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kjorteoLast time: Despite Lake of Rage, I am still just a woodrat in a cage.
Also, I got another badge and Team Rocket initiated Operation DAAAAAAD COME BAAAAAACK WE MISS YOUUUUUU.
In the time since last update, I've been doing more Pokewalking, and the team is now firmly set at level 35 across the board. The one exception is Hunter--not Omnihunter, Hunter. You remember that I still had a Gastly, right? He's been left out because I really only need him for one specific task, but her moment is slowly drawing nearer. Anyway, she's 36.
I've also been cleaning out the Lake of Rage, which has a few more trainers and items to collect depending on whether it's raining. I picked up some Choice Specs I will never use, and a Black Belt I will definitely use. The latter gives a 20% boost to Fighting type moves, and I think I want to give it to Oracle to make his Hidden Power a bit more potent.
Remember last update when I said that there wasn't a way to check what the base power of that move was for him? I forgot that once I have the save files backed up to PC--which, you know, is how I get screenshots anyway--then I can just look at the data in PokeGen or similar programs. This tells us that Oracle has a Fighting-type Hidden Power with a base power of 44. I mentioned before that that's at least enough to out-damage Dig in a fair fight (not counting Magnemite's quad weakness to Ground.) Between that, the Black Belt, and Glaceon's Special Attack, this is more than adequate.
Oracle's Special Attack IV of 2, on the other hand... isn't, but that's fine. There was a time when I'd have obsessed over that, and spent hours chain-breeding and filling up entire boxes of Eevees looking for something better, until Pokemon itself ceased to be fun anymore and I quit playing entirely. Now? For the single-player campaign, a low IV is nothing a few Calciums can't fix. In fact, after the vitamin boost, Oracle's 101 Special Attack is the second-highest primary offensive stat in my entire party, behind only Omnihunter's 110 Attack. And even Omnihunter's Attack is just because he has a beneficial Attack-boosting Nature. Besides, we've seen Oracle shred through everything before I knew what his IVs even were. He's fine.
Our final takeaway from the Lake of Rage is the Red Scale, a key item that the red Gyarados dropped. A nearby local informs us that he heard of someone who might be interested in that... Mr. something?
Fortunately, there's only one Mr. Something in this game. (Well, until we get to Kanto anyway.) Sure enough, Mr. Pokemon (which is still a ridiculous name) happily trades the Red Scale for an Exp. Share. At last! This... actually does very little in the older games. It's a hold item that lets whoever is holding it divide up and lay claim to a portion of the experience from battles, as if they'd been switched in. That's... not really something anyone on my active team would use at this point, but Hunter would appreciate it.
And so, with the team of Empress, Oracle, Nimbly, Omnihunter, Hunter, and Sweetie, we make our way back to Goldenrod City, because Team Rocket is still using the radio tower to call for Giovanni and someone really should do something about that. God knows the police aren't going to stop them, even though they presumably can hear the broadcast as well, so it's up to one little girl with a team of Pokemon to set things right.
Sure enough, the radio tower is swarming with Rocket grunts and is off limits to non-members. Or, as the guard by the staircase says, "You are only allowed to come through when you are wearing the cool black uniform for Team Rocket!" HINT. THAT WAS A HINT, YOU SEE. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAUGHT THE HINT BECAUSE IT WAS KIND OF SUBTLE.
Oh, yeah, wasn't there a photographer in the underground tunnel network who offered to let us dress up like a Rocket Grunt for a photo?
Wandering around because I couldn't remember where the tunnel entrance was, I see that Team Rocket has actually taken over a large portion of the city. There's a grunt blocking off access to the Gym, one of the side-streets, the flower shop.... They even took over the Global Terminal! I think they can keep that one, though.
"Who are you?" asks one of the Grunts. "A newcomer? We've run out of Team Rocket uniforms. One of my guys is going to get more... What's taking him so long? The studio in the tunnel is just around the corner."
With security like this, I'm beginning to understand how you guys let the Murkrow password incident happen.
The Rocket Grunt in the studio throws a uniform on us as soon as we arrive, without even a Yes/No prompt; he literally just saw some girl walking up and was like "Oh you must be a new recruit, here's a uniform okay thanks bye." Guys, this is why you can't do anything without Giovanni.
With the disguise, we get as far as having the guard at the stairs get out of the way and let us through, but then Silver immediately shows up and interrupts. He goes on about how Team Rocket is weak and stupid, and also that he can't believe we would join them, at which point he promptly rips off our disguise. The grunt is taken aback because wait, you mean, I have another look underneath the uniform? I'm not sure what he was expecting, honestly. I'm pretty sure if we ripped off his Team Rocket uniform, then he wouldn't be wearing a Team Rocket uniform anymore, either.
But no, he instantly recognizes that we're not really a Rocket Grunt, because this entire organization really does operate on "IF uniform THEN seems_legit ELSE intruder" logic, even for people who change outfits directly in front of them while they're watching.
Cue battle! Oracle blasts the guard's two Raticates in one Ice Beam each. That was not much of a battle.
The guard retreats upward to warn the others. Silver decides to leave the rest to me, since he needs to go beat Lance. And thus, we return to storming through the front door undisguised and just destroying them all one fight at a time, which I was kind of planning on doing anyway before this whole uniform side-quest happened.
Hunter levels up from the Exp. Share, which is enough to give her a much-belated evolution. Yes, she was still a Gastly, because I couldn't really be bothered to get in-game levels when it was time to evolve/learn moves. She already has Hypnosis and Mean Look, which were all I really needed for her. Turning her into a Haunter gives her a decent stat boost, though.
Once that's taken care of, I take a quick detour to swap out Hunter and Nimbly for Auryn and Kracko. Oracle is going to clear out this entire tower by himself anyway, but Silver has a really bad habit of surprising me when I'm with some level-building party and not actually ready to fight him. Ambushing me while I'm wasting a slot on Hunter is exactly the sort of thing he would do. So, you know, just in case.
I don't care if it was because Oracle had nine levels on them; I can't begin to tell you how satisfying it is to run into a Scientist with a team of three Magnemites, and go first and destroy all three of them with one Hidden Power each. In fact, it isn't until a level 30 Porygon on the fourth floor that anyone offers anything that can last even a single round against Oracle. (The Porygon took a Hidden Power and was left with about 5% HP, making it the first enemy Pokemon of this entire mission to survive one of Oracle's attacks.) This is why I'm really not worried about him.
Mother calls after clearing out the fourth floor with another delivery to pick up at the nearest store, which I excuse myself to go grab, and heal up while I'm out. If Oracle has one drawback at this point in the game, it's that he's more a single boss-killer than a long haul entire-dungeon marathon type. His moves wreck basically everything, but the highest PP he has on any of them is 16 for Ice Beam after I gave him a bunch of PP Ups to boost it. That's more than enough for a gym leader, but over long "I'm going to have Oracle clear the entire radio tower by himself" stretches he tends to run out of gas.
On the fifth floor, we go to rescue the Director, only to find out it's Petrel in disguise again. Speaking of bosses, I just happen to have healed up before this one! This should be good.
I kind of wasn't expecting this to be a boss battle, and I didn't get a chance to rearrange my team order beforehand, so I lead with Oracle. He's on so much of a roll, though, that I think Empress is willing to just sit back and make heart-eyes while her super-powered boyfriend handles this.
Round 1: Petrel leads with a Koffing. Oracle goes first and blasts it with an Ice Beam, which defeats it instantly. Oracle hits level 38 off of this, because what he really needed more than anything was to be more powerful.
Round 2: Petrel sends in a Weezing. Oracle goes first and blasts it with an Ice Beam, which defeats it instantly.
Round 3: Petrel sends in another Koffing. Oracle goes first and blasts it with an Ice Beam, which defeats it instantly.
Round 4: Petrel sends in another Koffing. You'll never guess how this one turns out for him.
Round 5: Petrel sends in yet another Koffing. I'm almost starting to feel kind of bad for him.
Round 6: Another Koffing. I changed my mind; this is actually pretty cathartic.
Petrel, recognizing that I'm kind of unstoppable at this point, tells me that the real director is being held in the basement of the Goldenrod Tunnel. He even gives us a Basement Key to go get him.
Randomly, there's a Kimono Girl in the basement tunnel, who's there just to say how impressive it is that I took on Team Rocket, and how maybe I can take on the Legendary Po... haha nevermind forget she said anything mysterious plot hints and off she goes.
The basement looks like another run of Rocket Grunts, and this time I let Oracle hang back so Kracko can lead, for the experience and just to be sporting.
Giving myself any sort of handicap, of course, is the magic word that invokes a surprise off-guard Silver appearance and battle. God damn it. See, this is why I changed my party out earlier.
Silver confesses that he was secretly tailing us in hopes that we would lead him to Lance, but Lance never showed up. (Lance undoubtedly took one look at Oracle and decided yeah never mind we've clearly got this.) Silver got tired of waiting, so he's just going to fight us instead.
Thanks to previous expectations and party arrangements, I lead with Kracko. Silver leads with a Golbat. I have the level advantage, but barely, 35 to 32. Luck is on my side as far as type match-ups with our leads, though. Kracko actually is the best Pokemon in my party (well, besides Oracle) to deal with a Golbat. One Discharge should... oh, Golbat goes first and hits Kracko with a Confuse Ray, and then Kracko hurts himself in his confusion. Sigh. Going to be one of those battles, I see.
I use a Full Heal, and Golbat uses Bite. Next round, Golbat goes first and Bites again, which gives Kracko the opening to hit that Discharge. That's enough for a one-hit knockout, though Kracko is down to about 60% health after those two Bites.
Silver sends in a level 34 Sneasel. Dark/Ice would mean a quad weakness to Fighting, but Atreyu isn't with me. Oracle is, though. I switch him in, and eat a Faint Attack which doesn't hurt very much as I do. Next round, Sneasel outspeeds Oracle and goes first just to get in one more Faint Attack, then predictably falls to a one-hit knockout Hidden Power. Oracle hits 39 from this, as if he needed it.
Silver sends in a level 34 Quilava. This is a job for Auryn. I switch Auryn in just in time to take a Flame Wheel that does almost nothing. The Surf with which Auryn opens the next round, though, is more than enough for a one-hit knockout.
Silver sends in a level 32 Haunter, with one Pokemon left after this which I know has to be his fucking Magnemite. We're down to the two chief offenders in status annoyance, which means it's actually time to switch Empress of all Pokemon in to deal with this. She can set up a Safeguard and then switch out... oh, she eats a Mean Look upon switching in. Right. I forgot about that.
Undeterred, Empress moves to set up a Light Screen. Haunter goes first and does about 25% of Empress' health worth of damage with Shadow Ball, which pretty much is why I wanted to set up that Light Screen. Next round, the Haunter sacrifices half its health to hit Empress with a Curse just before she can Safeguard, though I actually have no idea whether Safeguard would have stopped Curse anyway.
Empress is now down to about 45% health and Cursed, but the important thing is keeping that Safeguard up long enough to get through two infuriatingly paralysis-happy foes. She can't switch out thanks to Mean Look, but healing and going in for a long, drawn-out battle is a bad idea because of the limited time on the screens and the ever-present Curse damage. A sacrifice play may be in order here.
Empress survives a Shadow Ball (thank you, Light Screen) and answers with Magical Leaf. It's not much, but if I can chip away at...
Magical Leaf crits, and despite being Not Very Effective, hits hard enough to take out the entire remainder of Haunter's health. I... was not expecting that. Empress, I love you so much. So, so much.
Silver sends in a level 30 Magnemite, as predicted. Curse damage from last round brought Empress down to a mere 4 HP, Haunter's Mean Look is no longer in effect, and we dealt with Haunter unexpectedly quickly and therefore have some time left on Safeguard. This is the perfect time to get Empress, who did not have to sacrifice herself after all, out of there. Auryn's Surf or Oracle's Hidden Power are my two best Magnemite counters in this party, and I'm actually in a good enough position to afford choosing Auryn based on who needs the extra experience.
Auryn switches in, and Magemite hits it with a SonicBoom that does some but not a whole lot of damage. In return, Auryn goes first next round and blows Magnemite away with a single Surf, ending the battle.
That went much better than last time, yet there was still room for Empress (for the second time this run!) to pull out some unexpected heroics and save the day.xyzzysqrl once told me that she enjoys reading this playthrough because she likes my team--they have a good theme and good chemistry together--and moments like this really make me feel that as well.
Silver, by contrast, is beside himself because he assembled the strongest Pokemon he could find and yet he still can't beat me. He doesn't understand, and starts to question his own values, or lack thereof. "Is what that Lance guy said true? That I don't treat Pokemon properly? Love.... Trust.... Are they really what I lack? Are they keeping me from winning?" I think a lot of it comes down to type match-up knowledge and strategy, but... yes, this is anime and you need to believe in the heart of thecards Pokemon too.
Silver's quest for power led to him to focus on strength above all else, and in doing so, he missed the entire point of this eight-gym quest that aspiring Pokemon trainers undertake. It's about the journey, and about the stories Trainers form with their companions along the way. That lesson is why my last run through this game ended in such catastrophic failure that I was afraid to try it again for years; I thought like Silver once, I went full Smogon and burned myself out grinding for IVs, and I walked away when I realized there was no joy in what I was doing.
That lesson is also why I came back, and why this run is going so well by comparison. This is my story, the story of my team, and I'm finally allowing myself to enjoy it. That's the funny thing about Pokemon games, and the reason why they inspire a "Let me show you my pokemans" urge that other games really don't have, even deep complex tactical strategy-RPGs with infinitely customizeable soldiers. These Pokemon may be bundles of stats with a cute sprite attached, but there's just room within them to come up with your preferred team, their preferred nicknames, and any imaginary backstory you want to throw in. Put it all together, and you can become attached to the world you've made.
Millions of people played this game, and millions chose Chikorita as their starter. However, my Chikorita ended up being Empress, the leader of a Neverending Story-themed team. She ended up learning screen-type moves and saving my party against Jasmine and against Silver. She ended up with this whole imagined backstory that's seeing the commenters here shipping her with Oracle, my Glaceon. Others don't have all of this. They instead have different stories, different head-canons and party quirks that I will never experience. Pokemon is a drastically different, wholly unique experience even among people playing the same game.
Silver always had the advantage over me. He chose a Cyndaquil to my Chikorita, which gave him the literal "Fire beats Grass" type advantage and the fact that Chikorita is not as powerful a Pokemon overall. However, even though he had the "better" Pokemon he craved from the beginning, he never beat me. Part of it was level-grinding, part was knowing my types and having good team synergy and strategy, and part of it was figuring out good strategies with what I had. (Even now, the "well at least she can do screens" thinking worked, and that Safeguard kept his last two Pokemon from doing anything annoying to shut me down.) That overall uniqueness was a factor as well, though, and that's the "Love and trust your Pokemon" lesson that Lance was trying to teach.
I beat you with a fucking Chikorita, Silver. And I did it because she was my fucking Chikorita.
Silver still doesn't understand, but he vows it won't end here. Not like this. He won't give up his dream of becoming the world's best Pokemon Trainer. And so off he goes, presumably to think about his life. I return to the surface to heal, and then maybe we can clear this warehouse.
Youngster Ian randomly calls to comment that thanks to watching and being inspired by me, he and his Pokemon have gotten a lot stronger. On the other hand, I've probably gotten stronger too, which means he probably still can't beat me. After what my team just pulled out there? Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with him on this one.
Kracko hits 38 toward the end of the warehouse, so I switch him out for Omnihunter just in time for... well, nothing, really. There's no boss; just a string of Grunts before the imprisoned Director, who gratefully gives us a keycard that opens the path to his office back in the radio tower.
This entire mission is taking a lot longer than I remember/was expecting, but I believe we're approaching its final act. Let's go back to the radio tower one more time and thwart Team Rocket's plans, once and for all.
Executive Proton makes a return, and he's still angry at us for thwarting his plans back in the Slowpoke Well. He threatens to show us the true power of a Team Rocket Executive, which ends up being a level 28 Golbat and a level 33 Weezing. Not bad compared to the Grunts, but considering Silver's team we just beat, the true power of a Team Rocket Executive is a bit lacking.
I forgot to record this battle in finer detail because I wasn't sure how much he counted as a boss, but I led with Omnihunter and you can imagine the whole thing basically went like "Golbat kept using Confuse Ray until I finally broke through it, and then Weezing kept using Smokescreen until I finally broke through that."
Because Team Rocket is determined to throw everything they have at me for their final stand, Executive Ariana wants a rematch as well. Her level 32 Arbok falls to two Metal Claws. Her level 32 Murkrow... oh is this what Bugsy felt like when beating Nimbly down with his Scyther? Omnihunter doesn't have any Bug type moves at this point, but two Metal Claws is enough for the Murkrow as well. It did do some damage with Night Shade on its way out, though, so when she sends out her level 32 Vileplume I stop to heal before engaging it. Two-Metal Claw end that one as well, though Sleep Powder delayed the inevitable for a few rounds.
Atop the observation deck is Executive Archer, the last obstacle between me and liberating the radio tower. He goes over their entire plan once more, declaring that this broadcast should bring Giovanni out of his solitary training. Is that what he's been up to after he disappeared, or is that what Team Rocket is hoping he's been up to after he disappeared? Either way, it's time to end this.
I lead with Omnihunter, and he leads with a level 35 Houndour. Oh, that is not good. Omnihunter has a quad weakness to Fire, so I should perhaps take this battle a bit more seriously instead of leading with whoever needed the experience.
I switch in Auryn, which is a bit of a gamble. Auryn's Water typing is the answer to Houndour's Fire, but Houndour's Dark typing solidly beats Auryn's Psychic. I have to take a guess which element Houndour is going to attack with, and just hope it's Fire. Auryn can handle a Fire move easily. A Dark move would hurt.
Auryn switches in just in time to eat... Fire Fang. whew. Once safely in, Auryn goes first and opens the next round with a one-hit knockout Surf.
Archer sends in a level 38 Houndoom, which I'm guessing has to be his ace despite being his second of three Pokemon. This is the same Water/Psychic vs. Dark/Fire gamble as last time, except now Auryn is already present and does not have to switch into anything. Even at a 38-to-35 level disadvantage, Auryn is hopefully fast enough to go first and one-hit knockout Surf again before anything bad happens?
Yes, that is exactly what happens. Okay, good.
For his last trick, Archer sends in a level 35 Koffing, because Team Rocket just does not have enough Koffings lying around. Oh hey, it's a Poison type, which means it's weak to Psychic. Isn't that convenient.
In the end, Ariana and even Proton put up a harder challenge than poor Archer did. Defeated, Archer admits that he was not up to the task of resurrecting Team Rocket. "Like Giovanni has done before me, I will disband Team Rocket here today." That's a little melodramatic, but it's also our goal, so I'm not going to argue.
In the end, the prophecy of Giovanni's glorious return didn't happen. They never knew for sure that he was even still out there, so it's hard to say why this broadcast didn't work. Did he not hear it? Did he not care to intervene if even if he had heard it? All we know is that Team Rocket pinned their hopes on Giovanni's second coming, and he was either unable or unwilling to save them from their loss at the radio tower. Wherever he is now, he's not here. All that's left here is desperate people chasing shadows.
It's a little eerie that all of this doesn't end with a final climactic showdown against Giovanni, because that means "What if he's still out there somewhere" is still a concern even now. But... well, it already ended with a final climactic showdown against Giovanni. Red took care of that years ago. His Executives were doing little more than attempting to raise the dead, and they failed to hold and defend the tower on which they'd based their entire plan. Giovanni hasn't come back to save them in the three years since his last defeat, and he didn't come back and save them during their last stand. Archer is merely finally admitting what his associates had been privately fearing and hoping against this entire time: It's over.
The Director ascends the now-liberated and Rocket-free tower, and in recognition of our good work saving the day, gives us a key item called the Silver Wing. He explains that there used to be a tower right here. When the radio tower was built in its place, they found the Silver Wing at the top. Supposedly, this will let us go down the cave at Whirl Islands, near Cianwood City. Is that how we summon the Legendary--
Oh! No, it's not. The Director throws an "I almost forgot" at us to explain that the Legendary Pokemon will not appear if you just go down into the cave with the Silver Wing. "Apparently there is something else you need... Or something like that." Thank you, that's very helpful.
Great moments of NPC dialogue, from the Director when spoken to again in his office: "You know, I really love Pokemon. I built this Radio Tower just so I could express my love of Pokemon." Is that why you hired DJ Mary.
Anyway, now that the crisis is over, we are free to investigate the mystery of the Legendary Pokemon! We'll be sure to do that next time.
Also, I got another badge and Team Rocket initiated Operation DAAAAAAD COME BAAAAAACK WE MISS YOUUUUUU.
In the time since last update, I've been doing more Pokewalking, and the team is now firmly set at level 35 across the board. The one exception is Hunter--not Omnihunter, Hunter. You remember that I still had a Gastly, right? He's been left out because I really only need him for one specific task, but her moment is slowly drawing nearer. Anyway, she's 36.
I've also been cleaning out the Lake of Rage, which has a few more trainers and items to collect depending on whether it's raining. I picked up some Choice Specs I will never use, and a Black Belt I will definitely use. The latter gives a 20% boost to Fighting type moves, and I think I want to give it to Oracle to make his Hidden Power a bit more potent.
Remember last update when I said that there wasn't a way to check what the base power of that move was for him? I forgot that once I have the save files backed up to PC--which, you know, is how I get screenshots anyway--then I can just look at the data in PokeGen or similar programs. This tells us that Oracle has a Fighting-type Hidden Power with a base power of 44. I mentioned before that that's at least enough to out-damage Dig in a fair fight (not counting Magnemite's quad weakness to Ground.) Between that, the Black Belt, and Glaceon's Special Attack, this is more than adequate.
Oracle's Special Attack IV of 2, on the other hand... isn't, but that's fine. There was a time when I'd have obsessed over that, and spent hours chain-breeding and filling up entire boxes of Eevees looking for something better, until Pokemon itself ceased to be fun anymore and I quit playing entirely. Now? For the single-player campaign, a low IV is nothing a few Calciums can't fix. In fact, after the vitamin boost, Oracle's 101 Special Attack is the second-highest primary offensive stat in my entire party, behind only Omnihunter's 110 Attack. And even Omnihunter's Attack is just because he has a beneficial Attack-boosting Nature. Besides, we've seen Oracle shred through everything before I knew what his IVs even were. He's fine.
Our final takeaway from the Lake of Rage is the Red Scale, a key item that the red Gyarados dropped. A nearby local informs us that he heard of someone who might be interested in that... Mr. something?
Fortunately, there's only one Mr. Something in this game. (Well, until we get to Kanto anyway.) Sure enough, Mr. Pokemon (which is still a ridiculous name) happily trades the Red Scale for an Exp. Share. At last! This... actually does very little in the older games. It's a hold item that lets whoever is holding it divide up and lay claim to a portion of the experience from battles, as if they'd been switched in. That's... not really something anyone on my active team would use at this point, but Hunter would appreciate it.
And so, with the team of Empress, Oracle, Nimbly, Omnihunter, Hunter, and Sweetie, we make our way back to Goldenrod City, because Team Rocket is still using the radio tower to call for Giovanni and someone really should do something about that. God knows the police aren't going to stop them, even though they presumably can hear the broadcast as well, so it's up to one little girl with a team of Pokemon to set things right.
Sure enough, the radio tower is swarming with Rocket grunts and is off limits to non-members. Or, as the guard by the staircase says, "You are only allowed to come through when you are wearing the cool black uniform for Team Rocket!" HINT. THAT WAS A HINT, YOU SEE. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAUGHT THE HINT BECAUSE IT WAS KIND OF SUBTLE.
Oh, yeah, wasn't there a photographer in the underground tunnel network who offered to let us dress up like a Rocket Grunt for a photo?
Wandering around because I couldn't remember where the tunnel entrance was, I see that Team Rocket has actually taken over a large portion of the city. There's a grunt blocking off access to the Gym, one of the side-streets, the flower shop.... They even took over the Global Terminal! I think they can keep that one, though.
"Who are you?" asks one of the Grunts. "A newcomer? We've run out of Team Rocket uniforms. One of my guys is going to get more... What's taking him so long? The studio in the tunnel is just around the corner."
With security like this, I'm beginning to understand how you guys let the Murkrow password incident happen.
The Rocket Grunt in the studio throws a uniform on us as soon as we arrive, without even a Yes/No prompt; he literally just saw some girl walking up and was like "Oh you must be a new recruit, here's a uniform okay thanks bye." Guys, this is why you can't do anything without Giovanni.
With the disguise, we get as far as having the guard at the stairs get out of the way and let us through, but then Silver immediately shows up and interrupts. He goes on about how Team Rocket is weak and stupid, and also that he can't believe we would join them, at which point he promptly rips off our disguise. The grunt is taken aback because wait, you mean, I have another look underneath the uniform? I'm not sure what he was expecting, honestly. I'm pretty sure if we ripped off his Team Rocket uniform, then he wouldn't be wearing a Team Rocket uniform anymore, either.
But no, he instantly recognizes that we're not really a Rocket Grunt, because this entire organization really does operate on "IF uniform THEN seems_legit ELSE intruder" logic, even for people who change outfits directly in front of them while they're watching.
Cue battle! Oracle blasts the guard's two Raticates in one Ice Beam each. That was not much of a battle.
The guard retreats upward to warn the others. Silver decides to leave the rest to me, since he needs to go beat Lance. And thus, we return to storming through the front door undisguised and just destroying them all one fight at a time, which I was kind of planning on doing anyway before this whole uniform side-quest happened.
Hunter levels up from the Exp. Share, which is enough to give her a much-belated evolution. Yes, she was still a Gastly, because I couldn't really be bothered to get in-game levels when it was time to evolve/learn moves. She already has Hypnosis and Mean Look, which were all I really needed for her. Turning her into a Haunter gives her a decent stat boost, though.
Once that's taken care of, I take a quick detour to swap out Hunter and Nimbly for Auryn and Kracko. Oracle is going to clear out this entire tower by himself anyway, but Silver has a really bad habit of surprising me when I'm with some level-building party and not actually ready to fight him. Ambushing me while I'm wasting a slot on Hunter is exactly the sort of thing he would do. So, you know, just in case.
I don't care if it was because Oracle had nine levels on them; I can't begin to tell you how satisfying it is to run into a Scientist with a team of three Magnemites, and go first and destroy all three of them with one Hidden Power each. In fact, it isn't until a level 30 Porygon on the fourth floor that anyone offers anything that can last even a single round against Oracle. (The Porygon took a Hidden Power and was left with about 5% HP, making it the first enemy Pokemon of this entire mission to survive one of Oracle's attacks.) This is why I'm really not worried about him.
Mother calls after clearing out the fourth floor with another delivery to pick up at the nearest store, which I excuse myself to go grab, and heal up while I'm out. If Oracle has one drawback at this point in the game, it's that he's more a single boss-killer than a long haul entire-dungeon marathon type. His moves wreck basically everything, but the highest PP he has on any of them is 16 for Ice Beam after I gave him a bunch of PP Ups to boost it. That's more than enough for a gym leader, but over long "I'm going to have Oracle clear the entire radio tower by himself" stretches he tends to run out of gas.
On the fifth floor, we go to rescue the Director, only to find out it's Petrel in disguise again. Speaking of bosses, I just happen to have healed up before this one! This should be good.
I kind of wasn't expecting this to be a boss battle, and I didn't get a chance to rearrange my team order beforehand, so I lead with Oracle. He's on so much of a roll, though, that I think Empress is willing to just sit back and make heart-eyes while her super-powered boyfriend handles this.
Round 1: Petrel leads with a Koffing. Oracle goes first and blasts it with an Ice Beam, which defeats it instantly. Oracle hits level 38 off of this, because what he really needed more than anything was to be more powerful.
Round 2: Petrel sends in a Weezing. Oracle goes first and blasts it with an Ice Beam, which defeats it instantly.
Round 3: Petrel sends in another Koffing. Oracle goes first and blasts it with an Ice Beam, which defeats it instantly.
Round 4: Petrel sends in another Koffing. You'll never guess how this one turns out for him.
Round 5: Petrel sends in yet another Koffing. I'm almost starting to feel kind of bad for him.
Round 6: Another Koffing. I changed my mind; this is actually pretty cathartic.
Petrel, recognizing that I'm kind of unstoppable at this point, tells me that the real director is being held in the basement of the Goldenrod Tunnel. He even gives us a Basement Key to go get him.
Randomly, there's a Kimono Girl in the basement tunnel, who's there just to say how impressive it is that I took on Team Rocket, and how maybe I can take on the Legendary Po... haha nevermind forget she said anything mysterious plot hints and off she goes.
The basement looks like another run of Rocket Grunts, and this time I let Oracle hang back so Kracko can lead, for the experience and just to be sporting.
Giving myself any sort of handicap, of course, is the magic word that invokes a surprise off-guard Silver appearance and battle. God damn it. See, this is why I changed my party out earlier.
Silver confesses that he was secretly tailing us in hopes that we would lead him to Lance, but Lance never showed up. (Lance undoubtedly took one look at Oracle and decided yeah never mind we've clearly got this.) Silver got tired of waiting, so he's just going to fight us instead.
Thanks to previous expectations and party arrangements, I lead with Kracko. Silver leads with a Golbat. I have the level advantage, but barely, 35 to 32. Luck is on my side as far as type match-ups with our leads, though. Kracko actually is the best Pokemon in my party (well, besides Oracle) to deal with a Golbat. One Discharge should... oh, Golbat goes first and hits Kracko with a Confuse Ray, and then Kracko hurts himself in his confusion. Sigh. Going to be one of those battles, I see.
I use a Full Heal, and Golbat uses Bite. Next round, Golbat goes first and Bites again, which gives Kracko the opening to hit that Discharge. That's enough for a one-hit knockout, though Kracko is down to about 60% health after those two Bites.
Silver sends in a level 34 Sneasel. Dark/Ice would mean a quad weakness to Fighting, but Atreyu isn't with me. Oracle is, though. I switch him in, and eat a Faint Attack which doesn't hurt very much as I do. Next round, Sneasel outspeeds Oracle and goes first just to get in one more Faint Attack, then predictably falls to a one-hit knockout Hidden Power. Oracle hits 39 from this, as if he needed it.
Silver sends in a level 34 Quilava. This is a job for Auryn. I switch Auryn in just in time to take a Flame Wheel that does almost nothing. The Surf with which Auryn opens the next round, though, is more than enough for a one-hit knockout.
Silver sends in a level 32 Haunter, with one Pokemon left after this which I know has to be his fucking Magnemite. We're down to the two chief offenders in status annoyance, which means it's actually time to switch Empress of all Pokemon in to deal with this. She can set up a Safeguard and then switch out... oh, she eats a Mean Look upon switching in. Right. I forgot about that.
Undeterred, Empress moves to set up a Light Screen. Haunter goes first and does about 25% of Empress' health worth of damage with Shadow Ball, which pretty much is why I wanted to set up that Light Screen. Next round, the Haunter sacrifices half its health to hit Empress with a Curse just before she can Safeguard, though I actually have no idea whether Safeguard would have stopped Curse anyway.
Empress is now down to about 45% health and Cursed, but the important thing is keeping that Safeguard up long enough to get through two infuriatingly paralysis-happy foes. She can't switch out thanks to Mean Look, but healing and going in for a long, drawn-out battle is a bad idea because of the limited time on the screens and the ever-present Curse damage. A sacrifice play may be in order here.
Empress survives a Shadow Ball (thank you, Light Screen) and answers with Magical Leaf. It's not much, but if I can chip away at...
Magical Leaf crits, and despite being Not Very Effective, hits hard enough to take out the entire remainder of Haunter's health. I... was not expecting that. Empress, I love you so much. So, so much.
Silver sends in a level 30 Magnemite, as predicted. Curse damage from last round brought Empress down to a mere 4 HP, Haunter's Mean Look is no longer in effect, and we dealt with Haunter unexpectedly quickly and therefore have some time left on Safeguard. This is the perfect time to get Empress, who did not have to sacrifice herself after all, out of there. Auryn's Surf or Oracle's Hidden Power are my two best Magnemite counters in this party, and I'm actually in a good enough position to afford choosing Auryn based on who needs the extra experience.
Auryn switches in, and Magemite hits it with a SonicBoom that does some but not a whole lot of damage. In return, Auryn goes first next round and blows Magnemite away with a single Surf, ending the battle.
That went much better than last time, yet there was still room for Empress (for the second time this run!) to pull out some unexpected heroics and save the day.
xyzzysqrl once told me that she enjoys reading this playthrough because she likes my team--they have a good theme and good chemistry together--and moments like this really make me feel that as well.Silver, by contrast, is beside himself because he assembled the strongest Pokemon he could find and yet he still can't beat me. He doesn't understand, and starts to question his own values, or lack thereof. "Is what that Lance guy said true? That I don't treat Pokemon properly? Love.... Trust.... Are they really what I lack? Are they keeping me from winning?" I think a lot of it comes down to type match-up knowledge and strategy, but... yes, this is anime and you need to believe in the heart of the
Silver's quest for power led to him to focus on strength above all else, and in doing so, he missed the entire point of this eight-gym quest that aspiring Pokemon trainers undertake. It's about the journey, and about the stories Trainers form with their companions along the way. That lesson is why my last run through this game ended in such catastrophic failure that I was afraid to try it again for years; I thought like Silver once, I went full Smogon and burned myself out grinding for IVs, and I walked away when I realized there was no joy in what I was doing.
That lesson is also why I came back, and why this run is going so well by comparison. This is my story, the story of my team, and I'm finally allowing myself to enjoy it. That's the funny thing about Pokemon games, and the reason why they inspire a "Let me show you my pokemans" urge that other games really don't have, even deep complex tactical strategy-RPGs with infinitely customizeable soldiers. These Pokemon may be bundles of stats with a cute sprite attached, but there's just room within them to come up with your preferred team, their preferred nicknames, and any imaginary backstory you want to throw in. Put it all together, and you can become attached to the world you've made.
Millions of people played this game, and millions chose Chikorita as their starter. However, my Chikorita ended up being Empress, the leader of a Neverending Story-themed team. She ended up learning screen-type moves and saving my party against Jasmine and against Silver. She ended up with this whole imagined backstory that's seeing the commenters here shipping her with Oracle, my Glaceon. Others don't have all of this. They instead have different stories, different head-canons and party quirks that I will never experience. Pokemon is a drastically different, wholly unique experience even among people playing the same game.
Silver always had the advantage over me. He chose a Cyndaquil to my Chikorita, which gave him the literal "Fire beats Grass" type advantage and the fact that Chikorita is not as powerful a Pokemon overall. However, even though he had the "better" Pokemon he craved from the beginning, he never beat me. Part of it was level-grinding, part was knowing my types and having good team synergy and strategy, and part of it was figuring out good strategies with what I had. (Even now, the "well at least she can do screens" thinking worked, and that Safeguard kept his last two Pokemon from doing anything annoying to shut me down.) That overall uniqueness was a factor as well, though, and that's the "Love and trust your Pokemon" lesson that Lance was trying to teach.
I beat you with a fucking Chikorita, Silver. And I did it because she was my fucking Chikorita.
Silver still doesn't understand, but he vows it won't end here. Not like this. He won't give up his dream of becoming the world's best Pokemon Trainer. And so off he goes, presumably to think about his life. I return to the surface to heal, and then maybe we can clear this warehouse.
Youngster Ian randomly calls to comment that thanks to watching and being inspired by me, he and his Pokemon have gotten a lot stronger. On the other hand, I've probably gotten stronger too, which means he probably still can't beat me. After what my team just pulled out there? Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with him on this one.
Kracko hits 38 toward the end of the warehouse, so I switch him out for Omnihunter just in time for... well, nothing, really. There's no boss; just a string of Grunts before the imprisoned Director, who gratefully gives us a keycard that opens the path to his office back in the radio tower.
This entire mission is taking a lot longer than I remember/was expecting, but I believe we're approaching its final act. Let's go back to the radio tower one more time and thwart Team Rocket's plans, once and for all.
Executive Proton makes a return, and he's still angry at us for thwarting his plans back in the Slowpoke Well. He threatens to show us the true power of a Team Rocket Executive, which ends up being a level 28 Golbat and a level 33 Weezing. Not bad compared to the Grunts, but considering Silver's team we just beat, the true power of a Team Rocket Executive is a bit lacking.
I forgot to record this battle in finer detail because I wasn't sure how much he counted as a boss, but I led with Omnihunter and you can imagine the whole thing basically went like "Golbat kept using Confuse Ray until I finally broke through it, and then Weezing kept using Smokescreen until I finally broke through that."
Because Team Rocket is determined to throw everything they have at me for their final stand, Executive Ariana wants a rematch as well. Her level 32 Arbok falls to two Metal Claws. Her level 32 Murkrow... oh is this what Bugsy felt like when beating Nimbly down with his Scyther? Omnihunter doesn't have any Bug type moves at this point, but two Metal Claws is enough for the Murkrow as well. It did do some damage with Night Shade on its way out, though, so when she sends out her level 32 Vileplume I stop to heal before engaging it. Two-Metal Claw end that one as well, though Sleep Powder delayed the inevitable for a few rounds.
Atop the observation deck is Executive Archer, the last obstacle between me and liberating the radio tower. He goes over their entire plan once more, declaring that this broadcast should bring Giovanni out of his solitary training. Is that what he's been up to after he disappeared, or is that what Team Rocket is hoping he's been up to after he disappeared? Either way, it's time to end this.
I lead with Omnihunter, and he leads with a level 35 Houndour. Oh, that is not good. Omnihunter has a quad weakness to Fire, so I should perhaps take this battle a bit more seriously instead of leading with whoever needed the experience.
I switch in Auryn, which is a bit of a gamble. Auryn's Water typing is the answer to Houndour's Fire, but Houndour's Dark typing solidly beats Auryn's Psychic. I have to take a guess which element Houndour is going to attack with, and just hope it's Fire. Auryn can handle a Fire move easily. A Dark move would hurt.
Auryn switches in just in time to eat... Fire Fang. whew. Once safely in, Auryn goes first and opens the next round with a one-hit knockout Surf.
Archer sends in a level 38 Houndoom, which I'm guessing has to be his ace despite being his second of three Pokemon. This is the same Water/Psychic vs. Dark/Fire gamble as last time, except now Auryn is already present and does not have to switch into anything. Even at a 38-to-35 level disadvantage, Auryn is hopefully fast enough to go first and one-hit knockout Surf again before anything bad happens?
Yes, that is exactly what happens. Okay, good.
For his last trick, Archer sends in a level 35 Koffing, because Team Rocket just does not have enough Koffings lying around. Oh hey, it's a Poison type, which means it's weak to Psychic. Isn't that convenient.
In the end, Ariana and even Proton put up a harder challenge than poor Archer did. Defeated, Archer admits that he was not up to the task of resurrecting Team Rocket. "Like Giovanni has done before me, I will disband Team Rocket here today." That's a little melodramatic, but it's also our goal, so I'm not going to argue.
In the end, the prophecy of Giovanni's glorious return didn't happen. They never knew for sure that he was even still out there, so it's hard to say why this broadcast didn't work. Did he not hear it? Did he not care to intervene if even if he had heard it? All we know is that Team Rocket pinned their hopes on Giovanni's second coming, and he was either unable or unwilling to save them from their loss at the radio tower. Wherever he is now, he's not here. All that's left here is desperate people chasing shadows.
It's a little eerie that all of this doesn't end with a final climactic showdown against Giovanni, because that means "What if he's still out there somewhere" is still a concern even now. But... well, it already ended with a final climactic showdown against Giovanni. Red took care of that years ago. His Executives were doing little more than attempting to raise the dead, and they failed to hold and defend the tower on which they'd based their entire plan. Giovanni hasn't come back to save them in the three years since his last defeat, and he didn't come back and save them during their last stand. Archer is merely finally admitting what his associates had been privately fearing and hoping against this entire time: It's over.
The Director ascends the now-liberated and Rocket-free tower, and in recognition of our good work saving the day, gives us a key item called the Silver Wing. He explains that there used to be a tower right here. When the radio tower was built in its place, they found the Silver Wing at the top. Supposedly, this will let us go down the cave at Whirl Islands, near Cianwood City. Is that how we summon the Legendary--
Oh! No, it's not. The Director throws an "I almost forgot" at us to explain that the Legendary Pokemon will not appear if you just go down into the cave with the Silver Wing. "Apparently there is something else you need... Or something like that." Thank you, that's very helpful.
Great moments of NPC dialogue, from the Director when spoken to again in his office: "You know, I really love Pokemon. I built this Radio Tower just so I could express my love of Pokemon." Is that why you hired DJ Mary.
Anyway, now that the crisis is over, we are free to investigate the mystery of the Legendary Pokemon! We'll be sure to do that next time.
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Date: 2017-12-04 07:18 am (UTC)which I'm sure inspired Oracle to give her some much-deserved Pokenookie, would it be safe to summarize your run against Team Rocket like so?no subject
Date: 2017-12-04 07:28 am (UTC)You know, the level balance in this game is really all over the place. I went into this update with every team member at 35, and most of Team Rocket's defenses were the kind of level 26 Koffings and Rattatas (Rattatas!) that honestly made me feel guilty about crushing them so hard. On the other hand, just when I was feeling like I'd accidentally over-leveled, the Executives and Silver more or less keep up with that figure and Archer's Houndoom beat it. That tells me that, no, I really should be mid, possibly high 30s at this point. I guess Team Rocket just sucks?
The next gym leader is probably going to make me feel under-leveled, even if I make it next week's Pokewalkering goal to bring everyone to around 40 by the time I'm there. However, every other trainer along the way is still going to be in the high 20s and leaning on Pidgeys and Magikarp. The whole thing just seems very awkward to me.
I love the way you think, by the wayno subject
Date: 2017-12-04 07:53 am (UTC)I always thought this was just wonky game balance, but now I'm more inclined to believe that it's intentional storytelling through game design? Either that or they changed their mind on where the Radio Tower should be in the plot and added the executives later?
Whatever the case, stomping Team Rocket into the dust is funny.
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Date: 2017-12-04 03:32 pm (UTC)It does make for a nice narrative, though, and tearing through Team Rocket like One-Punch Mon made me cackle like a mad scientist whose creature is coming to life.
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Date: 2017-12-04 08:41 am (UTC)Speaking of which, let me know if a Lv 14 Pikapek suddenly crash-lands in your game, okay? I was trying a new move out on one and I think I hit it hard enough to tear a hole in space-time.
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Date: 2017-12-04 12:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-04 03:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-04 06:52 pm (UTC)*starts going back through*
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Date: 2017-12-04 07:55 am (UTC)Guess what the next gym gives you.
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Date: 2017-12-04 10:51 am (UTC)It's Cut, isn't it?
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Date: 2017-12-04 12:30 pm (UTC)"Raaaaablblbllblbrb."
...
"Huh. Lose more raticates that way..."
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Date: 2017-12-04 03:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-04 03:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-04 04:59 pm (UTC)Oh shit wait that means EPIC POKEMON LORE EPISODE
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Date: 2017-12-04 06:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-04 10:51 am (UTC)Between (Fire) Red/(Leaf) Green and later appearances of Team Rocket, I can absolutely confirm with certainty that they can't do a damn thing with Giovanni, either. Giovanni is basically Don Corleone, except his goodfellas are the Three Stooges. All of them. Every last one, from Grunt to Admin.
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Date: 2017-12-04 03:40 pm (UTC)This is the organization that I commented earlier, around the Slowpoke Well, is less absurd in their plans but more serious about pulling them off.
This is the bar that every Pokemon villain team since has failed to clear.
Team Rocket, everybody.
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Date: 2017-12-04 05:00 pm (UTC)Which is even more impressive given the twist.
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Date: 2017-12-04 06:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-04 09:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-05 12:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-05 08:24 am (UTC)Anyway Cyrus thinks Team Galactic are a bunch of complete morons. He's kind of a proto-Ghetsis, but he doesn't really want to rule the world, just cleanse it of humanity. He is the most Final Fantasy of Pokemon villains.
Despite his claims, Galactic are constantly one step ahead of the player throughout the game? Like, they blow up the marsh, they kidnap legendaries, they have shockingly good bosses (Mars x Jupiter double battle nightmares) and then there's "I'll Lock This From The Inside" dude... When you go rescue the Lake Trio, Cyrus just fucking mocks you because he doesn't need them any more.
They come possibly the closest to actual total victory out of all the teams I can think of? Which is impressive when their goal is to destroy the entire universe.
Also kinda puts Team Plasma in perspective. At least those idiots thought they were animal rights activists. Team Galactic straight up want to blow up the universe.
What the heck is wrong with everyone in Sinnoh.
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Date: 2017-12-05 09:23 am (UTC)THIS.
Giratina, a Pokemon whom I can only describe as (Lucifer + Cthulhu)^Chara.
Fair warning, the very end of the video may freak you out a bit due to some mild Interface Screwing.
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Date: 2017-12-05 09:27 am (UTC)Although going by the anime, the creation trio are all incredibly angry all of the time and just naturally try to mess each other up but I mean the anime also posits that Pikachu can use Thunderbolt on a Ryhorn.
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Date: 2017-12-05 08:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-05 08:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-06 02:10 am (UTC)Meanwhile I'm over here making the grabbiest hands.
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Date: 2017-12-05 07:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-05 08:17 pm (UTC)(Yes, I am calling Team Galactic a doomsday cult.)
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Date: 2017-12-05 11:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-05 11:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-06 01:24 am (UTC)So, you know. I do have some sentimental attachment to the line, even if they're everywhere and they suck.
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Date: 2017-12-04 12:28 pm (UTC)*spraybottle!*
Ah well. Yeah, when I say "good team chemistry" I mean you've got a strong role-based party figured out but there's still room for... *wave up at Empress's Magical Leaf Takedown* MOMENTS.
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Date: 2017-12-04 03:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-04 03:45 pm (UTC)Actually Snow Cloak boosts Glaceon's evasiveness in HailDodging is where you one-shot someone so hard that they can't hit you back, right?no subject
Date: 2017-12-04 03:44 pm (UTC)It wasn't on purpose, though. I was just looking into whether I could use PokeGen to get some of the non-gameplay-affecting for-collection-only Nintendo Mystery Gift giveaways from like 2008 that I missed, like if I could generate a Pokemon in my box holding an Oak's Letter or get that Mystery Gift Celebi or something.
Then I saw the Pokemon all had stats on display right there, and I checked Oracle's Hidden Power because I did want to know that, and then all the IVs were printed like right next to it and I just saw and I didn't mean to aaaaaaa.
Good spraybottling, though. Yeah keep me away from those, please, thank you.
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Date: 2017-12-04 04:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-04 06:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-05 03:17 am (UTC)Team Rocket is probably running low on members because of dumb shit they always get themselves into. I mean, I'm pretty sure Jesse and James should have been died like over 100 times by now with their near death experiences for comedy. They'd probably take anyone who shows up.
"I think a lot of it comes down to type match-up knowledge and strategy." No, Celine, Pokemon is about friendship being powerful :P If kid me can somehow beat the elite four with a level 70 to 80 Typhlosion then anything is possible with friendship power and extreme determination, dammit!
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Date: 2017-12-05 04:30 am (UTC)I think what we saw here with the whole uniform thing was Team Rocket quite literally taking anyone who shows up. I showed up and they took me. I didn't even get a chance to say anything. It was like "YOU THERE! You must be here to join right? Shhh don't answer that, here's your uniform."
A lot of it comes down to type match-up knowledge and strategy, or grinding and being like 30 levels higher than all the bosses sure that works too I guess. :p
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Date: 2017-12-05 08:52 am (UTC)Also I love how Silver recognizes you instantly in that uniform and then his entirely rational, totally normal and not at all crazy-bonkers response is to just strip you on the spot.
Silver are you okay? Do you want to talk to someone? I am legitimately concerned.
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Date: 2017-12-05 07:57 pm (UTC)wolf PokemonSmogon. These things happen.no subject
Date: 2017-12-05 11:48 pm (UTC)...
Hi this is my new Pokemon OC Andrea. She wears fake wolf ears and dresses with kind of an 80s punk styling and has big foofy metallic gray hair and carries a keytaur everywhere. She uses a lot of mushroomy pokemon like Foongus and Shiinotic and Breloom, and she likes to sing weird howling songs about it.
She was raised by Lycanroc.
And she is here to Lichen Rock.
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Date: 2017-12-06 01:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-06 01:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-06 02:01 am (UTC)