Lavender Tower

Having routed Team Rocket in Celadon and retrieved the Silph Scope, I've come to Lavendar Tower for my own nefarious purposes, which I'd rather not reveal at this point. We real criminal masterminds prefer to play things cloak-and-dagger.  Of course, I run into that brat, Ego.


I'm acquiring troops to use  in my eventual coup here to free the poor people from demon possession.  What about you, chump? Oh. Battle.


I never get tired of that THUNDERPUNCH! ...but I had to use an Ember to follow up on it. Matt's losing his one-hit-KO touch.


*yawn*


Next up is his psychic, Kirlia. Little hussy survives Peck, then thunderbolts my poor Dreikopf! The nerve! It knocks him out.


There's no kill like overkill.


Electrabuzz proves odd in two ways: one, he survives multiple RazorLeafs, necessitating a Toxic. Two, the only moves he uses is "Struggle", which is the "Oh noz you're out of PP for all your moves" move.


I'm getting lax on my training. Matt didn't knock out that Goldbat on the first try, and his Electrabuzz was only a few levels behind me. Well, I won't see Gary again until Saffron City.

FireRed Omega: Meeting Giovanni

While a-visiting Celadon City, I happened to note that ill-tempered men in silly suits were wandering about, scowling at townsfolk. They were Rockets. Thinking perhaps a Minion Convention was in town, I mosied into the Game Corner to shake down people for money see why people were complaining about it. I spoke to one fellow, who insisted on battling me and yelled something about a switch behind the poster. That revealed a staircase, and subsequently an evil lair! I was quite beside myself with the opportunity to fight dorks, and four floors down I found this man: Giovanni, Criminal Genius.

He opens with a Rhyhorn, and I order Matthias to Karate-Chop it. The Rhyhorn proves resilient and manages to strike against Matt before succumbing.

Giovannia announces that he's sending out a Kanga, so I counter with Gaia: her RazorLeaf will send Kanga a-runnin'!

Gaia! :-( Kanga withstood RazorLeaf and Toxic, and its own "Double Edge" dropped Gaia more quickly than I anticipated. This is bad news: I figured Gaia would wipe up his entire team.

When you need vengeance, call in Thaddaeus.

Persia was not at all impressive. Notice Dreikopf's name has been changed to account for that third head. He was so embarrassed, answering to "Two-head" when he obviously had three.

Harry can't do a thing to this Houndoom, who is immune to psychic-type moves and merely yawned at Harry's "Gust". Harry managed to Sleep-Powder him and escape alive.

...leaving Matthias to do clean-up duty. Given his varied skillset, Matthias has officially earned the title of "team anchor". There are few Pokemon he can't handle. I've yet to meet one, anyway.

Ember isn't enough, but Flamethrower does the job.

I briefly considered sending in Eris to take out the Kingler, but figured Matthias reserved the final honors.

With that, Giovanni flees. His wretched hive of scum and villainy is no more.

Obviously, my Brock-era team is showing its weaknesses. I need a Water-type, but am not sure who will fit the bill...and do not know who it might replace.

FireRed Omega: Thunder Badge

Here we are outside the headquarters of the LIGHTENING AMERICAN, Lieutenant Surge. He's paranoid and likes to shock people: must've worked for the Bush-Cheney-Rove administration. 

Let's look at the team. As you can see, aside from experience we remain unchanged. Zweikopf now has three kopfs.

The people hanging around his gyms are jokes, but I test my luck by sending in Harry against the electrics. He does well for himself, opening with Sleep Powder and then employing PsyBeam to knock out his foes.

The idea of using Butterfree, a Bug/Flying type which has no business whatsoever facing Electrics, amuses me, much like using Magmar against Water-types did. So, I decide to let Harry take the lead. 

The first two go down without a fight. 

Manelectric manages to stay on his feet, though he doesn't wake up quickly enough to fight back. Beware the Butterfree!

Jolteon turns the tables, hitting Harry before he can send sleep powder cascading all around Jolteon. Although Harry manages to hit him with a Psybeam, the next Shockwave does him in.

Aww!  Poor Harry. 

Thad doesn't take kindly to little yellow upstart hurting the bug he's trained alongside since infancy. 

He's a good bruiser.

Raichu proves less amenable to losing. He survives the opening assault and paralyzes Thad. 

A Sirus berry and Moo-Milk delay the inevitable.

...but a Critical Hit hastens it. 

Losing most of your team to a Butterfree? Yeah, I'd think so.

Onward!

Encounter on the S.S. Anne

Aboard the S.S. Anne, I'm about to visit the Captain to ask to see his "Cut" technique. But then -- cue theme music!

Ego. We meet again. I think Gary's Elecrabuzz beat up my Magby back in the  day, but in subsequent encounters I've trounced him. Of course, back in Cerulean I misused Gaia and she was a bit roughed-up, but still.

He leads with a Golbat. I lead with a feint to the left, then a THUNDERPUNCH! to the right.

I gotta admit this bull looks more impressive than his previous iteration, but he's no match for Matthias' roar of fire.

Since Matthias just leveled up, I decide to send in Thaddaeus to meet Kirlia, mostly because I couldn't remember who Kirlia was. I forgot she was the second-evolution of psychic Ralts, and thus not a good match for a Fighting-type like Thad. Normal-type moves it is! One scratch wounds her, she wastes an opportunity with Double-Team, and then another scratch finishes her off.

I'll give Electrabuzz credit for surviving a Karate Chop. He manages to paralyze Thad, then hits him with an electric move -- "Shock", I think. 

Not that it mattered when the next Karate Chop was a critical hit.  We'll meet again, my nemesis...

FireRed Omega: Cascade Badge

Ever since the first time I tried to take on Misty with my Charmeleon back in Pokemon Blue and failed spectacularly, Misty has been the gym leader I fear most. Though Sabrina is more difficult, my experience of barely scraping out wins against Misty's Starmie makes the first part of the game an extended training round of "beat Misty". When I trolled the Viridian Forest for hours, it was so I could find a Pikachu to take her out with. And now, the day has arrived.

First, let's see the team. It's the same group that I took on Brock with, only at double the experience. We've had a few evolutions: Magby to Magmar, Mankey to Primeape, and Bellsprout to Weepinbel. Hours of hard training in Mt. Moon and in the fields around Cerulean have toughened them up. Although I anticipate a hard fight, I am confident that we can win. Although I'll take out her minions with my other Pokemon, when it comes to Misty I intend to lead with Gaia the Weepinbell and back her up with Eris, the Pikachu. Both are well-armed to take out Water pokemon, but just in case they fail, the rest of the team is ready to do their part. Harry has his Sleep Powder and Confusion;  Zweikopf his Tri-Attack; and Matthias his Thunderpunch.  Let's get to work.

Her trainers are total washes. Matthias' Thunderpunch handles them easily.

Awight, you moistened bint: let's get it on. I decide to see how Matthias' Thunderpunch takes on her first Pokemon.

Hah!

Uh...heh. Obviously, Matthias can use the hell out of his Thunderpunch. But now it's time to take on the Big Bad,  the Dragon -- Starmie. How many times have my finest perished before that damned thing?

Starmie becomes the first Pokemon in Misty's retinue to not collapse completely. Paralyzed, he's unable to attack. His Sirius berry restores some health, not that it matters.

Good NIGHT! Now. Who could Misty have up her sleeve? Does she have a water demon in that sixth and final ball? Will he reduce poor Magmar to shreds?

...nope.

Yeah, I just ran down your entire gym with a Fire-type.  None of her goons so much as touched him!

That if you spend hours hunting Zubats, Solrocks, and Taillows, you can take out Misty like she's a Bug Collector in the Viridian Forest?

Uh...yay team!