PART XXVI: Mistralton City
Mistralton City, "Strewn with windblown leaves." Which isn't a terribly good thing on a landing stripRemember when I said that Driftveil City was mostly bridge? Well, Mistralton City is mostly runway. In fact, I'm not sure how this qualifies as a city- my hometown of Nuvema has three houses, which is more than Mistralton can boast. If there wasn't an airport here, the city wouldn't even exist- or rather, it might, but just to support the Pokecenter that gives trainers a break after Chargestone Cave, before they continue on to Twist Mountain. It's like if they had tried to dress up that Pokecenter just before Rock Tunnel in Gen I as a town. Before I get the opportunity to explore what little there is of Mistralton, however, I'm confronted by an old man and a scantily clad woman.
Oh! Hey! Monk, right? Let me see your Pokedex for a moment.*
Hey, let go of that!
What do we have here? So, you've found 68 Pokemon, eh? Staggering! You've seen a Klink!*
Well, yeah, Chargestone Cave is positively swarming with the bastards. It would be more impressive if I'd made it through the cave and
hadn't seen one.
You're becoming quite the Trainer. Excuse me! I was a little excited and forgot my manners. My name is Cedric Juniper- the professor who gave you that Pokedex is my daughter! That girl has told me a lot about you. It really makes my day to meet you!*
Really? Well, that makes a pleasant change of pace from all the people who've been trying to kill me lately.
In honor of our meeting, I'm going to upgrade your Pokedex! Some Pokemon change forms even when it's the same individual. If you have already seen a form, you can check it with this whenever you want. I also added a function to make searching easier.*
Well, I almost never need to refer to my 'dex, but thanks?
Professor, who's that Trainer?*
Hint: They're not mermaids, they're Dewgongs! Oh! I forgot my introductions! Skyla, this is a friend of my daughter's. Monk is traveling around Unova to complete the Pokedex.*
Actually, I'm taking the Pokemon League Challenge.
Oh, I see! So that means you'll be challenging the Gym! Oh boy! I'm really looking forward to it!*
Well that's certainly... enthusiastic of you.
That's right, Monk! You should challenge this Gym! If nothing else, this Gym is really out there! See you, Skyla. If something comes up again, I'll let you know!*
Professor, my plane is a cargo plane! It carries cargo, not people! And you're talking as if places like Kanto and Sinnoh are right around the corner!*
Aww, Skyla. If you keep frowning, your face might freeze like that, and that'd be a shame. People and Pokemon, we all have to help each other out! See you later!*
Sheesh! It's hard to believe such a happy-go-lucky guy like that could be a world-renowned Pokemon Professor. Heads-up, Monk.* The Pokemon League is really gunning for you now. Alder told me to show no mercy. He said you were quite talented as a Trainer, though he didn't mention how cute you are!
He said that? And you said
that. Well, I knew the League was going to start getting tougher- not that it could get
less tough. A Leader hasn't posed a real challenge since Lenora.
As a Gym Leader, I'm happy to have you challenge the Gym, but there's something I need to take care of first.*
Wait, you're a Gym Leader, and you actually
do something? This isn't going to end up like Driftveil, is it?
Just now, as I was flying the cargo plane, I saw something on top of the Celestial Tower. I'm sure that it is a sick Pokemon!*
You're sure? I thought you were a pilot, not a doctor.
If it is, I can't just leave it there! I have to look into this right away. I'm leaving for Route 7's Celestial Tower. You can come along if you want~*
I, uh, I'll catch up. I'm sure the plot won't advance until I do.
Y'know what, Skyla probably deserves a solid introduction.
I know I said that Elesa was dressed impractically, but this is getting ridiculous. She's a pilot, which explains the thick mittens and fuzzy boots that keep her warm at high altitudes. Apparently that's all she needs to keep warm, as she isn't so much "wearing pants" as she is "strapping bits of cloth about her naughty bits." I can only assume that's the true purpose of the straps she's wearing, as they certainly aren't functional in any other way. I suppose it might be fetish gear or a daring fashion statement, but come on, this town has like four people in it- who is she wearing it for? It could just be that there isn't a lot of clothing to go around up here in the mountains, but there
are plenty of belts and buckles to be scavenged from old airplanes. That would also explain why she separate strap holding her phone to her leg instead of, y'know, pockets. The flower thing on her head is nice, except that the lock of hair looped through it makes it look more like a giant pacifier growing out of her skull.
But I digress.Mistralton City proper doesn't have much in the way of entertaining dialogue, but it
does have very useful people. The Move Deleter is here, and as his name suggests he can make your Pokemon forget any move, including HMs. Naturally the first thing I do is force Marvin to forget Cut- I haven't needed it since after the first Gym, and Cut is a pretty terrible move. Even more excitedly, the lass sharing a house with him is the Reminder Girl, who can teach your Pokemon any move they could have learned by leveling up in exchange for some random trinkets I've been finding on the ground. Thus, immediately after creating an opening in Marvin's move list I'm immediately able to fill it in with Aqua Jet- I briefly vented my frustration at having to pass that move up back in the first Chargestone Cave update.
The other house in Mistralton has someone who gives more information about Hidden Power- since it's a mediocre move that none of my mons know anyway, I don't spend much time there. Similarly, apart from some free stuff the Mistralton Cargo Service is quite uninteresting. Seeing Trainers on the runway proper, I decide to head out to Route 7 to pick up a new mon first.
*Wild Watchog appeared!*
...aw, dang. Well, looks like I have a Pokemon lower on the pecking order than Pompey II now. To the box with you,
Charlie! [Good grief.]
Meerkat! Totally called it! Apart from the seed spitting, anywayUnfortunately, when I go to the Pokecenter there are... complications.
Hurry up with the healing already, I've got Trainers to fight!
Looks like your Pokemon is infected with Pokerus. Little is known about the Pokerus, except that it is a microscopic life-form that attaches to a Pokemon.*
Oh dear Mew, my Pokemon have AIDS? You mean they're going to die weak and feeble in a sickbed instead of proud and strong in glorious battle?
While infected, Pokemon are said to grow exceptionally well.*
...is that all?
It's an entirely beneficial disease, yes.
...Chicken Pox Party!
Did I say unfortunately? Because I meant super luckily! Pokerus doubles the Effort Values gained from battling- in short, when Pokemon with Pokerus level up they are stronger than they would have been without it. Pokemon with Pokerus are infectious, spreading the "disease" to other party members before the virus becomes inert. Soon enough, Marvin and Urkel spread the love around to all my Pokemon, and Charlie becomes the designated infectee sitting in the box- his only purpose in life now is to infect new Pokemon I catch.
Like this, but with less brain-eatingAnd when I said super lucky, I meant
super lucky. Pokerus is found on wild Pokemon you capture or battle- if I hadn't been training back in Chargestone, I probably would have used a repel or fled and lost my chance. The odds of encountering a Pokemon are vanishingly small- "3 in 65,536" according to the wiki. For comparison, it is about three times as likely for a Pokemon to be generated Shiny, and I've never encountered a wild Shiny before. In short, I'm stupid lucky to have caught Pokerus, I probably won't ever get it again, and although it isn't going to come up again directly, all my Pokemon will be stronger for it. Hooray me!
But anyway, on to the landing strip full of trainers!
How come there isn't even a gate keeping me off the runway? I know Unova doesn't have many safety laws to comply with, but this is ridiculous.
It's dangerous to play in a landing strip, but you should be OK on ours. We only have one cargo flight a day.*
Oh. Wait, if you only make one flight a day, why do you have two planes?
It's a spare we're trying to soup up for Skyla.
Alright. Well, I've got Trainers to fight, so goodbye now.
Oh, bold enough to come talk to me, huh?*
Well, you're a little girl, so... yes?
I like you- take this TM! When a Pokemon uses Charge Beam, sometimes Sp. Atk goes up.*
The friendliness of everyone in this town is starting to freak me out.
Hey, kid, have you caught any Boldore?*
Sorry, I had a shot at one in Chargestone, but I missed out. No big loss, though.
If you have would you trade your Boldore for my Emolga?*
FFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-
As it turns out, although the runway is full of all kinds of random items there isn't much in the way of battling going on here. Fortunately, Route 7 is chock-full of trainers, and also happens to be the direction the plot is in.
It takes 20 or even 30 years for a tree to fully grow! Will you have a Pokemon battle that pleases the trees?*
We'll have a Pokemon battle that levels my mons, anyway.
[Skreeeee!]
This is what a tree gave me!*
...I think this berry is ringing.
No, I'm pretty sure that's your crosstransceiver.
My what? Oh! Right, that thing.... uh, hello?
Monk! This is your Mom.*
Yes, I can see you. This is a picture phone... thing.
How are you doing?*
Uh, pretty good. Everybody got a surprisingly benign case of PokeAIDS from Chargestone Cave, or maybe Route 7. There was a lot of Watchogs out there.
Wow, you're already on Route 7? You've gone quite far!*
Well, not really, it's been like a year. You didn't even send me anything for my birthday...
Say, how are your Pokemon? You can't get that far all by yourself, you know? It's all thanks to your Pokemon. Don't forget to take care of them*
Yeaaaah...
Am I being too serious? Well, take care! "Senior Trainer Mom," signing off!*
I wonder if she knows I'm about to walk into a graveyard.
Or, more accurately, UP a graveyardRoute 7 has two ways you can go- one leads you toward Twist Mountain and has lots of Trainers I don't want to challenge just yet, and the other leads you here, to Celestial Tower. Celestial Tower, "A place of rest for innocent spirits." Much like Lavender Tower in the first Generation, Celestial Tower is where people come to bury their beloved Pokemon when they go to the great patch of Tall Grass in the sky. Assuming they aren't like me, leaving their companion's bodies eerily preserved in a special PC Box until the end of time.
I've also got a hunch that the people of Unova favor cremation.
*Wild Litwick Appeared!*
Ghost/Fire, huh? I can dig it.
Wait, this cute little candle sucks souls? Welcome to the party,
Lumiere!
[Oui oui, mon ami!]
Lumiere, Quiet Nature, Impetuous and Silly. Ability- Flash Fire, a handy thing that powers up his Fire type moves if he himself is hit by a Fire type move. Being part Fire is sexy, if not terribly useful- most of Fire's strengths are covered by mons I already have. He does fill out the party, however, and his moveset isn't bad with both decent Ghost and Fire techniques. He's not the brick wall that Teddy is, but he can deal damage without relying on Curse- I've never had occasion to have two Ghosts in my party before, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Of course, Lumiere won't be useful until he catches up to the rest of the party. Fortunately, like any place that is swarming with wild Pokemon, Celestial Tower is chock-full of Trainers to battle.
You want to battle? Alright, I have a strong Pokemon.*
[I... am not happy.]
Seriously? Swadloon? Grass/Bug? Lumiere, you know what to do.
[Brűler, brűler bébé!]
...the Pokemon is no longer with me.*
Hm?
The strong Pokemon. It's no longer with me. That's why I'm here.
Oh. Ohhhhhhhhhhh... well, this is awkward.
...That's not true. As long as I remember, it will be with me forever.*
Right, that's the spirit! Right? Hoo boy...
I still want to fight! Wandering spirits, command me!*
Oh thank Mew. Kill those ghosts... uh, defeat those ghosts? Lumiere!
[Ils ne tiennent pas une ombre d'une chance!]
In a way, Celestial Tower is a space full of desires to live.*
Tell me how that isn't the start of a horror movie.
Pokemon that grew up in Unova and Pokemon that grew up elsewhere- both rest here quietly.*
Apart from all the Pokemon battles and Litwicks. Speaking of, Lumiere?
[Se reposer tranquillement, jolie fleur.]
Pokemon that grew up in Unova and Pokemon that grew up elsewhere- both are precious.*
Well, depending on how you define precious, I suppose. Thanks for the heals, though!
Meow Meow Meow- this sign means have a battle with me!*
I TOLD Juniper about the furries, but she wouldn't listen!
[Cessez de me copier, ma fille!]
I am copying the Pokemon I used to live with.*
...Copycat?
For those unaware, Copycat is a very minor NPC from the first 2 Generations of Pokemon who had entirely optional and unimportant sidequests associated with her- as you might have guessed, her entire schtick was copying other people. Much like the trainer I just battled, implying that since her last appearance in the Gold/Silver games she has moved to Unova and suffered the death of her Pokemon. I could have sworn that Copycat also had a Meowth, which would basically confirm this trainer as a really unexpected callback, but Bulbapedia insists I'm wrong and I'm not about to play a game of Red up to Saffron City to double check.
The only other thing of note on my climb to the top would be my discovery of the Shadow Claw TM. Shadow Claw is pretty fancy, being a Ghost Type Slash- good power coupled with a high crit ratio. I was quite pleased to find it, and immediately booted it up only to discover that, despite being Ghosts, neither Lumiere nor Teddy can learn it. Gustave can, but without STAB I don't feel the need to clutter his learnset.
Any ghosts up here on the roof? No?
I'll just be going then Oh, you came. Thank you! I was right. What I saw was a hurt Pokemon. Don't worry, though! It's fine now! I gave it a Max Revive, then it felt better and flew away!*
A Max what now?
Hee hee! Don't I have great eyesight? No matter how far away things are, a Pilot's eyes can see them!*
Yes, lovely. I'm glad we've established that my presence here was entirely unnecessary.
Oh, that's right! Since you've come this far, why don't you ring the bell? Celestial Tower's bell is for soothing the spirits of Pokemon. Also, the character of the person ringing the bell is reflected in its sound. Come on, don't be shy!*
Yeah, sure, fine, whatever gets you off this tower and back in the Gym where I can challenge you. *ding*
What a pretty sound. Monk, you are a kind and strong person.* And pretty!
I'm more striking than pretty.
It's that kind of sound. I'd like to introduce myself again! I'm Skyla, the Leader of Mistralton's Pokemon Gym. I use Flying-type Pokemon. When you are ready, please come to the Gym. I'll give you a big welcome~*
...Uh, you know I'm like thirteen, right?
Goodbye for now, Monk!
Huh. Well. This bell is for soothing the spirits of the dead, eh? Mew knows I have plenty of spirits to soothe.
For Pompey, *ding*
Mojo Jojo, *ding*
Timon, *ding*
Cleetus, *ding*
poor Heinrich, *ding*
Oscar, *ding*
Miho
(please don't haunt me,) *ding*
and Bambina, whom I hardly knew. *ding*
It'll all be worth it, in the end. Skyla is just one more step on the road.
NEXT TIME: Skyla
Suggestions, Comments, Criticism welcome as always.
Nuvema Town- "Marvin", Oshawott
Route 1- XXX
Accumula Town- ??
Route 2- "Pompey", Lillipup 6-12
Striaton City- ??
Dreamyard- "Mojo Jojo", Pansear 10-12
Route 3- "Timon", Patrat 8-15
Wellspring Cave- "Cletus", Woobat 11-14
Nacrene City- ??
Pinwheel Forest- "Heinrich", Pidove 12-30
Castelia City- ??
Route 4- "Urkel", Scraggy
Desert Resort- "Gustave", Sandile
Nimbasa City- ??
Route 5- "Miho", Gothita 19-25
Route 16- "Oscar", Trubbish 19-27
Relic Castle- "Teddy", Yamask
Lostlorn Forest- "Himmler", Tranquill
Driftveil Drawbridge- "Dewey", Ducklett
Driftveil City- ??
Cold Storage- "Pompey II", Herdier
Route 6- "Bambina", Deerling, 22-22
Chargestone Cave- XXX
Route 7- "Charlie", Watchog
Celestial Tower- "Lumiere", Litwick
Author
Topic: Let's Play with these Newfangled Pokemanz! RUN COMPLETED (Read 327429 times)