22 05 2022
Leaf Green: Beat Giovanni. Thanks, Blastoise. Blastoise is really cool. Whew all 8 badges. I’m definitely beelining this game now that I get the idea where the new stuff in the game is. I just want to get to more island stuff. Thankfully, I’ve done most of the grinding and there’ll be a little more on victory road.
Once again I forget there’s a rival battle and walk into it. I basically only used Blastoise for Giovanni and so it was easy since everything was okay.Venusaur is no issue now that I stuck a Jynx on my team. Ice? Psychic? It’ll work. I can do enough damage now.
Really liking the sprite work upgrade here, it’s fun seeing full color sprites and designs trying to represent all the Pokemon League gate zones. Victory road is still pretty much the same. It’s almost weird having switch puzzles, I think they already started to feel dated when FRLG came out.
Double checking my team, making sure I have all the items, and I’ll just take a walk here and oh hey Lorelei! I grinded a bit just so I wouldn’t have to care about levels going in, so She’s easy. Everyone is easy basically up to Lance where I fumble and get Blastoise and Jynx owned. My stuff is at-level or a little below. Aerodactyl should not be underestimated. The rival fight here is easy entirely because of typing. Gyarados as a water rep isn’t good, but I get it. It’s just funny to see his team. I know in this context there’s some anime influence, but in Kanto games, you can train an electric type from near the beginning (Pikachu) or use Zapdos. Even my Raichu was enough to take stuff out. A Zapdos and ethers can take out a lot of the Elite Four
The champion room has cool sci-fi almost glowing lights. Really amps up the high-tech sci-fi feel the original games had to certain pieces of tech. Though, another part of me can look at the room and feel like it looks like a fancy variety show/game show set from the late 90’s. Which is pretty appropriate. The registration room fakes the reflection of the floor, too. As if it’s so polished because it’s been rarely used. The game’s credit sequence even has a little cutscene with you leaving the Pokemon League, Blue running off in a rush, and exchanging a look with Prof. Oak. It adds a little charm to these characters from the original game.
I think these pixel art upgrades are things I only appreciate now, I ended up skipping these even back then because I got really really into Pokemon and actually owned RBY and a Japanese copy of Green during the time I got back in during the DS. I originally used a friend’s copy of Sapphire to get a Bonus Disc Jirachi. I only played again far enough to do that. It’s fun to revisit this game I’m playing further in for the first time.
Now that it’s the new post-game, me and my pokes aren’t heading to Cerulean! That poor pier now has a use later! It’s not abandoned after S.S. Anne! Back at One Island, I finally notice the wireless adapter tie-in. One Island’s Pokemon Center is called the Pokemon Net Center and has one of those wifi-status wavy looking logos above the door. Also, if you’ve peeked at Japanese Pokemon Crystal, the machine here is very reminiscent of the machine and space for Mobile GB connectivity. Once inside, Celio says he needs some gem for extra long distance stuff. Well, a good guess is those rockets did something on that mountain. There’s a hole behind them now and after roughing them up and overhearing part of a password I get a Ruby. Huh. Wonder what that could be for. (It’s for unlocking trades with Ruby and Sapphire. I know that’s what its for.) Quick trip back to Celio and I get the Rainbow pass. It’s a pass to all the islands. Kinda boring for a rainbow pass. You need another gem, which is probably a Sapphire.
Get to Four island and Blue’s still a weird jerk who is using being a jerk to make up for his insecurities at being shit. Four island also has a fun remix of Gen II music. One of the early city themes. Lorelei’s house is here and a giant ice cavern…. That has a waterfall. Darn, I was hoping to avoid waterfall. I get the HM in a side room and teach it to a Seel I caught earlier. Deposited a random pokemon hoping Clefable would be powerful enough to just Normal powerhouse though anything I can’t do with my ‘gotta use HMs’ team. I mean, I’m much higher level and it’s mostly been Rocket Grunts. I’m sure they’ll get tougher, but I believe in the Clefable I couldn’t use a lot before. Up the waterfall, down a ladder, and… it’s already the story event? A whole HM to go up one Waterfall? Well… that kinda was the case in RSE too. Beat up the grunts. Lorelei interrogates them, threatening to freeze one of them. Now we know the warehouse is on Five Island. We still need the second password, and the Sapphire so I just go to Six island cuz I have the guide open. Been doing a lot of other things and a vague guide helps keep my place in the game, less time spent going “where was I?” when I’m multitasking.
Six island has a lot of stuff in it, but I’m just going to the south where there’s a mysterious little ruin. Again, these tiny islands are somehow more charming than the base Kanto maps and the smaller islands in RSE. Maybe it’s just that like my trainer that took a boat, I don’t feel as tired getting there. Get to the bottom of the shrine and a scientist steals the Sapphire as I touch it! Rude! Conveniently he gives up the other password for the warehouse.
Trek on over to Five island and follow the path of Rocket Grunts to the warehouse. The levels are a little higher and the return of typical Rocket pokemon actually makes this a little challenging with the current pokemon I’m leveling. Half way through the warehouse, a giant arrow tile maze, I remember I don’t need waterfall anymore and put the psychic back on. I do need levels on Jynx just in case. Didn’t bother looking up if I could get Mewtwo without re-challenging the Elite Four or if there’s something else. One of the admins feels bad, another admin realizes that by having the badge from Giovanni’s gym that Team Rocket is really really disbanded, and after beating up the scientist he gives over the Sapphire. He’s pissed we messed with his deal. Hand the Sapphire over to Celio and now I can trade with Ruby and Sapphire (and emerald).
After cleaning up a few events on the islands and rescuing a rich out of touch lady from a cave, I grinded up levels for a bit. I went and caught Mewtwo, keeping tradition and using a Master Ball. I also went and caught Raikou. I thought a little bit more and with they did a little more with the islands, they’re all cozy and relaxing little pixel towns. Lorelei’s house if full of plushies. The rich lady’s house is surrounded by painter ladies. When rematching the Elite Four, Lorelei makes mention of returning, sadly the rest of them don’t really have much for rematch dialogue. Woulda been nice for Oak and Blue to acknowledge Blue lose again. Oh, I call him Blue here but I chose the preset name Shigeru. I went and beat the elite four again just to see if there was extra stuff. Doesn’t seem like it. I went and brought Mewtwo and Articuno. There’s actually a difficulty jump still even if you’re leveled closer to Lance and Rival’s pokemon. I’m calling this one done.
