I go to some tall grass looking for pokemon with which to train Inanna. After I switch from her to Apsu and take out a wild Staravia, Inanna ascends immediately to Level 6. She's a bit of a brat though. She doesn't like the experience share. I give her the oval stone I have to shut her up. After victimizing another Staravia, Inanna grows to Level 7 and evolves. Good. I was hoping that oval stone would be good for something. She evolves into Chansey, which is great, because I really wanted that pokemon.
Apsu is looking hurt from the work he's put in, so when I meet a wild Bibarel, which seems to be a beaver, I give him a break and switch to Ninhursag. Like Inanna, she has some catching up to do. The Bibarel takes quite a beating, but goes down to mega drain eventually. Then Ninhursag evolves into Roselia. Truly, I am blessed. I just had two pokemon evolve, although I am still not sure why we're calling it that. I mean, they glow white and shift into something else. I guess maybe that could be considered evolution?
After healing Apsu, I step into the building next to the Poke Center. The man has an assignment for me. He wants me to show him a Luxio. He annoys me, so I call Sekhmet out of her poke ball to bite him. That way he will leave me alone. He is pleased by this. Oh, right. Sekhmet is a Luxio, after all. I seem to have inadvertently followed his instructions. He gives me some "luxury balls." Whatever. I am leaving.
I am also giving the experience share back to to Inanna. Now that she is Chansey, she doesn't need a stone to hold to pretend it's an egg, because apparently Chansey can lay eggs herself. This would not seem particularly odd, except I kept hearing in this town that no one has ever seen a pokemon lay an egg. Forget it.
And so I head north again. The path is probably blocked, but I can turn east or something. Also, I can find more trainers along the way for strengthening Inanna and Ninhursag. I feel like an evolution master.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Inanna
Two identical twin girls challenge me to a doubles battle. Apsu takes out their Mime Jr. in one hit, but Bonsly is a bit more trouble, wounding both Khali and Apsu before they bring it down. I also battle a girl dressed as Pikachu. She uses Pikachu. Khali dominates Pikachu. These weak trainers are becoming annoying. I meet another breeder, who wants to see what I've got. Mime Jr. is popular around here for some reason. It seems pretty ineffectual to me, but maybe it evolves into something good? Cleffa is up next. Some sort of pink homunculus. Apsu does what he does best. I switch to Hanuman for a flame wheel on the unfortunate Budew that follows.
I come to a strange structure. The remains of a tower? Something is telling me that the odd keystone would be a perfect fit here. That makes no sense. I am looking at the ruins and this ring of stone is huge. The odd keystone is tiny. Where would it go? Also, it's called a keystone presumably because it is one. I do not see any arches, so where would a keystone go? Forget it. I do not want to end up as crazy as the man who gave me this thing. Maybe later, when I am feeling more adventurous or something. For now, let's continue with my adventure.
I use my bicycle to get up one of those muddy slopes, and as soon as I have done so, a trainer ambushes me. She is some sort of hick and apparently thinks using several Bidoofs is a good idea. Apsu has some fun with them and learns a new move called dragon rage. Capital. I find some calcium and a TM. A man standing in front of the tower I am approaching refers to it as "lost tower." The name is stupid, but I recall what that trainer said in Hearthome City. I can already guess that I will have to fight my way to the top of this thing in exchange for some reward, possibly the HM for that strength move. This isn't that hard to figure out. But I will rest my team at Solaceon Town first if possible.
Two people running around like morons feel that I am intruding, so they challenge me to a doubles battle. They use Meditite and Machop. Fighting pokemon. Khali's psybeam presents an elegant solution. As soon as I get into Solaceon Town, someone gives me a Poketch app. Someone else, on seeing that I am a trainer, mentions that the town has no gym, but that Veilstone and Pastoria both do. I also find a day care. They can raise my pokemon. Well, some of my pokemon are not seeing any use, so maybe they'll be happier in this place. I leave Phlogeus and Cai Shen at the daycare. I must remember to pick them back up eventually.
I barge into houses of course, and receive a seal case in one of them. I'd rather not have. There really is not much in this town. I do find some ruins though. Big ones. An archaeologist or whatever is down here and he challenges me. Apsu uses Dragon Rage and easily sweeps away two Geodudes, but my opponent's Bronzor is more problematic, using hypnosis to put Apsu to sleep, then confuse ray, which I still cannot believe works. When Apsu wakes up, he hurts himself, but then still beats the Bronzor with bite. I make a note to myself to buy some awakenings.
When I walk away, I encounter a wild Unown. That was what my opponent meant when he babbled something about the place being filled with Unowns, then. Weak little things, it seems. Not worth worrying about. I find a nice trove of items, even though really it seems that other explorers should have located them already: this place is quite easy to navigate. Maybe someone is leaving items there like Boo Radley or something. Forget it.
I return to town and buy some supplies. I can either head north or check out the "lost tower." Towers are alright, I suppose. This tower is filled with headstones for some reason. A cemetery tower? As I investigate, a crazy blue-cap boy attacks me with his pokemon, screaming that I am a ghost. I summon Khali and show him a real ghost. He uses Stunky. Dark type, so a ghost might not have been best, but Khali wins anyway because she is awesome. I use Hanuman for some reason against Shellos. I guess I wasn't thinking. But fury swipes works well enough. My opponent's last pokemon is Kricketune. Flame wheel for the win.
This tower is inhabited by ghost pokemon. Of course. Headstones, therefore ghosts. Do ghost pokemon have an overdeveloped sense of irony? Some grieving trainers challenge me. Presumably their strong pokemon died and have been interred here, which is why they are so easy to defeat. How do pokemon die anyway? They seem to take blows that should kill anything and recover at and Poke Center. Maybe they age? In any case, the trainers are quite easy, mostly I have Khali use psybeam, although Apsu and Sekhmet pitch in too.
A wild Misdreavus brings Sekhmet down. She was already paralyzed and confuse ray kept her from getting a single hit in. Apsu gets revenge with a quick bite. A couple, possibly mentally ill, challenge me, each afraid to lose and embarrass the other. Both will have their fears realized. They use Misdreavus and Murkrow, a bird. Apsu's bite destroys Misdreavus in one hit. Khali's confuse ray disables Murkrow. But then the next turn, I find that Murkrow is immune to psybeam and resists bite. Dark type? Dragon rage finishes it next turn, so I guess it's no problem. The couple inform me that the pokemon who brought them together was buried here. So maybe they aren't mentally ill.
Two weird old ladies stand together on the top floor of the tower. One of them gives me an HM. Predictable. Also a bit strange even though I expected it. Before I get a chance to talk to her companion, we are interrupted by a Zubat. Pesky creature. Psybeam. The other lady gives me a "cleanse tag." She says that it will make my journey out of the tower easier. If the first pokemon on my team is holding it, wild pokemon will be held back. Forget that. I have nothing to fear from this place. I train with ghost pokemon all the time. I am practically king of the ghosts.
I heal my team at the Poke Center and head north, stopping only to be ambushed by some hicks with Glameow and Stunky. Confuse ray on the Stunky, Bite the Glameow, finish Glameow with psybeam and dragon rage the Stunky, following up with tackle to end the battle. I notice that Apsu still has splash. I teach Apsu strength to replace the useless move. I will have to get some badge to use it outside of battle, but we will worry about that later.
A wandering pokemon breeder challenges me. Her Cleffa uses copycat and psybeams Khali after absorbing a psybeam. I can only assume that copycat uses whatever move I used. But Cleffa is nearly done for anyway, so I apply a second psybeam. I switch to Hanuman against the next pokemon, Clefairy. Clefairy must be the evolved form of Cleffa. Hanuman rock smashes and the breeder uses Happiny next. Rock smash works well there too.
Some psyducks block the road north. For some reason, I am unable to battle them or otherwise get rid of them. They are an immovable obstacle. I return to Solaceon Town. On my way back, the egg I've been carrying around hatches. I have a brand new baby Happiny! I name her Inanna. My own baby pokemon that I hatched from an egg. This is great, but she's still only Level 1, which makes sense because she just hatched. I equip her with the experience share. Rest now, Inanna. When we next set out, you will have some growing to do.
I come to a strange structure. The remains of a tower? Something is telling me that the odd keystone would be a perfect fit here. That makes no sense. I am looking at the ruins and this ring of stone is huge. The odd keystone is tiny. Where would it go? Also, it's called a keystone presumably because it is one. I do not see any arches, so where would a keystone go? Forget it. I do not want to end up as crazy as the man who gave me this thing. Maybe later, when I am feeling more adventurous or something. For now, let's continue with my adventure.
I use my bicycle to get up one of those muddy slopes, and as soon as I have done so, a trainer ambushes me. She is some sort of hick and apparently thinks using several Bidoofs is a good idea. Apsu has some fun with them and learns a new move called dragon rage. Capital. I find some calcium and a TM. A man standing in front of the tower I am approaching refers to it as "lost tower." The name is stupid, but I recall what that trainer said in Hearthome City. I can already guess that I will have to fight my way to the top of this thing in exchange for some reward, possibly the HM for that strength move. This isn't that hard to figure out. But I will rest my team at Solaceon Town first if possible.
Two people running around like morons feel that I am intruding, so they challenge me to a doubles battle. They use Meditite and Machop. Fighting pokemon. Khali's psybeam presents an elegant solution. As soon as I get into Solaceon Town, someone gives me a Poketch app. Someone else, on seeing that I am a trainer, mentions that the town has no gym, but that Veilstone and Pastoria both do. I also find a day care. They can raise my pokemon. Well, some of my pokemon are not seeing any use, so maybe they'll be happier in this place. I leave Phlogeus and Cai Shen at the daycare. I must remember to pick them back up eventually.
I barge into houses of course, and receive a seal case in one of them. I'd rather not have. There really is not much in this town. I do find some ruins though. Big ones. An archaeologist or whatever is down here and he challenges me. Apsu uses Dragon Rage and easily sweeps away two Geodudes, but my opponent's Bronzor is more problematic, using hypnosis to put Apsu to sleep, then confuse ray, which I still cannot believe works. When Apsu wakes up, he hurts himself, but then still beats the Bronzor with bite. I make a note to myself to buy some awakenings.
When I walk away, I encounter a wild Unown. That was what my opponent meant when he babbled something about the place being filled with Unowns, then. Weak little things, it seems. Not worth worrying about. I find a nice trove of items, even though really it seems that other explorers should have located them already: this place is quite easy to navigate. Maybe someone is leaving items there like Boo Radley or something. Forget it.
I return to town and buy some supplies. I can either head north or check out the "lost tower." Towers are alright, I suppose. This tower is filled with headstones for some reason. A cemetery tower? As I investigate, a crazy blue-cap boy attacks me with his pokemon, screaming that I am a ghost. I summon Khali and show him a real ghost. He uses Stunky. Dark type, so a ghost might not have been best, but Khali wins anyway because she is awesome. I use Hanuman for some reason against Shellos. I guess I wasn't thinking. But fury swipes works well enough. My opponent's last pokemon is Kricketune. Flame wheel for the win.
This tower is inhabited by ghost pokemon. Of course. Headstones, therefore ghosts. Do ghost pokemon have an overdeveloped sense of irony? Some grieving trainers challenge me. Presumably their strong pokemon died and have been interred here, which is why they are so easy to defeat. How do pokemon die anyway? They seem to take blows that should kill anything and recover at and Poke Center. Maybe they age? In any case, the trainers are quite easy, mostly I have Khali use psybeam, although Apsu and Sekhmet pitch in too.
A wild Misdreavus brings Sekhmet down. She was already paralyzed and confuse ray kept her from getting a single hit in. Apsu gets revenge with a quick bite. A couple, possibly mentally ill, challenge me, each afraid to lose and embarrass the other. Both will have their fears realized. They use Misdreavus and Murkrow, a bird. Apsu's bite destroys Misdreavus in one hit. Khali's confuse ray disables Murkrow. But then the next turn, I find that Murkrow is immune to psybeam and resists bite. Dark type? Dragon rage finishes it next turn, so I guess it's no problem. The couple inform me that the pokemon who brought them together was buried here. So maybe they aren't mentally ill.
Two weird old ladies stand together on the top floor of the tower. One of them gives me an HM. Predictable. Also a bit strange even though I expected it. Before I get a chance to talk to her companion, we are interrupted by a Zubat. Pesky creature. Psybeam. The other lady gives me a "cleanse tag." She says that it will make my journey out of the tower easier. If the first pokemon on my team is holding it, wild pokemon will be held back. Forget that. I have nothing to fear from this place. I train with ghost pokemon all the time. I am practically king of the ghosts.
I heal my team at the Poke Center and head north, stopping only to be ambushed by some hicks with Glameow and Stunky. Confuse ray on the Stunky, Bite the Glameow, finish Glameow with psybeam and dragon rage the Stunky, following up with tackle to end the battle. I notice that Apsu still has splash. I teach Apsu strength to replace the useless move. I will have to get some badge to use it outside of battle, but we will worry about that later.
A wandering pokemon breeder challenges me. Her Cleffa uses copycat and psybeams Khali after absorbing a psybeam. I can only assume that copycat uses whatever move I used. But Cleffa is nearly done for anyway, so I apply a second psybeam. I switch to Hanuman against the next pokemon, Clefairy. Clefairy must be the evolved form of Cleffa. Hanuman rock smashes and the breeder uses Happiny next. Rock smash works well there too.
Some psyducks block the road north. For some reason, I am unable to battle them or otherwise get rid of them. They are an immovable obstacle. I return to Solaceon Town. On my way back, the egg I've been carrying around hatches. I have a brand new baby Happiny! I name her Inanna. My own baby pokemon that I hatched from an egg. This is great, but she's still only Level 1, which makes sense because she just hatched. I equip her with the experience share. Rest now, Inanna. When we next set out, you will have some growing to do.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Hearthome City
As soon as I enter Hearthome City, a Buneary runs up to me. I am not used to encountering wild pokemon in cities. I am about do the people of this city a favor and dispose of the lagomorph menace with a well-placed rock smash, but a woman runs up and thanks me for stopping her Buneary. Oh. Her name is Keira and she says some other insignificant thing, then leaves.
The people of this city are a little strange. Some guy talks about how I can either challenge the gym or the contest hall. Who cares about contests? My mother is into that nonsense. I am a hot-blooded young male. I am most certainly not a middle-aged woman. Get away from me. A man from some place called Hoenn wants to show me the contest hall. I do not care about the contest hall. I will not enter it. I do not like the contest hall. Go away. A woman complains that the baby in her stroller is getting heavier all the time. I walk briskly away. Someone else mentions that a water stone made her pokemon evolve. That actually does not annoy me. She must be from out of town.
I see a building that looks like a cathedral. Interesting. Perhaps religion is the explanation for this city's strangeness. The people in this cathedral are unsurprisingly dull. One thing is perplexing though. And that's the quiet. No, really. I feel as though I have been hearing music of some sort during every waking hour of this adventure. The music shifts. It is different in battle than it is outside of battle and different in a city than out on the road. But here, silence. Even though there is nothing to like about this place, I pause for a moment and relish the silence. Enough of this. I exit.
Someone named "Mr. Goods" says that he will find something rare for me later. Yeah, sure. A hiker says that he walked with his Pachirisu in Amity Square. Then I find the gate to what is apparently this "Amity Square." But when I try to enter the square, I am stopped by a gatekeeper...
"In Amity Square, you may go for a stroll with a cute pokemon. The permitted pokemon are Pikachu, Clefairy, Psyduck, Pachirisu, Happiny, Buneary, and Drifloon. Please do come back with one!"
Madness. How is my little Apsu not just the cutest thing ever? Well, "little" he might not be, since he weighs over 500 pounds. But he is cute! I leave Amity Square in disgust. Someone in the Poke Center informs me that the local gym leader is a chicken or something and is not around right now. Oh well. I did not have gym badges in mind right now anyway. I barge into a nearby house, because that's what I do. A woman working at a computer greets me...
"Oh, Hiya! You're a trainer. That means you're using Pokemon Boxes! I love meeting end users! Oh, what's up? Why that astonished look? Oh, right, sorry! There I go running my mouth again! My name's Bebe! You know the Pokemon Boxes? I'm the system administrator!"
So she's "someone"?
"My buddy Bill developed the basic storage system. I tinkered with it here and there to make it easier for me to use."
She wants to talk shop here and I have things to do, so I bid her good day and barge into another building. The people living here talk about pokemon like everyone else, but it becomes apparent that this is some sort of commune. Creepy. There are no stairs, just an elevator. An old woman on the second floor says that it's because having no stairs makes it easier for little pokemon to get around. That's cool. We'll see what the fire marshal has to say about it once I find him.
Someone was given the HM for a move called "strength" at a "Lost Tower." I take note of this, although why the guy would call the tower "lost" if he was there, I do not know. The gym is open, but the leader is indeed absent. A man outside the gym brags about how well he will do in contests, so I quickly leave. Another building with an elevator and no stairs. Maybe this place has no fire code? People talk about contests, which I still want nothing to do with. A woman on the second story gives me a shell bell, though. I equip it onto Hanuman. Sekhmet already has a quick claw. I also give Ninhursag a poison barb and Apsu a dread plate. I will probably find better items later.
The next building I recklessly enter is apparently a pokemon fan club. A nice lady there tells me that Khali is happy being with me. Of course she is. I let her psybeam chumps. The "chairman" of the club seems a bit touched. However, he does give me a free poffin case. He wants me to feed poffins to my pokemon. Whatever. A hiker asks me if I want a pokemon egg that came from the Solaceon Town. I say that I do, but apparently I cannot hold the egg while also holding six pokemon. The egg takes up a slot for some reason. I deposit Articuno (my insurance, but everything has been so weak lately that I'm feeling quite safe as it is) then head back to the man and accept the egg.
He says that if I carry the egg along with energetic pokemon, it will hatch. Whatever. For no discernable reason, two men block the gate. I find another entrance to Amity Square. Someone is complaining that they will not let his Gyarados and Steelix in. I sympathize. It is unjust. Well, the only place left to go is the gate to the south, which leads to Route 212. Some people inside are talking about contests. I will be glad to get away from this infernal city. A news crew, most likely from Jubilife TV, blocks the end of the gate.
Suddenly I realize what is going on. The people blocking my paths are too conveniently placed. This world wants me to do something in Hearthome City before I can continue. Curse you, Hearthome City. My heart was forged in a dying star. I enter the poffin house, but there's nothing there except a giant blender that is, undoubtedly, used to make poffins. I get a sinking feeling. It's the contest hall, isn't it? I have to do something at the contest hall before I can leave Hearthome City. That's it, isn't it? Maybe not. Maybe it's Amity Square? Driflloon was on the approved list, so I run back to the Poke Center and swap Khali for Nyx.
Amity Square is one big park. Nyx seems very happy to be here. If only they would allow me to take my other pokemon for walks here. I am finding TM's lying around for some reason. Nyx finds a yellow feather and as soon as I see it I shove it into the fashion case against my will. Another trainer here also has a Drifloon. A fellow ghost fan? For some reason, there are some unlikely ruins on one end of the park, and I find some more items there.
Despite finding some nice loot, Amity Square can not rid me of the people blocking my paths. I leave, and a reporter from Jubilife TV interviews me about my experience. I say that I am disappointed. So it's to be the contest hall, then. Someone is blocking my path. Someone with a unique and very prominent hairstyle. She apologizes for getting in my way, asking if I am entering a contest. She reveals that she is Fantina, leader of the gym in this city. I see. She says that I must become stonger before facing her, then walks off. That guy was right. She really is chicken. And the people blocking my paths still block my paths. I had better try the contest hall. Maybe I can get out of this without participating in or even seeing one of those stupid exhibitions.
As soon as I step into the contest hall, Keira sees me. She exclaims, "Oh! My hero!" Not normally a problem, but Mom is standing right next to her. Now she's going to think I actually like contests. Of all the times to step into this accursed hall, I have to pick one when she is right in front of the entrance. Keira is surprised at this revelation...
"What! No! Really?! Johanna is your mom?"
Uh, yes. I totally knew her name was Johanna the whole time. Never forgot about that for a minute. No crazy person to see here. Just your average boy. You can bet that I sure did know her name was Johanna and that this was not new to me at all.
"So you might be a Contest star?!"
Well, no. You see, in order to become a contest star, one must actually compete in, uh, contests. Not going to happen. I am a pokemon trainer, not a pokemon coordinator or whatever you losers call yourselves. I catch pokemon. I battle pokemon. I name them after forgotten gods. Sometimes I pass out and trade them, apparently. I store them in a computer. I walk around with them in parks. But the one thing I never, ever do is enter them in contests. I just want to be clear on that.
Fortunately, Mom seems aware of my distaste for this stuff. She seems to doubt that I will be a "contest star." Good. Keira insists on giving me some stupid accessory for "saving" her Buneary (the one I was about to rock smash because it got in my way). Then encourages me to try contests. Not going to happen. Mom remains behind to talk to me. Am I in trouble?
"Were you surprised to see me here, Master? I got bored, so I came out to Hearthome for a little vacation. I'm just as surprised to see you here, my dear! But are you serious about entering Contests?"
No. A thousand times, no. Well, yes about being surprised to see you here. I didn't expect you to leave the television set alone. But no about entering contests.
"Not dressed that way!"
Not dressed any way!
"When your Pokemon is all dressed up, you can't be dressed your usual way. Put this on for a little glamour."
Whatever it is, I am most assuredly not wearing it.
"I'm sure it will look good on you. After all, I chose it. Go enjoy the Contests, honey! Contests will give you a different look at the many charms of Pokemon. It should be an eye-opening experience for you. Bye now!"
This terrible ordeal gives me an idea, though. I will demand that the people blocking the roads let me pass, stating that I am the son of Johanna. They might fall for it. Who knows? Before I get to them, Slave dashes at me on the street. I expect he will want to battle me. And I left Articuno in the PC! Oh well, let's do this...
He leads with Starly. I lead with Khali and have her use confuse ray. The Starly hurts himself pretty badly from the confuse ray. A psybeam finishes it off.
He brings in Prinplup. That's the evolved form of his Piplup, I'm sure. I switch to Sekhmet and have her attack with spark. Prinplup hits back with bubble. Sekhmet clearly has the advantage in this. Another spark and Prinplup is down. Sekhmet gains a level and learns roar too.
He brings in Roselia while I switch to Hanuman. Flame wheel takes Roselia out in one hit. Easy.
He brings in Ponyta while I switch to Apsu. Slave, I have you outclassed in this whole battling thing. Maybe you should try contests. Oh man, I need to remember to hit him with that one after I win this battle. His Ponyta tail whips Apsu a couple of times and bite ends the battle. Slave is upset...
"Waaaagh! You KO'd my team again?! This messes up my dreams of becoming the greatest Trainer ever...No! I just need to get tougher and keep winning. One day...That's it! I'm going to challenge the Veilstone Gym next! See you around, Master! You'll be blown away by how much tougher I'll be next time we meet!"
Now I feel too bad to use the contest line. He is so emotionally involved in battling. I can tell that he cares about this a lot. Still, I am obviously a lot better than him at it. I mean, none of my pokemon were even threatened. Only one of my team took damage at all and I am not even using all of my strongest pokemon here.
The guys blocking my path east are gone now. Maybe they heard Mom was in town. Or maybe my battle with Slave scared them off. But they're gone. I set out on the road to Solaceon Town. I try to, anyway. As soon as I leave the gate a pokemon breeder accosts me and battles me with Bonsly, Budew, and Pichu. They get psybeam, bite, and bite respectively. My hunger for victory not yet fully quenched, I approach a fisherman standing on a dock along the river. He turns out not to be a trainer, but he does give me a "good rod." And the next person I meet isn't a trainer either. He's just a jogger. Still, there are bound to be some trainers for me to crush somewhere around here. So I set out for parts unknown. Actually, they are known: I checked the map and I'm approaching Solaceon Town.
The people of this city are a little strange. Some guy talks about how I can either challenge the gym or the contest hall. Who cares about contests? My mother is into that nonsense. I am a hot-blooded young male. I am most certainly not a middle-aged woman. Get away from me. A man from some place called Hoenn wants to show me the contest hall. I do not care about the contest hall. I will not enter it. I do not like the contest hall. Go away. A woman complains that the baby in her stroller is getting heavier all the time. I walk briskly away. Someone else mentions that a water stone made her pokemon evolve. That actually does not annoy me. She must be from out of town.
I see a building that looks like a cathedral. Interesting. Perhaps religion is the explanation for this city's strangeness. The people in this cathedral are unsurprisingly dull. One thing is perplexing though. And that's the quiet. No, really. I feel as though I have been hearing music of some sort during every waking hour of this adventure. The music shifts. It is different in battle than it is outside of battle and different in a city than out on the road. But here, silence. Even though there is nothing to like about this place, I pause for a moment and relish the silence. Enough of this. I exit.
Someone named "Mr. Goods" says that he will find something rare for me later. Yeah, sure. A hiker says that he walked with his Pachirisu in Amity Square. Then I find the gate to what is apparently this "Amity Square." But when I try to enter the square, I am stopped by a gatekeeper...
"In Amity Square, you may go for a stroll with a cute pokemon. The permitted pokemon are Pikachu, Clefairy, Psyduck, Pachirisu, Happiny, Buneary, and Drifloon. Please do come back with one!"
Madness. How is my little Apsu not just the cutest thing ever? Well, "little" he might not be, since he weighs over 500 pounds. But he is cute! I leave Amity Square in disgust. Someone in the Poke Center informs me that the local gym leader is a chicken or something and is not around right now. Oh well. I did not have gym badges in mind right now anyway. I barge into a nearby house, because that's what I do. A woman working at a computer greets me...
"Oh, Hiya! You're a trainer. That means you're using Pokemon Boxes! I love meeting end users! Oh, what's up? Why that astonished look? Oh, right, sorry! There I go running my mouth again! My name's Bebe! You know the Pokemon Boxes? I'm the system administrator!"
So she's "someone"?
"My buddy Bill developed the basic storage system. I tinkered with it here and there to make it easier for me to use."
She wants to talk shop here and I have things to do, so I bid her good day and barge into another building. The people living here talk about pokemon like everyone else, but it becomes apparent that this is some sort of commune. Creepy. There are no stairs, just an elevator. An old woman on the second floor says that it's because having no stairs makes it easier for little pokemon to get around. That's cool. We'll see what the fire marshal has to say about it once I find him.
Someone was given the HM for a move called "strength" at a "Lost Tower." I take note of this, although why the guy would call the tower "lost" if he was there, I do not know. The gym is open, but the leader is indeed absent. A man outside the gym brags about how well he will do in contests, so I quickly leave. Another building with an elevator and no stairs. Maybe this place has no fire code? People talk about contests, which I still want nothing to do with. A woman on the second story gives me a shell bell, though. I equip it onto Hanuman. Sekhmet already has a quick claw. I also give Ninhursag a poison barb and Apsu a dread plate. I will probably find better items later.
The next building I recklessly enter is apparently a pokemon fan club. A nice lady there tells me that Khali is happy being with me. Of course she is. I let her psybeam chumps. The "chairman" of the club seems a bit touched. However, he does give me a free poffin case. He wants me to feed poffins to my pokemon. Whatever. A hiker asks me if I want a pokemon egg that came from the Solaceon Town. I say that I do, but apparently I cannot hold the egg while also holding six pokemon. The egg takes up a slot for some reason. I deposit Articuno (my insurance, but everything has been so weak lately that I'm feeling quite safe as it is) then head back to the man and accept the egg.
He says that if I carry the egg along with energetic pokemon, it will hatch. Whatever. For no discernable reason, two men block the gate. I find another entrance to Amity Square. Someone is complaining that they will not let his Gyarados and Steelix in. I sympathize. It is unjust. Well, the only place left to go is the gate to the south, which leads to Route 212. Some people inside are talking about contests. I will be glad to get away from this infernal city. A news crew, most likely from Jubilife TV, blocks the end of the gate.
Suddenly I realize what is going on. The people blocking my paths are too conveniently placed. This world wants me to do something in Hearthome City before I can continue. Curse you, Hearthome City. My heart was forged in a dying star. I enter the poffin house, but there's nothing there except a giant blender that is, undoubtedly, used to make poffins. I get a sinking feeling. It's the contest hall, isn't it? I have to do something at the contest hall before I can leave Hearthome City. That's it, isn't it? Maybe not. Maybe it's Amity Square? Driflloon was on the approved list, so I run back to the Poke Center and swap Khali for Nyx.
Amity Square is one big park. Nyx seems very happy to be here. If only they would allow me to take my other pokemon for walks here. I am finding TM's lying around for some reason. Nyx finds a yellow feather and as soon as I see it I shove it into the fashion case against my will. Another trainer here also has a Drifloon. A fellow ghost fan? For some reason, there are some unlikely ruins on one end of the park, and I find some more items there.
Despite finding some nice loot, Amity Square can not rid me of the people blocking my paths. I leave, and a reporter from Jubilife TV interviews me about my experience. I say that I am disappointed. So it's to be the contest hall, then. Someone is blocking my path. Someone with a unique and very prominent hairstyle. She apologizes for getting in my way, asking if I am entering a contest. She reveals that she is Fantina, leader of the gym in this city. I see. She says that I must become stonger before facing her, then walks off. That guy was right. She really is chicken. And the people blocking my paths still block my paths. I had better try the contest hall. Maybe I can get out of this without participating in or even seeing one of those stupid exhibitions.
As soon as I step into the contest hall, Keira sees me. She exclaims, "Oh! My hero!" Not normally a problem, but Mom is standing right next to her. Now she's going to think I actually like contests. Of all the times to step into this accursed hall, I have to pick one when she is right in front of the entrance. Keira is surprised at this revelation...
"What! No! Really?! Johanna is your mom?"
Uh, yes. I totally knew her name was Johanna the whole time. Never forgot about that for a minute. No crazy person to see here. Just your average boy. You can bet that I sure did know her name was Johanna and that this was not new to me at all.
"So you might be a Contest star?!"
Well, no. You see, in order to become a contest star, one must actually compete in, uh, contests. Not going to happen. I am a pokemon trainer, not a pokemon coordinator or whatever you losers call yourselves. I catch pokemon. I battle pokemon. I name them after forgotten gods. Sometimes I pass out and trade them, apparently. I store them in a computer. I walk around with them in parks. But the one thing I never, ever do is enter them in contests. I just want to be clear on that.
Fortunately, Mom seems aware of my distaste for this stuff. She seems to doubt that I will be a "contest star." Good. Keira insists on giving me some stupid accessory for "saving" her Buneary (the one I was about to rock smash because it got in my way). Then encourages me to try contests. Not going to happen. Mom remains behind to talk to me. Am I in trouble?
"Were you surprised to see me here, Master? I got bored, so I came out to Hearthome for a little vacation. I'm just as surprised to see you here, my dear! But are you serious about entering Contests?"
No. A thousand times, no. Well, yes about being surprised to see you here. I didn't expect you to leave the television set alone. But no about entering contests.
"Not dressed that way!"
Not dressed any way!
"When your Pokemon is all dressed up, you can't be dressed your usual way. Put this on for a little glamour."
Whatever it is, I am most assuredly not wearing it.
"I'm sure it will look good on you. After all, I chose it. Go enjoy the Contests, honey! Contests will give you a different look at the many charms of Pokemon. It should be an eye-opening experience for you. Bye now!"
This terrible ordeal gives me an idea, though. I will demand that the people blocking the roads let me pass, stating that I am the son of Johanna. They might fall for it. Who knows? Before I get to them, Slave dashes at me on the street. I expect he will want to battle me. And I left Articuno in the PC! Oh well, let's do this...
He leads with Starly. I lead with Khali and have her use confuse ray. The Starly hurts himself pretty badly from the confuse ray. A psybeam finishes it off.
He brings in Prinplup. That's the evolved form of his Piplup, I'm sure. I switch to Sekhmet and have her attack with spark. Prinplup hits back with bubble. Sekhmet clearly has the advantage in this. Another spark and Prinplup is down. Sekhmet gains a level and learns roar too.
He brings in Roselia while I switch to Hanuman. Flame wheel takes Roselia out in one hit. Easy.
He brings in Ponyta while I switch to Apsu. Slave, I have you outclassed in this whole battling thing. Maybe you should try contests. Oh man, I need to remember to hit him with that one after I win this battle. His Ponyta tail whips Apsu a couple of times and bite ends the battle. Slave is upset...
"Waaaagh! You KO'd my team again?! This messes up my dreams of becoming the greatest Trainer ever...No! I just need to get tougher and keep winning. One day...That's it! I'm going to challenge the Veilstone Gym next! See you around, Master! You'll be blown away by how much tougher I'll be next time we meet!"
Now I feel too bad to use the contest line. He is so emotionally involved in battling. I can tell that he cares about this a lot. Still, I am obviously a lot better than him at it. I mean, none of my pokemon were even threatened. Only one of my team took damage at all and I am not even using all of my strongest pokemon here.
The guys blocking my path east are gone now. Maybe they heard Mom was in town. Or maybe my battle with Slave scared them off. But they're gone. I set out on the road to Solaceon Town. I try to, anyway. As soon as I leave the gate a pokemon breeder accosts me and battles me with Bonsly, Budew, and Pichu. They get psybeam, bite, and bite respectively. My hunger for victory not yet fully quenched, I approach a fisherman standing on a dock along the river. He turns out not to be a trainer, but he does give me a "good rod." And the next person I meet isn't a trainer either. He's just a jogger. Still, there are bound to be some trainers for me to crush somewhere around here. So I set out for parts unknown. Actually, they are known: I checked the map and I'm approaching Solaceon Town.
Stupid Mountain
The stupid mountain can wait a bit longer. I found a path to the side with some trainers. The first one to face me is a blue-cap kid who states that he always wears shorts. Great, but why is it that you and so many other boys always wear these blue hats? Apsu bites his way through that battle. The next trainer is a hiker. Hanuman and Apsu take turns crushing things. Finally, there's a crazy martial arts woman with Meditite and Machop. She gets to see firsthand what Khali can do with psybeam.
I enter the dreaded mountain. A Machop bothers me while I walk and gets a psybeam in return. I reach a rock and am about to have Hanuman smash it, but a man with striking blue hair approaches me. He speaks...
"According to one theory, Mt. Coronet is where the Sinnoh reion began." He turns to the side, watching I don't know what. "...In a newly created world...A world where only time flowed and space expanded...There should have been no strife. But what became of that world? Because the human spirit is weak and incomplete, strife has spread...This world is being ruined by it...I find the state of things to be deplorable..."
He motions for me to move out of his path. Without even thinking, I do. He departs. Too bad. I would have liked to challenge his philosophy there. Firstly, strife is presumably a human condition. Perhaps he would disagree, but if strife is an abstract concept that transcends consciousness, strife may indeed have been present early in the universe. This would be incompatible with his talk of the human spirit anyway. But if strife is a human condition, surely it is part of a greater human framework that includes whatever faculties he is using in making his assessment. He is, from his position as a human, judging the world as being "ruined" by a human quality, namely strife. It is my suspicion that strife is inextricable from this framework, not something that can be isolated. Unless he is claiming to be without strife himself, and therefore different from the rest of us, strife is part of his own framework and he is necessarily using strife to damn strife. This is begging the question: the faculties used to make judgment can neither validate nor invalidate themselves. And being without strife himself would create a new problem because without isolating strife and without experiencing it, he is in no position to judge it. I would have liked to hear his answers to those criticisms. Then again, he probably has not thought this through very well. He is likely a dangerous and irrational man.
While I am considering this, a pokemon called Chingling attacks me. Khali easily beats her with astonish. Another Machop takes a psybeam and goes down. I encounter another Chingling. I am about to try to catch this one for the pokedex project, but I am running low on poke balls. Best to save them for rare pokemon, if I run into any. There are some parts of the cave I cannot get to right now (rocky walls that will probably be scaled by an HM move later), so I leave through an exit that takes me to a series of bridges. Here's another hiker. Geodudes, of course. A man running around in a gi challenges me. Why is he wearing a gi? Oh well, he has Machop, which is easy for Khali. Another hiker blocks my path as I am leaving the bridges. He actually leads with Onix, which takes more punishment than Geodude, but is still easy enough for psybeam.
I descend a large staircase and cross a field, battling a Psyduck along the way. Another man in a gi is at the bottom, but he does not challenge me. He just gives me an item. An "odd keystone." He tells me to go to Route 209 and go underground. He also tells me to listen to the stone pillar and talk to people underground. Right. Still, nice to know that some people have psychoses more severe than my own? I don't know.
An old man in bizarre clothing challenges me. A veteran trainer? His "Mime Jr." pokemon goes down in one hit against Khali. Since Khali is now Level 25, I switch to Apsu. I want my other pokemon to have some fun. My opponent uses "Bonsly." Apsu has little trouble with this tree thing. As I keep walking north, a woman act's all absent-minded and says that she was about to enter a contest, but that beating me won't take long. Combee goes down in one hit against Khali's psybeam. Roselia takes two hits. Easy.
I find some berries. I pick them and do not plant anything because I am not into planting berries. I barge into the nearby house and find a berry guru or whatever. He gives me another berry. A little girl in the house gives me a Poketch app that locates berries. Excellent. Now I can strip Sinnoh of berries forever. All of the berries will be mine. None for anyone else. All mine, I tell you. Someone is trying to sell me mulch, so I get out of there and arrive in Hearthome City.
I enter the dreaded mountain. A Machop bothers me while I walk and gets a psybeam in return. I reach a rock and am about to have Hanuman smash it, but a man with striking blue hair approaches me. He speaks...
"According to one theory, Mt. Coronet is where the Sinnoh reion began." He turns to the side, watching I don't know what. "...In a newly created world...A world where only time flowed and space expanded...There should have been no strife. But what became of that world? Because the human spirit is weak and incomplete, strife has spread...This world is being ruined by it...I find the state of things to be deplorable..."
He motions for me to move out of his path. Without even thinking, I do. He departs. Too bad. I would have liked to challenge his philosophy there. Firstly, strife is presumably a human condition. Perhaps he would disagree, but if strife is an abstract concept that transcends consciousness, strife may indeed have been present early in the universe. This would be incompatible with his talk of the human spirit anyway. But if strife is a human condition, surely it is part of a greater human framework that includes whatever faculties he is using in making his assessment. He is, from his position as a human, judging the world as being "ruined" by a human quality, namely strife. It is my suspicion that strife is inextricable from this framework, not something that can be isolated. Unless he is claiming to be without strife himself, and therefore different from the rest of us, strife is part of his own framework and he is necessarily using strife to damn strife. This is begging the question: the faculties used to make judgment can neither validate nor invalidate themselves. And being without strife himself would create a new problem because without isolating strife and without experiencing it, he is in no position to judge it. I would have liked to hear his answers to those criticisms. Then again, he probably has not thought this through very well. He is likely a dangerous and irrational man.
While I am considering this, a pokemon called Chingling attacks me. Khali easily beats her with astonish. Another Machop takes a psybeam and goes down. I encounter another Chingling. I am about to try to catch this one for the pokedex project, but I am running low on poke balls. Best to save them for rare pokemon, if I run into any. There are some parts of the cave I cannot get to right now (rocky walls that will probably be scaled by an HM move later), so I leave through an exit that takes me to a series of bridges. Here's another hiker. Geodudes, of course. A man running around in a gi challenges me. Why is he wearing a gi? Oh well, he has Machop, which is easy for Khali. Another hiker blocks my path as I am leaving the bridges. He actually leads with Onix, which takes more punishment than Geodude, but is still easy enough for psybeam.
I descend a large staircase and cross a field, battling a Psyduck along the way. Another man in a gi is at the bottom, but he does not challenge me. He just gives me an item. An "odd keystone." He tells me to go to Route 209 and go underground. He also tells me to listen to the stone pillar and talk to people underground. Right. Still, nice to know that some people have psychoses more severe than my own? I don't know.
An old man in bizarre clothing challenges me. A veteran trainer? His "Mime Jr." pokemon goes down in one hit against Khali. Since Khali is now Level 25, I switch to Apsu. I want my other pokemon to have some fun. My opponent uses "Bonsly." Apsu has little trouble with this tree thing. As I keep walking north, a woman act's all absent-minded and says that she was about to enter a contest, but that beating me won't take long. Combee goes down in one hit against Khali's psybeam. Roselia takes two hits. Easy.
I find some berries. I pick them and do not plant anything because I am not into planting berries. I barge into the nearby house and find a berry guru or whatever. He gives me another berry. A little girl in the house gives me a Poketch app that locates berries. Excellent. Now I can strip Sinnoh of berries forever. All of the berries will be mine. None for anyone else. All mine, I tell you. Someone is trying to sell me mulch, so I get out of there and arrive in Hearthome City.
The Underground
I adjust my team. I am now carrying Sekhmet, Apsu, Khali, Ninhursag, Hanuman, and Articuno. I head north, then turn east onto a road I have not yet traversed. A boy and a girl who are camping or picnicking or some such thing challenge me. Sekhmet and Apsu team up with a biting frenzy that destroys their Pachirisu and Ponyta. One of the trainers tells me that I can dig up fossils in the underground and turn them into pokemon at the museum. With this strange world, I do not know whether to take such a claim seriously or not. It could be the case, I suppose. And I have not tried going underground yet. I make note of this, but for now, continue along the road.
A hefty hiker who looks just like all of the others challenges me and, unsurprisingly, leads with Geodude. Khali's psybeam is much too powerful for the rock pokemon to handle. My opponent then brings out Bronzor. This one takes a beating, but puts Khali to sleep with hypnosis. Somehow, it then confuses her while she is still asleep. Enough of this. I switch to Hanuman. Flame wheel ends the battle. But the road ends at a cave in Mt. Coronet. I have had enough of caves recently. I get my bicycle and journey back to Eterna City.
Of course, Route 211 also leads to Mt. Coronet, but there is a boulder outside the cave that I can break with Hanuman. It was blocking my path before. I cross the bridge and some bird freak challenges me with her owl pokemon. Sekhmet's spark makes quick work of the owl. Nothing else down here but a TM lying abandoned on the ground. So much for avoiding the mountain. Actually, I do just that, returning to the tunnel between Jubilife City and Oreburgh City. There were some formations I could not get through on foot, but that a bicycle could supposedly surmount. I intend to check them out.
These ramps seem made for my bike. Convenient. The Zubats and Geodudes attacking me all the time are a bit less convenient, but Sekhmet is beating them back with ease. All I find for my trouble, though, is a TM. Looks like I really will have to go through Mt. Coronet. Fine. But first, I will try the underground. I doubt it will give me a way to avoid the mountain, but it is one more thing to do. As soon as I try to use the explorer kit, a gaping black hole appears beneath me and I fall in. I land, completely unharmed, in what looks like a mine. Roark is here...
"Hey! Master! Is this maybe your first time here?"
Yes.
"Welcome to Sinnoh's Underground! Huh? Where is this, you ask?"
No, I didn't.
"Doesn't the Radar make it obvious?"
No.
"This is a giant underground netowrk of passages underneath Sinnoh. Huh, what am I doing down in this expanse of a place?"
I did not ask that.
"That's kind of hard to answer."
I really do not care. One of my weakest pokemon beat everything you had and I have gotten a whole lot stronger since then. You are small-time, Roark.
"I mean, you can do pretty much anything you want down here."
Except not suck at pokemon, apparently.
"For instance, you can dig up Treasure, Spheres, and make a Secret Base."
Is he still talking?
"You can play with your friends down here too."
I'm surprised you still have any friends, after they saw you get such a brutal beating at my hands.
"You should talk to the Underground Man in Eterna City."
How does he think I got down here?
"I have to get going now. I'll see you around!"
And with that, he spins around and flies up, disappearing from view. Whatever, I commence to digging for treasure. I also commence to clearing a lot of traps someone put in the ground. It was probably Roark. He is probably trying to catch me so that he can cannibalize me. I will probably have to kill him later.
Searching for treasure eventually becomes tiresome. Although I do find some potentially useful items, none of them are fossils. I sigh, return to the surface, and prepare to enter Mt. Coronet.
A hefty hiker who looks just like all of the others challenges me and, unsurprisingly, leads with Geodude. Khali's psybeam is much too powerful for the rock pokemon to handle. My opponent then brings out Bronzor. This one takes a beating, but puts Khali to sleep with hypnosis. Somehow, it then confuses her while she is still asleep. Enough of this. I switch to Hanuman. Flame wheel ends the battle. But the road ends at a cave in Mt. Coronet. I have had enough of caves recently. I get my bicycle and journey back to Eterna City.
Of course, Route 211 also leads to Mt. Coronet, but there is a boulder outside the cave that I can break with Hanuman. It was blocking my path before. I cross the bridge and some bird freak challenges me with her owl pokemon. Sekhmet's spark makes quick work of the owl. Nothing else down here but a TM lying abandoned on the ground. So much for avoiding the mountain. Actually, I do just that, returning to the tunnel between Jubilife City and Oreburgh City. There were some formations I could not get through on foot, but that a bicycle could supposedly surmount. I intend to check them out.
These ramps seem made for my bike. Convenient. The Zubats and Geodudes attacking me all the time are a bit less convenient, but Sekhmet is beating them back with ease. All I find for my trouble, though, is a TM. Looks like I really will have to go through Mt. Coronet. Fine. But first, I will try the underground. I doubt it will give me a way to avoid the mountain, but it is one more thing to do. As soon as I try to use the explorer kit, a gaping black hole appears beneath me and I fall in. I land, completely unharmed, in what looks like a mine. Roark is here...
"Hey! Master! Is this maybe your first time here?"
Yes.
"Welcome to Sinnoh's Underground! Huh? Where is this, you ask?"
No, I didn't.
"Doesn't the Radar make it obvious?"
No.
"This is a giant underground netowrk of passages underneath Sinnoh. Huh, what am I doing down in this expanse of a place?"
I did not ask that.
"That's kind of hard to answer."
I really do not care. One of my weakest pokemon beat everything you had and I have gotten a whole lot stronger since then. You are small-time, Roark.
"I mean, you can do pretty much anything you want down here."
Except not suck at pokemon, apparently.
"For instance, you can dig up Treasure, Spheres, and make a Secret Base."
Is he still talking?
"You can play with your friends down here too."
I'm surprised you still have any friends, after they saw you get such a brutal beating at my hands.
"You should talk to the Underground Man in Eterna City."
How does he think I got down here?
"I have to get going now. I'll see you around!"
And with that, he spins around and flies up, disappearing from view. Whatever, I commence to digging for treasure. I also commence to clearing a lot of traps someone put in the ground. It was probably Roark. He is probably trying to catch me so that he can cannibalize me. I will probably have to kill him later.
Searching for treasure eventually becomes tiresome. Although I do find some potentially useful items, none of them are fossils. I sigh, return to the surface, and prepare to enter Mt. Coronet.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Cai Shen and Wayward Cave
I wander through the grass beneath Cycling Road. Nanabozho has gotten strong enough to take on wild pokemon, some of them even higher in level than himself. After fighting my way through a huge stream of wild pokemon, a hiker challenges me. Kazza completely overpowers his Onixes. I find a cave underneath the road. It is very dark and boulders block my path. I stop complimenting myself on my good sense for bringin Hanuman with me when I find that he cannot smash these boulders. Well, they do look different from the ones he has smashed before. Knowing what I do of this world, I deduce that I will need a different move to push these boulders aside. And that probably means another gym badge too. Nothing to do now except take note of the cave's location and come back here when I know of a way to get rid of these boulders.
I see another cave entrance to the east. I will try this one. No boulders blocking my path, but it is very dark, so I could get lost. Hopefully Kazza can just teleport me out of here in an emergency. The first wild pokemon I meet is a metal disk called Bronzor that uses confusion an hurts Hanuman, although not too badly. Hanuman strikes back with flame wheel, and it works very well. Fire is good against whatever type this pokemon happens to be. I run into another one. This cave could be dangerous, wild pokemon keep attacking and I am in a dark maze of rocks, some of which Hanuman must break to get through. Each individual wild pokemon goes down pretty easily, but there are so many that they are wearing my whole team down, or will soon enough.
I find an escape rope. Who would abandon an escape rope? Oh well, at least I can use it if I need to, but I think I could just backtrack my steps. I catch a Bronzor. It is both a steel type and a psychic type. I name my new Bronzor Cai Shen. My team is still hurting, although Khali, Ninhursag, and Articuno are still healthy. I am thinking that I could get used to running around in a dark cavern like this when, quite suddenly, I see a girl...
"I'm Mira. I was catching pokemon, and then I got lost. I'm so scared. Please! Please take me to the exit!"
That should be simple enough. I agree to take her to the exit. She says that she will keep my pokemon healthy all the time. We encounter two wild pokemon at once. This is just like when I was with Cheryl. Mira uses Kadabra and not Chansey, and we are in a cave and not a forest, and my companion wants to get out, not to get through, but really, it's all very similar. And now we come to a dilemma. Mira does not know how to get out of the cave. She seems completely lost. I benefit from having her with me. I could either do what she wants and bring her outside right away, or I could explore the cave and bring her out once I am satisfied that there is no more to be found here. Mira would be none the wiser and my team would gain more experience from the venture.
Bronzor absorbs a lot of punishment, so the going is slow, as that seems to be the only thing that attacks us, although there is the occasional Zubat. We encounter two trainers, who are pretty much outmatched by Mira's Kadabra alone. Easy experience for my team. Another pair of trainers seems easy at first, but a Shinx catches Mira's Kadabra and brings him down. Kazza is more resilient, and survives the bite, hitting back with confusion to end the fight. After encountering some more wild pokemon, Nanabozho is becoming the bane of all Zubats. Another pair of trainers challenges us. They try to anyway, the fearsome Silcoon/Cascoon combo is not really a challenge to me and the Dustox and Beautifly that follow are not much better. They manage to poison Mira's Kadabra, but so what? She heals everything after every battle. I wish I could do that.
Navigating in this darkness is really annoying. I begin to wonder why anyone would ever go into a cave of one's own volition. Then I remember that I am in a cave of my own volition for some reason. I would say that this was a bad idea, but without me, what would have become of poor Mira? Also, my pokemon, notably Nanabozho, are becoming stronger here. A pair of young trainers are in my way, so we have to battle of course. I fully intend to explore this whole cave, or as much of it as I can get to, while I am here. Nanabozho take out the opposing Buneary in one hit while Mira's Kadabra does the same to the enemy Bidoof. These trainers we are fighting sure are scrubs. Nanabozho's frustration also eliminates a Zubat and weakens a monkey thing called Aipom so that Kadabra finishes it in the next hit.
Finally, after hours in this cave, we circle all the way around it and reach the exit. Mira claims that she will get tougher and then she won't be such a scaredy-cat. In my defense, she was in a part of the cave where I had to go back around anyway, so while we did take the scenic route, it was not that bad. Also, if she hadn't gotten herself lost, she could have taken the more direct route on her own. Also, my pokemon gained several levels there. Weary from my cave expedition, I teleport back (the one good thing about having that move, I guess) to the Oreburgh City Poke Center. I want to adjust my team again, but I am not yet sure how. I will think about it while retiring for the night.
I see another cave entrance to the east. I will try this one. No boulders blocking my path, but it is very dark, so I could get lost. Hopefully Kazza can just teleport me out of here in an emergency. The first wild pokemon I meet is a metal disk called Bronzor that uses confusion an hurts Hanuman, although not too badly. Hanuman strikes back with flame wheel, and it works very well. Fire is good against whatever type this pokemon happens to be. I run into another one. This cave could be dangerous, wild pokemon keep attacking and I am in a dark maze of rocks, some of which Hanuman must break to get through. Each individual wild pokemon goes down pretty easily, but there are so many that they are wearing my whole team down, or will soon enough.
I find an escape rope. Who would abandon an escape rope? Oh well, at least I can use it if I need to, but I think I could just backtrack my steps. I catch a Bronzor. It is both a steel type and a psychic type. I name my new Bronzor Cai Shen. My team is still hurting, although Khali, Ninhursag, and Articuno are still healthy. I am thinking that I could get used to running around in a dark cavern like this when, quite suddenly, I see a girl...
"I'm Mira. I was catching pokemon, and then I got lost. I'm so scared. Please! Please take me to the exit!"
That should be simple enough. I agree to take her to the exit. She says that she will keep my pokemon healthy all the time. We encounter two wild pokemon at once. This is just like when I was with Cheryl. Mira uses Kadabra and not Chansey, and we are in a cave and not a forest, and my companion wants to get out, not to get through, but really, it's all very similar. And now we come to a dilemma. Mira does not know how to get out of the cave. She seems completely lost. I benefit from having her with me. I could either do what she wants and bring her outside right away, or I could explore the cave and bring her out once I am satisfied that there is no more to be found here. Mira would be none the wiser and my team would gain more experience from the venture.
Bronzor absorbs a lot of punishment, so the going is slow, as that seems to be the only thing that attacks us, although there is the occasional Zubat. We encounter two trainers, who are pretty much outmatched by Mira's Kadabra alone. Easy experience for my team. Another pair of trainers seems easy at first, but a Shinx catches Mira's Kadabra and brings him down. Kazza is more resilient, and survives the bite, hitting back with confusion to end the fight. After encountering some more wild pokemon, Nanabozho is becoming the bane of all Zubats. Another pair of trainers challenges us. They try to anyway, the fearsome Silcoon/Cascoon combo is not really a challenge to me and the Dustox and Beautifly that follow are not much better. They manage to poison Mira's Kadabra, but so what? She heals everything after every battle. I wish I could do that.
Navigating in this darkness is really annoying. I begin to wonder why anyone would ever go into a cave of one's own volition. Then I remember that I am in a cave of my own volition for some reason. I would say that this was a bad idea, but without me, what would have become of poor Mira? Also, my pokemon, notably Nanabozho, are becoming stronger here. A pair of young trainers are in my way, so we have to battle of course. I fully intend to explore this whole cave, or as much of it as I can get to, while I am here. Nanabozho take out the opposing Buneary in one hit while Mira's Kadabra does the same to the enemy Bidoof. These trainers we are fighting sure are scrubs. Nanabozho's frustration also eliminates a Zubat and weakens a monkey thing called Aipom so that Kadabra finishes it in the next hit.
Finally, after hours in this cave, we circle all the way around it and reach the exit. Mira claims that she will get tougher and then she won't be such a scaredy-cat. In my defense, she was in a part of the cave where I had to go back around anyway, so while we did take the scenic route, it was not that bad. Also, if she hadn't gotten herself lost, she could have taken the more direct route on her own. Also, my pokemon gained several levels there. Weary from my cave expedition, I teleport back (the one good thing about having that move, I guess) to the Oreburgh City Poke Center. I want to adjust my team again, but I am not yet sure how. I will think about it while retiring for the night.
Charap
I trade Buizel for this Chatot pokemon, nicknamed Charap. She looks rather weak and I already have a bird pokemon: Articuno. I do not think my team is big enough for two avians. However, I do have some trainers on cycling road to beat up on, so I might as well test Charap out before switching back to Hanuman for his rock smash. Of course, the first trainer I come across uses Shinx, so a flying type would be bad and I happen to be using three of them. And when I switch Khali, she takes a damaging bite from the rascal. This is looking bad. Khali take heavy damage from the Shinx, but astonishes until the feline is out of commission. Charap goes up to Level 9 from the experience, but this taught me the lesson that I am not invincible. I need to carry a team that has answers to everything, not give each pokemon I've ever caught equal time with me. The thought of Phlogeus or Hecate or Charap, my newest addition, sitting in a box doing nothing seems like wasted potential, but I perhaps it must be that way.
I continue downhill, still pondering this quandary. My next opponent has Starly. Charap is outclassed by this other bird, so after a few exchanges, I bring in Nyx. Starly is down in two hits. My opponent tries Ponyta next, which only lasts a little bit longer. Another cyclist also leads with Starly, and again, Nyx uses the power of the wind to decimate the bird. He calls in Staravia, which fares no better. Nyx gains a level. Charap has been gaining levels too. Maybe I can get away with this. Charap is already Level 11.
The next trainer uses Zubat. Khali and the Zubat confuse each other, so I switch to Nanabozho, with pound taking out the confused Zubat. The last cyclist on the road uses Pikachu. This pokemon has a tail in the shape of a lightning bolt. I think I know what that means: electric type. I switch to Khali. No electric moves were used, but I wanted to be safe. As I disembark, it occurs to me that those cyclists are exactly where they were when I left them. A road would normally have traffic moving one or both ways, not the same individuals camping on it or going in circles as though the whole reason they are there is to wait for me. The more I contemplate this, the more disturbing it seems. Forget it. I visit the Poke Center in Oreburgh City and make some team adjustments so that I now have Kazza again along with Hanuman for rock smash. I cut through the bushes to get beneath Cycling Road. Time to do some exploring.
I continue downhill, still pondering this quandary. My next opponent has Starly. Charap is outclassed by this other bird, so after a few exchanges, I bring in Nyx. Starly is down in two hits. My opponent tries Ponyta next, which only lasts a little bit longer. Another cyclist also leads with Starly, and again, Nyx uses the power of the wind to decimate the bird. He calls in Staravia, which fares no better. Nyx gains a level. Charap has been gaining levels too. Maybe I can get away with this. Charap is already Level 11.
The next trainer uses Zubat. Khali and the Zubat confuse each other, so I switch to Nanabozho, with pound taking out the confused Zubat. The last cyclist on the road uses Pikachu. This pokemon has a tail in the shape of a lightning bolt. I think I know what that means: electric type. I switch to Khali. No electric moves were used, but I wanted to be safe. As I disembark, it occurs to me that those cyclists are exactly where they were when I left them. A road would normally have traffic moving one or both ways, not the same individuals camping on it or going in circles as though the whole reason they are there is to wait for me. The more I contemplate this, the more disturbing it seems. Forget it. I visit the Poke Center in Oreburgh City and make some team adjustments so that I now have Kazza again along with Hanuman for rock smash. I cut through the bushes to get beneath Cycling Road. Time to do some exploring.
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