Part 14: Moist

Part 14: Moist

Pastoria City Day / Pastoria City Night



Gero, gero. Here's a new city to explore. I'm sure we won't be here for the entire upda- oh we actually will be.



Pastoria City: The Marsh City
From pasture and euphoria, the feeling of seeing a Croagunk.
Nomose City: Town that lives with the Great Marsh.
From 野面 nomose (field).



Just like you, he was very close with his Pokemon. Hey, thanks for making me smile! This might put a smile on your face. Try dressing up a Pokemon with this CHIMCHAR Mask!



Then, I took the Berries and cooked them into Poffins. All the work is worth it when I see how happy they make my Pokemon!



Hmhm... I see... this isn't what I had hoped to see... I can't lie to you, so I'll have to tell it to you straight. This Pokemon's not bad, but it's not good, either. It's just so-so. If you want to improve this one's condition, feed it some more Poffins!



The Gym is pretty important, so we'll do it last. We don't want to approach it until we're ready either.



I know every move that Pokemon learn while they're leveling up, and I can teach Pokemon those moves. I can teach a move to a Pokemon of yours if you'd like. I'll do it if you'll trade me a Heart Scale. Oh! That's it! That's an honest-to-goodness Heart Scale! Let me guess, you want me to teach one of your Pokemon a move? Which Pokemon needs tutoring?



Finally we've made it to the Move Tutor. A fair few Pokemon have exclusive moves to this, available at level 1. We don't need Brick Break anymore, so we'll grab Ice Fang. Heart Scales are also pretty easy to come back, being somewhat uncommon in the Underground, as well as available from the News Press in Solaceon, in Platinum. They're also found 50% of the time on Luvdisc, but that won't be for a while yet.



I believe this is also the first time we've seen a Croagunk statue. Oh, uh, I mean, Quick Balls. 4x catch rate on the first turn, I'll be using a lot of these for the rest of the series, especially when they get even better next gen!



If you have, I want to see both of them together. I'll give you a Macho Brace if you do that for me. Deal? Cool! A female and a male COMBEE. I feel giddy! Here's your reward like I promised. Go ahead, take it!



Simple enough, you'll come across plenty of male Combee on your path to Vespiquen. It doubles all EVs gained, but halves the Speed stat. In DP, you needed the 3 different forms of Burmy, which is also easy enough to do.



I love planting Berries wherever I go. I'll give you a Berry, too. Please plant it somewhere.



Planting Berries is good for Pokemon. It provides them with more things to eat in the wild.

I'd rather they didn't eat these, thank you. All the berries this woman offers are those that reduce the damage of a super effective attack. There's one area later we can also get these at, but this is the most consistent way of getting them, since they're all pretty useful in one way or another.



And there we go, a lot of good stuff in this city, but there's two big things we'll get to in just a moment.



I hope you like marshes, cause there's a lot of them in our near future. There's of course hidden items in them, but unless you tap on the exact pixel an item's at, the Dowsing Machine will just emit circles, telling you there's an item near. Not too useful, but we've gotta dive in!



Very important to come here as soon as you can if you've got a male Kirlia waiting to shine in the next Gym battle. Only available in Plat, since both Gallade and Froslass aren't in the Sinnoh Dex in DP, but you get two later anyway, as well as from Pickup.



Might as well grab these berries before I forget and there's just one last thing to do...



Is that a fish? He's a gun! Blam! Blam! Uh, anyway, if you wanted a bunch of cool special moves to fire off, then this is a mon for you. With Psybeam, Aurora Beam, Bubblebeam, Bullet Seed, Signal Beam and Hyper Beam, it has some crazy variety as you raise it. It gets even crazier when it evolves, which it'll do pretty soon, and you've seen from Colosseum how nuts it can get. While most of its moves are special, it gets some physical toys to play with, it's a lot of fun.



Ugh. Alright, time for the final Safari Zone I'll have to cover. Not surprised they dropped it, since this is definitely a bad one, but maybe we'll get lucky?



How would you like to try my game out at the same time? The rule--yep, there's only one--is real simple. All you have to do is capture five or more Pokemon in one Safari Game. If you can do that, I'll give you the Poketch app Matchup Checker.



Before we get into the game itself, it's definitely worth coming up here. Let's see what we've got.



Mmhm, good, good. The binoculars show what Pokemon can be found in certain areas of the Great Marsh, which is very important for some Pokemon, as I'll explain in a moment.



We'll let you know when your game is over. Until then, enjoy yourself, please! Off you go on your wild excursion!

Great Marsh




I'll try finding more tomorrow.

Just before we start, it's important to come here in DP even if you don't want to catch anything, because this guy gives you the Defog HM! Little bit annoying to hide it away here and not tell you. At least here he gives you a daily shard, but it also means this place is completely optional in Plat, since you really don't want to miss out on Defog, for your sanity.



But we're here now, so it's time to traipse through the marsh to find rare Pokemon. This place is pretty damn big, split into 6 areas like Emerald's Safari Zone, with different Pokemon found in each area. We'll head to the top left with Area 1 and head down from there. Here's the map for both DP and Plat, since the Marsh was redesigned between versions for the better.



We've got 500 steps to find items and catch Pokemon. You can see the different shades of marsh and it's very important, since the darkest patches are ones you'll sink into and need to struggle out of to be freed. If this happens on a grass tile, you can encounter something while struggling, but be automatically freed after the battle's over. Also, in DP, there was no way to distinguish deep marsh. It's a miracle people even like Sinnoh considering how godawful the initial games were, eh?



We've done this quite a few times before, so this should be quite familiar, especially if you remember how I covered the Johto Safairi Zone in HGSS. While this place doesn't have the staggering variety of mons that place did, it has the same mechanics, which will be at the end of the update if you want a refresher on how it all works. Each Pokemon has their standard catch rate that you can modify by throwing Mud or Bait at them, while the Safari Ball is a 1.5x multiplier. All Pokemon available in a Gen 4 Safari Zone has a species specific escape rate that is compared to a random number each turn. All very fun, I'm sure.



Off to a good start then... If you want a good typing that evolves super early, then this is a good pick. While you've only got Water Gun and Mud Bomb for now, it's enough until you get Earthquake later on. At least you've got Slam for your physical side, but your special moves will hurt fine enough.



Stealth: 100




Like every other Safari Zone ever, the best chance of catching stuff is just throwing balls, Mud makes the Pokemon way too easy to flee since you don't know escape rates, while Bait means you'll never catch the damn thing since the Safari Ball is pretty meh and reducing the catch rate on a full health mon is never the best idea.




But I'm sure any minute now we'll catch a Pokemon as we move into Area 2. Quagsire is a great defensive Pokemon that needs a bit of TM help so it has some physical moves. Rock Tomb, ugh, Brick Break and Earthquake will pair nicely with the upcoming Surf, but since it'll learn EQ pretty soon, probably not worth putting the TM on it. It doesn't learn much from there, you're just waiting to put Waterfall on it.



Why is it so goddamn hard to catch a goddamn Wooper, goddamn!



I'm walking on water, bitch.



Eventually we finally get something. I'm not too worried about finding stuff, there's a few Pokemon that are rare in most areas, but have one where they're pretty common, like Tropius in 1 and 2.



Yeah, whatever... it's a rare encounter here, but we'll find it much easier in another area.



The numerous shards are the main reason to come here, since the various items, hidden or otherwise, aren't too amazing.



Oh wow, things are finally turning around, after going through 2/3rds of my stash.



That Hyper Potion is not worth it. Tangela is a pretty rare encounter elsewhere, but in areas 3 and 4 it's pretty common. However, it's best to hunt during the day since percentages are reduced at night so Hoothoot and Noctowl spawn.



Now I'm catching everything so easily, it's almost like I got super frustrated and turned on an instant catch cheat. But that doesn't sound like me.



Not much to certain areas, so off to 3!



Oh, woah! No, not the Leaf Stone, there's no mons that evolve through it in the dex, but Croagunk is a nice find, since we can get a lot more in this area. See, there's a fair few Pokemon in this marsh that aren't tied to a specific area, but have a chance to appear daily. We already knew about Skorupi, but it's good to know Croagunk is also around. It's compensated by lowering Wooper's encounter rate by 10%, though some of the daily Pokemon can already be found in the Marsh, and so their rate is boosted by an extra 10%.



So it's easy enough to find one. The daily Pokemon are Wooper, Quagsire, Tangela, Yanma, Tropius, Skorupi, Croagunk and Carnivine, the latter three of course being the only way to encounter them. It can be pretty frustrating to obtain them, since the only way to know about them aside from endless encounters is using the binoculars, but it just shows a small area where they could be found, which doesn't help if you're not familiar with the Marsh. If you don't get the right Pokemon, you've gotta try again tomorrow, so I was pretty lucky getting two of those Pokemon in one day.



I was worried we'd run out of balls before running out a steps.



Oh there we go. We've still got some things to do, so we'll head right back in. But since DP obviously didn't have the expansion mons of Yanma, Tangela and Tropius, what exciting Pokemon could you encounter? Well, how about Starly, Bidoof and Budew! I'm serious, though we can still find Bibarel here in Plat. Each area was also very similar, but it wasn't all bad, you could find Psyduck and Golduck in the grass, as well as Marill and Azurill, the latter we can't get for a little bit yet. The daily Pokemon consisted of Golduck, Roselia, Staravia, Marill, Azurill, Wooper, Quagsire, Bidoof, Bibarel, Skorupi, Croagunk and Carnivine. So nothing too amazing aside from those last 3, but it could be worse, I guess?



Ayup! You've done that all right! Isn't that something! Well, here you are, then. The Poketch app Matchup Checker.



The Matchup Checker app figures out how Pokemon types match up. It won't help tell us how we match up as friends, though.



Pretty simple app, it tells you the four stages of Egg compatibility from Pokemon in the party, starting with 0 hearts for different Egg groups, same gender, etc, to 1 heart if it's different compatible species from the same trainer. 2 hearts is different compatible species from different trainers, or the same different gender species from the same trainer. 3 hearts is the same different gender species from different trainers. Seems like a pretty simple app, but those who only played DP probably don't remember this one. That's because it's part of a very cursed group: event exclusive Poketch apps. Seriously. It was distributed to DP games at Pokemon Center stores in Japan from April 28th to May 13th 2007 to celebrate the release of DP in US. That's it, the only way to get it in DP, so they thankfully added it to Plat, since event exclusive Poketch apps is such a stupid concept. So I probably shouldn't mention the other two event exclusive apps that were NEVER RELEASED!



Alright, back to it!



Back in Area 5, still some Pokemon to grab.



Okay it's not showing up, so off to Area 6.



There we go, that's every item in the Great Marsh. Meh. Time to encounter the last few mons that's left!



Hrm. Yanma is pretty common in Areas 5 and 6, so it's a bit annoying it took a while to find.



At least Skorupi didn't take too long.



Alright, sheesh, there's only one Pokemon we're not able to get right now, which is pretty lucky, since daily Pokemon are garbage.



And there we go, it's almost like I can encounter anything I want!



That's everything! Okay, there's one thing in the postgame, there usually is, but I'm glad to be finished covering these stupid places. Safari Zones were interesting concepts with mediocre execution, with the marshy area just being a super bad idea for the last main one. Like the Game Corner, I'm glad they're gone.



Hehehe! I'm not always going to plow into you every time we meet! So how's it going, Hikari? Buffing up your Pokemon, eh? I'll test you and your Pokemon out to see how buff and tough you are!

Rival Battle



Bit of a surprise battle, but him waiting patiently for you to go to him won't be the norm!



Radium can take on the Staravia no problem, but Etrian needs some very important experience just before the Gym!



Monferno is pretty damn fragile, so won't be hard to take down. You might think his starter should've evolved by now due to its level, but this is similar to a rival battle in DP, where he fought you after the Gym, but was like 8 levels lower for some reason. He still had Starly! So they maybe went a little far in the other direction, but it's appreciated, since they're fundamentally in the same place, after the fourth Gym, but shows a much smoother level curve.



Until Roselia gets some Poison moves that's not Poison Sting, it won't be a threat to our tanky tree.



Hmm, an interesting move, but I prefer the other one it can learn at level 32.



This is the last example of a starter having different evolution levels, since Gen 5 makes them more uniform for whatever reason. We'll go over all of them when we see the others, won't be too long.



That even shocked me a bit, so yeah, I got beat 'cause I was careless. Oh, yeah, I joined Mr. Wake as an apprentice! Like, I want my own theme song!



I wonder when we'll next see him.



Like most middle stage starters, Etrian wasn't being too amazing. That's all sorted now since it just got two amazing moves and a big power boost just before a Water Gym. AhahahahahAHAHAHAHAHA!

Pokemon Gym

"Water-type Pokemon."

I'd say you've got guts if you try to face down Water types with Fire- or Ground-type Pokemon! But that part I'll leave up to you! Go and have some good battles!



Every Gym from now on is unchanged from DP, so standard raising and lowering water level.



A future shonen protagonist.



Maybe I'll do like Wake, I mean, Crasher Wake, and wear the same kind of mask.




Ah crap, a Water type that stops my Electric type! Unlike Quagsire, Whiscash is fine with whichever side it has more readily available, so special. Sure, there's plenty of physical TMs, but considering its stats aren't too amazing, maybe other members work with them better. Besides, you can transition to physical later when it learns Aqua Tail and EQ. Also Future Sight. For some reason. Important to also consider Zen Headbutt and Waterfall, along with Ice Beam.



The water rising and falling is tricky, but don't let it annoy you. If you lose sight of yourself, that's when you're set to lose.



It's this Gym I've chosen to make my home! You can bet it's tough!



If you were to go around the world, I'm sure you'd meet tougher Pokemon.

What a cute birb. It's a good thing this thing gets Shock Wave and Surf as its movepool is pretty bare otherwise. Wing Attack and Water Pulse will have to do, since Stockpile eats up slots, and you have to fit Fly and Defog in. At least when you're done with all that, you can go with Roost, Ice Beam or even Steel Wing. It's a weird mash, but when you're not given much to work with, you gotta.



The path is pretty simple, but I do like this weaving in and out design.



Well that's clearly not Huge Power. Azurill now doesn't have the uniqueness of STAB Huge Power and only offers stuff like Splash and Slam to its evolutions. Cool. Azumarill can hit really hard, but you wouldn't think so when all you have is Tackle and Rollout. Return is a must, as well as Waterfall, when you finally get it. The best option is Ice Punch from an upcoming tutor and Brick Break. It's a shame that Belly Drum is an egg move.



Maybe I'll do like Wake... I mean, Crasher Wake, and use the same kinds of Pokemon.



Man, so many fish are showing up, it's almost like they're the most common type. At least now it can use Waterfall without being too embarrassed about it, as well as getting a free Poison Jab from the relearner. Megahorn is way too late to think about and Return is the only good Normal move it gets, even when that's all the TMs it gets. And that's it. I mean, it's a fish. Try your luck with Horn Drill?



Confusion damage does so much lmao



I figure I got too wrapped up in fishing and neglected training.

Was wondering when Gyarados would finally pop up. Always have an Electric move, since Gyarados is fucking everywhere. It doesn't have much right now, but very shortly it'll learn Ice Fang and Aqua Tail, and even Dragon Dance later on, so don't underestimate it. Don't think it doesn't get good TMs by being a fish, that only applies to your favourites, as it gets EQ, Stone Edge and Avalanche, as well as a host of special moves it doesn't really care for. You know the Flying type is useless when you can ignore it, since you only learn Bounce, and coast by with all your other moves.



Now that's a trap if I ever saw one. Let's just press this switch.



There's a fair few trainers in this place, but it looks like we're nearly done.




See, you can use a fragile Rock type, you just gotta hope for a rubbish AI! Golduck is a simple Water type with some nice Psychic coverage. Well, Confusion for the most part, until you finally learn Zen Headbutt long after you need it. Oh well, that's what TMs are for, there's a nice mix of stuff for your nice mix of stats, from Psychic to Focus Blast, to Ice Beam and Surf. Alright, I just mentioned special moves, but they're just too good. Ice Punch and Zen Headbutt from tutors is also an option.



Riveting, it's Leader time, baby!



The glory you are now beholding is the Pastoria Gym Leader! That's right, I'm Crasher Wake! My Pokemon were toughened up by stormy white waters! They'll take everything you can throw at them and then pull you under! Victory will be ours! Come on, let's get it done!

Gym Leader Battle





Crasher Wake: The Torrential Masked Master!
Based on a lucha libre, whose masks hold special meaning to animals and gods, and to be unmasked for losing a fight holds great weight. From crashing wave, as well as a wake, triangular waves left by boats.
Maximum Mask: Water Stream Maskman
From Maxillaria, spider orchids, and his wrestler name.








Expected, but someone had to absorb the Intimidate. Wake, uh, I mean, Crasher Wake got quite the buff between games, much more than Maylene got. Still pretty similar, but now Gyarados is a lot scarier.



Oorgh! One the best things about Torterra, Wood Hammer's animation is fantastic!



Waterfall is still a bitch, but it would've been even more annoying after Intimidate.



Hey, we'll take it. At least it didn't have Ice Fang.



We know how dangerous, and fragile, Floatzel can be, and this thing can rip through our team with little trouble, so best to knock it out immediately. This game can be scary, yo!



Quagsire got a lot more interesting, dropping goddamn Mud Sport and Tail Whip.



Still, it's close, but our Speed will let us clinch it.



...r-ref??? Isn't outside help illegal? No? Okay, phew, time to douse myself in healing items until I win, like I do every single battle.



Below the belt! That's just not cricket.



Only one way this battle could've ended.



It seems the undertow pulled me under... but I had a great time battling with you! You've earned this!




That TM55 contains the move Brine. It inflicts double the damage on targets with less than half their HP left. Use it to end battles decisively! The styles of battling and winning are as widely varied as Trainers are. Do you want to know how I battle? I battle so I can say I had fun at the end, whether I win or lose!



So, how was it? Did you enjoy your battle against Wake... I mean Crasher Wake? Sure, winning is important, but don't forget to have fun, too! I think Wake... I mean Crasher Wake, showed you what I mean by fun.



That's much better. Need to polish them every now and then, but we should only go all the way when we have the full set.

Pastoria City Day



What'd I tell you? Mr. Wake--I mean, the master--is pretty awesome, hey?



Oh, Master!

...listen, kid. I know your father. I won't deny that. But I don't recall ever taking you on as an apprentice. Not in the least. Besides, you two don't need me. You can become strong on your own without being my apprentice.

It doesn't matter. I made you my master! I decided! But forget that! There's trouble brewing! There's a Team Galactic goon in front of the Observatory Gate. He said something about using a bomb!

WHAAAAT?! No one messes with Pastoria! Not on my watch!

Hey! Master! Wait!



Whatever it is, it can wait, since we've got new stock! Not that Ultra Balls really matter in a mart where we can get both Dusk and Quick Balls, but I appreciate the effort.



Barry best rival, don't @ me!!!



What am I, chopped liver? Don't forget I'm here, too!

So, where's this Galac...



YOU! What've you done?!

What've I done, you're asking? Well, technically speaking, it wasn't me. The package that arrived, see, that was a bomb, named the Galactic Bomb. Me, I was told to push the button. So I did. Like, "Poink!" Oh, that's right! Mustn't forget! The test results need reporting!



You two! Do NOT follow me! Don't let anyone else in, either! There'd be big trouble if there's any of that bomb left!

Hey! Hikari! You go after that Galactic goon! I'm staying here like Master said! Gotta keep others from going in! Don't let that Galactic guy get away!

What's the matter?! Why aren't you gone already?! Go after that Galactic goon!



I'm going, I'm going. Next time, it'll be an epic chase across the region, but we must catch up to that grunt! I hope he hasn't gone too far...