once. If you end up with a graveler and a haunter on your team, you have to choose between a golem or a gengar.
Our journey was finally over. I had been crowned the Champion of Hoenn and my Pokémon were placed in the Hall of Fame. After that, I returned home where I was greeted with open arms by my mom and dad. My mom cried a lot and my dad couldn’t stop telling me how proud he was of me. They could hardly contain their excitement and there was a party held in my honor a few days later. The whole town came but I had my mind on other things. I was wondering what to do from there. I had earned plenty of money through my journey but I didn’t know if it would be a good idea to become a professional Pokémon trainer. My dad insisted that once I turned 30 that I should take over the Petalburg Gym but I didn’t think that would be right for me. May told me that she was going to Saffron University in the fall. I had put off going to college for a year to travel and I had experiences that I would never forget but it would be hard to keep this up for the rest of my life. That night, I just stared at my ceiling as I searched for an answer. Around four in the morning, I decided what I was going to do…
That morning, I told my parents my plans and made a few phone calls. My decision wasn’t an easy one to make but I thought it was the right decision. I gathered my team in the backyard and I hesitated a bit, fearing how they would react. “Guys, I have to tell you something… I’m going to Kanto. My aunt has agreed to let me stay at her house until the annual Pokémon give away and the town has agreed to let me participate because I’m the Hoenn champion. I’m… I’m going to be starting a new journey.” There was a moment of silence until Ryu (my blaziken) broke the silence. “Go… you have my support.”
“Is it really okay,” I asked. He nodded and I turned to the others. Everyone else gave a sign of approval except Hush (my exploud). She was fighting back a stream of tears and I knew this was really hard for her. She had been strongly attached to me ever since she was a whismur and, even as she evolved, I still found myself babying her because she always seemed so fragile. I stepped toward her but she turned away. “I have an important job for you,” I said, putting a hand on her back. “I need you to stay here and look after Mom. I’ll probably be gone for another year and it wouldn’t be fair to her to leave alone with Dad being out of the house all the time. Can you do that for me?” She turned around, with tears streaming down her face, nodded and whispered (as she always did) “be careful.” I gave her a hug and turned to my other Pokémon. “Only half of you can see me off because there isn’t much room at my aunt’s place. She agreed to let you guys stay until I get my new starter Pokémon.” Thundara (my manectric) then jumped forward and blurted out “Take me! Take me! Once you get your new starter, I want to run around the countryside and explore Kanto on my own! You caught me on my own journey around Hoenn and I want to try again in a new place. Take me! Take me!” I always appreciated her unbridled enthusiasm and there was no way I could turn her down as she excitedly jumped around. I then saw in the corner of my eye Goo (my muk) starting to crawl off into the tall grass. “Is everything okay, Goo,” I asked. “I need to think some things over” she turned and said as she disappeared from sight. “Sir, I’ll keep an eye on her and make sure she returns home safely,” Silverwing (my altaria) said before he flew off after her.
The day passed and there was no sign of Silverwing or Goo. I was waiting for them to come back on the back porch as the sun started to set in the distance. Thundara was asleep on my lap while Hush and Ryu sat next to me. “Do you think they’re alright,” I turned and asked Ryu. “They survived the Elite Four, I think they can take care of themselves,” he said as we both watched Scatman (my whiscash) swim in circles in the ornamental pond. “It’s unreal how laid back he is” I commented. “Even when he was up against Steven’s metagross, he didn’t bat an eye. He just kept grinning as if he knew everything was going to be just fine in the end.” Scatman noticed us talking and continued bobbing his head, as if there was a song in his head. “I wish I was more like him,” I said. “Trust me, you wouldn’t have gotten as far as you did if you were,” Ryu laughed, looking up at the sky. The stars were out and despite how tense I was, the night air was soothing. I thought to myself how this would be the last time me and my Pokémon would be together like this for a while so I tried to relax and enjoy the moment for what it was worth.
The night seemed to fly by and before I knew it, me, my family and my Pokémon were at the docks in Slateport as we waited for Mr. Briney to take me to Kanto. Goo and Silverwing never came back but my dad had contacted the other gym leaders to keep an eye out for them. I was still worried but Ryu’s words from before did have a lot of weight to them. They were Elite Four champions, what’s the worst that could happen to them? My mom and Hush were mirror images of each other that day as neither of them said a thing and looked so sad that I had second thoughts about the trip. My dad assured me that they would be just fine as Mr. Briney’s boat pulled into the harbor. “Ahoy,” Mr. Briney shouted as Peeko (his wingull) circled overhead. “Ready to ship off?” My dad threw his arm over my shoulder. “Try not to thrash the Kanto gyms too hard. I still have to see those guys once a year so don’t overdo it.” My mom pulled me tight into her and hugged me. She still didn’t say anything as I felt her hot tears on my neck and I couldn’t think of anything to say to console her. Hush waved meekly as Thundara looked at her with a confused look on her face before running to my side. “See yam, Hush” she barked. “Take care Hush,” Ryu said as he gave her a quick pat on the back before walking towards me. Scatman was already in the harbor, playfully squirting water at Peeko and diving under when she tried to peck him. It looked like everyone was ready to go and I decided I was too. “I’m ready, Mr. Briney” I said, stepping aboard. “Good, we’re off then” he said with a belly laugh. The boat moved forward and I watched as the shore got smaller and smaller. Thundara could barely contain her excitement and sparks flew off her fur as she ran around the ship, jumping on the ledges to get a good look from every angle. Scatman tailed the boat from behind while Ryu watched the shore with me. Moments later, we heard a deafening sound that shook the boat. It seemed that Hush could no longer contain herself and was wailing like a baby, miles away. “She’ll be okay,” I grinned, holding my hands over my ears. “They’ll all be okay.”
The trip to Kanto took about three days. The sun beamed down on us and I ended up with sunburn on my nose that caused Ryu to smirk every time he looked at me. We finally arrived in Pallet Town and we waved to Mr. Briney as he sailed back to Hoenn. My aunt was waiting for us and she greeted me with a hug that just about knocked me flat on my butt. “My Arceus, you’ve gotten big, Archnid! How long has it been? Five years?” “What a nice lady,” Thundara said wagging her tail. Ryu raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything while I could hear Scatman chuckling to himself behind me. “Are these your Pokémon” my aunt asked as she looked up at Ryu. “I’m Thundara” she blurted before jumping up on my aunt. “My name is Ryu” he said, shaking her hand. “Is that odd looking fish staring at me yours’ too, Archnid” my aunt asked looking over my shoulder. “Yeah, that’s Scatman.” Scatman then floated there for a while staring at my aunt. After what seemed like an eternity he finally spoke. “S’up,” he said with a big grin before diving underwater. “How… how nice” my aunt said with a puzzled look on her face. “Here, let me help you with your luggage.” We then walked to her house and I was shown to my room. It belonged to my cousin who was currently on a Pokémon journey of his own. He was a few years younger than me and my aunt said that he was currently in the Johto region but wasn’t all too sure what he was up to. It didn’t take long for me to get settled and I slept like a geodude that night.
The rest of the summer flew by. I spent those muggy days playing with Thundara and Scatman and talking to Professor Oak about everything I had experienced in Hoenn. He listened to everything I said intently and nearly every conversation felt like an interview. It was funny to meet a professor that was the complete opposite of Professor Birch. Professor Oak was a true professional while it wasn’t a rare sight to find Professor Birch sleeping under a tree or on top of a pile of notes on his desk. Ryu seemed to have his mind on something else. My aunt spent her nights watching the televised matches of challengers taking on Kanto’s Elite Four and Ryu often joined her. My parents called me about once a week and told me that Silverwing and Goo hadn’t been found yet and Hush was still broken up about me leaving but was slowly starting to cheer up. To help with Hush’s loneliness, I gave my mom my pin number to transfer Yip-Yip-Guyu (my poochyena) and Ali (my dustox) to Oldale to bring home to keep her company. Everything seemed to be in order as the big day finally arrived.
I woke up early that morning and headed over to Professor Oak’s lab. Inside, I only ran into his assistants who told me that he was out doing field work so I headed off into the tall grass just outside my aunt’s house. I took maybe two steps before I was startled by a hand on my shoulder. “Hold on a minute, son. Wouldn’t you like your new Pokémon first before you head off,” Professor Oak asked. “I was actually just looking for you Pro…” I started before he grabbed me by the hand. “There’s not a moment to lose,” he said as I tried not to stumble from our awkward pace. It wasn’t too long before we were back at the lab and that was when I met Gary, Professor Oak’s grandson. He was a few years younger than me and he glared at me as I walked in. “Is something wrong,” I asked. “You’re late” he grumbled. “C’mon gramps, let me choose a Pokémon” he said eyeing the pokeballs containing the starter Pokémon. “Patience Gary,” Oak said. “Archnid’s an honored guest and he gets to choose first.” Professor Oak then turned towards me. “Go ahead, Archnid.” It felt like only yesterday that I had only chosen Ryu to save Professor Birch from a rabid poochyena. Whoever I chose, I was sure to create a lasting relationship with them. I hesitated for a bit but then I reached forward. “Are you sure that’s the one you want,” Professor Oak asked. “Yes, I’m sure Professor,” I said as the light gleamed off the pokeball.
To Be Continued...
This is my second Nuzlocke Challenge and I have decided to write this one like an actual story/blog. Like the last one, you can just read the first couple of paragraphs about what the Nuzlocke challenge is if all you're interested in is what it actually is
. What is the Nuzlocke Challenge?
The Nuzlocke Challenge is named after the comics by the same name where the author records his journeys through different Pokémon games. Some people refer to it as Pokémon: Hard Mode because it makes the games significantly more challenging. You can do this with any Pokémon version and there are three basic rules:
1. You can only catch the first Pokémon you come across in an area. If you make it faint, too bad, you can’t catch any more Pokémon in that area. You can only catch more than one Pokémon in an area if you come across a shiny or if the area has a body of water but, again, you have to catch the first one you come across using surf or a fishing pole or do without. If different areas of the same place have radically different Pokémon (like the Safari Zone or the Route 111 Desert), you can catch one Pokémon per area. Multiple levels of caves like Mount Moon or buildings like the Pokémon Tower DO NOT COUNT. This makes getting certain Pokémon like dratini and ralts almost impossible to get but that’s all part of the challenge.
2. You must nickname every Pokémon you catch. The purpose of this is to try to create a bond between you and your Pokémon because of the final rule…
3. If your Pokémon faints during battle, it’s officially dead. You can’t revive it and you have to release it. NO EXCEPTIONS. If you want your Pokémon to survive, you need to be careful and plan ahead because one mistake can mean losing someone vital to your team.
You officially pass the challenge when you beat the Elite Four in your respective game. For Gold/Silver/Crystal, you only have to do this once and the trip to Kanto is completely optional and, from what I’ve seen so far, most people don’t bother. If you lose all your Pokémon in a battle, it’s game over and you have to start all the way back at the beginning. It’s a really harsh punishment and I’ve come to see that most people lose to the Elite Four in the end. I had recently beaten Sapphire with the Nuzlocke challenge in place so I decided to do the whole thing over again.
My Nuzlocke Challenge
When most people do the Nuzlocke challenge, they usually add a few extra rules to make it more challenging and, like them, I’ve added a few of my own:
1. No legendary Pokémon. When you fight them, you have to make them faint.
2. No TMs until you’ve gotten past Victory Road. Up until then, you have to rely on your Pokémon’s natural moves so choose your team wisely. HMs can be used BUT only one person on your team can have a particular move (for example, multiple Pokémon can’t have strength) so, again, be careful who you give certain moves to.
3. If a Pokémon on your team faints, you can’t replace it with the same Pokémon or a Pokémon in its evolutionary line. For example, if you have a pidgeot and it faints, you can’t replace it with a pidgey or a pidgeotto from your box.
4. Your team for fighting the Elite Four cannot have repeating types. If you have a normal Pokémon, you can’t use another normal Pokémon even if it’s normal flying, psychic normal, etc. Up until then it’s perfectly fine especially since it’s borderline impossible not to do this until about the third gym in nearly all the games with the Nuzlocke challenge.
5. No stat boosting items like Iron or Calcium until you’ve reached the Elite Four.
6. New Rule: If you catch a Pokémon that can only evolve through trading, you can only do this once. If you end up with a graveler and a haunter on your team, you have to choose between a golem or a gengar.
Archnid’s Adventure in Kanto
Archnid: Champion of Hoenn
Our journey was finally over. I had been crowned the Champion of Hoenn and my Pokémon were placed in the Hall of Fame. After that, I returned home where I was greeted with open arms by my mom and dad. My mom cried a lot and my dad couldn’t stop telling me how proud he was of me. They could hardly contain their excitement and there was a party held in my honor a few days later. The whole town came but I had my mind on other things. I was wondering what to do from there. I had earned plenty of money through my journey but I didn’t know if it would be a good idea to become a professional Pokémon trainer. My dad insisted that once I turned 30 that I should take over the Petalburg Gym but I didn’t think that would be right for me. May told me that she was going to Saffron University in the fall. I had put off going to college for a year to travel and I had experiences that I would never forget but it would be hard to keep this up for the rest of my life. That night, I just stared at my ceiling as I searched for an answer. Around four in the morning, I decided what I was going to do…
Preparing for the Journey Ahead
That morning, I told my parents my plans and made a few phone calls. My decision wasn’t an easy one to make but I thought it was the right decision. I gathered my team in the backyard and I hesitated a bit, fearing how they would react. “Guys, I have to tell you something… I’m going to Kanto. My aunt has agreed to let me stay at her house until the annual Pokémon give away and the town has agreed to let me participate because I’m the Hoenn champion. I’m… I’m going to be starting a new journey.” There was a moment of silence until Ryu (my blaziken) broke the silence. “Go… you have my support.”
“Is it really okay,” I asked. He nodded and I turned to the others. Everyone else gave a sign of approval except Hush (my exploud). She was fighting back a stream of tears and I knew this was really hard for her. She had been strongly attached to me ever since she was a whismur and, even as she evolved, I still found myself babying her because she always seemed so fragile. I stepped toward her but she turned away. “I have an important job for you,” I said, putting a hand on her back. “I need you to stay here and look after Mom. I’ll probably be gone for another year and it wouldn’t be fair to her to leave alone with Dad being out of the house all the time. Can you do that for me?” She turned around, with tears streaming down her face, nodded and whispered (as she always did) “be careful.” I gave her a hug and turned to my other Pokémon. “Only half of you can see me off because there isn’t much room at my aunt’s place. She agreed to let you guys stay until I get my new starter Pokémon.” Thundara (my manectric) then jumped forward and blurted out “Take me! Take me! Once you get your new starter, I want to run around the countryside and explore Kanto on my own! You caught me on my own journey around Hoenn and I want to try again in a new place. Take me! Take me!” I always appreciated her unbridled enthusiasm and there was no way I could turn her down as she excitedly jumped around. I then saw in the corner of my eye Goo (my muk) starting to crawl off into the tall grass. “Is everything okay, Goo,” I asked. “I need to think some things over” she turned and said as she disappeared from sight. “Sir, I’ll keep an eye on her and make sure she returns home safely,” Silverwing (my altaria) said before he flew off after her.
The day passed and there was no sign of Silverwing or Goo. I was waiting for them to come back on the back porch as the sun started to set in the distance. Thundara was asleep on my lap while Hush and Ryu sat next to me. “Do you think they’re alright,” I turned and asked Ryu. “They survived the Elite Four, I think they can take care of themselves,” he said as we both watched Scatman (my whiscash) swim in circles in the ornamental pond. “It’s unreal how laid back he is” I commented. “Even when he was up against Steven’s metagross, he didn’t bat an eye. He just kept grinning as if he knew everything was going to be just fine in the end.” Scatman noticed us talking and continued bobbing his head, as if there was a song in his head. “I wish I was more like him,” I said. “Trust me, you wouldn’t have gotten as far as you did if you were,” Ryu laughed, looking up at the sky. The stars were out and despite how tense I was, the night air was soothing. I thought to myself how this would be the last time me and my Pokémon would be together like this for a while so I tried to relax and enjoy the moment for what it was worth.
Off to Kanto
The night seemed to fly by and before I knew it, me, my family and my Pokémon were at the docks in Slateport as we waited for Mr. Briney to take me to Kanto. Goo and Silverwing never came back but my dad had contacted the other gym leaders to keep an eye out for them. I was still worried but Ryu’s words from before did have a lot of weight to them. They were Elite Four champions, what’s the worst that could happen to them? My mom and Hush were mirror images of each other that day as neither of them said a thing and looked so sad that I had second thoughts about the trip. My dad assured me that they would be just fine as Mr. Briney’s boat pulled into the harbor. “Ahoy,” Mr. Briney shouted as Peeko (his wingull) circled overhead. “Ready to ship off?” My dad threw his arm over my shoulder. “Try not to thrash the Kanto gyms too hard. I still have to see those guys once a year so don’t overdo it.” My mom pulled me tight into her and hugged me. She still didn’t say anything as I felt her hot tears on my neck and I couldn’t think of anything to say to console her. Hush waved meekly as Thundara looked at her with a confused look on her face before running to my side. “See yam, Hush” she barked. “Take care Hush,” Ryu said as he gave her a quick pat on the back before walking towards me. Scatman was already in the harbor, playfully squirting water at Peeko and diving under when she tried to peck him. It looked like everyone was ready to go and I decided I was too. “I’m ready, Mr. Briney” I said, stepping aboard. “Good, we’re off then” he said with a belly laugh. The boat moved forward and I watched as the shore got smaller and smaller. Thundara could barely contain her excitement and sparks flew off her fur as she ran around the ship, jumping on the ledges to get a good look from every angle. Scatman tailed the boat from behind while Ryu watched the shore with me. Moments later, we heard a deafening sound that shook the boat. It seemed that Hush could no longer contain herself and was wailing like a baby, miles away. “She’ll be okay,” I grinned, holding my hands over my ears. “They’ll all be okay.”
A New Adventure in Kanto
The trip to Kanto took about three days. The sun beamed down on us and I ended up with sunburn on my nose that caused Ryu to smirk every time he looked at me. We finally arrived in Pallet Town and we waved to Mr. Briney as he sailed back to Hoenn. My aunt was waiting for us and she greeted me with a hug that just about knocked me flat on my butt. “My Arceus, you’ve gotten big, Archnid! How long has it been? Five years?” “What a nice lady,” Thundara said wagging her tail. Ryu raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything while I could hear Scatman chuckling to himself behind me. “Are these your Pokémon” my aunt asked as she looked up at Ryu. “I’m Thundara” she blurted before jumping up on my aunt. “My name is Ryu” he said, shaking her hand. “Is that odd looking fish staring at me yours’ too, Archnid” my aunt asked looking over my shoulder. “Yeah, that’s Scatman.” Scatman then floated there for a while staring at my aunt. After what seemed like an eternity he finally spoke. “S’up,” he said with a big grin before diving underwater. “How… how nice” my aunt said with a puzzled look on her face. “Here, let me help you with your luggage.” We then walked to her house and I was shown to my room. It belonged to my cousin who was currently on a Pokémon journey of his own. He was a few years younger than me and my aunt said that he was currently in the Johto region but wasn’t all too sure what he was up to. It didn’t take long for me to get settled and I slept like a geodude that night.
The rest of the summer flew by. I spent those muggy days playing with Thundara and Scatman and talking to Professor Oak about everything I had experienced in Hoenn. He listened to everything I said intently and nearly every conversation felt like an interview. It was funny to meet a professor that was the complete opposite of Professor Birch. Professor Oak was a true professional while it wasn’t a rare sight to find Professor Birch sleeping under a tree or on top of a pile of notes on his desk. Ryu seemed to have his mind on something else. My aunt spent her nights watching the televised matches of challengers taking on Kanto’s Elite Four and Ryu often joined her. My parents called me about once a week and told me that Silverwing and Goo hadn’t been found yet and Hush was still broken up about me leaving but was slowly starting to cheer up. To help with Hush’s loneliness, I gave my mom my pin number to transfer Yip-Yip-Guyu (my poochyena) and Ali (my dustox) to Oldale to bring home to keep her company. Everything seemed to be in order as the big day finally arrived.
Pallet Town
I woke up early that morning and headed over to Professor Oak’s lab. Inside, I only ran into his assistants who told me that he was out doing field work so I headed off into the tall grass just outside my aunt’s house. I took maybe two steps before I was startled by a hand on my shoulder. “Hold on a minute, son. Wouldn’t you like your new Pokémon first before you head off,” Professor Oak asked. “I was actually just looking for you Pro…” I started before he grabbed me by the hand. “There’s not a moment to lose,” he said as I tried not to stumble from our awkward pace. It wasn’t too long before we were back at the lab and that was when I met Gary, Professor Oak’s grandson. He was a few years younger than me and he glared at me as I walked in. “Is something wrong,” I asked. “You’re late” he grumbled. “C’mon gramps, let me choose a Pokémon” he said eyeing the pokeballs containing the starter Pokémon. “Patience Gary,” Oak said. “Archnid’s an honored guest and he gets to choose first.” Professor Oak then turned towards me. “Go ahead, Archnid.” It felt like only yesterday that I had only chosen Ryu to save Professor Birch from a rabid poochyena. Whoever I chose, I was sure to create a lasting relationship with them. I hesitated for a bit but then I reached forward. “Are you sure that’s the one you want,” Professor Oak asked. “Yes, I’m sure Professor,” I said as the light gleamed off the pokeball.
To Be Continued...