Pokémon: Generation By Generation

CHAPTER 10: [Operation Nugget Exploit is a Go?]

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"Tsk, that Pikachu is faster than I thought. Fine, I'll hand that win to you, but don't think that I'll go down that easily!"

Blue clicked his tongue before salvaging his ego, recalling his Pidgeotto back into its Pokéball before grabbing another different one from his belt. I did the mental gymnastics, recalling the Pokémon that Blue will have at this point, before asking Bolt to stand by my side as I followed Blue's actions.

Once the both of us had decided on the Pokémon of our choice, we both tossed our Pokéball simultaneously into the air.

"Rattata, front and center!"

[Rival BLUE sent out RATTATA!]

"Zardon, I choose you!"

[Pokémon Trainer JOSEPH sends out Charmeleon!]

A flash of white light erupted from both Pokéballs as our respective Pokémon landed on the ground.

His Rattata landed on all fours, baring its sharp fangs in a snarl aggressively as it eyed its opponent with a sharp gaze.

---------------- Opponent Battle Information ----------------

[Species: Rattata]

[Level: 19]

---------------- Opponent Battle Information ----------------

Meanwhile, Zardon simply stood tall as he observed the Rattata in front of him, his claws flexed, ready for action with his flame-tipped tail flickering confidently.

---------------- Team Battle Information ----------------

[Nickname: Zardon]

[Species: Charmeleon]

[Level: 24]

[EXP: 18%]

---------------- Team Battle Information ----------------

Blue's eyes widened as he witnessed the Charmeleon on the field with shock in his eyes.

"What?! You've already evolved your starter?!"

Those words confused me slightly. His Pokémon so far had a higher level compared to his counterpart in the games, so surely his Squirtle would have evolved into a Wartortle, but from his reaction, it hadn't even though it would have reached its evolution threshold?

Were evolutions not strictly tied to levels in this Fire Red game, or was it just a one-time thing?

Blue gritted his teeth as he quickly regained his composure.

"Tch. Doesn't matter! Rattata, Quick Attack into Hyper Fang!"

The Rattata shone a hue of white before darting towards Zardon, who immediately shifted his stance to a battle-ready position. A white aura shaped like a set of teeth appeared before the Rattata's muzzle as it prepared to bite down the moment it got close, but I quickly yelled out a command.

"Scary Face, then Metal Claw!"

"Char... MELEON!"

A deafening roar screamed as red and black streaks of energy surged forward from Zardon's face, followed by a sudden drop in temperature.

Rattata froze mid-charge, its pupils shrinking as it skidded to a stop, its legs trembling under the sheer pressure of Zardon’s intimidating glare.

[Rattata’s Speed harshly fell!]

With the Rattata momentarily stunned from the Scary Face, Zardon's claws shined with a metallic texture before rushing the Mouse Pokémon with his claws bared, slashing downwards on the Pokémon in an arc.

The impact sent Rattata flying backward, tumbling across the battlefield before regaining its footing, abid barely. The five-level difference was evident as the Rattata took long, shaky breaths, trembling under the force of a single non-STAB (same-type attack bonus) attack.

"Zardon, finish it with Dragon Rage."

With a huff, Zardon obeyed as a purple aura surrounded his body before he opened his jaws, gathering a swirling mass of deep violet flames in his throat.

Blue's eyes widened in panic, swiping the air with his hand as he gave out an order.

"Rattata, dodge it!"

But with its 2-stage lower speed debuff, there was no chance that it could dodge the Dragon Rage.

Zardon unleashed the blast, draconic flames exploding forward like a cannonball. The moment it struck Rattata, the impact sent the small Pokémon skidding across the battlefield, rolling end over end before landing in a heap, completely motionless.

[Opponent RATTATA has fainted!]

"You crushed it, Zardon!"

"Char, char! [<(￣︶￣)>]"

He puffed out his chest, his tail swishing behind him in satisfaction. With a grin, I crouched down and raised my hand high, letting the Flame Pokémon return the gesture with a satisfying high-five, his muzzle sprouting a wide grin.

"What are you feeding your Pokémon? Jeez."

Blue scoffed, crossing his arms as he retrieved Rattata’s Pokéball. His cocky smirk twitched at the edges, clearly forced, as he tried to brush off his loss. I stayed quiet as he fished out another Pokéball.

"Doesn’t matter. You might’ve won that round, but let’s see how you handle my best Pokémon!"

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the ball high into the air.

"Squirtle, show them how it's done!"

[Rival BLUE sent out SQUIRTLE!]

---------------- Opponent Battle Information ----------------

[Species: Squirtle]

[Level: 23]

---------------- Opponent Battle Information ----------------

Huh, it really didn't evolve yet; that's so strange. Either way, it didn’t matter since we were still battling. I'll keep it in the back of my head for now; what mattered was that I had the perfect counter for it.

Reaching out to the side, I patted Bolt’s head before asking her.

"Still good to go for one more fight?"

She looked up at me, her ears twitching as sparks crackled around her cheeks.

"Pika pi! [( • ̀ω•́ )੭]"

Since when did my cute Pikachu become a battle maniac? I held back a chuckle before looking back at the battlefield in front of me.

"Bolt, one more time—I choose you!"

---------------- Team Battle Information ----------------

[Nickname: Bolt]

[Species: Pikachu]

[Level: 25]

[EXP: 13%]

---------------- Team Battle Information ----------------

Blue rolled his eyes at the type matchup.

"Tch. Another type-advantage? That's cheap."

"It's called strategy. Besides, this isn't the Gym Circuit; you didn't establish the rules regarding switching out Pokémon beforehand, so it's fair."

He sighed, understanding his mistake, and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, that's fair, I guess. Fine, even with the type advantage, my Pokémon and I will still come out on top!"

... Huh, Blue actually admitted his mistake. That's great character development.

"Squirtle, keep your distance, and Water Gun!"

"Tle! [( ˘-˘ )ゝ]"

Saluting like a soldier, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon inhaled deeply, puffing out its cheeks before firing a pressurized jet of water straight toward Bolt.

... It's a bad matchup, though, since—

"Pikachuuuuuu!"

Bolt could just Thunder Wave the Water Gun.

The collision of the moves caused a sizzling reaction, sending sparks flying as the electricity conducted through the stream straight back to Squirtle.

It let out a startled cry as the current traveled up its own attack, shocking it mid-action. Its limbs twitched as sparks danced across its shell, making it stumble backward.

[Opponent SQUIRTLE is Paralyzed! It may be unable to move!]

Water conducts electricity, after all. It looks like the Squirtle took some minimal damage as well, even though Thunder Wave was just a status move. That's some good information for the Misty Gym Battle.

"Withdraw, Bite when that Pikachu gets close!"

"S-Squirtle!"

Squirtle let out a shaky grunt, tucking its limbs in as its shell gleamed slightly, reinforcing its defenses.

Playing defense? OK, I'll take advantage of the Squirtle that's in his shell with this then!

"Bolt, keep your distance. Double Team twice."

"Pika pika!"

Bolt's body shimmered as she zipped from side to side, creating afterimages that flickered around the battlefield. Within seconds, there were now eight Bolts standing in formation, each one mirroring the other with sparks crackling at their cheeks.

In its shell, Squirtle’s vision was limited, and with eight Bolts moving unpredictably across the battlefield, there was no way for it to accurately track the real one. It was a perfect setup.

Blue clicked his tongue in frustration.

"Squirtle, stay patient! Wait for an opening, then Bite when it gets close!"

"Quick Attack in a zigzag pattern; confuse it before punching it when you get a chance!"

The eight images of Bolt scattered, dashing in different directions before weaving around Squirtle in a confusing pattern. The Water-Type tried to follow the movement, but its head twitched left and right, unable to determine where the real attack would come from.

Then, from its blind spot, Bolt shot forward like a bullet, slamming into Squirtle’s shell with Quick Attack and sending it skidding slightly on the ground.

"Now! Thundershock!"

"Get out of the way, Squirtle!"

"PIKACHUUUUUUUUU!"

Electricity crackled violently from Bolt’s cheeks before surging straight into Squirtle’s body. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon let out a sharp cry, its limbs twitching uncontrollably as sparks danced across its shell.

Blue clenched his fists.

"Squirtle, push through it! Pikachu's in range, Bite!"

Squirtle tried to move, but its muscles seized up, completely locking its body in place.

[Opponent SQUIRTLE is Paralyzed! It can't move!]

"One more, Bolt! Fire!"

"Pika pikachuuuuu!"

A final surge of electricity shot through Squirtle, and this time, it did the job. With a groan, Squirtle collapsed onto the ground, its eyes swirling in defeat.

[Opponent SQUIRTLE has fainted!]

Looking at the fainted Squirtle, Blue hesitated as he looked at the remaining Pokéball that he hadn't used for the battle on his hip before sighing as he withdrew Squirtle from the ground back for a good rest.

"I forfeit."

[Rival BLUE has forfeited!]

[Trainer JOSEPH wins the POKÉMON BATTLE!]

=

=

=

After Blue tossed over 288 Pokédollars before running along, I quickly moved my avatar to the Pokécenter for a full heal.

"Ah, I should have brought out King or Monkey against that Rattata."

I muttered as my Pokémon were being healed by Nurse Joy; King could have gotten more battle experience, and Monkey was the better Pokémon to use against a Normal-Type. Oh well, he'll prioritize the two against the Trainers on the Nugget Bridge then.

... Before that, though, I had to test out something.

Putting everyone into the PC for now, I grabbed a Pidgey that I'd caught back in the first Route and ran straight to the first Trainer of the Nugget Bridge.

The first Trainer was a Bug-Type Trainer that opened with a level 13 Caterpie. And I opened with a level 3 Pidgey. Sure enough, the Pidgey got decimated with a single critical hit Tackle.

[Trainer JOSEPH is out of usable Pokémon!]

[Trainer JOSEPH lost against Bug Catcher CALE!]

[Trainer JOSEPH paid 120 Pokédollars as the prize money...]

[... ... ...]

[Trainer JOSEPH whited out!]

... And I was immediately ejected from the simulation. Looking down at the Arc in my hands, it seems that the game had positioned my avatar back to the Pokécenter.

[Trainer JOSEPH scurried to a Pokémon Center, protecting the exhausted and fainted Pokémon from further harm…]

So even if I lose a battle, it wouldn't really matter since I just had to pay the prize money fee, right? Interesting.

I tried to battle the same Trainer again to see if the prompt would appear... Yes, it seems that it worked, though there was a 10-minute timer. Very interesting. If that's the case, then if this specific version of Fire Red did not patch the exploit out... 

Hohoho, I can hear the sound of money rolling in!

Praying to every god that I know, I began Operation Nugget Exploit.

=

=

=

With my full team this time, I cleared through the five Trainers on the Nugget Bridge with relative ease since my team was just too overleveled compared to the rest, with the normal average level hovering around the 16-17 range while my Pokémon were in the 23-24 level range.

The prize money was decent enough, but the main prize is at the end of the bridge. Once I cleared the bridge, I quickly ran to grab the same Pidgey from earlier before dashing back to the end of the bridge where a man stood waiting.

["Congratulations! You just beat our five contest Trainers!"]

["You just earned yourself a fabulous prize!"]

[JOSEPH received a Nugget from the mysterious TRAINER.]

OK, step one complete...

["By the way, how would you like to join Team Rocket? We're a group of professional criminals that specializes in Pokémon!"]

["Want to join?"]

["Are you sure?"]

["Come on, join us!"]

["I'm telling you to join!"]

["... OK, you need convincing! I'll make you an offer you can't refuse!"]

The simulated world drags me into the battle with the disguised Team Rocket Grunt who sent out an Ekans. I followed along, tossing my Pidgey. A second later, the Pidgey was knocked out with a single critical hit Tackle.

... Why was this Pidgey getting smacked around with crits?

Anyways, I was, as expected, immediately ejected from the simulation.

[Trainer JOSEPH is out of usable Pokémon!]

[Trainer JOSEPH lost against Rocket Grunt!]

[Trainer JOSEPH paid 480 Pokédollars as the prize money…]

[… … …]

[Trainer JOSEPH whited out!]

As expected, I was back at the Pokémon Center in an instant.

[Trainer JOSEPH scurried to a Pokémon Center, protecting the exhausted and fainted Pokémon from further harm…]

Step two done; I should have it now...

I opened my BAG from the MENU and navigated into the Items category and scrolled down.

My face blossoms with a wide grin as I see the Nugget in my BAG.

Step three, complete. Now for the moment of truth.

With the Pidgey healed once more, I ran out from the Pokécenter towards the same place as before. The Team Rocket Grunt was still there, and after 10 minutes of waiting for the countdown to end...

[JOSEPH received a Nugget from the mysterious TRAINER.]

["By the way, how would you like to join Team Rocket? We're a group of professional criminals that specializes in Pokémon!"]

["Want to join?"]

["Are you sure?"]

["Come on, join us!"]

["I'm telling you to join!"]

["... OK, you need convincing! I'll make you an offer you can't refuse!"]

The Pidgey got knocked out in a single move once again.

[Trainer JOSEPH is out of usable Pokémon!]

[Trainer JOSEPH lost against Rocket Grunt!]

[Trainer JOSEPH paid 480 Pokédollars as the prize money…]

[… … …]

[Trainer JOSEPH whited out!]

I checked by BAG.

[Nugget — x2]

The exploit works.

…

PERFECT.

=

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=

---------------- Current Team Summary ----------------

---------------- 1st POKEMON SLOT ----------------

[Nickname: Saitama-ed]

[Species: Pidgey (♂)]

[Level: 3 (0%)]

[Nature: Docile]

[Ability: Keen Eye (Prevents loss of Accuracy.)]

[Moves: Tackle]

[Held Item: None]

---------------- 2nd POKEMON SLOT ----------------

[Nickname: King]

[Species: Nidorino (♂)]

[Level: 23 (29%)]

[Nature: Naive]

[Ability: Poison Point (1/3 chance of applying Poison status on opponent when damaged with a physical attack.)]

[Moves: Leer, Peek, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Horn Attack]

[Held Item: None]

---------------- 3rd POKEMON SLOT ----------------

[Nickname: Zardon]

[Species: Charmeleon (♂)]

[Level: 24 (31%)]

[Nature: Lonely]

[Ability: Blaze (Boosts the power of Fire-Type moves when HP is below 1/3rds)]

[Moves: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Metal Claw, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage, Scary Face]

[Held Item: None]

---------------- 4th POKEMON SLOT ---------------- 

[Nickname: Bolt]

[Species: Pikachu (♀)]

[Level: 25 (44%)]

[Nature: Timid]

[Ability: Static (1/3 chance of applying Paralysis status on opponent when damaged with a physical attack.)]

[Moves: Thundershock, Growl, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Thunder Wave, Double Team, Body Slam]

[Held Item: None]

---------------- 5th POKEMON SLOT ---------------- 

[Nickname: Monkey]

[Species: Mankey (♂)]

[Level: 23 (1%)]

[Nature: Quirky]

[Ability: Vital Spirit (Prevents the Pokémon from entering Sleep status.)]

[Moves: Leer, Scratch, Low Kick, Karate Chop, Fury Swipes]

[Held Item: None]

---------------- Current Team Summary ----------------