Part 29: Pushing the Big Red Button
Music: Dusk Factory
With the generator for this floor destroyed, this door can now be opened.

And conveniently, it has the Pokemon we need to clear the path for the stairs downward.
Cage This is a very sturdy cage. What could it be used for?
Considering that the Squad doesn't need cages because of their imitated Styler?

They're the sort that would use the cages regardless.

Just like Mr. Mime in the previous room, all the Hypno (and Magneton) here have been replaced with Gastly.

That exclamation mark is from a Voltorb being licked by Gastly. Moving to another area or doing a Target Clear will automatically remove Gastly's hold, so it's all right.
I would've let Voltorb get spirited away regardless...
Jerk.

Music: Go-Rock Squad!


This grunt completes our rematches against the early bosses. Machoke is as annoying as ever. Hope you kept Mr. Mime or Hypno before cutting off the lights!
That said, since Plusle has more Partner Gauges now, it can actually stop Machoke long enough for the capture. Plusle is definitely redeeming itself

Plusle has been our buddy the whole game. It doesn't need any redeeming!
Except against Salamence...
Music: Dusk Factory

Here's an idea:


I forgot to mention that the walkway between Mr. Mime's and Hypno's rooms has their lights still on.
Music: Go-Rock Squad!


Music: Go-Rock Squad Battle (Weak Grunt)

Rattata alone is no threat, but 8 of them is annoying.
I see we've transitioned to the Dishonored universe with a swarm of rattata.

That said, Plusle and I are not pulling any punches either


Yep. Notice how the partner gauge drops between those pictures.

Required Loops: 1
Possible EXP: 12/13/14/15/16/17
Music: Dusk Factory

It's your fault for egging on Circe


This is the main door into the factory. There's a locked electronic lock to the left, so we go through the door to the right.

...Oh, it's a fucking conveyor belt level. Joy.

Oh goodie.

We have to get the Pinsir before going through the door on the other side. There's a Magneton somewhere within the maze that's not really worth bothering with.

Skipping the whole conveyor belt...



The way all the captured pokemon are gathered around makes it look like a team strategy meeting.


Mercifully, turning off the electricity also turned off the conveyor belt. We will never have to deal with it for the rest of the game

So they put a conveyor belt in a single room, guarding the thing that's used to turn it off? The fuck was the point of that?
I'm guessing they hoped that anyone who tried to destroy the generator would just give up after seeing the plethora of conveyor belts.

Going through the newly-unlocked electric door, we see that Machoke has also become a regular encounter. Still as annoying as ever to capture, though Mr. Mime trivializes it.
At the end of this room there's a stairs to the basement. So we go through it and find...

Haven't you been paying attention? These doors open by turning off the floor's generator.

Goddammit!


How did you fall for that?!

That's a mite contrived...
Music: Go-Rock Squad!


For some reason I can't find this grunt's sprite, so I'm using the regular one.
Music: Go-Rock Squad Battle (Strong Grunt)

This picture sums up what both of these Pokemon do.

Ariados is fast while Crobat is very fast. Mr. Mime works well here, although Plusle can work too.
Music: Capture Complete

Required Loops: 4
Possible EXP: 42/44/46/49

Required Loops: 6
Possible EXP: 40/43/46/50
This feels like just an endless parade of encounters, one after another. You can definitely tell we're in the endgame just by how many chaff trainers we're churning through.
Music: Dusk Factory



This is what's inside the door. Scyther will attack us on sight.
Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


Scyther does just what you'd expect: move quickly and cut stuff. It's not as fast as Crobat, so it's not as bad.
Growlithe will work very well here since it only needs 3 loops. Assuming you remembered to catch them before seeing the Quads, at least.
Lots of pokemon that make the second half easy if you catch them in the first. Not sure if it's punishing the unprepared, or rewarding the completionists.
It's more of the latter, since you actually have some other possible options if you're unprepared. Unlike some other fangames...
Music: Capture Complete

Required Loops: 3
Possible EXP: 78/86/94/105
Music: Dusk Factory

The final generator is at the end of the basement corridor, not inside the guarded room.


Even then, turns out we still have to trip the alarm to cut this anyway. You're forgiven, Hastings. For now.

Of course, Raichu flees immediately after being released. Even though it would've been a full heal...

They could have at least had it refill your styler as it left... as a thanks and as a recharge for the impending boss fight.
I know, right? Ungrateful bastards


Anyway, with all of the generators cleared, it's time to
Video: Scizor
Music: Go-Rock Quads!



Just cutting straight to the point, huh?
Music: Go-Rock Quads Battle

Scizor jumps around surprisingly slowly. Not as fast as Scyther or Crobat, but not as slow as Politoed.

Scizor only has one attack, and it's a very manageable one. The main problem with Scizor can be seen here: the required 12 loops.
Scizor might jump around relatively slowly, but it covers a great deal of distance. Which is bad when you need to hold your line for a very long time.
Sounds like it's testing your patience... in more ways than one!

Today's featured assist will not be able to trivialize this fight on its own, so we'll have Plusle set things up...

...and then Machoke steps in and finish things up. With Fighting assist, Scizor requires only 4 loops, with 6 giving us maximum EXP. And thus Scizor goes down like a chump


Music: Capture Complete

Required Loops: 12
Possible EXP: 260/276/292/308/324/340
This is another tactic the game never directly tells you but easily figured out by experimenting. All assist can be cut short by choosing another, but their effects won't be. This is possible with all assist, but Fighting and Dark are the only one that benefits from it.
Music: Go-Rock Quads!


Circe's skill level makes her ten times more competent than the Go-Rock Squad!


So much for Garret being the quiet one.
"Our plans that you ruined? You totally didn't ruin them at all."

I like to read this as Garret being

Music: Dusk Factory

Someone very petty who seems to know you.

Music: Mission Clear!


*They both leave*