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levelzeo · 10 months

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Level Zeo’s Brilliant Diamond Nuzlocke - Part 1

I’m going to do a Nuzlocke of Brilliant Diamond. I never played the gen 4 games growing up, and even now I have never finished a playthrough of one (not for lack of wanting to, it's a long story), so this is going to be semi-blind. I also like Nuzlockes a lot as a storytelling device, so as I play I like coming up with headcanons for my Pokemon and their personalities, and I thought it would be cool to share those alongside the factual info of what happens in the run.

What are my rules? Well, I am pretty bad at video games. But I’m also better than the pure damage move spammer I was as a child, so I’m going somewhere in between casual and hardcore. Rules are as follows:

Pokemon faints, Pokemon dead.

I can only catch the first Pokemon I find on each Route/Area.

Nicknames for everybody!

No duplicates! If my first encounter is a duplicate I am forced to try again until I get something new.

Level Caps. Nobody is allowed to level past the next Gym Leader’s Ace.

Items. I will allow myself to use healing items in battle, but no battle items. If I find it too easy, I might put a limit on the number of heals I can use in one fight.

I will be playing in Switch Mode. As I said, I am bad at video games. I’m going to be losing a lot of Pokemon to stupidity and cockiness already, so I don’t need the extra challenge of Set Mode.

Okay then. Let’s begin.

I start up the game, pick the base female avatar, name her Zeo, and name my rival Melvin. Entering the game world proper, Melvin drags me to Lake Verity where we steal borrow some Pokemon from a briefcase to protect ourselves from getting mauled by wild animals. I pull a d6 from my pocket and roll it into the tall grass to decide which one I will pick, and I end up going with the middle Pokeball, Chimchar. Do I even need to say how this fight goes? We all know what happens here.

My new Chimchar has a Careful nature, and a characteristic of being Very Finicky. That makes me feel as though he is a very nervous creature. Cautious of everything, even to a fault. Perhaps he is right to worry so much, since on the way to Sandgem Town, he gets Crit TWICE by random encounters, forcing me to go home and heal each time. Poor fella.

I finally make it to Sandgem, and can finally give the Chimchar a nickname. I decided to go with Simmer, since he doesn’t seem like one to turn up the heat right out the gate. I get my Pokedex from my second favorite Professor, and the adventure can truly begin. First things first, I buy some Pokeballs so I can get an encounter from Route 201.

I end up with a lvl 2 Starly as my first encounter on the route. Don’t ask me why, but the Starly line has always reminded me of the seagulls I would always see on the coast. Because of that, I name this Starly after the food those winged rats would always steal from me. Chips. He has a Jolly nature, and is Strongly Defiant. These traits make me think that this virtual bird would try to steal my food just like the real ones. A hungry and energetic little gremlin. I imagine that he would quickly get on Simmer’s nerves.

After 201, I head north to Route 202. There, I ended up with the encounter I knew I was going to have going into a Sinnoh game. Bidoof. She has a Brave nature and Likes to Thrash About. I probably could have picked a name that goes better with those traits, but since I only get to know them after the nickname, her name is Boof.

This is where I make the stupid mistake of not going back to heal. Because of this, I almost have a complete wipe against my very first trainer fight in the entire game. Luckily, newcomer Boof is able to pull through and win the day with a sliver of hp remaining, and nobody dead. A Brave soul indeed. I hope this close call is not an omen of things to come.

Next stop is Jubilife. Pros of Jubilife: the music. Cons of Jubilife: the clowns. I get the Poketech before heading north again for more encounters. Between Route 204 and The Ravaged Path, I gain two new friends. Doc the Zubat, who is Hasty and Finicky. And Petard the Geodude who is Jolly and Somewhat of a Clown.

Between the name and traits, I think of Doc as a bit of a mad scientist archetype. Cackling maniacally as he swoops in and out of combat, scoffing at anyone who dares question his intelligence (despite not actually being as smart as he thinks he is). Simmer and Boof definitely aren’t buying the act, but Chips is all for it. I imagine Chips sees this as an opportunity to make a friend (and also to mooch food off of him), while Doc sees this as obtaining a new minion. Mwahahaha. Since they’re both flying types it saddens me that I will need to box one of them eventually, since I probably won’t need two fliers most of the time.

Being Jolly and a bit of Clown would normally make a Pokemon a bit of a prankster in my mind, but something about Petard being a Geodude wants me to go in a different direction. I’m picturing just a very chill and laid-back kinda guy, always trying to lighten the mood and crack a joke. Maybe even a bit of a “stoner” (cue rimshot and/or gunshot from the audience). Him and Boof would get along great due to them both being tanky and willing to roll with the punches. He is also willing to let Chips perch on his head, which is very cool of him.

I feel like I’m forgetting something else about my Geodude… oh right! I named him Petard after a type of bomb. In poor taste? Maybe. Does this mean I will be keeping and/or using self destruct when he learns it?

…

No comment.

Something I notice is that Simmer doesn’t really have anyone he can connect with. Chips definitely thinks their friends, not realizing how much his antics and gremlin energy annoys the Chimchar. Meanwhile Boof/Petard try to keep Simmer included, but his nerves and caution to most situations cause them to do so less and less. Doc just laughs and calls him a pitiful cowardly wretch of a fire type.

Poor Simmer. His loneliness is somewhat of his own making, but you can’t force yourself to be around people you don’t vibe with. As the Starter he is in a “Team Leader” role by default, and he’s definitely the powerhouse of the team, but is he confident enough in his abilities to be the leader they need right now? Probably not.

Enough characterization for now! Let’s get back to the game.

Since northwards is a dead end as of now, I go back to Jubilife. Popping into the trainer’s school, I have a vague memory of losing all of my Pokémon to the two Charge Beam Abras in there the first time I tried playing this game. Luckily Petard is immune to anything they do and he is easily able to slowly beat them into the dirt.

After that I head east onto Route 203, where I am immediately jumped by Melvin who challenges me to a Rival Battle.

It’s not a hard battle. Petard is tanky enough to not be hurt by anything the Starly can do, though I do switch to Boof to finish them off after the bird used Growl enough times to make the fight annoyingly slow. My decision that these two should be friends solidifies.

I have discovered in retrospect that Piplup has no water moves at this point, but at the time I didn’t know, so I sent in Chips instead of Simmer, who probably could have done it faster. I choose to believe I was just role-playing my starter’s careful nature. Chips is probably excited to prove himself though, and he certainly does. It’s a close battle, but I prove that my bird is superior and win the day (probably also stealing Melvin's lunch in the process).

I thought about continuing after that fight, but decided this was enough for a first update. If you read this far I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing in! Again, I think Nuzlockes are a fascinating medium for storytelling, and I hope the personalities I gave my Pokémon are fun to think about. I know that I like them. Next time I update I hope to at least get to the first Gym. Hope to see you then!

(PS, I am not an artist. I am bad at art. But for some reason I wanted to draw my Pokémon children. They aren’t good, but here they are. Let’s hope none of them die on me.)

#feel free to message me if you have any questions about my run or my pokemon #or if you just want to share your own nuzlocke stories with someone #id love to hear them #level zeo nuzlocke #nuzlocke #pokemon nuzlocke #nuzlocke story #pokemon #pokemon bdsp #brilliant diamond #pokemon brilliant diamond #brilliant diamond nuzlocke #nuzlocke art #chimchar #starly #bidoof #geodude #zubat

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levelzeo · 10 months

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Level Zeo's Brilliant Diamond Nuzlocke - Part 3

Oh hi. I didn’t see you there. As long as you’re here, why don’t I tell you more about my Nuzlocke, as well as my head canons about the personalities of my Pokemon. In fact, if you would like you can go read PART 1 or PART 2 for more context, or to just read them again because it’s your new favorite thing to do. Whatever works for you. If you’re all caught up, prepare yourself. We’re going over not one, but TWO important fights in this update.

Current Team

Simmer the Chimchar

Boof the Bidoof

Doc the Zubat

Orion the Shinx

Snek the Onix

Agro the Machop

Boxed Pokemon: 1

Deaths: 1

Badges: 0

I promised last time that we would jump right into the Gym in this update, but a couple of things happened while grinding to level 13-14 that I want to briefly mention. The first, and less important, thing is that Snek learned Dragon Breath. I had no idea that Onix learned that move this early, and I find it to be a very funny mental image. This giant rock snake slithering around and chasing down wild Zubats, only for her to blast one out of the air with a beam attack and then look at me with a big happy smile on her face. I love it. And I imagine that Doc begins referring to her as a “death ray”.

The second, and more relevant, thing is that Simmer evolved! I’m so used to my starter evolving in the 16-17 range, I had no idea they evolved at 14 in gen 4. You learn something new every day I suppose.

On the topic of learning, I imagine that Simmer’s newfound evolution was spurned by some learning and reflection he has had to do. His training with Agro has borne fruit, and Orion has pushed him to stand up and fight instead of trying to fade into the background. He’s still scared of course, still cautious and careful of every little thing, but he’s willing willing to push down that fear (at least a little bit) to be the fighter the team needs

Okay, enough grinding. With the team at acceptable levels, we head for the Gym. I’ve already taken care of the Gym trainers during grinding, so there’s nothing left to stand between me and Roark. First Gym battle, start!

Round 1 is against a Geodude, and I lead with Boof. Agro is my best fighter for this gym, being pure fighting, but I want to save his health for the final round. The Geodude sets up Stealth Rock to start, but this doesn’t have much relevance to the rest of the battle. Boof uses Rock Smash into the Geodude over and over again. The Geodude uses Defense Curls and gets given all of Roark’s potions, but Boof’s onslaught of attacks is endless, and the Geodude is reduced to rubble.

Round 2. I switch to Simmer against the incoming Onix. The two Pokémon trade blows, a Power-Up Punch and a Rock Throw respectively. Despite its imposing size, the Onix’s attack is barely effective. Summer is able to calm his nerves and throw out a second Power-Up Punch, getting a Critical Hit and easily winning the round.

Final Round. Agro vs Cranidos. Cranidos hits hard with a Headbutt, probably hoping to get a flinch. But Agro has been training for this, to prove his strength against a worthy foe. He snaps back with a Revenge, and the Cranidos is utterly annihilated in a single blow! The fact that this is the same move that killed Chips makes the victory bittersweet. But even so, it is a victory nonetheless.

Coal Badge Obtained!

One badge down, seven to go. The team celebrates their victory, and the sheer joy of having overcome this first major obstacle causes another evolution! Boof evolves into a Bibarel! One of our toughest and bravest fighters has obtained a new form, ready to tackle the obstacles that our journey has yet to throw at us. Seeing this evolution, and also seeing how hard Simmer is trying, inspires yet a third evolution! Orion evolves into a Luxio!

Okay, so technically these two evolutions happened while fighting random wild Pokemon shortly after the gym, but where’s the fun in that? My Pokemon have evolved, and we’re moving on.

With the Coal Badge in our hands and new evolutions on our team, we are riding high. I like to think Chips would be proud of us. We can also now go back into Oreburgh Gate and use Rock Smash to access a new encounter! So I do just that, breaking through the rubble to descend into the basement of the cavern, where I fight off a seemingly endless swarm of Zubat (I already have one cackling maniac of a Zubat, I don’t need any more). After what feels like forever, I encounter a Psyduck.

Puddle the Psyduck has a Docile nature and is Strong Willed. I imagine that she has been meditating in this cave to hone her psychic abilities. She may not be a psychic type, but she wishes to prove that she doesn’t need to be one to access the true power of her mind. My team of misfits bumbling into her meditation is something she sees as a sign from the universe, and she happily joins the party.

Since I want to have Puddle’s water and psychic moves on the team, I make the executive decision to sadly put Agro in the box. With the first gym defeated, Simmer should be able to take over as the team’s fighting type for now. Agro gives a bow to his fighting student, and makes the others promise they will continue training hard in his absence. They all agree, though Orion’s is more of a “sure, whatever”.

I also decide to swap Snek out and put Petard back on the team. As much fun as we all have watching her blast things with Dragon Breath, we all know that in terms of both stats and personality, she is not made for the world of battling. The team will miss her joyful presence, and Doc will miss his death ray.

With our reorganized team, I head back to Jubilife, where I run into Professor Rowan, who forces me to battle some Galactic grunts. Puddle is easily able to break the psyche of their Zubat, and also able to throw water at their Wurmple until it faints.

Moving swiftly along, we travel up Route 204, using Rock Smash to make it through the Ravaged Path. Before I know it, we’re in Floaroma town. It’s a very pleasant place, and I’m sure it’s a place many of my Pokémon would enjoy relaxing in, but not all is well. Some girl’s father has been kidnapped! Oh no!

Heading over the Valley Windworks, we beat up the Galactic grunt outside, then run all the way back to Floaroma to go to their Meadow and beat up even more grunts. These guys really suck, and most of the team greatly enjoys beating them up. Though Puddle warns that we should not become complacent, something that probably doesn’t help Simmer’s nerves.

In the Meadow we pick up the key to the Windworks, and also slather some honey on a nearby tree. We run all the way back to the Valley Windworks, and while we are there I decide to find a new encounter outside. I encounter a Buizel who is both Calm and Likes to Fight. I name her Bonny, after a famous pirate. She’s a seafaring scallywag who enjoys both a good book and a good brawl. But for now, the only sea she will be menacing will be the one in the box.

Entering the Windworks, Petard begins throwing rocks around to take out Team Galactic’s flying and bug types. I’m sure he is using a lot of rock puns as he does so. (You’re gonna have to be boulder than that if you want to beat us! Looks like our victory is only a stone's throw away!)

It seems as though the grunts of this evil organization have no idea why they are here or what their group is doing. I’m serious, they all talk about how they have no idea what the plan is. Doc takes great offense at an evil organization being planned so poorly, and Poison Fangs all of the enemies that Petard couldn’t one-shot with rocks.

Eventually we find the one in charge of this particular operation, Mars. I’m not oblivious. I know that Mars is a dangerous opponent (at least in the originals, I don’t know if she has the same run-ending potential here in the remake). So I’m cautious going into this fight, but I’m confident in my team’s abilities.

As Mars leads with her Zubat, Orion steps up to protect his friends from this winged foe. The Luxio unleashes a Thunder Shock, and the Zubat is almost defeated. But it isn’t enough, and the enemy is able to get in a counter-attack; U-Turn. After hitting Orion for not-insignificant damage, the Purugly comes out to play.

I switch to Petard, who shrugs off a Fake Out before the two combatants begin trading blows. Petard is practically juggling loose stones with the number of Rock Throws he uses, while Purugly hits over and over again with Thief. Petard’s blows are able to wear down the cat enough that it is forced to use its berry, but Petard is too weak to continue.

Frightened by the possibility of anyone dying to this fearsome opponent, Simmer steps into the fray, taking an attack that would have probably killed Petard if it had been a crit. Purugly slashes hard into the Monferno, but Simmer hits back with a Power-Up Punch, knocking the cat out of the fight.

Mars sends her Zubat back out, but we all know who the victor is already. Puddle unleashes a single Confusion, and the Galactic Commander is finally defeated. Despite losing, she seems to have enjoyed the battle, and happily packs up her minions and leaves. The Windworks is saved, the little girl’s dad is freed, and the Grunts who were blocking the way forward are gone. Our journey can continue.

Well. That was a long update, huh? A Gym Leader fight, three evolutions, AND the first Galactic Commander battle? I think I deserve a break. Next time we will be checking in on the honey we slathered in Floaroma Meadow (and also some honey I did on the tree on Route 205), and making our way to the next gym. For now though, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed playing and writing. See you next time!

#yes i know i could have gotten a drifloon from valley windworks #its just that ive used it in a couple different nuzlockes before and i wanted to change things up #level zeo nuzlocke #nuzlocke #pokemon nuzlocke #nuzlocke story #pokemon #pokemon bdsp #brilliant diamond #pokemon brilliant diamond #brilliant diamond nuzlocke #nuzlocke art #monferno #luxio #bibarel #psyduck #buizel

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