Part 10: Ship Shape Scooter

Part 10: Ship Shape Scooter

Krabby Club



So, how did you like it? I see that our fabulous performance has left you speechless!

Harrumph! Our POKEMON-couple performance is at peak form, as always!



This is only a quick visit to the Krabby Club, since we can hunt for Battle CDs in some places now that Phenac is safe!



We won't be going everywhere to find them, since it's better to do so a little bit later.



But Grandpa's gone out again and hasn't come back, just like before... Grandpa's the only one who knows about all the parts we carry...

ONBS News




ONBS was also targeted for takeover by CIPHER. Despite this setback, CIPHER appears to be growing more active. The authorities have issued caution to all citizens and organizations to be alert to the possibility of further attacks. As you have seen, CIPHER has returned with a vengeance. The entire ORRE REGION is endangered again. ONBS promises to doggedly pursue this story and provide you with the most accurate information on CIPHER's actions. We must not allow CIPHER to carry out its conspiracy of fear. Let us all protect the peace of ORRE with courage!



Hey, I've figured it out! You want your SCOOTER modified so you can lay a smackdown on CIPHER, right? Of all times, Grandpa would be out of the shop. It's a headache. He's over at DR. KAMINKO's manor again. You'd be better off going to see him in person.



I understand that you were quite the hero in PHENAC CITY. Very impressive of you. Hohoho.

Dr. Kaminko's Yard



Not everyday we become a national hero that everyone knows about. But to continue we must head back to the manor, which means...



CHOBIN am I! And CHOBIN is the number-one assistant to DR. KAMINKO! CHOBIN is still the only assistant, so CHOBIN has to be the number-one assistant!



We must fight Chobin again and he's gotten a small upgrade to his team, but really who cares, Spearow now has his nature revealed! Hardy is +Atk -Atk, so it's whatever.




Since we led with Pineapple, Gyarados is not a threat. Always have a Gyarados counter, kids!



Oh! DR. KAMINKO! CHOBIN was trying to teach this burglar a lesson...

Burglar? A burglar, you say? No mercy need be given to a burglar! Let the just-completed "it" handle him!

DOCTOR, you don't mean... it?

I said it!

CHOBIN understands! It, it is! You wait! You are going to get it!



Fine! Let us begin! Tweet! Though the rumble of thunder fills the air, the weather remains free of clouds! Let thunder tear the skies and rend the earth! The time has come for the ultimate ROBO POKEMON to finally reveal itself! Come hither, ROBO GROUDON!

Robo Groudon






ROBO GROUDON, go!

Gawoooh! This is who you battle! You've been warned!

Robo Groudon Battle







I was not ready for today...



So Chobin has a pretty quick turnaround from a pretty weak trainer to actually kind of a threat? Well the Gyarados is annoying if you don't have an Electric move, but of course he's using a sun team, so that might be tricky if you're weak to Grass.



Thankfully it's not a proper sun team, since only Chlorophyll is affected, so you can use this as an opportunity to roast him alive. And I'll do that as soon as Spearow faints.




Any minute now...



Well yet again Spearow remains out in a battle he probably has no reason to stay in, but oh well, makes it slightly tougher.



Stop targetting the high levelled one!



Alright, there we go! Now for Hotdog to shine. Heh, get it? Sun? Shine??? HEHEHE... hrm.



uh



Ah, there we go... f-first try! Woo...





Wh-what?! Our alleged burglar is merely CHOBIN's acquaintance? ...and a child, no less! Bah! Enough! Enough of this nonsense! Given the ROBO GROUDON's utter failure, the half-built ROBO KYOGRE doesn't inspire confidence. I doubt it will ever be useful. CHOBIN! See to it that the ROBO KYOGRE is disposed of as scrap by MAKAN at the PARTS SHOP. Understood?

Hah? We're dropping development of the ROBO KYOGRE?

It's finished, over and done with, kaput! The whole ROBO POKEMON PLAN is canceled!

DOCTOR, wait! Please, CHOBIN would like to keep the ROBO GROUDON at least.

Humph! I have no interest in any robo I've scrapped. As you wish.



MAKAN is in the manor. CHOBIN suggests you go in and have a look. In the meantime, CHOBIN must put away the ROBO GROUDON... Oh, yes! DAVID, CHOBIN would like your P*DA number, if you will be so kind. CHOBIN will modify the ROBO GROUDON. CHOBIN would like a rematch when the work is done.



Of course, the things she takes are not needed, so that in itself is not a problem for CHOBIN. But that space is open to below, so it could be dangerous if anything were to fall. CHOBIN asks if you would say something to her. However, CHOBIN realizes perhaps she is not likely to listen to you anyway. Oh, yes. May CHOBIN ask if you would inspect the CRANE ROOM on occasion from now on? Oh! Wow, you're a livesaver! CHOBIN is no friend of high places. If you find anything, CHOBIN won't know if you took it, so take it. But don't take CHOBIN's treasures! Okay, DAVID, CHOBIN is counting on you.

Dr. Kaminko's



Now that we are friend of Chobin, we can explore more of the house, starting with downstairs, which is a weird movement puzzle we'll see more of later.



It's pretty linear and boring waiting for the animations, but hey, another Battle CD. Let's get that item now!



Oh... it's just a diary. Well it'd be rude to come all the way over here and not read it, right?



The robots under this room are made to look like a red POKEMON and a blue one. And they're supposed to work! But JOVI's not sure if that's true. Because CHOBIN says that JOVI can't take a ride. JOVI bets CHOBIN won't let JOVI take a ride because they don't work. CHOBIN's a cheapskate!



Where did Jovi learn these kinds of words anyway? We'll be back to this area soon enough, but not for what you'd think.



You may come and go as you wish, but try not to disturb MAKAN inside. Hmm... wherein lay the weakness of my ROBO POKEMON? Ah, eureka! Next time, I shall make a real POKEMON drive it! No, wait. Something about that plan sounds extraneous... hmm...



Let's see what kind of dark secrets we can uncover down here.



Whoa! You've given me quite the start! Oh, it's you, lad. What's up today? ... Hm... CIPHER is back, then. I thought they folded five years ago, but they've returned. So, you want me to modify your SCOOTER for desert-crossing performance? Well, you certainly are bold for even considering to face CIPHER alone. Fine, let's do it. I'll modify your SCOOTER. Good deeds shouldn't wait. I'll arrange to haul this ROBO KYOGRE back to me shop right away. I'll see you there.



Oh whoops, I forgot you got teleported back to Gateon if you talked to Makan, since I missed something. It's not a big deal though.



It'll be fine in any desert now! But that ROBO KYOGRE we got from DR. KAMINKO... is it going to be useful, do you think? I think it's just going to be junk like usual.



Aw man, our bike still fucking sucks...



Oh! What is that? What's something like that doing in my place? Is it maybe...? Did CIPHER leave it behind? Grandma! Grandma! Did you know?!

Bah... it makes me uncomfortable knowing those CIPHER crooks lived here even a short while. If that's useful to you, then you should take it. We're all counting on you to defeat CIPHER for good.



So now that we've had our scooter upgraded, there's more Battle CDs available! Since they're so close together, it's easier to roll them into one and stop you from bouncing all over the map constantly. And if you wanted to, you could head straight to the next CD unlock pretty quickly.



Oh yeah, I really need to remember various held items, they could be kinda useful! Mainly cause there's not much else to use, alas.



Anyway, since we've got more Battle CDs to obtain, we're heading back here again... which means...



CHOBIN is the name! And CHOBIN is the number-one assistant to DR. KAMINKO! CHOBIN is forever the only assistant, so CHOBIN has to be the number-one assistant!



This is my one big gripe of the Orre games, having unavoidable rematches. Though at least in this game, trainers aren't going to reset their sight and approach you, like they did in the Pyrite Building and Cave last game. Still annoying though, since we JUST fought Chobin and he has the exact same team. Oh well, even though I missed stuff earlier, we would still need to come here again anyway.



Since we don't have Pineapple out, Gyarados will be annoying, but it doesn't have any STAB, so it's not a big deal.



But hey, let's have some fun in the sun! Spearow also learned Aerial Ace, woo STAB.




Fuck you game. I use Fire Blast BECAUSE it has better accuracy than the others!



Well whatever, Pineapple and Portobello will clean this up no problem.




Is it possible that you came for a battle with my ROBO GROUDON? CHOBIN sadly must announce that the modification work is not yet done. CHOBIN suggests you curb your enthusiasm. An E-MAIL will be sent when ROBO GROUDON is ready, so wait for that eagerly.



Yep. Despite just being here, this Battle CD doesn't appear until after the scooter upgrade. But that's not all.



Ah, yes! That's it! ROBO TRAINERS! No, wait... there's something wrong with that idea... hmm...



The Rare Candy is what we missed, but this Battle CD also doesn't appear until after the scooter upgrade, so that's why we still needed to come here and battle Chobin for the fifth fucking time.

Mt. Battle



Oh hey I guess I should go up Mt. Battle one of these days with my Shadow Pokemon. Sure, why not.



We'll be using Roosevelt throughout the entire place, so he'll get more levels and thus more interesting Pickup items and it'll make Return a super nuke. The Pokemon in this facility start off super weak, but this place has a couple surprises. Not in its layout, it's still the exact same 100 battle gruelfest it was last game.




We get the standard amount of Pokecoupons, but for the first clear of an area, we'll also get an item. A free Macho Brace is pretty cool, but there are also EIGHT TMs that can only be obtained here, such as Water Pulse, which your Vaporeon would really appreciate.



Don't think it'll be smooth sailing though, the Pokemon you'll face won't be a smooth gradual climb like last game, between areas 2 and 3, 4 and 5 and 6 and 7, there's a sharp level hike, indicating that you should probably come back later.



No matter, we've got Shadow Pokemon around that level, so with a bit of luck and healing, we're able to clear Area 3 and get the Shock Wave TM. Sure, I absolutely have enough Pokecoupons just from Battle Bingo to buy the Thunderbolt TM but... nahhhhhh.



Flashy. Like before, here's the list of Pokecoupon gains and the TM obtained for finishing an area.



Those are some nice ones, right? It's not a bad idea to clear Mt. Battle up to the area you want to obtain a certain move. However, due to the level spike between areas 6 and 7, you can basically count those last three TMs as postgame, since your team may be too weak to beat them, but if you do the areas anyway, you'll make the last area a cakewalk and I'm trying to cut down on my team's levels (key word of try). Oh yeah, if you use any legendary Pokemon, the coupon amount is reduced by 15% per legendary used (the second one making it 85% of 85%, so 72%)



Maybe... maybe there aren't just six of us? Hey, look there. It's that kid again.



They'll remain here for the rest of their lives. And that's terrible.



ANYWAY, how about we stop dicking around and progress the story? Sounds crazy, I know.

S.S. Libra



Oh hey it's some kind of... Abandoned... Vessel. No that's not quite right. Let's explore!



Hmm, nah, it doesn't matter when we face Justy now, our team's too strong, so we'll do it next update.



Since we have the requisite badge of being 10, Michel can push big boxes! Yay puzzles.



Though getting this item means we have to push it back and then in again.



Let's see what's on deck! I think I can hear something...

Cipher Admin



Oh yes, indeed! Such a lost opportunity, for it was obviously rare! If only it had been caught! Why, if you caught it, GORIGAN, your collection would have been enhanced by 0.7%! Such a disappointing loss!

It took off because you made so much noise, GORIGAN, sir.

I heard that! You're pinning the blame on me?! That's blatant insubordination! I'm in a foul mood today. Not plain foul, foul foul! Today, of all days...

Oh! GORIGAN, sir, an intruder!



Hey!

Yes, sir.

Teach this little boy a thing or two about pain.

Aye, aye, sir! You just leave everything to me! You can be assured the job will be done while you return to the LAIR. See to it!



Allow me to explain. We have a crucial job to do at the LAIR. We need to make SHADOW POKEMON from those that were on this ship. You do agree this is indeed important, don't you? If you were to do the job, you would take 38% more effort than I. In that case, GORIGAN's mood would worsen by 72%. You do agree that is indeed most inefficient, don't you? As a result, if you were to take this boy on in my place, we would be ahead 63% in terms of overall efficiency. You do understand, don't you? It's only for efficiency's sake. I'll be going now.



Hmm? My eyes glazed over and I started thinking about how the Admin theme for this game weirdly fits all of them so well.



We haven't seen a Shadow Pokemon this update. That's a bit weird, but I suppose we just found Cipher again.



...why does your Huntail have Rock Tomb and your Cacnea have Thunderpunch?



Still not a big deal. Spearow should be close to purification soon!

S.S. Libra



You know, there's plenty of food and all. I have to admit certain things bugged me, but nothing's perfect in life! I've got to admit I'm glad that weird bunch is gone. I owe you thanks for that at least. You must be tired after that battle, right? You can rest up at my place. It's in the wheelhouse.



You're free to use that bed whenever you feel tired, okay? By the way... I've got this favor to ask of you. See, every so often, I hear these odd noises coming from deep in the ship's hull. I think there's someone skulking around down there, but it's too creepy for me to go take a look-see. How about you go look for me? Thank you kindly. That noise has been really eating at my nerves lately. I can hardly sleep now! So, when you're done investigating, I need you to tell me if you've found anything. Eh, tell me if you don't find anything!



Alright, let's explore the rest of the ship. And as is custom, steal anything that isn't nailed down!



Requires a bit of effort this time around though.



Ooh, very nice. There's some good shit here and we can evolve the Vulpix we got earlier. Or another Shadow Pokemon that evolves from this item. Or, indeed, Eevee if you've kept it this long. You weirdo.



Next room has an easy item, but then we need to move it back out so we can leave.



Thankfully this is the last room since it requires a bit of set up.



Oh hey Flamethrower. We don't need it.



And a flute? This infinitely cures Confusion. Hey isn't there an awful Shadow move that confuses both opponents? Well, cheers game!



Ah, it's smol tree.



If we approach it nice and slowly, then we can capture it! Easy.




Goddammit, Acri! How did you even get this number?



Ah well, least we get an excellent held item out of the whole thing, as well as all the other loot. Unfortunately we still need to head back and move boxes out of the way to do that.



...is that right? So it was a POKEMON that a girl asked you to find. And you say it got away? Well, this place isn't a very welcome place for a wild POKEMON to survive in... why don't you try looking for it in places where wild POKEMON are apt to gather? Anyways, I'll be heading off for home now. After all, you've solved what worries I had. I'm surely indebted! Come see me whenever you like. You're always welcome!



Too many weird guys keep offering me their bed. Not a fan, no sir. Let's see if we can't track that tree down. It was a Grass type, right?



It won't hurt you to forget his name, either.

Silence!

Huh? You... you don't have a clue about who TEAM SNAGEM happens to be, do you? Back in the old days, grown men shook when they heard our name! Sheesh...

But that's all right. We'll get back to snagging POKEMON just like the old days and terrify the world again! And we'll do that by using your SNAG MACHINE! Whoops! I know you're a great battler! But I'm not having any of that! GLOOM! Release your SLEEP POWDER! Send this kid off to beddy-bye!



Quick! Let's get back to the hideout!

Aye! Can you imagine how happy GONZAP's going to be with us?



Well fuck. This has put a hole in our plans.



Is that right? So that's been happening in the world at large. TEAM SNAGEM is a bunch of crooks and thugs. They were snagging POKEMON from people with CIPHER's help. I hadn't heard about them for the last couple years, so I figured they fell apart. I guess not, eh? Anyways, it seems to me you need to get back that thing they took from you. I think they took off north chasing after another bunch of strange characters. Maybe you ought to join the chase, too.



Alright, we need to get back our Snag Machine! After doing a bunch of optional shit and that. What, it's not like we're in a hurry, right?