Part 66: A Second Slice of Excellent Kanto (HGSS)
Update 50.5: A Second Slice of Excellent Kanto (HGSS)
Celadon City
Welcome back to HGSS, hey it's that guy we forget about all the time.
: Guess what? That Sound Designer over there showed me something cool. It's a hi-tech, retro machine to listen to music from the Game Boy! He said he'll give it to anyone who has collected all of the Kanto Badges. Why don't you go for it, Kotone? See ya!
Is he implying he already has all the Kanto badges? How did he get to Kanto anyway? ...how strong is that Marill?
: I am the President here. We are remaking an old game, but it is quite a challenge. Old fans would not want us to mess with their good memories... but there is no point in just redoing the same thing, right? We are working towards something that brings back memories, yet is also completely new! I've been in this business for 20 years now, but creating a game is always a rewarding challenge!
There's a few small things to do in Celadon if you keep an eye out.
: Huh? You talking to me? Your eyes...are on my Crasher Wake mask? No, no, no! I can never let it go! ...Huh? That's not it? You want the other mask? Hmm. OK.
: What? That's not enough? You're quite a negotiator for your age... All right, I'll give you this too!
: ... Arrr, all right, all right! I will give you this much-valued one as well!
: Presents for you from the one who wears masks the best. Don't be shy. Ha ha ha!
Until next time Wake, I mean, uh, Crasher Wake. Let's see who else is around.
: I never dreamed of such a wonderful thing. After a strict diet during training, I can eat like a HIPPOWDON. The winner eats for free, too. That's just a dream come true!
The Game Corner is the same as Goldenrod's, still got Voltorb Flip and Mr. Game. I didn't feel like playing all the way to here in my Japanese HeartGold, so here is what the place looks like before the censoring and that. It's looks different, but the slots are the same, so it's whatever.
Pokemon Gym
The censoring got the pervy old man too! Oh no!
The Celadon Gym looks a little different and has little structures similar to the ones in the Ruins of Alph. It's not a tough puzzle.
: It's so pleasant... I'm afraid I might doze off... My name is Erika. I am the Leader of the Celadon Gym. ...Oh? You are from Johto, you say? How nice... Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you wished to challenge me. I know. I have been training myself on not only flower arrangement but also Pokémon battle. I shall not lose.Gym Leader Battle (Kanto)
Erika is definitely an interesting fight. Due to how weak Grass usually is, it won't be too tough, but it will be tricky.
Espeon was definitely not the best choice.
Both Jumpluff and Victreebel are pretty fast, so they can rack up a lot of damage pretty quickly. But you can probably see what the main strategy of this battle is.
Hmm, SolidSnake ain't winning this fight.
Sizzle cleans up and VeggieWrap goes after his child.
It goes about as well as you'd expect.
Are we gonna take down this Jumpluff?
No, of course not.
Let's see how we do against Erika's ace.
Hrm. For whatever reason, despite three of Erika's Pokemon having Sunny Day and all of them having Chlorophyll, we're only just now seeing this strategy. I would've thought they would prioritize getting the weather up, since it helps a lot. Especially since Bellossom used Syntheis before Sunny Day, like come on AI.
Again, Sizzle is a lifesaver. Now let's finally take down this goddamn Jumpluff.
Man this thing is a pain to take down.
Alright, good use of your final turn, I guess.
Pokemon Gym
: You are remarkably strong... I shall give you the Rainbow Badge...
: Please, I wish you to have this TM19 as a special token. It is Giga Drain. It is a wonderful move that drains half the damage it inflicts to heal your Pokémon. It is indeed a horrifying move.
: But knowing that there are strong Trainers spurs me to do better...Fuchsia City
We're heading immediately to Fuchsia City, since the surrounding routes are good training as Gym Leaders are still around 5-10 levels higher than us.
"my dad decided to run the Pal Park!"
: It seems that catching and releasing Pokémon runs in my family.
Pal Park?
wat. how.
: This is where top-notch Trainers who aren't satisfied with the Safari Zone come to show their Pokémon-catching techniques to their peers. ...Oh? Are you maybe... Ah, you are Kotone! My dad told me about you! Word is, you're a hotshot Trainer! We'd be honored if you would participate in our Catching Shows.Uh, sure?
: You'll need to stock us with six Pokémon to participate. You should make some Pokémon migrate from Hoenn or another region!The Pal Park is a pretty nifty area that lets you transfer Pokemon from Gen 3 up into Gen 4. Unlike DPP's Pal Park, which you could only use once every 24 hours, HGSS's Pal Park can be used all day erry day, so use that if you want to transfer stuff up. Once you move six in, you then run around a small area with different biomes and catch the Pokemon you moved up. It's pretty quick, but can get a bit tedious after a while. Also, between the 5 Gen 4 games and various events and whatnot, you can complete your Pokedex without needing to use this facility. So I won't.
Pokemon Gym
It's Janine time, maybe this time she'll have Pokemon higher than level 40. We can dream right?
We have actual invisible walls, but the layout and gimmick is the same.
However, in a neat little twist, Janine is actually in the centre of the Gym, where before she was in the bottom left. If they intentionally did that, then that's real neat.
: I'm only joking! I'm the real deal! Janine of Fuchsia Gym, that's me!Gym Leader Battle (Kanto)
Okay, her team is better, I guess. Her second Weezing became a second Ariados and everything's been bumped up by 10-15 levels, which is definitely an improvement. Aside from that, it's not too amazing.
That's about all that Crobat is doing.
Silly Weezing, attacking my special wall with your special attacks. Should've gone boom instead.
Alright, which Araidos is this?
Ah good, the one that can't damage me cause it doesn't have Night Shade. Good waste of a healing item too.
Well this seems like hell.
Ah goddammit
Out with you.
The last Ariados won't be a problem, since it doesn't have Psychic.
That was a poor decision on your part.
This is one thing the remake changed for the worst. UGH
But Sizzle is doing just fine.
Pokemon Gym
"Elite Four, to come here.": No wonder you are strong! You've definitely won... Here's the Soul Badge. Take it.
: It's Poison Jab, a powerful Poison-type move that may poison its victim.
: I want to become much better than both my father and you!Route 14
Dum de dum, hey what's that thing over there?
Well that was a bit random.
Eusine's Theme
: Having followed it here, I'm starting to understand what SUICUNE is after. To be honest, I would like to keep this information to myself. But I want to be an honest Trainer in front of SUICUNE! That's why I am sharing a clue with you. It seems that...
: ...Somewhere north. I don't know exactly where, yet. It will be just you and me! Who'll find it first? I challenge you!
Hmm, well, any ideas? The fact that Suicune can be found on Route 14 is a bit weird. The last time we saw it was in Vermillion and got the clue that... it liked water. I mean, Route 14 is an alright candidate, but you might think of the water routes around Cinnabar. There's also the windmills, but if this is the first time playing the game, you won't know the windmills are there.
: It's CHANSEY, of course! I say CHANSEY, and that's final! I will give you something good if you can bring my CHANSEY!Since you can find Old Amber at the Ruins of Alph, the Chansey-Aerodactyl trade isn't necessary, so instead this is where you can get the Lucky Punch. No, not the Lucky Egg, that would just be useful.
Pokemon Gym
Oh hey look it's Gym time again. Head to this teleporter...
And you're at the Leader already. Though make sure to fight all (four) of the trainers.
: Three years ago I had a vision of your arrival. You're after my Badge. I don't enjoy battling, but it's my duty as a Gym Leader to confer Badges on anyone who has proven his- or herself worthy. Since you wish it, I will show you my psychic powers!Gym Leader Battle (Kanto)
Sabrina's got an interesting new outfit on, I do think the circlets are a bit too big and dumb looking, but that's just how things are I guess.
As I've used an Espeon for this entire playthrough, I know they hurt like crap, especially when they crit.
No stop that
SolidSnake is here to save the day.
Okay, go straight to your ace and make it hard to kill, it's cool.
Seems easy enough to deal with, just gotta hope it stays asleep.
Ow
I hate all these goddamn healing items.
But now that the Reflect is gone...
I, uh, still die anyway. Oh well!
My crunches will still do a lot of damage.
Well I guess it means she won't use them on her final Pokemon.
Okay phew, that saved a lot of time.
Ah, seeing your own defeat I see.
That's not gonna save you.
Oh yeah, the Reflect is still up. Well give it a minute!
I do not want to imagine what that looks like.
Oh yes indeed, time to end this.
A tough one, but now we've only got 2 more to go.
Pokemon Gym
: Maybe it isn't possible to fully predict what the future holds... OK, you win. You earned yourself the Marsh Badge.
"power is beyond my psychic ability.: You deserve this. Please take this TM, too!
"and the target.": You will become a celebrated and beloved Champion! Your love for your Pokémon smashed my psychic abilities. The ability to love, I think, is some kind of psychic ability...
To finish up this update, let's finally clear up this sidequest, since we're on a hill near water, where Suicune loves to be the most.
Eusine's Theme
: ...As I predicted. .................. ...Go ahead. Since I met you in the Burned Tower at Ecruteak City, I've sort of known that SUICUNE will choose you. Take a look at it! SUICUNE is waiting for you. It has been waiting for a battle with a worthy Trainer to whom it can entrust itself!
Well if you don't mind...
VS Suicune
Like in Crystal, Suicune will eventually become a stable catch after encountering it a number of times. Unlike Crystal, it will head back to the Burned Tower if you accidentally knock it out (after beating the Elite Four).
Hmm, maybe VeggieWrap wasn't the best choice out first.
If I freeze it, then bonus.
Getting it to sleep is a bit of a bitch, but Wol's special bulk is just really useful.
My continuous 7% chances pay off, though with an Ultra Ball, it drops down to a 4.5% chance. So bring lots of Dusk Balls! (Or Timer Balls after 30 turns)
: I have never seen a battle this intense! I have no regrets... Farewell, SUICUNE! Farewell...Kotone!
That's it for Eusine's story in Gen 4.
And that's it for this update. Next time, it's back to Crystal for the last of the legendaries. Ah shit I've ran out of ways to put this off...