Part 41: Final Unprecedented Island Adventure
Part 35: Final Unprecedented Island Adventure
Welcome back to the final update of Emerald. It's been one hell of a trip, but it must end eventually. And what better way to finish then with some ~HACKING~
Compared to Crystal, which only had one event we can't get (though it's available on the Virtual Console), Emerald has FOUR events you can't access since you weren't in specific parts of the world in 2003-2005. Sucks to be you.
We've got plenty of neat little islands to visit, but don't think you can just hack in the tickets and go. Oh no no no, the game actually accounts for this and doesn't allow the event to occur unless you've gotten the ticket and had the event activated via Mystery Gift. So that's two AR codes I have to activate at once to get this to work. Even then, for some of these events, it just acts like you've already been to the island but haven't met the legendary, so I'll go over the event text in those instances.
Aye, mate, are you the one who brought that mighty odd PASS? I'll tell you, you're trying to reach a tiny spit of an island far in the south. There's no telling what we'll encounter once we reach there, aye. That shivers my timbers! All aboard!
Southern Island
The first event island is actually the only one you can still visit, even today! The Eon Ticket is of course event exclusive, only available to those who could obtain the Eon Ticket e-Card at E3 2003, the September 2003 issue of Nintendo Power or at Toys R Us stores (RIP), when you activated Mystery Events for your RS games and received it from Norman. Since Mystery Events aren't a thing in non-Japanese versions of Emerald, the only way to receive this ticket is to mix records with someone who has the OG Eon Ticket in RS, other RS games that got the ticket through record mixing won't count. So, this is an event you can technically do now! Obviously I didn't fancy doing that.
Here's what Norman says when you go see him in his Gym to receive the ticket.
HARUKA! Good to see you! There's a letter here for you, HARUKA.[Obtained the EON TICKET.png]
It appears to be a ferry TICKET, but I've never seen one like it before. You should visit LILYCOVE and ask about it there.
After you've finished here, you aren't able to come back in RS, whereas you can visit this island whenever in Emerald. A good change. Oh yeah, all events start in Lilycove harbor, they don't work if you go to Slateport, though you can travel to whichever island from either after you've unlocked it.
But what secret Pokemon is waiting for us in the depths?
It's the other Lati! In Ruby, this would be Latias, in Sapphire, this would be Latios and in Emerald, it's the one we didn't select for the TV broadcast.
It's an alright level to fight too, since we haven't seen our team for a bit cause of the Frontier.
Oh good, Recover. Just what we needed. Get used to seeing that.
Alright, we're at a good amount, so let's start chucking balls. It's a bit early for Timers, so let's get through these Ultras.
Or we just catch it after a couple turns. That was easy.
Okay, with three more events to go, how many islands are there left?
Before we continue, we've, uh, completed the Hoenn Dex. And that gives us our final trainer card star. Seriously, you just need to the beat the Champion, win all Master Rank contests and get the corresponding paintings, obtain all 7 Gold Symbols and complete the Hoenn Dex, excluding Jirachi and Deoxys. The National Dex is completely optional, since these stars are very similar to RS's, where you had to defeat 50 trainers in a row in the Battle Tower instead of the Gold Symbols. That's it, so much easier than getting all the stars in FRLG.
I know one person who will be very happy we did this.
Professor Birch's Lab
You really have completed the HOENN region's POKEDEX. That's more than just impressive. I have a gift for you. Consider it my show of appreciation for the fantastic work you've done. My gift is a rare POKEMON only found in another region! You can have any one of these three POKEMON!
Are you going to keep battling and sharpening your skills? Or are you going to try filling the NATIONAL POKEDEX? I'm staying here to help the PROF.
For obtaining all 200 Pokemon in the Hoenn Dex, we can get a Johto starter, making it the only way to get these Pokemon in the main series Gen 3 games. You can only choose one, however, which doesn't really help filling the National Dex, but hey, you only need to restart your game and do this two more times to get all three! ...don't do that, there's a much easier way of getting the Johto starters.
I dunno why Birch says something different when you first pick Cyndaquil compared to the other two, but eh, it doesn't matter what I pick, since I'm not completing the National Dex anyway.
Listen, YUKI. You've completed the HOENN POKEDEX, but your POKEMON journey isn't over. There is no end to the road that is POKEMON. Somewhere, there is a grassy patch that's waiting for you!
"the BATTLE FRONTIER?"Maybe.
Let's get the other reward for completing the dex, I'm collecting 'em!
It's tough trying to complete it, but don't give give up. If you do complete it, please come show me. ... Wow! That's awesome! Yep, it's totally awesome! This POKEDEX is completely filled! You really must love POKEMON! I'm so impressed! Let me give you something in recognition of your feat!
Aww yeah, another Diploma. I should get an album of these bad boys.
Now that we've seen Latias, we can enter in the final good saying. It's only been 20 updates...
So, uh, we seem to be missing berries 37-40. They don't seem to be in these games. Hmmmmmmmmm...
Where you're trying to go is an island that's far, far away. No knows what awaits there... the very thought excites my blood as a sailing man! Get on board, youngster!
Ooh, what crazy Pokemon lurk here?
Navel Rock
I don't think we're in Hoenn anymore. Let's head into the cave.
Navel Rock Cave
Hmm, this song sounds familiar... well anyway, Navel Rock is really big and empty, I don't get this design, but we eventually reach a junction, so let's go right.
And down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down. Seriously, that's how many floors there are.
Johto Legendary
Oh hey, that's where the Johto legends are hiding. Both Lugia and Ho-oh are only available through this event in the main series games. The Mysticticket was first distributed for Emerald in Japan from February 11th to 27th 2005 and continued to be distributed until January 2007, after the release of DP. In America, it was distributed at the Nintendo World Store in May 2005 for the newly released Emerald and during the Pokemon Rocks America 2005 tour, from September to October. Oh, were you not in those places during that time? TOO BAD, you've missed it forever.
Due to its high level, both birds are gonna be a pain to catch, so we'll have to chip them down enough before they wreck us.
Well that hurt a lot.
Of course it has fuckin Recover, gah!
Alright, we've gotten it low enough, let's get ballin'. Timer ballin'.
Just like that. Timer Balls are great after 20 turns. Which this took, because it kept using Recover.
Now to go up and up and up and up and up. Yeah, it's bullshit the other way has so many more floors.
Ho-oh will be a bit easier to whittle down, since Rock Tomb won't do that much damage, right?
Damn, Wargreymon is so strong he can 2 shot this bird. We should be fine, since it recovers more than we do, so we can whittle it down that way.
While he takes a beating and nearly gives me a heart attack, Wargreymon does what I need him to do. Ball time!
Very nice, that's both birds caught! Man, if only there was an easier way of obtaining these two...
Don't forget this hidden item, this is only way to get it in the main series games!
Oh hey, Navel Rock is also in FRLG too, so let's go obtain this ticket "legit" and explore it!
Okay, everything's in order for you to board a special ferry. SEAGALLOP HI-SPEED 10 will be departing immediately.
Navel Rock
Welcome to Navel Rock, nestled inbetween Four and Five Island, so when we came here in Emerald, we were technically going to a second region. How's that for postgame content? Japan got the Mysticticket for FRLG in July to August 2004 from the Pokemon Festa and American players could use either FRLG or Emerald when obtaining the ticket when it first became available shortly after Emerald's release.
Heading down.
This was the original event, so it'll be the same as Emerald since Emerald just ported it over! Let's see how this team handles the birds.
Still a bitch.
But not too bad.
Up to the top.
Alright, fire chicken, let's see how hard you'll be.
...oh. Not at all.
A neat little bonus, though you have to find it this way instead of just, you know, pressing A. Anyway, back to Emerald for the next island.
I beg your pardon? Can we sail to this place on the map? I know someone who will help you better. Please wait.
Let's have a look. ... Boy, this is quite a ways away. I'm afraid I can't help you...
What's the idea of turning down someone that I owe so much to? YUKI, I'm terribly sorry. You came to me seeking my help, and we almost turned you away. Well, let me make things right. We'll sail right away, of course! Let's find this island on this OLD SEA MAP! Faraway Island
Like with Navel Rock, Faraway Island isn't in Hoenn, but it's not in Sevii, since it isn't in FRLG, making this an Emerald exclusive area! Let's see what's here.
...ber, 6th day. If any human ... sets foot here ... again ...et it be a kindhearted pers... ...ith that hope, I depar...
Ooh, a mystery. While we have no indication who wrote that, in the Japanese versions, the message is signed by ...ji, so it's probably Mr. Fuji, who has the same Japanese name. Wonder what he was doing on this island?
Oh hey, it's a Mew. Exclusively in a Hoenn game. After a Kanto remake. Okay.
Hey do you remember when I told you to remember the Mimic Circle guys? That's cause I love leaving hints to what I'm gonna do much later in my LPs, so we've got to situate ourselves next to this Mew to encounter it, which will be tough since it mimics our movements!
But after a minute, we walk right while it walks up. It's battle time!
VS Mew
That's right, not only is this the first time in the series we can encounter and catch Mew, but it even has a unique battle theme! Man, I bet you guys loved this event when America got it- oh, wait, apparently only Japan ever got the Old Sea Map distribution during the Pokemon Festa 2005, from July to August or the PokePark theme park in September 2005. That's it. American players never got the chance to get this event, so the translated Faraway Island is impossible to reach.
Since Mew is so low in level, it won't be doing much to us. UNLESS???
Alright, never mind.
Since it has a catch rate of 45, it's much easier to get than all the other event Pokemon in this update.
Before we head to the final island, let's do something I may have kinda forgotten about.
We always argue about who is the strongest of all TRAINERS here. So when I heard about you, I decided to be your fan! I hope you'll keep on battling other tough TRAINERS. That way, we'll be able to see more of your hot, hot battles. That will make the others here see how great you are. Remember, I'm cheering for you, YUKI!
For beating the Elite Four we get a fanbase! This only happens in Gen 3, but it's a cute little thing that affects absolutely nothing and those are some of the best things in video games.
Everyone else in here needs to shower me in praise.
Even though people may say that you're strong... you've still got a long way to go compared to your father.
...alright, let's go to the final island already. This one also just pops up with no fan fare when you HACK, but the dialogue is the same as going to Navel Rock.
No BGM.
Birth Island has no music and a single strange object in the center.
Wonder where we are. When we touch the triangle it moves. Let's chase it around!
It becomes more and more red as you press it and if you don't interact with it after a secret timer depletes, it returns back to the start.
When it's back in the middle, you should probably save because...
Deoxys Descends
It's an alien!
VS Deoxys
The Normal form of Deoxys is anything but, being the one you fight in battle and the one it becomes in RS and ColoXD. It's a poor man's Attack form, having very slightly higher defense stats (but still really bad) and no unique moves in its learnset as a reason to keep it in that form at that level. In those games where it must be this form though, it's pretty goddamn amazing, having superb attacking stats, Psycho Boost, Choice Band and Superpower. Since you couldn't obtain Deoxys until its Attack and Defense forms became available in FRLG, its Normal form is only used when you use it in Gamecube battles and in Hoenn games before Emerald came out. It's just not used anymore due its other options being superior.
Deoxys hits really really hard, but it's hard to catch because any good attack from our team will take it out.
Thankfully Ranmaru can weaken it, but damn, he nearly knocks it out!
Alright we've caught it. Now it'll become its new form since this event is only in FRLG and Emerald, where it'll become something other than its regular form. RS only gets Southern Island. The AuroraTicket was available in Japan from April to July 2004 if you purshased a ticket for Movie 7: Sky-Splitting Visitor: Deoxys, as well as an AuroraTicket voucher at participating toy and supermarket chains like Daiei, Toys R Us and Pokemon Center stores. The voucher could be exchanged at the same store it was purchased from from June to August 2004 to use in your FRLG games, though you could wait and use it Emerald. Similarly, the AuroraTicket became available in America during the Pokemon Rocks America 2004 tour in October 2004, unrelated to the movie's release in January 2005. So, let's talk Speed form.
Unique to Emerald, Deoxys-S is, uh, fast. Literally, it's got the highest Speed in the game, knocking Ninjask from its spot after five games in the spotlight. Unless you use priority or boost your stats, this Pokemon will go before you, period. So it gets some cool moves to keep that theme, like Double Team, Agility and Extremespeed, but what it basically did was supplant Deoxys-D as a hazard and screen setter, since it ensures they stay up by laying them down first or using Taunt to stop the opponent laying theirs. And then hitting you with a Psycho Boost with slightly better offenses. Sure, its offenses aren't much, but they're not bad, so it'll hurt. Despite four forms, only two really see use, but they're pretty damn good at what they do, so it's a great lead to annoy the opponent with, if nothing else.
We still have two Deoxys forms to talk about, so let's visit the island from a different region. These are the only two event areas in the remakes, no Southern Island or Faraway Island here.
Like before, Birth Island is in Sevii and is the same as Emerald.
So we've still got this damn puzzle to go over.
VS Deoxys
What'll it look like this time?
Yep, no matter what game you fight Deoxys in, it'll always appear in its Normal form.
It's still low level with very little defenses, so be careful attacking it.
Since we might be here a while (3 catch rate legendaries woo), let's talk about the two forms of Deoxys unique to FireRed and LeafGreen.
Unique to FireRed, Deoxys-A really, REALLY does some damage. It has absolutely pathetic defenses, but if you absolutely annihilate everything in your way, so what? It's basically the Normal form on steroids, so it completely replaces it, especially with Superpower (and Taunt and Zap Cannon lol) as its unique moves. Because both of its attacking stats are stupidly high, it's best to go for a mixed set, otherwise you're just throwing stat points away, as even an uninvested super effective hit will HURT. Because of the Choice Band, it's best to go with the physical side, but its wide movepool, TM and Tutor moves means it can go for whatever, especially since Psycho Boost is ridiculous if you fully invest in the special side. It's best to trade it to Emerald to get Fire Punch, but everything else can be gotten here. Seriously, it's fast, hits incredibly hard and will fall over immediately if something somehow survives its attacks.
Unique to LeafGreen, Deoxys-D might not have the staggering firepower of its other forms, but with an alright typing, Recover and Pressure, this is definitely a Pokemon that can stall forever. It gets the most unique moves, in Knock Off, Spikes, Iron Defense, Amnesia, Counter and Mirror Coat, so it definitely won't be going anywhere. It's low HP is a bit of a shame, but unlike a lot of walls, it's pretty damn fast, so it's able to usually get the finishing blow on weakened foes. With Cosmic Power, Toxic, Night Shade/Seismic Toss and screens added on top, Deoxys-D can become a huge problem very quickly and can very consistently set up all layers of Spikes. If you wanna relax, take your time and see how much PP you can burn away, then this is the form for you. But if you want to get screens and spikes up first, then Deoxys-S is a better pick.
Neat, we've got our murder alien.
Phew, I did all those events in a row, so Nimbus could use her Sing PP back, damn Pressure legendaries...
Oh, the gold color is brilliant! The four stars seem to sparkle! I've seen several TRAINERS with a SILVER CARD before, but, YUKI, you're the first TRAINER I've ever seen with a GOLD CARD! Okay, YUKI, please allow me the honor of resting your POKEMON!
Huh... this mechanic started in Gen 3, along with the stars. I always thought it was Gen 4. Neat! Well that's all the events and all the Pokemon in the Hoenn Dex. I think we're about do-
...the fuck do I do about this thing?
Oh look it's a meteor shower above Mossdeep or fuckin something. SO, Jirachi is the next pixie Pokemon, with 100 in all stats and a killer ability in Serene Grace (though it has little to use it with). It has the potential to do a lot, especially with its typing, making it more durable than Mew or Celebi. However, its typing means it needs to decide which attacking stat to use and with Calm Mind, Psychic, Thunderbolt and the elemental punches, it's a pretty good special sweeper that can take some hits. Its unique move Doom Desire is like a physical Future Sight, so it's not very good. Only Body Slam can be used with its ability, so it needs to wait for other options, meaning it doesn't really use physical attacks. Otherwise, it's a good durable Pokemon that you can easily get in your games right now. Huh, really?
Despite being completely unavailable in all main series Gen 3 games, Jirachi is still available even now in other ways through Pokemon Channel in Europe and Australia and Pokemon Colosseum in America. After completing Channel, you can transfer Jirachi to RS and also fix the Berry Glitch, while pre-ordering Pokemon Colosseum gave you a disc full of promotional material for the game, as well as a Jirachi to transfer to RS, or a Celebi if you pre-ordered the Japanese version of Colosseum, though you also need the actual game to transfer it over. Since you can obtain Jirachi from these ways, it doesn't matter there were events for it nearly 15 years ago. Fuck that's a while ago. The Jirachi also holds a Ganlon or Salac Berry, so that explains where those two are, but it's not the best way to get them.
Shame I couldn't catch it in a Nest Ball, but 3 catch rate mons mean you burn through them quick. Oh well. There's also another way of getting Jirachi in these games, along with any other Pokemon you want, if you have patience and knowledge of the super cool Pomeg Glitch. Since I had trouble setting up the Celebi Egg Glitch last LP, I won't be bothering with showing it off, but I will be going over it in the Side Notes. It's pretty damn crazy.
Oh look at that I completed the National Dex, who could've seen that coming. I know I said I wasn't going to complete it, but I didn't really finish it, not like the Hoenn Dex, which went pretty smoothly I thought.
Yep... nothing's really changed, it's just a little extra. We're missing some stats on the back of the Trainer Card, but that's not a surprise. We've got Hall of Fame Debut, Link Battles, Pokemon Trades, Pokeblocks with Friends, Won Contests With Friends and Battle Points Won (Battle Tower & Straight Wins in RS). Only FRLG really cares if you complete the National Dex and that excludes Mew, Lugia, Ho-oh, Jirachi and Deoxys. Maybe someone else will appreciate this?
Hmm, guess he doesn't give a shit. Probably for the best, since we nearly gave Oak a heart attack.
Woo another diploma. Right, uh, what else is there to do?
Oh yeah, Gym Leader rematches. They're shit. You're relying on them just becoming available on the Pokenav to fight them again and it takes like four rematches before they get to their highest level of around 60. Sure, you could use them to grind to make fighting Steven, but it's just too much of a hassle, especially since you gotta visit them in their Gym to fight them again. They'll improve on the system later, but they never make it perfect.
My dream... hahaha... it has already come true, actually.
Oh yeah, you can put some dolls in your bedroom. I completely forgot until I was ready to end the LP. Anyway, uh, it's over. It was a lot of fun, hope you enjoyed. But what's next? Pokemon Platinum? Something entirely different?
Well, no, see, we're not done with Gen 3 just yet. It's divided into three parts and we've only done two of them, RSE and FRLG. There's a lot of stuff that just doesn't match up, some Johto Pokemon are really hard to get, there's some missing berries aside from events and some legendaries that seem to have no place at all? Well, we'll be solving all these problems as we head to Arizona, BABY, it's Pokemon Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness!