Part 54: Foreseeing the North
Update 42: Foreseeing the North
Route 6
Mmm, such a good tune. Since there's only one way to go, might as well go this way.
"world."
Did you guess what Pokemon he had?
: Isn't it cute enough to make your heart melt?
"world."
So kawaii
: Isn't it cute enough to make your heart melt?
Those two trainers are Crystal exclusive and I have no idea why.
So we have to go through Saffron City to deal with the fact the Underground is closed? What a twist!
"MAGNET TRAIN!"
: ...That's what I'd normally say, but the MAGNET TRAIN isn't running now. It's not getting any electricity because there's something wrong with the POWER PLANT.Saffron City
Well it seems Kanto is right fucked by no power, dunno how they managed 3 years ago, but anyway, since we're here...
: ...
: ...?
: ...?!
: It may lower the target's SPCL.DEF.
Fucking FINALLY. Now Helios has a useful STAB move and is now a solid special attacker. Sure, it's not perfect, but it's the best we've got. The fact that this TM is so late in the game is probably why people dislike this gen so much, obviously.
Wanna explore 11 floors?
"OFFICE BUILDING."Aw man, they removed the fountain.
"upstairs.": But since you came such a long way, have this neat little souvenir.
: It's SILPH CO.'s latest product. It's not for sale anywhere yet.
Let's see what else we've got.
: Her mimicry has earned her the nickname COPYCAT around here.
: No, not me. I asked you. Pardon? You're weird!
Looks like she's still the same, though without the Mimic TM.
: MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL, WHO'S THE FAIREST ONE OF ALL?
Aw yeah, let's kick some Fighting asses.
: KARATE KING, the FIGHTING DOJO's master, is in a cave in JOHTO for training.
Oh right, we've already kicked some Fighting asses. Well, least we can pick up a 10% chance to survive a hit with 1HP. Greaaaaaat...
Gym Leader? Eh, why not, this update has barely started.
Pokemon Gym
: A trainer as skilled as you don't need to be told how to deal with psychic-type POKéMON, right? I expect great things from you! Good luck!
Jim Gui is really not trying anymore... but whatever, the gym layout is still exactly the same. Here's a refresher from the last LP and like before, A-B-H-M is the quickest path:
"comes to me!"
HP: 85 | ATK: 73 | DEF: 70 | SP.ATK: 73 | SP.DEF: 115 | SPD: 67 | TOTAL: 483
#088: Hypno
The best numbers, the greatest numbers.
"soul."
We don't need another Sleep move, you can stick to Stun Spore against opposing trainers.
"your abilities."
"this city's GYM."You're all monsters. Super effective monsters.
Mmm, delicious
"SABRINA."If you read that the wrong way, you might think he was referring to recent events. But no, he's just a weird worder.
Ah shit, try not to look too deeply.
"would lose to you."Why would you even predict that.
There's only four trainers in this gym anyway, down from six last gen. Kanto budget cuts man.
: Three years ago I had a vision of your arrival. You're after my BADGE. I don't enjoy battling, but it's my duty as a LEADER to confer BADGES on anyone who has proven him- or herself worthy. Since you wish it, I will show you my psychic powers!Gym Leader Battle (Kanto)
Sabrina: The Mistress of Psychic Pokemon!
(Sabrina sounds vaguely like psychic, or a combination of Abra and brain. It could be based off Sabrina The Teenage Witch, which debuted in comic form in 1962 and TV form in 1996. But who knows for sure. Natsume is the Japanese name for the jujube (or date) tree.)
So while Sabrina only has three Pokemon, they do hit really hard. However, since the only attacking move any of her Pokemon have is Psychic, aside from Espeon, Dark types more or less wall her. But we don't have one of those.
Ah jesus fuck christ
Next!
It's not the best use of Psychic, but goddammit Helios has a good move now and I'm gonna fuckin' use it.
Very cute.
HP: 55 | ATK: 50 | DEF: 45 | SP.ATK: 135 | SP.DEF: 85 | SPD: 120 | TOTAL: 490
#091: Alakazam
Alright, this might become a problem. Well, it would be more of a problem, if its level was higher, but thankfully it's not.
You wanna do this dance? Cause even with the Reflect, I still 2HKO you. Goddamn Churchill hits hard...
Even the smartest of moustaches falls to the strongest of doggies
: It far exceeds what I foresaw... Maybe it isn't possible to fully predict what the future holds... OK, you win. You earned yourself MARSHBADGE.Pokemon Gym
: MARSHBADGE draws out your subliminal powers... Although I failed to accurately predict your power, this much I know to be true. You will be a celebrated and beloved CHAMPION!
: The power of love, I think, is also a kind of psychic power...
Thanks to you, I guess? Well, we're now done with Saffron City, so let's keep heading north!
Route 5
Let's see what's on Route 5
Cerulean City
And that was Route 5, welcome to Cerulean everybody.
Route 5
Ah just kidding, let's see what's in this house.
: I sense a sinister shadow hovering over you. Take this to ward it off!
"are protected now."Uh, thanks? The Cleanse Tag reduces the encounter rate if you give it to your lead Pokemon for Pokemon that are lower level. It doesn't remove encounters, just heavily reduces them, but the only info that I can find is by 33% in Gen 4, so maybe that's how it applies in all gens. I don't fuckin know.
Cerulean City
Alright, let's see what Cerulean has for us.
Definitely has a weird selection of items. Again, if I really need something, I'll probably just Fly to Indigo Plateau.
We've got yet another gym, so what the hell, let's take it on!
O-oh. There's no one here. Alrighty then.
: The BIKE SHOP has moved to GOLDENROD CITY in JOHTO...Route 4
Just gonna do a quick visit to Route 4 since, like in Gen 1, it's a one way route going right.
Wild Pokemon (Kanto)
Thankfully we don't have to wait until Mt Moon to find this Pokemon, but this is the earliest you can find Clefairy.
I also wanted to finally put in the wild battle music. But man, why is all the Kanto music so good?
Cerulean City
Well this guy won't tell us about the badges' effects, cause, well, there are none. We've got all our boosts and level obedience, so they're just something to collect. Don't even get a damn TM from most of them. Pretty rubbish, but hey, it's some fun battling, why not.
Ah shit, now where am I gonna catch my level 65 Ditto?
: Ayuh? My ITEMFINDER is responding...
: Stamp out thievery and make the city a friendlier, more cheerful place! CERULEAN POLICE
Aww, when can I finally catch one of these damn things?
"skulking about.": I won't stand for it if he turns out to be a thief.Route 9
Now we're definitely not as hemmed in as it may seem, a good chunk of Kanto is available to visit right off the bat, you can go between Cerulean and Fuschia. But to really open up the rest of the region, we need to solve the Power Plant problem, so off we go.
"behind."
Hey, as a JRPG protagonist, I pick up everything damn thing I see.
Ah shit there's tree huggers everywhere.
If you tell me where some rubbish is I'll happily put it into my bag to never use.
"my mistake."
Unfortunately, a fair amount of Kanto trainers aren't very interesting and the routes feel just a little smaller than usual, so it's pretty easy to just skip around and not spend too long in one place.
High voltage. Hmm, I think I've made that joke before.
: I'd better take them to a POKéMON CENTER right away.
You drive a hard bargain, but very well.
"river." 
I don't think this Ether was part of the secret, but it's still good.
"when she comes...": MT.SILVER is in JOHTO, right?
There's no room for a musical number in this game, friend.
So long as it's not camping, I'm definitely into it.
Phew, that's all the trainers and while none of them had any interesting new Pokemon, it's still good experience.
If there's not a goddamn Zapdos at the end of this river I'll be upset.
Ehhhhhh, I'll take it. Least that's another baby Pokemon I can cross off the list. Uh, once we can get back to Johto, of course.
Guess we'll have to find the Zapdos elsewhere...
But at least we've made it to the Power Plant. And next time, we'll see about fixing whatever problem these dumb bozos can't do themselves. See ya!