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[Urist Imiknorris]

Added note: Combee has a gender ratio of 7:1 m:f.

[Akura]

I learned that one already. The hard way.

[Thexor]

On the plus side, Combee's evolution is actually pretty damn cool, and has a bunch of unique moves. You'll see in a few levels (assuming you actually stuck with the shrine long enough to capture a female). I caught one early in my X playthrough, and it served me well for several gyms.

[Urist Imiknorris]

Is there any other pokemon with three signature moves?

[Neonivek]

Too bad that combee information is COMPLETELY irrelevant for reasons that will be obvious later.. unfortunately and stupidly and annoyingly.

[Akura]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

First I saved Vesryn from a man trying to be a god, despite said man-god's success at being so. Now, I must save Aroma from these Shadow Pokémon and the morons trying to propigate the disease.

I've already got a Shadow Eevee, and now I must go to work curing it. And I'll do this the only way I know how: beating the crap out of stuff. Taking Shadow Eevee out to Route 1X, I learn that Shadow moves have infinite PP. In addition, Eevee is still in Hyper Mode even after that battle against the Magma Grunt whom I took Eevee from. Hyper Mode hurts Eevee with every attack turn, though not if it makes its opponent faint.

After several fights, I finally notice the Heart Gauge go down a few pixels. ...This is going to take a while, and in the meantime Eevee cannot gain levels. I suppose it is EXP-based recovery and not friendship-based recovery as I previously thought. Since that seems to be the case, I give Eevee my Lucky Egg to speed this process up and head off to Route 2X.



Somewhere on this route is Orbic Cave, where Team Magma is presumably trying to steal the Red Orb. The Pokémon must be stronger here, meaning more EXP for Eevee(and everyone else).

The new Pokémon are also new.



For some reason, this one didn't open the Pokédex automatically like it normally does when you get a new catch. Maybe it was because of Shadow Eevee.

One battle after catching Charmander, I finally get Eevee 1/5th of the way cured.



Yay.

Maybe beating up trainers will make it go faster.


"Vesryn region, you still don't have a chance against me!"

Uh-huh. Of course, I don't have me Vesryn team, but this kid should still be easy.



Poor kid.

He had Ratata, Patrat, and Bidoof. During this fight, I learned you cannot use items on a Hyper Mode Shadow Pokémon, but the Run command turns into "Call", which cancels Hyper Mode. Also, Hyper Mode damages a Shadow Pokémon even if it knocks out its opponent if the opposing trainer still has another Pokémon to send out.

Eevee entered Hyper Mode again as he took down Bidoof. Unsure what effect it has on curing him.



That battle took half of another section of the Heart Gauge. He earned about 750-775 EXP during the battle, but most of that was in Hyper Mode.

The next wild encounter I learned that you cannot cancel Hyper Mode unless it's a trainer battle.



But I did catch a damn dirty ape.



And a drugged-up bunny.

Reaching the next trainer...



Another one. Guess I'll have a full party of Shadow Pokémon myself soon.



Clearly, she's evil.

First was a Roggenrola. After calling to Eevee, I switched to Snubull and Earthquaked him.

Second was Meditite. Eevee went Hyper again after a single turn, but I cancled that and beat down Meditite.

Third was Nincada, who was set on fire by Combusken.

Last was...



Shadow moves are ineffective against other Shadow Pokémon. Conversely, this makes kidnapping them easier since I don't have to worry so much about overkill.

Interestingly, there is a bug(?) in the game where if both Shadow Pokémon are in Hyper Mode, calling to yours to cancel it will cause damage to the other. It's a possible bug since calling doesn't use a turn. This might also apply to other by-turn damage such as weather or poison.

After a few turns, during which Electrike's Hyper Mode did far more damage than Eevee did(and vice versa), I throw an Ultra Ball.





Can humans be infected by the Shadow disease?


"deluded."

No, she's just a bitch.



The battle nearly brought Eevee to being cured. Next I'll have to fix Electrike. Good enough, since when it evolves, I've got a Manetricite for it.


"the Vesryn Region!"

Heh, already have.

He sent out Skitty first. Or so I thought, as it turned into Zorua after taking a hit(the cry was still wrong). Next was a Lileep that got mangled by Tyrogue. Third was a normal Eevee. It hit my Shadow Eevee with a critical Quick Attack, followed by mine going Hyper and suiciding the same turn. Combee took it down. Last was an actual Skitty. Eevee suicided again after entering Hyper Mode.

This battle and the next have brought Eevee almost to being cured, about half a bar left. All that's left is to enter Orbic Cave.

Before I do that, it was at this point I learned that a male Combee does not evolve, so I head back to Cephei to catch a female one and ditch the drone I have. That took way longer than it should, I would guess that the appearance rate of a female Combee is about 5%. And Eevee accidentally killed one.

However, my focus is on curing Eevee, not getting Vespiquen. Luckily, Eevee is just about cured. In fact, just steps away from the hive, I get a message:



Apparently, it's step-based, not EXP-based.



I wonder how I do that. Stab it with a key? Entering a battle, I find that, in addition to his Shadow Moves, Shadow Blitz and Shadow Mist, he's gained normal Sand-Attack and Growl. So, right now I have no idea how to finally cure him.

As for getting Combee trained, I hand her the Lucky Egg to boost her EXP. Before long, she gets close to the level of her drone counterpart, and I finalle get to Orbic Cave.



Whoever designed the game maps must really like volcanoes. Then again, Team Magma is probably here to steal the Red Orb(it's called Orbic Cave), which is what keeps Groudon quiet.


"run in here earlier!"

Definitely the right place.


"I hope I find it!"

And I was right about the Orb.

As I clear a path through the trainers in here, I notice there aren't any wild encounters... at least until I went down two ladders. And then I went down another ladder.


"Feel the wrath of my Shadow Pokémon!"



It's spreading.

His first two were Roggenrola and Shuckle, nothing too hard. His last...



Why are they so scary-looking?



After that, I found something sparkly.



Then something goddamned.



Then something completely retarded.





First was Vulpix. I tried to use Attact on her, but then she got Pidove with Confuse Ray despite the infatuation(protip: foxes are evil, even when in love), then Roar to bring out Tyrogue. Luckily, Tyrogue got her.

Second was Zubat, who was Thunderbolted by Snubull. Last was Pachirisu, who was Earthquaked by Snubull.

Clearing through several other Grunts, I come across their leader.


"retreive it from the depths of Orbic Cave!"

Does every villian have to shout every step of their plan at every step of their plan?


"location! Then finally, Team Magma will rise!"

Huh, I thought the two were fighting each other, not working together. At least now they've got the right Orb.



Oh great, another murder plot against a powerful trainer.



So what will happen to all the water? We kinda need something to drink.



No, I'm the guy who has killed a god. And then you idiots.


"Pokémon... You see, we have this agreement with Cipher!"


"Pokémon to the region. We have an agreement!"


"us the secret location of where Groudon sleeps!"
(I suppose the text should have been red there.)



I am suspecting more that the Shadow disease can infect humans. Or, she's just a bitch herself.





I didn't expect her to use Kirlia. And although Tyrogue has Thief, it's not really strong, so I swap to Combee.



Bug Bite is rather powerful.



Usually, they've been sending in Shadow Pokémon last. After slowing her with Scary Face, and making her flinch twice with Bite, I throw a ball.





However, this battle isn't over yet, and I bet Courtney is pissed that I stole her Pokémon.



Snubull is my main anti-Flying Pokémon, but she's hurt after getting Vulpix.



But then, Pidove has a pretty good moveset and can outfight Pidgeotto.



Snubull is also my main anti-Fire. If I can get Eevee cured, I might evolve him to Vaporeon.



Kicking things in the head always works.



I didn't think Ariados evolved so quickly.

It used Contrict for about 2 points of damage, then Scary Face for a while before Night Shade. Almost enough.



But "almost" is a swear word in battle.





You didn't actually use it.





Does she suffer from some kind of speech problem where she forgets random letters in her words?



And I'll probably end up capturing it!



I'm not actually your subordinate, so I can't have committed insubordination.



What a coincidence, that's where I'm going!

They leave, and I head for the exit myself.



From here, it's a short walk to Orion City.



I head for the Pokémon Center. I can find out what Team Magma and Team Cipher are up to next update. And maybe even find out how to cure Shadow Pokémon.

Spoiler: Current Team (click to show/hide)

[Neonivek]

The funny thing is that Shadow Pokémon didn't always use to be scary.

They used to just be purple and that was it. The red eyes were added in later.

Also Shadow Pokémon kind of become an annoyance in the game... because it means you have to save pretty much after every battle because any one of them could have a shadow pokemon. There are other gimmicks to shadow pokemon, but I don't want to give them away.

[Akura]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Couldn't stop Team Magma from taking the Red Orb, and I still have to find a cure for Eevee(and Electrike, Geodude, and Vulpix).

That dumb bitch from Magma said she was meeting with Cipher in this town, so I should look around town.

Starting with the Pokémon Center...


"in his Gym, even just that little amount of experience can mean the difference between winning and losing with him."

More gyms?! Really?

Besides Cephei, Tauri, and Orion, there's nine other cities in the region. I assume Kingdom City has the League, and presumably only one other city doesn't have a gym in it.

Checking my trainer card, I see that there may only be four other gyms, since it has the four Sigils from Vesryn on it already.





"I heard they managed to secure the Red Orb! While I can respect such a remarkable feat, I know they are going to do terrible things with it..."

Don't worry, at some point I'll probably manage to take it from them. Then I'll do terrible things with it.


"A lot of people underestimate him, but he's really tough! I heard he even has one of those rare Shadow Pokémon!"

So the Gym Leaders in this region are pure evil?

This might be hard, since the only one I've got that's good against Flying-types is Snubull.


"His Gym is really big, and he uses powerful Flying-types. He even has a Shadow Pokémon, apparently! I wonder if he's compensating for his size... WAIT! I meant his height! He's not very tall!"

So we've got Napoleon here. Great.


"I don't know what it is, this just town seems really exposed to the elements."

I guess you could say you've got a... sinking feeling.

(-_-)¬-


"They say he shaped the Regi-regions of the world! Then he created Registeel, Regice, and Regirock! Then he was tired, so he went to his Regi-house and took a Regi-poop in Regi-toilet!"

Too much Regi-information there. I suppose that means Regigias is in this region somewhere.


"But I know Pokémon will never desert me!"

Plus, you can probably get really high if you had a Vileplume and Koffing to sniff. Just saying.


"Region. Wow! I wish I could go to the Kalos Region!"

Apparently, the lady is a Ranger from Kalos, and she's trading Noibat.


"quicksand over here!"

Does that work? The only thing I can think of living in quicksand is Trapinch.

In this town I also find a Wireless Communications Depot, allowing trades. Huh, you'd think that because of the quarantine in this region, you wouldn't be able to trade.

Then I find the gym. However...



Not open yet. I guess I have to keep looking for Teams Magma and Cipher.


"while we talk to Cipher!"

Why would you do that, besides plot railroading?


"double-crossed us before!"

That makes more sense. But why would you still have dealings with them if they've done that before?

Anyway, in a cliché abandoned park, I find the meeting.





"Greevil"? That's completely ridiculous.



"We will use it to track Groudon down!"

And after he does that, Cipher will send Groudon's location in the mail in a few-ish days.



At least Maxie is smart enough not to blindly agree to that.


"Groudon is! You have no other choice!"

Didn't you just say you didn't and you needed the Orb to find out?


"You there! Give him the Red Orb!"



No, that's not what you do. You beat the information out of him, that is what you do.


"Oops!"

I swear that looked intentional.





Congratulations, Mr. Grunt! You are now a Dwarf Fortress veteran!


"That's a one of a kind artifact! We'll never awaken Groudon now!"

Nooo, I'm never going to steal Groudon from them!



Only now did I notice the old guy turned into a chef. What the hell?


"We would be willing to... to lend you the use of our Black Orb..."



And would presumably corrupt it into a Shadow Pokémon.






"we... Team Cipher... we want to perform the Groudon ritual."

Which means they want to corrupt it into a Shadow Pokémon.


"we are the ones to catch Groudon."


"think."

"Farewell, Greevil."

Yes, farewell to the guy who just stabbed you in the back, and is going to stab you in the back again.

The town is still covered in lava, and now the exit is blocked.

The only thing to do now is to farm obsidian challenge Do-Youn.



How am I going to get across?

Apparently by making Super Mario jumps. The first battle with a trainer shows I'm not quite ready yet. They have higher levels and fairly strong teams. I head back to Orbic Cave to train for a while. Since I have no means of curing him, I also replace Shadow Eevee with Carbink, hoping that the Rock-type advantage helps.

The problem with grinding is the Pokémon in Orbic Cave and Route 2X give terrible EXP gains, so after giving Carbink a couple of levels(plus Dazzling Gleam and Smack Down), I try another Gym Trainer. The result was pretty good. He tanked a Water Pulse from a Ducklett(Swanna's baby stage), and he and Tyrogue took down a Pidgeotto(it used Whirlwind).

I also train the others a bit, including Combee. Upon deafeating the last Gym Trainer...




Huzzah, I have a queen. I should probably never feed her chocolates.

Upon evolution, she learned Slash. I replace it with X-Scissor. The only downside, so to speak, is that her ability changed from Honey Gather to Pressure, although Pressure isn't bad against those powerful low-PP moves. Currently, she's the strongest attacker I have, beating out Combusken by one point. She has damn fine defense and special defense(second to Carbink), but fairly poor special attack and speed. I'm not sure how much of that is due to high levels(she and Combusken are Lv.21, everyone else is 17-20).

I swear I've seen Vespiquen's shape before, though.



The one on the left is Vespiquen, obviously, and the one on the right is Rola's training ST from Metal Combat 2 on the SNES. They do look similar, although I doubt Vespiquen has breast cannons(Rola's ST does, however). And I did play through an entire run of MC2 after taking that shot, and cleared the entire game it in about 10 minutes, 40 seconds(...not my best time).

Anyway, back to the guy with a Napoleon complex.


"The name's Do-Youn!"

Hi. Err, sorry about that whole lava thing.

No wait, that wasn't me this time. Sweet!




"I hope you're prepared!"

Considering the psychological damage Shadow disease causes, I don't think that is a good thing.



Hah, way to throw in a slight about his height.



Oh, come on! They just stuck a dumb hat on Wattson's image.



I think that's what evolves into Braviary. Carbink's Fairy-type would negate the weakness Rock has to Fighting.

I gave Carbink some Leftovers, and spent a few turns boosting his Defense with Harden and Reflect. Rufflet's initial Aerial Ace was healed over in two turns before that, so I should be able to tank through this.

Once Carbink is sufficiently indestructable, I start laying the Smack Down on Rufflet.



Rufflet tried to counter Harden with Hone Claws, but that didn't really help.



This one might be a problem is Carbink wasn't completely tanked up, and there aren't too many non-physical Ground-type attacks that he could have.



Gligar only managed a more than three points of damage when he got a critical hit with Faint Attack, and once with Acrobatics when Reflect fell, that's all.



I got that one from a Mystery Gift. It could be a problem, but maybe not.

Hawlucha opened with Swords Dance, and then Hi Jump Kick when Reflect failed again. That hurt, but it wasn't fatal.



I forgot for a second that Dazzling Gleam really hurts Fighting-types.



I don't see how that's the "most powerful Flying-type in the world", even if it is a Shadow Pokémon.

Swablu used Shadow Sky, creating a per turn damage weather effect that effectively negated Leftovers' healing(same damage as recovered). Despite that, a single Smack Down brought him down to half HP. Low enough to catch.



Just one more left, and it can't be anything that will be a problem for Carbink, so I give someone else some fun.



A pebble just broke most of your power.

Time to give Vespiquen a test run. Sure, I don't expect her to win, but let's see what she can do.

She does surprisingly well, given the disadvantage. By the time she's reduced to 8HP, she's got Tranquill in the red as well. However, I think I want Pidove to have a bit of fun here too.



Heh, Love Bird. Damn Tranquill used Roost.

Unfortunately, that didn't stop Tranquill from beating Pidove up. If she was stopped for one more turn, she'd have lost.

Whatever, Snubull comes out to mop things up.








"lifted from me."

Well, I did just liberate a Swablu, so now you don't have to feed it or anything...



Same thing, I guess.

Wait, that does mean that humans can get infected!



They're called Shadow Pokémon. They look like demons. How could you possibly not see that?




I get the Aerial Badge. I cannot possibly see how this can be useful.

He also gives me TM40 Aerial Ace. That's useful.



Yep. Streets of lava. Literal hell on earth.





Of course, now I have to worry about getting back... Oh wait, I have Rocket Boots.

Talking to him again yields this:



I'M ALREADY THE CHAMPION OF THE PLACE! I've even beat all FIVE Sigil Halls!

Anyway, let's see how he can get me over the lava.




"myth about a City lost long ago. This city is called Origin City, and apparently within it lies a cure for the Shadow plague that has engulfed our region. If you're going to the Eternal Forest, I'd like you to check it out. Having a cure for the Shadow plague would be very helpful! Anyways, let's go!"

Damn right it's helpful. Looks like I know where I'm going next.



Forests are dark and scary at night, so I'm going to do this next update.

Spoiler: Current Team (click to show/hide)

[Cerol Lenslens]

Greevil may have a silly name, but you can't blame Omicron/Zeta for that - he's actually the end boss of Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness. Moreover, he's actually one of the nastiest and most competent villains the franchise has seen - by the time you face him in that game, he has four shadow legendaries! (This actually puts him up to seven pokemon in his party, so he throws Shadow Lugia at you to soften you up, and then takes you on with a full 6-mon party.)

I also like Cipher a lot because they're the only evil organization in Pokemon to say "Screw this 'Team Whatever' naming scheme!" (Just to highlight this, they're shown attacking a group of thieves called Team Snag'em in order to seize their criminal assets, so it's clear that the developers weren't treating the 'Team' thing as implicit.) I meant to call the previous update out on that, because an NPC refers to it as 'Team Cipher', which I'm almost certain is incorrect!

Anyways, let's talk Vespiquen for a second. From using one throughout Pearl, I found Vespiquen to be pretty great. Tanky as all hell, with Pressure complementing that tankiness and a nice spread of useful moves in all categories. She can use stuff like Defense Order and Heal Order to tank harder, learns Toxic to take advantage of tanking harder. She learns the special attack Power Gem, allowing her to go toe-to-toe against flying, fire and ice types, all of which are usually problems for flying bugs, and which also allows her to smash other bugs. Attack Order gives her a useful physical attack, meaning she can go the mixed attacker route with some success.

Her main problems are speed (she is not fast) and a crippling 4x weakness to rock attacks. Due to Stealth Rock's popularity in the metagame, this pretty much shut her out of the competitive ranks, and since O/Z likes supplementing their gym leaders and other bosses with competitive strategies, you may see some trouble on that front.

[Akura]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Alright, finally got a lead on a cure for the Shadow disease! I just have to head through a place called the Eternal Forest. It doesn't sound so bad.

I can also skip this whole part, as Do-Youn will not only return me to Orion City, but take me to Antares Town. But I want that cure.

The forest itself seems like a pretty nice place.



This girl agrees.



...Is she high? I've always wondered that about Aroma Lady trainers.

Her first Pokémon was a Lv.27 Gloom, indicating both that she's high, and I'm way underleveled for this place. Gloom is a total status-bomb. It kept Pidove paralyzed, and there's no way I can outlast him with healing items. The good news is that he almost never attacked and the paralysis never stopped Pidove, allowing him to take Gloom down.

Tropius was next. This one was kind of dangerous, so I used Combusken to set it on fire.



Well it would be if you hadn't attacked me!

Taking down that Gloom was a major victory for Pidove. As a result...




Love Bird MkII get!

Coming back from healing, I new stuff.







I was hoping for a Petilil here, but according to the Pokédex, there isn't any in this region.

According to my map, Origin City is to the southwest, so I head in that direction.



...What? I mean, sometimes it's necessary for breeding work, but I don't actually watch that sort of thing.



I'm pretty sure I already know what those two are.

First was a Skitty(female, poor cat). Second, as I thought, was Wailord(male). Skitty was easy, but Wailord was a major problem. He barely took damage from Thunderbolt, and that was pretty much my only attack effective against him. After he took out Snubull, Vespiquen brought it down and gained two full levels.



Lady, you're messed up.

Fighting a different trainer, Snubull beat an entire team of bugs by herself.




Her useless Run Away also turned into Quick Feet.

The deeper I go, the harder the trainers. What's more, it's becoming more maze-like, with many different branching pathways. I keep to a southwesterly path.


"even more powerful!"

Oh great, the disease is here too. That's right, I remember hearing that one of the four Musketeers was infected.



First was Solosis, who wasn't a problem. Coming out next...



For a second I wondered if I already had that, but I didn't. It was Vulpix I already had.

After a single turn, I was able to catch it(though I missed the screenshot of that).

Her last Pokémon was Kadabra, who had the misfortune to battle Vespiquen.



It's better that way. Shadow disease eats your soul.

It's probably wrong of me to do so, but I return to Orion to replace Tyrogue with the Shadow Growlithe. I guess I had better start opening some hearts if I want to cure them.

On the way back to where I was, I catch an Espurr that wrecked a good number of my team(including Growlithe) during the attempt. I'm considering using her later.

I continue through to forest, probably in the wrong direction.



Well screw you too, bitch!



Her team was rather weak, Pikachu, Buneary(Lopunny's baby stage), Gyrados(paralyzed on the first hit, died on the second), and Kadabra.


"attractive."

I never claimed otherwise.



And you're a whore.

I was right about that path being the wrong one, since it led me right back to the start.

Taking a different fork...


"to be the best they can be!"



At least this one was polite enough to ask, so I oblige. Actually I would have had to anyway, but now I'm not annoyed at it.

Her team is Lv.29, higher than anything else around here so far. Her Mothim got Smacked Down by Carbink. Next was Octillery, who fell to a critical Thunderbolt from Granbull. Last was Vespiquen vs Vespiquen. Hers was stronger so I switch to Carbink and Smacked her Down. Maddy's Vespiquen did reveal some nifty moves that mine should hopefully learn soon.



You asked for it. Politely, I might add.

Pursuing this branch of forest(probably the wrong one again), I find a Pinsirite. Then I come upon the previous fork that was wrong. The next fork was a dead-end after an annoying battle.



...That's more disgusting than the HSOWA girl.





Especially since it's a male Gardevoir.



No, you sick bastard! I like Gardevoir as much as the next guy, but that is not what you do with them!

And that fork was in the wrong direction too. I'm never going to make it out of here at this rate.



Perhaps I despaired to early. According to the map, Origin City is on the other side of this river.



All I have to do is take this possessed boat across. What's the worst that can happen?



Ending up exactly where I wanted to go, apparently. Heading forward to whatever this cure might be, the way is blocked.


"angry!"

Huh. There was a couple of kids blocking a lighthouse in Ladoga City who were talking about a Miror B. I guess this is him.


"he's dancing!"


"Let the music play!"

And I'll send you packing with a kick to the head! Now get out of my way, I've got a plague to cure.



Argh, that outfit! Too... much... swank!



Ludicolo didn't use any attacks of any consequence.





I didn't see that coming. Trying to limit the damage to it hurt Combusken.



As Combusken went down, Porygon entered Hyper Mode, limiting the time I have to catch it.



Got it, and with no turns to spare!



Another Ludicolo? There are other Pokémon that can dance, you know.

The main threat that Ludicolo had(and I assume the first one had it too) was Nature Power->Tri Attack. Vespiquen was frozen.



Tranquil come out to finish this.







Aww, but I like his particular battle theme.





And through?



Is that what cures Shadow Pokémon?



The name kinda implies that.



Wait, "may" be able to cure them?

"I can't test it though, you just beat mine!"

Oh, you were trying to cure Porygon? Oops.



Let's see this Relic Stone.



That's the Lati-s egg from one of Emerald's DLCs(it's supposed to give you the other Lati-s you don't pick after the E4).

The towers in the area have signs on the doors saying "Knowledge", "Willpower", and "Emotion", and are "physically impossible to touch". Huh, aren't those the three things that Shadow disease takes away?

There's no PC in the area, and the only Shadow I have on hand is Growlithe who isn't ready. However, I can fly to Origin now, so I head back to Orion to heal and get Eevee out.

As I take Eevee to the stone...


"for this for a while."

Who's there?!



Yes, that's why I brought Eevee. His heart is open.


"Maybe I could have cured it."

Oh, it's Do-Youn. I didn't see him behind that fountain. Guy might need a stepping stool or something.


"If you want to go to Antares Town, just tell me, ok? I'll be glad to fly you there."

Alright, with that settled. I can get back to curing Eevee.




"Eevee regained the move Tackle!
Eevee regained the move Tail Whip!"

Not really anything to cheer about...

"Eevee regained 5194 Exp. Points!"

Well that works. That brought Eevee up to Lv.19.

Eevee is no longer a Shadow Pokémon! However, I think that level jump might have done some harm since he didn't learn any moves and I think his stat growths might have been hampered a bit. Anyway, I can deal with that later. For now I have Do-Youn take me to Antares.



I suppose I could have checked deeper into the forest for the Musketeers, but that will have to wait until next update.

Spoiler: Current Team (click to show/hide)

Anyways, let's talk Vespiquen for a second.

Dang it, I already dismissed Power Gem, I'm not sure why.

[Thexor]

Aww. Power Gem is the only high-power 100% accurate Rock attack, and any Rock move that doesn't lose you battles at the whim of the RNG is a good move.

At least you can evolve Eevee now!

[Cerol Lenslens]

Good old Miror B. Another character from Colosseum/XD, he's known for... well... this.

Yeah, the guy should always have a bunch of Ludicolo on him. XD used him as the "Oh, you missed a shadow pokemon? Here's where you can find it again!" mechanic, but I don't expect this game to have that feature. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if you encountered him a few more times.

[Broken]

So, i finished my solo run and arrived to aroma. Then i decided to capture a combee.

I got a female one in the first try, and captured it in one turn with a quick ball.

[Akura]

So, i finished my solo run and arrived to aroma. Then i decided to capture a combee.

I got a female one in the first try, and captured it in one turn with a quick ball.

How funny. It took me about a dozen tries, and I got it with a first-turn Quick Ball.

[Akura]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

With a cure for the Shadow plague, I can now finally get to work purifying this region.

Do-Youn has helpfully brought me to Antares Town. Let's see what the locals have to say.


"I don't know who's scarier- them or Cipher..."

I'd say Cipher, since Team Magma are a bunch of idiots that Cipher is playing like a fiddle.


"region. I heard they all have Shadow Pokémon. It just goes to show the lengths they're willing to go to be the absolute strongest."

So, all the Gym Leaders in this region are evil?


"a Shadow Pokémon get purified faster. Apparently, a device called the 'Time Flute' exists that can open any Shadow Pokémon's heart instantly!"

Some perfume and a belly rub is all it takes? I'm not sure I trust this Time Flute, it reminds me of the Time Caller, and I know how well that worked out.



How optimistic of you.


"problem. If you're having trouble, come see me! I can sell you beautiful scents that may open a Pokémon's heart to you."

So, I can just buy some here?



Those aren't too expensive, but this almost feels like cheating it a bit. What happened to spending quality time with an evil abomination before giving them a perfumed handjob?

I'm curious about how effective they are, so I buy one of each and try them on my recently aquired Shadow Porygon that I got from Miror B.

The results:

Joy Scent: About 4/5ths of single section of the Heart Gauge(about 1/8th total).

Excite Scent: Slightly more than a full section. Heart Gauge is single pixel above 3 sections(so about 61% left).

Vivid Scent: One pixel short of half a section(~9% left). Holy crap.

Testing note: I used these one after another all at once.

Okay, so those are really powerful. I just went from a full Heart Gauge to an almost purified Porygon for just Ł5500. In fact I buy one more Joy Scent to test it on a non-Shadow Pokémon(doesn't work) and finish the job. Then I take Porygon to Origin to cure it.



There really should be some kind of graphical effect for this.

Porygon aquired Agility and Recover. In addition, it apparently also had Magnet Rise and Signal Beam. I'd say Porygon is rather useless, so I swap back to Eevee.

As I'm at the PokéCenter doing that...


"small, and if you're not prepared, the endless shaking might knock you off your feet! Of course... if you could cure the shaking, that would be even better. But let's be honest, what are the chances you could do that?"

I would say pretty good, now that you said it.

Beyond that, nobody else says anything of interest, besides a mention of Yveltal, the legendary Pokémon of destruction. Somebody also offered a trade of Honedge for a Pokémon with a perfect Speed IV, and I have no idea how to check that.

Before I take on Quake Desert, I still have a bit of the Eternal Forest to clear. Last I heard, a Musketeer had the Shadow disease.

Taking a fork in the forest I previously ignored, the first trainer I battled mentioned a stone with strange markings, and that a certain TM or HM might be needed. I don't know if he was talking about the Relic Stone.
I also had to stop Eevee from evolving, since I don't want Espeon or Leafeon. I'm not sure which it was, since Eevee friendship is still at "undecided", despite all the time he was with me as a Shadow Pokémon.

Actually, I wanted Vaporeon. And it just so happens I have about half a dozen Water Stones.




That'll compliment the team nicely. I also teach him Ice Beam, Scald, and Rain Dance. That setup should be great for the desert.

Vaporeon's first battle was against a team consisting of Combusken, Grovyle, Wartortle, and Charmeleon. Combusken and Charmeleon were no-brainers and Grovyle was Ice Beamed. I had to pull him out against Wartortle since a previous Sand-Attack by Combusken started causing problems.

Anyway, on through this last bit of forest.


"You should be ashamed of yourself!"

What, are you N's sister? Girlfriend? Both?



...I could be right.

First was Ponyta who was one-shotted by Vaporeon. Next was Glameow.



That thing looks like somebody stabbed its eyes out. What the hell?

Anyway, I send in Pidove to take care of that, but he barely manages it.

Last was Skitty, who was kicked in the head by Combusken.



Huh, is this the rock that guy had talked about? This does explain Eevee's attempt to evolve. Anyway, this fork was worthless, but there's still another path. That path leads me to...



I wasn't expecting this. It looks like the same place in Onega City, which has a different Pokémon every day that are otherwise difficult to catch. However, I already have Kangaskhan, so I leave this one alone.

And that's all for this forest. Now, on to Quake Desert!



It doesn't look so bad, but then, it's still on the same map as Antares Town, so I don't think I've reached the desert proper.

There are numerous trainers here. Most of them use Ground-types(as well as Fighting-types), so Vaporeon gets to work carving a path of destruction through them.


"This is the worst feeling ever!"

I'm sure I can think of something worse.



Nothing much, just Dustox and Roserade.



...Stupid bitch.



Ahem. Moving on.



Either she fell into quicksand and died, or she abandoned you out here because she doesn't love you.



Welcome to reality, kid.



I figured as much. The savefile still says Antares Town.

His team isn't too much. He had Prinplup and Honedge and...



It's defense was rather poor, since all it took was a single Headbutt to weaken it.



With that unexpected Shadow Pokémon contained, I suppose the way forward is through this cave next to the evil scientist who had it.



Who is this guy?



Compared to, say, traveling over it?


"adventurers in the world."

No you're not! You've got a unique sprite, you're somebody important!


"Much unrest has been caused in this region due to their meddling."

That's probably why they called me in to deal with it.


"strength to oppose them?"

I have dealt with worse. These guys are chumps compared to Team Olympus.





You want to fight? Just who the heck are you?!




Suzerain? I don't recognize that name.



Eevee vs Eevolution. Dammit, him opening with Eevee only makes it harder to figure out what his strategy might be.

I start with Aqua Ring to give some recovery while Eevee uses Return for small damage. Scald takes off half of Eevee's HP while his Hidden Power for the same low damage as Return. One more Scald does it.





If I had instead evolved Leafeon(or got a Petilil like I wanted), this would be easy. Even so, it shouldn't be too hard.

Scald was successful in applying a burn, greatly speeding this along. Swampert kept throwing mud, Mud Shot, Mud Bomb, nothing but mud. The accuracy loss from Mud Bomb made it harder, but Vaporeon held out longer.





Couldn't remember Vibrava's exact type. Bug/Dragon I think. All I know is Dazzling Gleam shaved off half her health. It was only because she got lucky with Supersonic that she got any damage at all in with Rock Slide.





Anothe Shadow... Is this guy evil too?

I could only risk a single Air Cutter. Not only did that do more than half damage to Riolu, Riolu's Shadow Break nearly took out Tranquill. It was enough.







Just tell me who you are already!



"To some degree"?! I've killed gods.



Great, I have a stalker now.



...

What is with that guy?

Anyway, new location, new Pokémon.



Just so you know, silk is, pound for pound, stronger than steel.

...Actually, I think Metang was the only new one in here.

A short walk leads me outside.



It's sandstorming, and the ground is constantly shaking. I assume it will throw me off this hill if I get too close to the edge.

That path only led me back a closed off spot of Antares Town's desert where I found TM69 Rock Polish. Heh, 69...

Interestingly, on the way back, I find that there are wild encounters outside the cave. That didn't happen in the desert in Vesryn.



This is the desert proper. That shaking effect gets annoying fast. I suppose I'll have to cure whatever is causing it.


"If you're not careful, you'll get pulled under into a sinkhole!"

Oh great. Sinkholes. In addition to earthquakes and a sandstorm. The sand made the ensuing battle more difficult.

Worse still, I can't Fly from here either by Fly or my Rocket Boots. I have to rely on items, and my formerly massive stockpile of Fresh Water I brought from Vesryn is almost gone. Sure I could just go back to Vesryn, but that would break immersion.

The next trainer mauled most of my team with a Carracosta, and on the way back to Antares I caught something else.



Trudging back through the desert, it's taking a toll on my team and supplies. How much farther does this go on?



"Moss"? She might be a Grass-type, but judging from the surroundings she might be either Ground- or Rock-type like Jonathan was.

After taking this guy down, Tranquill gained a level.




Love Bird MkIII!



Near the defeated trainer, I see a tower. I wonder, could the Pokémon causing the earthquakes be Regigias? I work my way to the tower entrance, only for a sinkhole to open up. Obviously, I'm not going to get in that easily. The sinkehole drops me back into the cavern below the desert, and I reach the begining of the desert again. Heading back, I see another strange building that is also blocked by a sinkhole.


"You better believe I'm going to find it!"

A Mega Stone?

Anyway, after defeating her, my supplies are nearly gone, and there's still more trainers. I've slogged through fights like this before, and I keep on slogging. During the trek, I discover somebody with an apparently new Eevolution: Sylveon, a Fairy-type. It's creepy as hell.



Wow, I guess there's some horrible mother out there dumping her kids into a desert.

After that kid and another trainer, I think I beat all of them. I press on to what I think is the exit.



Oh, it seems like someone hired the Police Club for something.



If only someone could reach it.





That's so wrong. That's one of the most wrong things I've seen this entire trip(includes: Pokémon enslavement, genetic horrors, cybernetic horrors, and human sacrifice).


"the earthquakes?"

Well, she's got a pretty good reason to be pissed off, I can say that.


"get the job done!"

That's being more than reasonable.


"Well, I suppose we'll have to go take that Mega Stone. But we sure as hell ain't finishing the rest of that job!"

Sir, you disgust me.


"citizens of Aroma!"

Hahaha, hoo boy.


"You thought we worked for the government?"

Fun fact: I figured they were Cipher goons the moment Moss mentioned her Pokémon was corrupted.


"We're Team Cipher! We work for Greevil! Ciao ciao, Cipher out!"

See, I was right.

Evil bastards. Can't wait to give them a good kick to the head.

...Just not right now. Crossing that desert was hell.





Don't worry about it. It's good to see the face of your foe before you punch it.


"under siege."


"It's where the massive sinkhole under the desert is coming from. People are constantly getting pulled under and buried alive."

I can see how that's a problem.


"and kill the miners."

Eesh.



Yep. Professor Maple called me over to deal with the Shadow threat, which is the work of Cipher.


"hard drive got damaged by a stray rock."

I thought PK-096 was from the Orre Region? Then again, so is Cipher.


"grant."



Sure, why not.


"not for long. I'm the Gym Leader here- so I'm strong enough to contain it, but the presence of the Mega Stone nearby has powered it up to terrifying levels."

Terrifying levels would be levels 100 and up.


"Stone?"

Of course I'm willing. Being able is another matter...


"a ruin in the southwest corner of the desert. You'll likely find Cipher there."

Which is one blocked by a sinkhole by the way.


"That's where the Steelix is- once you get the Steelixite, we may be able to calm it down!"

Great, I've got a chance to stop Cipher before they wreck more things. But since my team and I are so tired, I'm going to spend some time resting in Andromeda.

Spoiler: Current Team (click to show/hide)