Part 5: Burning Stuff in a Forest

Music: Mission Start!


Music: Lyra Forest
Now, don't you treat me as if I were a decrepit old man. There's no need for you to feel concern on my part. Let us march!

That is true. In fact, the 'escort' part of this mission makes absolutely no difference to gameplay other than having Hastings follow us. This mission might as well be titled "Go to Fall City!"
Escort missions where the escortee can take care of themselves are the best kind. *shudder* Free From the Hold... bad memories, man.
Good thing I never played that





A wild Bellsprout attacks!

Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


Bellsprout here is easy to catch, but it's the first Pokemon that attacks (the exclamation mark signifies that it's going to attack).



It shoots a leaf boomerang straight ahead.

Music: Capture Complete


Catching this Bellsprout nets us a Level Up. Levelling up raises our line length and max HP. And as a bonus it refills our HP to max.



Required Loops: 4
Possible EXP: 13/15/17/19

Music: Lyra Forest
Ah, yes, I'd almost forgotten. Spenser'd asked me to teach you something, Circe. So, I shall teach you about Poke Assists. Let me demonstrate using the Bellsprout you've conveniently captured. A Poke Assist is a process in which you borrow the ability of a Pokemon in order to capture other Pokemon. Just think of it that way. I will now demonstrate, so watch closely.

And I'll summarize. Again.



It's pretty much the same as using Plusle except we don't have to worry about the partner gauge. The effect of the assist depends on the Pokemon (it may be different with the Pokemon's type).



However, these assists are timed. Stronger Pokemon gives a longer time. The game doesn't state this, but if you choose another Pokemon, the current assist will end immediately.
Ah, early DS games and drawing gimmicks.

And, like target clearing, the Pokemon will be released immediately after using them.

This sort of thing...you should learn by actually doing it. That said, let me now say one more thing. As you move up in Ranger Rank, you will be able to use more kinds of Poke Assists. Descriptions of new Poke Assists will be added to your Glossary, so you should look them up. Also, Poke Assists do depend on the type groupings of Pokemon. See how they match against other groups in the Glossary. That's quite enough out of me. Let us make haste to Fall City!

Not yet. Since you told us to read the Glossary, we're going to do that right now.



Unfortunately Plusle has no Field Move, so we can't use its help for Target Clearing.



There are some entries about Poke Assists, but we just finished the tutorial, so I won't bother showing them.

There's also some about field moves, but it's just explaining what kind of field moves there are. We'll see them all eventually.



Discharge is exclusive to Plusle/Minun. It acts like an electric attack for type matchups.



Note: Grass Poke Assist doesn't work against flying/levitating Pokemon.



This one is very useful. Since making a loop around a Pokemon will cause a fire which immobilizes it which lets us make more loops around it, we can use this to create a loop of easy capture.



Some notes about this assist:

• If the Pokemon touches a bubble when it's still being formed, it'll pop.
  
• The bubble needs to be larger than the target Pokemon.
  
• Sliding the stylus is hard to do with a mouse, even with the slow motion.
  
• There's a tutorial about this specific Poke Assist. I just summarized everything from it.

This seems like a fairly involved process for a simple assist.
That's why there's a 2-minute unskippable tutorial for it!



I don't think I need to explain how this one is useful.



Our mission blurb for this one. It makes the mission sounds grander than it actually is.

Since Hastings is following us, we can talk to him for some banter flavor text.

Your uniform... Is it not rather large?
Let us make way to Fall City posthaste!
For the good of society, people, and for Pokemon... That is the philosophy behind my studies.

In addition, there's actually some dialogue for just standing there for a long time.

What is the matter? Were you asleep on your feet?

Spenser also has it in the Rookie Mission, which I'll just post here because




There's Bundled Hay on the trail that's blocking the way. It's too big for me to move!

Turns out there's Torchic in the forest. Suddenly the mysterious fire-breathing Pokemon makes perfect sense



Required Loops: 3
Possible EXP: 12/15/18/22

Torchic for some reason also doesn't attack. That makes it 5 Pokemon (3 starters+Zigzagoon+Plusle).

...Why do they have Chikorita here instead of Treecko?
Chikorita is cuter.
Even if that's true, it still doesn't answer the question.



Also, why is there a hay right in the middle of the road? And how did Lunick and Hastings pass through it before?

Ah, so Bundled Hay is obstructing our passage. Circe, you've already learned how to clear targets, yes? Put that knowledge into practice. Use a Pokemon's help to do something about our target--that Bundled Hay. That Torchic you've befriended can use the burn Field Move that we need to clear the Bundled Hay.

That last line will be a little different if we haven't caught Torchic yet.





Burning the hay is easy enough, at least. I do have to question the safety of using fire in the forest, though.
A farmer somewhere just started crying.

Thank you, Ranger! Now I can go to the Krokka Tunnel!



The forest grows very thick in there. Even the locals are known to get lost in it.

No points in guessing that we're going there eventually.



Up ahead, we find a Pichu.



Its only 'attack' is electrocuting itself. Its range and duration are too short to be threatening in any way.



Required Loops: 1
Possible EXP: 3

It's pretty much our portable battery.
Handy! I'd been wondering about how you'd recharge the Styler during longer missions.



If your Styler's energy is running low, try to find and capture a Pichu. That's what you should do. Magnemite or Pikachu will do, too. Electric-group Pokemon can restore your Styler's energy using their electric power.



Continuing on ahead, we find this shrub. There's a Pokemon inside, but unfortunately we haven't caught any Pokemon with Cut.



There's also this tree, which was mentioned in the blurb for this place.



There's another fork up ahead, but one path just leads to a dead end and disappointment.
Lots of bushes to remember to come back for!



The other path, on the other hand, leads to where we need to go. Which is also a dead end.

Hm. This Fallen Log is in our way. The Fallen Log won't burn as easily as the Bundled Hay we saw earlier. Torchic's fire is too weak. Now what will you do, Circe?



Go back and cry?



...Or a Combusken can just suddenly appear. Works for me!

Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


Combusken attacks by kicking fireballs. It does two double kicks, resulting in 4 fireballs.

Music: Capture Complete


Required Loops: 5
Possible EXP: 24/27/30/34

Combusken isn't tough, but it forces you to learn its pattern. If you don't, you'll get hit by its second double kick.
I imagine more than a few kids got stuck here until they learned to be patient.

Music: Lyra Forest


If you're wondering; yes, Combusken can burn the burned hay. The number of symbol on the object means it requires at least (not exactly) that amount from the Pokemon.
I can already imagine future scenarios that require us to scour the area for a single pokemon with the requisite number of matching symbols.

Thank you for burning up that Fallen Log!

It's always nice to be thanked



Like Spenser said, we need to go through Krokka Tunnel. We're not going to go there right now. Instead, we're going to see what's on the other way.



It's a classic Pokemon one-way shortcut.

Hmmm...



Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hahaha. I love Hastings just teleporting behind Circe.