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PART XXIX: Twist and Shout
Having done a great deal of backtracking and unimportant shenanigans, I once more set my feet towards the next Gym; or more accurately, I set my feet towards Twist Mountain, the route before the next Gym which probably has a bunch of Plasgoons hiding in the basement or behind a rock or something.
"Clay will never find us here!"
When Clay first said he owned the mountain, I was a little confused; who owns a mountain, right? I was expecting some kind of Helix-based Mt. Moon. What I got was a strip mine. Way to rape nature, Clay.
"I get the name now, though"
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I am the number TWO trainer on Twist Mountain!* |
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You know, that's not a very good pre-asskicking oneliner. |
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[Step off, son!] |
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For your information, the number one is Clay!* |
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False; the number one is me. |
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Why do I dig? Why do you fight?* |
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...so I can eat pigmole steak? |
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The more you fight, the stronger you will be. The more you dig, the bigger the hole will be. If you have a purpose, there's no wasted effort!* |
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ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWAH! |
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Words are unnecessary! I can understand everything if we battle!* |
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[Understand this!] *Air Slash* |
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Though people and Pokemon cannot communicate with words, we can communicate with our hearts!* |
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Yeah, tell that to N. |
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My Pokemon love the ore in this mountain!* |
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[And I love all the ground and rock types in here.] |
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If Pokemon eat the ore inside a mountain, a hole grows, and our work speeds up! People and Pokemon work great together!* |
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Wait, if you're letting the Pokemon eat the ore you're digging up... what are you digging for? |
Somewhere in the course of all this nonsense, Gustave evolves into a Krookodile (meaning he gets a bit redder and looks like he as awesome sunglasses, a decided aesthetic improvement) and Lumiere evolves into a Lampent (meaning he gets a stupid hat and goofy noodle arms, so... at least his base stats went up, I guess.) Twist Mountain involves a lot of spiraling downward, but it's pretty linear until the basement, where there's a few different ways to go. I head into the basement of the mining operation, and sure enough, Team Plasma's down here with no Gym Leaders in sight. However, it looks like Cheren beat me to them.
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Huh. Pretty strong... But you're only strong because you Trainers are controlling Pokemon!* |
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So if you want to set Pokemon free... If that's what you want, you should start with your own. But taking people's Pokemon by force is not right. That is not real strength!* |
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Really? I thought Trainer Licenses and Route Restrictions and the Pokemon League Challenge were kinda the basis of our system of government. |
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Hey, there you are! We found that thing we were looking for. We should head for the tower now!* |
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Get this! Team Plasma has obtained the power to change this world and end people's control over Pokemon.* |
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Oh, that Dark Stone majigger or whatever that... Skyla mentioned? Maybe that was N, I forget. |
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That's right! We must use force in order to right the wrongs of the world. Now, let's gather around our king. Our lord N!* |
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Yeah, not if I can help it. I'm gonna mop the floor with- MEW DAMMIT WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS!?! I CAN'T CHASE YOU IF YOU KEEP CHEATING! |
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Yes, I do believe that was their plan. Looks like they got away this time. |
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You mean I didn't even get to fight them? But my bloodlust isn't sated yet! |
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Those guys... I don't know what they've found, but they go the extra mile to gain power and cause trouble. What a bothersome bunch... Monk... I'm going to stay here for a while. I want to think a little bit about what the Champion asked me... What do I want to do with my power after I get strong? And why do I want to be strong in the first place?* |
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Yeah, okay, you hang out in this dark cave and have an existential crises. I'll go stop Team Plasma from summoning the Pokemon King in the Mountain or whatever. This is a good plan. |
Icirrus City: Sky Flittering with Flowers of Snow
Unless it's Summer, then it's a swamp |
Hello, Monk!* |
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Hey.... you! |
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My name is Cedric. |
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Have we met? |
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Cedric Juniper? World renowned Pokemon professor? We met after you left the last cave? Part XXVI? My daughter gave you a bunch of free stuff, including your starter Pokemon? |
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Yeah, uh, that's cool. Are we going to battle? Because if you don't want to battle I need to go beat up some Plasma grunts and/or a Gym Leader, whichever gets in my way first. So... |
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How is Krookodile? Ah! This Krookodile has really taken a shine to you.* |
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HE ISN'T EVEN OUT OF HIS POKEBALL! HOW DO PEOPLE KEEP DOING THAT?!? |
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The Pokedex is important, but time spent having fun together is also important. Say, I just had a thought-- have you heard of Dragonspiral Tower?* |
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Well, not by that name, but I know Team Plasma is going to some tower to summon a legendary Dragon type Pokemon, so... yes? |
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Ok. Give this story a listen. Dragonspiral Tower is said to be the Unova region's oldest building. Stories say it's the place where legendary Pokemon came to life or where they remain in deep slumber. I know it's just past Icirrus City, but that's all I know about it. That's all anyone knows, because no one has ever been inside.* |
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Sounds like an Indiana Jones-style deathtrap to me. |
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My daughter has wanted to investigate that tower for a long time. "What! There's something I don't know?!" That kind of feeling is pure adventure. And I'm not too old for some adventuring. Away I go to have a look at Dragonspiral Tower! Catch you later!* |
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...he can really move for an old guy, huh. Well, I'll just go find the Pokecenter and- |
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*Wild Stunfisk Appeared!* |
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DEAR MEW I STEPPED IN SOME LILLIPUP DOO AND NOW IT WANTS REVENGE! DEFEND ME POKEBALL! |
Yep, definitely left a footprint |
Well, Ground/Electric is a neat combo, but I don't think I have room in my party for a derpy brown pancake. To the box with you, Ackbar! |
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[IT'S A TRAP!] |
So yeah, apparently those wet lowlands are full of derpy wild Pokemon. I hit up the Pokecenter for some heals, buy a
Fire Blast TM for Lumiere, and then engage in another rousing bout of Greet the Village People.
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Welcome to the Pokemon Fan club! |
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Isn't the whole world the Pokemon Fan club? |
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If you are a Trainer, will you show me how you are raising your Pokemon with loving care?* |
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Yeah okay, I've grown rather fond of Marvin here. |
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Oh! This Samurott was level 5 when you met, but now it's level 41! You've raised it well. You must be affectionate.* |
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...that's it? No prize? |
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A loving companion is its own reward! |
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Yeah, but I had that before I came in here. I'm looking for people who will give me free stuff for trivial tasks, not people who tell me what I already know. On to the next house! |
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Hi! This way, pleeeeease!* |
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Well Hi yourself, special guest Vanna White! What are you doing in this random house? |
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Exciting! Thrilling! Zippy! Chilling! It's "Pep Quiz"! Today's challenger is- this person!* |
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"Pep?" Er, my name is Monk. What's going on here? |
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Hiya, welcome! "Pep Quiz" starts NOW! Answer lots of quizzy questions, and watch your brain get brainier! Let's start... with... a question!* |
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Good luck!* |
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Uh, thank you, little girl. I guess some good publicity wouldn't hurt. |
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A question! What is the opposite of analog?* |
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Oh, it's digi- |
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Oh, my! It's tremendously difficult! Can the challenger answer this?* |
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The answer is di- |
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H-i-n-t! H-i-n-t!* |
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Oh-oh. The audience is asking for a hint!* |
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The audience is like five years old, she's probably never seen an analog clock. The answer is digit- |
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OK. I'll give you a hint! Hint! It's not golana!* |
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That doesn't make any- AAAAHhh, I get it. That was terrible. |
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Ha ha, this is a good hint! Challenger, please answer! What is the opposite of analog?* |
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Digi- why did you hand me a dictionary? |
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It's a multiple choice quiz! Just choose the word which answers the question! |
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You literally gave me ALL THE WORDS to choose from! That didn't narrow it down any! Whatever, the opposite of analog is digital. |
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Woo-hoo! That is c-o-r-r-e-c-t!* |
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You go! Yeah, you do!* |
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Yeah! Yeah! Good hustle!* |
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I don't even... is there a gas leak in here, or wha- |
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Congratulations! Now- THIS is a prize. It's an Antidote!* |
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...an Antidote. |
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Exciting! Thrilling! Zippy! Chilling! That's "Pep Quiz"! See ya tomorrow!* |
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THERE AREN'T EVEN ANY CAMERAS IN HERE! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? |
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I want to be on TV soon!* |
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Gussssssstle!* |
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...I'm done. Monk out. |
There's not too much else going on in Icirrus City; some kids spinning around and playing in the rain, NPCs with uninteresting dialogue bits about things I already know, so on and so forth. I can see Cedric hanging out to the North side of town, presumably where Dragonspiral Tower and the rest of the plot awaits, so instead I head out to battle the trainers down the road away from Icirrus.
I don't get very far, though.
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*What? The egg is hatching!* |
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About time! Come on, big money, big money, no whammy... |
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*The egg hatched into a Larvesta!* |
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...What am I looking at here, exactly? |
Note to self, resist the urge to hug it when it evolves |
Let's see... Bug/Fire is neat, hopefully the last Gym and the Elite Four aren't heavy on the rocks... Calm, somewhat stubborn... ooh, Flame Body is a neat ability. And despite the fact you're some kind of horrible grub creature, you're actually pretty cute. I rate you four Rare Candies out of five, would accept random eggs again. |
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[Wait... I'm an orphan?] |
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You're gonna be really handy in this Ice Gym... if you can gain forty levels between now and when I challenge them. Come on, Mothra, eat this TM, and hold this Lucky Egg, and let's go fuck up some umbrella bitches down on the bayou. TO THE FIELDS OF GRINDING! |
Not only does Mothra learn the Fire Blast TM, but he ALSO learns the Aerodynamics TM. You explain to me how a flaming grub can learn that shit and a fascist pigeon can't, because I have no idea. That said, literally nothing exciting happens on Route 8 and the Icirrus Moor; I get a shot at a Palpitoad and another Stunfisk but murder both of them, Mothra powerlevels like a bastard with the help of Marvin and Gustave, rangers give me berries, random knickknacks are retrieved from across ponds and behind boulders, same old same old. The only thing preventing me from taking the Tubline Bridge to the next town is a pair of Plasma grunts standing in front of the door, both of whom say "Apparently, some of us are working in Dragonspiral Tower, which is close to Icirrus City" when you speak to them and nothing else. As if either of them could stop me from going through if I wanted.
Still, it seems as if the game is funneling me toward Dragonspiral Tower, so to Dragonspiral Tower I go.
Like this, but more dragony and spirally, and less doory |
That building serenely towering over everything is Dragonspiral Tower.* |
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I gathered, yeah. |
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From far in the past, before Unova was founded, it still stands tall today.* |
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It's ancient and spirally. Got it. |
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On the top floor, so it's been told, the legendary Pokemon is waiting for a person pursuing ideals to appear.* |
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Cool story. I'm gonna pop inside for a bit. |
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Wait, what? You can't! |
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I've got Pokemon. I totally can. See ya! |
Except, maybe not so much. The tower is in the middle of a lake, but that's no big deal; I can surf on an awesome war otter. Unfortunately, there's nowhere to surf
to; apparently the reason nobody has gone inside is because nobody has gone inside, because nobody can find the damn door. Never mind that the Legendary Pokemon is at the top and I can Fly on Himmler, or that Gustave can Dig underground, or that Urkel literally knows how to Brick Break to get through the wall. Heck, you'd think some punk with an Abra could Teleport in for a look around, but no; you go in through the nonexistent door, or you don't go in at all, and since nobody has found the door in all of Unova's history that means nobody has gone in. End of story.
Well, not
quite end of story.
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*Wild Basculin appeared!* |
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Oh. Huh. Guess this is my Pokemon for Dragonspiral Tower, then. |
Ugly bastard, too |
Get in the Box, Nemo. |
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[DO I LOOK LIKE SOME KIND OF CRIPPLE TO YOU, PU-] |
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Can it, you stupid angry fish. I've already got two competent Water types ahead of you and a full party in the box to boot, so take a nice comfy seat on the bench, because the only way I pull you out of the box is if I need an HM slave for Waterfall or Whirlpool or something. Obviously there's no door I can get to here; looks like I need to beat this Ice Gym before the Dragonspiral Tower stuff unlocks. You know what we need to do, angry little fishy? |
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[IF YOU STUFF ME IN THE PC FOR ETERNITY I SWEAR I WILL TEAR OUT YOUR-] |
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Nemo. It's time... to chill out. |
NEXT TIME: Bryce
Suggestions, Comments, Criticism welcome as usual.
Hopefully too many people didn't get a glimpse of the future. It DOES explain why my buffer looked too small though.
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- XXX
Cold Storage- "Pompey II", Herdier
Route 6- "Bambina", Deerling, 22-22
Chargestone Cave- XXX
Route 7- "Charlie", Watchog
Celestial Tower- "Lumiere", Litwick
Twist Mountain- "Simon", Cubchoo
Route 17- "Ishmael", Frillish
Route 18- "Mothra", Larvesta
Route 8- XXX
Icirrus Moor- XXX
Dragonspiral Tower- "Nemo", Basculin