Part 7: Hitting the Desert Roads

Hitting the Desert Roads


Here you can see Makuhita being deposited, to prepare for our new team member. Note that we could be keeping up to six Pokemon in our party and, in fact, need that many to challenge Justy. However, Justy is cheap, so we'll need to level-up to stand a chance against him.

Croconaw has been moved to the front of the party, so that it can enter battle more often, and thus be Purified more quickly.


Alright, let's finally head to PYR... what? It's not on the map!? We talked about going there how many times, and... huh. Construction Lot. Exciting. I suppose we should go there, for no real reason.

Construction Lot



In the distance can be seen what looks like a huge metropolis on a platform. It looks quite expensive, but there's no way to get to it at the moment; the only door to access it is locked.


> This is no place for tourists to visit. Go on, scram.

> But, we're just about done here. All that's left is to clean up the site, and we're done.

> Let me tell you, making this here huge tower's one massive job. It's hard to imagine, even for me.
> Y'all come back to visit when we're all done here. There'll be a COLOSSEUM on top of the tower. Amazing stuff!
Yay, a Colosseum! Presumably important, given the name of the game. But no way up means no reason to stick around here. After this, we get to head over to Pyrite Town.


Pyrite Town, Part 1
Entering town starts with another pan over the area.
> Awww, Mr. JOHNSON, give a man a break here.
> I keep telling you, I don't know anything.
JOHNSON: That better be true, CAIL. If you're trying to con me, I'll know about it!
CAIL: Mr. JOHNSON, sir! I wouldn't think about lying to you! You've got to believe me, right?
JOHNSON: All right, fine. I'll let you off easy today. See you!
(Johnson walks offscreen, stage left. Four seconds later...)
CAIL: Heheh! What a nitwit. Of course I haven't got a thing to tell you.
The first two lines are spoken by CAIL, but the game doesn't give that away, as you've yet to overhear/learn it. This is often the case with characters in this game. Also, Johnson's... er, forgiving attitude towards criminals doesn't give me much hope for the investigation in Phenac. Talking to Cail after that introduction yield the following:

CAIL: If you don't want to get hurt, you should get lost, and quick. For the good of your health. Heheh.
Eesh. Carrying on, then, let's talk to some of the other Pyrite Town residents.

> You appear to be outsiders. You had best beware. There are many ne'er-do-well sorts here.

> Well, shoo! Beat it! I don't have any money to give to the likes of you!
Not so friendly a welcome as Phenac.

Time to enter a green building nearby, with our protagonists' presumably inherited right of trespassing inherent in all RPGs.

> PYRITE TOWN's always had a history as a rough town. With all the muscle-bound rouchnecks about, that's not a surprise.
> But when DUKING was in charge, there wasn't any of this lawlessness that you see today.
> What's come over DUKING?
We'll be giving Duking a visit a bit later on. Right now, we have a few other NPCs to chat up.


> I am FATEEN. If ever a problem clouds your brow, you shall come to me.
FATEEN: Whatever your problem may be, my fortune-telling shall lead to the solution. Fwofwofwo.
Fateen works like an in-game hint system. Visit her, and her hint will tactfully point you in the right direction. Sadly, she has nothing more to say at this point to us. Her visitor does, but nothing helpful:

> Why, just a while ago, she even determined where my wife is living since she left me... Sob...
Using a psychic to stalk your ex-wife? How delightfully creepy! Onward, to tell the police what we've seen so far.

We first speak to the Chief:
My name's SHERLES. I'm the CHIEF of police in this town. Are you two travelers?
YES/NO:
SHERLES: I see. Well, whether you are or not, it would be best if you were to get out of the town as soon as possible.
SHERLES: This town's descended into a state of lawless chaos. I couldn't guarantee your safety if anything were to happen.
… Eesh. Bad sign when even the police advise fleeing. Talking to the clumsy cop...
JOHNSON: I'm JOHNSON. I'm the law around here. It's my job to uphold the peace in this town!
Smashing job you're doing, I hear.

There's a guy in the upper of three cells that cannot be spoken to, due to being out of speaking range. Completely logical, I know. The middle of the three cells is empty. The bottom cell houses two criminals... ones we know.

FOLLY: Listen, you have to promise. Don't tell MIROR B. that we're hiding out here, okay?
TRUDLY: After we blew our last chance, we couldn't go back. So we turned ourselves in for stealing that truck and here we are!
TRUDLY: If we stayed here, we'd be safe. Hehehe.
So you'd rather be in jail than deal with Miror B. Why not... you know, flee to somewhere? Some class-act criminals we're dealing with, you see.


Pyrite Town's Pokemon Mart (PokeMart) has a wider selection than that of Phenac, selling items including the Revive and Hyper Potion. The former cures a Pokemon from fainting, restoring it to half-HP; the latter restores 200 HP. Good for when a Pokemon Center or other means of healing aren't nearby. However, there are no Poke Balls of any type for sale here. It seems like the Outskirt Stand will be our only means of getting more, unless we just find them lying around.

Unfortunately, the "customers" in the PokeMart seem to be quite seedy, or just stupid.

YES: > If there was a deal that good, I'd keep it to myself! Hohoho.
NO: > Oh, you've no spirit of fun.
... Okay, then? Another guy says...
> POTION, PARLYZ HEAL...
> There's all sorts of stuff I want, but I don't have the money...
> Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I don't have any POKEMON anyways.
Good thing, too. You couldn't even afford any Poke Snacks for them to eat, I bet.

Outside a nearby building, labeled "HOTEL" in fading paint:

NO: Good. That's okay, then. I'll teach you about one of the few rules this town has.
Here, we have street battles rather than exchanging greetings!

CHASER CALDA, P$520
Sentret (Lv.25, M)
Taillow (Lv.25, F)
Slakoth (Lv.26, M)
CALDA: Whoops! You were better than me!
CALDA: I tripped myself up, but you're not bad at all. Your Pokemon are tops, too.
You can spin them around for entertainment?

CALDA: Fufufu... I can see it in your eyes. You're just like us. It's easy to see.

Heading inside...

> Stay in one of our ultra-gorgeous suits, and you'll be refreshed like you're brand new! Your Pokemon, too!
> It's a mere P100 a night. Will you stay with us?
PRO TIP: Don't use this for healing. You're out P100 when a Center, Healing Machine, or PC can do it for free. There is nothing gained from staying here.
NO: The next time you need to stay a night, make sure it's right here at the PYRITE SUPER GRAND HOTEL.

> I was totally exhausted from the TOWER construction job.
> Apparently, some fabulously rich guy had the TOWER built. It's amazing stuff.
Amazing! How did he manage to carry more than P999,999? Did his mom help him hold his money? Or maybe he paid for it in installments?
(Note: In no Pokemon game can you hold more than P999,999 on you.)

> But now, that right-out-there-weird MIROR B. and his stooges ride herd over the town.
> I wonder what's so special about that MIROR B. guy.
Maybe he chokes people to death with his afro?

> Okay! TACKLE now! No! Don't get confused! Zzz...
Heading out of the hotel, towards the northern part of town, forces us into a battle.


> Why don't you lose that wallflower with you and be my sweetie?
Trust me, I would if I could. Heck, you could even have her, if you want.
♀: Wait a second! Who are you to call me a wallflower? What about me makes me a wallflower?
> Ahaha! Look at her, she's all serious! Uncool!
> I'm only teasing out of boredom. A guy like him, he's not to my taste.
♀: Grrrrr! That's it! I'm furious now!
♀: [NAME]! Be a man, stomp her down!
That's... not any definition of chivalry in my book.
> Stomp? Who, me? Ahaha! That's a laugh.
> Come on, then! I'll go easy on you.

CHASER EMOK, P$520
Gulpin (Lv.27, F)
Zubat (Lv.27, F)
EMOK: You got all serious!
EMOK: What kind of a man battles a frail girl like me without easing up? You're not going to win the hearts of girls that way.
That battle gives us the first instance of Hyper Mode you've seen in this game. Funny, opposing Shadow Pokemon will never go into Hyper Mode, and their trainer get to use all of the moves what we eventually unlock, save for the one Shadow Rush unlocks. It seems we got the short end of the stick on this deal. That battle also gives us our first instance of a Poisoned Pokemon. We lose about 1 HP per half-second of running or second of walking (covering the same distance).

As we approach the north once more, ♀ chimes in once more:

♀: I tried to leave town afterwards, and that's when those creeps grabbed me.
♀: We should be careful. Even at the best of times, there's nothing normal about this town.
Well, gravity seems to be working, so that theory's out the window.


And here come the Shadow Pokemon battles! There are six battles, of which you can encounter the trainers in whatever order and frequency you wish. You can even re-battle trainers for more EXP, though they will only have one Shadow Pokemon, zero if it was previously Snagged.

ST.PERFORMER DIOGO, P$480
Flaaffy (Lv.30, M|F)
Shroomish (Lv.28, F)

RIDER VANT, P$300
Misdreavus (Lv.30, M|F)
Skitty (Lv.28, F)
Zigzagoon (Lv.28, M)

RIDER NOVER, P$300
Noctowl (Lv.30, M|F)
Ledyba (Lv.27, F)
Wingull (Lv.27, M)

RIDER LEBA, P$300
Skiploom (Lv.30, M|F)
Oddish (Lv.26, F)
Dustox (Lv.26, M)

BANDANA GUY DIVEL, P$480
Quagsire (Lv.30, M|F)
Psyduck (Lv.29, M)

ROLLER BOY DON, P$180
Slugma (Lv.30, M|F)
Azurill (Lv.27, F)
Swablu (Lv.27, M)
Igglybuff (Lv.26, F)

Alright! Battles done, on with the rest of the update.

Well, it seems that there's someone in town named Duking, so let's try and find them.

Well, that's a dead end. Fortunately, Duking's not in there. South of the hotel is another, easily-missed building; within sits a large, muscular man at a desk:

DUKING: If you want to enter a battle, go see the COLOSSEUM's receptionist.
DUKING: Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm busy.
Unsurprisingly, trying to enter a battle at Pyrite Town's Colosseum doesn't work, another challenge in progress. Lovely... Why does Duking have a kid standing in his... office? Room? House?

> There's nothing special behind the bookshelf!
Selecting the bookshelf, we get:

LIIIIIES! Child, you spew lies from your filthy mouth! Talking to him again gives no change in dialogue, but it is amusing to see...

Well done, kiddo. Well done. Time to head in the SECRET PASSAGE OF... er... it doesn't have a name.


Ooo, there's a cave full of children and supplies, better call child protective services. Oh, wait, I don't think they exist. After all, you've got Pokemon trainers as young as 10 strolling around the world.

> Waaah! You startled me! How did you get in here?
> That's weird... My little brother is supposed to be on lookout.

> I want to play house.
A noble endeavor.

MARCIA: But, sorry, we're busy. We're talking about something that's quite important.
MARCIA: Please come visit and play with us another time.
… Great.

So, let's recap. Two random strangers break past the one child assigned to guard a secret bookcase, one that leads to a cave with a small waterfall at the back, where one out of three children blatantly introduces themselves to said strangers, and tells them to come back and play with them later... that's it, I'm done with this cave... which triggers a cutscene.

> They're using you and the COLOSSEUM!
> What is the matter with you? Have they sucked the spirit right out of you?!
DUKING: …
> Tch. So you just clam up. I've lost faith in you!
Mr. Yelly-Mouth walks outside, proceeded by the kid guarding the door talking to us.

> But he was really angry. His face looked all scary.
Thanks for that, really. Duking still won't say anything useful, but it has changed slightly after the cutscene.
DUKING: Sorry, but I'm busy. You'll have to excuse me.

Heading back to Pyrite Colosseum (finally), we run into a pink-shirt.

> This crevasse runs deep under the ground. You can't even see the bottom from here.
> You see, PYRITE's an old mining town.
Er... last I checked, mining didn't consist of building a "bottomless pit" trench about 20-30 feet wide and then digging straight down.
A nearby bodybuilder has this to add:

> And it's not just once either. It was the time before, and the time before that, too! If I wasn't a guy, I could cry...
Aww. Don't feel restricted to society's gender roles.
> Hey! I know what to do! I'll go ask PYRITE's MOTHER. I'll ask her when I'll finally win that challenge!
Well, good luck. She's done a fat lot of nothing to help me so far. Time to head inside.


> I've heard rumors that if you win the challenge, you get an awesome POKEMON like that CAIL did...
> Oh, sheesh, what am I saying? You'll have to keep that a secret! Pretend you never heard me, okay?
♀: [NAME]! Wasn't CAIL that guy who was hanging around the town's entrance?
♀: We should ask him. He might know something.
Hot damn, we've stumbled onto some plot! Thanks for the much needed redundancy in the train of thought, ♀.

YES: > I'm sorry, but the current challenge is already under way.
> Please wait for the next challenge's registration.
NO: > Oh, good. You see, the challenge has already started.
> Please take part in the next challenge.
Haven't heard that before.


This building here's attached to some giant windmill blades spinning counterclockwise. Heading inside...

> Oh, what's with you, younglings? Do you want to spin gears, too?
YES: > Wahaha! Not to disappoint you, but this isn't a job that anyone could just pick up.
> Give it another twenty years, then come back. Wahaha!
NO: > Wahaha! No doubt, no doubt!
> I've been doing this for thirty years! Only I can do this! Wahaha!
Let's go talk to the guy in the lab coat. Maybe he's more sane.

> It may look a little worse for wear, but it's still going strong in active service.
Aww, the little windmill that could.

Now, let's see what Cail has to say.

CAIL: Hehe. If you want to know that much, you may as well see it with your own eyes!

And then ROGUE CAIL trampled us with his team of hacked Level 100 legendaries.

… Okay, maybe he didn't. So, we've got a new bunch of Shadow Pokemon coming up. I could have included this one in this section, but I felt it was more important to cover the others. Er... pretend it's a cliffhanger.

Current team:
Espeon Lv. 28
Umbreon Lv. 28
Flaaffy Lv. 30
Croconaw Lv. 30

Voting time again! The Shadow Pokemon are from now (the one Cail has) up to our our first major "boss" character. Same voting rules stand: if you want one of these Shadow Pokemon to be used on the team, you have to vote off one of the ones currently on the team. Likewise, vote for balls and gender for the following:

Shadow Pokemon:
Furret (Lv.33)
Yanma (Lv. 33)
Mantine (Lv. 33)
Remoraid (Lv. 20)
Qwilfish (Lv. 33)
Meditite (Lv. 33)
Swablu (Lv. 33)
Dunsparce (Lv. 33)
Sudowoodo (Lv. 35)