The Let's Play Archive

Pokemon Platinum

by Crosspeice

Part 17: Insignificant!

Part 17: Insignificant!



Honestly, I leave you guys for five minutes...



Being in the Day Care has let our newest team member keep up in levels pretty nicely. Here's a proper welcome with a nickname by Blaziken386 and a nice Heal Ball, cause regular Pokeballs are boring. But wait, didn't Skulletor have a Heal Ball?



D-Dunno what you mean. He's always had a Timer Ball, cause of... uh, he's a fossil! It's a joke...



Anyway, Huevo now has the SpAtk to contribute in battle and has good enough defenses that he won't die in one hit. I've invested a lot of resources into you, so don't let me down even though half of your moves are useless HMs!!!



Got milk?

Route 210 Day





The Secret with the Potion is that it only works on yellow Pokemon.



PSYDUCK are known to suffer from chronic headaches. But no one's been able to figure out what triggers the headaches. Oh, yes! Can I ask you a big favor? I want you to deliver this Old Charm to my grandma in Celestic Town. I know there are some rare Pokemon between here and Celestic Town, so it will be worth your while to go.



I think you'll recognize her right away. Yes, I'm sure you will. She's the elder of Celestic Town. And the location... look on your Town Map. You can't miss it. OK, I'm counting on you! See you again down the road!



Onto a new area! Well, it's still the same area with the same encounters, but we've only been to a very small portion of this route!



Alright, Huevo's first battle.




I think he'll do just fine. Since I've gotten a proper look at him, Huevo is actually pretty strong, if slow as shit, due to have pretty good IVs overall with 10/19/17/31/30/5.



While I hide in the tall grass, I sensed Pokemon all around me! Furtive sounds of movement... stifled cries... I heard them!



There are ninjas here. I don't know why. Hokkaido reference?



My cover is blown, so what should I do? Maybe I'll go catch some Contests in Hearthome City. Maybe I'll do that.



We could pick up every hidden item, but we never stopped to ask if we should.




A Pokemon Trainer's good at finding stuff, I guess.



Balls?



Balls.



The second half of this route has fog, so we'll get rid of this bullshit immediately. This is the best use of Defog in the game, highly recommended to make your life less miserable, but if you don't care about postgame stuff, then you're free to ignore Defog for the rest of the game.



Okay can Huevo fight something that's not a ninja?



I wanted a better reaction from you. Now I feel silly for hiding!



Fluffy birb is here, covered it a few times and it's remained the same, slap Return and Pluck on it and get it ready to evolve. It's not too notable until then, but you can use whatever moves you want on it since its stats are pretty balanced. Can't use Defog until it evolves.



There's no hidden item up by the Cut tree, it's just a way to avoid the grass.



All we're missing is Haunter! We can get one later...




It's still weird seeing the other starters on regular trainers, only see that in Gen 1 and ColoXD.



I think we just made a new friend.



Ah geez, I always dread these fights, they're a bit tricky.



At least I had my Gyarados answer. Thunder Fang is 5BP stronger than Spark and is also Luxray's best physical STAB move, lol. Raichu is a good boy and shaped like a friend and is very usable. You've already got Thunderbolt from Pikachu, so you can buy Focus Blast if you're a mad man, I only want to suggest this move when you have no other options, it's awful for single player, as well as Brick Brick and Grass Knot. Nothing crazy, but dropping bolts is all you'll need to do.



Worth it.



Zac, I'm so sorry. I'm a failure as your instructor.

I don't care if I get to meet the greatest Trainer in the region... I'd still rather learn from Jen.





Three magnets? How do those work? It's a bit cheeky to cover this mon now, since we could've obtained it immediately after getting Nosepass, but aside from the boosted stats, there's not much reason to. You catch Nosepass one level after Probopass leans Magnet Bomb, though it doesn't hugely matter since its Atk is garbage regardless. I wouldn't even recommend giving it Earthquake, meaning its best attack for a long while is, uh, Shock Wave. It gets a lot of interesting moves, Power Gem, Discharge, Earth Power, but way too late to matter, it's really weird how wide its movepool is. Once it gets stuff like Thunderbolt and Flash Cannon, it becomes alright, but its weaknesses are pretty big for how miserable it is to use for most of the game.



You seem to have an abundance of talent. It's pretty amazing.



I never slow down in time to not ram straight into this guy.



There's a ninja Gym Leader somewhere far away. I should become a devotee of theirs.



Oh finally a good move. The main benefit Huevo has on being our sole special attacker is he gets first pick for a lot of amazing moves.



Why? Is it because my training isn't enough?!




Woo, Radium is mildly stronger.



I will pick this up in every game, but I will never use it.



The sight of you battling... it was simply a wonder to watch!



Lot of trainers packed into half a route. Imagine doing all these battles in the fog! Yikes!



Bulky stall Tangela is not what I was expecting this guy to have.



Yes! This is fun! Pokemon are fun! Retire? Perish that thought! I'll become a lot tougher. Next time, victory is mine!



More crap I'm never gonna use, onto the new town!

Celestic Town Day / Night





Celestic Town: The Past Lives
From celestial.
Kannagi Town: A town that conveys the past.
From 覡 kannagi (oracle).




Developing trust in each other is the key to victory.



There isn't anything here, but that only seemed to make him get angry. He's saying he will blow the town up with a bomb... the nerve of it all... if only I were younger, I'd punish that spaceman with my Pokemon...

Been a lot of spacemen with bombs recently, we'll deal with it soon enough.




Analog or digital: which kind of watch do you prefer? Personally, I like using an hourglass myself.



Analog is cool, I guess. No Pikachu in the corner though, which might be a dealbreaker. Might be for you if you use imperial or a stupid date format like backwards nations.



What's in this inconspicuous house?



Taking off a pair of glasses changes how the world looks, too. Deep, man. So, would you like to change how the world looks to your Pokemon?



The sunlight is bright in the day. How about a pair of BlackGlasses? BlackGlasses raise the power of Dark-type moves.



This is just a regular mart, but having both Dusk and Quick Balls is real nice! Also our first location with Timer Balls, they're alright, but still too slow.



Hm, Twinleaf Town, you say. Isn't that close to Lake Verity? That lake is said to be home to MESPRIT, "The Being of Emotion." That Pokemon may well be watching over you. MESPRIT is the legendary Pokemon that symbolizes the emotions. Beside it are also UXIE, "The Being of Knowledge", and AZELF, "The Being of Willpower." These three Pokemon are said to have strong and compassionate spirits. The power of their spirits maintains the natural balance of Sinnoh.



When that Pokemon was born, intelligence bloomed among us, enriching our lives. When that Pokemon was born, emotions bloomed among us, giving us joy and sorrow. When that Pokemon was born, willpower bloomed among us, spurring us into action...



Neat. Though Poliwhirl and Slowpoke aren't in the Sinnoh Dex. A free one in Pt, since you'd need Pickup or a wild hold item to find it otherwise, which are never fun.



There is some fading text etched in as well... The flow of time never stops... the past, future, and present... Space is ever-expanding dimensions... our spirits, too, are as space...



It doesn't need to exist, so I'll blow it up with a Galactic Bomb! If you try to mess with me, I'll shut you down with a Pokemon battle. So, what's it going to be? Are you going to mess with me? You dare to oppose Team Galactic? That means you're taking on the world... no, the universe, even!



The universe can kiss my ass.



Too much to handle... I can't do anything here... this place is nothing! I'll be happily rid of this place!



Oh? That Old Charm... may I see that, dear? ...what's that? You say Cynthia entrusted you with it to deliver to me? That Cynthia... she's my granddaughter.



It was made in honor of a mythical deity said to have created Sinnoh. These Old Charms are still discovered now and again. Since you're in Celestic Town, why not look around inside the ruins? You've gone to the trouble of visiting Celestic Town. Why not take a little more time to examine the ruins?



Mysterious designs cover a whole section of the wall. There are three strange things forming a triangle. In the middle of them, a shining sphere? What is this all about?



There existed beings... beings so powerful, they were considered deities at the time. There were three Pokemon with power to match either being. The three kept balance with either being, as if they formed a pyramid. It's an ancient legend of Sinnoh that is still told in Celestic Town.




I am seeking the power to create the ideal world. Thus, I want you to answer. The world today can't change because the three Pokemon keep it in balance. Is that what you are saying?

I wouldn't know. I do know the world is in balance. I'm quite satisfied with the world the way it is. I'm not interested in your question.

...plead ignorance, will you? What a pointless attitude. You fail to appreciate that the world is incomplete. I will change the world. As the first step, I will destroy this cave painting that you've protected all these years. A new legend of a new world should take its place. Am I wrong? If you feel that way, challenge me.

Nah.

...you chose to be a coward. How sensible of you. Stand aside and watch as I change the world.



We've preserved it because we value the memories that it represents. It is a legacy of people and Pokemon beyond measure. A man who fails to understand that... what world could he dream of?



Why would you want to protect this incomplete world? As the boss of Team Galactic, I will show you the error of your ways.

Galactic Leader Battle



Well this is something new to Platinum! It's a while before we next fight Cyrus and I'm never a fan of fighting the evil team leader early, since it's just so weird seeing them with weak Pokemon. Also I don't like it from a story perspective, but whatever, I can't get enough of this track!



Using items in battle, truly he is evil.



But yeah while Murkrow hits hard, this fight is whatever. I'm definitely looking forward to the other fights later.



But, Elder, your attitude told me what I needed to know. If the beings of time and space are brought together, they can't be stopped...

Celestic Town Night



The time and space of Sinnoh are filled with the memories and thoughts of countless people and Pokemon. This is a wonderful world. What need is there to change it? Oh, yes. I found something useful. You should take this. It belonged to my granddaughter, but she doesn't use it anymore.



You've been a great help. That's my thanks for it.



Fucking finally! We are going to have a lot of fun with this HM.



You saw those strange people with a Galactic Bomb, didn't you? But those Team Galactic people...! I thought they were harmless. The bizarre ways they dress, and all their wild claims about making a new universe... I thought it was just silly talk. Nothing to take seriously. But they're surprisingly more trouble than expected. Trying to monopolize Pokemon just isn't acceptable! By the way, were the ruins fun to explore? If you're interested, there is a library in Canalave City. It's stocked with ancient books. You can look up Sinnoh history there. It might help you complete your Pokedex, too. The quickest way to Canalave City is to go west from Jubilife City.



At night, reflect on what you've learned with the Wise Glasses. The Wise Glasses boost the power of special moves.



Morning is the start of a new day. Put on the Choice Specs and make the right choices. Choice Specs make the Pokemon use only one kind of move. But they also raise the Pokemon's Special Attack stat.

Huevo can have the Wise Glasses, since a 20% boost is nice, even though it's super tempting to use the Choice Specs, but they're too restrictive for the regular game.

Route 211 Day / Night



That's all for the quaint little town, so now it's a quaint little route.




I don't reminisce over yesterday. I don't think about tomorrow. I only live today to the fullest. That's my policy!



Rude.



What is the point of those rocks when we can't even climb the cliff yet?



And what is that boulder doing there???



Already completed it, mate.



I'm strong! I'm strong! I'm strong! I'm strong! I'm strong! I'm strong! ...am I really? No, I am strong! I'm strong! OK! I'm all good to go! Wah! You startled me good! I think you'll understand what I was doing when you see this TM.



Let's say your opponent raises its Defense using Harden. Your Pokemon can use Psych Up to get the same Defense boost as its foe. Basically, your Pokemon gets the same status boosts as its target.



I'll wait here for a weaker-looking Trainer and then ambush them!



Short route and also a short trip to Mt. Coronet since we'll still hemmed in by boulders. We'll just Fly to Eterna...



Finally, there's a million ponds around the region hiding items that we can access. There's definitely an update to be made from Surfing around, but since we're pretty close to being able to use Strength as well, we'll go to a couple places on the way to Canalave, but explore the rest of the region after that. This is also the earliest you could evolve a Clefairy in DP if you didn't luck out in the Underground.



Ooh, another Center trainer. You can find these two here on Monday, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, so we were bound to find them eventually.



They are getting stronger, but since we finally have this wonderful combo, it's no big deal.



That was a good match. It adds flair and drama when many eager Pokemon get involved.

Whee! Wasn't that battle smoking hot? You should make a Battle Video of it and share it with the world!

I'll get right on that, uh, next time, when we head to Canalave and only get mostly sidetracked.