Previous Episodes:
Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3| Episode 4| Episode 5
Episode 6: Celadon City
(Lv. 29 Cap)
After the chaos aboard the S.S. Anne in Episode 4, Episode 5 felt like a bit of a reset. No losses, no disasters — a rare moment of competence. Naturally, this gave me confidence… which is probably not a good thing.
I make my way through the Underground Path into Celadon City, and waste no time I go and collect Eevee.
A fan favourite, and an easy decision for the team. With no Water-type yet, Vaporeon is the obvious choice. I name him Calypso, fully committing to the evolution before he’s even had a say in it.
Erika’s Gym.
Not entirely sure what that old man is doing staring through the gym window. Either he’s a dedicated fan of Grass-types… or Kanto just has some very questionable public behaviour.
Inside, the gym actually stands out — easily one of the more interesting designs in FireRed. It feels like a bit more effort went into this one compared to the others.
Going in, I’m thinking this should be the last “easy” gym. Grass types have plenty of weaknesses, and with Arrow and Hotdog both ready to go, I’m expecting a fairly straightforward run.
The trainers go exactly like that — quick wins, easy experience, no problems.
Then Erika reminds me why overconfidence is a terrible idea.
I’m under the level cap (29), with Arrow at 27 and Hotdog at 25. At the time, it felt fine. In hindsight… not my finest idea.
She leads with Lv. 29 Victreebel, which immediately feels more aggressive than expected.
I send in Hotdog and start chipping away with Ember. Victreebel hits back with Poison Powder — annoying, but manageable. Another Ember brings it into the red, but an Acid lands harder than expected. With poison ticking as well, things are suddenly looking a bit shaky.
Expecting a heal, I attack again to keep pressure on — but I’m not comfortable risking Hotdog any further.
Switch to Arrow.
Victreebel lands another Acid on the switch — 27 damage. Not ideal.
That felt like a warning.
Arrow starts pecking away, Erika responds with Stun Spore (of course she does), and suddenly this “easy gym” has turned into a status nightmare.
Victreebel refuses to go down quietly. There’s healing, more Acids, more Pecking — and at one point I’m fully aware I’m one bad roll away from losing Arrow.
Probably should’ve thought about that earlier.
Eventually, after a fairly tense back-and-forth, Victreebel finally drops. Arrow survives — paralysed and looking worse for wear.
Erika sends out Tangela.
Relief.
This gives me a chance to reset — I take a few turns to heal up properly while Tangela does… very little. Once everything’s back in order, I deal with it without much trouble.
Final Pokémon: Vileplume(one of the best named Pokémon ever)
I open with Kaa to take the initial hits, drop an Intimidate, and land a Glare.
For once, the plan actually works. Vileplume is slowed down, and I start chipping away.
Erika tries to undo the paralysis with a Full Heal, which just means I get to set it up again. Once it’s weakened, I bring Hotdog back in to finish things.
One Ember later — done.
Gym cleared.
No losses.
But definitely not as comfortable as expected.
I receive the Rainbow Badge, and Erika gifts me Giga Drain — which, with a few PP Ups, could turn into a really solid move for Sprout later on. One to keep in mind.
Note to self:
Stop calling gyms “easy” before you’ve actually beaten them.
Casino Royale
I head into the casino to see if I can make my fortune… which lasts about five seconds before I spot a Team Rocket grunt lurking in the corner.
Subtle as ever.
I approach.
He attacks.
I deal with his Raticate and Zubat without much trouble, and he immediately runs off to snitch. Standard Rocket behaviour.
I press the button behind the poster, and the secret entrance reveals itself.
I head downstairs into the hideout and start clearing out the grunts.
They’re… not exactly threatening.
Starting to think I was supposed to come here before Erika.
Either way, they’re no match for the Art squad.
I work my way through the sliding floor puzzles (more annoying than difficult) and pick up a few useful items:
- Moon Stone
- Nugget
- Rare Candy
- Blackglasses (which immediately go on Kaa — a giant snake wearing sunglasses feels right)
After a bit more clearing out, I track down the grunt with the Lift Key and make my way to Giovanni.
I enter his office, and he’s just… sitting there on his sofa waiting for me.
He’s been waiting for this. Unfortunately for him, so have I.
I’m ready to teach him a lesson in humility. He really should’ve let me join Team Rocket back on Nugget Bridge — there is no saving him now.
Knowing he specialises in Ground-types, I lead with Bam.
He sends out Onix.
It disappears almost instantly to a Low Kick — so fast I didn’t even get a screenshot.
Next up, Rhyhorn.
Same result.
Low Kick.
Gone.
Finally, Kangaskhan.
This one lasts slightly longer a whole two hits and it barely touches Bam in return.
Bit anti-climactic for a ‘boss’, but I’ll take it.
Giovanni, the “boss” of Team Rocket, drops the Silph Scope and gets out of there as fast as possible.
Not going to lie… I was expecting a bit more.
I’ve had tougher fights from Bug Catchers.
Still, I’ll take the win.
Two successful episodes in a row — this one felt like a bit of a walk in the park.
Calypso joins the squad and he will be a key player going forward, which is a nice boost after some earlier chaos.
That said… the easy part of the run is definitely over. The next level cap jumps all the way to 42, so there’s a lot of grinding ahead.
Things are about to get serious.
- Pokemon Tower
- New Encounters
- Safari Zone
Continue the Journey
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