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Part 9: King for a Date
Nimbasa has the first TM shop, very useful ones here, Thunder Wave for catching, that'll go on Corazon, while Return is a good strong move for those in happiness. Also, uh, for Corazon. We're not made of money, so we'll come back and buy the rest later.
Nimbasa City
Nimbasa City: Lit by the Flash of Lightning!
From nimbus, rain cloud, and cumulonimbus, clouds associated with thunderstorms.
Raimon City: Shining city where lightning sparkles.
From 雷文 raimon (meander), a decorative border from a continuous line, and 雷 rai (thunder).
This is the kind of shit I have to work with if I want full view city images, ones that were uploaded in 2012. But since this city has a lot of big landmarks, it's fine I guess, especially when the B2W2 images, which are nice and big and clear, start looking a lot different.
A Pokemon that can use Strength can push a big rock even when it is not fighting! If you want to push some rocks around, go to Route 16! Thump! Thump!
Remember to check random houses for HMs that aren't necessary, but are still super helpful.
Oh, my! Your Swoobat seems to like you! That's so nice to see. Makes me want to give you this!
Bit pointless now, but Corazon will still hold it to keep Return at a good damage, especially when we start feeding everyone Revival Herbs because I am a reckless bitch.
Sun Stones are stones that make certain Pokemon evolve! I gave it to Petilil as a present!
Bicycle
Hamlet prefers this over Take Down, for sure. Since we have the biiiiiiicycle, let's quickly pop to older places, mainly to revive the fossil, but there's one other thing.
How is your Pokedex coming along? Can I see it? Let me see... oh, you've seen 51 Pokemon in the Unova region! It seems like you are meeting Pokemon at a good clip! Here! This is a gift to thank you for all your hard work!
False Swipe is a move that is very helpful for catching Pokemon, because it keeps the target from fainting! Keep up the good work!
It's a little awkward coming here now since we get a TM for seeing 60 Pokemon, but by the time that happens it'll be too far to bother with, it's only for Protect, which isn't something for the story anyway. We could've gotten this TM after seeing 25 Pokemon, which was around when we first arrived in Castelia.
Alright, haven't been back since the theft, let's see how peeps are doing.
From the outside, you can't see their functional, efficient design. It's almost as if it is an embodiment of their former essence... so fascinating!
I think they're fine.
This is Tirtouga! Please take good care of it.
Our fifth team member already, boy I wonder who will be next? This was suggested by Funky Valentine.
A different vein of fossil compared to Skulletor, but Gamera is starting off strong with a perfect nature and the right ability, hot damn! With 21/23/13/17/27/4 IVs, it'll be super fucking slow, but Aqua Jet helps with that, and it'll hit damn hard!
Ah, I found the other fossil in my other pocket, go figure. Archen is suicidally strong, but healing and team support makes it a great choice for story, go with your heart for which one to go for.
"Restored from a fossil, this Pokémon can dive to depths beyond half a mile."
"Said to be an ancestor of bird Pokémon, they were unable to fly and moved about by hopping from one branch to another."
It lives again, Tirtouga isn't as impressive as Archen, but it's a bulky and dependable turtle that also puts in a world of hurt. It starts off a little weak with Aqua Jet and Ancientpower, but they're both perfectly serviceable moves. It's a bit of a while before evolving and its stats will feel mediocre at that point, but Brine and Smack Down aren't the worst options. Around when it evolves and gets a good host of TMs and HMs is when it'll really shine, but until then, you have to make due with, ugh, Rock Tomb, Return and Bulldoze for the time being. Still, with Solid Rock, high Def and good Atk, it'll be a smooth journey.
Think this bird isn't a good choice? Not with that attitude! Archen is a little tricky to use due to Slaking syndrome, where it's a little over the top, but would've been pretty good without a godawful ability fucking it over, but it has some good points. Unfortunately you get it at too high a level for it to have Wing Attack and Rock Throw, but Pluck and, ugh, Rock Tomb are fine enough. It quickly becomes ridiculous with Acrobatics at 28, giving it an amazing move to spam, as well as nuke if you luck into some Flying Gems. Doesn't get much else until Crunch just before evolution, but uh, all it really needs is Acrobatics. Still, it can get Bulldoze and Return, and while its ability is a pain, it's fast enough and hits hard enough that it should be just fine, you can always heal it, so it works really well in story.
Now we woosh back to Castelia to nickname another Pokemon.
Our shiny needs to evolve before it can become a Musical star, but she still needs a name, like this one suggested by Leraika, I don't want to know how many names they've gotten voted in, but I guess they know just how to please the thread.
With all that over with, it's back to the big city. Uh, the other big city.
I am sorry... it may be too early for you to challenge a Battle Test. Please come back after you finish your journey and build your strength.
Postgame then. That's all the small buildings, so let's take our pick with the massive locations we'll be spending a fair bit of time going over each.
Gear Station has trains where you can battle other Trainers. The Battle Subway! You're a Trainer, aren't you? Please just accept this without a word!
If you have a Vs. Recorder, you can record battles with friends or on the Battle Subway! Anyway, this woman of mystery will go somewhere... that's right! She'll go to the Battle Institute!
The Vs. Recorder is pretty similar to before, but it has some cool new features, you can still save battles and whatnot on it.
Now you can view your Battle Subway streaks no matter where you are and can even see your records and ratings for various online competitions. That are no longer a thing. But they were.
Gear Station
Oh hey it's the battle facility. Wait, already?! Well, kinda, let's see what's on offer.
There's 3 different modes, Single, Double and Multi, but the Super versions are the classic facility battling, we can't do that just yet, but the regular versions are open and available to us, if we're ready for it. Wi-Fi Trains is identical to the Single line, 3v3, but the AI you face use Pokemon from trainers that have used the Battle Subway before! Finally, we can go to Anville Town, sounds like an important location!
At least we don't have to wait until postgame to try for these TMs, though while you can save up before then, no need to do too much. Sludge Wave is probably the best move to go for, but if you're wanting to properly tackle this mode, you'll want most of these moves eventually.
That's a lot of items! Some of those are pretty useful! Why are they so damn expensive?!
With the exception of the Anville line, none of the others go anywhere, so we can't take the Super Doubles line to Unity Tower. Dunno where the heck the Wi-Fi and Double lines are going, there's absolutely nothing out west. Same for the Super Multi and Single lines, though the latter is a little close to the Pokemon League, though not exactly. And then the Multi line goes to the... Dreamyard? Sure.
Wi-Fi train is postgame anyway, but you don't get anything for higher streaks, you can't fight the bosses at the end, unlike the Single line, and only get 10BP each streak.
Best way to show off the Battle Subway is through the Multi line, it's by far the easiest one, though if you don't have a local friend to do it with, what are your options?
We can use our regular team for this, no legendaries or carefully crafted movesets required!
You're challenging the Multi Train for the first time, right? You can't take this challenge alone. You need a partner! Are you here by yourself today? Why don't you team up with me, then? It'll be fun!
OK. I'll focus on Attack! Then, let's begin!
Now, please board the Multi Train.
Choo choo, motherfuckers.
Battle Subway
This track starts off silent and as you go through the seven carriages slowly the instruments get added one by one. With how many times you'll be doing this, you'll get bored of the buildup eventually and just wish they had the proper track in the entire time. If you even play with music on.
Pet Fights on Subways!
So you can quickly see why this is something you can do right now. The regular lines only use Pokemon from Unova and most of them are unevolved at that! You can face some trickier ones as you get towards the end, but all Pokemon are set to level 50, even ones below that level, making it very easy to just jump in with whatever you have. Plus, since your Multi partner uses the same pool of Pokemon in both this and the Super lines, they're ridiculously overpowered, making this line the easiest to grind for early BP.
Corazon will help somewhat, but this is the Krookodile show now. I won't show the entirety of this seven streak, but none of our Pokemon fainted, some battles we didn't even take damage!
Alas, they've also clamped down on the facility trainer dialogue, so it's not as wild as in previous games. Still some gems here and there.
I think we'll be just fine. Hilbert/Hilda have 2 pools of Pokemon, one for Attack and one for Defense. If you select the balance option, they'll pick one each from the two pools, though the order will be random. Defensive Pokemon do have their place in battle facilities, but nine times out of ten, you'll want to pick Attack. Mainly because fast offense works best in these modes, but also a few Defense Pokemon aren't really all that amazing, no matter the mode they will always use Unova Pokemon and some of their choices aren't... amazing. Right now we can go with anything, but the Super lines do not fuck around and it depends on what you want to compliment your team.
Alright, this is the last battle. Previously this was when you got Pokemon from the next set, which were usually tougher.
That is still the case, but it's much less notable in the regular line. Each trainer has their own pool of Pokemon, but that pool could apply to multiple trainers and the pool can be pretty damn big, sometimes featuring evolved Pokemon. You face specific trainers as you go higher in streaks, but since the regular lines only go to 21 battles, there's not much variety.
But anyway, don't want to go over too much, otherwise there won't be much to talk about when I properly take on this facility!
Since you've won seven in a row, I present you with these Battle Points!
Please enjoy your time here. If you would like to continue your challenge or go back to Nimbasa City, please talk to me.
Ah, phew, at least I can heal my Pokemon here! You reach a stop after every 7 streak and there's really not much here, so let's head back.
Subways are cool, but boy are they unhealthy to stay in for too long, and they're hot as hell!
There's one more stop to make, and this is one you don't want to miss out on!
Anville Town / Anville Flute
Alright! We've made it to... where are we?
Anville Town: Rolling Out the Steel Rails
Refers to cumulonimbus clouds, which have an anvil shape, as well as a literal anvil, and ville.
Kanawa Town: Kanawa refers to intersecting iron rings.
From 金輪紋 kanawamon, a pattern based on interlocking rings and 鉄輪 kanawa (iron rings or iron wheels).
All righty! Let me explain!
It is the fastest long-distance high-speed train in the Battle Subway! This is called a pendulum car. Its body tilts while going around curves, so it can run without slowing down!
Neat. Each day a different car will be at the turntable and we can hear its description. No need to hear them all now, we'll need to do so... much later.
I work as a Depot Agent on the Battle Subway! Have you tried challenging the Battle Subway yet? It's a hot spot for those who want some serious battling action! But some people get too wrapped up in their battles, and there's no end to the lost-and-found items. That's right. Nobody ever came to pick this up, so I'll give it to you!
No worries. No worries. Just take it! It's better for a Trainer to use it than for me to hold on to it. I'm sure the item is happier, too!
A very worthwhile venture, after every streak of 7 you do, another lost item appears and can stack up to ten. You always get a Rare Candy at first, but you can also get Full Restores, Max Revives, Elixirs, and all 6 stat drinks, so it's definitely worth coming here after a long Subway session!
Otherwise, there's really not much to this town until the weekend, when a bunch of enthusiasts come here to trade items. I'd say this one isn't too worth it.
This is the best offer, I think, since you get a free Star Piece every day, and PP Ups aren't the easiest to come by.
No. Those are the only 3 trades that'll ever get offered, you can do them once on Saturday and Sunday, but otherwise that's all Anville Town offers! There's basically nothing there... and that's okay! It's a cool little town to just have a bit of fun in, but we won't return in this LP.
Well that was a fun distraction, I'll clear this place out soon enough, though the bosses at the end of the regular lines use actual teams, so it'll be a bit before I can take them down. And of course we shall return to take on the Super lines with Pokemon chosen by YOU! Later. Weren't we chasing some Plasma grunts or whatever?
The One Who is Captivated by Equations
Alright, I knew I could count on this guy to help stop Team Plasma. I think I'm even starting to like him.
Let's ride the Ferris wheel and see if we can spot them. I love Ferris wheels. The circular motion... the mechanics... they're like collections of elegant formulas.
Okay, this? This is a date.
My first date with a boy was going well, but turns out he is my mortal enemy?!
I'm not his biggest fan, but he tells it like it is.
At least 150 or more to see.
You're safe, sire!
There's no problem. You're part of the people we brought in to help us save the Pokemon. So, you're under my protection, as well. Go, quickly, and let my battle cover your retreat.
Oh sorry, we were pretty close in the pod, so I got distracted by your eyes.
So that's how it is... that's unfortunate. Ah. Then... the future I envision... perhaps I can't beat you here and and now, but I'll battle you anyway to buy time for these members of Team Plasma to flee.
Plasma King N Battle
Well even if he is the leader of Team Plasma, we've beaten him before, we'll do it again!
Of course his team is, again, completely different. Someone went to the Desert Resort. For some reason.
Time for Gamera's debut in a totally legal Dive Ball, don't look at me like that.
Gamera gives no fucks about Darumaka, which is good because they're scary otherwise!
You fucking legend.
You're quite strong. But I have a future that I must change. And, for that future...
I'll make all Trainers free their Pokemon! Just try and stop me! If you want to be together with Pokemon, your only hope is to collect the Badges from each area and head for the Pokemon League! Try and stop me there, if you dare! If your conviction is not strong enough, you will never be able to defeat me.
Nimbasa City
Hmm, well he might be trying to change the world, but was that technically asking me on a second date?
Aw man there's still the Gym to cover and we're not even halfway done going over everything.
Hopefully we can catch this mon soon, it's driving me crazy!
Ooh, Touya! Are you interested in musicals? Then, let's go in together!
Alright let's, urp, go to the Pokemon Musical. Sorry, nearly threw up there.
Musical Hall
I'm the owner of this theater. Pleasure to meet you! Ooh! I must say that you two seem like phenomenal Trainers! What do we do here? We use Props to make your Pokemon fashionable and glamorous! Do you want to join in and play Dress Up? To get you started, here's a Prop Case!
This Prop Case lets you store Props for decorating your Pokemon! First off, you need to pick a Pokemon! Then... it's time to play Dress Up!
Alright, uh, well, it's a little early for Camillia to be doing this, but thankfully we're not required to do a Musical to progress the plot. Not that they take long anyway...
Sure, whatever. I could go into detail about this side mode and why most of it is pointless and the rest is incredibly boring, but then I wouldn't have anything to talk about later! And I have a lot of words for this fraction-of-a-Contest later.
Utterly charming! If you have a Pokemon who can play Dress Up, you can participate in the Pokemon Musical! Would you two please join us? The receptionist can explain everything. Let us say a brief farewell! I eagerly anticipate seeing you on stage!
Oh, I don't know what to do! Doing the musical would be totally cool, but there's other stuff I wanna do. OK, that's it! I made up my mind! I'm going to see the sights in Nimbasa! See ya, Touya!
I don't have any Props, so I'll give you this instead!
With the move Echoed Voice, the power is boosted more and more if it's used every turn. Having a group use it might work well!
I apologize in advance if any of our Props don't suit some kinds of Pokemon. Pokemon are individuals, after all!
We shall return... sooner rather than later.
Unwavering Emotions
I've come to take you back home, of course! Your mother told me that you'd made it all the way out here. Haven't you gone far enough?
No way! I'm going to keep traveling with Touya and my Pokemon!
Absolutely not! Others do things their way, and we do things ours!
Is that so? Then, how about you do things your way, and I'll do things mine!
My name is Elesa. I'm this town's Gym Leader. I also happen to be a model. You know, there are many people in this world. There are people whose way of thinking may be completely different from yours. Sometimes, this means you may get hurt.
Of course! That's exactly right! It's because I'm worried about that...
But it's important to keep trying, to learn about the differences between yourself and others... to learn that being different is OK. And you shouldn't worry. Trainers always have Pokemon at their side. Pokemon are wonderful. It's not only how cute they can be, but also how much you can depend on them...
I know there's gonna be painful stuff like you're worrying about! I know! Really, I get it! But, like, listen... there'll be tons of nice people, too. Know what else? Since I've been traveling with Pokemon, I've already gotten tougher, I can totally tell. So... please?
Hmm... I guess. If wanting to continue your journey is selfishness on your part, wanting to stop you is selfishness on mine. I'm surprised to find I'm the one being childish--at my age! This Gym Leader's comments helped me wake up. Bianca, I'm sure it's better that you take the path you want to take now. I hope your journey will be fun. Bon voyage! Touya, please... take care of my little girl, OK?
I'm sure he traveled as a Trainer himself, in the past... being a parent must be hard. Did I meddle unnecessarily? You looked troubled, so I decided to chime in. By the way, if you're Trainers, please stop by the Pokemon Gym. I'll teach you a little something about how tough a journey can get.
Nimbasa City
"like Elesa!"
Mm. I wonder how I'll get there. Well, before that, I guess I need to discover what I really want to do! See you later, Touya!
You, who like training, and you, who don't like training! Let's train our Pokemon by giving them these!
A Pokemon's Speed decreases when it holds a Macho Brace, but it grows stronger! It's a tool that is a bit difficult to use, but that's the way it goes!
We'll do some training out on Route 16 before we take on the Gym and while we could similarly do the same on Route 5, we don't need that much training, I have a plan after all. How about we do some F O O T B A L L
I injured my hand, so I can't sign autographs! I'm sorry about that. So, what does the autograph on your Trainer Card look like?
The Big Stadium and Small Court don't really have anything, after all, it's humans doing sport, and that's not interesting, but they're a way to get infinite exp pretty quickly. To begin with, there's only the one trainer, but as you get more badges, more trainers pop up until you get 5 in the postgame. They all scale as well, so even trainers from the start will have level 65 mons at that point, very worthwhile, especially because you get items from specific trainers afterwards! These appear randomly in the postgame and give an interesting variety, from Rare Candy, to Nuggets, and even PP Maxes!
I am training to be the very best with my Pokemon!
S P O R T S
Let's see which option is next door.
Is this handegg? I can't keep these different names straight.
I'll improve by having a lot of Pokemon battles!
How does this keep happening?!
I won't make excuses for losing! Why waste time dreaming up excuses? I'll spend that time getting stronger!
These are the times each sport is available, with the listed time when the areas are closed for actual S P O R T S to happen. This is also where you'd find the Infielder, Linebacker, Striker, Hoopster and Smasher classes in this game.
We'll do a quick lap, that's our exercise for the month, and next time, it's Gym time. Oh joy...