Pokemon White: Tepig’s in the basement, mixing up the medicine

And I’m on the pavement thinking about what the hell happened.

I just got my ass kicked for the first time in Pokemon White. And right properly. I feel my jaw clamp down. Now what?

In the previous entry I mentioned a tipping point. A point of no return. I was talking about building my team in that entry, an entry that was written in a time I like to call ‘the salad days’. We are past that now. Back then I was waxing cute about builds and choices and forgetting and whatnot. Back then, yesterday, I was winning every battle easily. And I mean every battle. Wild Pokemons. Trainers. Etc. Winning them all. I figured that’s what the game was about. Winning. [Don’t you dare go there Christien. I’m serious. Don’t you dare.]

After the jump, is you is or is you ain’t

Okay. I won’t–Duh. Winning–Oops…I did.

Shake it off. Shake it off.

I apologize for the confusion and sophomoric reality-show reference. I’m not thinking straight just now. I just got my ass handed to me and I’m wondering now if I’m ever going to play this game again.

I’m not revealing my answer just yet. Let’s see if you can figure it out.

I am still so early in the game. I feel like I’ve played it for hours, but these things are relative. I feel like I’ve put hours into it, but I’m weird. My gaming minutes must be akin to dog years or something. Regardless of my perception, I know I’ve barely scratched the surface. Based on your comments and the words of a couple of friends I know this to be true. So now I’m at a crossroads. Do I buck up, or do I move on?

Tonight I went up against my second gym leader. I figured I’d be fine. I’d taken one of those out before without breaking a sweat. This should have been no different. I worked out the puzzle of the book stacks and headed down into the mysterious basement. There I met Lenora, who is collecting a bunch of bones and who I have to fight. Tell you what Lenora, why don’t we just make this easy? You just give me my badge and I’ll let you get back to your bones.

Lenora responded to me by throwing something called a Herdier in my face.

A Herdier that was at Level 18. I don’t have anything at Level 18.

After knocking out half my team with single hits she would then send out a Level 20 Something-or-Other. I don’t know. I’m still dizzy. It looked like a meerkat in some kind of tunic. It wiped me out.

I’m telling you, this wasn’t even close. How did I get here? I’ve been doing pretty well. Plugging along and leveling up my team and feeling generally good about my progression. Tonight I just got laughed out of the gym/museum.

I stared at my DS as the helpful lady in the Pokemon Center healed up Team Tepig. Really, at this point, what’s the point? I should just snap my DS shut and move on. Put Looney Tunes Cartoon Composer back in tomorrow and goof around with that for awhile until the sting wears off. Why not?

My jaw clamped down again.

Eff that. I gathered my team and told them to ready up for a trip back into the grass. Team Tepig has been through too much, has come too far. And I’ve gotten too many awesome suggestions from folks who know the game. I’m just starting to see the potential, and the depth. Plus…breeding. I mean, seriously, breeding. How can I abandon something as simultaneously creepy and intriguing as that? I can’t give up now just because some bone collector took me to the woodshed. No way.

You tell Lenora I’m coming. And I’m bringing Heck with me.

Next: ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Click here for the previous Pokemon White game diary.