Say, it looks like about time for today's update – little later than usual but only by about...Oh... Two weeks... Eeesh...So. Happy Holidays. What I'd hoped for was to be before the Elite Four by the 25th but, as you'll have guessed by reading so far, that hasn't happened. There is a good reason for this and that reason is much grinding. And I'm afraid that's what you're getting today: me trying to get to a point where I felt secure traversing Victory Road. Given events up to this point, that gave me a long way to go.I started in the old haunt of Nugget Bridge, making my way there via the Bug Catcher with the Butterfree north of Vermilion, with Mastiff at the head of the party. The third trainer there levelled him up but the Lass poisoned him, using up my last antidote. The next time, I knew to play on the safe side: if he used Fire Blast, it couldn't get him by its Poison Point ability – which worked. Except that the first one missed and it poisoned him with Poison Sting instead.But hey, he levelled up again. Who's a fast-growing doggy-lion thing? Yes you are...I remembered then my favourite grinding spot: Pokémon Tower. Mastiff could do with some special attack – which is more than can be said for Ghosts... In there, he gained another level.That took about an hour.On the way south to Fuchsia, he levelled up once more, overtaking Aporia. Now, other than Chelon, the party were all on a fair par, so I put Traumarct up for a Surf to Fuchsia: the waters are full of Tentacool (although not as full as they were back in Generation I), which train Traumarct's favourite thing: special defence.One Swimmer remained unchallenged from my last trip down this route: a girl on the far side of the island, who only had a Seaking – though it was level 35.I challenged the group of four hanging around at the south-eastern end of the route, the first levelling Traumarct up – but her penultimate Poliwag put him to sleep – so he quite literally Snored his way through the next trainer, her last Pokémon levelling him up.Returning to the sea refreshed in Fuchsia, he levelled up again, not learning Covet, and I put Ignis up for another round, who levelled up against his second Swimmer.Against the Swimming Siblings, Ignis's Shock Wave took out Seaking, levelling Aporia up vicariously before she'd even moved, and the next Swimmer levelled Ignis up again; putting Traumarct back to the top for the return to Fuchsia, he levelled up on the way.With Arnold and Aporia in their turn levelling up in the sea, Aporia learned Silver Wind, that rare beast of a worthwhile Bug move, over Poisonpowder, and Arnold learning Toxic from the TM, the party went from two Poisonpowderers to none.Taking Ignis around the Bird Keepers south of Cycle Road levelled hir up three times, the first teaching hir Swift, giving hir a full complement of moves again.With another level each to Aporia and Traumarct in the sea and Mastiff on Route 15, I set off for Power Plant, getting out Ondata to cut our way through to get there, to dig out the TM for Thunder – Ignis had never used Charge, so it went, although Thunder would see most of its use in rain.While I had Ondata out, one trainer remained on the bridge from Vermilion to Fuchsia – a Camper, with a Nidoran and Nidorino, with a bottle of iron in the enclosure with him. Mastiff levelled up on the way to Fuchsia, where we said good-bye to Ondata again, heading back into the sea, earning a level for Aporia and two apiece for Arnold and Traumarct, who tried learning Rollout.… No.Mastiff's next level taught him Extremespeed, which gladly replaced Take Down – weaker, but I've always disliked recoil moves. Something to do with hitting himself in the face whenever he uses it – which is why he never did.Once more unto the beach, Aporia, Traumarct and Arnold in turn levelled up in the sea.This brought all the party bar Chelon up to level 50, and Chelon exceeded that. Maybe now was the time I'd been working for.The return to Victory Road was at hand!Victory Road requires two HMs to navigate – Surf to get there and Strength to solve its rambling boulder-puzzle, which unsolves itself every time you leave – which is sometimes helpful, in that you can push a boulder into a corner where it becomes irretrievable. The idea of bringing up the HMs you've needed to get there's an interesting one – it encourages a loyal core team, rather than a low-level HM slave. In some ways, I'd prefer it if it were too dark to navigate without Flash and a Cuttable tree stood before the entrance, just to reinforce the notion – and if there were a better type-balance of wild Pokémon in there, rather than standard cave fare – albeit in the low forties of levels: Chelon levelled up against the first Onix he saw, not learning Skull Bash.On the next floor, I put Aporia to the top as I saw a Blackbelt ahead; resisting Revenges like the weren't no thang (I'm so sorry, I'll stop), two Machoke and a Machop fell, albeit not in that order. I left her at the head of the party as so many encounters were with Fighting-types. Sure enough, the next was a Primeape.A Primeape who knew Seismic Toss.I made two trips to heal, including a surf to Cinnabar for hyper potions, before I felt safe continuing the journey.Reaching the uncharted territory of the second floor, Arnold levelled up: expensive going for him, as I didn't dare use anything but Giga Drain on Geodudes, the most frequent appearance, because of their Selfdestruction. Finding the room where Moltres once was, now replaced with the worthy substitute of a guard spec (yaaay), I put Traumarct up for what appeared to be a Nerd in the same room. He turned out to be a Pokémaniac and, opening with Charmeleon, I let Chelon at him; Smokescreen didn't manage to make Surf miss and Lapras followed presently; I set Ignis on it, taking a Confuse Ray but Shockwaving it out nonetheless. The following Lickitung managed two Wraps while Ignis hit hirself once, between a Spark paralysing it and Shock Wave ending it.I put Aporia back to the head before a Tamer who promised to whip me. She put his Persian to sleep and took it down in three Psybeams; it was followed by a Golduck, who really should have been made Psychic-type. Sleep Powder missed once, allowing it a Screech before it was successfully put to sleep. Aporia used Silver Wind for her first time; it did little, taking another three Psybeams to take out.A Juggler was next up – a risk if Electric-type, especially if explosive, now we were without Schist. Thankfully, he turned out to be Psychic, an eventuality I was now prepared for: Aporia took him out with a single Silver Wind.The next sight was something new, but old. Something I knew where I had not known it yet.Daylight.We're out the other side! The darkness recedes behind us and the light breaks before us.Happy Yule, all.