Event: The Many Legends of Gary Oak (Complete)

[Devalue]

The Many Legends of Gary Oak
​

Heard many legends about Gary Oak over the years. Collected ten badges in a region with eight. Beat you to every gym. Captured tons of Pokemon along the way.

Speaks of the past. Grew as a trainer since then. Do you think you can measure up to Gary now? Puts that to the test.

What is this event?
Posts one challenge a week, for six weeks, during this event. Consists of minigame scores or timed tasks in-game. Charges participants to match or beat the score. Spans several different mainline games, not just Kanto.

Please only submit scores obtained during the challenge, not your personal best high score from however many years ago. (Set all of these score recently as well, for what it is worth.) Requires no screenshots or proof of victory. Accepts your word. Feel free to post scores that do not beat the target score too. Asks participants to edit their posts with new scores, if they are the last poster.

Allows participants to play on official hardware or emulator. Cannot use a ROMhack, however. Permits save states, emulation speed changes, and transferred/traded/hacked Pokemon only to reach the spot where the challenge begins, if applicable. Example: May not have a Pokemon Yellow save file. Acquires some high level Pokemon to reach the Surfing Pikachu minigame in as little time as possible.

Encourages participants to share tips with one another, also. Is not a competitive event. Loses nothing by doing so.


Prizes
Satisfaction and bragging rights, mostly. Gives away a VPP at the end of the event too. (For more information on VPPs, see the Virtual Pokemon Pet subforum.)

Beat/matched 5 or more scores: A shiny version of any Pokemon below.
Beat/matched 3 or more scores: Nidoking, Blastoise, Arcanine, OR Umbreon.
Beat/matched at least one score: Nidorino, Wartortle, Growlithe, OR Eevee.
All other participants: Nidoran (male) or Squirtle

May also choose a VPP from a lower tier.

__________________​

The First Legend: Voltorb Flip

​

Brings up Gary Oak in reverent whispers in the Goldenrod Game Corner from time to time. Sauntered into the building one day, looking for a Voltorb Flip table. Never played it before. Simply wanted an Ice Beam TM for a Nidoking.

Mastered the game instantly. Identified exactly where Voltorbs were. Raked in enough coins to buy the Ice Beam TM in less than half an hour!


The goal: Win 7514 coins or more from Voltorb Flip in 15 minutes in HeartGold / SoulSilver.

Permits this website too. Lowers your time to 14 minutes because of faster text.

Use whatever timer you please. Probably comes standard on most computers and phones. Could use a kitchen timer too.

Please post your scores in this thread before Monday, March 4 at noon Eastern Standard Time.

For HeartGold / SoulSilver players: Be sure to record your coin count before starting the timer. Keep an eye on your coin count too. Exits you out of the game upon hitting 50000 coins.

Another note: Set this score using the website. (Does not own HeartGold or SoulSilver.) May be easier or harder in the actual game to reach the score, depending on text time and how the game is generated.

 

[Ben Resolute]

I am so ready for this. Minesweeper is my jam. Epic Voltorb Flip Skillz™ activating.

 

[Explorer of Time]

1522 coins. I am not good at Voltorb Flip.

 

[Nanulak]

I should show this to my friend on Bulbagarden Okido. He's a big Gary fan!

 

[Devalue]

1522 coins. I am not good at Voltorb Flip.

Scored much lower in the first few attempts, if it makes you feel better. Peaked at 1717 coins in the first four attempts.

 

[Explorer of Time]

Well, I tried again and got 1818 coins. That's an improvement, but not by much.

 

[Devalue]

Closes off this first round in 48 hours. Wishes good luck to anyone still shooting for a good score. (Definitely means luck with some of the forced 50/50s and worse.)

 

[Devalue]

The Second Legend: Bolt to Brock

​

The first legend of Gary Oak, chronologically. Obtained his very first Pokemon that day. Sprinted from Pallet Town to Pewter City in the time it takes to brew tea. Bowled over Pokemon and trainers alike.

Proved just as quick at Pokemon battling. Took down Brock's Geodude and Onix from the word "go". Earned a badge that other trainers spent weeks, if not months to acquire.


The goal: On a new save file, beat Brock without using Bulbasaur or Squirtle in the battle within the target time.

• Red/Blue: 17 minutes, 0.31 seconds
• Yellow: 20 minutes, 30.89 seconds
• Fire Red / Leaf Green: 15 minutes, 53.45 seconds

Beat whichever score you want. May try to clear all three, if you wish. Will only count as one score beaten, for the purposes of the VPP.

Start the clock when you can first move your character. (Feel free to idle in your room while you ready the timer. Just do not move or anything.) Stop the clock at the text of getting the Boulder Badge. ("[Name] received the BOULDERBADGE from BROCK!")

May choose Bulbasaur or Squirtle as your starter. Cannot participate in the gym battle. Remains fair game for any other battle.

Please post your scores before Monday, March 11 at noon Eastern Standard Time.

 

[Explorer of Time]

How are you choosing these target times? I tried doing this in Yellow, but missed the target time in Viridian Forest, without a Pokemon that can beat Brock. (I had a Mankey that hadn't learned Low Kick yet, and my starter Pikachu.)

 

[Devalue]

How are you choosing these target times? I tried doing this in Yellow, but missed the target time in Viridian Forest, without a Pokemon that can beat Brock. (I had a Mankey that hadn't learned Low Kick yet, and my starter Pikachu.)

Played them. Followed the above rules. Went as fast as possible. Took the fastest time for each. Attempted Fire Red 5 times, Yellow 4 times, and Red 3 times. Does not include restarts, however. (Usually happened within the first 10 minutes.) Actually got the Yellow time on the first recorded try. Went slower with different tactics. Lost by ten seconds on the fourth attempt.

Edit: Did not get perfect RNG, for the record. Aimed for above average or "not terrible", depending on the thing in question.

 

[Reginald Cosmic]

I'm afraid to ask, but are emulators allowed, or does this have to be on an actual Game Boy/Game Boy Advance/Nintendo DS? I own the cartridge needed to do an authentic playthrough of FRLG, but I'm more comfortable with an emulator for a challenge run. I'm just asking.

EDIT: I tried with an emulator, and I was past 20 minutes by the time I defeated the Gym Trainer's Geodude, which was a mistake in hindsight, I know, but... I did all the standard time-saving measures like fast text speed, naming myself one letter, naming Oak's grandson one letter, only using the Pokemon Center once (after catching Mankey), I did trainer battles, but also, I used Charmander's Ember to shred through the bugs with switch training, but... How the Hell did you get it done in 15:53?

 

[Devalue]

I'm afraid to ask, but are emulators allowed, or does this have to be on an actual Game Boy/Game Boy Advance/Nintendo DS? I own the cartridge needed to do an authentic playthrough of FRLG, but I'm more comfortable with an emulator for a challenge run. I'm just asking.

EDIT: I tried with an emulator, and I was past 20 minutes by the time I defeated the Gym Trainer's Geodude, which was a mistake in hindsight, I know, but... I did all the standard time-saving measures like fast text speed, naming myself one letter, naming Oak's grandson one letter, only using the Pokemon Center once (after catching Mankey), I did trainer battles, but also, I used Charmander's Ember to shred through the bugs with switch training, but... How the Hell did you get it done in 15:53?

Allows emulators. Completed this particular challenge on an emulator. Cannot use speed-up stuff while on the timer, obviously.

Planned to wait a little longer for hints, but sure, why not now? Did many of the things you mentioned too. Only caught Mankey for Yellow's time, however. (Caused pretty much all the resets in Yellow.) Used something else for the times in Red/Blue and Fire Red / Leaf Green.

Certainly tried Mankey in Fire Red. Recorded 19 minutes, 29.52 seconds on Fire Red's Attempt #2, if you were wondering. Switched to something else for the other three attempts.

Gave switch training a shot in Yellow too. Ended up ten seconds slower. Take that as you will. Could attribute the time difference to Mankey luck.

Good luck.

 

[Reginald Cosmic]

I'm not sure if Charmander or Butterfree is the optimal hitter, but Brock's Pokemon have high defense (which is bad for a Metal Claw using Charmander) and low special defense (which is good for a confusion spamming Butterfree). You can theoretically get REALLY lucky and never see Rock Tomb with just Charmander, but for now, I'm going to assume Butterfree is the way to go.

General Tips for FRLG:
-Name everything one letter, so the game doesn't waste precious seconds generating words like Charmander.
-If you don't pause before leaving Pallet Town for the first time (not including the cutscene where Oak stops you), a girl will stop you and insist on teaching you that you can pause the game with START.
-Peter Griffin meme: Guys, do not challenge Camper Liam. Worst mistake of my life!

Butterfree route tips for FRLG:
-A level 4 Caterpie cannot reach its final form before Pewter City Gym even if you switch train on all the Bug Catchers. It's a good idea to let Caterpie beat up some bugs on its own. Unfortunately, due to a cruel act of Arceus, Metapod's physical attack if lower than Caterpie's physical attack. Maybe Caterpie can win some fights at level 6.
-Theoretically, a level 5 Caterpie would be preferred over a Metapod. You see, Caterpie retains the move Tackle which is not found on any wild Metapod in Viridian Forest, which would make it easier to score KOs without sending out Charmander
-The moment Charmander learns Ember, wild battles (except to catch a Caterpie) are not viable for grinding.
-I recommend buying five or six potions and three or four Antidotes in the Poke Mart. Don't bother with the Pokemon Center, and don't waste time getting the potions from the player's in-game PC or even the Poke Mart employee on Route 1.
-Butterfree has 70 base speed, and Geodude has 20 base speed, so Butterfree is guaranteed to use Confusion before Geodude's first move. Onix might be a bit trickier since it also has 70 base speed and is level 14 as opposed to Butterfree presumably being level 10 or 11. (I'm not sure how high Onix's EVs and IVs are. For some reason, this is harder to find on Google.)

 

[Devalue]

(I'm not sure how high Onix's EVs and IVs are. For some reason, this is harder to find on Google.)

Assists on this part. Knows of a spreadsheet for Fire Red / Leaf Green trainers ([Google Sheets link]). Stuck the stats in a damage calculator. Indicates:

• Geodude: 0 IVs. 0 EVs. Jolly nature (+Speed / -Special Attack).
• Onix: 0 IVs. 0 EVs. Careful nature (+Special Defense / -Special Attack)

(Or sufficiently low IVs and EVs to be indistinguishable from 0.)

Edit: Adds this as a reminder, just in case. Do not start your timer when you hit New Game. Begins when you can move your character. Hates for anyone to waste a minute or so on that.

 

[Reginald Cosmic]

Assists on this part. Knows of a spreadsheet for Fire Red / Leaf Green trainers ([Google Sheets link]). Stuck the stats in a damage calculator. Indicates:

• Geodude: 0 IVs. 0 EVs. Jolly nature (+Speed / -Special Attack).
• Onix: 0 IVs. 0 EVs. Careful nature (+Special Defense / -Special Attack)

(Or sufficiently low IVs and EVs to be indistinguishable from 0.)

Yes, thank you!

According to the spreadsheet, Brock's Onix has a speed stat of 24. Now we can determine how fast Butterfree needs to be. I've done the math from Bulbapedia's "Stat" article. Assuming there are no speed EVs available for Butterfree, that means a level 10 Butterfree cannot outspeed Onix and can only tie Onix's speed with a speed-enhancing nature. (Please note that the formula only rounds down, so even if Butterfree's speed is 24.9 based on the formula, it still rounds down to 24.)

A level 11 Butterfree makes a big difference here: Butterfree with 15 or 16 IVs (roughly the median value beween 0 and 31) and a speed-enhancing nature ties Onix's speed stat of 24.

However, I should note that if Caterpie defeats Weedle, it will gain 1 speed EV. Get 4 of those, and the expression could have a meaningful change. There happen to be exactly 4 Weedle to fight in Bug Catcher battles in Viridian Forest, but it is possible to knock out some Weedle while walking in the tall grass of Viridian Forest, which can make a difference here (depending on the IVs).

Unfortunately, even at level 11, Butterfree cannot beat Onix's speed without a speed-enhancing nature. Even with 31 IVs and 2 EVs, it can only tie Onix's speed of 24 without a speed-enhancing nature.

All this to say, it might be helpful to use Butterfree's Harden from its Metapod stage while fighting Geodude to help defend against Onix's Rock Tomb. That means--and I cannot stress this enough--Caterpie must evolve into Metapod at exactly level 7. The moment Caterpie reaches level 8, it cannot learn "Harden" during the Metapod stage. I know this because I've accidentally gotten a Caterpie to Level 8 in battle before it could evolve.

EDIT: I caught a Level 5 Caterpie no problem, and I knocked out the four or five Weedle, and I didn't even reach Level 9 by the time I finished the last Bug Catcher. I couldn't even leave Viridian Forest in 16 minutes, and I got really good IVs on Caterpie. (I checked after the fact because it's bugging me now.) I guess I'll try to solo with Charmander, but I'm at a loss for words. I have no idea how you got from the first D-Pad press to earning the Boulder Badge in less than 16 minutes. I grinded with Charmander to level 15 recently (albeit I had other party members), and it was still difficult beating Brock's Onix. Did Charmander evolve? Is there some other Pokemon that appears on Route 1. I don't know what you did!

EDIT2: I'm sorry for the mean language. I soloed with Charmander and got 17:25.26. I could've maybe done it if I hadn't attempted to skip the Bug Catcher on the northeast (top-right) edge of Viridian Forest.

Tips:
-Make sure your Charmander knows Ember BEFORE Viridian Forest. This is doubly important because Ember will one-shot every bug-type (albeit I had a Rash nature, which increased by Sp ATK), but also, the Bug Catchers don't provide enough EXP. You HAVE to beat up some wild bug-types along the way, but I highly recommend one-shotting the bug-types of Viridian Forest.
-Buy a bunch of potions, but don't bother with antidote because Charmander should be able to outspeed and one-shot everything in your path to Brock
-I have no idea why Brock's Onix didn't use Rock Tomb, but I heard from a video on the only "Charmander" run to hold the WR on Fire Red that -- and I cannot stress enough that I don't know for sure -- the fight is programmed such that the Onix uses Rock Tomb to lower your speed. Brock is probably not programmed to one-shot you like "Rival 2" in RSE (wherein, Rival will use Quick Attack if the AI detects that it can finish your Pokemon with it).

 

[Devalue]

EDIT2: I'm sorry for the mean language. I soloed with Charmander and got 17:25.26. I could've maybe done it if I hadn't attempted to skip the Bug Catcher on the northeast (top-right) edge of Viridian Forest.

No worries. Never felt like anything you said was mean.

Confirms you to be on the right track. Blazed through everything in Fire Red (and Red) with Charmander. Cost so much time to find, catch, and level a Pokemon.

Remembers resetting on Charmander's level 6 stats (from beating Squirtle). Failed to one-shot the first forest trainer's Weedle sometimes in one of the games (maybe Fire Red, maybe Red). For reference, in Fire Red at level 6 for Charmander:

• Neutral nature, 0-13 IVs: 12 Special
• Neutral nature, 14-29 IVs: 13 Special
• Neutral nature, 30-31 IVs: 14 Special

Should be able to settle for 13 Special at level 6. Meets that more often than not.

Adds one note about Onix: Will use Rock Tomb sometimes, but rarely. Favors Bind with a few Tackles thrown in. Saw Rock Tomb in maybe half of the attempts?

Throws in some Yellow information too. Found a level 5 Mankey in...4-5 encounters? Hinges quite a bit on finding this early. Recalls no good criticals in Viridian Forest either. (Probably saves a bunch of time with a good one. Takes so many Scratches to beat some stuff.)

Hm. Forgets some of the Yellow run. Wonders if fighting the gym trainer is actually a good idea. Depends where you stand on levels at the end of Viridian Forest. Ought to yield good experience, relative to the wild stuff in the forest.

 

[Reginald Cosmic]

Thank you for the confirmation that it was a single Charmander that got the best Fire Red time. I didn't know you had time to check Charmander's stats. I like that information regarding the appropriate IVs for a level 6 Charmander.

Also, I did find out (eventually) that it's possible for the first trainer Weedle to survive Charmander's Ember if you don't have the right IVs and/or nature in Fire Red.

9 March 2024 EDIT: I couldn't beat my time. I got really close to a new better time, but Brock was spamming Rock Tomb, and even though it missed twice in a row, the third time in a row he used Rock Tomb, it hit, and Charmander went down.

9 March 2024 EDIT2: I had like two whole minutes to beat Brock, and my Charmander had 26 IVs in physical attack and a Lonely Nature, and Brock crushed my dreams with Rock Tomb on the 2nd turn after Onix was sent out.

EDIT3: Yes, I checked the IVs AFTER the run. I had to know why my Charmander was doing the run perfectly!

10 March 2024 at 3:01 am CT EDIT:

Me: [Walks up to the podium] [Looks over some very important papers] [Adjusts the microphone] Ladies and gentlemen [and anything in between] We gottem! 15 min 52.42 seconds. My one regret with this run is that I wasn't able to save the game after beating Brock because I accidentally closed the emulator window while attempting to skip "TMs are not reusable in Gen 3" dialogue.

 

[Devalue]

EDIT3: Yes, I checked the IVs AFTER the run. I had to know why my Charmander was doing the run perfectly!

10 March 2024 at 3:01 am CT EDIT:

Me: [Walks up to the podium] [Looks over some very important papers] [Adjusts the microphone] Ladies and gentlemen [and anything in between] We gottem! 15 min 52.42 seconds. My one regret with this run is that I wasn't able to save the game after beating Brock because I accidentally closed the emulator window while attempting to skip "TMs are not reusable in Gen 3" dialogue.

Congratulations on pulling it off with about one second left. Must have been sweating.

 

[Reginald Cosmic]

I actually couldn't keep eyes on the timer during the fight with Brock because it was so intense. That said, I mayyyybe could've stopped the timer a little quicker, but I was so excited (not to mention nervous when I saw Brock say some words before handing over the badge), I couldn't click the button on my phone in time.

My Charmander got attack up from Metal Claw while fighting Geodude. The faster Onix got in a Bind and a (missed) Tackle on her, and then my Charmander said "I'm gonna do what's called a pro gamer move!" and scored a critical hit. Two hit knock out! Thank God for this Charmander!

I just wish I could've saved afterward. I was pressing down, and the window thought I wanted to do something with the emulation window itself, and I selected "close." I don't know what nature this Charmander had. The first trainer Weedle withstood an Ember, so I was a little worried, but I pressed on because of Charmander's high physical attack during the Squirtle fight. She also had high physical defense and (at the start of the Rival battle) 20 HP.

The taste of victory was exquisite!

 

[Devalue]

The Third Legend: Rotom Rally

​

Remarked on Gary Oak's speed in the last legend. Spawned more legends in other areas too. Journeyed to Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and plenty more regions. Cut through their forests, mountains, and caves like a Bitter Blade through butter. Excelled at multiple forms of transportations, from Mudbrays to Sharpedos to Latios.

Concerns a combination of Rotom and a bicycle in this one. Blitzed across half of the region in a few minutes. Designed several courses to replicate his feats of speed in Galar.


The goal: Score 49320 points in Rotom Rally in Sword/Shield.

Set the score using the Hammerlocke Hills -> Meetup Spot route. Choose whichever course you wish, however. Recommends upgrading your bicycle to the maximum too.

Please post your scores before Monday, March 18 at noon Eastern Standard Time.