Part 20: And this is how it ends
Ladies and gentlemen, against all odds, we made it. We beat 8 gym leaders, we overcame Victory Road. many poké-lives were lost on this journey, but we are now at the doorstep of destiny. The ultimate challenge awaits. Here is the team that will take on the Elite Four and, hopefully, the champion:
As you can see, they have gained quite a few levels since last time, with Poogle and Ifrit being especially high due to being able to go on longer before I had to call them back. Can I do it? I don't know. I have my worries, yet at the same time I am hopeful. Most of my mons are making short work of even the highest-level wild pokémon at this point and I did eventually manage to get a decent amount of type variety when it comes to attacks, with Ifrit even learning a Grass-type move. I also expect the Elite Four's pokémon to be of level 50-55, maybe going all the way to 60 near the end, so I really wanted everyone on the team to be at level 55 at a minimum.
Something to keep in mind: this being blind, I haven't looked up the members of the Elite Four in advance. In fact, I never used Bulbapedia or any walkthrough except to look up English names of some stuff and on a couple occasions when I had a tough choice to make. Other than that, I insisted on keeping everything in this LP blind. As a result, I am putting Creepybugr in front as I don't know what types to expect and I'm hoping that him being a Ghost-Type would make him likely to be immune or at least not weak to whatever comes up.
Right, enough lollygagging, let's take climb inside the ring. *deep breath*
Here's the first guy and the environment doesn't give away much when it comes to what type he might be using so I'm gonna stick with my plan to send Creepybugr first.
His name is Damien so at least I'm immediately made to feel like I'm going to be sent to Hell. That's nice. And he sends out...
Grahyena? Bit surprising to see such a basic pokémon in the Elite Four, but why not? I am also pleased to learn that it is at a much lower level than I expected. However, if I'm not mistaken, Dark-types are strong against Ghosts so right away, my plan is backfiring and I'd rather not risk getting Creepybugr killed, especially since I expect the battles to become increasingly challenging, so I'm switching him out with Ifrit, who takes it out with a single Earthquake. great work, Ifrit! That's what I want to see!
Next is Sharpedo. Part Water-type, right? Hm, and Ifrit is Ground-type, isn't it? Again, I don't think there's a huge risk but I'd rather play it safe so I'm sending Ziggy out. Ziggy headbutts Sharpedo and hurts herself slightly in the process due to Sharpedo's rough skin, but she does take out more than half his health. Sharpedo then uses Vantardise (Swagger), which raises Ziggy's attack but confuses her. I still feel like it's worth trying and indeed, Ziggy fights off the confusion and finishes Sharpedo! Awesome, things are going well so far.
Damien then sends out Cacturne. That sounds like a job for a Flying-type so you're up, Konfup! I'm having Konfup use fly to keep him safe for a turn and he obliterates Cacturne on the way down!
The next opponent is Absol. Not entirely sure what type it is but I believe Konfup can take him. This time, I feel like going right away with Dracosouffle (Dragon Breath) is the best course of action but surprisingly, it only takes out about half Absol's health. Not bad, but I was expecting more from such a powerful move, so next I have Konfup use Fly again and once again, it's death from above as Konfup finishes his opponent.
And finally, Damien's last stand is Tengalice. Another Grass-type, huh? Well, it probably won't shock you that I'm gonna have Konfup use Fly again. tengalice actually puts up a fight by using Bluff, which strikes first nad makes Konfup flinch, before capitalizing on that by using Reflêt, which raises his evasion, but eventually, Konfup soars through the air and isn't fooled by his enemy's reflections.
But wait! It's not over as much to my surprise, Tengalice withstands the hit! I tell Konfup to finish him with Pipic (Peck), but Damien swoops in and heals Tengalice first, then Konfup misses his attack! Looks like we haven't seen the last of Tengalice.
Since it worked fairly well for him, Tengalice keeps using Reflêt, which does a good job of making him avoid Konfup's attack, but he might want to strike back because Konfup will eventually hit the right one. He eventually sort of does... by using Swagger, which confupes Konfus. Wait no, it confuses Konfup, who ends up hurting himself while trying to use Fly. But after another try, Konfup pulls himself together and crush Tengalice with a critical, super effective strike, putting an end to this match!
Well that went really well! Amazing! I'm moving on to the second battle with renewed confidence, but of course I don't intend to understimate my opponent. I heal my pokémon after the battle and give them some berries to hold, and let's see what the second member has in store. Her name is Spectra, so you won't be shocked to learn she uses Ghost-types. Man, either that's a pseudonym or her parents have incredible foresight. Also, this is not what I was expecting someone called Spectra to look like:
So yeah, Ghost-types. I think that means Creepybugr can at least stick around at the beginning, right? I know there's this weird thing going on where Ghost-type is super effective against Ghost-type. I don't know why. Anyway, her first pick is...
Well... this is awkward.
Obviously, Creepybugr should have the advantage due to the level difference so as planned, I have him stay and use Poing Ombre (Shadow Punch), which is indeed super effective but doesn't one-shot the enemy Teraclope, who counters with Onde Folie (Confuse Ray). Does every Elite Four trainer have pokémon who can confuse mine? oh well, seems like an opening for me to score a free second hit and indeed, Creepybugr isn't so confused he can't punch a mummy, which is a phrase I never would have expected to write.
I suppose I should send out Poogle since Psychic is super effective against Ghost... but hey, Creepybugr is doing fine so I might as well keep him out for now and maybe have him gain a level which could give him an edge later. And that, my friends, is what we call strategy. Or something.
Next is Branette, whose design I freaking love. Looks like she's fast as well as she attacks first, but misses! Oh dear, that's not going to end well for you, Branette, is it? Creepybugr punches her as well but still no 1-hit KO. Spectra heals Branette, but Creepybugr just punches again. Branette is still in this and manages to burn Creepybugr by using Feu Follet (Will-O-Wisp), before being punched out for good.
okay, now that Creepybgur is on freaking fire, I can't mess around so Poogle is gonna tag in to face...
Brane- wait, what? Yeah, apparently, Spectra has two Branettes because apparently, in this region, Elite Four members have multiples of the same pokémon like some random NPC. Turns out I was wrong about Psychic being super effective against Ghosts apparently since Poogle's attack does normal damage, and yet still hits harder than Creepybugr's super effective move (granted, poogle is 13 levels higher). Branette then poisons Poogle, who gets revenge by knocking Branette out on the next turn. Now I'm getting worried that I got the type advantage backwards and since Poogle is poisoned as well, I'm sending Konfup out against...
crying out loud, not good enough. Well, at least they're finally breaking the level 50 milestone. I mean, I said I didn't want to underestimate my opponents, but this is getting a bit hard to take seriously, isn't it? Two duplicates, none of which were particularly strong to begin with. However, it turns out that this Tercalope knows Ice Beam and Konfup being a Dragon-type, this is bad. He still takes it like a boss, but again, I'd rather not take unnecessary risks so ziggy is goint to take it from here.
Yes, I am sending out a Norma type to take on a Ghost-type but you see, this is Ziggy we're talking about, and Ziggy is awesome, which is why she knows Surf. Unfortunately, Teraclope knows Earthquake, which doesn't do that much damage all things considered but enough that I need to switch out again. Hm, things are actually getting a little bit hairy. I'd rather not send out Ifrit due to the Ice Beam and him being a Ground-type, so I'll risk it with Creepybugr.
Creepybugr uses his Shadow Punch again which, much to my surprise, doesn't finish teraclope and with the burn, I soon have to switch him out as well. Screw it, Poogle will be the final nail in this ghost's coffin. I know he can soldier on through the poison and the blows. Spectra isn't about to give up though and heals Teraclope. Poogle uses Psyko, which almost 1-hits Teraclope but not quite before teraclop counters with Boule Ombre (Shadow Ball) and even though it's super effective, Poogle resists exemplarily well and strikes back with Rafale Psy (Psybeam) for the win.
One more and this fight is done. Best send out Ifrit to fight whoever it is and amazingly, it's not a duplicate!
But I'll tell you what it is: WEAK. Also, DEAD. Because Ifrit one-shots it with Earthquake and so Team SsnakeBite scores another win! Right, in spite of my rant about what a faux pas it is for an Elite Four member to have duplicates, that was actually a fairly tough fight so I heal my team and on we go to meet the third opponent.
Her name is Glacia and she uses Bug-types, so that's weird. No, of course not. She uses Ice-types. Hm, Ifrit does have a very strong Fire move... but he's also Ground-type, which I think is weak against Ice. or is that Rock? Or both? GAH why am I so shit at remembering type advantages?! Either way, she first sends out...
This creepy-looking guy. Looks like a cat wearing Jason Voorhees' mask or something. Anyway, as you can see in the screenshot, his first attack messed Creepybugr right up. Admittedly, it was a critical AND super effective so all things considered, it wasn't that bad but still, gonna send Poogle on that one, but not before Creepybugr has the last laugh by confusing Oniglali.
Turns out that was the right call as even without a type advantage, Poogle beat Onigali in one move! Alright, looks like everyone's favourite psychic pig is staying. And his next opponent is...
...
Lady... come on.
Shock of shocks, I use the same move and what is actually shocking is that it doesn't one-shot this one. What a difference two levels make, I suppose. Glacia, in desperation, heals Oniglali, but that just prolongs her suffering as Poogle keeps going and finishes her off before she even has time to move. Alright, who's next?
Poogle still stays and almost defeats Phogleur in one hit. It tries to fight back, but it can't really do anything as poogle goes for a second strike and takes it out. Yikes, I almost feel sorry for the girl. Poogle is on a killing spree and here comes his next victim:
Of course.
Welp, Poogle keeps using Psyko since it keeps murdering his enemies but Phogleur decides to resist by using the power of love. Seriously, she uses move that makes Poogle fall in love with her (and it just occurred to me how disturbing the concept a move that forces beings to fall in love really is). As a result, Poogle refuses to attack on the next turn, giving Glacia an opportunity to heal Phogleur. Dammit, Poogle! Make war, not love!
Poogle does the right thing on the next turn by brutally attacking the person he loves, but his stupid moral conflict prevents him from stopping Phogleur to dive and he takes a hit. Phogleur also manages to make it hail before Poogle finally has enough and finishes Phogleur. Poogle is starting to look a bit worse for wear so I'm gonna send out Ziggy instead to fight off...
Well, at least it's the evolved form. This is a good time to use Ziggy's one fighting move... which despite being super effective, only does chip damage. Kaimorse misses his attack, allowing Ziggy to use Cut, which inexplicably does far more damage. I mean, I know the base damage is a lot higher but come on, type advantage.
Kaimorse then uses Blizzard, which deals a decent amount of damage but more worryingly, freezes Ziggy. This stops her from attacking on the next turn and my heart skipped a beat as Kaimore almost killed her. Time to switch her out and you know what? It's time for Kecsquall to shine! he does do a fair amount of damage but unfortunately, his low defence means he can't stay for long so Poogle goes back into the fight and finishes what everyone else started, scoring us our third win!
Holy shit! I can't believe that after all these hardships, we're this close to making it! Only one member of the Elite Four left, and the the champion. Is this really going to happen? I heal my team and refill their PPs in preparation for the next battle and here we go!
The final member of the Elite Four is Aragon and as one might expect, he specialises in Dragon-types. He first sendso-PFWA HA HAAA!
HA HAA HAAAA! Ha, I'm sorry, I'msorry. I'm sure it actually is an excellent pokémon but he looks so dumb, like an armoured sheep or something. He looks less like a pokémon and more like a Worms weapon. It uses Abri (Protect), the moxt obnoxious move in all of Pokémon. I really don't know why they ever added this kind of moves, it just seems to be here to waste time and make things needlessly tedious. Really, it's only use is to troll people.
So that happens for a few turns until Creepybugr manages to get it confused. However, he also gets hurt pretty badly in the process, so I send out Ifrit. I have him use Déflagration (Fire Blast), which isn't very effective... and still knocks out Drackhaus. So I keep Ifrit around to square off against...
Huh, this guy looks familiar. Ifrit uses Strength, which takes out half Altaria's HP. Altaria then buffs himself up. Oh dear, you've made a huge mistake, boy. and indeed, Ifrit ends his misery on the next turn. Well, Ifrit's doing well so far so he stays against...
ifrit uses Déflagration again, which is still supposedly not very effective despite taking out half Libegon's life and burning him. Libegon tries doing it as well, but Ifrit barely feels it before blasting him away with a Lance-Soleil (Solar Beam). Well, Ifrit is just gonna keep going, this time against...
*sigh*
Just... just f'ing kill it, Ifrit. And indeed, one move is all Ifrit needs. Next!
Alright, last one and we're off to challenge the champ! I try Earthquake but it doesn't even work, which make me feel rather silly. Drattak then uses Flamethrower and actually hits Ifrit pretty hard. Ifrit counters with another Lance-Soleil since it worked out well so far, but Drattak resists it and only takes minimal damage, before spitting some more fire at Ifrit, who I need to recall.
I'm sending out the other big guy on the team, Poogle. He takes the Flamethrower very well and counter-attacks with Psyko, which almost takes out Drattak! Drattak clearly senses that he's in a bad position and flies away, but Poogle isn't a bout to let him get away that easily and uses Rebond (Bounce). Drattak catches nothing but air and Poogle drops down on him. Drattak tries flying away again, and Poogle once again prepares his bounce of death!
But Aragon planned for this and heals Drattak. Will this be enough? Poogle uses Psyko again. Drattak tries to change his strategy and uses Machouille (Crunch). You'd think he would have used a Dark move against a Psychic-type earlier, but even with the type advantage, it barely tickles Poogle, who tries to finish Drattak with Rafale Psy. Aragon heals him again, but the attack still does a lot of damage AND confuses Drattak and during the next turn, Poogle capitalises with another Rafale Psy and defeats Aragon's last pokémon!
YES!!!! I beat the Elite Four!! I actually did it! Now only one person stands between me and my goal! And it is time to challenge him, the Pokémon Master! Let's see what he looks like.
IT'S ME, NUZLOCK!! IT WAS ME ALL ALONG, NUZLOCK!Aw, son of a bitch! It's Pierre! He gives me a speech about what i've learned during my travels and blah blah blah YOU'RE MAKING DESTINY WAIT, PIERRE!
So final battle begins and he kicks it off with...
Not bad, not bad. It's not the most fearsome of opponents but a decent challenge. He starts off by spreading spikes on the ground like a bastard and Creepybugr punishes him by making him go mad, causing him to hurt himself. Creepybugr than continues with another Poing Ombre... which Airmure barely feels. Yup, time to send out Ifrit, I think.
Airmure keeps being a dick by poisoning Ifrit, who's looking for revenge with Déflagration, but he misses his target! Fortunately, Airmure keeps hitting himself and Ifrit next attack lands, melting Airmure away. i don't think I really should risk keeping a poisoned Ifrit out, especially with the spikes around, so Poogle goes next and is matched-up against...
Ah, shit, should've kept Ifrit after all. But nevermind, Poogle will use Psyko... which Galeking resists... until it turns out the move is a critical hit and almost one-shots him! Pierre heals Galeking and Poogle keeps going with Psyko, which as it turns out still deals heavy damage despite the resistance. Galeking, meanwhile, causes earthquakes which hurt Poogle pretty bad, but the mind piggy eventually prevails! he's hurt pretty bad though so out he goes and in comes Konfup to fight...
Okay, I can't let this go, this guy is just penises. I don't care how immature that comes off, he's got a collar of big, circumcised dicks and he's got a long neck with a thick head that looks like a glans. He loks like something I've seen a bachelorette be made to wear by her friends, once. Konfup attacks first with Dracosouffle. it doesn't do a whole lot and Dildoface over here answers that with Pouvoir Antique (Ancient Power), which is super effective yet doesn't actually hurt Konfup that bad. Seriously, it's getting confusing.
Before calling Konfup back, I wanna try Fly. Well, it doesn't do much more damage so I'm gonna recall him.
NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! WHY?!! It was the same move but it did so much more damage! Oh God, Konfup, why did you have to die so close to the end?! You were just four pokémon from retirement! Alright, I'm gonna try Creepybugr. he does what he does best and punches Penismon, but that still doesn't do much damage. Dick Creature keeps using Pouvoir Antique, which fortunately does hurt Creepybugr quite as bad, but I still feel the need to recall him, after causing confusion, of course.
I feel like I'm gonna have to bring out the big guns for that one so Ifrit is going back in despite the poison. Ifrit uses Lance-Soleil, which STILL doesn't finish him. of course, now that he's almost done for, Pierre decided to heal him. Well, two can play at that game. After the healing, Ifrit uses Earthquake. Meanwhile, Venerialys uses Giga-Sangsue (Giga-Drain). I keep going and so does he.
IFRIT NOOOOOOO!! Not you too! I though for sure you'd be able to KO him first! Dammit! Goddammit to Hell! I send out Ziggy, who unfortunately doesn't do much damage and takes a lot, forcing me to switch her out for Kecsquall. Kecsquall gets hurt but thankfully his Sitrus berry helps him get back on his feet and he counters with Rafale Psy, which still does very little damage. Okay, seriously, how absurdly high is this thing's defence? AND he then confuses Kecsquall! I try Feinte (Feint Attack), which also does pitiful damage. Why?! Why is THIS the thing that's giving me so much trouble? Kecsquall then lands Pouvoir Antique which finally ends this disgusting thing's life, for the good of all involved.
I really hope Kecsquall can take what's coming because the team is in very rough shape and I need to heal it.
Dammit. It's something he's weak to. Well... maybe Kaorine will miss? Or use a non-damaging move? I heal Ziggy and nope, it uses a damaging move. And doesn't miss. And it's super effective. I'm so sorry Kecsquall, I will never forget your sacrifice And the fact that you wee the one to finally destroy Tentacle Monster.
Well, I'm banking on this thing being Rock-type so Ziggy can take it out with Surf. And it is! And it still does little damage. Grrrrrrr... whyyyyyyyyyy?! Okay, I'm having Ziggy use Eclate-Roc (Rock smah). Come on! It's a move made specifically to destroy rocks! Aaaaand he resists it. WHY?!!
Well, Kaorine uses a buff so I'm taking the f*** out of that opportunity to heal. So I start a circle of surfing and healing. Yes, I realise that's cheap. I don't care. I'm pissed. Two of my pokémon were killed by a Creeper with penises on its neck. And you know what else is cheap? A pokémon that takes almost no damage from a higher-level pokémon using a super effective move.
And guess what? Pierre heals Kaorine as well! Oh f'ing joy! Well, I take that extra time to heal Poogle as well and after Kaorine buffs itself some more, I send out Poogle because I'm sick of his shit. once again, Psyko does heavy damage despite the opponent supposedly resisting it. kaorine keeps buffing and I decide to try Rebond again. It actually does a decent amount of damage and paralyses Kaorine. Good. I keep doing that and after a few turns, Kaorine mercifully dies. Whatever comes next, I'm keeping Poogle.
Alright, let's go with Psyko again since it seems to do big damage no matter what. Except in this case it seems, because of course. Well, its name implies it's Steel type so maybe Surf can be useful this time? But before that, Poogle has to endure a Poing Météore (Meteor Mash) which damn near kills him. Alright, Ziggy, you're going back.
An Earthquake by Metalosse leaves Ziggy with a single HP. I heal her again, Metalosse uses a Psyko of his own which takes out half Ziggy's life. Well, I REALLY hope Surf does it. And... it doesn't. It's not super effective and does very small damage and with another Poing Météore, Ziggy dies.
I... I'm sorry Ziggy. I'm so sorry. You went through so much, survived so many hardships. You've been with me from the beginning and I am so, so very happy you got to be with me for the end, you never did me wrong. You saved my hide on countless occasions. I will never forget you.
So it's only Creepybugr and Poogle left and Poogle is almost dead so out goes Creepybugr. I heal him and Metalosse misses his next attack. Maybe there's still hope! Maybe Metalosse mostly has attacks that don't affect Creepybugr. It kae that opportunity to heal Poogle as well and then render Metalosse insane. Poing Ombre does surprisingly decent damage. Not great but decent. Metalosse uses Earthquake, which of course affects Creepybugr because he's a floating ghost so I'm glad that makes sense.
Well, timeto bring Poogle in again. Come on, boy, you can do this! Psyko may not do much, but Poogle can still confuse Metalosse and get him to hurt himself! HA! He's got a Sitrus berry but Poogle doesn't let go. Nearly there! Oh God, Poogle runs out of PP for Psyko, but maybe Rafale Psy can help in a pinch? Obviously, being a weaker version of Psyko it doesn't do much, but maybe it'll be just eno-F***!! Pierre heals him! Well, I have to do this all over again but I think poogle can still- SON OF A BITCH!! Metalosse got a critical and killed Poogle! I send out Creepybugr, hoping I can heal him in time, but alas the spikes, the first goddamn move used in this fight, hit him and take away what little HP he had left.
And that's it. I am out of pokémon. My entire team has been defeated. Goddammit. To fail the Nuzlocke while at the Pokémon master. With only two pokémon left. God, that's frustrating. Especially with how shockingly well the Elite Four went. I really thought I was gonna do it. And I almost did, which make it sting even more.
Well, I'm at least glad I made it this far. I honestly wasn't entirely sure I'd be able to at some stages, when I started losing lots of pokémon at once, and yet, I at least managed to beat the Elite Four. And I swear to Arceus, I am never badmouthing Zigzagoons or Linonnes ever again. Holy shit was Ziggy good. She will live on in all of our hearts. And I guess that's what Nuzlockes are all about, making you take a different point of view on the games and try pokémons you otherwise would never have thought twice about.
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the playthrough. Even though I got angry at times and I am rather dismayed by the way it ended, I had a lot of fun doing it, especially because it was so full of surprises. It was nice to see that people were checking it regularly and getting to interact with some of you. I don't know when my next Let's Play with it nor what it will be (though I have some ideas) but until then, see ya, take care, and never forget Ziggy.