Part 5: Chapter 3: The Scream Part 2

Last time, Michael hallucinated in front of everyone like a dorkus.





There's Marill!



Where are Azurill and Drowzee?

Yes... about them...! After we all left, we went looking for our lost item together... But I wound up all alone when Mr. Drowzee went somewhere with Azurill. I called and called! But they didn't come back. I got scared...

So which way did they go?!

Th-that way!



Turns out Michael's not a dorkus.







You think Drowzee and Azurill went in this direction?

Yes...



You were saying you saw them in a mountainous place, right?

Michael nods.

I get the feeling that they're up ahead here.

Let's get going, Michael!



Michael and Babar head in, while Marill waits outside.





Welcome to the third dungeon. If you remember PMD Red/Blue, the third dungeon in that was also a mountain, and involved a rescue mission as well.



First off, we're gonna drink our vitamins against some of your wishes.



Babar gets the Calcium, which powers up his Special Attack, therefore making Ancient Power stronger. Michael gets the Iron and Protein, boosting her Defense and Attack respectively.



Protein makes Tackle, Fake Out, and Zen Headbutt stronger, as well. Just look at this Machop eat it.



Her non-crits aren't bad, either.



Rollcall Orbs summon team members to the leader. This is handy if they get separated by traps, moves like Whirlwind and Roar, or really annoying abilities.

If an enemy grabs a Rollcall Orb, they waste it immediately, and summon enemies to them. This can suck if they do this near you.



The X-Eye Seed is one of our most valuable weapons for the entire game. When thrown at an enemy, it makes them Cross-Eyed, and throws off their attacks for a few turns. It's a nice way to shut down dangerous foes.

If you eat an X-Eye Seed, allies, items, and other interactable objects will appear as Substitute dolls and flowers.



Mt. Bristle has more Rock-type enemies that need more than one hit to kill, like Geodude. They're also Ground-type, so Ancient Power doesn't fare much better against them.



It still splatters bugs, though.



Spinarak is weak, but annoying. It can fire its String Shot in any eight directions with line-of-sight, and slow down whoever gets hit. Being slowed means everyone else takes two actions for every one of yours.



This...



Is the most valuable item in the game to a Skitty. Let's consume it immediately!



White Gummis are the favorite color Gummi of Normal-type Pokemon. (Don't worry, there will be many, many more.)



Doduo is another annoying Pokemon to face. With Quick Attack, it can hit you before you get close enough to attack, and it gets STAB from it, as well.



Take Down is basically a stronger Tackle, but it does a small amount of recoil damage to the user. Not a good move to have in low-HP situations. I bypass learning it for now.



After reaching certain levels, the lead Pokemon gets new partner AI tactics. "Wait there" makes allies sit in place. This is useful if you're trying to round up allies who've gotten separated, and don't want to chase them around without a Rollcall Orb.



There's an enemy one space away, but Michael's out of Fake Outs! What to do? I could use a Max Elixir here, but what if that prompts the Doduo to Quick Attack me? Taking damage is annoying!



That's why we have Blast Seeds. They're nature's grenades.



They do less damage when thrown. However...



It's enough to send Doduo running.



When Run Away activates at low HP, the Pokemon will flee from you at every turn, instead of trying to approach and attack you. If ally Pokemon with Run Away get critical and flee, they'll probably get themselves killed, unless they're healed above critical and come to their senses.

This is why Eevee is the worst partner.



Enemy Pokemon don't regen HP by walking, so it's only a matter of time before the inevitable happens.



When eaten, Warp Seeds warp the Pokemon to a random spot on the same floor. They only warp to normal floor tiles, though. It's good for getting an enemy out of the way, or yourself out of danger.



Blowback Orbs work sort of like the moves Whirlwind and Roar. They'll blast an enemy back in a straight line, and take damage if they hit a wall or another Pokemon before they stop.



Our bag is too full to pick it up, but items don't need to be in the bag to be useful.







It's good for shaking up enemy positioning.



Starly knows Tackle and Quick Attack, and gets STAB on both. They can wear you down at this point in the game if you're not ready for them.



Nidorino's an evolved Pokemon, and can lower your Defense with Leer, but he's nothing to worry about.



A lot of things happened when I fed Babar a Blue Gummi, so I popped up the message log to go over it all. Occasionally, any flavor Gummi will give a boost to four stats instead of one. Efficiency Expert makes allies prioritize attacking the Pokemon with the lowest HP first.



Somebody left this perfectly good berry on the floor.



Let's share it with our neighbor.



How does it taste?!



The upper limits of Babar's damage climb higher with every level. Michael and Babar were level 8 at the start of the dungeon.



At level 11, Michael learns Sing. It's a better "I win" button than Attract, so I overwrite it.



Sing puts enemies to sleep, preventing them from acting. It has pretty good accuracy (better than the main series), and works on anything that doesn't have the Insomnia, Vital Spirit, or Soundproof abilities. Pokemon holding certain items or under certain statuses can also avoid being put to sleep, but for most of the game, the only thing stopping it is abilities.



On the floor is an item I'll be hoarding and using a lot in this game.



Sticks, along with their counterparts Iron Thorns and Silver Spikes, are the equivalent to arrows in PMD. Like Geo Pebbles and other rocks, they can be equipped to the "throwable weapon" slot and fired with L+R.



Unlike rocks, they go only in a straight line, and do damage based on the user's Attack stat.



They're also affected by Normalize, so Michael throws STAB Sticks.



A Machop gets the jump on Michael and uses a super-effective move on her!



OH NO IT'S ahahahahaha

Meanwhile, at the top of the mountain...









Uh-oh. It's a dead end.



Excuse me, Mr. Drowzee. Where is my lost item? Could you show me where the item is now?

Sorry, kiddo. Your lost item? It's not here, that's for sure.



Huh?



My big brother's following us, right? He's coming soon?

Nope. Your big brother's not coming. I'll let you in on a little secret. This was all a trick. I deceived you.



Huh?!

But let's not dwell on that. There's a little favor I need to ask. See that hole behind you?



Well... There's a rumor that there's a trove of thief treasure inside there! But as you can see, I'm too big to squirm my way through that hole. And that's where you come in!





Do that, then I'll help you get back out of there.





Go on, get going!







Azurill makes a run for it.





Sheesh! I said that I'll take you home when you're done! If you keep being difficult, it will mean big trouble for you!

This is too close for coincidence. As it turns out, Michael's not crazy.



Michael is right.









H-how did you find this place?!



No criminal can escape us!

Fuck yeah!



An exploration team?! You came to apprehend...



...Huh? Are you... trembling?



A-ha! I've figured it out! You say you're on an exploration team, but you're total rookies!

Urk!

Heh. That's right, I'm a wanted Pokemon with a bounty on my head. But can you two do the job? Can you confront this outlaw and bring him to justice?

Urk!



We'd never lose to a bad guy like you!



But never a sorrier-looking bunch than you two!

Urk!

This should be a laugh. Let's see if you can take me down. Show me what you've got!





Let's go down the list of Drowzee's crimes.

• Child abduction
• Child endangerment

• Making fun of Team America

• Mocking the king of elephants

Let's take him down.



Drowzee wanders around in a haze as Team America whales on him.





Drowzee eventually stumbles so far away, we have to chase him.



It'd be easier if we could put him to sleep, but as a Pokemon known for putting others to sleep and eating their dreams, Drowzee has Insomnia, and is immune.



Michael throws Sticks until Drowzee straightens out.



We don't have anymore X-Eye Seeds, but Drowzee doesn't have anymore HP.











We came to rescue you. Are you all right? You're not hurt, are you?

I'm OK.

Great! What a relief! Your big brother is waiting. Let's go home!

OK.



ZZZT! I am Magnezone, the primary officer in this region! ZZZT! Thanks to you, we have been able to arrest a wanted outlaw! ZZZT! We owe you great thanks for your cooperation! ZZZT!



Officer Magnezone wee-woos their sirens at us in gratitude.

ZZZT! We will send the reward to your guild. Thank you again! ZZZT!













Marill!





Waaaaah! Marill! It was so scary!

You OK, Azurill? Are you hurt?



Really?

That's a relief! Oh, Azurill... Azurill...

I'm glad you kids are happy!

Babar, how old even are you.



We won't forget what you did for us. Thank you so much.



Come on, Azurill. You too.

Yup...



Really... Really, thank you!



Michael's team was rewarded with an enlarged Treasure Bag! You can now carry more items than you could before!

That increases our bag capacity from 16 to 24. Neat!





Well done, you two! ♪ Here's your share for the job. It's yours to keep! ♪



Woohoo! Catching outlaws is way better than shitty fetch quests!

However, because 2,700P of that is the guild's share, that portion was withheld. As a result, Michael's team received only the remaining 300P!





What?! This is all we get?!

After all that hard work...

...But of course! It's all part of the training!

And we expect just as much effort tomorrow! Hee-heeee! ♪





Scammed again!



But that's all right. We managed to rescue Azurill.

And it's all thanks to you, Michael! Because you had that dream, we learned about Azurill's trouble in advance.

(It's true! I can't explain it, but that first shout I heard from Azurill, and that dream I had... Both of these events... They took place in the future! Why was I able to see something like that? What was that dream about?)



Babar's gut interrupts Michael's brooding.

Oh! My stomach growled!

Ha ha ha! Your stomach growled too, Michael! We must have worked up a big appetite! We were so focused on rescuing Azurill that I didn't notice at all!

Their stomachs growl again.



Come on, let's go get dinner, Michael!





And so, they fed on the flesh of fruits. Later that night...









It looks like it's really stormy tonight...





Hold on! You know the night before we met, Michael? It was storming that night. I found you out cold on the beach the day after that stormy night, Michael. Well? Do you remember anything about being out cold on the beach? Can you remember anything at all?

(I wonder... Hmm... There was a storm... But how did I end up unconscious there?)

She thinks for a minute.

(Nope. I can't remember a thing.)

I guess it won't be that easy. But that's all right. Just try remembering a little at a time.







The rain continues deep into the night.



Are you still awake, Michael? I've been thinking it over since it happened. That strange dream you had... Maybe it has to do with you personally.

(Huh?)

That's just the feeling I get. I sure don't know any other Skitty who dreams about the future.

Cats aren't very forward-thinking.

And I've never heard of a human suddenly turning into a Pokemon either. That's why I think those two events are connected. I can't help feeling that way.

(The key to unlocking my memory... Was it in that dream? But even if that were true, how does it relate to anything else?)

I have no way of knowing what you were like as a human, Michael, but I think you must have been a good person.

Team Rocket forev--I mean yeah, sure she was.

After all, Michael, it was your dream that helped us catch that bad Pokemon.

(Bad Pokemon, huh...)

Oh come on, there are no bad Pokemon--just bad Pokemon Trainers. They make their Pokemon do... oh. Right. Nevermind!

(Oh! That reminds me of what Chatot said. That the growing number of bad Pokemon has been caused by time going out of whack.)

You know, time is getting messed up, bit by bit, all over the world. No one seems to know why.



(Huh? Time Gears?)

They say Time Gears are hidden in secret places around the world.





Like in a forest...



Or at a lake in an underground cavern...



I've even heard that there is a hidden altar inside a volcano.



At the center of such places is what's known as a Time Gear. Time Gears serve a very important function.

Glowing and being very pretty?

Each one protects time and keeps time flowing properly in its region.



Elsewhere...



A dark figure rushes through the storm.











But my guess is that if a Time Gear is removed from a region, the flow of time in that region will probably stop too.





That's why everyone makes sure never to disturb the Time Gears. Everyone has long been certain that some kind of disaster would strike. So everyone stays away from the Time Gears and doesn't tamper with them. Even the most hardened criminal Pokemon know to avoid messing with them.





*: I've finally found it! A Time Gear! But... this is only the first of many...