Part 9: Passage to the Heart

Part 9: Passage to the Heart

Wayward Cave



Ah, it's time for this shit place. Time to saddle someone with Flash, but for whatever reason, this is the ONLY location in Sinnoh where Flash is needed. Don't worry, there's still an alternative Flash mechanic, but worse! Yay!



This place is winding and there's not much to really establish where we are, so here's the map of the place, so you can see how annoying this is. But since I've been through this area so many times, I know exactly where I'm going and we'll be heading straight to the top right corner.



Ooh, we'll use that later.




Content~



I'm so scared... please! Please take me to the exit!



Oh hey this mechanic is back. Cheryl is the only mandatory one, but not doing everyone else means you're stranding this poor girl in a dark cave, you monster.




There's plenty of trainers about, but we could've fought them earlier in double battles. However, this splits the exp between two Pokemon, unlike multi battles.



We'll talk about Gible in a sec, but Kadabra is super deadly, since it was only level EIGHTEEN in DP. Mira could've walked outta here no problem if she really wanted.





Small bitey boi is an interesting addition to a team, since it should be available much later, but we're in its domain right now. It takes a while to fully evolve, of course, but it has a couple of tricks to keep up. Dragon Rage still works this early, 2HKOing stuff no problem, but its only STAB move being Sand Tomb is a problem... but you won't have to worry about that. Well, you will in DP, where this mon comes too little, too late to really bother with, but Platinum offers up all kinds of options and it's pretty fucking busted because of it.



It's almost unfair, but I don't care, anything to speed this portion up.



I'm very picky, so I want to collect every Pokemon without anyone's help. ...I do have friends, though. No, seriously! I do!

I've scoured every inch of this place... most of it while I was lost. Anyway, if there's one thing I can say, this place can't be called ruins!



I like helpful Pokemon moves like Growl and Minimize. Those kinds of moves are my favorites.

This cave... it's so easy to get confused. Do you know where we are?

Hikari, did you get to be so good because you're always with your Pokemon? Yes! That has to be it! Mira will try like you!

"battle!"
"Let's have a quick Pokemon battle!"

I hope you weren't expecting anything else here. This section is just corridors and dead end trainers.



Pretty good coverage, making this battle partner super dependable. Though it also has Flash and Kinesis, so maybe that's to balance out how strong it is.



Why have a picnic here? I don't know. There's no deep meaning to it.

I got separated from my friends... I've got my Pokemon with me, so I'm OK, but...



See why the Dowsing Machine is so amazing to get beforehand? There's also a hidden Super Potion far southwest of those two trainers, wherever the fuck that is.



The only real indication of a new area is smashing rocks.




Since Kadabra is nearly wiping out everything in one shot, might as well give Togepi a shake.



Kadabra is still a bit fragile, so it's all up to you now!



Alright, little bit scary, but everything worked out nicely-



THAT DIDN'T KILL??? Well at least we can rely on regular priority priority moves.



I'm not lost, I tell you! I'm camping! That's my story!

I just wanted to have a picnic under the Cycling Road. I didn't think I would get lost in a place like this...



Even I don't remember specifically where I am. Oh well.




Alright let's have some more fun, especially against those with low Sp.Def.



That Atk stat makes me so sad.



Rock Polish is usually learned by slow Pokemon and boosts Speed by 2 stages, which is pretty damn nice. Flatter is just a worse version of Swagger, since it boosts Sp.Atk by 1 stage instead of 2 Atk stages that contribute to confusion damage. Pass.



Please stop messing around.



Me? No, I'm not lost. I live here!

I hear there's a Pokemon that has mushrooms growing on its back. Not around here, somewhere far away. I wonder if they taste any good?



Many shards, yum yum yum.




Alright I think this is the last section we haven't been to yet.



lmao Togepi coming through with the slow U-Turn.



Speaking of crying, I'm positive I heard crying from deeper in the cave.

I'm playing hide-and-seek here. I like some underground tag, too.



Grrrrrrrreat. Let's get the fuck outta here.



I want to get tougher, so I won't be such a scaredy-cat. Hikari, bye-bye!



Just back outside, usually Gligar is a rougher pick due to no STAB and indeed, it yet again doesn't learn any through level up, but its addition in Platinum is perfect timing, it'll get an amazing Ground move very shortly. Sure, it's got some competition with the new Gible, but it'll be able to evolve and learn Aerial Ace around similar times, so it can definitely keep up.



We're not done with this damn cave yet, there's a secret entrance that's blocked by Strength boulders... in DP! So instead of coming here after Gym 6, we can come here after Gym 2. Well I'm sure there's nothing much down here anyway.



Alright now I can evolve Murkrow or Misdreavus! Who don't appear in this game! Alright! Also hidden evolution items are pretty common in this game. This also wasn't here in DP, the first one we could get is after Gym 7, which is a long time to be carrying those mons.



Xtreme biking!!!



We've gotta be in third gear to only lightly hop over these slopes.



Boy oh boy are there a lot of useless items to go over that'll clutter our bag to no end. This makes all binding moves last for 5 turns. Trash.




With all that XTREME out of the way, let's catch a psuedo-legendary! By far the earliest we can obtain one, with the second closest being Game Corner Dratini. This one is much easier to use.



Mainly because of that.



And also because of this. Yes, seriously. You get Gible AND Earthquake JUST AFTER GYM TWO! Little bit broken, so even though Gible will take a while to evolve, it'll be just fine. It's also quite a boon for a lot of other physical attackers, though Etrian will only be able to learn it as he evolves to then shortly learn it so it's not needed there.





We're done with the cave, so let's catch some- I SAID, WE'RE DONE WITH THE- ugh, loud memes aside, this bug is an interesting choice, if not hugely good. If you didn't stick around for Bug Bite, then X-Scissor is a long way off, so I hope you like Fury Cutter. Well Brick Break is also a fine choice and Slash will keep you going, but that's about it, until later on when you can expand to stuff like Aerial Ace and Night Slash. Its stats are pretty poor overall and it'll usually take a hit with its poor Speed, but if you're looking for a challenge, this is a perfectly good choice.



Hey, you can't break out of Net Balls, that's illegal.



Only available in Diamond, this mon is a good choice for the upcoming- oh wait, not in that game. Regardless, it's much more accessible than the Pearl choice, Glameow, which is first available just before Gym 6. Yikes.

Oreburgh City Night



You have a Fossil for me, yes? Shall I turn it into a Pokemon? Yes?! I am in the process of extracting your Pokemon from a Fossil. You go outside, yes, please. Now! Time alone is what I now need. NOW!!!



You were gone too long! You kept us waiting! Unacceptable! This is your CRANIDOS! You be good to it, OK!




Thanks to Jolene for this nickname, also goddamn, an Adamant nature first try! Skulletor would get crazy if he got anything more.




Muuuuuch better. That Kricketune happened to have a Metronome on it, which is only a 5% chance, though there's an easier way to get it later. It'll boost a move's power by 10% when used in succession, up to 100%, which is pretty fucking mental. This ain't ever coming off. And while we're shackled with Rock Tomb due to lack of any other STAB for a good long while, Mold Breaker and Earthquake means we barely have to look at it. So yeah, Skulletor won't change too much during the LP, but he's already a terrifying monster.



And of course, a regular Pokeball is boring, so we'll cheat a little and give it something else. This was something you guys were meant to vote on, but I forgot, whoops! No matter, there's still plenty of participation left.

Oreburgh Gate



Oh yeah, since we're here with the bike, might as well grab this, it's pretty useful!



Pop could use a stronger move, Water Gun ain't exactly keeping up, even with his special inclination.





Bah, killjoy. We've still got to get the other fossil from Pearl, or an even ID number in Pt. For single player, shifting crazy good offenses to crazy good defenses is... something, but it's really let down by its HP. Also its typing is atrocious, giving it lots of weaknesses, including 4x Fighting AND Ground, which is pretty bad for a physical wall. Like Cranidos, it doesn't have the greatest movepool to start off with, but I guess there's Take Down? Iron Defense makes life much easier and of course we just got Earthquake and Rock Tomb, so it'll be just fine, but with those offenses it just really can't do much. At least they're even, so it can have a few tricks like Thunderbolt or Fire Blast, but it's tricky to use and kinda easy to kill.



Okay. I think we're done with this area. For at least one update. Onto the mountain, again, again!

Route 207 Night



Hmm, interesting strategy, Metal Burst reflects back the damage dealt by 1.5x if it goes after the opponent, since it has regular priority. It doesn't matter whether it's physical or special, but will return the damage as a physical attack. It doesn't work with Substitute.



Due to having to see every Pokemon, it does make opponent variety real nice, but there's areas later that are a bit too variable and it's a pain on repeat playthroughs if you want to quickly get through the game.



We've beaten half the trainers on this route already, but this lower area has a lot more to it than the straight shot above.



Also, while Togepi is high enough in level to continue being used in battle with the Soothe Bell, it doesn't have the stats for it and with levels further apart, the constant switching doesn't do much for it now, so it'll sit in the back and hopefully evolve soon. Man I hate happiness evolutions.



Considering that was effectively a 260BP move from an Adamant Cranidos, that's pretty impressive.



k



Hmm, that Rare Candy reminds of all the various evolutions I usually do by this time in the LP. But since we'll encounter every Pokemon in the dex at some point and we're seeing a fair bit of variety, the only ones to evolve are Cascoon and Dustox. Eh, whatever. I'll need to catch the other two starters at one point.



Yup! Good going! I like the way you battle!



Alright, it's time for a proper excursion through Mt. Coronet.

Mt. Coronet



Oh, hello again mysterious man.



A world where only time flowed and space expanded... there should have been no strife. But what became of that world? Because the human spirit is weak and incomplete, strife has spread... This world is being ruined by it... I find this state of affairs to be deplorable...



What a nice young man.



In this new section we thankfully don't have to bother with evolving Cleffa, since Clefairy can be found here. Now the first Moon Stone is a while away yet, so either get lucky in the Underground, or hope that a Clefairy or Cleffa holds one if you want to evolve it soon. And you definitely will, its Sp. Atk is fine enough, but will soon get left behind, so load up the special moves, Cosmic Power and have fun.



And there we go, pretty small mountain overall, doesn't seem like there's much else to explore, ahahahahahahahaha. Ha.

Route 208 Night



Sigh... I feel even hungrier... maybe I'll chow down on some Berries... but that's kind of gross. What am I, a Pokemon?



As is always the case with monstrously strong mons, they're fragile as shit. Though I dunno what I was expecting.



Hey, if you've got a Vs. Seeker, you'd better put it to good use. Nothing beats some repeated battling for toughening up your Pokemon.



Take note of all the different times we'll have to come back to this area. HMs are great.




I suppose I'm not David anymore, but I'll still take down any Goliaths.



Wow, you're sure impressive! I guess it makes no difference if you're young or old in battles.



Why are those rocks even there???



Everyone's been really mean on this route so far.



Hm? Where did those petals come from. Oh well, back to covering this bee in rocks.



You and your Pokemon have so much energy. I think you would do well in Contests, too.



I hope I don't have to visit this guy 20 times over the course of an LP for exclusive berries.



I want people to learn how wonderful they are. You're deserving of one!



T-Thanks...



That will make Pokemon happy. Seeing that, people will be motivated to plant more Berries. And that will make Sinnoh a greener, more natural place.

We can get the first THIRTY berries from this guy, and of course we got number one. Thankfully all of his berries can be found elsewhere, since the chance of getting the one you want is pretty damn small.



Uh, sure, whatever.

Yes, yes, I thought so! I'm the same way! I feel a sort of kinship! You can have this Poketch app!



Good to show where you need to harvest stuff in areas you've already visited, but since I don't care about that sort of stuff, meh. You will need lots of berries for Contests and other specific uses, but that's something I can get around very easily.



I didn't talk about growing berries in Emerald since it was pretty simple, keep watering to get the best yield, but there's a few more factors in this game, so I think there's enough. Later, gotta space them out so I don't start drooling from info overload.



I made it by mixing high-grade soil with Pokemon... um... you know... it will promote healthy Berry growth.

It's canon, Pokemon poop. She says this for every mulch, so it doesn't really say what they do, but the book will tell you about it. And me. They all affect the berry tree, with the Growth Mulch making berries grow in 75% of the time, but dries the soil out 50% faster. Damp Mulch makes soil dry out 50% slower, but plants grow 50% slower. Stable Mulch makes plants stay for 50% longer before dying and regrowing and the Gooey Mulch makes dead plants regrow 50% more than usual. So yeah, only the Growth Mulch is worth a damn, since keeping the soil MOIST is pretty easy and increases the total yield anyway.



Oh good, the painters are back from Sevii.





Oh good, more babies. Mime Jr. is definitely a name, but is a perfectly fine mon to use, since it evolves early, 19 at the earliest as it learns Mimic at 18, and that's all it's good for. As always, what moves does it give Mr. Mime? Tickle and Uproar? Get outta here! Since they both learn moves at the same level, there's no reason not to evolve it, though only Diamond gets this Pokemon early, Pearl and Platinum have to wait a loooooooong time before getting the chance to catch it, but we can find Mr. Mime later on anyway. Still, with a pretty early Psybeam, screens and a host of special moves, it's definitely a fine choice, don't just write it off because it's a creepy motherfucker when it evolves.

Filter is an exclusive ability that is also real damn good, reducing super effective attacks by 25%, so making them do 1.5x instead of 2x. Through any weird situations, if it was 4x effective, then it would only be 3x effective, but even with the added Fairy typing later, that's still not usually possible. If you're curious, using Forest's Curse might make you think it'll become 4x weak to Bug, but remember Fairy resists that, though Trick-or-Treat makes it 4x weak to Ghost, as Fairy makes it resist Dark. Well that was fun.



Oh hey it's that Gen 3 Pokemon that was in a bunch of side games. Bonsly is similar to Mime Jr., you can find it earlier in Pearl and then the other games muuuuuuch later, though Sudowoodo is in Platinum easily enough. It can evolve at level 18 with Mimic at 17, so you can get some good stats very quickly. Between Low Kick, Faint Attack and Rock Throw, you're off to a standard start, but Fake Tears and Uproar are something you don't need to bother keeping for Sudowoodo. Between various physical attacks, elemental punches and even Wood Hammer from the move reminder (Mr. Mime only gets Magical Leaf, pfft), it's definitely a slow, but strong choice. Especially when factoring in Rock Head to ignore Wood Hammer's recoil. You won't fool the AI into using Fire attacks however.



I shall title it... "My Pokemon Is Fight"!



Uh-

Go to Route 209! Go underground! Listen to the stone pillar! Talk to people underground!



All that's left is the wild Pokemon here. Whatever this keystone is for, I'm pretty sure I don't care.



Even a resisted move does over half. Lad needs some Iron in his diet.





You thought Bidoof was the ultimate HM user? You can call this the ultimate user 2. Bibarel can learn SIX of them, including both Water ones, which is always nice. But you can see the stats and its pretty good typing means you can very easily use it on your team. Hyper Fang is a pretty potent move to learn early, though Return is probably better by this point if you take care of your beaver. Any important TM you can think of it probably knows and it'll even learn Superpower later on, though you can get that from move tutor a little beforehand. Regardless, once you get those physical HMs going, you can definitely use it to fight. Weird when that actually happens.



Of course... we'll get it later.



Bite is so cheeky. If you liked the prospect of Budew, but not the evolution requirement, well, you've probably reached it already, especially with the Soothe Bell, but hey, here's the evolution if you didn't fancy it. Gonna be a while until it can evolve again though, but it should be fine until then.



Oh hey, this will evolve immediately and actually has an attacking move to start, how wonderful! We know how good this mon can me, but if you've got a male, then maybe it can do something else for you. Uh, later, but we'll find Kirlia later when we want to do something about that.



Phew, it's been a bit of a journey, but we're here in Heartho- what the fuck is that?

Hearthome City Day / Night



If it weren't for you, who knows how far away my BUNEARY could have run... baby BUNEARY, back into the Pokeball you go! I'm Keira! I'm a Pokemon Contest Judge. Be sure to drop by the Contest Hall so I can thank you properly!



Hearthome City: Warm and Kind
From the expression home is where the heart is.
Yosuga City: Where hearts touch each other.
From 縁 yosuga (homeland).



Or things that are like Eggs, anyway. I wonder how my pal Prof. Elm is doing these days? He was always the quiet sort and didn't really stand out.

Johto confirmed! This guy actually gave us an Egg in DP, but we recently got one, so I get it. We'll just have to obtain that mon another way.



We need to find the Pokemon Center and end the update, but there's a couple of things we can get distracted by along the way.



When you wish to treat your Pokemon to a treat, what, I say, do you do? If I may say so, and I will, I feed Poffins to my Pokemon! And why, I say, would I do that? Because the giving of Poffins is a way of expressing your love! For example! If I were to give a Sweet Poffin, the Pokemon eating it would become more cute! For example! A Spicy Poffin will add to the coolness of a Pokemon! In such ways I say that Poffins have nothing but goodness for Pokemon! Therefore! I declare this Poffin Case to be a gift to you!

"to your Pokemon!"

Nationwide, there are fan clubs, but we are number one! And why are we number one? Because I brag more than anyone! But now I can't brag as much... people started complaining, so I've had to curtail my bragging...



Here's the residential friendship checker. Though since we've got an app for that, she's not necessary, as she has the same tiers of happiness rating past 150, which is what you care about.



Togepi is at least over 200 happiness, so not long to go!



Wait a minute...



Who's that Pokemon? Seems like it's a pain in the ass to level up.



Fancy buildings in here don't use stairs.



The Shell Bell should be held by a Pokemon in battles. The holder regains HP a little every time it inflicts damage. That was given to me when I was on vacation, but I already had one.

Same as last gen, but much easier to obtain. Still pretty naff.



No new balls, but always good to restock. And new mail, of course!!!



Hmm, we'll go more into detail next update, since we've got some preparing to do.



Silence...



No one knows my real name. No, not even I do... I dedicate myself to seeking rarities. It's what I live for. Hm! Hmhmhmhm?! I'll find something rare for you, so talk to me some other time.

There's 14 items we can get from Mr. Goods when we meet certain requirements. There's a few we could've done by now, or at least, used to be able to, but we'll return another time.



I'm getting kinda lucky with these, but we've got plenty of time to face them all.



Man, what is this black magic???



A clown's makeup is a face that's crying while laughing. Mwahahah! It defines what we do!

Creepy ass motherfuckers... Lee can be found in this center on weekends. I probably should specify that you can find these guys every day in a specific center, usually bouncing between 3 centers. But next time, there's still a big city to explore!