Big rules here, little rules down there, let’s go.

We’re probably only a couple more episodes from the end, and the last ones are going to be a little different.  As you might remember, at the end of the last episode I drew the Hierophant going into the Pokémon League, so I only use a Pokémon Centre after finishing a new area… and there are none of those left.  I can’t really train under those conditions.  That being the case, I have no choice but to simply fight the Elite Four over and over until I win, receiving pity-healing each time I lose and coming back slightly stronger.  I don’t really know how long this is going to take.  Previously in this playthrough I’ve been giving fairly detailed summaries of important battles against gym leaders and the like, but I don’t think that’s going to be practical here.  This is going to be more… let’s say, summaries and highlights of each attempt.  Hopefully I’ll have a pretty good sense of when I’m close to beating Cynthia, so I’ll be able to give more of a blow-by-blow for the final battle.

Well… here goes nothing.

Continue reading “Pearl Kingslocke: Episode 26” →

Rules here.

Last time, I had just drawn the Ten of Pentacles, which lets one of my readers make up a new rule and get rid of some existing ones.  The lucky first person on the scene was jeffthelinguist, who offered the following:

(Also, for the record, here is my Facebook chat log with Jim the Editor from just after I drafted the previous episode)

Continue reading “Pearl Kingslocke: Episode 25” →

Big rules here, little rules down there, let’s go.

We’ve successfully dealt with Team Galactic and saved the region (world? universe?), but there’s still a much more important challenge ahead: earning an eighth badge and defeating the Elite Four, as well as that goth lunatic with the Psyduck medicine.  Because of the plot, the east road to Sunyshore City (yes, one n, it feels wrong every time I type it) is now open.

But first, I have an important promise to fulfill.

Continue reading “Pearl Kingslocke: Episode 24” →

Big rules here, little rules down there, let’s go.

Where were we?

Oh yeah.  One last pair of chumps to keep us out of the big cheese’s business for just a few minutes more.

Continue reading “Pearl Kingslocke: Episode 23” →

Rules here.

All right, so, last time I had just drawn the Tower as I began to climb Mount Coronet for the final showdown with Cyrus, and the Tower says this:

The Tower: Box your entire party.  You cannot use any of them until this rule is overwritten.  However, all other current rules are revoked.  Only Pokémon in the Vessel remain unusable.  If you have no other Pokémon, you may catch one of your choice in this area (or in the last area with wild Pokémon, if there are none here) before boxing your party.

So, everything is wiped, all the existing rules are gone: no nature restrictions, no gender restrictions, no evolution restrictions, no restrictions on switching in battle, no fµ¢£ing Justice card hanging around for half the game telling me it’s super important that I keep using an Unown.  But my entire team – my six highest-level Pokémon, including my starter, King Louie – are off-limits until further notice.  In consultation with the comments section on my last post, I have chosen the following team to replace them, a mixture of old and new faces:

Continue reading “Pearl Kingslocke: Episode 22” →

Big rules here, little rules down there, let’s go.

Here we are, back in Veilstone City, ready to raid the Team Galactic HQ.

Continue reading “Pearl Kingslocke: Episode 21” →

Big rules here, little rules down there, let’s go.

Where were we?  Oh yes.  The Frozen North!

Oh, you flirt; stop it! 😉

(but seriously, no, keep going)

Continue reading “Pearl Kingslocke: Episode 20” →

Big rules here, little rules down there, let’s go.

So – last time I’d just finished training a moderately competent team on Iron Island out of the Pokémon assigned to me by the Devil (look, this is just the kind of phrase you wind up using in this run; deal with it), only to draw the Five of Pentacles when I entered the gym and learn that I won’t be allowed to use any female Pokémon.

Well, first things first: Judy, Sunfire and Gran Nite have to get back in the kitchen, along with all my other female Pokémon.

More importantly, Justice is still in play, and some slots just opened up in my party, so guess who’s coming back?

Continue reading “Pearl Kingslocke: Episode 19” →

Big rules here, little rules down there, let’s go.

Look, I know everyone was eager to see me take on Canalave City with only a drastically underlevelled Blissey and Girafarig, an Unown and a Blizzard/Slam Quagsire, but I felt like I had to do just a teensy bit of off-screen grinding, maybe not quite enough to get Du Fromage and Anna up to the levels of the old team, but enough for them to be… well, competent.

Yeah, I guess that’ll do.

Continue reading “Pearl Kingslocke: Episode 18” →

Big rules here, little rules down there, let’s go.

We now have access to Surf, which lets us go to not just Canalave City but several other side paths and hidden areas throughout Sinnoh, including one or two that are big enough to be worth drawing cards for.  So let’s have a little exploration episode with no dumb plot $#!t.

Continue reading “Pearl Kingslocke: Episode 17” →