Part 28: Kepler Gym

Hello everyone and welcome back! 37 hours in and we're about to start the road to the second half of the badges.



We pick up immediately where we last left off, with Audrey presumably dead and the Abyssal Cult disbanded. It's kinda odd... they've been the cult we've seen the most since the beginning of the game, and now there aren't any more of them at all.



Before too long, we'll move on to the Infernal Cult. But for now, let's enjoy the brief respite. In fact, the half-naked underwear model glitch fixed itself. So now we have the proper Lapras sprite!



Before we move on to the meat of today's update, let's do some really quick backtracking for a couple items.



To start off with, we're here in the Crossroads. This is the route just south of the city with the second gym.







Surprisingly few members of our team can use this. Accuracy and Attack up is a pretty good status move!



Next up, we're back in Helios City. This really dark spot in one of the city's ponds is a shortcut.







We don't have too many more reasons to come down here, but we now have a shortcut into the Black Market.



This was on the way to the next thing, so I grabbed it.



Just west of the Dept. Store entrance of the Helios Sewers is this fan. Ignore the ghostly pokeball, it's just an animation smear.







You all get to skip over the tedium of this puzzle, so be thankful for that.





That's 3/3 currently obtainable. There's only a couple more available before the postgame. For the record, we could have gotten this as soon as we'd gotten to Helios. I just didn't want to because fuck sliding tile puzzles.



The last bit of backtracking takes us back to Route 9, just east of Selene City.



Oh hey! This little lady here is kinda cute.



Dunno if I'll ever use her, but now I have an adorable keychain pokemon.



I'm pleading guilty so lock me up and throw away the key!



I've been waiting for this one! Such a useful coverage move.



Anyway, time to level grind, so I'll see you all on the other side.



23,176 XP! And, yes, we're using Beeisel because you all asked for it and because she's a really good pick for the gym we'll be facing later in this very update.











The team is largely the same as the one we used against Audrey. Snorflax and Soft Serve were replaced with Fancy and Beeisel. The other four are still the same levels as before, so there's no need to show them off.

For her part, Beeisel has the defenses and the health necessary to take hits while she uses Shift Gear enough to become faster than greased lightning. Energy Ball is there as a coverage move, but I should really replace it with something physical to make use of the stat boosts.



Uh... neat. Not really a fan of the "high power, but deals recoil" style of moves, though. Especially not in this city of all places.





I don't know why, but this pair are blocking off the ability to talk to the pika taxi man in Kepler City now. We can't even do anything with the secret lab at the moment, so legitimately unsure of what the hell is going on here.



So Fancy is actually not a good pick for this gym. A lot of the random trainers inside and Anastasia herself all are well prepared for Earthquake shenanigans.



I don't give a fuck.









Electric-types!



Beeisel is the pro pick here. Trust me.







He had a Rotom and a Scizor and it's kind of a nice overview of the gym in general. Everyone in here uses Steel and/or Electric and only on the gym leader will the two meet. It's not really a theme because of how many types can get attached to Steel.



The interior of the gym is a maze because it's a pokemon fangame. Of course there's a maze every 5 seconds. If there isn't, the map maker will lose their RPG Maker license key. It's part of the Terms of Service. Check it out sometime.





Fancy is getting more use from Rollout in here than any other move.







Can I use more than electric types if I want to become one?















Don't sulk. Nobody likes a pouter.





: Well, well, well. Look who it is! The hero who single-handedly shut down the Abyssal Cult. I have to admit: that's very impressive. You have my thanks, on behalf of everyone in this town.

Something about that unnecessary colon is rubbing me the wrong way.



: The storms faded away, and we cleared the streets of all the water. Everything looks like it's going to be all right. But let's not keep you waiting any longer! Allow me to introduce myself, you know, officially.



: The theme of my Gym is machinery- as such, I specialize in Steel and Electric-types. I have to admit, I'm pretty excited for this battle. I mean, it's not every day you get to beat someone who dismantled a cult!

Two cults. The Sky Cult is gone and Jaern is off doing god only knows what.



: My pokemon work together like the gears in a machine! You might have beaten Audrey, Amy... but you won't Faraday against me!





Anastasia's team is well protected against Earthquake spam with all those Air Balloons. Also more than one member of her team can smash Ground's weakness to Ice. This is why Fancy is a terrible pick for this gym.



Klefki, however, is not protected from Earthquake. That steel typing gives it a weakness to ground, in fact.



First blood!



I'm not really sure what I was thinking here.



Will-O-Wisp puts a damper on HenryDavid's usual shenanigans.



So we just have to improvise instead.



Two Bulk Ups later, Anastasia can't resist using Volt Switch.



That burn really puts a damper on HenryDavid's effectiveness. But we won't have to worry about that much longer because...



That was to be expected, honestly. If the burn didn't get him, then a mega-evolution boosted Zen Headbutt would have.



Beeisel comes out while Metagross mega digivolves.



Beeisel's ironclad defenses makes her an ideal tank. So let's push in the clutch and shift gears.



Not even Mega Metagross particularly likes taking a Lava Plume to the chin.



That's two down!



I keep saying it, but that doesn't make it any less true. Beeisel is pretty much the ideal tank for this Gym. She can dish out the hits pretty damn hard, and can take anything these jerks can serve. She's not even down by a third of her HP after multiple Mega Metagross-boosted Zen Headbutts.



We'll just shift into third while we wait and see what Electivire will do.



This is gonna be one of those fights, I see.



Electivire has Cross Chop, which does hit for supereffective on Beeisel. But for whatever reason, the AI feels it's a lot more important to keep using Double Team.



That's both of her Full Restores gone.



Probably gonna be seeing more and more of this as the LP wears on. I've got a lot of Hyper Potions and I know how to use them!





You cheeky little fucker!



This fight has already gone on much longer than either East's or Harmony's battles did.



Despite Electivire's evasiveness being raised four stages, Beeisel was a champ and landed every hit on her foe.



I honestly feel kinda bad for Magnezone.



If Lava Plume dealt physical damage, we'd already be on to the next challenger. Oh well!



No really. What's with the fucking AI and Volt Switch? They can't stay away from it.



Hydro Pump will fuck up Beeisel in short order. So let's roll the dice on it being inaccurate as shit. Energy Ball will fuck up Washing Machine Rotom all day.















I love Lava Plume.



Fuck yeah!



: No, seriously. That was an awesome battle.



: It's standard to give a TM too, right? Here you are!



I'm gonna take back some of the things I said about you, Anastasia.

: I'm off to work on a side project. I'll be in my workshop under the Gym if you need me. Just don't come in for a while. I'm working on something... private.





This is something you really have to give this game credit for. The NPCs praise the hell out of you and recognize your accomplishments. That's something in seriously short supply.



: What a weird place to put a workshop.



NEXT TIME: Taen walked into that underground lab. We probably shouldn't leave him alone with Anastasia.