So, without further delay, let's get this show on the road.
Episode 1 - Bowser Jr. the Carry
So you see, I'm the kind of person who will use the starter he's used to. In this case, it's Squirtle. Bowser Jr. the Squirtle. After a long Tackle marathon with Stizh (my rival's name), I headed on over to Viridian City to be Oak's delivery boy and get his parcel for him so he would hand me over the Pokedex (let it also be known that he's a stingy little one and refuses to give me Poke Balls, but I know I can't beat Stizh's Pidgey and Bulbasaur with just Bowser Jr. Trust me, I tried. I actually saved before attempting and got Sand-Attack screwed to oblivion, then just reset.)
Anyway, Viridian Woods was uneventful. Once Bowser Jr. got Bubble, it was just "spam Bubble to win every battle and heal if needed." Brock and his gym minion followed the same formula, thus giving me access to Onix and the Geodude line...or Geodude and Graveler to be exact.
Bide is a trash move, so of course I boxed that garbage right away and stocked up on a few Poke Balls since Oak is a stizh and refuses to give me any so I have to get my own, and some more potions, and we're on our way once again, obliterating anyone who dares to get in my way until Mt. Moon. Let it also be known that along the way, Bowser Jr. got a better Water move for me to abuse. Fantastic.
Welp, Mt. Moon time, and after destroying every trainer on Route 3, my boy Bowser Jr. is now an almighty Wartortle. Just one step away from his true glory. But anyway, Mt. Moon is my first chance to snag a Geodude, but I opted against it since it would give me a shared Grass weakness, and looking at my team right now and how Stizh is running around with a Bulbasaur, having Geodude will be a long term bad idea. Oh well, looks like we're soloing until something comes along that could be long term better for my team.
Anyway, with Mt. Moon out of the way and no Geodude in the party, the next hurdles are Misty, Surge, and the next encounter with Stizh. I don't have a choice but to face Misty for Cut access outside of battle, but with Bowser Jr. already in my party, having access to the Staryu line won't be helpful to me even though Starmie is really good. First things first, and that's getting to Vermillion City so I can get the Cut HM. This will also help me with some more experience that will make Misty laughably easy despite having a Water type.
So a Lv. 23 Wartortle vs. a team of four...well, technically three since Abra is next to useless since it only has Teleport. Well, Pidgeotto spamming Sand-Attack a little to lower my accuracy didn't help. Abra was basically free healing time, I crit the Rattata, and then Sand-Attack really came to bite me with constant Tackle misses while Bulbasaur wailed on Bowser Jr. with Vine Whip and eventually a Leech Seed, but it was dead by the time it threw out the seeds. So, not a bad run for a solo Water type.
So between a boatload of battles, refusing to join the best evil team, fixing up Bill and getting the SS Ticket, and a close call with poison thanks to a Poisonpowder Butterfree and two required trainers shortly afterward, we're here in Vermillion City...even though I'm only here for one thing, and that's the S.S. Anne. So, it's time to storm in and wipe out every trainer, including a certain stizh and get myself a Cut HM.
So let me just say one thing. I officially hate Sand-Attack. I missed five attacks in a row after two Sand-Attacks. Sure, I crit his Ivysaur to death with Bite (I got two in a row) and the Kadabra was pretty unintimidating, but otherwise, that battle was pretty cancer. At least I got my Cut HM and went to scoop up the Bike Voucher for later when I slide over to Fuchsia City. Now, how about we go blow up Misty for access to Water types I have no intention of using.
A shiny new Cascade Badge, access to useless Water types, and a bike. Of course, I'd rather just abuse the speedup button, but that's kind of standard. But that aside, Rock Tunnel is coming up, and I could get Onix, but...it goes right back to the whole "weak to Grass" problem. Not happening.
But on another note, don't be like me. Buy your healing items before you mindlessly go charging into Rock Tunnel without Flash. I got lucky that I still had a few spare Potions for any heals I would've needed. But that aside, my goal is Celadon to get some Grass type access outside of my Oddish HM slave because I needed it for Cut. Celadon's a hot spot because of that (mostly) free Ice Beam TM.
And now, for the synopsis of Celadon City Gym.
Step 1: Teach Bowser Jr. Ice Beam
Step 2: Wipe out everything with a combination of Ice Beam and Bite
Step 2.5: Bro, you're Lv. 40+ and nothing in this gym will be any threat anymore
Step 3: Blow up a Victreebel, Tangela, and Vileplume
Step 4: Profit...by having access to the Bellsprout and Oddish lines...and Tangela, I guess.
Actually, I'm wrong. I can't get any member of the Bellsprout line at all because I'm playing Red, so I only now have access to Tangela and the Oddish line. rip having a Victreebel. Looking at routes on Serebii, Tangela is my best bet for a decent mon...if I didn't require Surf. At the same time, Gloom is available only on routes I can't access yet because of Snorlax. I've really put myself in a corner with my strategy here. 3 gyms done and I haven't caught a single thing. Welp, this is the path I chose. Gotta take it to the end. My Surf required mons plan hasn't changed. I'll just have to blow up Team Rocket real quick and prove that Bowser Jr. is pretty much going to carry the rest of the game, even when I start piecing the team together.
Everything that happens prior to me reaching Fuchsia City is information that shouldn't need to be described. I have a Blastoise that's nearly level 50. Nothing is a threat to me anymore. So after a brisk walk through the Safari Zone (the one place in R/B/Y where I don't use the speedup button like some kind of lunatic) and picking up both Surf and the Gold Teeth for the totally required Strength HM, you must be wondering something if you've been reading this far. "This guy has had the chance to catch a Geodude or an Onix for a long time, but instead, he completely denies them and chooses to even not face Surge yet. What's this strategy he's raving on about and why is Surf so important?"
Well, that answer is simple. Fake item Electrode. It's available at a high level but you require Surf to reach the Power Plant to pick it up. I get two chances, and if that goes under, a Lv. 40 Voltorb is still available. Tangela, as we already covered, is Surf blocked, as if Cinnabar Island. Ponyta and Growlithe, along with Koffing are all able to be caught over there. Put Electrode, Ponyta, and either Koffing or Grimer in and we've got a solid team of 5 counting Tangela. I've had this all planned out, and the one key component that was missing for this scheme was the late availability of Surf. So once Koga's done, I get access to some solid mons, so let's go and blow him up.
Today, on the "spam the STAB move in order to win with next to no challenge at all because you're using a Lv. 49 Blastoise," we have Koga and his gym minions. There were no survivors from the drowning of Fuchsia City gym. Koga did leave the rights to the Koffing and Grimer lines, though, so it's still a win for us. Now that Surf is usable outside of battle, we have some work to do. Let's go catch us a Tangela.
So after a long walk back to Pallet Town and a single Ultra Ball, Tangled the Tangela has joined the squad. Operation Gather the Squad has officially begun. Now it's time to rip Surge a new one in order to have access to the Pikachu and Voltorb lines. To the Power Plant after the world's worst gym puzzle!
Fun fact: I save stated before the puzzle because it sucks, but I ended up getting it first try. GGs game. Anyway, that's beside the point.
*8 or so SRs because Selfdestruct later*
Finally got him. Tangled got enough explosions to the face to last a lifetime, and I learned of another Rare Candy spot...even though it's too far out of the way for solo runs. Whatever, Smiles the Electrode is here. But with that detour aside, I'm gonna take the trip back to Pallet Town so I can Surf to Cinnabar Island and end it there. Episode 2 will probably cover the rest of the run, so ye. It'll be a fun time.
Team Zero
Bowser Jr. (Blastoise) Lv. 51
Moves: Bite, Withdraw, Surf, Ice Beam
Tangled (Tangela) Lv. 30
Moves: Constrict, Bind, Mega Drain, Absorb
Smiles (Electrode) Lv. 43
Moves: Sonicboom, Thunder, Light Screen, Swift
Useable Pokemon
