Pokemon Emerald Version
In-between working and typing, I need a way to pass the time. Something nostalgic, but tedious enough to keep me entertained.
Lo and behold, there's an emulator for Pokemon Emerald Version.
Loved this game when I was younger. Could never beat the battle frontier - well, that's not exactly right. It would be more accurate to say that the game would never let me beat the battle frontier it was so tough. Also, I was a stupid kid back then, I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know bug types were super effective against psychic and dark types? In what realm does that make sense!? And I taught Blaziken Cut and Rock Smash like a dumbass. I think I actually took over from my sister's save file the first time. I was a selfish stupid kid. Don't do that anymore.
The second time was all me, but I only ever made progress with the battle frontier after trading a pokemon with a friend of mine. He gave me a Tyranitar and I gave him a Magikarp.
I was a real piece of work back then. (¬‿¬)
Anyway, with Tyranitar in hand, I got four symbols. The Battle Factory (Tyranitar didn't help me there), the Battle Pike, the Battle Palace, and the Battle Pyramid. Silver Symbols only. Forget about gold. Eventually I just stopped playing only to remember how good a game it was, pick it up, and try again... but the internal clock battery died. And I lost my DS Charger.
Fast forward to today. I'm smarter. I can beat the Battle Frontier. Maybe. NO! I will beat the Battle Frontier. Seven Gold Symbols or bust, baby. This is an unsettled challenge that needs to be done. What would Ash Ketchum say? Other than, 'I'll win the next pokemon league.'
Screw it. I'm going for it.
But before the Battle Frontier, I have to beat the Elite Four. And I need to craft the perfect team from the start, or else it'll be a hundred times harder. I need a balanced team of badass pokemon with varied moves (that are not HMs, god forbid). It promises to be a long, gruelling road.
But I'm gonna do it.
And I'm gonna write out my journey as it happens. Not characters or whatever, just snipets, like Emerald Version on fast forward. Of course, there'll be comedy too. This is pretty much pure thoughts of someone playing this game. It's not gonna replace my other story, it's just fun writing.
So join me on this Pokemon Journey and soak in the nostalgia, pokemon fans! Will I beat the Battle Frontier? Or will I rage quit and give up?
Let's find out.
FIRST DAY
Are you a boy or a girl?
Boy.
Name?
...COBB.
Wait, no.
Cobb.
There we go. Why is everything automatically uppercase all the time? Yes, I will take a TORCHIC, no need to go all cap lock on me.
And yes, I'm taking Torchic, cuz it evolves into freaking Blaziken. Fire and Fighting type covers the most bases. Even as a kid, I always chose this thing. I had some sense, at least.
Okay, prolonged tutorial, can't run without special shoes, professor getting attacked by a Zig-raccoon. Torchic kills it. Blah blah blah.
Find May - sorry, MAY - fight Mudkip because rival gets Pokemon with type advantage. Yadda yadda.
Okay! Time to catch the pokemon that will make up my super team.
But... should I indulge in the catch-em-all mindset, knowing full well I will never truly catch them all in this emulator?
...
Psh, of course!
Zigzagoon. Poochyena. Wurple. Lotad. Have to make due with them as a temporary team until I get to the real pokemon I want. I have a few in mind, but for now they'll work.
Petalburg City. Meet up with Wally - sorry, WALLY. Help him catch a... Ralts!? Oh, come on! He gets a Ralts on the first try? It's a 4% pokemon, that's just cheap. I don't care if he's sickly, I'm never whiting out to this kid.
But actually... would a Ralts be a bad pokemon to have? I've never bothered to keep one in my party they were so rare and I was an impatient kid. But now...
...4%.
Eh, what the hell, I need to grind anyway. I'm catching me a Ralts.
Wally, eat your heart out.
Ralts completes my temporary team of six. Most of these pokemon won't last the gruelling training regime I have planned. Only the strongest will survive. The others will be fodder to be KO'd while I potion heal the good ones. Just like how the game developers intended.
Speaking of game developers, I'm not sure how to save this game emulator. If it doesn't save I'll have spent an hour catching a Ralts for nothing. That scares me. I don't even know how to save.
...
Probably would be smarter to figure this out early, but I'm too wrapped up in nostalgia to think sensibly. I'll just keep going and pray I can save my file without everything getting deleted. It'd be Pokemon Gold Version all over again.
Anyway, my Gym Leader dad won't - sorry, DAD - won't battle me unless I have four badges. Kind of pointless seeing how his pokemon are probably lvl 30 while mine are 10 at best. Of course I'm not gonna fight you, idiot. I'll go pick on those Aqua Supremacists in the Petalburg Woods instead. But not before catching more Pokemon!
Marill. Taillow. Wingull. Shroomish. Cascoon. Silcoon. Couldn't get a Slakoth, but there's always next time.
I need to strategize my team, though. I know Roxanne - sorry, ROXANNE - uses rock types, because every gym leader has a pun on the type they use. It would be more subtle if her name was Boulder - sorry, BOULDER. Anyway, I'm facing rock types, and I remember Nosepass is her ace. Every Gym Leader has an ace pokemon stronger than the others. They too believe in separating fodder pokemon from the real champions.
So, my team. My Wurple evolved into a Silcoon, then a Beautifly, which sadly I'm keeping for now. Gotta stick with Ralts. My best bet is Wingull's Water Gun and Lotad's Absorb. Ralts' Confusion is pretty tough too. Those three will be my frontline.
Battle begin.
It was close, but I didn't die. Stone Badge, get. Now I can use Cut. Dumped that HM into my Zigzagoon. No way am I tainting my future Blaziken with that.
More Team Aqua shenanigans in the Rustturf Tunnel. Caught Whismer and Nincada. Might need Nincada later as a secret weapon. And an Abra! These things teleport away so fast I'm suprised I caught one. Not keeping it, just suprised I got one. No Skitty. A pity.
Okay, hitch a boat ride to Dewford. Brawly - BRAWLY - hmm, I wonder what Pokemon he uses?
Ralts will be the star this time. I need to train her up. Wingull has Wing Attack. Torchic's Ember is pretty good. Heck, even Beautifly's Poison Sting can whittle him down. Fighting type moves aren't effective against Bug types, let alone Flying Bug types. I got this in the bag.
...I whited out.
He powered up with Bulk Up and had a potion or two. Darn it.
Goodbye money.
Next time for sure.
Got it. Knuckle Badge is mine. Flash too. It pains me, but I have to teach it to Ralts. At least until I get to the move deleter. Pretty sure he lives in Lilycove, all the way on the opposite side of the map.
It sucks, but Ralts doesn't have many good moves anyway. Now, Ralts can Flash whoever she wants, whenever she wants.
Granite Cave next, because one of the Pokemon I want for my team is in there.
Aron.
Steel types aren't as good without the existence of Fairy types, but this thing evolves into a real powerhouse. Aggron. Plus, it'll be interesting having a tough, defensive pokemon. It'll be a lot of work, but it'll pay off in 50 levels or so.
Caught Zubat and Makuhita as well.
My party is changing. Torchic, Wingull, Aron, Ralts, Beautifly, Zigzagoon. My Lotad evolved into Lombre and I'm keeping it, but for now it stays in the PC. It won't be a good match against the next gym anyway.
Leave Dewford for Slateport. More beating up Team Aqua as they do the unthinkable crime of... visiting an Ocean Museum, what? Actually, Team Aqua is pretty chill. I don't remember them being this nice. Their leader is polite too. It's really weird. They want to drown the world, but they're pretty nice about it.
I don't know, I think I'd want to join Team Aqua. I can swim. Just wait until I get Surf first, though.
Okay, more traveling, more catching. Plusle and Minum, Gulpin, Oddish... Electrike? I do need an electric type for my team. Might as well be it. Plusle and Minum are garbage and there aren't any Voltorb around right now. Welcome aboard Electrike.
Ralts evolved into Kirlia. Torchic evolved into Combusken. Battled my rival again and won.
Regretable, but I had to drop Beautifly from the main team. Bug types are pretty weak, and there aren't many strong Bug type moves in gen 3. Nothing personal. Electrike took its spot. Zigzagoon is keeping pace. Helps that I have EXP share. I also can't ditch Zigzagoon when it knows Cut and I need the item behind a tree.
Trick House, then Mauville for my third badge. Oh look, its Wally! And he's trying to convince his father that he can take care of himself and that his sickly self can go on an adventure with his unbeatable Ralts by his side. And he wants to challenge me to show his dad how capable he is?
It would be a real dick move to crush him.
But then I remember the hour it took to catch a Ralts and the ten seconds it took him to catch his...
Both his pokemon and dreams were crushed in the span of ten seconds.
Yeah, he literally just accepted to go back to Verdanturf Town after losing. Sheesh that was hard to watch. I felt pretty bad. Was I supposed to lose on purpose? No, no the game wanted me to crush his dreams. The developers are the monsters, sitting in their thrones, watching us like emperors over the gladiators. They set the lions on us and watch for their own amusement. They're sadists too with how they made catching a Feebas.
Anyway, I've played long enough. Time to address the save file issue.
Read the instructions. Says to download the file onto something to save it. Clicked download, saved it under a name. Then clicked upload and... why did the game just reset?
No...
No, no, no, no!
MY TEAM!
MY TE - oh, wait, hang on. There's the file!
It works!
Holy Crap, it works!
Now I can just download and upload any time I want. How convenient! Whoever made this emulator is a a hero.
Anyway, first day done. Time to sleep, perchance to dream.
AN: This is just extra writing. No plot, no characters, just glorious word vomit.