Part 1: Welcome to the World of the Wanderer

Part 1: Welcome to the World of the Wanderer



Is it time for another LP already? That's right, it's my LP of Pokemon Shuffle!

Colosseum Opening



Ah just kidding it's actually a good game.



We've got a fair few options to cover later on, but for now, let's jump right in and meet the Professor!



Oh, we're just given our protagonist. This is Wes, but canonical names are boring, so I want you guys to look at him and remember I've called him THOMAS.



Since I've forgoed videos because I'm getting lazier with each LP, you should absolutely watch the opening cutscene. Why?



It's pretty explosive.

Outskirt Stand



Well that's one way to start a Pokemon game, I suppose. Before we check out where we ended up, uh, who are we and why do we have two cats?



Our starter Pokemon in this game are Espeon and Umbreon, since this game is full to the brim of double battles! You can probably guess which one is gonna be more helpful.



You can find what I think of all 386 Pokemon throughout my Crystal and Emerald LPs, so while I'll still go over every Pokemon you can find in this game, the amount doesn't even reach 100, so I'll be talking about how useful Pokemon are in how you might use them in game.

So, Umbreon, if you compare it to Espeon, it's just not much of a contest is it? Double Battles is a pretty different beast to singles, walls are a lot less effective due to taking two hits per turn and being fast and strong helps immensely so you can get an attack off and prevent one opponent from attacking. So while Umbreon can have his tanking uses, he's probably not a great idea. Getting Bite as a starting move is a mercy, otherwise he would have Pursuit until Faint Attack in the midgame, which wouldn't be great.

Breeding and tutor moves aren't in this game, so you have even less options, especially with TMs being pretty limited. You could give him some cool moves, but man you have a fast attacker RIGHT THERE. Get used to seeing this, there are some Pokemon that can't be used in this game and this borders on being one of them. It'll work out fine, but you will feel sad while doing it. Also his other moves kinda blow, though Taunt is useful at the start, but you'd rather just attack. Timid is +Spd -Atk, but Umbreon is a wall, so...



There's like 4 ribbons in this game (I think?), so this page won't be seeing a lot of use.



Espeon is a much better choice, having a super nice moveset for doubles and just hitting really hard. However, while it is my favourite Pokemon ever and I'm ecstatic to use it, it can be a rough journey, due it not doing a whole lot aside from nuking stuff with Psychic. Like Ranmaru, Espeon will be one note, but what it does is very good. However, don't be surprised if he faints a lot due to this game's harshness and not being able to take many hits. You'll be healing Espeon a lot, since he'll be your main attacker for a good chunk of the game until you can rely on your other mons to pick up the slack.

Reflect is pretty useful to make him not fall over immediately, but it might be preferable to just attack and not get hit! The AI in this game is a little interesting as we'll see later. Also, Modest nature, that's +SpAtk -Atk, which makes Return less potent, but who cares about that? Well it's kinda bad, since we didn't get Bite like Umbreon, so Psychic STAB is your only source of special attacks in this game. He'll have a lot of spare moveslots!



Our P*DA is our Trainer Card, though it'll have other uses later on. You can probably guess what the Snag List is about.



Our email is a weirdly underutilized feature in this game, but when they eventually start coming in thick and thin, you can choose your alert tone. This is the only choice.



We even start out with some items! We can't put this sack into our inventory. Yet.



Heheheh, yeah. And we bagged ourselves a great big catch, too. Boss'll be sure to fix us up with big rewards, too. Heheheh, it doesn't get any better than this!



Ooh, food? I haven't eaten in four LPs!

News Alert



TEAM SNAGEM is a gang of POKEMON abductors who have already been marked for arrest. The HIDEOUT was discovered only as a result of the explosion. By the time police arrived, the ruined building had already been abandoned. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. It should become apparent eventually.

What kind of dashing rogue would do something so terrible? Oh yeah, since the models for these games haven't been ripped for the most part, sometimes I won't have the right portrait to use, but there's a fair variety to choose from, so it shouldn't be too confusing, especially for important characters.

Outskirt Stand



I hear they use something called a SNAG BALL to catch POKEMON from their rightful trainer in battle. I'm guessing that you're a trainer. You'd better be careful.



Might as well hang with the locals, keep up with the tings, or whatever the kids say.




Seems we've done our civic duty for today, guess I should blow up hideouts more often!



I bet your POKEMON are impressive, too. If the opportunity ever arises, I'd like to have a battle with you. Heh... though I doubt I'd have any chance of beating you...



Any way I look at it, it's obvious that you're no ordinary Joe. So what do you say? Let's you and me have a quick battle! Yeahah! That's the spirit! All right, all right. Over here, this way!



Did you know? This region is based on America, specifically Arizona? I'd have never guessed.

Willie Battle



Woah, 3D environments! 3D Trainers!




3D Pokemon! 3D battles! Only two Pokemon though, triple battles aren't a thing yet.




Already we have some tricky business, since text boxes and attack animations are seperate! So I'll probably have to screenshot what attack it is so I remember what the move is when I only put the animation in the update. Should be easy enough. This is what Espeon will be doing for most of the LP: using a Psychic move and probably knocking something out, it's great.



And this is what Umbreon will be doing: much less damage and not knocking out Pokemon.




This isn't a battle we'll have trouble with, so we'll let Umbreon deal the final blow. Secret Power has the same kind of effects in this game as it did previous, but it has the same Needle Arm animation regardless.




Hey, I know. Why not test your skills in PHENAC CITY? It's out west of here. You'll find trainers who are way better than me there. You should go out there and get some battling in.

Orre Map




When you have a badass bike, there's no need for routes, we just got from one location to another.

Phenac City



Based on Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, as well as the mineral phenakite.



Yeah, you say that, but this... it won't stop squirming. Makes it tough to hold on.

Okay, okay. Settle down in there. Just be quiet for a little while longer.



Tch! The tape didn't keep her yap shut! Hey! Quit your shouting!

Oh, drat! Did that punk there hear all that?!



I love the way they just dump the sack.

Trainer Battle



There we go, that's the battle theme we all know and love. Man fighting trainers is such a treat in this game.



Again, this is what Espeon will be doing most of the time.



Hey that's lucky! This is why you choose Bite over Faint Attack if you ever get that far with Umbreon.




We'll finish off the battle with Return, a move you use only use when you don't want to knock a Pokemon out, or to be flashy, and get a level already! Our starters already have a bit of exp and Umbreon is now two levels ahead of Espeon. Just to show how meh Umbreon still is.

Phenac City



Huh? Wait a sec... that face... might you be... TEAM SNAGEM's...




Wha... you dingbat! Don't shoot off your mouth! Don't get all happy just on account of winning this once. The next time we meet, I'll trash you, your POKEMON, and all!



Gah! This is tied good and tight... can you believe those people? What a horrible thing to do! Can you give this rope a tug from the other side?

Please! We need your help!



Hopefully this is a talking Pokemon, those are pretty rare!



...where is this? Where did those two bring me?

This is PHENAC CITY, the opulent city of water. This person saved you from those thugs.

The way he battled those goons, it was truly superb. I wish you could've seen it.

Oh! Is that so? Thank you! And... uh... you are? Oh! So you're named THOMAS! I am...



Meet Rui, either she's the rival, or we're gonna have a companion. Guess which one it is. I'm also not gonna call her Yuki, we just had one of those. So Anca it is, that's a perfectly normal name.



Oh! Those guys, did they use a peculiar POKEMON?

A peculiar POKEMON? No, they looked ordinary to me. What do you mean by peculiar POKEMON?

Oh... no... no, that's fine, then.

Well, it's easy to see something's on your mind. You should go see our MAYOR for his advice. He's a very kindly person. I'm sure that he'll be able to help you somehow. The MAYOR's house is near the fountain square past here. Go up the stairs from the square and it's on your left.

The MAYOR? Yes, that's true! The MAYOR might know something!



Sorry, but I'm a lone desert wanderer. I only have room in my heart for my cats.



You have wholly and utterly convinced me.



If you're with me, THOMAS, it won't matter if those guys come back again! Thank you! Thanks for joining me for a while!



Oh okay, the game went there pretty quickly. Great.

Pokemon Center



Let's start exploring the city by going, where else, but the Pokemon Center!



I need to go over the PC as well, since this is where you SAVE. If you remember, there wasn't an option in the main menu, so it makes this game a lot trickier, since you have to find a PC in the overworld if you want to take a break. I don't need to worry about that as much since I have savestates, but damn it can get annoying.



This is where you can trade with the Gen 3 games, but you can't do it until the postgame, otherwise it would make the game a lot easier.



Now for the Mart. Our item selection is similar to what we'd get after the 2nd badge, so that's nice.



We'll sell the items we start with that we don't need, ESPECIALLY Awakenings. But I feel like something's missing...



But, as you know, there are no wild POKEMON around these parts. So there's no demand for POKEBALLS. Meaning nobody sells them. That's common knowledge, too.



Now for the east side of town.



There's a few standard optional battles around, but there's a lot less than in the main games, especially if you're going for 100%. I'll be showing off every battle in the game at least once, since without wild Pokemon to grind, you can rematch most trainers in the game for infinite exp.

Trainer Battle




I'll be trying to show off a bit more of the battling this time around, as I didn't really for most of Emerald, but I obviously won't be showing off every single attack.



Since these games are basically Double Battles: The Movie, there's a lot more happening every turn and there's some pretty neat stuff the AI will throw at us, so I think it'll be an interesting time. Also what kind of trainer class is Fun Old Man???

Phenac City



Ah, yes. You're young, but you've got a bit of spine! Why, you're just like me when I was young! Well done, indeed!



Those thugs must have come back and taken off with it. I bet they came from PYRITE TOWN. I'm sure of it!



No? Is that right. That's got be vexing. I know! If it's about POKEMON, there's the PRE GYM! It's actually called PRESTIGE PRECEPT CENTER, but everyone just calls it PRE GYM... PRE GYM is a place where skilled trainers work on their own abilities as well as their own POKEMON. You'll find many trainers there who are knowledgeable about POKEMON. I'm sure they can help you. The PRE GYM is on the raised middle part of the town. You should visit there.



We'll go check out the Gym in just a moment. First, there's something behind this house.



You're a trainer, too, aren't you? Let's duke it out! Let's battle! All right! Here we come, and there's no holding back!




Surprisingly, this battle isn't difficult. Umbreon still couldn't knock out the Wurmple in one shot.



I didn't think I'd lose. Big guy, you're tough... I want you to have this since you're so good.



Some TMs aren't even in these games, but unfortunately Torment is still here. Sure, it can be useful, but it's just not my style.

Pre Gym



This is a place for trainers and POKEMON to not only sharpen their strength and skills, but also their body and spirit.



Oh? You must be a trainer, too. Are you listening in on my class? Since you're here, I have something here that you might like. May I see your P*DA please?

Oh! That's a POKEMON DIGITAL ASSISTANT! Or P*DA for short! THOMAS, you have one, too, don't you?



Here you go. I've upgraded it and added the STRATEGY MEMO function. You'll be able to check the types and abilities of the POKEMON you've met at a glance. Come see me whenever you like. I'll update your P*DA with detailed data on the POKEMON you've met. I hope you make good use of the STRATEGY MEMO as you aim to be a great trainer!



Our one and only upgrade for our P*DA is basically a Pokedex, but in alphabetical order. There's no kind of regional Pokedex, so I won't be evolving every Pokemon I see, just catching.



It's got your basic info, the cry, height comparison and a model viewer. It's cool, but you can only update it by talking to the teacher, which I'll try to do when we need to come back to Phenac City... if I remember.



Well, what do you think? Since you're already here, do you feel like having a battle? Okay. Then let me introduce you to the trainers of PRE GYM. When you're ready to go, go to the BATTLE AREA in the center, and stand at the left-hand side.



In all, you'll be facing four trainers. They're all a handful, I can vouch for that. And now, this is where your opponent enters!



We've done plenty of talking this update, so let's battle!

Trainer Battle




The trainer names in these games are... interesting to say the least. There's some real good ones.



Oh wow, Espeon didn't OHKO a Pokemon for the first time in the LP. Mental.



But this game starts off pretty easy. It's never ridiculously hard, but it will get tougher, don't you worry.



So, what's your plan? Do you keep chugging on with your battle challenge? Okay, gotcha! Let's get the next battle started!




Oh yeah, there's a real mix of Pokemon in Orre, but we'll mostly see Johto and Hoenn Pokemon, making me think this southern region is on the other side of Johto, as Kanto Pokemon are pretty uncommon.



Boosting with Agility and Defense Curl won't help you much.



Two trainers already. Are we about to be fired up?



Doesn't look like it.



Wait, Ground types, Dug, I get it!




The way you battle is... uh... interesting. You might say it's unique, or maybe it's just chaotic. Well, I wish you the best of luck!



Ahah, an Ice type trainer, I'm getting it now!



Oh... never mind then.




My battling style must have been too sophisticated for you.



I know what comes next after fighting four trainers in a row.



You don't have a fully party of POKEMON yet. When you get six of them, I'd like you to come see me again. That's when I will be your opponent. I'll be looking forward to it!



We'll actually have six Pokemon pretty soon, trust me, but we'll be battling Justy later. He's a little bit strong.




There's nothing down here. Hmm, weren't we supposed to be going somewhere?



Oh yeah shit the Mayor's house. I am too easily distracted.