I think the worst thing is when Victory Road requires a bunch of HMs. At least early into the game, you don't have a full team, so using up a slot on something that knows Cut isn't that intrusive. When I have to either bring a slave or mess up my movesets when I'm wanting to get my team of six leveled up for the E4, though... Ugh. If memory serves, you need Flash in Emerald's Victory Road, which is going to be lovely.
Part 4 go!
Squeely's Emerald Nuzlocke part 4: Two Evolutions and Our First Badge
Spoiler: show
50 years of GRINDAN later, we're ready to take on the next portion of the game. Here are the highlights from the GRINDAN:
Learned some pretty good moves. Well, Gust is nothing great, since Pickle isn't Flying, but it's worth a mention. Defense Curl + Rollout on Bubble is going to be a deadly combo. Gotta love how Pickle only has, like, half a backsprite, too.
The team after grinding. Since leveling up took forever, I had to make some decisions over who will and who won't be used for the purposes of battling. Le Fly, lv. 18, and Pickle, lv. 17, will be onboard until we defeat the second gym, since they'll be useful there. Past that, I'm not sure. Pickle seemed very underwhelming during the grind session, so he'll probably get the boot. Obviously, Cojiro, lv. 15, and Bubble, lv. 17, are mainstays. Pumbloom's Uproar seems quite strong at the moment, so he stays. Ziggy isn't really a battler, but she has Pickup, so she's good to keep around for that. Pumbloom and Ziggy are lv. 18 and 14, respectively.
Shenzi and Priscilla are benched for the time being. I don't see the two being very useful for anything coming up, though they may have uses in the future. Priscilla's Yawn will probably still be used to catch stuff. Priscilla seemed to level up at a snail's pace, sadly, which isn't helped by the fact that she can only attack every other turn. Keeping her on would probably drag the team down. They're both lv. 11.
Before I head to the gym, it's time to take a tour of scenic Rustboro city. Such excite.
I'm here at the Trainer's School to learn me a thing.
I learned that crazy guy's name is Scott.
Of which I am one.
No. I'm a janitor.
That is the worst advice I've ever heard. Cut is a terrible move in-battle, and I'm not sure if it's even necessary to progress in this game. Ziggy's gonna learn it so I can assuage my OCD and pick up every item, but still.
But like, you're doing that on Gameboy Advances. Are there in NPCs within your Gameboy who are trading Pokemon? Are there NPCs within their Gameboys who are trading Pokemon? I... I think we may have just discovered an infinite loop of universes.
I hadn't brought this up till now, but like, I really want a Grass type T-T
So you... scratch them? Someone should call Child Protective Services on this school. He gave me one of my own. Thanks, I guess.
Pumbloom is my slowest team member by miles. Here ya go, little buddy. Now you can be faster than things sometimes maybe.
How's it going, Mr. Salt? Paprika doing well? ...How the heck did salt and pepper shakers manage to make a baby? Blue's Clues was weird.
>NO.
I have a gym to go fight. I'm not watching your human worm baby.
>YES.
Quite a few, in fact. Though most probably aren't appropriate for this site.
Still, I shall Tell Him The Words.
I win the maturity award.
Let's shall.
Boooooooooger.
What the heck kind of baby doesn't laugh at the word booger? Shoot son, I'm over here at 26, chuckling slightly at the word booger.
Gotta love how all these Pokedolls are arranged so I can't talk to P̶a̶p̶r̶i̶k̶a̶ Wanda.
I mostly just throw cheese and veggies together between a couple tortillas and heat it up in the microwave in a very half-assed attempt at making a quesadilla.
Me too thanks.
What the heck? That's worse than my crappy nicknames.
>NO.
Even though I really want a Seedot.
It's really not. I learned pretty much nothing about Pokemon there.
Oh hey, another one of these to throw at a Pokemon, only for the Pokemon to break out of it. A yay.
Time to finally head into the gym!
I already knew all of this, but um, thanks, I guess. It's better than telling me the Pokemon at the left is the first one out, at least.
I really like how Emerald has a lot of these. You can choose to do em as a doubles or a singles battle. Bit of a shame that this doesn't happen as often in later generations. I'll probably do them as doubles, though. Seems like it'd be faster that way.
Then why are you in a building with a wall directly to your right?
Will these Geodude be able to kill Cojiro with Rock moves?! Will I ever do a double battle with Pokemon
other than these two?!
Cojiro ain't dying anytime soon if Tackle is the best these Geodude can muster.
Everyone should know what happens at level 16.
Pretty pointless, because Ember hits just about everything Peck does, but Ember gets STAB. But it's better than Growl I suppose.
Guess what also happens to Bubbles at level 18!
That's right! The cutest Gen 2 Pokemon is evolving into something still pretty cute!
A yay.
O_o
Nyoom!
A yay. Double Kick is definitely better than Focus Energy.
I'm so much better, I can beat you with a moth.
Will Rock moves put Pickle in a pickle?!
Evidently not.
That's because all three of you refuse to actually use Rock moves.
Hello, I am Squeely. I have bubbles that resemble a rabbit-mouse hybrid.
Here it go.
Those were easy. Thought she had one Geodude and one Onix, but I guess not.
Here comes a giant nose. How much will Bubbles' Water Gun do?
A little over half.
Oh no, now I can't switch to things that are bad against it!
Of course. Maybe I'll get lucky and still knock it out with a high damage roll.
A nope.
She likes drawing red X's on Bubbles.
Two Potions. Twas the Nosepass who refused to die.
Finally.
I ams winner.
Stone Badge get!
I can now clear insurmountable waist-height trees.
Now I, too, can draw X's on people.
It wasn't Bubbles. Definitely wasn't Bubbles. Nope. Clearly, your cheering knocked Nosepass out.
Goods is such a strange, vague word. Seems kinda weird to use it in this context. Is "goods" really something people say when they're being robbed?
It me.
I still have no idea what on Earth those are. But um, sure.
Peeko got tired of your crap and your ugly wailing. Peeko left to join Team Aqua. Peeko's a rebel.
Yeah, Wingull aren't that great. But, why even steal Pokemon? Wouldn't it be far less hassle to just buy a Pokeball and catch one yourself? These things are literally everywhere.
Sure.
"I gave up on crime because a cicada bit my dog."
Just because I beat you, doesn't mean you have to give it to me. I'm like, 12 in this game. You could overpower me. You could just run off to get that back to your boss. But um, okay, I guess.
Peeko won't be glad till she sees you dead.
I doubt that. Team Aqua just uses Pokemon for battling and getting their way. I don't think they really harm them.
I still don't have a Grass type T-T
There they go. Poor Peeko.
Have a lot of these from this guy and from Pickup. Will definitely use em once I find something that won't easily be caught by a Pokeball.
A fetch quest. A yay.
It really wasn't hard stopping Team Aqua. But sure, I guess.
Your staff really ought to carry Pokemon on them. Or pepper spray. Or both. Both is good.
Oh boy, just piling on the fetch quests.
I'm doubtful of that claim. Your employee got jumped twice.
He gave me one of these. A yay.
This, however, might be helpful for grinding.
Ohai.
Pointless, but a yay.
A few.
>YES.
Not an ideal matchup for Le Fly, though.
Cojiro is far better at taking Embers.
Down in one critical Double Kick. Ouch.
Another less-than-ideal matchup.
Not a ton better, but better.
One Uproar did that much. Pumbloom is a beast.
Thanks. I like to think I've pulled a decent team together, despite the Nuzlocke rules.
With that, we end part 4. With Le Fly at lv. 18, Cojiro at lv. 16, Pickle at lv. 17, Bubbles at lv. 19, Pumbloom at lv. 18, and Ziggy still at 14. Next time, we catch a few more things, then take on another gym!
Learned some pretty good moves. Well, Gust is nothing great, since Pickle isn't Flying, but it's worth a mention. Defense Curl + Rollout on Bubble is going to be a deadly combo. Gotta love how Pickle only has, like, half a backsprite, too.
The team after grinding. Since leveling up took forever, I had to make some decisions over who will and who won't be used for the purposes of battling. Le Fly, lv. 18, and Pickle, lv. 17, will be onboard until we defeat the second gym, since they'll be useful there. Past that, I'm not sure. Pickle seemed very underwhelming during the grind session, so he'll probably get the boot. Obviously, Cojiro, lv. 15, and Bubble, lv. 17, are mainstays. Pumbloom's Uproar seems quite strong at the moment, so he stays. Ziggy isn't really a battler, but she has Pickup, so she's good to keep around for that. Pumbloom and Ziggy are lv. 18 and 14, respectively.
Shenzi and Priscilla are benched for the time being. I don't see the two being very useful for anything coming up, though they may have uses in the future. Priscilla's Yawn will probably still be used to catch stuff. Priscilla seemed to level up at a snail's pace, sadly, which isn't helped by the fact that she can only attack every other turn. Keeping her on would probably drag the team down. They're both lv. 11.
Before I head to the gym, it's time to take a tour of scenic Rustboro city. Such excite.
I'm here at the Trainer's School to learn me a thing.
I learned that crazy guy's name is Scott.
Of which I am one.
No. I'm a janitor.
That is the worst advice I've ever heard. Cut is a terrible move in-battle, and I'm not sure if it's even necessary to progress in this game. Ziggy's gonna learn it so I can assuage my OCD and pick up every item, but still.
But like, you're doing that on Gameboy Advances. Are there in NPCs within your Gameboy who are trading Pokemon? Are there NPCs within their Gameboys who are trading Pokemon? I... I think we may have just discovered an infinite loop of universes.
I hadn't brought this up till now, but like, I really want a Grass type T-T
So you... scratch them? Someone should call Child Protective Services on this school. He gave me one of my own. Thanks, I guess.
Pumbloom is my slowest team member by miles. Here ya go, little buddy. Now you can be faster than things sometimes maybe.
How's it going, Mr. Salt? Paprika doing well? ...How the heck did salt and pepper shakers manage to make a baby? Blue's Clues was weird.
>NO.
I have a gym to go fight. I'm not watching your human worm baby.
>YES.
Quite a few, in fact. Though most probably aren't appropriate for this site.
Still, I shall Tell Him The Words.
I win the maturity award.
Let's shall.
Boooooooooger.
What the heck kind of baby doesn't laugh at the word booger? Shoot son, I'm over here at 26, chuckling slightly at the word booger.
Gotta love how all these Pokedolls are arranged so I can't talk to P̶a̶p̶r̶i̶k̶a̶ Wanda.
I mostly just throw cheese and veggies together between a couple tortillas and heat it up in the microwave in a very half-assed attempt at making a quesadilla.
Me too thanks.
What the heck? That's worse than my crappy nicknames.
>NO.
Even though I really want a Seedot.
It's really not. I learned pretty much nothing about Pokemon there.
Oh hey, another one of these to throw at a Pokemon, only for the Pokemon to break out of it. A yay.
Time to finally head into the gym!
I already knew all of this, but um, thanks, I guess. It's better than telling me the Pokemon at the left is the first one out, at least.
I really like how Emerald has a lot of these. You can choose to do em as a doubles or a singles battle. Bit of a shame that this doesn't happen as often in later generations. I'll probably do them as doubles, though. Seems like it'd be faster that way.
Then why are you in a building with a wall directly to your right?
Will these Geodude be able to kill Cojiro with Rock moves?! Will I ever do a double battle with Pokemon
other than these two?!
Cojiro ain't dying anytime soon if Tackle is the best these Geodude can muster.
Everyone should know what happens at level 16.
Pretty pointless, because Ember hits just about everything Peck does, but Ember gets STAB. But it's better than Growl I suppose.
Guess what also happens to Bubbles at level 18!
That's right! The cutest Gen 2 Pokemon is evolving into something still pretty cute!
A yay.
O_o
Nyoom!
A yay. Double Kick is definitely better than Focus Energy.
I'm so much better, I can beat you with a moth.
Will Rock moves put Pickle in a pickle?!
Evidently not.
That's because all three of you refuse to actually use Rock moves.
Hello, I am Squeely. I have bubbles that resemble a rabbit-mouse hybrid.
Here it go.
Those were easy. Thought she had one Geodude and one Onix, but I guess not.
Here comes a giant nose. How much will Bubbles' Water Gun do?
A little over half.
Oh no, now I can't switch to things that are bad against it!
Of course. Maybe I'll get lucky and still knock it out with a high damage roll.
A nope.
She likes drawing red X's on Bubbles.
Two Potions. Twas the Nosepass who refused to die.
Finally.
I ams winner.
Stone Badge get!
I can now clear insurmountable waist-height trees.
Now I, too, can draw X's on people.
It wasn't Bubbles. Definitely wasn't Bubbles. Nope. Clearly, your cheering knocked Nosepass out.
Goods is such a strange, vague word. Seems kinda weird to use it in this context. Is "goods" really something people say when they're being robbed?
It me.
I still have no idea what on Earth those are. But um, sure.
Peeko got tired of your crap and your ugly wailing. Peeko left to join Team Aqua. Peeko's a rebel.
Yeah, Wingull aren't that great. But, why even steal Pokemon? Wouldn't it be far less hassle to just buy a Pokeball and catch one yourself? These things are literally everywhere.
Sure.
"I gave up on crime because a cicada bit my dog."
Just because I beat you, doesn't mean you have to give it to me. I'm like, 12 in this game. You could overpower me. You could just run off to get that back to your boss. But um, okay, I guess.
Peeko won't be glad till she sees you dead.
I doubt that. Team Aqua just uses Pokemon for battling and getting their way. I don't think they really harm them.
I still don't have a Grass type T-T
There they go. Poor Peeko.
Have a lot of these from this guy and from Pickup. Will definitely use em once I find something that won't easily be caught by a Pokeball.
A fetch quest. A yay.
It really wasn't hard stopping Team Aqua. But sure, I guess.
Your staff really ought to carry Pokemon on them. Or pepper spray. Or both. Both is good.
Oh boy, just piling on the fetch quests.
I'm doubtful of that claim. Your employee got jumped twice.
He gave me one of these. A yay.
This, however, might be helpful for grinding.
Ohai.
Pointless, but a yay.
A few.
>YES.
Not an ideal matchup for Le Fly, though.
Cojiro is far better at taking Embers.
Down in one critical Double Kick. Ouch.
Another less-than-ideal matchup.
Not a ton better, but better.
One Uproar did that much. Pumbloom is a beast.
Thanks. I like to think I've pulled a decent team together, despite the Nuzlocke rules.
With that, we end part 4. With Le Fly at lv. 18, Cojiro at lv. 16, Pickle at lv. 17, Bubbles at lv. 19, Pumbloom at lv. 18, and Ziggy still at 14. Next time, we catch a few more things, then take on another gym!
[/quote]
The Quilava was about half dead now, so I sent out Skywalker, still shell shocked, but thinking he had a better chance than my remaining party members. One Ember from Quilava was a critical hit and in a single move, Skywalker became the second death. 
