1.07 | Reach for the Skies
11/12/2024, 02:02 PM
you might have noticed an item laying in the top corner of the room. it's an escape rope, and it lets us go to the dungeon entrance from anywhere inside. it's a very handy tool, and it's generally a good idea to have one on hand whenever you enter a new dungeon.
i went ahead and healed up my party (because oh man did i need it) and now, well... i think it's finally time i bit the bullet and challenged the...
Violet City Gym!
just in case i forgot to mention it, this gym's specialty is the flying type. if you don't know, flying is super effective against grass, and our most powerful team member at this point just so happens to be grass type. not only that, but most (if not all) of the flying type pokemon used here are also normal type, so this is gonna be a struggle for both Jano and Grechen. luckily, that's where Rocky comes in! i knew i was going to have a hard time here, so i decided to bring a temporary ace to help me out. Rocky, while he doesn't know any rock type moves (yet), has a typing that is going to help him tank hits from anything the opponent throws at him. and while Jano probably won't help in a conventional way, he will play a role in this with that new Reflect move he just learned.
oh... come on, man! i just got done with my morale boosting speech! way to rain on my parade... well no matter, i think we can still win this.
our first roadblock is Bird Keeper Abe, and while i don't usually like to support the competition, i can at least give him credit for having good taste in Pokemon. if i hadn't used it a ton in all my other casual playthroughs of both gen 1 and 2, i would have absolutely used Spearow for this playthrough, it's one of my favorite Pokemon and is definitely my favorite "early game bird" archetype Pokemon. it's a lot more aggressive than Pidgey and that's exactly why i like it. that's also why i'm not utilizing Jano for this fight, because he'd probably get steamrolled in about a second. so Rocky it is! he makes quick work of Spearow, and we're already done here.
for this next fight, i want to see if i can at least get Jano's Reflect going, so i'll put him up front. speaking of which, our next opponent is Bird Keeper Rod!
luckily i was able to get away with Reflect, since the opponent decided to use Tackle instead of a flying type move! excellent work, Jano!
Rocky took hits like a champ, and absolutely steamrolled the opponent after setting up three Screeches. Onix may not be super great in the long run, but that bulk absolutely comes in handy when the numbers are still so small, since most enemies can only deal one damage at a time. it gives you a ton of time to set up without any worry, and it's pretty great.
i switched in Jano for his last Pokemon to see if he could hold his own, and he did very well! i'm starting to think Pidgey doesn't learn a flying type move until a couple levels down the line, since it was only using Tackle here. still, good job Jano, you're killin' it!
well, here's the big guy himself. i'll be honest, i'm a little worried about this fight. it's the Bird Behemoth himself...
Falkner!
his team consists of a level 7 Pidgey with the moves Tackle and Mud-Slap, as well as a level 9 Pidgeotto with the moves Tackle, Gust and Mud-Slap. that's right, he's got an evolved Pokemon at a level way before it's supposed to evolve. that's how you know this is serious business. while he may not seem all that difficult here, in the remakes it's a different story. his Pidgey is level 9 there, and his Pidgeotto is level 13!! instead of Mud-Slap, the Pidgeotto also has Roost, an extremely annoying move that heals the user for around 50% of their max HP. luckily for us, Roost isn't introduced until generation 4, so we're home free here!
i started off the fight with Jano since i know he's got nothing to fear against this Pidgey, and immediately put up a Reflect. that defense boost really helps, because the Pidgey's Tackle did pretty much nothing. i then tried a Razor Leaf, and despite it not being very effective, it did a respectable chunk of damage.
Jano was able to handle the Pidgey with no issue at all! good job, bud! that Pidgeotto might be a little tough, though... but i wanna see if Jano can handle it. let's give it a shot!
oh yeah, Jano's absolutely got this on lock. there's that beefy defense stat coming in clutch! he was able to take a super effective Gust like a champ! my Reflect faded and things got a little rocky for a second, though i got back on track soon enough.
...oh. okay, Jano you've done a great job today, but i think it's best that we let Rocky handle the rest of this. i don't want you getting critted to death.
with the Reflect up, Gust deals a measly one damage to Rocky. i'm able to set up a couple screeches and get one good pot shot on Pidgeotto, but i totally forgot about Mud-Slap, and he takes one for the team. you served us well, my guy.
Jano isn't in the condition to fight, so i send in Grechen to take a few hits while i heal him up. on a whim, i give Hypnosis a shot, and it actually goes through! with Reflect up to take hits a little better, an extremely clutch critical hit, and one final Tackle to close things out, Jano pulls through and wins us our first badge!! hell yeah!!
well... damn. i'm astonished with how well that went. i didn't expect Grechen to get any screentime here either, but she actually played a huge part in the victory. everyone did, actually! see, if i had chosen Cyndaquil or Totodile, this victory would have been way less exciting. but now, i'm proud of our little man! i guess our next directive is to take it down south and find the next gym!
