Part 18: Only Getting Mostly Distracted

Part 18: Only Getting Mostly Distracted



Since we were in the area, might as well get this evolution crossed off. Could've obtained this earlier, but it doesn't really have the stats or movepool to work then.



And anywhere in Eterna Forest counts for evolving Eevee. Location takes priority over happiness, so make sure you're making the right decision. While it would've been a bit of a journey from Hearthome, it's not a huge deal, though Leafeon really needs Eevee's Bite.

Surfing



Woo Surfing encounters, they're such a pain since it's mostly evolved Pokemon we can't get otherwise.



Various lakes and that have Psyduck and Golduck.




Lots of good stuff at the Windworks, though it's still a while until we get Electabuzz. Radium will also need a good Electric move, Thunder Fang will not cut it for the rest of the game.



We're heading to Canalave, but since this area is on the way...



Wonder how many items are in this area?









Neat.



Now what shall we find in this Fuego Ironworks?



Previously, Magnemite was a perfectly fine choice, if not amazing, but with its new evolution and ease you can reach it, and quickly, then it becomes a real monster. We just got Thunderbolt and Flash Cannon is just around the corner... it, uh, doesn't really need anything else, but relearning Tri Attack before you evolve to the final step is recommended.



It's real hard ignoring this stuff when searching for mons.





Regardless of which Shellos you got, you'll get an identical evolution, same stats, just a different look. It won't learn any new moves for a fair while until Recover at 54, so you've got Surf and Earthquake, since Earth Power is postgame tutor. A lot of its options are later on, such as Sludge Bomb, Ice Beam and Rock Slide, since it can use both sides no problem. Only really fears Grass and is strong and consistent throughout, would recommend.



I feel like Ice Fang should stop that. Magmar has balanced stats and an upcoming evolution, so it can work out. Between Fire Punch, Lava Plume and Flamethrower, you can decide your best option, evolve it and then swim in the ridiculous coverage you've obtained. By itself, it's an alright Fire type that gets some fun stuff like Psychic and Brick Break, but if you've got a second system or, completely impossible, another friend, then open up to a brand new world.



We've been working hard long enough, now it's time to play hard.

Fuego Ironworks



I'd like to go one generation without spinners.



Hot stuff coming through. There I said it, sheesh.



I toughened up my muscles from honest work. Pokemon have nothing on me!



Dead end, but definitely worth it.



I feel like an area that works with molten metal probably shouldn't have stuff like this, but what do I know?




The floor panels move automatically. We're pretty proud of them here!




Shards are good.



Neat, though Growlithe and Vulpix aren't in the Sinnoh Dex.



We'll fight that guy in juuuuust a sec.



How many incenses do you want cluttering up your inventory? Thankfully I caught Bonsly earlier when it was available in DP, so I won't need to bother, but there's a fair few babies that require this.



Physical Electric type? Come back in, uh... well hopefully they'll be good one day.



The sweat of a working man is beautiful to behold... there is also beauty in the tears wept from defeat...



I tried to make the ironworks run better with the moving floor tiles. But no one was happy about it! They said the moving floor made them dizzy! But you don't want to listen to me whine. Here's a souvenir!



In the process, we find a variety of colored Shards. If you'd like, we can trade Star Pieces for these Shards? There you are--red, blue, yellow, and green. Shards in different colors! My ironworks would be nothing if there were no iron. That's why I'm always thankful for nature supplying me with iron.



There's gonna be so many special moves we won't be using... This is a great way to get shards if you can get lots of Star Pieces, but there's ways to do it as we'll see later. You just got a Fire Stone and went on your way in DP.



Probably should've caught Azurill in the Great Marsh, since it'll be a while before we find it in Plat, but it's whatever, we'll finish the dex eventually.



Don't forget about the Ravaged Path! This better be worth it.



Ah. That's right. With all these new garbage items, now they can be used as "rewards" for exploring. Since we don't have a Happiny egg like DP, it'll be a fair while before we can get it.



Cool. Let's head to Canalave.



I think it will be useful to know how many people are communicating, like in the Union Room.



Alright, who's nearby???



No one, what a surprise. Only usable in Shibuya, Tokyo, this nifty app searches those nearby and tells you what they're doing, so you can hop in to where you want and join in, make some new friends! What a useless fucking app that drains battery life and only useful when you're standing still.

Route 218 Day



Why the heck can't we grab items from the water?



I've got Radium out front, right?



Cool, always have a Gyarados answer.




Seriously.



I was counting on strength in numbers, but... packing it in and going home sounds good at a time like this...



Oh yeah, we can finally catch Tentacool. Did we even see one before now? That's crazy. Anyway, it's a good mon to use, but since it's late enough and you can catch it up to level 30, just grab one and evolve it.



Thankfully the surfing speed is no longer walking speed like in DP, but running speed, so it makes finding these rare surfing encounters much easier.



Only a 9% encounter (Gastrodon is 1%, which is dumb since we can easily catch it elsewhere), but you'd be surprised how long it takes since surfing encounters aren't very frequent. A speedy tank that dishes out damage, this is a fun mon to use and recommended. It'll be a while before it can get some extra options in Sludge Bomb and Ice Beam, but Surf and Giga Drain are fine and you can use Poison Jab or even Waterfall later on. It prefers its special options, but it has plenty of moves to work with.





I think this is the last baby? You know, that evolves into something old, but it actually has the stats to work out... because it's one of the last Pokemon you encounter before the end of the game. Weird. Anyway, as a baby it's pretty rubbish since it doesn't offer any new moves and it evolves very easily. It can't even be used as a Mantine-lite since it's obtained so late, but it's either this or Remoraid at the end of the game and they made the right choice. Real shame, but at least we don't have to bother breeding it, and that's the most important thing.



You've got what it takes to be a Trainer among Trainers!



I deposited Etrian for the Contest peeps and I forgot to put the Ball Seal back on for it. Oh no what a shame.



I'm too torn up to sing anymore... I am so cool that way...



It also feels like Honey trees keep following me for attention but I've completely covered them so we'll ignore them forever. It's a nice feeling.



Oh cool we can finally catch the creepy mime. Great. It's still perfectly fine, load it up with special moves and it'll do some damage, it learns enough of them, but it's not that interesting otherwise. So yeah, fun times.



Took long enough for this cat to become available after seeing it a million times. Way later than its counterpart Stunky, but I guess it's fine to use. Best get it now since the next time this mon shows up to be caught is... ORAS postgame? The fuck?



Oh? You look puzzled. You're wondering who I am. I'm Professor Rowan's assistant and Lucas's father. The professor asked that I upgrade your Pokedex, you see. So I'd chosen this spot on a hunch that you'd pass through. Hikari, may I have your Pokedex for a moment? Let's see... was I supposed to put in the software here...?



I should probably explain how it's been upgraded, shouldn't I? It can now display images of male and female Pokemon. OK, I'll leave you to carry on with your project for the professor. ...may I also ask you to keep an eye on Team Galactic? The professor is concerned about what happened in Jubilife City... it's probably nothing to worry over! I'll be on my way now.




Woo gender differences and shit. Weird that this was pointed out to us so late.

Canalave City Day / Night





Canalave City: Cargo Port
From canal and lave (to wash over)
Mio City: The town that rises from the water
From 澪 mio (waterway)



It was mixed in with a load of cargo from another country. It's not anything that I can use, so I think you should take it.



Well, the move Skill Swap exchanges the user's ability with that of its target Pokemon. How you use Skill Swap is a measure of your expertise as a Trainer.



Repeat Balls are now available, can be useful if you've caught a lot of Pokemon, but, well, you've seen me using Quick Balls slavishly since I've obtained them. It's so hard not to!!!



Oh, yes, I remember now! I'm the Move Deleter! You've come to make me force your Pokemon to forget some moves?

Always useful, since HM juggling is very helpful in this game, we'll be seeing him shortly.



Weird, but let's completely forget about this building and never elaborate on it.



You're going to challenge the Gym Leader up past here, eh? Someone should check to see if you're ready for this challenge! That someone is me! With my brand-new Gym Badge!

Rival Battle



I hate how far away Rock Slide still is, I've been carrying this godawful move for so long- uh, instead of having me whine about Rock Tomb for the millionth time, this is a pretty tricky battle in Plat, since Barry's team is all fully evolved and ready to kick ass, as opposed to DP where only Staravia and the starter is.





The bravest of birds have arrived! We've had some weaksauce stuff with previous birds but now this is where it's at! Those stats, Intimidate, Brave Bird, CLOSE COMBAT! Why did they decide to make them good this late into the series? Of course there's Return, Steel Wing and U-turn for some variety, since Brave Bird is a bit away, but even these stats will make Pluck hurt. This thing will demolish the main game if you let it and it means the early game bird and rodent are pretty legit this time around. Wonder if it will last?



Still not much to it, so we'll use it to train.



Fucking hell, this isn't even Huevo's final form.





I suppose we should talk about all these and boy is it exciting, all three are great! Turtwig had the slowest start and isn't too amazing, but the combo of EQ and Wood Hammer make Torterra an absolute beast. Add in Crunch later, as well as Stone Edge or Swords Dance and you've got a wrecking ball. I'm gonna be saying that a lot. While I love me that smiling dinosaur, Torterra is a close contender, just such a fun mon to use, so long as you avoid Ice attacks. It's slow, but it's legit.



If you thought the last mon was crazy, take a look at this! Obviously its stats make it an absolute monster and Close Combat and Flare Blitz don't hurt either. Well, it'll be using Flame Wheel for a long time, but Fire Blast is a great move to just melt everything in the way, it's insane how powerful this starter is. Of course, you're fragile but this thing has so many fucking moves it's crazy, Grass Knot, Shadow Claw, Aerial Ace, Earthquake, Solarbeam, Thunderpunch, it's so fucking stupid. Go nuts, it's the only good Fire type in DP.



If you thought the last mon was crazy, take a look at this! With a great typing and amazing move options, it'll shine no probl- oh, I mean, I guess you could give it SEVEN of the eight HMs, obviously missing out Fly, but it does a lot more aside from that! Surf and Flash Cannon are good bases, but you've got enough Attack to work various physical moves, but Ice Beam will round out the moveset. I mean, you also have a load of HMs that'll eat up slots, but this mon has the potential to hit hard and wide. It's legit.




Well you had your chance to attack and you blew it.

Canalave City Day / Night



But listen up! Let me tell you who's going to take on the Pokemon League and become the Champion. You guessed right! It's going to be me! Anyway, you should go to Iron Island and toughen up some more. Yeah, train at Iron Island! That's what I did before going to the Gym!



Do you want some L O R E? Well you'll get it later.



We'll follow Barry's advice and not go to the Gym. Of course we wouldn't do it this update, you read the title?



He's a real man among men! Even the sea doesn't scare him! Oh, but a Gym Leader'd be cool, too! Byron is so awesome!



Cute little family.



Gotta go to the secret area, ooooooo~




It's island time.



Alllllright, let's try to remember this.



OK, you're Hikari. I'm Riley. I'm a Trainer, and yes, it is a bit odd that I would be training here. Anyway, it's always nice to meet another Trainer. Here's a gift.



To use it out of battle, you need the Mine Badge from Canalave Gym. I'll be training inside. You can join me if you'd like.

Iron Island



Hmm, let's go left first. We're finally caught up with all the HMs, coming here was completely optional in DP, since they got Strength before the third badge despite still being unable to use it. Skulletor will get it for a general attack, but we'll be shaking up our HMs pretty soon.



Gotta be camp when you camp.



When I'm with my Pokemon, I can camp just about anywhere I want!



Won't be needing this safety jacket for a bit, I always put off the trade evolutions til the end cause I'm lazy.



Handy. There's a couple new Pokemon we can catch in this place, but I'm specifically leaving a slot open for ~reasons~




I'm so lucky that crit.




Hey, wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world? BEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH



I used to work here a long time ago, before it shut down. I worked at the ironworks near Floaroma Town, too. You might say I'm drawn by iron as if by magnet!



They work fine, it's my ears that are broken...



I routinely check the lifts here. You can be sure of their safety!

The titanic snake returns and it's perfectly alright, I used it just fine in HGSS, since you can obtain it pretty easily, put that Metal Coat away, trainers! Relearning all the elemental fangs is very nice, but relying on Iron Tail is pretty ehhhh, so EQ will be your most reliable move. And then there's Rock Tomb, but maybe if you were completely crazy you could give it Dragon Pulse or Dark Pulse, or Flash Cannon! Yeah, maybe not.



I'm so glad I'm not using this move this LP. That's all for this room, so down the other stairs!




Oh hey, it's been a while since we've done this. Wonder what this guy has? It's probably completely unknown.



Wrooooar! Coming at you! Let me blow off some steam!

When you're up in the mountains, a battle'd do for a proper greeting!



Ooh that's pretty strong, though it's pretty fragile.



Too bad it's in the way, Surf now damages everyone, so you can't spam it as much unless you have a resistance.



If it's called a mountain, you can be sure I'll be climbing it. Even if it's a mountain of food, I'll still be stickin' my flag on top!

Actually, when you're up in the mountains, a simple hi'd do if you walk past someone. Oh, and this isn't the mountains.



People training here would be those with too much time on their hands.

This used to be a fairly thriving ore mine once upon a time. I guess the steel ore's played out. There's only Pokemon here now.

Have you met Byron? The Leader of Canalave Gym? He's asked me to become a Gym Leader, but there's his son Roark to consider.

Imagine what it would like for a Steel-type Pokemon user to battle a Steel type. Would that be like battling yourself, I wonder? I mean, it's a lot harder to defeat one's self than anyone else.

What's going on here, though? The native Pokemon are restless... I don't like this... let's hurry.



Of course to get the most exp we'll do double battles, but we're far from having a partner Chansey.



Bit annoying since I can't use EQ, but whatever.



But when it comes down to it, Lucario can smack that.



They were going to close this place up so no one could get in. But, they left it open so people and Pokemon can get together here.

Roark spent his childhood playing here, I think...



Hmm, looks like we've got some bowl cut guys to deal with.



Important to note, these Star Pieces we've been finding inside the cave all respawn, making them kinda alright to grind for shards. The only other best way is the Underground.



I think is just part of the island we just stole. Oh well!



Can't forget these guys in the top right.






This cackling croaker has balanced stats that you can pull to the special side with Nasty Plot. It'll be a while before you get Sludge Bomb to replace Poison Jab but if you want to go special route then you've got Shadow Ball and, uh, Focus Blast. I'm only mentioning it since it's interesting, as it has a million physical moves to use, from Ice Punch to X-Scissor, from Earthquake to Swords Dance. It's pretty nuts, so go with the best options and see how it all works out. You'll die to a stiff breeze, though.



That's the entire moveset, including the missed Bone Rush, so it's pretty good, if low BP.



So, I'm gonna try and shatter steel! I wonder how many more years it would take for me to do that?

I wish I could beat Maylene in Veilstone City one day...



There we go, 4 respawning Star Pieces.



Likewise, my Pokemon would also become tougher. It's all good. This calls for a battle!

Tough Pokemon... tough Trainers... you tell me, where else can I find a place as good as this to train?





God I wish that were me. AHEM, so you've grinded up 220 friendship for... this mon. It's a somewhat speedy defensive Normal type? At least you have Return but not the stats to back you up. Jump Kick is a nice tech, but there's not much else to note, it gets a million TMs, but again, not the stats to use them. Considering how hard it is to evolve this damn thing, it's actually annoying that it's not very good. But hey, at least you're fast!



Wood Hammer is so bad, but so good.



Pretty rough battle, but we've still got some real dangerous foes up next!!!



This mine's been abandoned, but now it's home to many Pokemon. I guess everything finds a place to call home someday...

Tough Pokemon... tough Trainers... their strength comes from their bond. And that's something that can be made stronger anywhere.



I don't care what good reason you may have, but I don't want you bringing any trouble into the mine.

We're Team Galactic! We'll take all the Pokemon we want! Isn't that right, partner?

You said it, brother! So that's what we're gonna do! We're abducting all the Pokemon from this rusted-out Iron Island!

To share in all the joys and all the sorrows... that is how all the Trainers and Pokemon live in Sinnoh! I won't allow anyone to defy that code of ethics! Come on, Hikari! This is one battle we can't lose!



I mean, this isn't a tough battle, but you could at least use the right moves!



But yeah, the last fight was real tough, but grunts are laughable.



Stop! I said stop! Your combination is so sick! The both of you, and your Pokemon... let's beat it, partner!

You said it, brother! We don't even know what Team Galactic's big plan is anyway!



Listen, I have a Pokemon Egg here. Would you take it with you? Thanks! I'd like you to show the Pokemon that's inside the Egg all sorts of new places. Spending time with you was very enjoyable. I intend to test my skills in other places from now on. Let's meet again! Take care on the way out.



BEEHHHHHH! It'll be a while before this hatches. I wonder what it'll be.



BEEHHHHHH! Now THIS is the only reason we came here. Now we can get Togekiss and Roserade, both very nice options.



Weird cave that wasn't here in DP, but some cool free stuff, I guess.



Anyway, time for Huevo to become good.





You will give me an egg. lol if it has Hustle though, completely useless. Like all good stone evolutions, it won't learn any new moves, but what it can relearn is pretty damn amazing. Also every special move you can think of. It's been a long and hard road, but the reward is worth it, though it's a shame it comes pretty late. You can go physical if you want, since Hustle and Extremespeed pick up a lot of slack, but naw.



Since we've got two eggs, we can catch other stuff, including for the first time, Steelix! Very handy, we can save the other Metal Coat for Scizor. Cause I'll totally be trading for those...



And very quickly we're outside looking for another new Pokemon. Yes you can get surfing encounters but the increased speed is actually a problem due to the small space, so we'll need to bump endlessly here.



Pelipper got moved back a bit in Plat, so this is the earliest we can get it, again, pretty low rate, but easy enough.



Ohohohohohoho! We'll get Aura Sphere for now, which will be very useful, but we will grab Air Slash later, we do have Serene Grace after all. And next time, it's finally Gym time!