Part 35: Outskirt Stand

Outskirt Stand


As soon as the credits end, we find both ♀ and the protagonist at the Outskirt Stand.


An e-mail comes for us, from the Kids Grid...


And as soon as we leave, we receive yet another e-mail. Before we get to that, however, I believe we have some trading to take care of.

Phenac City


>Would you like to trade POKéMON?
* TRADE: > Before any trade can be made, your progress must be recorded. Is it okay to save?
* INFO: > What would you like to know about?
- TRADING METHOD: > You will need a POKéMON Game Boy Advance Game Pak which was last saved at a POKéMON CENTER. You will also need a Game Boy Advance system. Insert the Game Pak into the Game Boy Advance system. Connect the Game Boy Advance system to Controller Socket 2 using a GCN-GBA cable.
- UNTRADABLE POKéMON: > A SHADOW POKéMON cannot be traded to a Game Boy Advance Game Pak.
- UNACCEPTABLE POKéMON: > A POKéMON holding an EGG or a piece of MAIL cannot be accepted from a Game Boy Advance Game Pak.
Spiffy Point: What is meant here is a Pokémon Egg (or a Pokémon inside an Egg), not a Pokémon holding an Egg, which it is unable to do unless the item is the Lucky Egg.
- - End of text: > Would you like any other information?
* CANCEL: [exit menu]


Before we get started, I'd like to demonstrate how trading works. There's a trainer out there interested in having a Tyranitar, offering a Clamperl for usage. I don't think "SHELLBOOBS" is an orthodox nickname, but... eh. To each their own.


For a Clamperl holding a DeepSeaScale, its Special Defense stat value is doubled. Unfortunately, the only way to get one of those items is to trade over a Pokémon holding it. So, let's get Clamperl over, and send our purified Tyranitar.


Oh, right. The DeepSeaScale, as well as the DeepSeaTooth, are actually items that, if you have Clamperl hold while trading it, will evolve it into Gorebyss and Huntail, respectively. Pokémon Colosseum will, in fact, allow you to do trade evolutions, assuming you have a GCN-GBA Link Cable and a Game Boy Advance of some sort. Well... I don't want to use this absurd-looking thing. Maybe we can do trade-backs...


Alright, and Tyranitar is ours once more. I don't know what exactly this trainer was going on about, saying she was champion of her region, this Tyranitar was male, and he was eating the Trade Center attendants on her side... And she kept calling me WES. I'm guessing there were some mixed signals, interference in transmission or something. Those sorts of things can happen over long-distances, I suppose. So, let's see...


Slugma and Makuhita are traded off, in order to bring MJR. MAGMA and Commodore online. You'll note that the Major is... I don't know what that color is. But it's not gray or silver. Colosseum and its sequel either don't seem to care or just don't get some shiny Pokémon's colorations right. Enough of a trade derail. We'll be getting on with the story now.

Pyrite Town

Let's go visit Es Cade in prison. It ought to be fun gloating our victory over him, won't it?

SHERLES: Our prisoners broke out. Every last one of them. I reckon they realized that they make easier targets for their organization when they're caged.
Oh... what does that last bit have to do with anything?


JOHNSON: Yes, I was sleeping like a baby, but I wish they would've at least told me they were making a run for it...
Sadly, they wouldn't, because they aren't completely incompetent like you are, Johnson. Sorry, chum. All the other cells are indeed empty, so let's check in with Duking... who doesn't have any new text. The fortune-teller doesn't, either. She keeps talking about this cloud of darkness underground, but I could've sworn we took care of that already. You know, The Under?


Oh, and I forgot to show off this text, in case you don't touch just the right spot on the shelf, helping to give away its false nature.


SECC: There's this ROGUE called CAIL who hangs around PYRITE's entrance. It sounds like CAIL recently battled this creepy trainer. They say that this trainer used some weird POKéMON. I think you should have a talk with CAIL about this.
Oh, Cail? That guy from whom we have Snagged the Shadow Furret, and battled on multiple occasions for no real reason other than because we could? Sure, I bet we can beat him again, no problem...


CAIL: I'd be willing to share what I know with you. But only if you can beat me. You ready?
ROGUE CAIL, P$912
Granbull (Lv.56)
Gardevoir (Lv.57)
Shiftry (Lv.56)
Machamp (Lv.57)
CAIL: No! It's been a futile struggle every time!
Stantler grew to Lv.59!
Oh. Well, looks like he got a bunch tougher. His Pokémon are all on their final evolution, and let me tell you, that Gardevoir can be rough if you aren't prepared to take it down. Like Commodore, Gardevoir has the Trace ability, copying the ability of one of your active Pokémon when it comes out. Also, Cail would have his Shadow Furret if we'd missed it any of the times earlier, allowing for yet another Snag opportunity. This half of the game is all about Snagging any Pokémon missed earlier, as you'll see me bringing up many times.

CAIL: That trainer, he used a SHADOW BAYLEEF. The trainer's name was... Uh... I forgot! He did say something about the SNAGEM HIDEOUT, though.
As you can guess, Cail would be telling us about a trainer using a Shadow Quilava if we'd selected Bayleef, or a Shadow Croconaw if we'd selected Quilava... wait. Snagem Hideout? That thing we blew up in the intro movie?


Sure enough, we can finally access it from the map, after getting through the entire story with no chances to see what the explosion did. Guess he just had no reason to go there, but you would think it would have been marked on the map before...

Snagem Hideout


Huh. Well, it looks like the place has fallen into ruin and disarray. Guess giant explosions will do that to you. The doors still work, fortunately enough, and they don't even need any key to get through!


And now Cail remembered the trainer's name... and gave it to a member of the Kids Grid? Well, I guess he's a person of his word about telling us, but... that seems a bit odd. Oh well.


We've got a save terminal right here, which is very convenient, as there's absolutely no healing machine in this building. You'd think they could've stolen one... I mean, even the sewers/irrigation of Pyrite Town had a healing machine. We'll pick up here, next time!