Pokemon Journal: Stop That Grunt!

Welcome back! When we left off, we were having a nice stay at Hotel Grand Lake. Turns out this is a decent place for some trainer battles. There are lots of pretentious rich people with lots of money when you beat them. Seriously, I can’t stand these high society people. There was one couple having a date and when I overheard the following conversation. Rich Boy “Are you enjoying the food? My father is the head chef here so order whatever you want.” Rich Girl “Oh yes, it’s so wonderful! (I don’t have the heart to tell him, but my father OWNS the hotel).” If I ever become rich, I hope I never become that self-absorbed.

After pocketing my winnings, it’s time to get back onto my adventure and head off to Pastoria City. As soon as I enter the town, there’s another Team Galactic Grunt standing around like he’s ready to cause some trouble. From what I overheard of his talking to himself, it sounds like he’s about to plant a bomb somewhere. But he doesn’t pay me much attention because I only have 3 badges. I’ll have to keep an eye on him, but for now, it doesn’t seem like there’s much else I can do about him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know I should probably head off to face the gym leader, but Pastoria City is also home to the Great Marsh! If you don’t know, the great marsh is similar to the Safari Zones from the older games. You pay to enter and have an opportunity to catch some rare Pokémon. The catch is that you can’t fight them, you can only throw special Pokeballs at them, food to keep their attention, or mud to make them easier to catch. I also heard a rumor that someone in the Great Marsh will give you the HM05 Defog. So I thought it would be worth it to take a little time off to hunt around for a while. I never did find the guy who gives the HM05 Defog, I thought I talked to everyone, but I must have missed him. I’m going to feel really stupid when I find out he’s right at the entrance or something. What I did find and manage to catch were a Carnivine and a Croagunk, along with a few other Pokémon. Not a bad haul.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s time to challenge the Pastoria Gym and face off against the gym leader, Wake. Oh, I’m sorry, Crasher Wake. He dresses in what looks like a luchador mask and a wrestling outfit. So naturally, he’s a water type user. Hey, it he’s having fun dressing like a masked wrestler, than let him. The Pastoria gym in general was pretty easy. Between Pachirisu and Cherrim, no one stood a chance. The layout of the gym was a little confusing though. There are buttons scattered around that raise or lower the water level in the gym. This would in turn raise or lower floating platforms as well as allowing you to walk across previously sunken platforms. You’ll have to do this to navigate the gym’s mini maze and eventually face Crasher Wake himself. After an entertaining battle, Crasher Wake was defeated and awarded me with the Fen Badge as proof of my victory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that I have 4 badges, we should probably check up on that Team Galactic Grunt on the edge of town. It’s a good thing too. He again mentions having a bomb, and now runs off towards Valor Lakefront. Something bad is going to happen and we have to stop him. Unfortunately, as soon as the grunt runs through the town gate, our rival Barry decided to confront us again. Why now? This is quite possibly the worst possible time for a battle with you, that guy is running away with a bomb. There’s no avoiding it, we’ll just have to end this quickly so I can catch up to that grunt. After that last gym, Barry didn’t stand a chance. To just add to his annoyingly bad timing, after his defeat, he even mentions the grunt that got away and encourages me to chase after him. THANKS! That’s what I was trying to do in the first place. The chase is on as the grunt runs past the Hotel and on his way to the Lake. I caught up to him a few times and he just went on about something big going on at the lake. He doesn’t want to fight, and instead just keeps running away from me. That is until he becomes too tired to run anymore and finally challenges me. He is pathetically weak and is forced to limp away in defeat afterwards. He must have gone into the lakefront, because I can’t find him anyway. And of course I still can’t enter the lakefront because of their experiments.

I’m not the only one disappointed by the blockade to the Valor lakefront. Another trainer named Cynthia is trying to get in and seems concerned about the experiments too. She notices me and remembers me from when we met before. Sadly I can’t say I share the same memory. When did I meet her before? It must have been right at the beginning of my adventure when I had too many new things going on to remember everyone. Anyway, after our brief conversation, she gave me some secret potion to cure the group of Psyducks blocking the path back on route 210, and then she heads off on her own adventure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I guess I know where my next destination is. I could backtrack that whole way, but I think it would be better to push forward through Route 212. This has the added benefit of letting me pass through Hearthome city again. Maybe NOW Fantina will actually challenge me. Anyway, Route 212 seems a bit dangerous. It’s constantly raining and the mud is so deep you’ll occasionally sink up to your neck. Thankfully there are warning signs telling you to “Struggle and Squirm” until you free yourself. Thank you Nintendo for giving advice that would kill you in real life. The latter half of the route is also home to the Pokémon Mansion. There isn’t much to do in the Mansion, but it does have a private garden in back which is a good place to catch a Pikachu or a Pichu if you want one.

Back in Hearthome City and still no, Fantina will not battle me. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?! So it looks like we keep going to heal those Psyducks. They seem pretty happy to be cured and run off. Immediately after, Cynthia shows up again to thank me for curing the Psyducks, and then asks another favor. If you were coming this way anyway, why couldn’t you cure them? Whatever, what’s your new request? Turns out she wants me to deliver an old charm to her grandmother in the next town. Again, that seems like something she should do, but sure, I’ll do it. It’s where I was heading anyways now that they Psyducks are gone. But why was I so stupid? Why didn’t I spend more time trying to get the HM05 Defog? This path is almost a complete white out from all the fog. I can barely see a thing. I’m lost and this is certainly where I’m going to die. I thought it would just be a minor annoyance like the rain is, but this is REALLY annoying. By some unknown magical forces, I managed to make it to the next town and I don’t plan to EVER go down that route again. I don’t care what might be hidden in that fog, I don’t care.

Now that we’re in Celestic Town, we should go find Cynthia’s grandmother and give her the old charm. I think I found her, but she only mentions a weird man in a space suit by the ruins. Wait, weird man in a space suit? OH COME ON! Team Galactic is causing trouble here too. What is wrong with these people? Anyway, I beat the snot out of yet another grunt, forcing him to run away in shame. The old woman then does introduce herself as Cynthia’s Grandmother, and tells me to check out the ruins. She also gave me the HM03 Surf and tells me I need to beat Fantina before I can use it. FINALLY! That must mean I can fight her now. Inside the ruin, there’s some nice carvings of the legendary Pokémon, but otherwise not much of interest. Outside however is that same mysterious guy I met back in Mt Coronet. He introduces himself as Cyrus, and tells me to inform him if I find something with the power to help him create a new world. What a Psycho. I can’t wait to challenge him and bring down his whole Team Galactic organization.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One more trip back to Hearthome and I can finally face Fantina. Her gym is set up very strange. There is an elevator ride to a platform with a very easy question and 3 doors representing the different answers. Behind the correct door is another elevator to another question and repeat a few times until finally I make it to Fantina. I’m guessing behind the wrong doors were junior trainers, but the questions were so easy I made it to her without having to fight any of them. That’s actually kind of a problem, I’m a bit under leveled to fight her and the junior trainers really would have helped. Fantina uses ghost type Pokémon, and she was a few levels higher than me, so this one was a pretty big struggle. Credit really has to go to Cherrim and her Leach Seed attack. I might not have been able to get many hits in, I was too busy healing and just trying to stay alive. But with leach seed, her Pokémon just slowly died while I stalled for time. She admits defeat and hands me the Relic Badge, my 5th badge. Took long enough before she would fight me, I’m actually really happy now.

Outside Cynthia is waiting for me, I think she’s stalking me now. She tells me I should probably head over to Canalave City and Visit the Canalave Library. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be looking for there, but it’ll have to wait for next time.

Current Pokemon:

Cranidos	Cherrim	Prinplup
Level: 29	Level: 32	Level: 30
Pachirisu	Drifblim	Bibarel
Level: 31	Level:30	Level: 35

Play Time: 25h 16m

Badges: 5

Pokedex Entries: 91

And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for, my Pokemon Art Gallery!

First up is my happy little Pachirisu. I really love this guy, and he’s just so damn cute. This one was obviously done with the tracing lines still on.

Next we have an Inkay. It’s weird, I always thought it was a water type because it’s clearly based off a squid. But no, it’s a Dark / Psychic type. Kind of cool how I learned something new about the pokemon from the art game. This one was actually done with a new technique in the game using reference shapes instead of straight up tracing.

And last, tremble in fear from the awesome might of Ditto, Destroyer of Worlds!!!

Thank for joining me on my adventures! I hope you’ll be back next time when we go to the library. Doesn’t that sound like a fun adventure? The library?