Gonna Nab a Few of Them - Let's Play Pokemon FireRed

You ever just finish playing Super Mario Brothers and think, “Boy, I’d sure like to journey around the continent with some animal buddies?”

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Pokemon: It’s fairly popular. Debuting in Japan in 1996 and the US in 1998, the initial Pokemon games were a huge hit. As were subsequent games. Really, it’s hard not to know at least a little about Pokemon through cultural osmosis. That being said, the original games were kind of a mess. Like, “held together with duct tape” and “boy did they not know how to balance this” kinds of mess. So, in 2004, Game Freak used the engine of the then-current games and remade the original games. And thus, we have Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen versions. These remakes are a part of the Generation III titles, so there are quite a few quality of life additions over the original games that help pick up the game’s pace and balance it slightly. Like the originals, both FireRed and LeafGreen don’t differ in content that much, the main difference between the two is that certain Pokemon are either more common or only available in one game over the other.

If you need a quick rundown of Pokemon basics, it goes like this: you get an animal, you catch other animals, and you build a team of animals with different elements so you can effectively defeat other trained animals in combat. There’s more complexity in the stats and moves of each Pokemon, (which is difficult to learn on your own considering grinding in this game can be tedious,) but for the most part the main story of the game is mostly about learning the fundamentals of Pokemon Types.

So if it wasn’t obvious from the thread title, this won’t be a 100% Pokedex run. Catching them all has never exactly been easy, (or possible without somebody who owns the other version of the game,) and it gets harder between generations. So this will be a casual run through of FireRed, though I will be cutting unimportant random encounters and some of the fluff from common trainer battles. But my boyfriend @LoakaMossi will be joining me for this one, so “fluff” doesn’t refer to “basically the entire fight because I can’t think of how to talk about a Horsea after the hundredth time I’ve seen one.”

Characters

Leaf Hotaru Aki


A girl from Palette Town, who began traveling Kanto to fill up Professor Oak’s Pokedex. Keeps naming Pokemon after food and food-related items. Might? Need to eat breakfast???

Blue Gary Hideki Oak


A jerk from Palette Town, who began traveling Kanto to be a snob about filling the Pokedex. It’s pointless to ask why he’s like this; he’s been Hideki’s rivals since they were babies.

Turtlemisu, the Wartortle

Serious Nature
Given to Hotaru by Professor Oak. The most adorably serious Pokemon you’ll ever meet.
Had enough of the rock types on Route 25, so he evolved into Wartortle just to slam dunk them harder.

Peri the Mankey


Impish Nature
Caught in Route 22. Since Mad and Fuzz aren’t valid types, Peri is just Fighting instead.

Spearmint the Fearow

Sassy Nature
Caught in Route 22. Refuses to take guff from anyone. Not actually aware of what the word “guff” means, though.
Evolved on Route 9 after sleeping for a bit and waking up to the most wonderful smell.

Haiyu the Pikachu


Bold Nature
Caught in Viridian Forest. hey “nice” HP growth haha it sucks [she turns around and reveals she is a Pokemon from the tokugawa shogunate] oh heck.
Vanished mysteriously after defeating Starmie at Cerulean Gym. Perhaps she was satisfied after defeating her anime rival, and left to train further.

Gateau the Nidoqueen

Adamant Nature
Caught on Route 3. I’ve never seen Gateau on any of the exercise equipment, but I’m like 99% sure she uses them on a regular basis.
Evolved into a Nidorina on the S.S. Anne. The stink of rich folk only furthered Gateau’s desire to suplex a fully-grown human being.
Evolved not long after in Vermilion City’s gym. No longer has a need for suplexes, she can just bump a person to death now.

Qandi the Geodude


Lax Nature
Caught in Mt. Moon. She’s pretty good at punching, probably due to being 50% arms. Thankfully pretty ambivalent about everything, because as far as rocks go, she’s really strong.

Shiitake the Paras


Hasty Nature
Caught in Mt. Moon. Shiitake is an omnivore, in that he eats everything. E V E R Y T H I N G. Doesn’t let being tiny get him down.

Myra the Drowzee

Adamant Nature
Caught on Route 11. Devours the souls of the living as they sleep. So she gets along well with Shiitake, the other horrifying member of the party.

Char the Growlithe


Brave Nature
Caught on Route 8. No Pokemon is his equal, unless they can move the earth itself. Or throw rocks at him. Or sprinkle water on him. Other than that, he’s a perfect and good boy.

**Eeveemame the Jolteon


Gentle Nature
Obtained and evolved in Celadon City. A very powerful and spiky Pokemon who might be the inheritor of some great title and/or fortune. Does not mind being called “zappy boy” on occasion.

Episodes

Part 1: The Tortoise and the Trainer

Part 2: Bug Standard

Part 3: Brock and Rolling Start

Part 4: A Shorts Stroll

Part 5: Rockets to the Moon

Part 6: Pokemon Battles at the Big Bridge

Part 7: Flowing Through the Cape

Part 8: Misty-fied

Part 9: Cruising to Vermilion

Part 10: Late to the Party

Part 11: A Ground Pounding

Part 12: Mug Trio

Part 13: Route Scented

Part 14: A Stop at Rock Tunnel

Part 15: Char vs the Forces of Route 8

Part 16: Take Me Down to Celadon City

Part 17: Scoping Out Celadon

Part 18: The Eleventh Flower

Part 19: OverGast Weather at the Haunted Tower

Spooky Bonus

Part 20: Fight It Out

Part 21: Bad Silph Company

Part 22: Luck on the Mind

Part 23: Cycling Road of Violence

Part 24: Route of All Evil

Part 25: Safari Sabbatical

Part 26: Koffing, Weezing, Gastly

Part 27: Sea-ze the Day

Part 28: Davy Foam’s Locker

Part 29: Cinna-Barred From Entry

Part 30: Burning Questions

Part 31: Knot, a Lot of Islands

Part 32: Berry Scary

Part 33: A Draining Energy

Part 34: Seaking Home

Part 35: Secret of the Hidden Gym Leader

Part 36: Onward to Victory (Road)!

Part 37: Four Glory

Part 38: Championship Bout

Bonus Part 1: Vacation at the Sevii Islands

Bonus Part 2: What Lorelei-s Within

Bonus Part 3: Brick Break the Rich

Bonus Part 4: Six Hours, Six Pokemon, Six Island

Bonus Part 5: Sapphire Braille of Pure Love

Bonus Part 6: Admin-ing Your Mistakes

Bonus Part 7: Into the Unown

Bonus Part 8: Trainers in the Tower

Bonus Part 9: Delta Gold

Bonus Part 10: Experiment

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Part 1: The Tortoise and the Trainer
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(Link is in the very legitimate and real Pokedex entry)

Our story begins as pretty much any good hero journey does: after playing video games, an old man stops us from walking through the grass so that we don’t get mugged by tiny animals. From there, we meet our rival, our turtle friend… and walk back and forth between two towns. Gen I was rough.

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Wait what? Excuse me?

Hahaha I’m joking.

This is going to rule. Finally, I may get to learn your genuine opinions on shorts.

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I like how I’m introduced as your “friend” because we recorded this just before we went public with our relationship. Super excited to be a part of this LP!

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Part 2: Bug Standard

Did you know: Hardin Harden is actually a Dark/Steel type move.

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Haha when Hideki’s Pidgey used sand attack. What a dick.

Yeah, caterpie already has the word pie in its name so there’s technically no need to change its name to fit the naming theme.

I appreciated the brief foray into Fire Emblem jokes.

Um, Haiyu might technically count for the naming gimmick because it’s a food brand. So good job! You did it on accident!

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Part 3: Brock and Rolling Start

Good news! Poke Dude has official art:
PokeDude

Oh, I guess we also face the first gym leader in this episode. But Poke Dude is here! What else do you need?

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Part 4: A Shorts Stroll

Now that we’re done with Pewter City, we move on to Route 3. Which of course, means only one thing: it’s the perfect time and place for shorts.

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Here’s the Pokemon Creepypasta I referenced: https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/Pokémon_Black

It’s been called “Pokemon Creepy Black” ever since an official Pokemon Black came out.

As far as creepypasta go, it’s not awful? It’s not even the best Pokemon creepypasta I’ve read though.

I am and always have been a bulba main watching this thread

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Part 5: Rockets to the Moon

Today on our trip around Kanto, we explore our first cave. It’s not even the worst cave on the continent, but Mt. Moon is still a good example of why not many people like caves in this series. Oh, and I guess Team Rocket’s doing some crimes? I feel like they’re just loitering at this point, but maybe someone ought to beat up their Zubats just in case.

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Because I’m sure you’re all wondering, my brother’s third shiny pokemon was, in fact, a Joltik.

I caught a shiny Delibird in Pokemon Go, but that’s not the same.

You’ve caught -1 shiny.

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Part 6: Pokemon Battles at the Big Bridge

We’re here in Cerulean City, but the gym scares me so we’re going to fight a bridge cult instead. As you do.

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Part 7: Flowing Through the Cape

The gym remains daunting, so why don’t we take a quick trip through Cerulean Cape? This time around many non-Cult trainers await us, but at the end of it all we meet a blasphemer so it’s less of an improvement and more of a horizontal shift.

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Part 8: Misty-fied

Alright, it’s gym time. With but one effective Pokemon for taking on water types, can Hotaru defeat Misty’s two awful starfish?

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Part 9: Cruising to Vermilion

With Cerulean Gym finally overcome, and our hero Haiyu parting suddenly during the night, we move on to the next town. Which isn’t Saffron City, because the road’s closed. So, there’s not much else to do other than take the Underground Path and see where it leads.

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Part 10: Late to the Party

Thanks to Bill, we have a ticket for the S.S. Anne. It’s currently docked at Vermilion Port, which means we get to go to a party! … Or at least it would, if not for the fact that the party ended hours ago. Thanks, Bill. But while we’re here, we might as well fight E V E R Y T R A I N E R.

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Part 11: A Ground Pounding

The S.S. Anne has left port, but Hotaru obtained the HM Cut before it continued its voyage. With this new move at her disposal, nothing is left between her and the gym. Between her and the gym leader, though? Electricity. Very high voltage electricity.

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