Finally getting around to answering this...

Fire type starters are essentially the 'easy' button in FireRed/LeafGreen, Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, and HeartGold/SoulSilver. I don't burn Diamond/Pearl/Platinum to the ground. I use Empoleon there. Which for some reason is ALSO the 'easy' button.

Also you can NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH FIRE.

Umm, if I recall, the first 2 Gym's in FireRed/LeafGreen have a type advantage over Fire Starters. Infact you don't get a type advantage for your starter till you fight the Celadon Gym Leader.

Meanwhile Bulbasaur gets a Type advantage over Brock, Misty and I think Lt Surge.

Brock can be easily dealt with by using a Butterfree, Mankey, or either Nidoran (double kick). Oddish and Bellsprout can be found just north of Misty's gym, and if you're planning ahead you could've gotten a Pikachu in Viridian Forest. You don't need the starter for them.

The Fire starter is always a solid choice for pretty much every other aspect of the game, including the Elite Four.

Hell, the fire starter is good in every game. Particularly because it's often a pain to find fire types otherwise.

I am just pointing out the flaw in thad's argument for fire types in R/B/Y

I mean, hell, in Diamond I chose Chimchar as my starter. Fire types are awesome, but for some games, they make it more challenging.

Calling it "more challenging" based on its performance in the first two gyms hardly holds much water. Particularly when considering its excellent performance in all other gyms except possibly Giovanni.

Even then, the fully evolved Charizard is useful because it's flying second type gives it resistance to Goivanni's favourite move ever, fissure. Them being half rock puts a somewhat dampener on this, but regardless, it's not like the fire type is totally useless against Goivanni either.

YAY CHARACTER PROFILE
 

I just recently finished Yellow with a team of Pikachu (Yes, I didn't ditch it), Dugtrio, Venusaur, Blastoise, Charizard, and Snorlax. Between Blastoise and Dugtrio, Giovanni rarely had time to attack.

Hell, Pikachu was USEFUL during the E4, right on up to Champion. Not saying everyone else didn't have it covered, but still. I still had to level grind an hour straight to get everyone to at least 50 and even then I was still underlevel compared to E4.


MINI-UPDATE TIEM!

CHARACTER PROFILE: KENTUCKY

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...leKentucky.png

Name: Kentucky
Species: Torchic
Age: Approx. 2 years
Sex: Male

Kentucky was brought into the world the way most starters are. His parents, an unidentified Blaziken pair, produced his egg in a classified facility, where it was brought to Professor Birch after hatching by May. Professor Birch held onto it for research purposes until the incident on Route 101.

Kentucky, when allowed out of the Professor's sight, spent a lot of time watching television and movies on May's TV. Thus, he is familiar with most aspects of popular culture. He learned to talk through mimicry; though this is a skill most Torchic aren't capable of, Kentucky is an incredibly gifted member of his species. His attitude and personality are the result of watching many episodes of Adventure Time (Finn is his favorite character) and too much professional wrestling.

Despite his initial displeasure at being partnered with Ecks, Kentucky is starting to find that his new Trainer is certainly capable, if not entirely competent. Will the two ever find common ground, and grow into a friendship as legendary as Red's and Pikachu's? I doubt it, but stranger things have happened.

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...chicGIF003.gif What the fuck is this?

It's a character profile. For the readers.

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...chicGIF003.gif Are you gonna do this for everybody?

Well... the other five permanent additions to the team.

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...chicGIF003.gif Wait. You mean there are gonna be FIVE MORE Pokemon?

Or more, who knows? I'd rather not waste a lot of money on Poke Balls, so we're probably not gonna catch too many more than five.

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...chicGIF003.gif So, what, I'm not good enough?

Dude, you're a fire type. I'm gonna need stuff to deal with the other FIFTEEN TYPES that you can't cover. Pretty sure you don't want to be all by your lonesome against, say, Roxanne, or Winona.

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...chicGIF003.gif Point taken.

Okay, that about wraps up this character profile.

Dear readers! I have decided on picking up a Ralts before moving on to Petalburg. In the long term, I also plan on picking up a Zigzagoon (HM Slave), Slakoth, Shroomish, and Barboach. I would also like an Electric-type, but cannot see where I'd fit it, as I'm gonna need Breloom for Wallace at the end of the game (assuming I make it that far). As Zigzagoon is only going to be an HM Slave, he/she will be appearing and disappearing from the party at regular intervals. So I will also be picking up a Flying-type to take advantage of Fly. I would like you to argue amongst yourselves as to what I should pick.

And before any of you crazy people tell me Taillow/Swellow, please refer back to the first chapter for my thoughts on THAT.

ALSO! While you're arguing about which Flying-type I should pick, y'all need to argue about what I should nickname the other members of my team.

(And if you can think of a better choice of moveslot for any of the other three, non-HM Slave Pokemon I have selected, please state your candidate and why it's better than the one I picked. I will consider your words before summarily mocking you and going ahead with the one I picked. Or going with the one you recommended, either way, I'm gonna mock SOMEBODY.)

EDIT: Sprite update!

Getting a Ralts eh. Well I suggest you name him Minch, because (imo) he looks like Porky Minch from Earthbound.

Swell-

FUCK YOU!

But I guess I'll recommend a Wingull/Pelliper. Good defenses once it evolves (Save for the rare electric attack) and access to Fly and Surf (Though the latter only after it evolves). Plus, that frees up Zigzagoon a slot on Zigzagoon (If it can even learn Surf - I forget).

And you don't really need Breloom for Wallace, as Gardevoir + ShockWave/Thunderbolt is pretty much an automatic win. Or hell, even getting an electric type to sub for Breloom!

Okay, forget Breloom. Gonna get Ralts and Slakoth, though. So start coming up with nicknames, Mac's already named one.