[Gen 3] Oh mY GOD why is regular fire red the hardest romhack I've ever played?

In summary Fire red though being a remake, still has that gen 1, troll difficulty, ah the depression I love it.

After escaping mt moon, with my team at an average level of 13, I healed up, and decided to go explore and level some before fighting the gym, only to run straight into my rival and his level 18 pokemon. : ) after abusing leach seed and bulldozing my way through that battle. I made my way to vermillion city.

Picked up my bike voucher and an old rod, then proceeded to wander into 3 battles in a row with my half dead team, and got whited out.
Take two, switched places in party took out the first two, avoided the last and his all steel team like the plague.

Got those potions I needed, and walked into diglett cave intending to head to viridian get that item on the other side of rt 2, and level up my beloved pineco. Because "surely a few diglet with not very effective ground moves wouldn't be any trouble for such a beefy mon!"

:pineco lvl 14:
first diglet level 12 no problem.
Next diglett level 17, I have protect so not too bad.
level 21, wooh ok...

:pineco lvl 15: learned take down one shot knock out who wants some!!

A LEVEL 29 DUGTRIO

why, just why. oh and did I forget to mention they ALL have arena trap, so I can't switch or run away?

Somehow I make it through and manage to burn this thing, after running through all 4 of my super potions.
I could have caught it but after it attacked me like that, and lowered my accuracy 5 levels, I wanted the experience more.

:pineco lvl 16:

.............
......
.Dugtrio's boyfriend wanted a chat.

After one shot-ing most of my team, pidgeotto won the day with 3 hp left. and I caught that evil sob

I switched to rattata and use run away to get through the rest of the cave.

Only to find...there's a small tree blocking my way to the item.
...
F