Part 32: Stark Raving Plan

Part 31: Stark Raving Plan

Stark Mountain



Ah shit, damn he runs fast for an old guy. It's so hot in here. Oh yeah, the item in the lower right corner in a PP Up.




But after a bit of preamble, we're here in the main room. Let's have a gander at the size of it. Yeahhhhhhhh. But wait, there's more!



...what?! Team Galactic's here? Gotcha! Let's team up and go together.



We have the final partner, though only Cheryl is actually mandatory, which is important in a little bit. And remember how we couldn't Surf with Marley? Well it's the same here, no Rock Climb, but Strength and Rock Smash are okay. So if you thought this place wasn't so bad since it was pretty easy getting through it, look again and work out a path without those nice little shortcuts.



Woo a Claydol, what a riveting and strong partner. There's a couple Pokemon to catch, but it's always tricky when you've got an aggressive AI.



Though again, this is the rarer encounter, I was very surprised to find two at once. Still need the big boy.



The path we need to take is up and then to the left, so let's ignore all that and explore! No bike either, so it does take a fair while to get from one side to the other. This was an interesting idea, but I'm glad they never really did something like it again. Or at least, broke it up, imagine if Castelia or Lumiose was one large single area?



Burn, baby, burn, disco inferno...

This is where I raised my Pokemon. I can't stand the thought of anyone making a mess of place. Especially not those weird Team Galactic goons!

There's no law that says I have to be tough or anything, but losing isn't fair to my Pokemon. After all, they try so hard for me. I think it's my responsibility as a Trainer to recognize their hard work.

My big brother's one of the Elite Four. So, of course it's only normal that I'd be better than ordinary folks. But that's not what I want. I want to be tough on my own terms. It wouldn't be fair to the Pokemon that chose to be with me.

It might be cool being a Gym Leader or one of the Elite Four... but, then again, it sounds like it'd be a lot of hard work.



I knew that I would have a wonderful encounter here today.



Never change, AI.



Psychic power is a mystery that defies explanation. But if everything could be explained, it would be a boring world.

Is my sense of premonition nothing to write home about?



Boy was this a bad hidden item to miss...



Alright, now I don't have to worry about- ah forget it.



They all have tricks up their sleeves!

We're all good to go! We just have to battle now!



The Pokemon you'll meet here won't make it easy for you to move onward.

We came completely unprepared for this little adventure...



It's really not worth picking everything up due to the long journeys into deep trenches you need to take, but here we are.




Don't be a copycat.



You may find it odd, but the stink of sulfur from the volcanic gas is what draws me here.

The mythical Pokemon that sleeps deep in the volcano... could it be a dragon Pokemon?



There's nothing in the top right corner, so back down we go.



Oh yeah, since this is one of the last areas of the game, these are the last regular trainers in the game. There was a good amount, kept up with the level curve and didn't infest the routes like Emerald did. Seriously, 500 fucking regular trainers...



Oh shit they're getting high enough in level to get these dangerous moves now. Or, well, as a Shroomish, so it must've recently evolved.



The HM Fly isn't useful inside caves. It's such a shame.

Even though my team could break bricks and shatter boulders, they failed to dent your spirits!



Alright, time to walk out of this long valley and back to where the trainers were to continue. I really hope you brought repels.



Alright, uh, not this way. We've gotta go around.



Teach me if you will!

You've come all this way for Pokemon? You must be dedicated.



Rude, but I ignored the Jumpluff until the end, since it really wasn't doing anything.



Perhaps there is no meaning to victory, but still I will battle! That is what makes me a Trainer!

The Pokemon here must battle each other all the time. That must be why they are so strong in this area.



Ehhhh, whatever.



And hidden here is the final plate of the game. Yeah this is the only postgame one for some reason, but that's all 16! You can also obtain them once more in the Underground, but you only really need the one.



GET IT?!



Still prefer Wood Hammer.



For me, time is the fabric woven by memories, one after another...

For me, space is where memories are made...



Alright, let's start properly heading to our destination. You've been following along, right? Right???



It took a long time to get here. We're not going to lose again!

I came here after winning my way through the Battle Tower!



After most of the game... it really is nice having coverage on Radium.



You can level all you want, but that won't guarantee you any wins. But we keep trying to get better. That's what makes us Trainers.

Train more at the Battle Tower... that's what I'll do.



Please tell me this is the last hidden evolutionary item.



We'll have to go around, so here's the last two regular trainers!



So yeah, nothing much to it. Oh well.



My Pokemon seem to like it here a lot.

I love seeing people who love Pokemon more than anything!



Fuck you game.

"This is it. No fooling around!"


But he won't join me. So foolish of him! So very foolish of the rest of them! Throwing away Team Galactic! After all te effort we took as a team to make it grow... that power could have made us rich beyond imagination. But, enough of that. The Magma Stone will be mine.

Hey, you! Team Galactic! What's going on here?!



I like seeing children try their best, but too bad for you--you're too late. With this Magma Stone I will let awaken the legendary HEATRAN! I will control the volcano's eruptions to extort money by the millions! Fear me! For I am Charon! The boss of the reborn Team Galactic!



No! The Magma Stone! What?! What is going on?!

Looker Returns!



Disguising myself as a boulder for stakeout was not easy! Now, old-timer, the International Police cordially requests your cooperation. I am sure you have much to tell us about the new Team Galactic. With Cyrus, Mars, and Jupiter gone, you are all that is left.

Hey! It's the International Police!

Yeah! It's the International Police all right! There's only one thing to be done!



...uh, International Police? What are you saying? I know nothing! A new Team Galactic? Extorting with HEATRAN? Merely the blathering of this harmless old man! All said in jest! Besides, among Team Galactic's Commanders, I was the most junior...

You can tell us all about it. We have plenty of time. Oh, no, no. No resisting arrest. You can't win three-on-one, no? OK, Officers, over here, if you will.



Quickly, take him somewhere cool. Yes, the cooler will do! Hikari! And you, unfamiliar boy! I wish to say something. First, it is too hot! Let us exit this environment!

Route 227 Night



...gweh! Gah! Geff! Bleah! I have inhaled the volcanic ash by the lungful! Now, you two. This is what they were after. The Magma Stone. Moving this is said to awaken the Pokemon HEATRAN. The old tales say that its awakening, it will make Stark Mountain erupt. ...but I have moved it. It is here. Will this cause the eruption?!

Hey, don't sweat it, stranger. Give me that Magma Stone. I'll go put it back for you.



Hikari, I should tell you why I have arrived here. After we parted at the Mt. Coronet, I investigated their hideout. I uncovered Charon's plot, which led me to a stakeout of this place. That Charon is now securely within our custody. It is safe to say the Team Galactic is a threat no longer. That being said, it looks like my work here is finally finished.

Hey, stranger! I put the Magma Stone where it belongs. It'll be OK now. HEATRAN won't wake up. Probably. But, hey, Hikari! You're an amazing Trainer! Swing by my place later. It's in the Survival Area. Be seeing you, stranger, Hikari! Bye-bye!



"The more wonderful the meeting, the sadder the parting." That is a quote I have heard many years ago in a foreign land. Its meaning... I understand it better now. Farewell, Hikari, my friend! Long may you cherish Pokemon!

And that's farewell to Looker. When will we next see him, who knows, perhaps it'll be very soon indeed.

Survival Area Night



Me? You even need to ask? Piling up the wins at the Battle Tower! Huh? My longest winning streak? What, you're going to grill me now?




Well, my young friend, you're always welcome here from now on! This is a private club for only Sinnoh's Gym Leaders, or those vouched for by those selfsame Gym Leaders. It's a place where the best seek to better themselves.

Welcome to the Battleground! What should we talk about today? Ah, I know. Let me tell you about the volcano named Stark Mountain. The volcano dates back to when Sinnoh was made by the melding of time and space. Fiery lava spilled out and pooled, then it became a Pokemon. It's said the Magma Stone was used to keep the Pokemon pinned down. It kept the Pokemon from rampaging and the volcano from erupting.



You're supposed to be introduced by a Gym Leader, but you're special. Well, I'm off to the Battle Frontier. I feel like seeing how far I can go up the Tower.

Sunyshore City Night



The Battleground is a pretty cool place after all the postgame story is done with, since it's where you can rematch Gym Leaders! Uh, I know we're not doing that here, or indeed at all, they all have six Pokemon from a variety of regions, it's cool, but we don't need to fight them, and like with the rematches in HGSS, like hell I'm gonna cover them all. But there are 5 very unique trainers we can find there, but while we're moving time forward to fight all five, let's do some side things.



It's time to get going on a brand-new week. Is there a story that might help me perk up? Maybe a story about getting splashed with water...

We can get a daily ribbon from Julia, if you remember, by selecting one specific thing from the easy chat system to fill in the blank. And yes these 7 ribbons are in all future games because Game Freak are fucking insane. I'll be randomly slamming the directional keys and choose whatever I land on, it'll be fun, please don't leave!!!



That sounds refreshing! It's made me feel awake! Thank you! Please give this to your Pokemon.



The first date I went on with my husband was on Tuesday, too. I remember my heart thumping like I was scared, and I guess I was. Do you know any story that would scare me like that? Like something that jumps out from hiding? One mean FLAME BODY that bursts out from a closet? Yikes! That would be scary!



This dress that my husband for me is too tight now... this makes me feel sad... misery does love company. Something that would make me cry? A tearful BUDEW... ... sniffle... that is so sad... I feel desolate, even!



My favorite magazine comes out today. I'd better go buy it quick! Do you have a story about being absentminded? Like getting your shoes backward? The WAIL had shoes on the wrong feet? ...ahahaha! That is so silly! How is it possible to be that absentminded?



It worked stupendously hard, didn't it? As its reward, please give it this Effort Ribbon.

Since we're in the area, and I have to walk past this place every time I go back and forth between the Battleground and Julia, might as well get another ribbon for Etrian, since we should have 255 EVs, even without Pokerus!



My meager cooking repertoire is about to run out! Do you know a story that would help me get my thoughts in order? Like a story about numbers adding up perfectly? You went KARATE CHOP shopping and paid $777 including tax? That is a nice number to ring up. It just has a good look to it. It sure helped clear my head!



I'm feeling lazy and sleepy... I wish I had a pillow... but what kind of a pillow? TAIL GLOW snuggle pillow... ... it... it surprisingly may give me a good night's sleep! I wonder if I can buy one somewhere.



When I was younger, I remember that every day was like an adventure. It was always fun. I loved the people around me... I was happy. Oh, but I'm happy now, too. I love my life with my husband. It's just a different kind of happy. So, what makes you happy? You love MAIL? ... ufufu... that says something about you. It puts a smile on my face!



And there we go, every ribbon you can obtain without doing a single contest! Since it's exactly 10 ribbons, you can enter Resort Gorgeous no problem, it's very nice. And yeah, I love collecting mail... god you sure have one hell of a Pokemon completionist LPer, huh.



Please! Battle with Mira! Hikari will be shocked by Mira!

So along with all the Gym Leaders, we have the 5 weirdos we met along the way, if we did their sidequest, of course. You could meet them in every Gen 4 game as partners for Multi Battles in the Battle Tower, even in HGSS, but this is the only game we can battle them. Let's go.

Trainer Battle




Mira/Miru
From 밀 mil (Korean for wheat) and meal (oatmeal).






This is around the levels you'll be expecting for each trainer in the Battleground. Each of the 5 peeps are collectively referred to as the Stat Trainers, as they excel in a specific one, except for SpDef. You can probably guess what Mira excels in, OW.



Still, there's not much to mention, I'm just using them for a few levels for later things, since we've got a few updates left, even now! So I'm just throwing mons at other mons and abusing Revival Herbs. God I become such a pansy when the games get even slightly difficult.



Hikari, you are always with your Pokemon. That's how you got to be so strong. Mira is beginning to understand!



Two... never mind that, let's do this! I can feel my Pokemon shivering inside their Poke Balls! It's out of anticipation, not fear!





Buck/Baku
From buckwheat, or from 麦 baku (wheat) and 爆破 bakuha (explosion)






Buck gets the defenses to himself, thank god. Still, OHKOing a Shuckle is another thing to add to Skulletor's achivements, fucking hell.



Still, just cause he doesn't do too much damage don't mean you can sleep.



Fweh! Too much! I guess I'll better my team on Stark Mountain!



Come on game, work with me here.



Time for some thicc. I was referring to the HP numbers, honestly internet.





Cheryl/Momi
From, uh, cereal? Cherries? Who knows man, and 籾 momi (unhulled rice).






Man I am tired of HP scrolling. Still, got some pretty mean stuff if you can't kill them.



Worth it.



Thank you, Hikari! Thanks to you, my adorable Pokemon became a little tougher.



If it's all right with you, I'd like to challenge you to a battle right now. We're pulling out all the stops to put your Pokemon down.





Riley/Gen
From rye and Riolu, and 玄米 genmai (brown rice)






Like Mira, Riley focuses on an attacking stat, so is super scary. Still, always have a terrifying 4x weak to Ice answer, it pops up more than you'd think.



Still, if you can survive an attack, you should be golden. I can also cheese things because Nack and Pop are so damn fast.



It's great how Trainers can interact. If I weren't on Iron Island then... if you hadn't arrived on Iron Island then... perhaps we would have never met. Or, would we have met elsewhere?



Since I've been jumping across all kinds of days, might as well rematch Barry, he's up for fighting on the weekends.

Rival Battle



What a surprise. Barry's team is identical to when we last faced him, with three exceptions: his Heracross has Megahorn, Torterra has Leech Seed and Empoleon has Hydro Pump and Drill Peck.




Alright, we finally got a kill, sheesh. Nothing massively crazy, we've faced this team many times before, but the more times you beat the Elite Four, the stronger he becomes.



Worth it. Well since it keeps happening, it's probably not. After 10 Elite Four rematches, Barry's team gains 10 levels, with another 10 levels after 20 Elite Four rematches. Obviously I don't fancy doing that since nothing else changes.



Ah this bug is very scary plz stop



Since Barry's starter gains 20 levels, it becomes the highest level trainer mon you face in the series... that was then quickly surpassed by Red's Pikachu in HGSS, but hey, it's still an achievement.



If I ever fight another Infernape again, it'll be too soon.



It's all right, though. Keep getting tougher, Hikari. The more you do, the tougher my Pokemon and I get, too. There's no end to Pokemon. That's what I'm saying, Hikari!



True to form, Marley took FOREVER to finally show up!





Marley/Mai
From barley and 米 mai (rice).






Speed is always a pain to go up against, but we also have our own speed.



As a bonus, ours even survives an attack or two!



Cool.



...you're so strong. It makes me feel happy. ...I don't know why. This is a strange feeling...



We're done with all that, time to buy some more Pokeballs. And... IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!! When you look through the Croagunk board, there's a small chance a Croagunk will walk past and acknowledge you. Since it's a quick way to buy Dusk and Quick Balls, as well as visit the Move Relearner, I go to Pastoria pretty frequently, and I've been trying to trigger this the entire time!!! Alright, there's only a few stationary legends, so this won't take too long, this is a wildly unfocused update as it is.

Pixie Battle



I've been ignoring these two for long enough. What's that? There's a third one? Ehhh, I'll go for a walk later, little busy.



This is the main reason I got Discharge, gotta status these arseholes somehow.



Depending on how early you try to catch it, if Azelf gets enough buffs, you might as well restart, it will fucking destroy you.



Not too bad, but definitely a pain. Still, definitely get it out of the way first.



Thankfully Uxie is much bulkier so I don't have to worry about killing it with Discharge.



Still, due to how passive it is, you can huck balls with little trouble, but like all these 3 catch rate legendaries, we're in here for the long-



That was the first ball. Okay.

Stark Mountain



There's two very important legendaries to catch, but they deserve the end of the update. Well, the near end, eh whatever.



Man this place is wearing thin now, please tell me we're nearly done.



One thing I didn't really think about, considering how many massive caves are in this game, we don't pick up a lot of Escape Ropes. Weird, right?

Legendary Battle





Huh, been a while since we've seen one of these. Since we saw every Pokemon for the Sinnoh Dex, it's not updated for the various postgame legendaries, making 8 Pokemon the only ones without a regional number, so I've just put one in since the ordering is basically the same anyway.

We're way past the usefulness of anything in the main story, since we've done basically everything in the game, though of course there's still plenty left to go over, so how do these powerful Pokemon hold up against the battle facilities, or fighting friends? Well Heatran has a great typing, great defenses and resistances, strong SpAtk and a host of moves to use it with. Its signature, Magma Storm, is the best trapping move in the series, mainly because the rest of them are completely shit, but it learns it at NINETY SIX, so Lava Plume or Fire Blast might be some more appealing options. It's a rare offensive Steel type with Flash Cannon, and you know something's good if it learns Stone Edge and Earth Power by level up. If you're really lucky and have a Ranger 3 savefile lying around, then you can also send over an Eruption Heatran, so long as you got the event within the initial timeframe.

Anyway, this is all to say that Heatran is very, very good indeed. Its weaknesses are very crippling, granted, but its move variety and usefulness as a nice wall that also bites back is a great combination, since Stealth Rock, Toxic, Solarbeam, Dragon Pulse, Dark Pulse, even Explosion, are all excellent options to keep the surprises coming. It can even go physical with Iron Head, Fire Fang, Earthquake and Bug Bite, and it can work, but ehhhhhh, you know what it's here for, and I'm loving it.



Fun fact, Heatran is the only legendary with an actual gender ratio. Still can't breed, but weird, right? Anyway, it'll definitely leave its mark, so hopefully it doesn't blast us with lava too much, get comfy everyone, we're gonna be-



...f-first ball again?! Did I leave the instant catch cheat on? No? The fuck?



I did some research of my own since that spot of trouble last time. Mt. Coronet's acting up had me very concerned, too. Well, this is what I found in the shrine. It's a book, and it's quite old. Let me read a bit for you. "The bearer of the shining Adamant Orb summons DIALGA to the Spear Pillar. The guardian Pokemon of time will answer the call. The bearer of the shining Lustrous Orb summons PALKIA to the Spear Pillar. The Pokemon that binds the spatial dimensions will answer the call." It seems the people of long ago met both DIALGA and PALKIA, the Pokemon of time and space.



Cool story, I just climbed a mountain again. For the last time. Right? Yeah. Yeah. Last time.

Time and Space Battle

"It's DIALGA!"




About time we talked about these two. It's time to die, as Dialga is a very scary opponent, with monster offenses and an incredible typing in the Dragon infested upper echalons of competitive. It learns something every 10 levels until HGSS made its movepool half the requirements and it gets some real good stuff to pair with its incredible SpAtk, like Earth Power, Flash Cannon and Aura Sphere. Roar of Time is flashy, but cooldown turns are terrible, so Draco Meteor is much better for a quick nuke. Of course, with those defenses, Dragon Pulse is better for sticking around for the long haul, and it has some other crazy moves like Fire Blast, Thunderbolt and Ice Beam, as well as Toxic, Stealth Rock and Trick Room. Don't sleep on its crazy Atk stat either, letting it rock Outrage, Stone Edge and Shadow Claw, as well as Metal Burst shenanigans, let's not talk about Iron Tail. While Spd is very important, Dialga shows it's not the end of a Pokemon's use, it can be terrifying regardless.



Well we'll have to paralyze it in a moment, it's kinda kicking my ass.



Thankfully, GF had the great idea of making the boxart legendaries much easier to catch, so kids didn't have a Vietnam moment like they did with Groudon and Kyogre. You might say it's casualization, I say fuck 3 catch rate.



Which portal appears in Spear Pillar depends on which order the orbs are in in the bag. God I hate scrolling down here so much.

"It's PALKIA!"




No space for anything else, Palkia is remarkably similar, trading in Def for SpDef and HP for Spd, being a more consistent Dialga with a slightly worse typing. Spacial Rend is one of the best moves in the series, very easy to spam and crit with, you almost don't need anything else. But abusing the rain with STAB Hydro Pump is never a bad thing, though it didn't learn that until HGSS for whatever reason. It learns basically everything that Dialga does, so it too can Fire Blast and even go for more consistent Surf, as well as Avalanche if you're feeling sassy and physical, along with Outrage, Stone Edge and Brick Break, let's not talk about Aqua Tail. Those extra 10 Spd points do put in a lot of work, though it doesn't have the survivability of Dialga due to its Dragon weakness and lack of resistances, but when you're tearing a new Rend into your opponent, does that really matter? There's just no sleeping on these two terrifying threats, with each being destructive in their own way.



Radium is not having a good day.



Phew, that sure was an ending of legendary proportions. Now to end the update by metting two legendary people.



I have decided to use the opportunity of being here in Sinnoh. I am therefore trying to teach moves to Pokemon that I have captured. Also, if I have nothing to do, it means the world, it is at peace. ...ack. My streak is broken.



Oh god it's nerd time. In the next post, boy is this getting too long already.



And next time, I suppose we're ready to end this LP? Probably, but there's still plenty to do until that point!