Let's Play! Jordan Plays Pokemon Omicron (In Blackfist City)

Hey everyone, I realize it's been a while since the last update. Like, almost two entire months. I had not planned on going on hiatus (hence why it was unannounced), but a convergence of several factors led to me putting off updating and also visiting Smogon for a while:

  1. I've been dealing with some pretty intense mental health issues--that's been a problem anyway, and the pandemic has made it even worse, but I'm pretty sure I'm dealing with seasonal depression as well. That combined with the toll my actual job is taking on me has just wrecked me.
  2. I got a new computer with an actual graphics card, allowing me to play some games I either outright could not or could only play with graphics settings turned way down.
  3. I lost interest in the game. It's a bit of a slog by this point, TBH. There is also, during this update, one specific setpiece that legitimately made me put the game down in amazement of how ridiculous it is.
  4. I thought I lost my screens and my script for the portion of this update I had previously written. That would've been a disaster, but fortunately, I had both backed up elsewhere.
I am truly, deeply sorry for neglecting this thread. I absolutely want to continue and ultimately finish this game. It's likely to take several more months even assuming I don't need another break.

And so, with that out of the way, here is part twenty.

So, to update you on the plot so far:
  • We are facing Team Olympus, a terrorist organization themed after Greek mythology that has destroyed towns and killed untold numbers of people.
  • Olympus aims for world domination using Victini and a Pokémon invented for this game known as Diavevus. They have the ability to produce Master Balls, and have already used one to capture Shaymin.
  • We have been kidnapped by Athena, one of Olympus' (Admins), and are being held prisoner.
Before we begin here, I actually want to make a brief aside on file management. As I mentioned, I moved to a new computer. One might think that would kill the run, or at least force me to continue on my old one. But actually, that is not the case!

The game tracks its files in two separate locations. The first is the actual game files, which are in whichever folder the game is unzipped to. The second is where the save files are kept. The game always looks for saves in the same location: C:\Users\(account)\Saved Games\Pokémon Omicron (or Zeta). Games are saved with the file extension .rxdata, and consist of the main file and three backups (presumably to account for corruptions of some kind).

So, if you moved or copied that folder to a thumb drive, or a portable hard drive, or an SD card, or to cloud storage, and then moved the folder into exactly the position the game expects to look for it...

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...you can load the save, on a completely different computer, on a completely different copy of the game. So let's hop to it.

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Here's the team, as usual. We're going to be doing the Team Base segment of the adventure today. Being kidnapped and held hostage is usually not how one gains access to a Team's stronghold, but we'll roll with it, I guess.

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No busting out through the wall of Grunts. This puzzle, however, is actually quite simple. Walk to the southwest corner to trigger a cutscene.

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Who has come to aid us in our hour of need?

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Somehow I don't think we have a choice here. Also holy shit, Gym Leader active in the plot!

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Graham's Gengar finally uses a Ghost move. No, I have not forgotten that atrocity of a set. Credit for a creative prison break, at least.

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We'll see what the deal with that is in due course. For now, we're free, and it's time to kick some Olympian ass. We're also dropped right next to a Nurse, which will save a fortune in healing supplies.

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Thunderbolt OHKOes, and a lot smoother, too. The game was kinda choppy on my old computer.

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Brief pause to interrogate how a Grunt has a Friendship evolution in his party, then Thunderbolt OHKOes.

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Wisp misses this OHKO, sadly. He doesn't miss his level-up, though.

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Your "top defenses" of a wall of Grunts. Riiight. Tatsu takes a bit on the setup turn, but Hydro Pump easily rips through his first two mons.

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Pump still does 90%. Tatsu levels up off this.

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Ah, yes, known defensive stalwarts Raticate, Crobat, and Bibarel.

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Nice! Goes on Shade, replacing Swagger.

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Earthquake OHKOes, which is good, because Shade was about to eat a Petal Dance.

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ROCK SLIDE! On the level-up, Shade can get Sandstorm, but nah.

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The Scientists in this base aren't going to fight us, which is nice.

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Oh thank God.

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This isn't going to involve Kyurem, is it? Anyway, Flash Cannon wipes this out.

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Oof, Bulldoze. Into Wisp, who handles this easily.

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So that's how they have multiple Master Balls! Let's grab one for ourselves, shall we? For now, to the next floor.

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Fly, Close Combat, goodbye.

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We're facing level 40s now, it's getting serious. Thunderbolt 2HKOes but gets a lucky para-full-para, allowing Buzzy Bo to hax its way to victory.

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Aaand OHKO.

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It's called a prison break. Athena probably didn't plan for a Gym Leader literally phasing us through the walls.

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Crocodile vs. giraffe battles rarely end well for the latter. This one is no exception.

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Our second Attack-boosting TM of the episode. Goes to May, replacing Bulk Up.

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Thunderbolt OHKOes.

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Amoonguss tries to heal-stall us, requiring three Shadow Balls to shut her down.

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That's good information to have. Let the rain wash this Grunt away.

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Have you tried quitting? You can just do that, you know.

There are three sets of stairs. Let's take the westernmost one first.

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Kick a plant in the face, kick a frog in the face, kick a plant in the face. Oh, and level up.

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Tempting, but Flying coverage does less for May than Rock Slide.

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Down some stairs to find this. The program can't be rerun to get infinite Master Balls. Returning to the maze, the central staIrs lead to the exit, except...

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We're not getting out that easy. Eastern stairs it is.

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Yawn.

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The Exploud actually takes a hit, but otherwise, yawn. Level-up for Buzzy Bo.

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Ah, this guy isn't going to fight us. Now, remember how I said this game inserts two established characters into Team Olympus? Here's the first. See if you can guess who it is.

Anyway, on the one hand get bent, but on the other hand, alcoholism isn't really funny. So let's reassure him, I guess.

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I mean, I'm in the middle of a prison break and there's Pokémon fusion apparently going on, but sure.

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Okay, fairly normal childhood... (Also, he asks to continue after every segment, poor unconfident guy.)

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Hmm, this sounds familiar...

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Given the plot of the Police Club questline...I have some questions. How many Mewtwo are there, anyway?

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GEE, I WONDER WHO THIS COULD BE?

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I can only react thusly, aimed at both the character and the writers:


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You could probably just leave the story there, leaving the player to fill in the blanks by themselves (if they hadn't already) and maybe empathize a bit with the Grunts. Several have already expressed similar sentiments, turning to crime out of desperation to take care of their loved ones. In a vacuum, what's to say even as famed a person as this could fall to the same hardships? (Aside from the obvious "LOL he doesn't age".) Instead, not content with merely figuratively spelling out what it's trying to do here, the game proceeds to ask us to literally spell it out.

And so, from the fine people who brought you "Cyrus is a Good Guy", we proudly present "Ash Ketchum, Team Olympus Grunt". During my hiatus/mental breakdown/whatever, I did attempt to make some progress in the game. That attempt ended here, where I found myself needing to sort my thoughts out. I have played this far in the game before, this was not alien to me. But seeing it again for the first time in years...it hits differently. It's easy to roll my eyes and say 'WOOOOW, THE EDGE!", which is likely the response several of you are having to this, but I find myself very curious.

In this game which has thus far referenced so much of Pokémon, from every main series title as of its release to the Ranger games to a friggin' musical, you'd have to expect the anime being squeezed in there somewhere, continuity be damned. Of course there'd be an Ash cameo. But why here? Why this? I can't really say "Ash would NEVER", because I've seen many of the sweet kids I grew up with turn out to be absolute shitheads. But if you're going to make Ash Ketchum, a character who has put his life on the line multiple times for other people and Pokémon, turn around and join an organization looking for world domination, you can't just do that. That's the kind of story that demands exploration. Where did things go wrong? Where is Misty and how is she? Does Professor Oak know about this?

Or, of course, you could just not do that. And this isn't even the worst example of turning a previous protagonist evil in this narrative. That, we will see in time. Anyway:

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At least we got something for seeing that strange narrative decision.

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Multiple somethings, actually, although I'm pretty sure that's our third set of Leftovers. With those items gathered, let's head to the top floor...

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...after facing this Grunt. The Grunts' mons are starting to survive hits--this Vaporeon lives a Thunderbolt from Wisp in yellow health--which means the level curve is finally catching up to us.

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Eeveelution squad, I'm guessing? Flareon lives a Shadow Ball and gets a solid hit off in return. Wisp might actually go down here, which is the first actual challenge outside of Club missions we've faced for a long while.

The Jolteon lives a Shadow Ball and then T-Waves. Wisp survives the ensuing Discharge on one HP but full-paras. So, so close. Tatsu comes in to finish the deal, leveling up. The Grunt is salty as usual on defeat. We pop a few healing items and head upstairs.

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We join Athena as she rallies her troops.

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Seems even the Grunts aren't exactly sure what they're fighting for.

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And some are freaked. So is Athena, who outlines her own plan.

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And one Grunt raises the natural objection. Although Zeus does not strike me as the "benevolent evil overlord" type.

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This is also a good point. It helps to have protection should your boss decide you've outlived your usefulness.

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Once again, Legendary =/= powerful. Although the three Zeus is gunning for are pretty up there. (Maybe not Shaymin so much.)

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The plan is Wondereye. There used to be a very complicated Doubles strategy (since Wonder Guard can only be passed or overwritten by certain moves) to get Wonder Guard onto Sableye or Spiritomb, making it immune to direct damage and usually inducing forfeit out of sheer panic.

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Y'know, except for sand, hail, Spikes, Stealth Rock, Toxic, poison, burn, Leech Seed, Rough Skin, Iron Barbs, Rocky Helmet, a Tricked Poison Barb or Black Sludge, Struggle, Curse, recoil damage, or confusion damage. Oh, and Mold Breaker exists. Oh, and the Fairy type exists.

Other than that, completely flawless.

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Aw, come on! I had my dramatic entrance ready!

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Another case of the adults actually being worth a damn in this game!

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This dramatic entrance probably works better anyway.

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Bet a fiddle of gold against my soul, eh? Let's take that bet. Besides, if I lose, I just white out and come back fully healed. Let's dance.

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Athena has two Full Restores.

No custom movesets for this battle, but note the level. This rather sizable level jump was the entire point of the Lucky Egg grinding earlier. Shade Bulks Up, easily tanks an Air Slash, and OHKOes with Rock Slide.

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We are about to be kicked in the face. Fortunately, we have a Ghost-type. Athena uses both Full Restores trying to hold off Wisp's onslaught, but ultimately falls.

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This Lucario literally cannot touch Wisp. His only attacking move is Bone Rush. (For those of you new to the series, this game uses the Gen V code as a base, in which Gengar still has Levitate.) Thunderbolt 2HKOes.

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Yeah, yeah. Medicham only has Force Palm and HJK. We are past the sixth Gym and boss Trainers are still getting blanked by Ghost-types.

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I can only imagine.

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That would be troubling for our squad should they succeed--we don't have any moves to deal with that--but fortunately, we're not alone.

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You really want to risk 70% accuracy now?

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But of course it works, because narrative.

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Have you tried...not being a mass murderer?

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And we're outta there.

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He tells us we were out for twenty minutes, apparently. Also, I was just kidnapped, so I wouldn't call myself "okay", but thanks for asking.

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And there's our next objective. (After the obligatory side content, of course.)

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Way ahead of you there, pal. We got everything. (This is for player benefit, of course, especially because the method to get the Master Ball isn't immediately obvious.)

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For all the dark edge this game has, it also has some amazingly sweet moments like this. It's now time to navigate back to the second floor and the staircase we couldn't get up before...

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And we're out of here. Navigating to the southeast and a short Surf puts us back on 310. For now, let's rest. We've been through a lot.

Welcome back.

Next time: More clubbing, to prepare for the long climb ahead.

The Squad:

  • Cheeky (Staraptor): Lv. 48, Normal/Flying, Intimidate, Return/Fly/Quick Attack/Agility
  • Tatsu (Kingdra): Lv. 48, Water/Dragon, Swift Swim, Surf/Dragon Pulse/Hydro Pump/Rain Dance
  • Buzzy Bo (Magneton): Lv. 48, Electric/Steel, Sturdy, Thunderbolt/Flash Cannon/Tri Attack/Flash
  • May (Blaziken): Lv. 49, Fire/Fighting, Blaze, High Jump Kick/Blaze Kick/Rock Slide/Swords Dance
  • Shade (Krookodile): Lv. 49, Ground/Dark, Moxie, Earthquake/Crunch/Rock Slide/Bulk Up
  • Wisp (Gengar): Lv. 49, Ghost/Poison, Levitate, Shadow Ball/Thunderbolt/Night Shade/Hypnosis


Click here to return to the Index.
 

Attachments

No story progress in part 21, since we have access to new side missions. Mt. Press awaits us, but we could use a breather. So let's fight some more low-level criminals.

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The team, after a much-needed heal and restock.

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We haven't checked the item ball at base for a while. This isn't exactly a prime find, but whatever.

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YEAH! Who won the lottery? I DID! (It's just an Ultra Ball.)

With our daily dose of RNG out of the way, let's see what Giovanni and his minions are up to.

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[justice!] Pretty simple base assault ahead of us. This won't be terribly difficult after the gauntlet we just endured (the highest level we'll face here is 45 with a team starting the mission at 48-49), so we'll forge ahead without doubling up on items. Time to lay down the law.

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Cheeky casually outspeeds a Persian to blow him away with Close Combat and...

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Oh, we're off to a great start. Replaces Quick Attack (unfortunately, we can't replace Fly just yet).

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And just in time to nuke this! With Return, of course, because unnecessary recoil is unnecessary.

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Look, I just see a black screen and then we change maps. I don't even know how we're supposed to get here. I don't even know where "here" is (Celadon, I presume?).

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Ride that Surf!

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Because I'm the protagonist. Ah, feels good to whip that one out again.

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If I was a Grunt, I wouldn't be cocky seeing that the cops sent a kid. I'd be terrified. Kids in this universe get shit done. Buzzy Bo will be happy to demonstrate.

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Houndoom actually survives a Thunderbolt and gets a Fire Fang off in retaliation. Nonetheless, it's still easy money.

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I see your reference which I don't understand and raise you one I very much do: I must break you.

The Weezing can't even do half with Explosion. Vileplume drops to a Blaze Kick.

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Don't go breaking my heart! ...okay, I'll stop.

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For you, the day Jordan effortlessly swept through your team was the most important day of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday.

This LP now looking like the end of Snakewood with all those references.

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Is your understanding of narrative structure so limited to ninth-grade English class? Also, this story is far from its conclusion.

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Cheeky becomes the first of our squad to reach level 50!

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Remember this. It will be important later. Somehow.

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Perhaps not, but my Pokémon can kick yours in the face, at least. May joins her sister at the big 5-0. The increasingly dumbfounded reactions from Grunts as we mow them down are priceless, BTW.

That was the last Grunt, so after topping everyone's health off, it looks like it'll be Tatsu leading off in our rematch with Giovanni.

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The screen shakes and turns purple as Mewtwo emerges.

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How many Master Balls are there in this world?

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Giovanni has two Full Restores and only a single Pokémon, the one he just caught. Of course, there's something different about this one.

Armored Mewtwo: Dark/Psychic, 106/110/90/154/90/130, Hubris. Moveset: Dark Matter, Psychic, Ice Beam, Fire Blast. Held item: Strange Machine.

Hubris
:+1 SpA boost upon knocking another Pokemon out, including allies, but not including indirect damage. Basically a perfect special counterpart to Moxie.

Dark Matter: Dark, Special, 150 BP, 90% accurate. Requires a recharge turn. A Dark-type Hyper Beam clone.

Strange Machine: Allows Mewtwo to assume its armored forme. At least we don't have to worry about this thing having a Life Orb.

So let's get this show on the road, shall we?

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Tatsu survives the STAB Dark Matter off 154 SpA, the absolute legend, but Hydro Pump out of rain only does a bit over half.

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Two turns later, as I wise up and set the rain up on the recharge turn. Giovanni burns a Full Restore on the next turn as we go for Surf for safety, and it does slightly more. Giovanni doesn't have enough items to stall the rain out. This battle is ours.

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And there goes the battle! Tatsu gets over 3,000 XP for that takedown, earning a level-up and my eternal admiration. That's my starter!

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Declined because I'm running special Kingdra, but our physical friends now have everything they need. Teach Waterfall from the HM, trade in a Heart Scale for Dragon Dance, and there you go.

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Damn right it was. I'm so proud of her.

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Ooh, now you've done it.

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Is...is he dead? I'm pretty sure he's dead.

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Thanks, I guess. This ends the mission, and Mewtwo presumably murders all the Grunts offscreen. As happens in a Pokemon game.

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This one goes on Shade to boost his Speed, which sits at a rather sad 10. We top off our items and then head to Kivu to pick up a Ranger quest.

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*Her

I hope this doesn't become a running joke. Ambiguous-gender jokes aren't funny.

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Anyway, here's the mission area. You'll need some way to Surf--either the move or the Instant Lapras--in order to proceed. I hope the game checks for this before proceeding, because if it doesn't, you can't Fly out of here otherwise. You're softlocked.

There are also wilds here, a first for these questlines: Quagsire in the sand, and Blastoise, Seismitoad, and Empoleon in the water. They are uncatchable since the Gigaremo is influencing them, but we won't be seeing them anyway, because Repels are a thing.

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This is a pretty short mission unless you end up swamped by encounters; no Grunts to block the path.

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Nice and quick, just the way I like it. Let's roll.

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Buzzy Bo effortlessly OHKOes Artemis' first two offerings. All four of her team have level-up movesets, so nothing to comment on there.

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Gallade takes one due to 115 SpD, but poses no threat even with SD and STAB Psycho Cut.

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Make it zero, even with Xatu outspeeding.

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I'm inclined to agree. That's supposed to be a boss battle?

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And who exactly is to blame for giving your mons no better moves than Lass Sheila on Route 3-Whatever? (The developers. But shhh.)

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[will be mine.] Don't count on it. Mission over.

We'll need to add Waterfall to the team for the road ahead--it replaces Surf on Tatsu, since we have the Instant Lapras--but we also have one thing we can get with it before we begin the climb up Mt. Press. By Flying to Onega, Surfing north from the bridge on Route 303, and then climbing the waterfall, we can find this:

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Mega Crawdaunt boasts a stat spread of 63/160/85/90/85/85 with Adaptability (that's +40 Atk, +30 SpD, +30 Spe). It's absolutely restrained by the standards of this game's created Megas--we'll see them get absolutely absurd later on. But giving Crawdaunt a bit of extra Speed is perfectly fine, especially since this game doesn't have 65 BP Knock Off and it still has to rely on Night Slash.

But we'll worry about that later. For now, rest and preparation for the next major dungeon. The level curve is catching up to us. And so will the edge.

Next time: Mt. Press awaits.

The Squad:
  • Wisp (Gengar): Lv. 49, Ghost/Poison, Levitate, Shadow Ball/Thunderbolt/Night Shade/Hypnosis
  • Shade (Krookodile): Lv. 49, Ground/Dark, Moxie, Earthquake/Crunch/Rock Slide/Bulk Up
  • Tatsu (Kingdra): Lv. 49, Water/Dragon, Swift Swim, Hydro Pump/Waterfall/Dragon Pulse/Rain Dance
  • Buzzy Bo (Magneton): Lv. 49, Electric/Steel, Sturdy, Thunderbolt/Flash Cannon/Tri Attack/Flash
  • Cheeky (Staraptor): Lv. 50, Normal/Flying, Intimidate, Return/Brave Bird/Close Combat/Fly
  • May (Blaziken): Lv. 50, Fire/Fighting, Blaze, High Jump Kick/Blaze Kick/Rock Slide/Swords Dance


Click here to return to the Index.
 

Attachments

You people thought the edge was bad before? You ain't seen anything yet.
No. No, we haven't. But soon.

Apologies once again for the long wait, and a huge thanks to the handful of y'all who actually keep up with this. Seriously, it means a lot.

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The road ahead will be difficult, but I have faith and pride in my team. We've come a long way.

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Goes to Cheeky to boost her Speed.

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Well, here we go. Mt. Press consists of four levels, the bottom three of which have both interior and exterior areas. Strength, Cut, Surf, and Waterfall are required for progression, while we can return later with Rock Smash and Rock Climb (neither of which we have yet) for extra items. Yep, it's one of those areas. (Also, yes, we have six Badges and no Rock Smash. This is far later than we receive the move even in Gen V.)

The cave areas on levels one and two have the same encounters, which are Krokorok, Scraggy, and Golett (all 38-40).

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Hey, a non-Grunt Trainer! Been a minute since we've seen one of those. To clarify his meaning, you absolutely can Fly out of Mt. Press, but you cannot Fly in. If you wipe or run out of Poke Balls, you have to make the long climb back to where you were.

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One-shot, one-shot, two-shot (Crustle has 75 SpD, not bad). On the level-up, Wisp declines Destiny Bond.

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Yeah, this might get rough. I have full faith in us, though. Onward!

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Well, this took forever and a day (Shade even leveled up on wilds while searching!). Named Luke after an anime owner, who had a Golett help him with filming movies.

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Two, you say? (Yes, but the second won't be available for a long while.)

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Waterfall is noticeably weaker even in the rain, and Tatsu takes a fair bit of damage as a result.

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These both have Sturdy, resulting in the rain running out before Tatsu can finish the job. She still takes care of business with minimal damage taken, leveling up.

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That, ultimately, is the Legendary's decision.

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Ah, some fresh air. Available for capture here are Tauros (Omicron exclusive), Mawile, Chimecho, Drifblim (Zeta exclusive), Bronzor, and Klefki. Because present-day Fairies have not been retyped, Klefki is thus the first Fairy-type we can catch, and in fact one of three non-Legendary Fairies available in the entire game. The others are Sylveon and Carbink, neither of which can be obtained for a loooong time.

Chimecho: Pyre, after the mountain it's originally available in
Tauros: Kaiser, after the Safari Zone Warden from the banned anime episode in which Ash caught his herd of 30
Bronzor: Thorton, after the Gen IV Frontier Brain, who uses a Bronzong as his partner mon in Pokemon Masters
Mawile: Pumpka, after the Count who traded Jessie's Mawile to her (also, TIL Jessie had a Mawile)
Klefki: Pierre, anime character (and French Kalosian to boot, matching Klefki's region of origin)


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In a game as full of RNG as this one, I assure you, you will find plenty of believers.

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Thunderbolt is such nice coverage.

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Raichu survives a Shadow Ball, which is starting to happen with regularity...

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Oh God. Wisp is going to be beaten by a Minun. A Minun. One of the consistently strongest Pokemon of all time felled by the defensive of a pair of Pikaclones intended as the mascots of Double Battles. Which is also six levels lower than him.

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BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ah, the wonders of Ghost typing. Were he not, Minun would instead use Swift to finish him off.

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I don't think that was the reference you were going for. Incidentally, TVTropes does have an entry for that saying.

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Um, have you heard of a bicycle? Or a vehicle?

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Easy sweep. He's gonna need a machine to revive his team.

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Me IRL. (And why it takes me months to push these out.)

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Okay, should be an easy enough fight--

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D'OH!

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May is at least able to kick her way through the rest of this battle.

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Trainers do not live by swag alone, kid.

Up ahead is our first usage of Cut in quite a while, which leads us into a cave (same encounters as on the previous level).

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Not to worry, I'm the protagonist. I can handle this.

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Return 2HKOes through the resist.

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Return OHKOes Swoobat and 2HKOes Graveler.

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Kabutops does have Aqua Jet, so I switch in Tatsu...on a Slash. Right, this AI is weirdly programmed. Tatsu still blows him away with a Hydro Pump.
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Someone who should have some faith in the kid, that's who.

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(Late screen, oops.) Probably going to be useful given the fights we've been facing. After this, we head back outdoors.

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Indeed we can. A rare non-hostile NPC in an area like this, a welcome sight.

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He doesn't want to fight us either. Strange place to bike, but whatever floats your boat.

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So there's this beehive randomly in the grass. It is interactable, and you can catch Combee. Let's see if we can get a female!

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Yes, I grinded this the better part of half an hour (real-time, alongside other tasks). Yes, it's part of why this update took another two months, since tedious shit like this does not make me want to play this game. Why do you ask?

Anyway, let's call her Honey, since this is what I do when there are no anime names to use. She thankfully takes only three Ultra Balls to catch. I do not know what I would have done if I ran through all of them trying to catch a friggin' Combee. I might stick her in the Daycare to evolve her later.

Proceeding to the next cave, we find someone who does want to fight us.

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Buzzy Bo easily 2HKOes the Audino lead.

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A rare use for Tri Attack! It would 2HKO, but Electrode uses first Light Screen, then Self-Destruct. The Light Screen may prove a problem.

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So Gen V weirdness: Because Electrode blew up, Buzzy Bo uses Tri Attack instead of, say, Flash Cannon on this, burning him (and catching a burn of their own because lol Synchronize). A clean-ish 2HKO nonetheless. Yes, I did forget Gardevoir is pure Psychic in this game.

After this battle concludes, it's time to share one more thing about Mt. Press:

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It's a magnetic area. And with this evolution, our squad is now fully evolved. (Nosepass can be found in Midnight Way, only in Zeta Version.)

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Oh, if only it were that easy.

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Were you literally ignoring the Olympus Grunts storming the place?

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Three Hitmons up, three Hitmons down.

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We've a Strength puzzle ahead (well, a single boulder to push), and then another fight.

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Ranger doing Ranger things, I see. Maybe a battle will be a pleasant diversion.

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Should be an easy HJK...

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Ouch. May hits the next one and OHKOes, but this is not the best start. I may have to pick up a Wide Lens for her.

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May falls here as I forget just how fast Swellow is. Tatsu's the healthiest on the team, so she's called back into service to do her thing, and she does.

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Disaster averted. We'll give May another shot, but first, we'll have to cross the lake, which will also require Waterfall. In the process we catch ourselves a Quagsire (named Assemble, referencing the Quagsire in Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity responsible for assembling the team) and a Cloyster (named Pebbleman, after anime Trainer Pete Pebbleman).

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I'm a Water and Ice guy myself. I'm guessing you just told me yours?

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May has a much easier time here, earning a level-up in the process.

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I wouldn't call it the best, just super-effective against (almost) everything you had. Actually, your faves have type advantage against my faves.

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Wow, haven't seen that Trainer class in a minute. (It's exclusive to the Sevii Islands, where it substitutes for the Battle Girl.) Shade takes care of her with no sweat, leveling up.

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No, it wasn't.

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...as one does...

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Thunderbolt, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt. No sweat.

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Um, yes?

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Especially without a full team of six. Cheeky rips through this team.

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Yeah, that might explain some things. To her west is another boulder, leading to this Hiker.

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What an...interesting name. Buzzy Bo sweeps the team aside, and on level-up is offered Discharge, but it's not worth it.

To the northeast, another lake and another waterfall. At the top, an absolute godsend:

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A NURSE YESSSSSSS! The team's health has been okay thanks to our supply of items, but PP is a concern in these long dungeons.

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Available out here are Chimecho, Metang, Audino, and Klefki (all 40-42). It doesn't take long at all to find an Audino, which we name Decolore, after the anime-exclusive chain of filler islands.

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Pride goeth before a fall. And what a fall it will be.

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Nothing like taking advantage of Color Chan...Jesus Christ, that Sucker Punch almost OHKOed!

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Into Cheeky to sidestep the Sucker Punch 50/50--turns out Banette went for Shadow Ball--and Brave Bird OHKOes from here.

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She's got it from here. The Drifblim results in a double-down from recoil plus Aftermath, but a win is a win. It's easy enough to head back to the Nurse before continuing on.

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Wait...what? Does this region enforce a set order for the Gym Challenge irrespective of birthplace? Does Avery not have three level 12-15 Bugs for challengers originating from around Treader Town? Most importantly, how are you going to get to Superior?

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Ah, here's the next fight.

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May can take this, no problem (though Alomomola takes two).

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Remember this. It will be important later. Double back to heal and then into the next cave. The cave is considered the third level of the mountain, with Golbat, Spiritomb, and Golett (all 41-43) available. Yes, despite the Odd Keystone existing as an item in this game, you have to catch Spiritomb in the wild instead of using one of those. Interesting decision.

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Rude much? Shade has no problem mopping her up.

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That's better.

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This is here, too, if you're interested. We catch a Golbat, naming it Mandi after an anime Trainer.

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I can kind of imagine. Sure, let's go.

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Well, this first opponent will be no trouble.

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I haven't used Hypnosis in a while, but this Stoutland is bulky enough to survive two Thunderbolts and has Crunch, so he'll need to take a nap as we take him down.

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Even with Hail damage and two Ice Shards, Wisp hangs on to finish the sweep and level up.

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Glad you're feeling better!

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I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's not how it works.

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Easy rain sweep. Musharna needs two Waterfalls, but that's not a problem.

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Yes. That's how Pokémon works.

We have one Ultra Ball (after a failed attempt at a Spiritomb) and the Master Ball remaining. This is a problem. Since this is the post-sixth-Gym story segment, you can imagine there's an important capture ahead of us. And a difficult one to boot. And remember earlier when I said there's no Fly point here?

Yah.

After that tedious process, with thirty Balls in hand, we're able to bag a Spiritomb and name her Japa, after a practice found in several Eastern faiths. Let's head outside.

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By this point, the stakes are typically a lot more than 500 bucks.

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Aw, come on, this isn't even fun--

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HIGH JUMP MISSES THIS EPISODE: 3

She hits the next one, don't you worry.

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That means literally nothing in this world. We can use the Game Corner, can't we?

There's another Cut tree ahead, followed by another small cave area.

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The answer after this quick sweep.

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Thank you, Cheeky. So, what's Mallory to say?

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That seems in character for a Hiker.

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Remember this. It will be important later.

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It's snowing! Like other overworld weather, this can be cleared by slapping the Go-Goggles on. Available for capture here are Piloswine (rare), Snorunt, Bronzor, Snover, Abomasnow, and Cryogonal (rare) (all 42-44).

Snorunt (lv. 44, female): Glacia, after the Ice master of the Hoenn Elite Four
Snover (lv. 43, male): Rogue, after the evil team from Mystery Dungeon: Explorers lead by a Snover
Abomasnow (lv. 42, female): Candice, after the Snowpoint Gym Leader


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Haha, very funny.

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This is a Single Battle, the way Twins function in Generation II. Alakazam has Calm Mind and uses it to dish out some solid damage (including a SpD drop), but can't survivr two Thunderbolts.

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Jynx gets off a Fake Tears before dying. We're at -3 SpD now. Hopefully that doesn't prove a problem.

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It doesn't, as Buzzy Bo outspeeds and 2HKOes.

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The clutchest of survivals for Buzzy Bo to finish the job, earning a second level. Note that the levels are catching up.

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Yeah, good luck with that.

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Persian outspeeds, but it's no big deal, since he tries to set up and gets kicked for his troubles.

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Kick them, too.

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Pretty and witty and gay?

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I just met a girl named...Jess? Alright, then. Anyway, Earthquake.

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A rare opportunity for Rock Slide, which OHKOes each of these.

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And another Earthquake to finish.

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Blame the art style. Remember, our sprite is literally just Leaf recolored all-black because e d g y.

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But the art style does have its strengths.

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Oh, God, they could legitimately have any four moves in the game...fortunately, Thunderbolt OHKOes both.

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This joke of a battle aside, the Trainers' levels are steadily rising. That means more XP to handle the eventual boss fights, so the level curve rising is very much welcome. For now.

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Two Thunderbolts make short work of this Mawile, Wisp brushing off a Sucker Punch in the process.

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Wisp survives a critical Night Slash to handle the Scizor. Surprising considering's Gengar's pitiful bulk.

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May can take it from here.

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What is it with these people and their hubris?

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Hariyama is bulky enough to survive one Return, but everyone else drops quickly.

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Accelgor U-Turns into Galvantula, who gets nuked by rain-boosted Waterfall. Accelgor comes back out and suffers the same fate.

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We bust out the Hydro Pump for this one (thankfully, only one).

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...it's a Shuckle. Not much he can do to us.

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You're welcome! Nice to see a bit of kindness in this bitter cold.

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That Bug Catcher turns out to be the last regular Trainer we face...and the final battle of this update.

I originally planned to do the entirety of Mt. Press as a single episode, but between the length to this point (210 screens), the fact that the summit will be extremely plot-heavy, and the fact that I haven't had a consistent upload schedule in forever, I feel this is a good time to just post this and continue the climb later on.

Next time: We finish the climb, featuring a shocking (read: e d g y) twist. You will not have to wait two months for that. I promise.

The Squad:
  • May (Blaziken): Lv. 53, Fire/Fighting, Blaze, High Jump Kick/Blaze Kick/Rock Slide/Swords Dance
  • Wisp (Gengar): Lv. 53, Ghost/Poison, Levitate, Shadow Ball/Thunderbolt/Night Shade/Hypnosis
  • Buzzy Bo (Magneton): Lv. 53, Electric/Steel, Sturdy, Thunderbolt/Flash Cannon/Tri Attack/Flash
  • Shade (Krookodile): Lv. 53, Ground/Dark, Moxie, Earthquake/Crunch/Rock Slide/Bulk Up
  • Tatsu (Kingdra): Lv. 53, Water/Dragon, Swift Swim, Hydro Pump/Waterfall/Dragon Pulse/Rain Dance
  • Cheeky (Staraptor): Lv. 54, Normal/Flying, Intimidate, Return/Brave Bird/Close Combat/Fly
Click here to return to the Index.
 

Attachments

Today's installment sees us finish the climb up Mt. Press. Warning: e d g e ahead.

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Had to run back to the Nurse to heal everybody up, as the last set of battles took its toll on us. Fortunately, we earned a LOT of experience on the climb. So let's hop to it.

Available for capture: Golbat, Sableye, Spiritomb (all 43-45). The Sableye we call Bounce, after its Mega's infamous ability.

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We start by kicking a thing, as May is wont to do.

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Oof, hard counter. Level difference saves the day, though, as Rock Slide 2HKOes while May takes a Zen Headbutt comfortably.

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It's a kicking duel! May whiffs her first one, allowing Medicham to nearly knock her out, but May pulls through.

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Damn right I do. Protagonist power, yeah!

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Wisp's go begins with a pair of Thunderbolt 2HKOs (Since when was Crobat so bulky? 85/80/80 isn't too bad at all.)

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Well, that's not a Crobat. He lives a Shadow Ball, because everything is getting bulkier.

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Actually, I've legitimately yet to come even close to wiping. That could change...

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Buzzy Bo wins the Sturdy duel.

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Into Shade because I'm not dealing with 114 Speed, and he comes in on a Psychic, to boot! Crunch OHKOes.

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Props for good taste in mons, but +1 EQ flattens her nonetheless.

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I mean, you're not wrong... Ooh! Ooh! I have just the reference for this!

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(Three guesses which game I've been obsessed with as of late.)

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All gone, with minimal damage taken.

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Consider yourself shaken and stirred.

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Damn near an OHKO, but Durant's pretty bulky so not quite.

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Once Shade gets a Moxie boost, the rest is gravy. Level up!

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Very.

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So that's enough for you to overlook the mass murder and destruction?

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The "free Pokémon" are swiftly kicked.

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Lest it get kicked.

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Cheeky gets Prankster Cotton Spored, which is, uh, not fun.

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STAB Itemless Acro does actual damage, but Cheeky hangs in there.

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She at least outspeeds this, earning a level.

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What, you thought I'd forfeit the free XP because you're an optional? Tatsu's reliance on the rain is worrying me, since she's the only mon on the team who actually needs her setup move. But there isn't much that can eat rain-boosted Water STABs.

(This Grunt has a Seviper as his second mon, but I blanked on screening it and the game auto-saved before I realized my mistake. It dropped in one hit as well.)

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This is the first fight in a while I'm switching out of turn one. Buzzy Bo can handle this. Absol uses Future Sight, but Buzzy Bo somehow outspeeds and OHKOes him.

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Easy-peasy.

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See, these folks know what's up. There's another Nurse, presumably in their employ, right before the stairway. Let's see who awaits us.

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Apollo, who is unhappy with his boss, and it appears Artemis is with him. The two are having a friendly chat.

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Poor performance tends to result in your bosses thinking poorly of you. (Or at least, the perception of poor performance--they're doing as well as they can against a protagonist, after all.)

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Speak of the devil, and she shall appear.

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I appreciate at least the allusion that Jake is doing other things during his long absences from the plot.

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Aaaand right on cue.

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Wow, how original. Also, Jake is being Wazowski'd by Wisp there, poor guy.

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Oh, so losing is part of the plan? They're adapting!

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Here we go. This is the first battle in this game I've legitimately felt nervous about in a while, not because of levels but because of the chaos of a Multi Battle. I have no control over what Jake does, and that could prove a problem.

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We have three movesets to go over here. Illegal moves will be italicized.
  • Charizard's moveset: Fire Fang, Slash, Wing Attack, Dragon Claw.
    • Jake's lead is based on your initial starter choice. Remember, I chose Magby initially. If you chose Horsea initially, Jake leads instead with a Feraligatr, Bite/Water Gun/Dragon Claw/Ice Fang.
    • If you chose Bellsprout, he leads with a Sceptile, Leaf Blade/Screech/Brick Break/Quick Attack.
  • Ninetales' moveset: Hypnosis, Psychic, Calm Mind, Flamethrower. Ability: Drought. TIL Ninetales gets Calm Mind. It also gets Hypnosis though breeding, but it cannot learn Psychic.
  • Stantler's moveset: Role Play, Zen Headbutt, Jump Kick, Imprison. That's just its last four moves.
The sun's up, which'll help Charizard once Ninetales goes down, but Wisp is looking at two Psychic moves. On the other hand, strange AI and all that.

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Shadow Ball into Ninetales does barely half, with Charizard's Wing Attack providing some extra chip. Wisp eats a Flamethrower and Stantler uses Role Play, which copies Drought but does nothing since the sun is already up.

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Another Shadow Ball KOs Ninetales, and Wisp levels up to potentially learn Hex (I still have Hypnosis, but I'll pass) before dropping to a Zen Headbutt. With sun up, I bring May out--and regret it immediately.

Solrock's moveset: Explosion, Stone Edge, Psychic, Rock Polish.

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This Solrock needs to go. Now. And thank Arceus, it does. May then takes a Zen Headbutt from Stantler with no sweat, while Charizard chips him with Fire Fang.

Rapidash's moveset: Bounce, Agility, Flare Blitz, Inferno. Ability: Flame Body.

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Rapidash being safe and all, I Rock Slide for safety rather than let Bounce force a High Jump Miss. Sure enough, Rapidash goes for Bounce. Should have kicked Stantler in retrospect, but it's fine. Charizard also attacked Rapidash, and Stantler Jump Kicks Charizard.

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Buzzy Bo is vulnerable as hell, Cheeky could get burned hitting Rapidash...guess Tatsu it is. She takes the Bounce/Zen Headbutt double-up comfortably while Charizard gets a solid crit Slash on Rapidash.

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Now it's Rain time. (Second shameless Xenoblade reference of the episode, no I will not stop.) Rapidash opts for Inferno into Charizard, Charizard is taking forever to kill Stantler, and Stantler kicks Tatsu.

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Waterfall into Stantler to finish him off as Rapidash tries for Bounce again and evades another attack from Charizard.

Lunatone's moveset: Heal Block, Stone Edge, Future Sight, Explosion.

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The Lunatone also needs to die right now, so it does. Bounce goes into Charizard, who retaliates with Dragon Claw.

Gallade's moveset: Psycho Cut, Helping Hand, Feint, False Swipe.

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Gallade is more dangerous due to Psycho Cut crits and neutral damage generally, so down he goes, handing Tatsu a level. She has a chance to learn Blizzard--Ice spread damage sounds awesome right now, but that accuracy...we'll pass, we have enough Heart Scales if we need it. Rapidash goes for another Bounce.

Espeon's moveset, coming in chipped thanks to Charizard targeting the right slot for once: Last Resort, Morning Sun, Power Swap, Psychic.

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Espeon drops, bringing Artemis down to her last mon. Bounce misses, Charizard is one hit away from taking his first kill of the battle, and the rain expires.

Xatu's moveset: Wish, Psycho Shift, Future Sight, Stored Power.

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No rain means no guarantees. Rapidash Flare Blitzes Charizard and survives the recoil, and Tatsu outspeeds Xatu by herself and hits a Hydro Pump to put one of the two Commanders away. It's iced, and we even get to be Kingdra twins!

Jake's Kingdra has Twister, Brine, Ice Beam, and Agility. His Victreebel would have Gastro Acid, Leaf Tornado, and two moves listed as unknown (I'm using the game's wiki to fill in gaps in my own knowledge, and they don't know), while his Magmortar would have Feint Attack, Lava Plume, Focus Blast, and Confuse Ray.

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Apollo switches Rapidash out for this Larvesta, which has Flame Wheel/X-Scissor (illegal)/Flame Charge/Amnesia (not until level 80) as Tatsu sets up the rain, which allows Jake's Kingdra to OHKO with Brine. Rapidash falls and the battle is won.

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It was a hell of a fight, I'll give y'all that.

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Damn right we do!

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That sounds...arbitrary.

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Typical Jake. Just throw me into the fire, why doncha?

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And so we shall. But first...

See, the game force-marches us into the next area, but it never actually removes control of your character. We're free to break away and run back to the nurse if we so choose. Thus, we can double back to heal before proceeding.

A couple of notes before we do. First, fight this battle at night. Trust me on this one. Remember one of the Pokemon we know Zeus has, and certain attributes it may take on based on time of day. Second, be extremely wary of his ace.

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Onward.

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And I, you.

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That's how these games tend to go. Especially when your actions have claimed the lives of untold numbers of innocent people.

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Very well. Let us begin. It's right about here that the game takes its gloves off and starts ramping up the difficulty. For one, take a look at the level of Zeus' lead.

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Moveset: Protect, Air Slash, X-Scissor, Baton Pass. Ninjask actually just got Air Slash in Gen VIII, which is neat. Shade survives the X-Scissor and retaliates with Rock Slide, cutting off any Speed-passing nonsense.

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And here is the ace. Moveset: Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Focus Blast, Dazzling Gleam. Item:

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Yah. The plan is to chip with Cheeky, then rain-sweep with Tatsu, maybe?

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Sooo close...

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She just survives, again! Tatsu's bulk has come in so much handy during this journey. Tatsu's able to finish the Gengar off, but now we still have four more mons to get through.

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Moveset: Crunch, Ice Beam, Thunder (now with perfect accuracy), Charge Beam. Haha what if we gave an Electric mon a usable Ice move to nail Grounds and Dragons with...haha just kidding...unless?

Tatsu needs two Waterfalls, but gets them with a flinch. We're ahead, somehow.

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Oh God, this thing. Moveset: Meteor Mash, Bullet Punch, Zen Headbutt, Psychic. Walled by Buzzy Bo, so let's let the magnet save the day. Thunderbolt 2HKOes, but Buzzy Bo gets its SpD dropped. However, I switched Tatsu out instead of sacking her there. If we need to reset the drop we can.

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Two to go. Moveset: Energy Ball, Air Slash, Agility, Earth Power (!).

Important: If this battle is fought during the day, Shaymin will be in Sky Forme. Hence why I'm doing this at night. Air Slash is too early (level 64, Sky Forme only) and Agility is flat-out illegal.

Wisp comes in expecting an Earth Power, and he gets it! Shadow Ball is a 3HKO, but Wisp is able to win.

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Last one. Moveset: Shadow Ball, Psychic, Ice Beam, Destiny Bond. Wisp outspeeds and OHKOes. It's over. We've done it. Underleveled, itemless, on Set Mode.

I cannot imagine trying to Nuzlocke this.

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Here comes the sore loser.

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Well, it didn't have to be your victory that woke it up, now did it? (Also, that bit of lore is Not a Thing, at least according to my brief research.)

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Victini's one of the gentler Legendaries. You don't have to worry about it swallowing you whole or anything.

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Now you figure it out!

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This will prove darkly ironic in a matter of moments. Nonetheless, the honor is appreciated. And so we are given our chance to catch the box legend.

Still, I have two fainted mons, including the one I would use to catch this. Let me go back and--

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Ah, good point. Guess we'll have to heal up the old-fashioned way.

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Victini's moves are Flame Charge, Reversal, Flame Burst, and Zen Headbutt. You can Master Ball this if you want, but there are other, harder captures you may wish to save it for. Victini does not, to my knowledge, have an elevated catch rate as a plot-mandated capture, as would become series tradition. The process of Hypnosis/Night Shading down to a sliver and then chucking Ultra Balls while hoping Wisp survives is not fun.

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Got it on just the second try, nice! We do not nickname Legendaries in this house, so Victini will go to the PC as Victini.

I've actually used Victini in previous playthroughs. It's a massive PITA to train up thanks to its experience group and being several levels lower than the rest of the team, and its firepower can lack a bit compared to the heavy hitters we have. Still, it's bulky as hell with a wide movepool once we get access to the Department Store in the next town. It's best used as a special attacker due to having easy access to Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Psychic, Shadow Ball, and Thunderbolt.

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It's not really that hard, Zeus.

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One fourth-wall-breaking villainous breakdown, coming up!

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Remember what he said about not interfering with the natural laws of the Pokémon world? What exactly do you call bypassing Pokémon combat and attempting to harm the Trainer themselves, hmm? Also, obligatory e d g e, but frankly, him just trying to kill the player is in-character given the established rules of this setting.

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Suddenly, a voice. Who has come to save us this time?

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These two clearly have a history together. The screen flashes red as our savior reveals Himself.

Also, remember the second existing character this game turns evil? Here he comes.

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Oboy. Oh, sweet Lord. Let's unpack this:
  1. He's called Gold, his name in Adventures and GSC, rather than Ethan, as he's known to us now.
  2. Eusine is not evil. An arrogant jackass, certainly, but his thoughts and behaviors in no way rise to any level one would consider villainy. I can't speak to his anime or manga incarnations beyond the relevant sections on his Bulbapedia page, but at least in the games, he just wants to see Suicune, man, can't you give him a break?
  3. Oh yeah, Arceus Himself is here. Literal divine intervention.
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So now we're getting into this game's own lore. Also, Normal-type Arceus holds no Plate. It's kinda His thing.

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"You know my plan, and so does the protagonist I'm speaking to, but I'm going to go on my villain monologue anyway."

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We've been over this. The important thing we've learned is that Diavevus, the Legendary invented for this game, is in fact the manifestation of a lost eighteenth Plate.

I don't remember if this is explicitly stated later on, so I'll fill it in now: Arceus in Generation IV has a sprite for a ???-type forme, which exists to avoid a hacked ???-type Arceus crashing the game. That forme has no corresponding Plate. In this game, that missing Plate is in fact the Divine Plate. Make of this lore what you will.

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I would advise against telling God Himself that not even He will stop you. Zeus departs, laughing maniacally all the way.

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Ah. Well played.

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So this is a normal thing you do?

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See the thirteenth movie for this application of Illusion in action. Although impersonating a god might be pushing it a bit.

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Also, you know, type advantage...anyway, that's all four Elite Four members involved in the plot! I genuinely have to applaud this game for that. It's always bothered me how rarely the League actually puts their strength to use for something other than the final boss rush, especially in more recent gens with Teams capable of ending the world. You have the Gym Leader cavalry in BW1, Leon in SwSh, and...that's about it as far as I can remember. So knowing the Elite Four aren't just sitting there patiently waiting for us is a refreshing change of pace.

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If he could control it. We have Victini, an apparently very crucial piece of that puzzle. Ultimately, we'll be fine. But the characters on the ground don't know that.

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The game telling us directly that the plot is on hold for a while. Don't you worry, though, Zeus will be back. He has to be. We've only fought him once, and we can't have that! Tobias bids us farewell, and we bid the mountain farewell, and I bid you farewell for this installment.

Next time: Our journey continues. Prepare for a difficulty spike.

The Squad:
  • Shade (Krookodile): Lv. 55, Ground/Dark, Moxie, Earthquake/Crunch/Rock Slide/Bulk Up
  • Wisp (Gengar): Lv. 55, Ghost/Poison, Levitate, Shadow Ball/Thunderbolt/Night Shade/Hypnosis
  • Cheeky (Staraptor): Lv. 55, Normal/Flying, Intimidate, Return/Brave Bird/Close Combat/Fly
  • May (Blaziken): Lv. 55, Fire/Fighting, Blaze, High Jump Kick/Blaze Kick/Rock Slide/Swords Dance
  • Buzzy Bo (Magneton): Lv. 55, Electric/Steel, Sturdy, Thunderbolt/Flash Cannon/Tri Attack/Flash
  • Tatsu (Kingdra): Lv. 56, Water/Dragon, Swift Swim, Hydro Pump/Waterfall/Dragon Pulse/Rain Dance
Click here to return to the Index.
 
Holy fucking eDGe, Batman! But yeah, I knew this was coming. I warned you all, and now you get to see it. It might not be the edgiest part (yeah, imagine that), but it's up there (from what I've played). Fortunately, the EdgE should take a backseat for a bit.

And SMH Jordan, not showing us the Olympus/Asgard leader battle theme. It might be stock RPG Maker battle music, but it's actually kind of kickass.
 
I was going to say something about a literal Deus ex Machina, but then finished reading the section and was pleasantly impressed.

That said... my god, don't cut yourself on that edge. I get that we're not yet done with the story, but... well, I really shouldn't have been surprised by that plot twist. HOWEVER, it adds an interesting point to the narrative: the idea that Zeus can be redeemed.
 
Well, all we need to do now is get off this mountain. So let's do that!

Holy fucking eDGe, Batman! But yeah, I knew this was coming. I warned you all, and now you get to see it. It might not be the edgiest part (yeah, imagine that), but it's up there (from what I've played). Fortunately, the EdgE should take a backseat for a bit.

And SMH Jordan, not showing us the Olympus/Asgard leader battle theme. It might be stock RPG Maker battle music, but it's actually kind of kickass.
Yeah, I've been playing with music off for much of this playthrough, since I usually am multitasking while I play and the field music is repetitive as hell. But you're right, Zeus does get a pretty decent theme.

The edge, however? Yeah, just wait until Varlox Cave. Hoo boy...

I was going to say something about a literal Deus ex Machina, but then finished reading the section and was pleasantly impressed.

That said... my god, don't cut yourself on that edge. I get that we're not yet done with the story, but... well, I really shouldn't have been surprised by that plot twist. HOWEVER, it adds an interesting point to the narrative: the idea that Zeus can be redeemed.
I mean...have y'all seen what they did? How does one come back from that, I wonder?

But yeah, seeing that no, it wasn't Arceus Himself intervening to save the player is a nice touch. I also mentioned the Elite Four getting involved, which has typically sat on the sidelines even in the games with a more involved Champion or Gym Leaders. This game does do some things right.


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We are battered and bruised, but very much alive and our spirits are high. Next objective: return to Treader Town. Unfortunately, we can't just Fly back.

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Fortunately, we won't have far to go, as Oak, Aria, and friends are awaiting us.

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Yeah, and he almost shot me.

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Aww, Mom...and damnit, Oak/N/Not-Cyrus, let us have our moment!

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The games again directly telling us to get the next two Badges.

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One might say...the very best, like no one ever was.

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Oh Lawd, these plot twists. Also, should we tell them? I do love me some dramatic irony.

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HAHAHAHAHA no. This is a Pokémon game. Of course there'll be a Champion fight.

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We have our orders. The game drops us off in Treader Town, letting us rest and recuperate before continuing our journey.

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Another Ultra Ball from the lottery, nice!

We'll need to Fly back to Ladoga to return to 312. Along the way, we can revisit base and--

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(Headphone warning)
THAT IS A ONE PERCENT CHANCE. HOLY. FREAKING. HELL.

Anyway, exit to the east to get back onto 312, then take the previously-blocked north exit to discover:

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We have three separate paths--east, south, and west--which will make hunting down every Trainer a bit of a maze. We'll grab the two immediately outside the entrance and then head east first. Available for capture: Slaking, Ninjask, Shedinja, Volbeat, Illumise (all 45-47). You can also find Huntail and Gorebyss (both 45-47) by Surfing.

Ninjask (lv. 47, male): Hansen, after an anime character (and also the band, I guess?)
Shedinja (lv. 47): Shellhead, the third Xenoblade reference in this playthrough (also, it's a shell)
Illumise (lv. 47, female): Juliet, because anime
Volbeat (lv. 45, male): Romeo, of course!
Slaking (lv. 45, male): Norman, after the Gym Leader
Huntail (lv. 46, male): Keith, anime character
Gorebyss (lv. 45, female): Nancy, anime character


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Ah, normal Trainers are a nice return to form.

[
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Trying something different where I take screens after a particular matchup ends, but this might be a second too late. Hariyama is level 50 and actually eats an Earthquake, because Hariyama.

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The other two drop without a problem. Shade picks up a level.

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If you won't listen to me, listen to them.

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Aw, how polite! Of course!

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Tropius actually eats a Shadow Ball, in another episode of "Wow, That's Bulkier Than I Thought". The other two get obliterated.

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Gotta love the pep in her step even after being swept. Alas, there is no Vs. Seeker in this game.

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Bless Burglars, thinking they can actually rob me.

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Get gone. Musharna takes two because Musharna.

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To the east we find the Mossy Rock, although we still have to get an Eevee. Let's swing back to the west side.

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Ok boomer Genwunner weird boomer/Genwunner hodge-podge.

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HJK gets blocked the first time. May should take crash damage here, but the move isn't properly coded and she doesn't. We take those, I guess.

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Tauros outspeeds, but May dodges a Zen Headbutt and then breaks through confusion to hit the HJK.

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A Spearow? We are six and a half Gyms in, you're level 51, and you have a Spearow? Okay, buddy.

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I dunno, these battles do seem to ding them up a bit...

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...for example.

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He manages not to stay salty.

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Nice pun, but not happening.

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I'm certain at least one of those is theoretical.

(The New Vegas reference sounded better in my head, but I'm leaving it in.)

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I'm rubber, you're glue...

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+1 Petal Dance hurts.

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Not to worry, she's got this.

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Don't you just love 2HKOing resists? I definitely do.

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Close finish.

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Damn right.

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Prepare to get rocked.

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Not to be outdone, Shade submits his entry to the "Casually Tanking STAB Super-Effective Hits" club by eating a Leaf Storm.

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"My opponent is one hit from death...let's use Snatch!" Earthquake.

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Not dealing with Quick Attack...oh, Tail Whip. May gets another kick off for her troubles.

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Why, thank you.

All three paths converge into this cave:

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This is the Thunder Underroute, a mid-route cave/maze/potential softlock location. The water in this cave isn't supposed to be traversable. Available for capture here are Magneton, Mawile (Omicron-exclusive), Manectric, Magnezone, Klang, Klinklang, Eelektrik (Zeta exclusive).

Klinklang, lv. 49: Mannes, the mayor of Eindoak Town from the fourteenth movie
Manectric, lv. 45, male: Wattson, Gym Leader
Klang, lv. 45: Virgil, anime character


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The game's wiki includes this helpful map for getting around the place (the red line being the main path to proceed on the route).

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There are some items on various side paths. It says a lot when the two TMs are the least useful items we find here (Low Sweep being too weak and Psyshock being unusable).

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Well, we got through that in one piece. Onward!

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FIghting-types against Buzzy Bo, rough matchup. We'll immediately switch into Wisp and then go from there.

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Gone in two, although Wisp does end up confused for his troubles.

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Into Cheeky to avoid any Sucker Punch shenanagians, and then a pair of Brave Birds to finish the next two.

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Back into Wisp, who easily two-shots. Cheeky's half of the XP is enough for her to level up. She has a new move option in Final Gambit, but nah.

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Yeah, kinda.

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And here we are in Blackfist, home of the seventh Gym, Department Store, and the most NPCs we've seen thus far. Kind of. This city is actually broken up into two maps, the Residential District we're currently in, and the downtown area containing the aforementioned amenities.

I'm a little short on my screens for this episode, so let's close it out with some NPC chatter.

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Our Psychic matchup is a little shaky. Shade can run over a Psychic team no problem--if he outspeeds. If not, Fighting coverage is a huge problem since our main switchin to Fighting is Wisp, who of course dies to Psychic. This team is starting to show its holes.

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Jake and friends, perhaps? We'll have to keep an eye on that.

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This is a fascinating philosophical question. Obvious questions of defining "any Pokémon" and "succeed" aside, my thoughts tend to go toward the role of teambuilding. Competitive players hardly all build their own squads, although there is an element of prestige associated with being a strong builder as well as a player. On the other hand, as strong as a team may be on paper, it still requires execution to succeed. You can grab the strongest team off a Sample Teams thread or a Featured RMT and hit the ladder with it--but without a solid grasp of fundamentals, you're not going to get very far against someone with even a remote idea of what they're doing.

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Okay, so this is the roadblock out of town until we beat the Gym. Good to know.

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This Youngster has three trades, in sequence: Blitzle for Drowzee, Joltik for Eelektrik, and Ursaring for Drifblim. These are version-exclusive swaps, so in Zeta, the order is reversed.

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Did someone say Lapras?

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In this house, Solrock and Lunatone can be traded for Pachirisu and Emolga, respectively.

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This gentleman can be asked a few questions about Arceus. Let's ask who He is, for starters.

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Ah, fascinating, dueling religions. How does one obtain Arceus, I wonder?

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Space? That's a thing in this game? Keep that in mind for later. We can also ask him about Diavevus, to which he responds:

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Everything comes back to their silly sectarianism, huh? Let's talk to the prophet of Giratina.

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Same, mirrored questions. Well, the third question actually spoils something we're not supposed to know yet. But we can ask him about his Lord.

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Everyone in here is innocent. Didn't you know that?

To the question of where to find Giratina, we only get:

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Very helpful.

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This poor kid. This poor kid.

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I'd say "You know you can just quit, right?", but I don't know the economy or if Zeus executes deserters. It's entirely possible.

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Another quiz, I'm guessing?

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Yep. Okay, let's do it.

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The answer is Team Magma, but Fire-type name aside, their shtick was more Ground-based. They wanted to raise Groudon to create more land.

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"We dreamed of creating the world's strongest Pokemon...and we succeeded." Team Rocket, although based on the anime/film and manga canons as Mewtwo in the games has no connections to Giovanni. Also, Olympus is listed twice.

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Rockets again, the first question that is fully accurate to game canon (albeit remake-exclusive). Proton is the Exec commanding the Rockets at Slowpoke Well, who later shows up at the Radio Tower.

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Rockets again. This is not a very good quiz.

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Dim Sun. This was mentioned in the Ranger Club storyline. Also, note the Gen VI reference with Flare getting a name check. For passing, we get:

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Which is pretty neat.

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The other Rangers here exposit about joining the Rangers and about Manaphy (naturally, given the first Ranger game and its little promotion).

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This is the large multi-purpose building in there. We've been there, but haven't shown its entire purpose.

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We were blocked from accessing the top floor before. That would seem to be why.

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We're going to need to grind for the next Gym, but I would not recommend using this to do so. Martyn's team is in the seventies. We, as a reminder, are mid-fifties.

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Caspian is the next major city, a little ways away, but we have something there to look forward to.

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Kalos. Admittedly in no small part due to it marking my return to the franchise and my modern fandom, but there it is. I remain salty to this day about the lack of a Z Version.

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Up the hill and into downtown, and that will end the update.

Next time: Probably shopping. There are several things I need to do before I'm prepared to face Demitri, so we'll be in Blackfist for a while. Stay tuned!

The Squad:
  • Buzzy Bo (Magneton): Lv. 55, Electric/Steel, Sturdy, Thunderbolt/Flash Cannon/Tri Attack/Flash
  • Wisp (Gengar): Lv. 56, Ghost/Poison, Levitate, Shadow Ball/Thunderbolt/Night Shade/Hypnosis
  • Shade (Krookodile): Lv. 56, Ground/Dark, Moxie, Earthquake/Crunch/Rock Slide/Bulk Up
  • May (Blaziken): Lv. 56, Fire/Fighting, Blaze, High Jump Kick/Blaze Kick/Rock Slide/Swords Dance
  • Cheeky (Staraptor): Lv. 57, Normal/Flying, Intimidate, Return/Brave Bird/Close Combat/Fly
  • Tatsu (Kingdra): Lv. 57, Water/Dragon, Swift Swim, Hydro Pump/Waterfall/Dragon Pulse/Rain Dance
Click here to return to the Index.
 

Attachments

So this LP inspired to do my own playthrough of Omicron! The Blackfist gym was definitely one of the harder ones because my team (Kingdra/Staraptor/Venusaur/Lucario/Mismagius/Cresselia) wasn't great against Psychic either. And I wasn't used to the gym leaders actually using strategy.

I'm really looking forward to seeing you go through the E4 and Vesryn Spear, incidentally.
 
Part 25! This time we'll see more of what Blackfist City has to offer. I think you'll be impressed.

So this LP inspired to do my own playthrough of Omicron! The Blackfist gym was definitely one of the harder ones because my team (Kingdra/Staraptor/Venusaur/Lucario/Mismagius/Cresselia) wasn't great against Psychic either. And I wasn't used to the gym leaders actually using strategy.

I'm really looking forward to seeing you go through the E4 and Vesryn Spear, incidentally.
Shoot, thanks for reminding me to go back for Cresselia! Might save that for after Demetri since I'll have to do a bunch of backtracking anyway (Demetri's Badge allows the use of Rock Smash, which has several extra items and the like behind it).


First thing to do is go heal and then talk to some NPCs.


High fifties isn’t so bad for us, but trust me, we’re going to need even more levels. First, let’s see what people in the Pokemon Center have to say.

Okay, I really want to know. Especially if the text color is accurate.


I don’t follow how that proves a link with science? Also, go check out Sabrina.


Why not head out towards Ladoga or Kivu, then?


Even without the roadblock, you should head to the Department Store anyway. We’ll talk to a couple of folks outside first, then check it out.


*Can’t; also, I’d recommend Scrafty, but it’s slow and weak to Focus Blast, so yeah, really rough matchup.


Yes, a Safari Zone, too. We’ll hit that place in due course as well.


YESSS GIVE ME A QUICK BALL! He’ll give you one of whichever type you choose and briefly explain its effects. We’ll have access to more of each, don’t you worry.


Haha meta joke, but the main series has several cities of over 100 NPCs, with the largest, Lumiose in Kalos, managing an impressive 416. You could put more NPCs in here if you wanted, especially since you’re developing for PC and Mac, which tend to be stronger consoles than Nintendo’s offerings.


The what now? You can’t just drop “Oh yeah, there’s a second region” in there like that like it’s nothing! Imagine someone in Goldenrod complaining about the Magnet Train being shut down. We’ll see what this second region holds for us in due course. “Due course” being a long while from now.


Base entrance up here, which is extremely convenient given the fact that we’ll likely need several of its functions. The daily item pickup is another Earthquake TM, which we don’t need. The Safari Zone is on the other side of this cliff.


Is it traded? Because if so, potentially very for you.


That’s...quite the Charizard sprite you have there, game.


All four NPCs here are indeed rotating very quickly (the screen doesn’t do it justice), and they all have the same thing to say. As any speedrunner (and many other players) will tell you, spinners are the bane of their existence, so why should we leave them alone? They won’t leave us alone!

Anyway, that’s enough stalling. One would hope that a Department Store found in the town of the seventh Gym would have some good stuff for sale. Oh, don’t you worry.


We can just take an elevator to the top floor to unlock the Gym, but where’s the fun in that? Let’s see the goods.


We can find some NPCs on each floor with info for us. There are three clerks here on floor two.


I would heavily recommend the latter.


Here’s the top clerk. Buyable Ethers! Infinite PP! This is the first of several reasons I’m very glad the Secret Base entrance exists, as this allows you to do a spot of mining if you’re short on cash. We’ll pick up seven Max Ethers to bring us to ten, just to be safe. Also, buyable Fresh Water, which is useful for small heals if nothing else.


The middle clerk has every available Incense, as well as Smoke Balls for some reason. Gen 5 being the generation that introduced buyable Incense, this isn’t terribly remarkable.

The bottom clerk more than makes up for his sibling’s poor performance. That is every Ball type in franchise history to that point, including the Apricorn Balls, which at that point remained in the land of Features GameFreak Forgot. Note that they still use their HGSS effects, making them less effective than the overhauls they received upon their return in the Alola games.

We’ll pick up some Quick and Dusk Balls for now, spending the last of our cash on about twenty of each. We’ll pick up on the third floor after some mining. (We also get a Sun Stone and a Hyper Beam TM, since I mine over the course of a couple of IRL days.)


Of all time? Fallout: New Vegas. Probably not a shocking pick.


Ah, GameStop demos. I have very fond memories of going into my local GameStop every day to play the Batman: Arkham Asylum demo. I eventually got good enough at it to complete it without taking damage. (Though not the hard mode, I never did figure out how not to get shot to pieces.)


Ah, yes, the fanbase’s universal punching bag. (Until SwSh came out.) Next you’ll tell me BW1 and Explorers of Sky are the best Pokémon games ever made.


Top clerk here is the TM shop, and what a selection he has! (Not shown: Thunderbolt, since we have it already.) We pick up:
  • U-Turn, which, once we can Fly without the move, will go on Cheeky.
  • Volt Switch, which goes on Buzzy Bo, replacing Flash.
  • Scald as a backup option for Tatsu. You never know when Surf hitting your partner in Double Battles might be a problem...


The Yellow Egg is a Mareep, the Blue Egg a Spheal, the Red Egg a Growlithe, and the Rare Egg a Shiny Gible.

Yes, indeedy. Among many other things. There are four clerks here.


Oh, good old teenage rebellion. She’ll grow out of it. Hopefully.


Zarivar is on the other side of the region. Also, not much doing there for shopping.


Leftmost clerk holds evolution stones, along with Everstones (which can be mined), Mail (because that’s still a thing, I guess?), and Poke Dolls.


Middle-left has the evolution items (and Soothe Bells). If you got a Porygon from the Game Corner, you can very quickly get your Porygon-Z.


Seals? Don’t you need a Capsule to use those?


Apparently not in this game. We’ll give Buzzy Bo an Ele-Seal too.

We have hit the mother lode! This clerk has competitive items, all you could ever wish for (except Leftovers, but we have three of those already), and dirt cheap too! We pick up six Life Orbs, six Scarfs, two Bands, and three pairs of Specs. As for Ability Capsules, I’m actually pretty content with our standard Abilities. Intimidate on Shade is probably the best switch we could do, but Moxie has performed well for us.


Not everything, since the last floor exists and has held items.


Three thousand yen for a single Effort Value. (Yes, the Friendship raise, but it’s hardly worth it, now is it?) Why not just buy some Calcium?


Hey, hey, relax. Not accusing you of anything.


Sadly, you can’t take him up on that.


Top clerk has vitamins and X items, with the former being a worthwhile investment in due course--even this late in our adventure, we have a few EVs to spare. First, of course, we’ll need the cash.

This is the dude we want to see. Not for the EV-increasing items, the Power items and Wings, but the EV-reducing Berries. During an in-game playthrough, you’re certain to accumulate EVs outside of your main attacking stats. Defensive EVs I actually like for now--you never know when those extra points of Defense will save you. But as we only have one mixed attacker on our team in Tatsu (which is only because we need Waterfall), we can make some great use out of Kelpsy and Hondew Berries, freeing up our squadmates to earn more EVs in stats that actually matter. And with the ability to view our exact EVs and IVs, we can use exactly as many as we need.

The training regimens for each mon are as follows:
  • Buzzy Bo: 7 Kelpsy Berries
  • Wisp: 12 Kelpsy Berries
  • Shade: 10 Hondew Berries
  • May: 9 Hondew Berries
  • Cheeky: 8 Hondew Berries
  • Tatsu: 13 Kelpsy Berries


Here’s the rooftop, complete with vending machines.


Uh...does he know about this? Have you asked his permission?


As nice as it is to see a middle evolution in the field, homie is a tad underleveled. Gabite evolves at 48.


That seems an appropriate response to someone knowing your name without being prompted.


That explains it, I guess.


So that takes care of that. What else can we do to fill this episode out...Safari Zone!


Our second Safari Zone lies here at the north end of town, and we do need to visit it to progress the story. 600 steps and 30 Balls allotted to us per go.

Available for capture, helpfully organized by rarity:
  • Common: Boldore (15-18), Baltoy (15-17). Yes, we are in the seventh Gym town.
  • Rare: Slugma (16-17), Stunfisk (14-17), Golett (15-18).
  • Very Rare: Golem (16, 19), Onix (16), Larvitar (17), Relicanth (15-17), Crustle (15-16)
  • Wandering: Larvitar, Gible. Different spots for each, randomly spawned (or not) each visit.
  • Surfing: Lapras (14-17), Chinchou (16-18), Lotad (15-18)
  • Fishing: Poliwag (17-18), Magikarp (16-20), Dratini (16-20, rare). If you have not upgraded your Rod yet, you’re stuck with Magikarp (17-21).


More of a rocky area here.


I don’t know about “braving the wilds”, but I do like the idea of interacting with actual people. It makes the world feel more lived-in.


There’s a Dive spot there. Remember that. It will be important later. (The NPC in the corner there has the same lines as the other one we spoke to. Actually, almost all of the NPCs here share the same two lines. I retract my previous statement about the world feeling lived-in.)


Yahoo! Relicanth has a catch rate of 25, lowest in the series for anyone not a Legendary or Volcarona, so a full-health Great Ball catch is pretty damn cool. Named Relly after Sapphire’s Relicanth in the Adventures manga.


And here’s what we came for. Yes, Rock Smash. The Badge we have coming up, the seventh, will finally allow us to use this. This is technically not unprecedented in the main series--you can potentially face Sabrina seventh in FRLG --but its other appearances as an HM are more typical of the move: third Gym in RSE, first Gym in both Generation IV games.


Ayyy wandering Larvitar! Because it’s a fixed encounter it can be save-scummed, although this mercifully only takes two attempts. Named Tarasque after this thing, a potential inspiration for Larvitar’s eating habits.


Finally. Named Wayland, after anime VA and voice director Tom Wayland, who voiced Ash’s Boldore (among several other roles, most famously Paul’s brother Reggie).


Finally, a first-ball! Named Bright, after the Chinchou belonging to anime trainer Dayton.


Named Rita after an anime character, the eldest of the three sisters who gave Brock his eventual Ludicolo.


Not bad at all for our first go. I still want Lapras, Slugma, and Stunfisk, so we’ll go back in.


Named Ultimo after an anime character. Pausing after this catch, I notice something:


There’s a glitch. Immediately going back into the Zone after completing a game rather than exiting the building first seems to award the player infinite steps on that visit. Well, we take those. We’ll go until we’re done catching things, whether we run out of mons or Balls.


Named Reddit, since the main competitive subreddit is called r/stunfisk.


Named Blaise after a Team Magma executive created exclusively for Adventures. That’s every available non-5% capture save for Lapras, which I eventually gave up on after multiple attempts, because there’s an easier way to get our hands on one. Let’s do some trading!


The Hiker wants to get his Badge with the Honchkrow we sent him, which I would recommend he undertake only after training her up. (Also, yes, his name is Swole.)

Only one thing left to do. Let’s hit the Gym.


This kind of straightforward recitation of type chart interactions would be very helpful in a main-series title, but feels basic and almost condescending in a game like this aimed at veterans. It also doesn’t take dual-types into account. You could have caught a Stunky all the way back outside of Midnight Mansion, for example, and that is a Poison-type that would do quite well in this Gym.

Anyway, let’s fight some folks.


The usual bravado. Here’s the Seal effect, by the way. Matches up quite well with Buzzy Bo’s antenna.


This takes three Thunderbolts, because Musharna (and also because underleveled). That would be a problem if Musharna didn’t insist on using Lucky Chant twice. Buzzy levels up and has Lock-On as an option, which would be cool with Zap Cannon, but we have three 100% accurate attacks, so we should be fine.


Well, this could be a problem. Time to get outta there!


This AI, man.


Shade easily handles the job here. Next Trainer.


But first, the Gym puzzle, which is simply a quiz. Ground actually resists Poison (and Poison is weak to Ground), false.


Wisp is the ultimate glass cannon in this Gym. If he outspeeds, his opponent dies. If not, he dies. Let’s see how it goes.


...or he could fail to OHKO and this could happen, otherwise known as Why Defensive EVs are Good, Actually.


Buzzy Bo’s defensive utility shining through yet again. Thunderbolt 2HKOes.


Another 2HKO.


This took three Thunderbolts and the cherry-tap thanks to a Calm Mind and then a Recover. No damage taken, though, and a level-up for the trouble.


Yeah, you totally predicted I’d wipe the floor with you!


I know I’ve played very little Sinnoh, but what do you take me for?


Yes, that is how Pokemon Gyms work.


Psychic weakness? Nothing we can’t K I C K.


Well...yes, that is how it works. (Unless a Leader opted to staff their Gym with washouts who still managed to get six or seven Badges and just couldn’t finish the job. That’d be interesting.)


This is BW Ubers, in which Blaziken had not yet been powercrept into oblivion.


Last one before the big one, let’s make it count.


Three up, three down.


Sadly, no Psychic-type on this team, although one could certainly fit. Maybe something like a Slowbro...


BAHAHAHA

Anyway, I’m going to end this update by showing you something. Solda’s ace is 57, on par with our squad. Should you proceed immediately, or at least immediately after healing up, to fight Demetri, you will be greeted with this:


(As this is purely for demonstration and I have no intention of fighting this one out, I have not healed.)

So it’s not bad enough that the game thrusts you into a Double Battle without any indication of such (no, his dialogue doesn’t have “Oh, by the way, I wanna do a Doubles match"). The only way you’d know this is prior experience or the wiki. Meanwhile, peep the levels. 62 and 63 on his leads. Also, lead Metagross. Scary.

If you want to win this battle--or if nothing else, to not have to sweat and possibly retry this battle multiple times over--you need to grind. And fortunately, the game gives you plenty of tools to do exactly that. And through the power of...plot convenience, I guess, our strongest such tool won’t even require us to leave town.

Next time: The grind begins.

The Squad:
  • Wisp (Gengar): Lv. 57, Ghost/Poison, Levitate, Shadow Ball/Thunderbolt/Night Shade/Hypnosis
  • Buzzy Bo (Magneton): Lv. 57, Electric/Steel, Sturdy, Thunderbolt/Flash Cannon/Tri Attack/Flash
  • Shade (Krookodile): Lv. 57, Ground/Dark, Moxie, Earthquake/Crunch/Rock Slide/Bulk Up
  • Cheeky (Staraptor): Lv. 57, Normal/Flying, Intimidate, Return/Brave Bird/Close Combat/Fly
  • May (Blaziken): Lv. 58, Fire/Fighting, Blaze, High Jump Kick/Blaze Kick/Rock Slide/Swords Dance
  • Tatsu (Kingdra): Lv. 57, Water/Dragon, Swift Swim, Hydro Pump/Waterfall/Dragon Pulse/Rain Dance
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