Gameplay Journal Glimpses — A Sacred Gold Playthrough

Maybe someday I'll come around to posting a written version of the nuzlockes I've done in the past... This one's little more than a few Glimpses ( //brick'd ) of my slow and sporadic playthrough of Sacred Gold. It doesn't even start at the beginning and it's got huge holes in the middle, but shh, it's still writing.​

...

Alpha — Feraligatr
Hope — Espeon
Pyros — Charmeleon​

...

While Morty’s Gengar is often feared as the destroyer of challengers, it poses no threat in the face of Hope’s psychic moves. Even the bulky Drifblim falls to a well-aimed Power Gem.

Sableye, on the other hand…

Alpha rumbles from his place at his trainer’s side, teeth bared and prepared to tear into whatever the ghost-dark pokémon has to offer. Still, he knows that even his Crunches would afflict the opponent very little, unless he gets lucky and finds a weak point.

It seems his trainer has a plan, anyway; the Feraligatr resigns himself to the sidelines for this battle as Pyros takes to the field with a ready stance.

Sableye giggles at the Charmeleon, but the fiery challenger responds with a warning huff—

And exhales the all-ravaging blue flames of Dragon Rage.

…

The instant the words leave Silver’s mouth, Hope snarls, forked tail lashing. The Espeon’s eyes gleam with the beginnings of a psychic attack, ready to fire — but her trainer sets a calming hand on her forehead, hushing her silently. With reluctance, Hope settles under the touch and turns pointedly away from the offender.

Silver sneers but ultimately leaves, slinking away as Hope glares at him from the corners of her eyes.

An opportunity to train is never turned down, but to spite the red-haired rebel, Hope happily ignores the lighthouse and skips over to the western side of the city, tugging her trainer to the shoreline.

They will train here, first.

…

Polar — Magneton
Skye — Staravia​

...

Battling on-sea is something of a new experience, but not one that Polar finds altogether unpleasant — if only because the swimming trainers here are chronically weak to its moves.

It’s a good thing, the Magneton believes, especially since it knows it’ll be of very little use in the upcoming gym battle.

Skye too, but for her there is one solution…

There’s a flash of light as a Tentacruel topples under the Staravia’s attack, and Polar shifts to shield its three eyes.

“{ Yes, finally! }” The cry of elation rises up as Skye flares her wings, casting off the light of evolution and unvieling her new form. “{ I reached my final evolution before Pyros did, haha! }”

And, Polar observes, she has been gifted with the powerful fighting-type move all of her species are blessed with.

As she Close Combats a poor Carvanha, the Magneton nods to itself.

Indeed, a powerful gift.

…

Pyramid — Togetic​

...

“A surfing Pikachu?”

Pyramid coos in concern, nosing at the poor collapsed thing in the stranger’s arms. She isn’t afraid — this person doesn’t feel bad — but she is worried about the limp form.

She wishes she still knew Softboiled.

…

It’s in the fighting-type gym, against one of the apprenticing trainers there, that Pyros abruptly lights aflame and vanishes into evolutionary light.

Steam hisses as the newly-formed Charizard stamps his foot against the waters and roars, wings unfurling to fan away fire and fog alike.

“This,” his trainer says, “is perfect.”

( Although Hope’s Psybeam does take out most of the leader’s team, it is Pyros’ Wing Attack that finishes off the last Hariyama. )

…

Raiuta — Pikachu​

...

The north wind, rain incarnate, the one who’d spared her life from the unforgiving waves, Suicune bows its head — to the trainer, Raiuta realizes, eyes wide.

Her new trainer.

It’s still an odd concept, but perhaps if Suicune itself approves, then the Pikachu won’t be so badly off after all.

That said, she continues to observe as Alpha charges into battle against a mysterious man’s pokémon. Maybe she’ll figure out why Suicune has chosen this human, or maybe, at the very least, she will glimpse the loyalty that binds her new team together.

( And if she leaps in to save Skye from a fatal Thunderbolt, well. Perhaps she’s made up her mind after all. )

…

Raiuta chirps happily with Amphy, dancing around briefly with the larger electric-type.

The joy over the other’s recovery is cut short, however, when the Pikachu’s trainer abruptly hangs up her Pokégear and beckons urgently. “Raiuta, we’ve gotta go!”

“{ What’s wrong? }” She hops onto her trainer’s shoulder, irrespective of the fact that she cannot be understood. “{ What happened? }”

And yet, by some miracle, it’s as if Raiuta is properly understood.

“I think Team Rocket’s stirring up trouble,” her trainer murmurs grimly, and Raiuta hisses, extending her ethereal wings. “Let’s go. Fly!”

…

The Mightyena snarls and Roars at Pyros, a sound that emits shockwaves powerful enough to roll pebbles away.

The Charizard, however, doesn’t really care.

“{ Try again, }” he murmurs, and the dark-type has scarcely a moment to whimper before Pyros spits red-hot Embers at its fur, sending it yipping back to its trainer.

…

“Thanks for the help,” Alpha’s trainer says, a hand on his spines — and the Feraligatr presses into the touch as some form of reassurance. “But who are you?”

The stranger shakes his head, returning his Claydol to its ball. “This isn’t the time for that, there are more Team Rocket members waiting. Hurry!”

There’s an exchanged nod, and then Alpha’s attention is directed to the boulder blocking the cave…

Well, this is one thing that’s an easy fix.

“Go,” his trainer says, and he grins with jagged teeth. “Crunch!”

…

As the fight at the Safari Zone’s gate begins, Pyros trades Ember for Fire Blast in lieu of a proper Flamethrower or Heat Wave, but this is good enough.

Good enough to roast a Team Rocket’s Scyther, even.

And nearly good enough to solo Jasmine’s steel-type team later on, although Alpha provided some backup when the Bronzong Rain Danced Fire Blast out of the field for a while.

( Really, though; even the mighty Steelix fell in a single blow. )

…

It is with Alpha that the rampaging red Gyarados is fought; with waves as choppy as they are, battering relentlessly at the brinks of the lake, even Surf wouldn’t have been completely safe. The Feraligatr had insisted that his trainer remain ashore.

In return, he'd promised to lure the Gyarados closer so that his trainer could still guide the battle.

The Gyarados sees him first and howls, lurching towards him with a Twister brewing immediately into existence. Alpha endures the attack and retaliates with a vicious Crunch, locking his jaw around the beast’s neck.

Roaring, his foe flails — the weather intensifies its pouring rain, and Alpha holds on for dear life, digging in his fangs.

Suddenly, an Aqua Tail slams into his side and throws him off. Alpha crashes into the water with a slight grimace, winded but not wounded. He’s forced on the defensive, however, with another Aqua Tail hurtling towards him.

Even though he does not fully evade the attack, Alpha manages to swim towards the shoreline, luring the Gyarados closer—

“Yawn!” he hears his trainer command, and the white figure of Pyramid alights into the air.

The Togetic trills and releases several large bubbles. Alpha dives to avoid them, knowing what they cause, but in its fury the Gyarados fails to react properly to them, instead trying to attack it.

The bubbles pop on impact and the Gyarados suddenly stills, wavering…

Drowsy, it swings and misses another Aqua Tail as Alpha turns around and readies for battle once again.

And then it crumples into the water, asleep.

“Hold!” his trainer calls, and he pauses.

To his disbelief, he sees an Ultra Ball whistle through the air before gently bouncing off the Gyarados’ head, turning the beast into formless energy and sucking it into the ball.

His trainer does not normally capture.

Even more surprising, the Gyarados stays in the ball.

…

Alpha retrieves the black and gold ball carefully in jaw and brings it to his trainer, drawing himself out of the water to deposit it in the other’s hand.

Someone approaches; the Feraligatr growls, still on edge from the recent — fairly short yet vicious — battle, as he curls his tail around his trainer’s feet. Although it seems that no ill is meant, he remains wary. Careful.

The stranger converses with his trainer, but Alpha is preoccupied with the Dragonite at the man’s side. He rumbles a growl in the back of his throat, but the orange beast only tips its head towards him.

A touch on the forehead draws Alpha’s attention, and he presses closer to his rain-soaked trainer, a soft hum on his lips.

“It’s time to go, Alpha; Raiuta’s flying me. Return.”

…

Raiuta walks in on the stranger’s Dragonite directing a Hyper Beam at one of the shopkeepers.

The PIkachu chirps sharply and braces herself to lunge, but her trainer quickly holds her back. “Wait,” her trainer says, and Raiuta hesitates. Then, with a jolt, she realizes that the dragon is holding back — the shopkeeper is battered, but alive.

… It doesn’t take long to discover the secret entrance.

...

TBC.​