Pokémon LeafGreen Nuzlocke Challenge

[SSGB21]

First, allow me to explain what a Nuzlocke Challenge is to those not in the know.

 

A Nuzlocke Challenge is an unofficial, self-imposed ‘Hard Mode’ to Pokémon games (any will do, from Green all the way to White 2).

It has several rules which vary from person to person and playthrough to playthrough, but the two rules which MUST be abided by for it to be considered a Nuzlock Challenge are these: 1. You can only catch the first Pokémon that you encounter on a given route. No Others! The aim of this rule is to force you to use Pokémon that you wouldn’t normally use. 2. If a Pokémon faints (either in battle or out of due to things such as poison), that’s it. That Pokémon cannot be used again. Most people either release it or place it in a Box in the PC and never take it out again.

Other rules are used by some people such as only using a Pokémon Centre once per town, only using Poké Balls in battle and no other items, and other such things. All rules are open to interpretation to whoever is playing the run.

 

Anyway, today I started a Nuzlocke playthrough of Pokémon LeafGreen version and decided to document it and publish it, piece by piece, here on the Nexus forums.

The Rules of this run are:

1. Only the first Pokémon encountered on a route can be caught (If the first Pokémon encountered on a route is already caught, it this rule does not take effect. This means no duplicate Pokémon.)

2. If a Pokémon faints, it must be placed in a PC Box and is considered, for all intents and purposes, dead, deceased, past on, in the Great Poké Ball in the Sky.

3. All Pokémon caught must be given an individual nickname.

4. No Legendary Pokémon are allowed to be captured.

 

Those are the rules. On with the story!

 

 

 

 

As with any playthrough of Pokémon LeafGreen, it starts with Professor OAK explaining what Pokémon are. He then asks me for my name. I decide to use the official name for the Player’s Avatar and call him ‘Red’. He then introduces his Grandson, whose name he cannot remember (some grandfather). Again, I decide to name him by his official name from the games, Blue. Blah Blah Blah adventure Blah. The game Begins! Oh! A NES!.. Better get going. I walk over to the PC in my room and withdraw the potion that is stored. I go downstairs and talk to MOM. She tells me that Professor OAK from next-door is looking for me, so I decide to go next-door to Blue’s house. The only person there is Blue’s sister, so I check in the Pokémon laboratory. Here, I find Blue waiting for Prof. OAK but not OAK himself. I go out looking for him and decide to check north of Pallet Town. Just before I step into the tall grass, someone yells at me. OAK walks up and tells me that wild Pokémon live in the tall grass and that it’s dangerous to go alone. I follow him back to his lab and he tells Blue and I that in his youth he was a serious Pokémon Trainer, but now only has three left and tells me to take one. Blue then chimes in saying that he wants one too. Now comes the point where I make that all important choice: which Pokémon do I choose?

 

The choices are:

Bulbasaur, the Grass/Poison type Pokémon,

Squirtle, the Water type Pokémon,

Charmander, the Fire type Pokémon.

 

The Pokémon I choose to be my partner ‘till our games be over is:

Squirtle. This male Squirtle I decide to give the name A’Tuin, after a different famous, fictional turtle.

 

As I turn to leave, Blue decides to use Bulbasaur. He then promptly challenges me to a battle!

 

 

*/Battle Music Starts\*

 

Rival Blue sends out Bulbasuar!

Go! A’Tuin!

Prof. OAK then darkens the screen and explains what a Pokémon Battle is, just in case there are any n00bs playing.

Anyone who has played a Pokémon game knows that this first battle is basically a button mash.

Just use Tackle or whatever and 9 times out of 10 you’ll win (unless your name is Emile and that Mudkip gets a critical hit).

I win and A’Tuin grew to level 6!

 

*/Battle Music Ends\*

 

 

After that fiasco, I take my leave and go home. MOM heals my Pokémon back to full health and I set out on the Road to Viridian City! Here, I decide to make an exception to rule #1 for the simple reason that I cannot catch any Pokémon yet. After reaching Viridian City, I enter the Pokémon Centre. I heal A’Tuin and go over to the PC. I go to Box 17 and rename it to ’FALLEN’ and change the wallpaper to that of the sky. This is where I will leave any Comrades killed in the line of duty.

 

I leave the Pokémon Centre and go over to the Poké Mart. The shopkeeper asks if I’m from Pallet Town, but since I’m a Heroic Mime, I just walk over to the counter and they tell me that they received a package for Prof. OAK and ask me to deliver it for them. Without waiting for me to say yes, they give me ‘OAK’S PARCEL’. I try to buy some things, but they just tell me to deliver the package. I try to go north out of Viridian City, but an old man in lying in the middle of the road who won’t let me past. Someone standing nearby apologises and says that this old man hasn’t had his coffee yet. There doesn’t seem to be anything I can do about this, so I turn and head back to Pallet Town. I jump down the ledges to get back to Pallet Town avoiding most of the tall grass.

 

I heal at home and then enter Prof. OAK’s laboratory. Inside, I find OAK and Blue. I talk to the prof. and deliver the parcel. OAK explains that it contains Poké Balls. He then gives Blue and I each 5 Poké Balls a Pokédex, which he describes as a ‘High-tech encyclopӕdia’. He says that Blue and I should each go on a journey around the Kanto Region and collect as many Pokémon as we can in order to gather information. In other words, do his homework for him. Blue tells me that he could do it on his own and boasts that he’ll borrow a town map from his sister and that she won’t give me one and then leaves. As you should (usually) do in a game if someone tells you not to do something, I went to Blue’s house and talked to his sister, who gave me the town map, which shows the layout of the Kanto Region.

 

I head back out onto Route 1. The first Pokémon that I encounter on this route now that I have Poké balls is a level 3 Pidgey. After lowering its health with A’tuin, I throw a Poké Ball and successfully catch a Pidgey. This Pidgey, I decide to name Doughnut, for no discernible reason.

 

After training so that A’Tuin is level 8 (and now knows bubble) and Doughnut is level 5, I save my game, at 20 minutes into my adventure.

 

What will Red do next? Which Pokémon will he catch next? Who will be the first comrade to be killed in the line of duty? Tune in next time to find out!

 

 

 

 

Thus begins my Pokémon LeafGreen Nuzlocke Challenge. Feedback would be greatly appreciated to allow me to improve my storytelling and give me motivation to continue. Thanks in advance. Many people who do Nuzlocke runs of Pokémon record their adventure in the form of a comic series. I cannot draw for beans and so I WON'T make a comic series of this. If someone does, feel free to post it in replies.

 

See Y'all next time!