POKEMON GOLD PROGRESS, DAY 19 & 20
NEW POKEMON
Caught, hatched, or evolved:
Elekid (#239), pre-evolutionary stage of the Elebuu (Electabuzz), hatched from an egg
Magmaggu (#218), a fire/rock Pokemon that resembles a Muk with stalk eyes
Seen in battles:
Watakko {#189), an evolution of the Hanekko (#187) and/or the Popokko (#188).
Yadoking (#199), evolutionary stage of the Yadoran [Slowpoke].
BREEDING SUCCESS...
The egg created by the male and female Elebuu (Electabuzz) hatched today, and sure enough- it hatched into a level 5 "Elekid" (#239). So I now can confirm that there is at least one "precursor" of the original 151 Pokemon that can be found!
Elekid comes with three darn good attacks right off the bat- "Quick Attack", "Leer", and "Lightning Punch". He later develops other attacks or defensive moves, however I'm ready to hit "B" when he starts to evolve- I don't want him to! He's up to level 25 now.
Now if I can just get hold of two Pikachu- if I don't get to the Tokiwa no Mori pretty soon to search for 'em, I may have to play Japanese Blue a bit to get two Pikachu to import.
Incidentally, the several Pokemon I imported from Pikachu Yellow while test-trading were designated as Female. I wonder if sex-assignment varies with the game, or number imported.
I put a male Iwark (Onix) and a female Saidon (Rhydon) in the breeding center... this was an experiment in cross-breeding, which failed. After three levels raised they never produced an egg together (I was trying to see if I could get a Haganeeru this way, since it seems to be a blend of the two). Haganeeru could indeed be an evolved stage of Iwark, so I'm currently using a level 40 Iwark I caught to see if it changes...
I don't much care for Yadon or Yadoran (Slowpokes or Slowbros) as Pokemon go, but if I want to get a Yadoking, I'll have to experiment with them to see what happens unless they appear later in the wild. I have seen a Yadoking in the hands of a trainer, a member of the "Daisuke Club".
Regarding the "Daisuke Club" members, they're hilarious! They're all beaming adults who are slightly middle-aged and plump (stereotype otaku!), and are fans of particular Pokemon. The male Daisuke Club trainers are shown as a middle aged, smiling man with a Pikachu T-shirt on, and a little tyke clinging to his leg who wears a Pikachu hat and a pair of pants with the zig-zag tail. The Daisuke Club ladies are happy, glee filled women with a couple of Pippis (Clefairies) at their feet. Daisuke Club opponents can be pretty predictable- one had 6 Pikachu, all level 23. Another had 3 Nyarths. Another was a "-king" fan, and had a Nidoking, a Yadoking (a Yadon [Slowpoke] evolution), and a Koiking [Magikarp].
One thing I like about the Terrific Fishing Rod is that any Pokemon it catches lands at level 40! So when you catch a level 40 Miniryuu [Dratini], at first evolution opportunity, it'll turn into a Hakuryuu [Dragonair]. It also is a good way to get high Pokemon for leveling up lower levels more quickly in one battle. I did get the "Good Fishing Rod" too, and it catches level 20 Pokemon.
PROGRESS (if you can call it that):
Not a whole lot. I've still not fulfilled the criteria to gain access to higher floors of the Radio Station nor of the Silph Company (guards block the staircases), nor have I gotten the power running again at the Power Plant to be able to use the train. I've not had the key required to be able to get into two different houses, nor have I talked a guy into letting me into a third. There's a big, fully drawn Kabigon (Snorlax) blocking access to the Digda Cave, but I have no Pokemon Flute yet. And of course, as in the original games, you can't backtrack from Hanada City to go to Tokiwa City or Masara Town...
I DID defeat Erika at the Tamamushi City Gym to gain the Rainbow Badge (boy, is she nicely drawn here!), and now I have a total of 13 badges. I also discovered that the "Aqua-gou" boat frequently will reappear at the Kuchiba City dock, and can be reboarded for the trip back to Asagi City. During the trip, you can battle the new passengers and some sailors for more experience, money, and maybe some new Pokemon seen.
I think I've also pretty much defeated every trainer that I can find (including those on Cycling Road) but the beach area that will let me surf to Gurenjima is blocked off at the moment. Sigh... I may have missed a comment from somebody, and now must go back and painstakingly translate...
As the holidays come closer, I'm slowing down a bit. I MAY be getting to the point where I'll have to secure a Japanese guide to the game in order to finish it. This would be a blessing and a curse- a curse because I'm having lots of fun discovering my own way and seeing new Pokemon as surprise appearances- and a book will show 'em all... and a blessing because then I can not only finish the game but find out what Pokemon are in Silver that I can't get in Gold, and what new Pokemon require a trade to evolve. Still, the nature of the game encourages constant exploration. I may hit the right answers with time, and if nothing else, I can always go back and try to find more Annoon variations to complete the Annoon Zukan!
I do know so far that wild Nyarths appear only in Silver, as do wild Ladybas and Ladians, but Sarah hasn't been too vocal about what she's found unless it's a REAL new Pokemon. She's got 4 badges but hardly any Hidden Machines. I may have to help her along.
Well, that's it for now. Stay tuned!
--Richard E. Rae