We walk into the grass and we immediately run into a level 7 patrat, reminding us that we uh, we need to level our team some more.
Chloe gained a level just from being in the battle with that one patrat and getting immediately switched out. She learns “Odor Sleuth” which at this point we have deduced is DEFINITELY not an ATTACK.
Pokemon journey’s on hold everybody. We turn around and head back to the tall grass around route 1 to grind some levels.
We get into a battle with a level 4 lilipup and Chloe immediately gets off on the wrong foot by accidentally using leer twice instead of tackle. (Our finger slipped.) Chloe turns around and creams it for another level though.
After grinding a few levels we head back to route 2.
While I’m grinding Mrs. Beaver we run into a new pokemon! Its a purrloin, like that weirdo N had!
You have to name a thief after a thief.
As we’re rustling around in the bushes leveling, we’re noticing a couple of things.
For one, no bird pokemon yet. Sin-kun is already missing Pigey and Spearrow.
For another thing Chloe and Mrs. Beaver are both normal types, and they both know tackle and bite. Sin-kun’s starting to think one of them is going to have to go, sooner rather than later (and its probably going to be Mrs. Beaver.)
After training hard, we’re finally ready to face our first random trainer battle!
In true pokemon fashion, we’re challenged by Youngster Jimmy, who has a patrat. Sin-kun is feeling right at home with this situation.
We bite him into submission with Chloe.
Instead of going forward we go back to the pokemon center and get a little more training in. Sadly, we’re trying to level Arsene and noticing he’s not doing great at least in the early game against the patrats and lilipups. Pretty much all her levels are from soaking it up on the first turn.
Wooo… extreme! Pokemon loves to answer the question ‘if someone else jumped off a cliff, would you?’.
In our defense, it is a very small cliff.
The municipal sign committee is at it again, dedicated to their hard hitting public education campaign. We salute them.
Can you guess what kind of pokemon this trainer has? That’s right, its a purrloin. The adorable little thieving bastard.
We break out Mrs. Beaver to fight it since our own purrloin, Arsene has been getting his ass totally beat by patrats. Bite isn’t very effective, but tackle takes it down in 2 hits.
We come to another bit patch of grass. Maybe there are some bird pokemon in here?
At level 7, Arsene finally manages to take down a pokemon all by himself. A level 4 lilipup who only uses leer, except for on the last turn when it takes out half of Arsene’s health with one tackle. But hey, a win is a win, right?
Another youngster, another battle. There’s no way Arsene’s beating this kid’s lilipup so we quickly shuffle over to Mrs. Beaver. She creams the kid before he can get a shot in.
We come to the end of Route 2 (still no bird pokemon) and…
Hi, Bianca.
She leads with a level 6 lilipup, but its still out of Arsene’s league. So we switch to Mrs. Beaver again.
Sin-kun feels just a flicker of remorse for what’s about to happen to Bianca’s snivy. But not enough remorse NOT to hit it with ember until it cries for mercy.
Well. She’s having fun, and that’s what’s really important. For her. For Sin-kun dominating as the champion is what’s important.
With that we say goodbye to Route 2 and hello to Striation city, where our first gym battle awaits us, as well as, if we remember correctly, Professor Juniper’s old girlfriend.
We’re welcomed to the town by some bragging nobody. A trainer school, huh? That’s familiar at least. But Sin-kun already studied at isekai university in weeb-town!
Always hit the pokecenter first when you get into town. That’s rule number two, right under “ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK.”
Here’s our party as it currently stands.
There’s no interesting gossip happening in the pokemon center right now, they’re just chattering about catching more pokemon and getting more gym badges.
He uses pokemon that you don’t like? Oh no! Cry me a river old man, I think you’re a sore loser.
… Hey what kind of pokemon does the gym leader here use, anyway? 🤔
This town definitely seems to have a lot of old men in it, and now we know why. It’s an old factory town, and according to this guy there’s a pokemon who can make dreams appear living in the abandoned place.
So that’s not creepy at all!
Thank you, municipal sign committee, we have no idea what that means.
As usual, the gym leader is not in his fucking gym, and its our job as protagonist to go find him. Sin-kun’s annoyed, sure but this is old hat for someone who played as much of the original game as he did.
Striation city, where we love to send kids to play in the old abandoned factory! Better check a cool place like THAT out before hunting for this rogue gym leader.