Pokemon Variants

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Fire Red Solo Mankey Part 2:  Rock Tunnel Tedium


When Mankey beat up a Team Rocket member who hadn't fled the scene of the crime, HEATHER used the Dig TM he had stolen instead of returning it to its owners in the house a few feet away.  The trainer's namesake probably wouldn't approve, but this is an RPG where property law is "finders keepers".


HEATHER and her Mankey defeated all the trainers around Vermilion City and aboard the S.S. Anne cruise ship without much trouble.  She found a Brick Break TM in a cabin, the most reliable Fighting move in the GBA games in general.  BLUE's entire Level 16-20 squad of Pidgeotto, Kadabra, Raticate, and Wartortle went down in one hit from Brick Break or Dig.  It was at this point that the experience curve fell behind dramatically.


Relying on contact moves prevented Lt. Surge's battle from being an effortless victory at Level 34.  Level 21 Voltorb did nothing but yield experience points, but Pikachu paralyzed Mankey with its Static ability when it fainted.  This gave Raichu a real chance to cause a DEATH COUNT if I got unlucky "fully paralyzed" rolls.  Shock Wave jolted Mankey down to 50/76 HP, but a single Brick Break was sufficient to earn the 3rd badge.


Next up was Rock Tunnel, perhaps the most annoying area in Fire Red.  It was possible to make it through without Flash, but I wanted to talk to a hidden move tutor.  Professor Oak's aide wouldn't cough up the HM until I caught 10 Pokemon.  So I had to spend some time tossing Poke Balls.  Trading a Spearow for Farfetch'd helped with the Pokedex.  Farfetch'd took Mankey's place east of Vermilion City to catch a few Pokemon by using Peck, and was then unceremoniously stuffed into the PC.


Dig was weak in the GBA Pokemon games!  It had only 60 base power, and once failed to kill a random trainer's Venonat.  Or maybe it was the lack of a + Attack personality.  Mankey learned Rock Slide from the tutor in Rock Tunnel, which was both stronger and more accurate than Rock Tomb. 


Rock Slide still failed to KO a Level 20 Slowpoke once when Mankey was at Level 39.  Does Mankey have a terrible Attack "individual value" or something?  Oh well, there's a TM move I can pick up later that will help with that.  (HINT:  Solo Breloom used it in a Sapphire playthrough.)


Rock Tunnel had so many enemy trainers that I had to Dig out once to return to the Pokemon Center to restore Mankey's move PP.  By the time HEATHER exited the cave and rested in Lavender Town, I thought it was time to end the session.



Stats and Moves

 
Level 40 @ Nothing
 
HP:  90
Attack:  82
Defense:  45
Special Attack:  36
Special Defense:  49
Speed:  82
 
Mega Kick
Rock Slide
Dig
Brick Break



(Mega Kick saw some use in Rock Tunnel against a Bulbasaur, and maybe a Slowpoke or two.)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Fire Red Solo Mankey Part 3:  In Which Wild Pokemon Are Better Than Gym Leaders Or BLUE


Mankey shook down the trainers around Lavender Town and Celadon City, which prepared him well for the 4th Gym.  Most of the Kanto types were also part Poison, leading Mankey to throw Rock Slide or Dig under them.  Brick Break saved PP if facing a low level Bellsprout or something.  The runaway level curve meant Mankey was around 20 levels above his opponents.  HEATHER defeated Erika in a clean sweep at Level 45.  Mankey Mega Kicked Vileplume and Victreebel back into their Poke Balls, and a Brick Break defeated the pure Grass type Tangela. 



HEATHER would probably have never found Team Rocket's Celadon City hideout if a Grunt weren't shouting about guarding a poster.  The rest of the Grunts were easy experience, and Giovanni's team of Onix, Rhyhorn, and Kangashkan all happened to be slower and weak to Brick Break.


The 3rd flawless victory of this session came in Pokemon Tower.  BLUE had clearly spent more time catching Pokemon than training them:  of Pidgeotto, Exeggcute, Kadabra, Growlithe, and Wartortle, the strongest was Level 25.  Even Growlithe's Intimidate couldn't prevent Mankey from smashing Wartortle with one Brick Break at Level 48 and -1 Attack.


Pokemon Tower had one opponent that nearly caused a DEATH COUNT.  Mankey was already low on Rock Slide PP when he reached her, and Gastly cast Spite after one of them missed.  Mankey had no other move that could hit Ghosts, considering the GBA generation gave the Gastly family Levitate to dodge Dig.


Level 30 Ghost Marowak was a surprisingly formidable enemy.  Two Brick Breaks were necessary to destroy its high HP and Defense, and Bonemerang conked Mankey twice to reduce him to 66/110 HP.  The Team Rocket Grunts at the top of the haunted tower were an afterthought.


I wanted to catch Snorlax to fill out the Pokedex, to advance the story, and to steal some Leftovers.  It was the hardest opponent yet.  Mankey tried Dig to keep it alive, but Snorlax Rested the damage off.  Headbutt bashed Mankey down to 19/112 HP by the end of the battle.  Not bad for an enemy 20 levels lower!  Rock Slide and Sleep status from Rest finally gave HEATHER favorable odds to catch it in a Great Ball. 


HEATHER got the Fly HM from a character who preferred to remain hidden and taught it to Farfetch'd.  She entered Silph Co. in Saffron City, but not for the altruistic reason of saving the employees.  No, she wanted experience from Team Rocket and BLUE, and a TM that would replace Mega Kick for good. . .


Level 50 @ Nothing
 
HP:  112
Attack:  105
Defense:  59
Special Attack:  48
Special Defense:  60
Speed:  107
 
Mega Kick
Rock Slide
Dig
Brick Break




Pokemon Fire Red is stingy with held items compared to other Pokemon games.  Even berries have to be found in the S.S. Anne trash cans!  Return is available in a building on the route south of Lavender Town, but that move had been used in so many solos that I wanted something different.  How many times can I say that I've used Mega Kick in a challenge playthrough?


EDIT: Apparently you need the Itemfinder to get Leftovers in the Snorlax spot. . .which requires you to catch 30 Pokemon.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Fire Red Solo Mankey Part 4:  Silph Co Struggles


The Silph Co headquarters in Saffron City was the "evil team gauntlet" for Kanto.  It also had a teleport maze for no good reason, but then again the Unova Gyms shot trainers out of cannons and make them ski jump across bottomless pits, so safety was never a priority for Pokemon engineers.


An anonymous Team Rocket Grunt who claimed to be one of the Rocket Brothers took advantage of a botched Rock Slide.  His Golbat cast Confuse Ray, and since Mankey's Attack was much better than his Defense, he hit himself for considerable damage.  I'm not sure what move knocked Mankey out, but the Confuse Ray and Rock Slide miss I remember.


DEATH COUNT:  2


(The 1st loss since Misty!)


HEATHER took her revenge with a Mega Kick to the Weezing, a successful Rock Slide for Golbat, and 2 Brick Breaks for the Koffing.  I did NOT want to take my chances with Rock Slide any more than I needed to, so I used the half damage Fighting move.


Another Confuse Ray Golbat nearly did Mankey in, but he snapped out of it and killed Hypno too.


Rival BLUE should have won against Mankey with his team of monsters up to Level 40.  HEATHER had found the Bulk Up TM on another floor to increase Mankey's Attack and Defense per use.  Bulk Up blunted Pidgeot's Wing Attack, and a Brick Break grounded the bird.  A critical Rock Slide scrambled Exeggcute, and Dig undermined Alakazam. 


Alakazam had predicted damage with Future Sight, since I guess clairvoyance worked even when its opponent was underground.  A critical Brick Break put down Growlithe, but its passive Intimidate reduced Mankey's Attack to normal.  A Brick Break failed to KO Blastoise, who pointed its guns at Mankey and sprayed. . .Water Gun.  Not Surf, not Hydro Pump, not even Water Pulse.  Water Gun.  Mankey survived with 21/127 HP at Level 57 thanks to BLUE's terrible movesets.


If you think Water Gun Blastoise is bad, consider Gym Leader Opal in Sword and Shield who has a Galar Weezing with Tackle.


HEATHER advanced to Giovanni, only to be defeated by a passive contact ability.  Nidorino activated Poison Point upon dying to Dig, and without Bulk Up, Dig wasn't strong enough to beat Nidoqueen in one attack.  Nidoqueen Body Slammed Mankey, who barely held on through Kangaskhan until he died of his ailment against Rhyhorn.


DEATH COUNT:  3


Mankey learned well after the failed attempt and cast Bulk Up when Nidorino was out.  Rock Slide may have failed HEATHER before, but this time it saved Mankey since it wasn't a contact move.  A +1 Dig destroyed Nidoqueen, and Brick Breaks slapped Kangaskhan and Rhyhorn.  The only damage Mankey took from the Level 35-41 opponents was a Horn Attack while buffing himself.



Stats and Moves

 
Level 57 @ Nothing
 
HP:  127
Attack:  120
Defense:  68
Special Attack:  55
Special Defense:  68
Speed:  127
 
Bulk Up
Rock Slide
Dig
Brick Break

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Fire Red Solo Mankey Part 5:  Unexpectedly Easy Victories


Before taking on the "real" Saffron City Gym, Mankey tackled the demoted Fighting Dojo.  Black Belt Koichi had Level 37 Pokemon and opened with Hitmonlee.  Mankey Bulked Up as Hitmonlee pounded him in the face with Hi Jump Kick.  +1 Brick Breaks forced both Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan to surrender their black belts, and Mankey left the arena at Level 58 with 88/129 HP.


As the Psychic type Gym Leader with up to Level 43 Pokemon, Sabrina should have been one of the toughest adversaries for an unevolved Fighting type.  What happened instead was Kadabra selecting Calm Mind to increase Special Attack and Special Defense instead of attacking.  This gave Mankey enough time to Bulk Up and burrow under Kadabra, Mr. Mime, and Alakazam with Dig.  Alakazam predicted a Future Sight that would have damaged Mankey. . .if he didn't bury Venomoth under a Rock Slide for a flawless victory at Level 60.


HEATHER and Mankey prepared for the next Gym by mugging the bikers on Cycling Road west of Celadon City.  Mankey's subpar Attack stat led to situations where Rock Slide failed to KO a Level 28 Weezing.


Fuchsia City's Gym was nominally dedicated to the Poison type, but the subordinate trainers tended to have Drowzees and Hypnos.  Was that family originally supposed to be Psychic/Poison or something? 


Koga was another flawless victory that shouldn't have happened.  His 1st Koffing cast Smokescreen to reduce Mankey's accuracy, and Muk increased its evasion with Minimize as Mankey Dug under him.  Brick Break at +1 killed both of the Koffings even though they resisted Fighting.  Didn't want to rely on Rock Slide when it was unnecessary, particularly while a Smokescreen blinded my solo character.  Level 43 Weezing survived a +1 Rock Slide, but it must have been Mankey's lucky day when he dodged Toxic.  A Brick Break finished off Weezing and HEATHER got her 6th badge.



HEATHER visited the Safari Zone to pick up Gold Teeth for the Warden to trade for Strength, and the Surf HM.  The gift Lapras from Silph Co learned both moves.  There was one thing missing from this playthrough so far:  an appropriate nickname from the Name Rater in Lavender Town.  I chose LANDSLIDE mostly due to the love-hate relationship with Rock Slide, but the flawless victories against Sabrina and Koga were another reason.


Next time, Mankey will beat up the trainers of southeastern Kanto to get ready for Blaine.  He won't have any Burn Heal, so he'll need all the experience he can get.  One note for other solo players is that a Double Team TM is available in the Safari Zone for weaker Pokemon if they need evasion for the Elite 4 and Champion.




Stats and Moves

 
Level 64 @ Nothing
 
HP:  141
Attack:  134
Defense:  76
Special Attack:  61
Special Defense:  76
Speed:  142
 
 
Bulk Up
Rock Slide
Dig
Brick Break

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Fire Red Solo Mankey Part 6:  NPCs Let You Say No?


Battling the trainers in southeast Kanto and the seas around Fuchsia City and Pallet Town was so dull that I skipped the route east of Cinnabar Island and west of the Seafoam Islands.  We may praise the nonlinearity of earlier Pokemon games, but it comes at the cost of fighting Level 28 monsters at the time of the 7th badge.  That's why I enjoy Pokemon White solos more.  Enemies tend to be at higher levels, and the experience curve means you aren't so far ahead of them as in earlier generations.


HEATHER found the key in the Pokemon Mansion on Cinnabar Island, birthplace of Mewtwo.  She answered all the questions in the Fire type Gym correctly and sidestepped all the trainers until Gym Leader Blaine. 


Blaine's team started with a Growlithe that of course had Intimidate.  I thought 2 Bulk Ups were necessary to counter that and allow for 1 hit KOs later.  Growlithe's 1st Fire Blast missed, but the 2nd connected and singed LANDSLIDE.  Brick Breaks sent Ponyta and Rapidash to the glue factory.  Level 47 Arcanine seemed threatening because of its Intimidate, but a single Rock Slide buried it under the Gym's rubble.  LANDSLIDE earned his 7th badge at Level 72 with 112/158 HP.


Bill asked HEATHER if she wanted to visit the Sevii Islands, but she wasn't interested in any sidequests.  Surprisingly, he didn't behave like the "but thou must" princess in Dragon Quest 1 when HEATHER said no.  Bill honored her refusal and left Cinnabar Island.


HEATHER returned to Viridian City and entered the Gym.  She only needed to fight 2 trainers before the final Giovanni rematch.  (The Pokemon League must not perform background checks on its members.)  LANDSLIDE boosted his Attack and Defense with Bulk Up against a Rhyhorn, who made the smart move by casting Scary Face to slow Mankey down.


At -2 Speed, Dugtrio was fast enough to go first and cast Earthquake on LANDSLIDE before dying to a Brick Break.  Burrowing underground with Dig against Nidoqueen wasn't a good idea since Earthquake caved in the tunnel for double damage.  At least Dig was a one hit knockout.  LANDSLIDE couldn't afford to try Dig against Nidoking for fear of another "terremoto" so he had to resort to resisted Brick Breaks.  Giovanni healed Nidoking twice with Hyper Potions before it finally succumbed.  The last Gym Leader's final Pokemon was. . .a Level 50 Rhyhorn.  Not a Rhydon.  One Brick Break ended the battle at Level 73 with 30/160 HP.


HEATHER bonked LANDSLIDE on the head to remove Dig at last and replace it with Earthquake from Giovanni's TM.  She walked west of Viridian for another Rival BLUE rematch.  Bulk Up buffed LANDSLIDE when Pidgeot was sent out, though he had to take a Wing Attack before dispatching it with Brick Break.  Alakazam was Earthquake's first victim.  A Growlithe Intimidated LANDSLIDE before falling to Brick Break.  Its partner Rhyhorn died the same way.


BLUE's Exeggcute resisted all of Mankey's moves except for Rock Slide, and it took two of them to KO.  Exeggcute cast Stun Spore to paralyze LANDSLIDE, which should have left him at the mercy of Level 53 Blastoise's water cannons.  BLUE had learned nothing since the Silph Co battle and had Blastoise sprinkle Water Gun again.  Two Brick Breaks made turtle soup, and Mankey survived at Level 73 with only 13/160 HP.  That isn't a good sign for the final battle!



Stats and Moves

Level 73 @ Nothing


HP:  160
Attack:  153
Defense:  86
Special Attack:  69
Special Defense:  86
Speed:  161
 
Bulk Up
Rock Slide
Earthquake
Brick Break

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Fire Red Solo Mankey Part 7:  Choking At The End


HEATHER evaded some trainers on Victory Road, but not all that she could have.  She reached the Pokemon League at Level 74 and confronted Lorelei, the Ice specialist of the Elite 4.  Level 52 Dewgong merely set up Safeguard against LANDSLIDE for a free Bulk Up.  Brick Break or Rock Slide knocked out Dewgong, Cloyster, Jynx, and Lapras.  Her worst monster was a Level 52 Slowbro that had high Defense and was neutral to all of Mankey's attacks.  Two Earthquakes were needed to subdue Slowbro, and Mankey won at Level 75 with 85/164 HP.


Bruno's Level 51 Onix had low Attack and gave breathing turns for Bulk Up.  It struck LANDSLIDE with Earthquake and Rock Tomb, but a critical Brick Break shattered stone.  Another Onix, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, and a Level 56 Machamp all fell to a single Brick Break.  LANDSLIDE won at Level 75 with 131/164 HP.


Mankey equipped a Chesto Berry for Agatha in case she tried Hypnosis or something, but it wasn't necessary.  The 1st Gengar liked to set up illusion clones with Double Team, but the first +1 Rock Slide not only hit but made it flinch.  Another Rock Slide killed it after Agatha healed Gengar with a Full Restore.  Rock Slide buried Golbat and Haunter, and 2 Rock Slides exorcised the Level 58 Gengar after it ate a Sitrus Berry to heal.  Gengar #2 flung a Sludge Bomb at Mankey before expiring.  Arbok had Intimidate but was weak to Earthquake and died in one hit anyway.  LANDSLIDE won again, but I don't have the HP count in my notes.


Lance opened with a Level 56 Gyarados with the dreaded Intimidate.  It usually cast Dragon Rage for a fixed 40 damage, a significant amount for an unevolved Pokemon to deal with, but not immediately fatal.  Its other move was the weak Dragon type Twister.  Two Bulk Ups and a Rock Slide hooked Gyarados, but the 1st Rock Slide against Aerodactyl missed.  Maybe it was Team Rocket Grunt's Golbat's cousin.  It reduced Mankey's Speed with Scary Face and lashed him with Wing Attack before falling to a successful Rock Slide.  Level 60 Dragonite was now faster than LANDSLIDE and cast Outrage for the finishing blow.


DEATH COUNT:  4


Rock Slide hit Aerodactyl on the 1st try in Take 2, but HEATHER learned to her horror that +1 Rock Slide was not enough to kill Dragonite with an Attack "individual value" that bad and a neutral nature.


DEATH COUNT:  5


Three Bulk Ups against Gyarados sounded like a good idea, but Rock Slide whiffed against Dragonite.


DEATH COUNT:  6


LANDSLIDE the Mankey succeeded on the 4th attempt at Level 77 with 71/168 HP.  Aerodactyl was part Rock and therefore neutral to Brick Break, a less risky move than Rock Slide.  Both Dragonairs fell to a single +2 Brick Break each.


Rival BLUE took my mocking of his movesets to heart when designing his Champion team.  His lead Pidgeot had one of the worst possible selections for a solo Mankey.  Featherdance lowered Attack by 2 stages, Sand Attack decreased Accuracy, and Aerial Ace was a super effective move with perfect accuracy.  Alakazam usually wasn't a factor since it died in one hit to Earthquake, but if that missed Mankey had to fear Psychic.


Exeggutor was the toughest opponent since it resisted everything but Rock Slide, high Defense and HP, and Giga Drain to restore its health.  If LANDSLIDE somehow made it past Exeggutor, he was likely to perish against Arcanine's Extremespeed or Flamethrower.  This statistic implies the frustration inherent in this battle:


DEATH COUNT:  19


After the first few failures, Mankey grew to Level 81 with Rare Candies.  It still wasn't enough.  Especially when three of those deaths were Pidgeot rolling a critical Aerial Ace!  I tried various TMs temporarily, from Taunt to Double Team.  Aerial Ace almost worked when Pidgeot insisted on using Sand Attack repeatedly.  Sand Attack paid off when Mankey kept whiffing Earthquakes against Rhydon, who retaliated with its own tremors.  Arcanine ouran Mankey since Rhydon had also used Scary Face, and Flamethrower roasted LANDSLIDE.


So it seems the only option is to leave Indigo Plateau and level up some more.  The Sevii Islands, the sea east of Cinnabar Island, and Victory Road have some intact trainers.  Fire Red provides the Vs Seeker for trainer rematches too.  There are probably still some Rare Candies left to find too, since I had only gotten 4 by the endgame.  If I toss Ultra Balls at enough monsters, I can get Leftovers from the Snorlax's resting place west of Celadon City.



Stats and Moves

 
Level 81 @ Nothing
 
HP:  176
Attack:  169
Defense:  94
Special Attack:  77
Special Defense:  95
Speed:  179
 
Bulk Up
Rock Slide
Earthquake
Brick Break


EDIT:  I briefly forgot about the possibility of fighting the Elite 4 over and over for experience if all else fails.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Fire Red Solo Mankey Finale:  Twitch Plays The Germonik Scriptures


After BLUE's Pidgeot smote him too many times, LANDSLIDE the Mankey vowed to kill the Twitch Plays Pokemon messiah.  Perhaps I should have named him NIETZSCHE instead.  As part of her quest for the Itemfinder, HEATHER resurrected the demonic Dome Fossil and evolved Eevee into Flareon.


The Itemfinder yielded many Rare Candies.  Fire Red was oddly generous on this account compared to other Pokemon games.  LANDSLIDE pummeled the trainers in the sea, in Victory Road, and in the Sevii Islands, including a biker gang that was menacing Three Island.  The opponents were in the mid to late 30s level range, but since this wasn't Unova or Alola the experience gains were enough to make Mankey reach Level 86.  


Getting the Leftovers required using the Itemfinder on top of Snorlax's resting place.  Who would have guessed that on their own?!


Lorelei was so easy at Level 86 that Mankey didn't need to Bulk Up.  Bruno was a flawless victory since the only action the enemy took was a failed Scary Face by Machamp.  Agatha was tricky since her 1st Gengar kept casting Double Team to dodge Rock Slide.  It was nearly a DEATH COUNT by PP loss.  Lance was not a perfect battle, but LANDSLIDE was still at max HP at Level 88 by the end thanks to Leftover healing.


I thought Mankey would have a chance at beating BLUE without any more leveling, right?  WRONG!  Pidgeot sent a critical Aerial Ace from the heavens at the blasphemous Mankey after the 2nd Bulk Up, and a followup Aerial Ace struck him down.


FINAL DEATH COUNT:  20


At this point, I used so many Rare Candies out of spite that LANDSLIDE grew to Level 95 (!).  A +1 Brick Break sacrilege destroyed Pidgeot after a normal Aerial Ace.  Alakazam and Exeggutor fell to Earthquake and Aerial Ace respectively.  Rhydon was safe enough to try another Bulk Up to prepare for Arcanine's Intimidate.  By the time Rhydon fell into an Earthquake fissure, Leftovers had fully healed the Aerial Ace damage.


But LANDSLIDE wasn't safe yet.  Rhydon's Scary Face meant that Arcanine could abstain from Extremespeed and cast a Flamethrower that roasted Mankey down to 123/205 HP.  A single Earthquake toppled Arcanine.  Next was the final enemy in the game, a Level 63 Blastoise.  Blastoise summoned weather with a Rain Dance to boost its Water attacks, and all Brick Breaks barely failed to KO. 


Mankey's questionable individual stats and nature would curse him even to the end of the game.  BLUE wasted so many rounds healing Blastoise with Full Restores that the rain abated.  Blastoise's only Hydro Pump missed its target, and one last Brick Break sent LANDSLIDE to the Hall of Fame with 195/205 HP!


Final Stats and Moves


Level 95 @ Leftovers
 
HP:  205
Attack:  197
Defense:  110
Special Attack:  89
Special Defense:  111
Speed:  209
 
Bulk Up
Aerial Ace
Earthquake
Brick Break



I thought this playthrough would be relatively mundane, and certainly didn't expect the difficulty soar at the end of the game!  Be sure to consider the Champion's Pidgeot when planning a challenge run using anything weak to Flying.  It was the cruelest leading Pokemon this side of N's Reshiram in White.  Aerial Ace prevents players from getting an easy win with evasion, unlike Red's team in Crystal.  Mankey was a typical physical attacker, but there was some creativity in the moveset with Mega Kick and Aerial Ace at least.


No, I'm not doing the postgame.  I'm glad this playthrough is over, especially when it took until Level 95 to win the main campaign.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Crystal Solo Tentacool Part 1:  100 Pounds of Jellyfish


Tentacool is the reason Pokemon trainers carry Max Repels while Surfing.  It's the Zubat of the sea.  Can a New Bark Town trainer redeem Tentacool in a solo challenge?


KAYLA reeled in a Level 10 Tentacool named HANAR with the Old Rod to the south of Violet City with the following stats:

Attack:  13
Defense:  14
Special Attack:  17
Special Defense:  27
Speed:  20


Tentacool's starting attacks are comparable to Weedle's, and are based on its inferior physical stats:  Constrict (10 power, Normal) and Poison Sting (15 power, Poison).  It gets worse when you realize that between Violet City and Azalea Town there are many Poison, Rock, and Ground enemies that are either immune to Poison Sting's side effect, or take minimal damage with resistances and high Defense.  Even Bug Catcher Wade's Weedle to the east of Violet City took many Poison Stings to kill.


HANAR was so feeble, she actually managed to lose to Sage Troy's Hoothoot at the top of Sprout Tower.


DEATH COUNT:  1


The only hope HANAR had for defeating the trainers south of Violet City was Supersonic, a confusion inducing move with 55% accuracy, plus a coin flip chance of the enemy hitting itself instead of HANAR.  With these odds, HANAR outlasted Zubats, both Nidoran genders, Wooper, Goldeen, and a Level 15 Magikarp.  You know you've picked the wrong solo Pokemon when a Magikarp's Tackle is a legitimate threat.  Fisher Henry's Poliwag made HANAR sleepy with Hypnosis for many rounds too.


Frieda the Friday girl gave KAYLA a gift:  a Poison Barb that slightly increased the power of Poison attacks.  I had set the game to Friday for a different reason that will be relevant much later.


Tentacool barely defeated Sage Li on the second attempt with 3/37 HP remaining at Level 14, and that was only because of a lucky critical hit against the Bellsprout.  By the time KAYLA reached Union Cave, HANAR was at Level 15.  Tentacool is burdened with the worst experience group in Crystal, as if it aspired to be a legendary!


Any other Water type would have the sense to know Bubble or Water Gun by Union Cave.  Not Tentacool, who lost to a Tackle from Hiker Russel's Level 8 Geodude!  Russel was also a spinning trainer who could start a fight even when I wasn't looking for one, so HANAR fainted again after failing to confuse a Geodude. . .5 consecutive times.


DEATH COUNT:  3


Firebreather Bill complained about Zubat's Supersonic, only to run into KAYLA and her Tentacool who used exactly the same tactic.  It was a life or death fight with Level 6 Koffings at Level 15.  Another Firebreather's Vulpix inflicted Burn with Ember.


Hiker Anthony east of Azalea Town, the usual nemesis in these solo challenges, buried Tentacool under a Rock Throw after Supersonic kept wearing off.


DEATH COUNT:  4


Team Rocket in the Slowpoke Well wounded Tentacool with Rattatas, and she only hung on with 2/41 HP at Level 16.  A Level 9 Zubat caused HANAR to slap herself with her own tentacles, and the last opponent's Level 14 Koffing knocked her out too.  Another encounter with Hiker Anthony was no more successful than last time.


DEATH COUNT:  7


Slowpoke Well Koffing beat down HANAR two more times when Supersonic luck was abysmal, and I had almost won on the latter attempt.  Only with the help of an equipped Berry, Constrict, and better Supersonic rolls did HANAR drive out Team Rocket.


DEATH COUNT:  9


I tried to defeat Bugsy with my existing moveset.  Kakuna was excruciatingly slow because of its Defense and Poison typing, but I had a slim chance with Poison Sting and Supersonic.  Too bad Scyther abandoned Fury Cutter and lashed out with Quick Attack.


DEATH COUNT:  10


HANAR fought wild Hoppips and Spearows on Hiker Anthony's route until she learned Acid at Level 19.  If you're excited to learn a 40 base power attack, something has gone wrong.  Tentacool fared no better against Hiker Anthony than before.


DEATH COUNT:  11


With Supersonic confusion and a critical Acid, Tentacool slew Bugsy's Scyther at Level 19 with 23/48 HP.  The second Rival ??? fight at the edge of Azalea Town was stressful.  Supersonic + Acid dispelled Gastly, who only had time to cast Spite to reduce Acid's PP.  Zubat was Supersonic vs Supersonic, and both sides took self-inflicted pain.  Acid was super effective against Bayleef, though Razor Leaf shaved Tentacool down to 6/50 HP at Level 20.


The worst still wasn't over after the Azalea Town gauntlet.  Tentacool couldn't learn Headbutt from the Ilex Forest TM, and Camper Elliot's Marill flattened HANAR with a Rollout combo after Sandshrew dropped her accuracy to nothing with Sand Attack.  Yes, the boyfriend who's a joke within the game managed to defeat KAYLA.  Elliot's girlfriend Picnicker Brooke ironically failed to attack Tentacool once.  Her Pikachu missed with Growl and melted under two Acids.


DEATH COUNT:  12


Tentacool mugged some trainers in Goldenrod City, the route to the north, and the National Park before reaching Level 25 in a battle with Psychic Mark's Abras and Kadabra.  At Level 25, Tentacool dramatically improves thanks to learning Bubblebeam, a base 65 power Water attack used by Misty in the original games.  Camper Elliot forgot to use Rollout this time and KAYLA avenged her defeat with Acid and Bubblebeam.  HANAR cleared out the Goldenrod Underground trainers, which I had skipped earlier because I remembered they had Magnemites.


At Level 26, HANAR was barely ready for Whitney.  Two Bubblebeams popped on Clefairy, who Doubleslapped Tentacool for 5 hits.  Miltank sometimes snapped out of Supersonic confusion sometimes, but preferred Stomp to Rollout.  Attract was useless against a female Pokemon, and Bubblebeams soaked Miltank to death.  Tentacool was still at Level 26, but with only 3/63 HP remaining.  Decided to take a well-earned break after the dreadful early game!

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Crystal Solo Tentacool Part 2:  Coasting to Victory


A common problem in RPGs is that early areas are more difficult than later areas, since you have more options as you progress.  This playthrough so far has been no exception.  Once Whitney fell to HANAR's Bubblebeams, two more towns followed.  Sudowoodo did not succumb to one Water attack, and struck back with a low HP Flail. 


None of the Kimono Girls' Eevee evolutions in Ecruteak City were difficult to fight, even the ones where Tentacool had a bad type matchup.  HANAR gained the move responsible for making Water types overpowered in Crystal:  Surf!  Surf had 95 base power, and combined with same type attack bonus, only those who resisted it were worthy opponents. 


Rival ??? in Burned Tower was a flawless victory at Level 29.  Even Bayleef refused to attack and instead tried Growl and Reflect as HANAR spewed Acid.  Morty was another perfect victory at Level 31, since his Ghost types only used Spite and a failed Hypnosis as HANAR rode the waves.


Red Gyarados was the toughest opponent yet since the guy with the Koffing in Slowpoke Well.  I needed to catch it since it was the best noncombat HM user, but Red Gyarados refused violently.  HANAR fainted twice to Thrash and once to the fixed 40 damage Dragon Rage.  Only Supersonic + Surf + a lucky Great Ball prevented a third loss.


DEATH COUNT:  15


Mahogany Town was a high priority for Tentacool because the region had 2 TMs and a Special stat boosting badge.  Team Rocket was so moribund that even an unevolved Pokemon in the Slow experience group could sleepwalk through their hideout.  The closest they came to a threat was a Gloom that missed with Sleep Powder.  The final wild Electrode at the generator that Self Destructed and left HANAR with 8/84 HP at Level 35 should have been their Executive instead!


EDIT:  Sludge Bomb is found at the former Team Rocket "tollbooth" near the Lake of Rage, after clearing out the Mahogany Town hideout.


HANAR equipped the Poison Barb to confront Pryce at Level 36.  Seel slowed Tentacool with a weak Icy Wind before falling to the second Sludge Bomb.  Dewgong had Headbutt and forced Tentacool to flinch at least once.  But HANAR's Sludge Bombs poisoned Dewgong.  Piloswine was too slow to swim out of Surf, and Tentacool won at Level 37 with 33/89 HP.


While fighting Pryce's trainers, Tentacool had replaced Acid with the +Defense move Barrier.  Don't know if KAYLA will ever use it, but there's no Move Relearner in Crystal.  Pryce's Icy Wind TM kicked out Poison Sting for good.  KAYLA will need an Ice move for Lance's Dragonites!

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Pokemon Crystal Solo Tentacool Part 3:  You're Not Ready for the Pokemon League


Chuck and Jasmine were both flawless victories.  Jasmine was never allowed to take a turn before Surf washed away her team.  Chuck at least tried a failed Hypnosis and Mind Reader with his Poliwrath when it withstood the first Sludge Bomb.  Tentacool has many woes, but being stuck on Jasmine is not one of them.  She's the main obstacle for Flying types such as Noctowl.


Rival ??? in Goldenrod City was a legitimate battle.  Golbat had enough Special Defense to survive a Surf and strike with Wing Attack, but Surf drowned Magnemite and Haunter.  Sludge Bomb + Surf took out Sneasel, who lashed out with 2 Quick Attacks.  Meganium set up Reflect instead of attacking, and 2 Sludge Bombs secured victory at Level 45 with 60/108 HP.


The Executives and Team Rocket Grunts in the radio tower were a free source of experience, even the Vileplume which whiffed a Sleep Powder.  Made sure to pick up the Amulet Coin in the department store basement to gain more money from enemies.  Barrier was replaced with Hydro Pump in case something in the Elite 4 could be killed with the extra damage.  Tentacool also appreciated the Nevermeltice in the ice cave in case Icy Wind needed a damage boost.  After pummeling trainers on the downhill slope south of Blackthorn City, HANAR avenged her losses to Hiker Anthony and Hiker Russell with the power of Surf.  This wasn't just for symbolic purposes:  HANAR grew to Level 50 during the Russell fight.


One troubling sign in the last Johto Gym was a Seadra surviving a Sludge Bomb.  Clair confirmed my suspicions.


DEATH COUNT:  21


To defeat Clair, Tentacool first had to survive a gauntlet of 3 Dragonairs that liked to paralyze her with Thunder Wave before attacking with the inaccurate Normal move Slam or the much more dangerous Thunderbolt.  HANAR usually limped to Kingdra, who zapped her with either Hyper Beam or Dragonbreath.  Kingdra had enough Defense and HP to survive multiple Sludge Bombs, and Clair fed it a Hyper Potion if it was at critical HP.  I tried various hold items, from Poison Barb to Nevermeltice to Przcureberry.  Nothing worked at Level 51, and the best source of experience other than nonrenewable Rare Candies was to simply fight her a few times until reaching Level 52.


DEATH COUNT:  23


HANAR finally won at Level 52 with the help of 2 extra Special Attack from Calciums.  A Przcureberry only cured the first Thunder Wave that landed, and Tentacool was still sluggish by the end.  Kingdra was stupid this time and missed with Smokescreen.  It usually cast Dragonbreath, and only used Hyper Beam once.  Sludge Bomb managed to poison it, and HANAR conquered Blackthorn City's Gym at Level 52 with 8/126 HP.


At least if I have trouble with the Elite 4, I can fight them over and over for experience!  Too bad the first one is Will the Psychic specialist. . .