Memory Loss

I wake up in the Poke Center. What happened? It was the middle of the day? I wasn't going to rest for hours. I feel strange. Was I drugged? I seem to have all of my money still. In horror I check to see if someone stole my pokemon, but all five poke balls are still right where I left them. I can't remember how I got here or even ever being here before. I would ask one of the women behind the counter how long it was that I was on the floor, but I'm too embarrassed. One of them gets me to sign the back of my trainer card though, whatever that means.

I will continue my journey, then. I find a parlyz heal in an unlikely place. Did someone drop it there? It's behind a fence. Forget it. Some girl ambushes me on the road with her Bidoof. I call Apsu back when I realize that he has no actual attacks. Sekhmet trades blows and narrowly defeats the Bidoof. Now she's level 8. She could catch up to Hanuman. I use a wild Shinx as an opportunity to train Ninhursag, but she's not strong enough yet, so Hanuman has to finish the job. Back to town briefly for healing.

I am challenged by yet another boy in a blue cap. What is with these guys? We both lead with Magikarps. I forgot to switch from starting with Apsu to starting with Ninhursag. Oh well, his Magikarp is probably as harmless as mine. While the Magikarp is uselessly splashing, I will have Ninhursag repeatedly use growth. This could be funny. After the sixth growth, nothing is happening. I catalog that information for later consideration and have Ninhursag use absorb, which easily finishes Magikarp in one hit thanks to growth. The annoying boy switches to Starly, so I bring in Sekhmet. She wins, but she's pretty badly hurt. At least Ninhursag gained a level from that. I heal Sekhmet with a potion and continue north.

Another trainer challenges me. This one with her own Budew that's stronger than Ninhursag. And I'm still leading with Apsu. I switch in Hanuman, but the Budew uses water sport, weakening fire moves. That's a new one. I have Hanuman use ember anyway, because fire is awesome. The Budew takes a few of them, but Hanuman prevails, as always. The road ends in a a cave. The cave is spacious enough at first, but becomes impassable because of some boulders. I turn to leave, but a cave pokemon attacks. The pokedex identifies it as Geodude.

I switch to Sekhmet. The Geodude uses defense curl. It's already a rock, so it's probably pretty tough anyway. This could be difficult. Sekhmet tackles it a couple of times. It defense curls and then hits back. Sekhmet would lose this one. It looks like wild pokemon are poor decision-makers, though: Geodude uses mud sport to weaken electric moves. Sekhmet is taking too much damage. I switch to Hanuman, but Geodude apparently resists fire moves. What would be good against a rock? Grass? I switch to Ninhursag. One absorb ends the battle. I leave the cave and head back, resigning myself to follow Slave's path. It seems to be the only one left, for now.

I am torn about Apsu. I do like the little guy and he is already level 7. But he has no useful moves yet. How long until he learns something other than splash? I do think a water pokemon should be useful. Well, my team is only five pokemon so far and I can have up to six. If Apsu and Brahma do not become useful, I will have to replace them. Perhaps I should catch a Geodude in that cave? I start walking east from Jubilife City, and there's Slave. He challenges me to a battle! My own best friend wants to make all of my pokemon faint? Maybe I should take it as a compliment. He thinks I am strong enough to face him.

Slave leads with Starly. I call Apsu back and send in Sekhmet. It is close, but this Starly is stronger than the others I have faced in the past and gets the better of the exchange. I send in Hanuman. A quick attack wounds him, but ember finishes the bird. Slave sends in Piplup. I see. He picked the water type to counter my fire type. Maybe not on purpose, but I am at a disadvantage here. Maybe not. I can outsmart him. I instruct Hanuman to use taunt. It pays off. Piplup's turn is wasted. Hanuman's scratch is doing about as much damage as Piplup's pound, but Hanuman is faster. The Piplup falls. It was Slave's last pokemon. Slave swears to never lose again and sprints off. He intends to beat the Oreburgh Gym. I know very little about this whole "gym" thing.

I follow Slave, taking on another boy with a blue hat and a Bidoof. Sekhmet and her newfound initiative thanks to quick claw make quick work of that. She grows to Level 9 and learns charge. This sounds good. This boy has a second pokemon, though. Zubat. I want to see charge in action, so I have Sekhmet use it. But I find from the pokedex that charge only boosts power: no lightning of death yet. Annoyed, I switch to Hanuman, but the Zubat confuses him with supersonic. His first ember devastates the Zubat, but confusion gets the best of him on the second attempt. Third time's a charm? Yes, the Zubat is done for.

I find a free poke ball and another blue-cap boy finds me. Is there some sort of club? The boy's Kricketot stands no chance against Hanuman. Easy money. But this road is rife with trainers and soon a girl wants to challenge me too. Sekhmet crushes Bidoof, then Starly. Good kitty. She switches to Budew and, knowing that grass is weak to fire, I switch to Hanuman for even more easy money. Ninhursag handles the next wild Shinx. But the trainer who ambushes me after that has something called Machop. Hanuman's ember torches that problem away.

Then another trainer challenges me. Hanuman is wounded by her Starly, but finishes it. She calls for Bidoof while I switch to Sekhmet. My two strongest pokemon are looking a bit worn out from all this battling. I find a repel on the ground. Instructions state that it can keep wild pokemon from attacking. Now seems like a good time to try this. The road leads to a tunnel. A man in the tunnel sees my poketch and gives me an HM. He says it can teach rock smash to pokemon. But for reasons he fails to specify, it cannot be used outside of battle until I get the gym badge in Oreburgh City. This makes no sense, but I presume that earning the badge is done by defeating the trainers in the gym, and that I am willing to try.

A boy scout or whatever ambushes me in the tunnel. Apsu is no match for Shinx, so I immediately switch to Ninhursag. Perhaps this boy has some idea what he's doing. He starts out with leer a couple of times, then uses tackle. Absorb keeps up with him, though. Poor Ninhursag is all but finished when the feline foe falls. She goes up in level and learns water sport, which I do not intend to use. I can see the end of the tunnel so close to me now, but another trainer will spot me if I cross her. And if she's strong, my team may be in no condition to battle her. But if I turn back, that repel could wear off. Maybe I'll be bombarded by cave pokemon. I try to run past the girl. No good. She spots me.

Ember easily demolishes her Budew. She sends in something I've never seen before called Psyduck. Water type? Hanuman scratches it and finishes it in two hits. Then I'm out and into the light of—well, actually it's nighttime. Then how was the tunnel not pitch black? Forget it and move on, I guess. On, that is, to Oreburgh City!