So, that radio tower in town?
Doesn’t look like there’s anything we can do there yet.
Though the security guy does admit that the director has been acting weird lately. Which means I’m sure we’ll be back here later in the game.
Speaking of places we’ll return to — underneath Goldenrod City is a strange tunnel filled with hostile trainers.
And which houses a locked door marked “No entry.” I wouldn’t be surprised if this was an alternate route into the radio tower once uncovering what’s going on with the director becomes a thing.
Aside from that, the only point of interest down here is the Coin Case.
In case you don’t know, coins are the currency at Goldenrod’s casino. They’re basically chips that you can bet on slots and other games, and once you’ve got enough, you can trade them in for Pokemon and TMs.
Another Pokemon couldn’t hurt, and I considered allowing myself one from here and calling it the “catch” for Goldenrod, but I think that might be straying too far from the spirit of the challenge. So that’s out.
The TMs are totally legal and could be pretty useful, but they’re also pricy as heck. Actually accumulating over five thousand coins isn’t exactly feasible right now. Winning them legit would take more patience than I have in a lifetime…
…and buying them outright isn’t possible with our savings.
So it’s back to business — and business is badges. To the Goldenrod gym!
We assemble the team and head in.
We’re still decidedly lacking in the fighting-type moves that would apparently make this easier, but Celes, Maria, Edge, and Faris are all at a solid level and have proven themselves against normal-types before.
Let’s do this.
It’s Cute Central in here. Nothing but “cute” Pokemon…
And trainers obsessed everything cute.
Gross. Get your cooties away from me.
They’re not very imaginative, though. In particular, I like the goof who has nothing but jigglypuffs — and the other one who’s just got three lowly sentrets.
We’ve finished four trainers with hardly any damage. We could leave for a quick heal just to be safe, but…
This gym is a joke. Let’s get this over with.
Everyone was into Pokemon, so I got into it too!
You’re only training Pokemon because it’s cool, and someone made you a gym leader?
They’ll let anyone be a gym leader these days.
She’s only got two Pokemon we have to get through. Should be a breeze.
The clefairy Doubleslaps Selphie around before we nail her with a Disable.
My intention was to hopefully disable its theoretically more dangerous attacks, but I’m pretty sure Disable always works on the last move the enemy used. It’s Doubleslap that gets disabled, which is bad news — it wasn’t very threatening, and now the clefairy is forced to use other attacks.
Like Metronome. It hits with a random move — in this case, Fury Attack — after which the damn thing heals itself back to full.
Damn it. Selphie, come back. Celes — I need you to finish this, please.
On it.
A bit of damage taken in the process, but Clefairy is done. What’s next?
What.
As much damage as it looks like Rollout just did, it actually wasn’t too bad — especially considering it’s super-effective against Celes.
We do have to get her out of there, though. She Sand-attacks… Miltank’s?… accuracy down a bit and then pulls out.
Another Rollout —
Christ! What the hell type is super-effective against flying and fire? And it’s not just super-effective — it did over twice as much damage to Faris as it did to Celes.
Get out of there, Faris!
I got this, chief.
I… don’t got this, chief…
No. No, no no no.
Edge is dead.
This has to be some sort of cosmic joke. This time, Rollout was just regular-effective, and it was still able to drop Edge in ONE SHOT. How can this be possible?
M-Maria! Go!
Oh god. Whatever black magic Miltank is using — whatever pact Whitney has made with the devil — I don’t think we have anything that can combat it.
Faris and Celes are severely wounded. Edge and Maria are dead. And Selphie and Setzer — they’re barely fit for combat on a good day.
But we have to do something. Something. Someone has to do some damage here.
U-uhm… Celes, I guess? We’re going to die regardless.
We keep fighting no matter what.
Give me a super potion. I’m going in!
The potion completely restores Celes’ HP, but the very next moment–
She’s gone. No time to even think about it. We’ve got to come up with something.
Okay. Okay — Selphie! We can disable Miltank’s Rollout.
Selphie pops onto the battlefield and prepares her Disable–
But Miltank is too fast. She’s too damn fast for everyone. Not a single one of my Pokemon has been able to act before her in combat.
This is it. Our last chance…
Alright, Setzer. I’ve got a plan. Unfortunately, it involves you being killed. Sorry, buddy.
Setzer eats the next attack, but it gives us the time we need to use another super potion — this time on Faris.
It’s just you left, Faris. No pressure.
Don’t worry. This troll is going to pay for killing all our friends.
There’s only one option left: to lay on the Smokescreens. If we can lower Miltank’s accuracy enough, we might have a chance of surviving.
We line one up as soon as Faris is out of the gate, but then this happens:
The flinch prevents her from acting that round.
Next round comes another stomp… but Faris is still alive.
And the Smokescreen works this time.
So we keep that up. Another super potion, then more and more Smokescreens.
Miltank has long-since traded her Rollout for Stomp, which must mean she’s run out of uses. That’s what’s saved us from an instant death. And when we’ve layered five or six Smokescreens on her, she can barely hit at all.
That’s when Faris breaks out the fire attacks.
Burn. I like my steak well done.
We’re out of potions at this point, super and otherwise. Faris is down to 5 HP.
But she’s able to whittle Miltank down. Every incoming Stomp is a miss, but if she were to land just one, that’s it.
We’re halfway there. Halfway to a victory by the skin of our teeth…
…when the other shoe drops.
