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Zanzibar Ham
Mar 17, 2009

You giving me the cold shoulder? How cruel.


Grimey Drawer
Okay unless I've gotten farther into the game than I thought I'm preeeetty sure the Ranger game I tried wasn't this one, I believe the first real mission there was a bit more high-stakes than escorting Prof. Totally-gonna-get-kidnapped.

e: whoops, update near bottom of last page!

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Zuzie
Jun 30, 2005

I got this for a Ratatta on GTS.


I get the feeling that Murph is given those missions because he's... not all there in a sense.

Blaze Dragon
Aug 28, 2013
LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

Black Robe posted:

Hooray. A Plusle. We are unstoppable now with such a powerful pokemon at our side. :geno:

Don't underestimate the power of a Fiorean Plusle/Minun. They can do things no other Pokemon can! (because they have to justify their existence)

Zuzie posted:

I get the feeling that Murph is given those missions because he's... not all there in a sense.

Can't fire him, can't actually get an use out of him, can't have him waste space. Silly missions work best for that, I guess.

1234567890num
Oct 6, 2017

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 :v:





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. :allears:

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! :suicide:



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 :effort:

During our Rookie Mission posted:

What's wrong? Have you decided not to do this capture?



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 :ms:



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. :colbert:
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? :iiam:

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 :unsmith:



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.

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 18:25 on Apr 21, 2019

1234567890num
Oct 6, 2017

New Music: Krokka Tunnel


Let us make haste!

An easy solo mission is a great way to build up confidence. So things being "rather too easy" to start off is not a bad thing!



Statue In memory of Dugtrio, a loyal companion and coworker in the long and difficult tunnel project.

In the old days, you used to be able to see Dugtrio around these parts. But nowadays--I guess it's because there're more people about--they've moved deeper into the tunnel.

The left path leads to the wrong end of the shortcut, so we're forced to go right.



Soon after, we meet another fork. We'll go down first.
:allears: This game is so charming. I adore the train of followers tagging behind Circe like the world's cutest impromptu parade.





Well? Aren't you going to ask me if I caught anything? The only time no one seems to ask me is when the catching's great!

For all the good thing Pokemon Ranger does, it sadly follows the Reborn tradition of putting the fish just out of reach :negative:
Why does this gentleman need 5 or more Magikarp? They're basically inedible, so raising that many Gyarados seems impractical.
He can sell them in Reborn or whatever Rejuvenation's region is for :homebrew:



Going up from the earlier fork, we get to yet another fork. We haven't met any Pokemon with Cut yet, so we can't cut it.
Wait, we use Cut on the fence? We don't burn a wooden fence? :psyduck:
:iiam:



There's also a Rock Smash rock, but we haven't met any pokemon with crush yet.



*Hastings runs off towards the Dugtrio*



*Dugtrio flees*

*To Circe* That Dugtrio... It fled at the sight of me! How very rude of that Dugtrio!

*The tunnel shakes*



Welp.

Hello, Circe! Can you hear me?! It was a very close call indeed, but I managed to avoid injury! However, I'll need you to come get me! There should be another passageway near you that will bring you to me. I shall be waiting patiently!



We're not getting through these anytime soon.

Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


Instead, we'll get the Paras that just appeared. It only has this cutting attack.

Music: Capture Complete


Required Loops: 4
Possible EXP: 13/16/19/24


Paras here is our first example of how this game handles dual typing. Usually one is their Group and the other is their Assist. It's kinda hard to remember which is which.
I say usually because that's not always the case, like with the Combusken earlier.


Music: Krokka Tunnel


We can go back to the Dugtrio statue and cut the sign, but it'll just get mysteriously replaced.

Oh, and if you're wondering, we can't go back to Lyra Forest. The Pokemon behind the bushes will remain a mystery for now.

On the one hand... :toot: but on the other, <:mad:>



Beyond the fence, there's even more forks. This place would be confusing if we're not being railroaded.



Magnemite's attack is like Pichu's but has a wider range.



Required Loops: 2
Possible EXP: 4


Magnemite is essentially a harder-to-catch Pichu.
Does it at least charge the Styler more as compensation for being harder to catch?
Nope! All Pokemon with the same number of Recharge icon heals the same amount. So this is worse than Pichu in every way.



Up ahead there are two Poliwags.



Correction: there were two Poliwags. The left one is in the middle of jumping into the water. We manage to get close to the right one, though.



Poliwag moves kinda fast, so it can be hard to capture it.



Required Loops: 4
Possible EXP: 20/23/26/30




Here's the release screen. It appears when you have more than the allowed Friend Pokemon.

Savor this appearance, because I'm most likely not going to show it again.


Music: Trouble


That Poliwag room is the last one in our detour, but that music worries me :ohdear:



W-what is it?! Who are you?!
(Upper) Hahahah! Hello, gramps! The esteemed Prof. Hastings, the chief of technology of the Ranger Union, I presume? Well, we're strangers of danger! And we mess with Rangers! That makes us the Go-Rock Squad!

Go-Rock Squad? That is a stupid name for an evil team. I love it :allears:
Getting serious Team Skull vibes from these two.

(Upper) So sorry, gramps, but we're here to relieve you of your important package.



(Lower) Heheheh! Thanks so much for your cooperation! One Super Styler received, thank you so kindly. That's all the time we have today! Adios, senior!



*Notices Circe* Oh, Circe! We have a crisis on our hands! My Super Styler -- the fruit of all my studies--was taken by some ruffians who called themselves the Go-Rock Squad!

I guess you can say that Circe didn't actually hear what happened earlier and so didn't think to chase the grunts. It's funnier to think that she's taken aback by the name, though.

If only I were 20 years younger, I could have twisted, crumpled, and tossed such dregs of society aside... Come, we must give chase!

Not too hard. They're literally just 5 steps to the right.

New Music: Go-Rock Squad!


(Upper) Hahahah! You can stay cooped up down here courtesy of us!
(Lower) Heheheh! I'm the bad guy! Let's see what happens when I press this button on this remote control! Are you ready for this? Click!







(Lower) Like, is this... A screwup?
(Upper) Well, good going! Yeah, it's a screw up, all right! How are we supposed to slow them down now, you incompetent fool!

:bravo:
:cripes:

(Lower) What're you going on about? You're the one that set the trap! All I had to do was press the button! It's not me who decided where the rocks should fall!
(Upper) There's something to be said for that! But that's beside the point now! Let's hightail it!

Music: Krokka Tunnel


*When talked to* Hurry, hurry, hurry! This is no time to be dawdling! The Super Styler must be recovered from the Go-Rock Squad!



They were saying stuff like "hahahah" and "heheheh."

There's a save point. If you're playing along, you should use it. I'm sure we all know what this means.

DoubleNegative, are you excited to Plusle in action against our first boss?

Heck yeah! We're gonna paralyze it and then it won't be able to move and this is gonna be awesome.

Music: Lyra Forest


I don't know why there's two signs saying the same thing just a few feets from each other.

Video: Rhydon
Music: Tension




Circe... Is your Styler's energy sufficiently charged? Try using a Poke Assist like I taught you earlier to capture that Rhydon. Circe, if you put your feelings into making the capture, Rhydon should calm down.
*When talked to* Do you recall how to use a Poke Assist? If you get help from a Bellsprout, use its Grass Poke Assist to impede the target. While the target is caught in the sprung-up grass, capture it.





Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


There you have it. Plusle in action against our first boss :buddy:
...welp.



Anyway, since I have Bellsprout, I can use the useful Poke Assist. Water from Mudkip or Poliwag works too, but I don't get as many chance to show off Grass.
It's a pity we don't have any Totodile handy
That GIF is adorable :3:



With the grass, Rhydon can't move or attack. Which is great because it needs 8 loops.

Music: Capture Complete


Rhydon gives a lot more EXP than any Pokemon so far, which is how we got our level up :toot:



Required Loops: 8
Possible EXP: 45/51/57/65


Before we move on with the story, let's look at Rhydon's attacks.



There's the attack shown in the cutscene.



There's also a charging attack. It doesn't charge at a straight line, though, so this attack is the more dangerous of the two.

On a side note, that Rhydon looks so adorable :kimchi:




Rhydon will also use this attack when it spots us in the field. Since our styler isn't out in the field, we don't take damage from this.
You say that, but Circe can't be feeling too great after being tackled by 265lb/120kg solid Rock/Ground type.

Music: Lyra Forest
The Rhydon appears to have calmed down enough. Release it to wherever it came from.

Why? We could've used it to destroy the rockfall!
But... :psyduck:



:sadwave:

Whew... We've been beset by trouble... That little disturbance cost us time. We've completely lost sigh of those scoundrels. Fine, let us return to Fall City and consider our options.



This is no time for inside jokes. Let us make way posthaste, Circe!
*When talked to* Circe, the Fall City Ranger Base is so close!



Like I said, we have to release every Pokemon after every mission :(

Music: Fall City


We're here. Now where's the Ranger Base?



...Oh.

Circe, well done! Your mission has been accomplished! ...Hm? You don't appear very happy. Let me guess--you're upset that I was mugged for the Super Styler? Now listen, Circe. Was not your mission to deliver me to this location safely? Now examine me, if you will. Do you see a single scratch upon my person? I think not. And here we are at the mission's destination--the Ranger Base. In other words, you've accomplished the mission objectives impeccably!

Music: Mission Clear!


I like Hastings' logic.



Welcome back, Professor! How was Spenser?
Thank you, Joel. Spenser is fine, but things did not go well for me, I'm afraid... It's quite humiliating, to say the least... You see, my Super Styler... (Whisper, whisper...)
W-what did you say? The Super Styler is gone?! We should discuss this in the Ranger Base. Let's hurry there.

*Everyone goes inside*

We are so gonna get lectured for this screw-up...

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Apr 21, 2019

Blaze Dragon
Aug 28, 2013
LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

Hastings is lame, using his age as an excuse like that. Pokémon is full of cool old guys that can absolutely annihilate you, like Rowan and Drayden, you don't get to use that excuse. Being old should only make you more powerful.

Zanzibar Ham
Mar 17, 2009

You giving me the cold shoulder? How cruel.


Grimey Drawer
Whoops, looks like it's only the Super Styler that was uh.. style-napped?

Anyway,

Blaze Dragon posted:

Hastings is lame, using his age as an excuse like that. Pokémon is full of cool old guys that can absolutely annihilate you, like Rowan and Drayden, you don't get to use that excuse. Being old should only make you more powerful.

As his name suggests he put all his points into speed.

MayOrMayNotBeACat
Jul 22, 2017


I am now replaying the sequels because of this thread, and as a result had to both replace my stylus and recalibrate the touchscreen. :sigh:

Thanks, OP.

1234567890num
Oct 6, 2017

Blaze Dragon posted:

Hastings is lame, using his age as an excuse like that. Pokémon is full of cool old guys that can absolutely annihilate you, like Rowan and Drayden, you don't get to use that excuse. Being old should only make you more powerful.

Unfortunately, unlike those old guys, Hastings is not a Pokemon Trainer.

MayOrMayNotBeACat posted:

I am now replaying the sequels because of this thread, and as a result had to both replace my stylus and recalibrate the touchscreen. :sigh:

Thanks, OP.

You're welcome :buddy:

Blaze Dragon
Aug 28, 2013
LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

1234567890num posted:

Unfortunately, unlike those old guys, Hastings is not a Pokemon Trainer.

We're never shown that Rowan is one either though, and even if he is, he doesn't need that for his unbeatable tactic of "..."ing at you until you accept his terms. Also, Drayden is a Pokemon Trainer to limit his own power, not to enhance it, as shown by the fact that he wrestles dragons as training.

1234567890num
Oct 6, 2017

Blaze Dragon posted:

We're never shown that Rowan is one either though, and even if he is, he doesn't need that for his unbeatable tactic of "..."ing at you until you accept his terms. Also, Drayden is a Pokemon Trainer to limit his own power, not to enhance it, as shown by the fact that he wrestles dragons as training.

I don't know where you got Drayden's fact from (I don't really follow Pokemon anime or the games beyond gen 4), but if it's true then that is amazing :allears:

I see what you mean about, Rowan's unbeatable "...", but I don't think that'll work in Hastings' situation. Not to mention that Hastings is too impatient for that tactic.

Black Robe
Sep 12, 2017

Generic Magic User


Rowan's power isn't just ellipses, I fondly remember his scathing verbal beatdown when he told a couple of Plasma grunts that they were being rude, they needed to learn not to interrupt people and their costumes looked silly :allears:

Alloran
Dec 30, 2014

I think this line is mostly filler.
I'm glad this game is being LPed! I remember playing it near when it first came out and I was wondering recently if it holds up or not.

"Yeah, bad stuff happened but you did what you were supposed to do, so good job then!" is a pretty good and encouraging start to all this, at least.

Jen X
Sep 29, 2014

To bring light to the darkness, whether that darkness be ignorance, injustice, apathy, or stagnation.
Ooh, I remember 100%ing this and the sequel to it.

These games are pretty fun, but god drat does the stylus hurt when you're drawing like 40 rings

1234567890num
Oct 6, 2017

Music: Ranger Base


I've heard about you from Spenser. For a Rank 1 Ranger, you've done a commendable job. Circe, I'm officially promoting you to Ranger Rank 2!

Music: Rank Up!


So not only do we not get reprimanded for our failure, we even got promoted! :toot:

We get a notification that we can now use Fighting Poke Assists. The game treat it like it's an accomplishment, but we never have access to Pokemon whose Poke Assist we can't use anyway.

Music: Ranger Base
Professor... There's something that I need to discuss with you. It's too sensitive to discuss here, so let's take it upstairs.
*To Circe* Circe, please wait down here.

*The two go to the elevator*

You'd think that Joel is better at keeping secrets than Spenser, but there's even more people upstairs. Those peoples are nonentities, but still...



This one is actually better than it sounds. Against Pokemon weak to it, each loop will count as 3. Not to mention that it also works against poison, flying, bug and psychic, which means it only doesn't work on ghost. :getin:



But you must be some kind of impressive. I mean, you must be to get the job of escorting the professor. Huh? You don't get what's so impressive about that? It just so happens, Prof. Hastings is the Ranger Union's chief of technology. That Capture Styler you're using? That's just one of the professor's inventions.
Hiya, I'm Lind! Nice to meet you! Our Leaders, Spenser and Joel, used to be on the same team together back in the old days. They used to clash as rivals when they were young, but nowadays they have nothing but respect for each other. They're famous in the Fiore region to this day as "Spenser, the Fearow Master," and "Joel, the Dodrio Rider."

This is the closest we'll get to Joel's introduction.



Oh? That uniform? Are you maybe a Ranger from Ringtown? But I don't remember seeing your face before... I'm Aria. I'm a Ranger here in Fall City. ...You've never heard of me? You really don't know anything, do you? Oh, well, that's fine. And who might you be?
OK, I see. So you're named Circe. It's not a very inspired name, but I'll make an effort to remember it.

It would've been impressive if mythology exists in Pokemon universe :colbert:



Listen up, please!



I have bad news. Prof. Hastings was set upon by criminals who claimed to be the Go-Rock Squad. Worse, they made off with the professor's invaluable Super Styler. The Super Styler, by the way, should be considered the latest version of the Capture Styler. I can't discuss it in detail because it's still in development. However, in criminal hands, its potential for wrongdoing is frightening. Recover the stolen Super Styler at any cost. That is the mission for every Ranger in Fall City!
This is no usual mission. This is not a problem that can be solved by the Fall City Rangers alone. I've just had the Ranger Union issue alerts to all Ranger Bases under its command. Every Ranger in the Fiore region will be informed that the recovery of the Super Styler is the top-priority mission. I ask all of you to fully cooperate with Rangers across the region to complete the mission! I'm sorry that my carelessness has led to this...
Professor...
*To the Rangers* OK, everyone, you heard! Please give this mission your best effort for the professor's sake, too. Our first task is to gather intelligence on the Go-Rock Squad. We need to know everything there is to know. Investigations should fan out from the Krokka Tunnel where the Super Styler was snatched. Don't forget--I expect to be kept constantly informed. That's all. Everyone, dismissed!

*The Fall City Rangers leave*

*Circe approaches Joel*

...Yes? You wanted to say something? Oh, you'd like to work alongside Fall City's Rangers?I appreciate your offer, but, Circe, I'm afraid this mission is too much for you at your Ranger Rank. Also, there is something else that I would like to entrust you with. Because of this mission, Fall City will be without its regular Rangers. While our Rangers are absent, I would like you to handle this city's Ranger activities. I am asking you to help our citizens in neeed. That will be your newest mission, Circe.

Music: Mission Received!


This is a huge drop in importance from before :sigh:

Music: Ranger Base


The blurb tries its best to make it sound important, at least.

Before we go, let's do our rounds in the base.

If my Super Styler were to be used for nefarious deeds... The very thought of it is horrifying...



What would you do if you became stuck during a mission and were completely out of options? Sometimes you don't really have much of a choice over what you can do. Well, if you're ever stuck that badly, you can retire from the mission and start it all over again. Open the Styler's menu and select "Mission." You'll see the choice "Retire" to do the mission over.

If you need to do this, you really hosed up.

Hi, hot-prospect Ranger! Here's a bit of advice. Did you know that you earn Exp. Points by capturing Pokemon? You know when you draw loops around a Pokemon during a capture, an orange number appears above it eventually? That orange number shows ou how many Exp. Points you can earn from that capture. The amount of Exp. Points you can earn depends on the Pokemon you're trying to capture. Once the orange number appears, you can earn bonus Exp. Points by completing additional loops. If you're comfortable with how the capture is going, you should try for the bonus Exp. Points. But watch out. If the orange number stops going up even after completing bonus loops, it means you can't earn any more Exp. Points.



(Lower) Using its three heads, it watches situations as they develop to keep our Leader informed.
(Upper) Hey, hotshot Ranger! Here's a little piece of advice. Have you ever had trouble telling apart your friend Pokemon from wild Pokemon? If that happens, try pressing the X or Y Button. Your friend Pokemon will glow with a blue outline.

It will probably be useful for the purposes of this LP, but :effort:

Music: Mission Start!


Music: Fall City


From: Spenser
To: Circe
Re: Message from Joel

I know that you're in an unfamiliar place, so things can't be easy for you. But hang in there. Help out the citizens of Fall City in need. I'm counting on you.



We're awfully sorry about it, but we've had to clsoe off the Krokka Tunnel until we're done investigating.

Alright, let's help out citizens of Fall City. Speaking of it, let's see how big Fall City is.



:stare: Yep. That's a large city alright. By Pokemon standards, at least. You might now be thinking: "How are we supposed to find who needs our help?"



The answer is simple: The person comes to us.

Hello, Ranger! Can I get you to come to my apartment building? There's been a mix-up there, and I'm stuck because of it. I'll be waiting! *leaves*

We'll explore this city later. For now, we'll just follow the client right after talking to this lady here.

Don't you find Joel, the Ranger Leader, to be cool and fabulous? I'm waiting here because I want to see Joel go on patrol riding his Dodrio.

He's just finished patrolling. Too bad.



*The lady goes inside*



There's Pichu in Fall City but they're much less important than before since we have access to the Ranger Base the whole time and can just recharge there.





No.

Are you maybe a Ranger impostor?



Okay, fine.

Thank you, Ranger! But that Crate is very heavy. I think you'll need a strong Pokemon to move that Crate. Like a Makuhita, for instance?



It's interesting that we need Tackle instead of Crush.



This Snubbull is right next to the apartment.



It can headbutt. And nothing else.



Required Loops: 4
Possible EXP: 11/14/17/21


You might have noticed that I have not shown the glossary entry for Normal assist. That's because there's no Normal-type Poke Assist in this game.



Just a few steps upwards from Snubbull, we found a Makuhita.

Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


It punches. And nothing else. It does have a longer range, though.

Music: Capture Complete


Required Loops: 5
Possible EXP: 20/23/26/30


Music: Fall City


Snubbull isn't strong enough to move the crate, but Makuhita is.

Oh, thank you! You've made my day! I can finally go inside! Won't you come in for a snack?

Oh boy! A snack! :dance:

*Everyone gets in*

Music: Trouble


Aiyeeeeh! What is this thing?! Please, Ranger, catch it!

This lady just can't catch a break.

Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


Venonat turns the screen purple, making it hard to see. It moves by jumping around quickly. Plusle trivializes it.

Music: Capture Complete


Required Loops: 3
Possible EXP: 35/42/49/56/63/70


Getting 3 loops is easy against Venonat. Getting 8 is not. So don't bother getting maximum EXP no matter how tempting it is.

Finally, oh, finally, I can begin living my dream of living in the city. Thank you, Ranger!



Circe does a pose for every person helped.

Music: Fall City
...I'm sorry, but I'm just not good at all with that Pokemon. Can you let it go, please?



See what I mean about not getting access to Pokemon whose assist hasn't been unlocked yet?

*When talked to* I didn't expect anything like this just as soon as I moved here... But I'm not going to let that get me down! I'm keeping my head up with a positive attitude!

What about our snack? :mad:



There's more floors to this apartment, but we'll explore them later. For now, we'll deal with this woman.

Yoo-hoo! Yes, you! The Ranger there! My adorable and oh-so-lovable Skitty have run away from mumsy-wumsy! Please, oh, pretty please, round up my little pretties right away? You know Skitty, don't you? You can solve this lickety-split? You're a Ranger, after all!



Looks like we don't have to deal with this after all. Who's next?

Ooh! What a pretty Skitty! Ooh, it's so cutesy-wutesy! Yes, yes, it's this Pokemon! My little pretties are just like this!

...Pretties? There's more?



No. If you can't take care of your pets, you shouldn't have them.

Oh, how dare you say no?! Aren't you a Ranger? A ranger can't say no! Bring me my lovey-dovey Skitty! If you don't know where my sweet little-wittle Skitty are, you can come ask me. I'll wait for you near the Ranger BAse. Don't you dare fail!

So saying 'No' doesn't do anything. And now we have to find multiple Skitty. :sigh:

How many, you ask? Well, I'll leave that as a surprise. At least we can talk to her for a hint. I'll leave it in spoiler tags so you can just follow along.


Hint 1: The first Skitty is a freebie. We just found it. Or it found us, to be exact.

Hint 2: Well, let's see, my Skitty are quite romantic--just like me. Try looking near the fountain.



I'm trying to think up a good name for it.

The hint will be given starting from the most obvious. You really can't miss this Skitty.

Music: Trouble


She didn't introduce herself to us, but the woman's name is Teresa. All Skitty in this city belongs to her, so there's no chance of us capturing a Skitty only to find out that it's not hers.



Skitty has no attack, but it will jump sometimes. Since this game operate on a 2D scale, the jump can hit the line, so make sure to leave some space above it when making the loops.

Music: Capture Complete


Required Loops: 3
Possible EXP: 15/18/21/25


Music: Fall City


You might have seen it in the previous picture, but there's Ludicolo here. Make sure to capture them separately.



Ludicolo attacks with damaging music. It lasts a pretty long time and has a wide area. And we need 8 loops to capture it, which made dealing with two of them at once impossible.



Plusle is MVP here. It makes up for its disappointing performance with Rhydon.



Required Loops: 8
Possible EXP: 26/32/38/46


Ludicolo is the first Pokemon we meet whose pre-evolution haven't been met yet. It won't be the last.

Anyway, we have to go back to Teresa to return her Skitty. We can get them in any order and we can bring as many as we want at once.


Music: Fall City
Hint3: Well, let's see, my Skitty love to get up on high places. It must be for sunbathing.



The first place in Fall City we'll explore is the apartment. We've seen the room in the 1st floor, so we'll skip that one.



I was just hoping for someone to talk to. In the last little while, the tap water has taken on a rather unpleasant odor. The waterworks is famous for being so clean that Pokemon could live there. It's very odd.

I don't think a place has to be clean to have Pokemon in it.

Oh, you have to leave already? Well, I'm sorry to see you go, but go you must. After all, it's your job.



People ask you for help with all sorts of silly things, don't they? The people of this town rely a little too much on Rangers.

The crate problem is understandable. The lady being too scared with Venonat is also understandable. I agree with you about Skitty, though.

Ahaha! It was tough using the stairs to get to the third floor, wasn't it? You can deny all you want. Your face shows obvious fatigue!



The Skitty is on the roof/4th floor. It's visible because of the camera, but you do have to be observant to find it ourselves.

Hint4: My Skitty simply adore the flagrant fragrance of flowers. Try looking near the florist shop.



The Skitty can be seen in the right part of the city, but we need a Pokemon with Cut.



Luckily, Meowth is just downwards.

Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


Meowth cuts and jumps. The cut has Snubbull's range, so Meowth is basically Snubbull and Skitty combined.

Music: Capture Complete


Required Loops: 5
Possible EXP: 18/19/20/21/22/23


It also has the various possible EXP from Venonat. Except this one is even more not worth getting.





Right after we cut the fence, Skitty runs walks away. :sigh:

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Apr 21, 2019

Black Robe
Sep 12, 2017

Generic Magic User


Well, that's cats for you.

LiefKatano
Aug 31, 2018

I swear, by my sword and capote, that I will once again prove victorious!!
I kind of wonder - would it be possible to use cheats to get you a Pokemon whose assist you can't use yet? If you can, did they actually program it so that you can't use the Assist, or is it basically just flavor text?

MayOrMayNotBeACat
Jul 22, 2017


Well, I've beaten both of the sequels to this game and found both to be enjoyable experiences.

Now back to Pokemon Sun in the hopes that I can finally beat it this time.

1234567890num
Oct 6, 2017

Black Robe posted:

Well, that's cats for you.

I don't know about Meowth, but Skitty sucks :argh:

LiefKatano posted:

I kind of wonder - would it be possible to use cheats to get you a Pokemon whose assist you can't use yet? If you can, did they actually program it so that you can't use the Assist, or is it basically just flavor text?

I have no idea. I didn't found any cheats to get Pokemon we're not supposed to have access to yet. No walk through walls either, strangely.

1234567890num
Oct 6, 2017

Music: Fall City


Fun fact: Torchic is the only non-Sinnoh starter that's allowed in Amity Square. Skitty is allowed there, but looks like we have to release all our Pokemon (including Plusle).

...Oh wait, wrong Amity Square.:sweatdrop:




That's a small square.

Tch! Keep that noise down, Machoke! What a useless Pokemon!
*To Circe* Hey, you! What do you think you're doing here? Get lost if you're not authorized! Hunh? ...You feel sorry for that Machoke? What's it to you? What we do with our Pokemon is none of your stinking business.
*When talked to* I told you once already. Get lost if you're not authorized! You're an eyesore!

...Right. We can't do anything with the Machoke, so we'll just grab the Skitty and continue exploring the right part of the city.
Wow, what an rear end in a top hat.



In the old days, a right proper factory, it was. But lately, we've noticed oddly dressed people coming and going there.



It sounds like a band practice, but in between songs you can hear people shouting slogans or something.



Arrrgh! There's nothing to do! I'm probably the most unbusy guy in the world! Of course, any job as busy as a Ranger's isn't for me.

Wares Many kinds of merchandise are on display. It's best not to look too interested.

The factory is to the right of the city. We've seen the glimpse of it in the square.



*Notices Circe* Huh? What are you doing here? What's that? Joel asked you to keep watch over Fall City? Let me get this straight. You're a Ringtown Ranger, but you're patrolling in Fall City? Well, that's, uh... Awesome! That's really helps us out a ton! We'll find that Go-Rock Squad somehow, so yeah, we'll be counting on you to take care of things in Fall City.



oh no where could the go-rock squad be it's certainly not in this creepy and sinister and locked factory :geno:
The whole "band practice and slogans" stuff from earlier is not helping the comparisons to Team Skull.

Hint 5: My skitty are so fluffily cute, they can pass for plush dolls. Is that a useful hint?

Now we're going to explore the upper part of Fall City from right to left.





That was built to commemorate the growth of this town from a village.
The clock tower has a cherished place in our hearts. Our first date and our first argument were beneath that tower. It was where he proposed to me, too. I desperately tried to hold back my tears by looking up toward the clock. That's why I can still remember to the minute when he proposed to me.

How sweet :unsmith:
Awwww. :3:



They missed a perfect chance to have the clock tower reflect the DS's internal time.

We're so lucky to have Rangers with us. They're always there to solve our problems right away.
I keep seeing strange Rangers lately. I wonder if they're really Rangers?



The door is locked. We'll go inside later.



We've been getting a lot of complaints about poor water quality lately. We're stumped as to why, though.

We'll find out the cause later, and it's so obvious that you'd wonder how they didn't figure it out immediately.
My money's on Grimer.



Those are some very realistic dolls. Just compare the doll!Snubbull with the real one.

Huh? That's very odd. Did we have so many plush dolls?
My cute little plushes are nice and fluffy! You can play with them if you want!

Don't mind if I do! The Skitty is the closest, so let's play with...



...oh.

Fall City has a good variety of facilities right in town. Beneath our feet is the waterworks. In the south is the harbor. In the east, we have the Dusk Factory. The Capture Arena is in the west. Oh, wait, the arena isn't in operation yet.
Aren't my plushes cute? But I wish we could live with some real Pokemon one day...

That was fruitful. On to the next Skitty!

Hint 6: My Skitty have a surprising streak of wildness in them. I hope they don't get into garbage.

6 Skitties is officially Too Many.

Now we're going to explore the left part of town.



My, aren't you young? I hope you'll work hard at becoming a respected Ranger.
There was something in a trash can that wasn't supposed to be there. You're within your rights to check trash cans, but you might be in for a shock. Don't get knocked down on your behind.



While the last Skitty is tricky if you don't go inside every house, this one is tricky if you don't examine everything/talk to everyone.
Not finding this Skitty is on the player if they don't talk to everyone. That's the whole point of patrol missions, right?



Good thing we caught the Snubbull way earlier.



Did you catch the news about the Capture Arena up past here? It saddens me to say, it's not your lucky day. They're still getting it ready. Sorry to disappoint you, Ranger. You all come back soon when things are on!



But not a day goes by that I don't think of them... Oh, Pikachu, Dragonite... The horizon is blurred by my tears! Sniffle...



But I'm completely captivated by her... And... She barely knows I'm alive!

Poor guy...



Ooh, my lovely-wubbly Skitty are all back with mumsy-wumsy! Now, aren't you good! Mumsy-wumsy is very much impressed! Thank you, sweetie!

Eughhhhh... This lady creeps me out.



We're done with the Skitty quest! :woop:

Ooh: My precious-precious Skitty! You musn't give mumsy-wumsy a scare like that again! Now, now, let's go home! Line up single file!



As if to annoy us further, the Skitty slowly walks towards the right. And we have no control until the last one leaves the screen. :sigh:
I'm sure it's just the screenshot being captured mid-animation, but the third Skitty from the right looks regretful at having been forced to come back.



Just an observation, but why is all our clients here women?

You're Circe, right? I'm one of Prof. Hastings's assistants. I know you're very busy, but we need your help at the lab. Could you come with me, please? The lab is this way.

We'll have to go to the lower part of the city later, so we'll just follow the assistant for now.



*They go inside*



Asking for Circe's help is all she's been doing since she flagged us down!

I need to find something in the basement, but it's pitch black down there. It's impossible to look for anything. I asked the professor for some advice, and he told me that I should look you up, Circe.



No. Why doesn't the basement of the most prestigious scientist in the region have any working lights, anyway?

Oh... OK. ...I'm sorry, but I can't take no for an answer.



Fine. *grumble*Even though there's plenty of Rangers in the base's second floor*grumble*

That's great! Thank you so much! Oh, by the way, the professor asked me to pass on a message to you. These are his exact words. "In the lighthouse's basement live some Pokemon named Staryu. Get the help of the Staryu to illuminate wherever it's too dark to see." That was the professor's message. Please, capture a Staryu and bring it here.

Our Plusle, who is always with us, can't illuminate the darkness? For that matter we can't have it pull an Uncle Fester?

Work table All sorts of things are lying about. You may get in trouble for touching them.
Left machine It's a high-performance machine. "High performance" is etched in tiny letters.
Middle machine This odd machine glows in a mysterious way. But it seems harmless.
Right machine This is a machine of some sort. It's best to ignore it.
Archive These research papers on Pokemon don't seem to be very amusing.

It's all serious books, with no fun ones :(

Music: Fall City Harbor


There are people across the sea who go on adventures with Pokemon? They're called Pokemon Trainers! Don't you think that's kind of cool?

The harbor is just south of the city. It's the same harbor that we started the game in.



We can now catch the Winggul and Krabby here. We do have to wait for Wingull to land/fly close to the ground, though.



It flies very quickly and shoots water guns.



Required Loops: 3
Possible EXP: 20/24/28/34


A lot of Pokemon here requires 3 loops.



If you can catch Wingull, you can catch Krabby. Krabby and its bubble are very slow.



Required Loops: 6
Possible EXP: 14/15/16/18


A pity we can't keep Krabby. It and Kingler are good pokemon!



It's a great place! The sea is crystal claer, and it's always like summer the whole year round. If you're thinking about a vacation, there's no better choice than Summerland!

Not gonna lie, I would totally live in a place like Summerland.



Wahaha! It makes me happy hearing that! But, we just got back from Summerland. If you could wait a while, we'd be happy to oblige.



Seek exciting adventures in the nature-filled jungle! A mysterious relic harkens back to an exotic ancient time! ...I can do all the selling of Summerland I want, but... The ferry to Summerland isn't running right now.
Fall City is quite a place. I wonder what Summerland is like?
I was planning to go to Summerland, but...

Take a guess as to where we'll be doing our next mission.
:neckbeard:



It's finally cleared the way for people to get to the lighthouse's basement.

Remember the Snorlax earlier? Turns out that it was blocking something after all!

Music: Krokka Tunnel




Staryu is the only interesting thing in here.

Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


It attacks by spinning. It can still move slowly while it's spinning. If you're brave and high enough level, you can continue looping around Staryu.

Music: Capture Complete


Required Loops: 5
Possible EXP: 25/29/33/39


Spoiler: Staryu is the only one who has that particular Field Move.

Music: Fall City


It's easy to do, too! Just touch the Staryu, and it will use its ability to cast light. You see, certain kinds of Pokemon Field Moves can be used without having a specific target. OK, please take that Staryu to the basement, then touch it with your stylus.



Spoiler: Flash is the only field move which doesn't need a target.



Spoiler: This is the only time we will use Flash. And this is the only time we can use Flash.
:psyduck: But why? That seems like a waste.



Oh, my goodness! It's almost even too bright now. It will be easy to find things! Circe, thank you so much for helping!



*Walks to the cabinet* Um... It's not over here... And it's definitely not here... It's wonderful that it's bright in here, but now I'm overwhelmed by the sheer volume of paperwork down here.
*When talked to* Let's see... This is all data on the footprints of Pokemon... And over here are the records of Pokemon cries... It might be light in here, but it's still not easy to find the necessary data out of all this material.

Cabinet Odd things are lying about. They must be important.

That's three people now. Who's next?

Video: Machoke


I don't think you need any help.

Huh? What do you suppose you're doing here? ...Oh. Everyone's gone out of town, so you got the mission of patrolling Fall City. I get it. There's a state of emergency on now because of that Go-Rock Squad. And a rookie like you would be too inexperienced for a tough mission like investigating the Go-Rock Squad... Oh, did I say something rude? Don't let it bother you, Circe.

You, madame, are a jerk.

*Pokemon cry*

Wait! Did you hear something? It sounded like it came from the clock tower! Don't just stand there! Come with me!

*They both go to the clock tower*

Music: Tension


Why is that Machoke rampaging?
*To Circe* Listen! You can go capture the Machoke! I want to see how good you are.

The clock tower can wait while we talk to everyone.

Hi! Are you about to capture that Pokemon? Well, aren't I lucky! I get to see a live capture!
Hurry up and capture it! Before it wrecks the clock tower!
The clock tower's going to be wrecked! Someone do something!
Why is that Machoke going wild?

Actually, the clock tower can wait while we explore Fall City all over again, so we can recharge our styler or catch a Makuhita or Ludicolo.



Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


Machoke is a lot tougher than Rhydon. Or maybe that's just me sucking at catching it.



Machoke punches, to the surprise of absolutely no one.

He can punch while moving forward, though, which can actually be a surprise. And he moves a surprisingly long distance. That's the dangerous attack here.




And, like many Pokemon here, it can jump. And it requires 8 loops, so we can't capture it before it jumps. It sucks :argh:
This sounds like an actually difficult boss.



To make things worse, Plusle's Discharge is too weak to last for 8 loops.



We can probably use Makuhita for this, but I like using Ludicolo more.



Mostly because Ludicolo gives us a whopping 30 seconds as opposed to Makuhita's 10 seconds.





The bubble lasts for a longer time than the discharge, so we can catch it this way (with some difficulties, if you watched the video).
:stare: That looked infuriating to try and catch. Seriously, go watch the capture video.

Music: Capture Complete




Required Loops: 8
Possible EXP: 52/55/58/62


Music: Fall City
You did it! Thank you, Ranger! You were really cool!
That was fantastic! That was the first time I'd ever seen a capture! That Machoke quieted down completely from its out-of-control rampage. Wow, am I lucky to have seen that!
Ah, Ranger! Well done! The city's symbol was in peril!

Music: Mission Clear!


We're finally done with the worst mission in the game!

That was a so-so capture.

That's because we can't use flying or psychic assist :mad:
Wow, who pissed in this lady's Cheerios? What is her problem?

But I can't figure out why that Machoke would go wild like that... That Machoke should settle down when it returns to its familiar surroundings. You should release it now.



Why don't you go back to the Ranger Base for the time being? Unlike you, I have to investigate the Go-Rock Squad, so I'll leave you here.

*Aria and Circe leave*



But that darn Machoke... Darn thing ran off without paying attention to me! Plus, it couldn't even wreck that creaky old clock tower. How pathetic is that?

I'm sure that researcher is a fine, upstanding citizen with no relation to Go-Rock Squad.
Definitely. They're totally on the level.

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 18:27 on Apr 21, 2019

Blaze Dragon
Aug 28, 2013
LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

Somehow I can't ignore the graphical glitches, the top of people's heads (such as the totally-not-a-Go-Rock-member and Machoke) kept getting cut in that video.

MayOrMayNotBeACat
Jul 22, 2017



Wow, apparently the bullshit starts earlier for you than it would for me. Those were some pretty slow loops (I'm not judging, because you are playing on an emulator), and I'm pretty sure the only reason you would be able to take on some later encounters (which contain far larger amounts of bullshit) is because you have slowdown.

Like I would be able to capture that Machoke before it even jumped without Poke Assists, but then again I have an actual DS with a stylus to play this on so :shrug:

e: Also yay, DoubleNegative is back.

MayOrMayNotBeACat fucked around with this message at 02:42 on Apr 13, 2019

1234567890num
Oct 6, 2017

Blaze Dragon posted:

Somehow I can't ignore the graphical glitches, the top of people's heads (such as the totally-not-a-Go-Rock-member and Machoke) kept getting cut in that video.

Yeah, I don't know how to fix it and there doesn't seem to be any solution online.

MayOrMayNotBeACat posted:

Wow, apparently the bullshit starts earlier for you than it would for me. Those were some pretty slow loops (I'm not judging, because you are playing on an emulator), and I'm pretty sure the only reason you would be able to take on some later encounters (which contain far larger amounts of bullshit) is because you have slowdown.

Like I would be able to capture that Machoke before it even jumped without Poke Assists, but then again I have an actual DS with a stylus to play this on so :shrug:

e: Also yay, DoubleNegative is back.

Honestly, even on an actual DS and after finishing the whole game, I STILL have problems with Machoke. I have problems with Pokemon that occasionally jumps without warning in general, really. You don't know how many Capture Arena attempts stalled at Machoke... :negative:

Yeah, I'm glad to have DN here :neckbeard:

MayOrMayNotBeACat
Jul 22, 2017


1234567890num posted:

Honestly, even on an actual DS and after finishing the whole game, I STILL have problems with Machoke. I have problems with Pokemon that occasionally jumps without warning in general, really.

This is why I have problems with having to complete a certain amount of loops in a row to capture a Pokemon. If a Pokemon makes contact with your line (by, say, jumping without any warning), you take damage, or you let go before completing the required number of loops, you essentially have to start the capture all over again. And then, as a little extra gently caress you, lategame Pokemon will follow up a failed capture with another attack. Which is the most infuriating thing, because you then have to wait before starting again. :argh:

TBH, I could probably provide commentary for this despite having only played the sequels recently, just because this game's difficulty left such an impression on me that some encounters are probably still taking up valuable mental real estate without me knowing. :v:

I did not remember Pokemon jumping up randomly though. Probably because that never shows up in either of the sequels.

1234567890num
Oct 6, 2017

Music: Ranger Base


You perfectly understood the Ranger's role in society, and you worked hard to live up to it. Circe, you've earned a promotion, I hereby certify you as Ranger Rank 3!

Music: Rank Up!


We ranked up twice in the span of a few hours! :toot:
Circe is moving up in the world!

We got a notification that we can now use Poison and Psychic Poke Assists. For some reason I don't think we're going to Summerland anytime soon...
:(

Music: Ranger Base
Circe, when you go up in Ranger Rank, there is another benefit. A new segment is added to your Styler's Partner Gauge when you reach Ranks 3, 5, 7, and 9. To tell the truth, all Stylers have a 5-segment Partner Gauge to begin with. We cap the number of segments on the Partner Gauge to avoid putting too much stress on the partner Pokemon. Your partner, Plusle, has grown much stronger being with you, so it can handle more pressure. So, allow me to remove the first cap on your Styler's Partner Gauge. Circe, you are now authorized to operate your Styler with a 2-segment Partner Gauge.



Plusle is now slightly more useful/significantly less useless! :woop:
Double the electricity for everyone! :science:

You've been handling jobs one after another since escorting Prof. Hastings. You're sure you're not too tired?



The aqueducts are supposed to be absolutely clean, but they're overflowing with horrible sludge! That's never supposed to happen, so I went to investigate, and what do I find? The place is crawling with Grimer! Leader, I'm begging you, we need help! You've got to do something! And the smell! It's putrid down there!

Congratulations, DoubleNegative. One of your prediction from last update is correct :confuoot:
Hahaha. I mean, it is pretty obvious if you think about it for like two seconds.

Mr. Civil Engineer from the Waterworks Bureau, you've come to the right place. I'll send out a Ranger to the waterworks right away.

His name is literally Civil Engineer?

I knew you were the guy to see, Leader! You catch on fast! The thing is, we never had Grimer show up in the waterworks ever before. We can't figure it out. So I thought maybe the Rangers could do something about them. I'll run along and wait outside. I'm depending on you, Leader! *leaves*
It seems as if there's no end to the troubles affecting our city. Unfortunately, Fall City has an acute shortage of Rangers because of the ongoing Go-Rock Squad investigation. In fact, Circe, you are the only Ranger who is free. So you don't get a choice in this matter. You must accept this mission. Of course, as you're already aware, that is the Ranger's role, so you don't ever get to refuse anyway. So, this is your mission.

The game doesn't even bother with any pointless yes/no prompt.
The pure distilled essence of "But Thou Must..."

Capture the Grimer that have overrun the waterworks. Also, the captured Grimer are to be turned over to a Ranger who is specially trained for the role. Circe, you're the one-and-only Ranger that Fall City can count on now.

What about that specially-trained Ranger? (I see we're all still ignoring all those Rangers upstairs)

Music: Mission Received!


So, our first mission is an escort mission. The second is menial tasks. The third is a sewer level.

This game really doesn't sound good if you put it that way.

They didn't put their best foot forward did they?



Any guesses on how many Grimer we're going to capture in this mission?
Uh... eight?



Poison assist is just like Grass except it can actually hit flying Pokemon. It's not actually better though since it's still Poison and thus has bad typing matchup.



Psychic has similar effect to Discharge (which I'm going to call Electric form now on). It's going to be extremely useful this mission.

Hastings and Joel have no new dialogue, so we go outside.

Music: Fall City


The screen then pans to the entrance to the waterworks in case we don't know where it is. Not that we need it since we can't go anywhere else.



I mean... I haven't put my makeup on yet! ...But, um... Doesn't something reek? It seems to be coming from the waterworks?

Dream cake?



Many Pokemon that live near water also live in the waterworks. Pokemon that like dark places live there, too.





Usually, it doesn't stink anything like this... Urp!

Good thing we don't have to actually deal with the smell.
There's an area near where I live that has a sewage leak that nobody can find. I imagine it smells like that :barf:

Music: Mission Start!


Pokemon can be seen literally everywhere in this universe, so the blurb is kinda redundant.

Music: Krokka Tunnel


From: Spenser
To: Circe

I've heard the latest from Joel. You might be intimidated being in an unfamiliar city, but I'm sure you'll acquit yourself fine. Both Joel and I are too busy with the Go-Rock Squad to do anything else. What's important for you is not to worry about the Go-Rock Squad. You need to take on missions and gain experience. That's why I also want you to go out on the Grimer mission. Make me proud!



This stink is downright awful! I've been holding my breath! You're Circe, right? I'm the Ranger they sent down to recover the Grimer you capture. Glad to meet... ...Urf, this stench is getting to me...The stench is even worse the farther you go in, so I'm sorry, but I'm going to wait out here. Everytime you capture a Grimer, I'll come running to recover it, and then I'll dash right back out. ...Urf, I can't take it! I'm holding my breath.

Makes you wonder how releasing Pokemon works here. I assumed it works like Allure/Guide in Octopath where they just go back to wherever we found them. But shouldn't that means Rhydon/Venonat/Machoke stay where they were? :iiam:
Nobody wants to be in the sewers, so maybe releasing something down here just means it runs away?

The top path leads to the wrong end of a shortcut, so down we go.



What better place is there to find a Totodile than in a sewer?



It shoots water twice in succession with a break to fake us out.



Required Loops:4
Possible EXP: 18/21/24/28




There's sludges in our path. Going near them makes Grimer fall from the ceiling (presumably).

We can walk past this one without trigerring this encounter. Makes me wonder if we can skip any Grimer on this mission.

These green pools are really reminding me of the NES game Fester's Quest.

Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


Grimer releases sludge trails. They will damage us if hit.



It also has another attack, but it didn't use it this time. Instead, it chooses to fake us out.

On another note, Grimer with its mouth wide open is adorable :kimchi:

Imagining a grimer going "Yayyyyyy!" and it's the cutest thing.

Music: Capture Complete


Required Loops: 5
Possible EXP: 22/27/32/39


Grimer moves very slowly, so it's very easy to catch. Which is good because we're going to catch plenty of them this mission.

Captured Grimer: 1


Music: Krokka Tunnel


After the capture, the sludge fades away.



I'll take the Grimer, so keep at it, and... ...Urpp! This stench is overpowering! I'm not going to inhale. *leaves*

The ranger will leave with the Grimer we caught. Like with the Skitty before, we have to wait until the Grimer is also out of the screen. It's not as long as the Skitty, but there's going to be more of them.

Whether it's more annoying or less is up to you. Personally, I think they're both annoying.

It's probably not nearly as bad as the Skitty, unless every time this Ranger shows up, there's a longer train of Grimer following him.



Actually, whether this mission is worse or better than the last is debatable. What's not debatable is the fact that the Corphish is by far the worst part of the mission.



Not because it's hard to capture, since it only has this one slow attack.



Required Loops: 6
Possible EXP: 16/17/18/19


The low EXP is part of it, yes, but that's not the main reason.



There's the 3-way fork. We have to go to the bottom left path since the top right one is blocked and the bottom right one only has a Corphish.



Anyway, the reason why Corphish is terrible: It chases you. It's quick and there's not much room in the sewers. Getting into encounter and fleeing wastes at least 7 seconds. Those seconds adds up.

:argh: Unintentional Corphish: 1

The presence of a counter does not bode well...



What went wrong? Why would Grimer suddenly appear? They've never been here before...

Frankly I'm surprised the sewers haven't been infested with Grimer since the beginning.



Speaking of Grimer, now we have to deal with two of them at once. Since dealing with just one is too easy.

Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


Here's its other attack: Shooting out puddles. It disappears after a second so it's not that hard to avoid.



The best strategy for multiple Pokemon is still the same: focus on one of them.

Captured Grimer: 3


Music: Krokka Tunnel


I'll relieve you of the Grimer... ...Urrrf... I can't take this! I won't breathe anymore.

Did it not occur to this dude to get some Vicks and rub it right under his nose? Sure some of the stink would get through, but most of it would be cut down.



:argh: Unintentional Corphish: 2



Up ahead, we find a Drowzee, which is a godsend for this mission.



And even better, its only attack is easy to avoid.



Required Loops: 6
Possible EXP: 26/30/34/39




I can see one of them scurrying around on the other side of the water... Hey, get lost, you little vermin! Whoops, sorry, I'm yelling at that critter, not you.

Going down, we find...



...A whole floor of sludge. With Koffing to boot. I'm definitely not going to drink water from here :barf:
The boss of this area is totally a Muk, isn't it?



The sludge coating the floor is what was left over after we tried to filter the water to make it drinkable. The sludge is very slippery. Don't try to skate on it or anything. It's too dangerous.

If you're wondering why the screen is purple, I'll explain that later.



Capturing Koffing certainly is unique. It has an attack, but we'll see it later in the overworld. As you might have guessed, it's why the screen was purple.
I love the capture gif!
Sadly, I can't make it for every Pokemon since doing that will expose how much I suck at this game.



Required Loops: 8
Possible EXP: 22/25/28/32




The sludge here (which won't disappear since there's no Grimer around) is slippery. And there's holes around. I think we all know what this means.

That's the second reason why this mission is bad.

Oh dear god... it's a combination sewer/ice level! :magical:



If we managed to get through the sludge without falling, we can reach this Raticate.

Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


It bites. That's it. It does move rather quickly, though.


Music: Capture Complete


Required Loops: 5
Possible EXP: 25/26/27/28/29/30


Music: Krokka Tunnel




Falling down is a quicker method for getting back.



Or at least it would be if I didn't get hit by Koffing's attack. It's the reason the screen is purple (just like Venonat.)

Koffing will do this exact attack in battle, but it won't do it if we're in the middle of looping it, so you shouldn't see this often.




Did I mention that this game has status effects? Well, this game has status effects. Poison from Koffing's attack causes us to move VERY SLOWLY. The speed in the GIF is the actual ingame speed.

AND it persists through screen transitions and encounters, so we're forced to wait for it to wear off over time. :sigh:

That sounds awful. Is there a way to cure the status effects like a consumable item?
Nope! In fact, there's no usable items whatsoever in this game !:buddy:



I actually managed to avoid the Corphish on the way back from the sludge hole.



Of course, the Corphish near the fork attacks while I was trying to Target Clear :sigh:

:argh: Unintentional Corphish: 3




Anyway, we cut this fence. Next time, I'll try to explain why I actually like this mission more than the last one.

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 18:24 on Apr 21, 2019

MayOrMayNotBeACat
Jul 22, 2017


At least it's the only sewer level in the series...?

1234567890num
Oct 6, 2017

Music: Krokka Tunnel


Up ahead, we meet a Croconaw.



It shoots puddles just like Grimer, but it shoots three times in succession.
At least its puddles are blue like water instead of neon green.
Neon green? This isn't Pokemon Uranium, you know. And Delta Camerupt isn't in this game.



It's not hard to deal with, but for some reason I managed to get hit repeatedly. So here's a shot of us using Recharge/Electric assist.



Required Loops: 5
Possible EXP: 30/35/40/45/50/55




Captured Grimer: 5



Urrp! It's making me nauseous... But I'll do my job and take what you capture. Don't expect me to breathe... *leaves*
:mad: Get over it.



Going ahead, we see these pipes. I don't think it's economical to just let the water flow through the floor like that. Not to mention that we're stepping on drinking water... :barf:
It's a popular sewer design for a reason, I suppose. Presumably there's a water treatment facility deeper inside the sewers somewhere.



The left path leads to another fork and a Corphish right in the intersection. It's as if they know Corphish is annoying and put it there solely to gently caress with you.

:argh: Unintentional Corphish: 5 (once more on the return trip)

The top path is a dead end and the left just leads to a Drowzee, so we're going to check out the second pipe.




Didn't expect to see you here.

Circe! What are you doing here?! ...You're capturing the mass outbreak of Grimer? Giggle... It sounds like the perfect job for a rookie. My mission is to investigate the Go-Rock Squad. We got word that one of their members is lurking down here. But, anyways... It smells beastly here. I can't be wasting any time on my top-priority mission, so I'll be on my way! *leaves*

Did you know her job was to investigate the Go-Rock Squad? Because her job is to investigate the Go-Rock Squad. How would we have ever known her job was to investigate the Go-Rock Squad without her telling us that her job is to investigate the Go-Rock Squad every 20 minutes?



gently caress.

:argh: Unintentional Corphish: 6

:psyduck: What was the designers' thought process for placing all these ambush Corphish?



Thought we were done dealing with the slippery sludge?



If we fall down this hole, we're dropped into the same place as last update.
So I'm still not seeing a lot of reasons why this section isn't as bad as the Skitty stuff. Because this looks like the worst parts of every sewer level jammed into what I can only assume is the game's nadir.
This one isn't as bad as the last one. There's no hole on the upper part, so you can actually just hug the northern wall.

Plus, there's going to be actual ice levels in this series. And they are MUCH worse than this. Especially Almia Castle :argh:




Out of the sludge, we find this post. We can't do anything with it yet. And yes, I did get caught by that Corphish.

:argh: Unintentional Corphish: 7




Sign Beware of weakened concrete walls! They are susceptible to crumbling! <Fall City Waterworks Dept.>

We can't do anything with this wall right now either.



We can do something with these Grimer, though.

Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


I haven't mentioned this earlier, but if we catch multiple Pokemon at once, the EXP we receive from each will increase. I don't know the formula for it, though.

Even three Grimer are easy to deal with Drowzee's assist. It's one of the reason I like this mission: because it teaches us how to deal with multiple Pokemon. This is the first mission with mandatory multiple Pokemon capture.

I do admit, it is stylish as hell to capture three Grimer at once. :clint:



In this case, the EXP we receive increase by 15 for every Grimer. With extra loops, we can get 54 EXP for each Grimer.

Captured Grimer: 8

Music: Krokka Tunnel


I can't talk... Talking makes me breathe. I'll take these without a word... *leaves*



Oh, what is it, Circe? Do you want to cross over to this side? It won't be any fun if I just tell you, so I'll give you two hints. I'm only saying this once, so listen! There is a Post here. And there is a Tangela somewhere. You can figure out the rest for yourself. I have to be going now. Bye!

But... you just...
This game is aimed for children. I'm sure there's some who consider this to be an obtuse hint.



Tangela is a very important Pokemon and we'll be required to capture it repeatedly during the game.

Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


...Which is a bad thing because Tangela gives a negative reaction time. Seriously, looking at the GIF, Tangela gave the signal AFTER it attacks.

And, to make things worse, it also moves by jumping around like Venonat. It moves less quickly, but a bigger pain in the rear end overall.

:stonk: I'm finding myself more and more thankful I haven't play this game before.

Music: Capture Complete


Required Loops: 2
Possible EXP: 30/38/46/54/62/70


At least it only needs two loops. I recommend not bothering with the extra EXP.

Music: Krokka Tunnel


Tangela can give quite a beating, so make sure to recharge if needed.

Anyway, now we can use Tangela's Field Move, Cross. We can cross the post near here, but we can now check out the pole we passed through before.




You know, if I can initiate the Target Clear without getting interrupted... :sigh:

:argh: Unintentional Corphish: 8




The second reason I like this mission: This is the first mission where we get to explore optional areas.



Squirtle is actually very easy to miss. You don't know how many times I came here and didn't see Squirtle because I didn't bother going to this corner.



Squirtle is Poliwag but requires less loops, gives more EXP, and harder to find.



Required Loops: 3
Possible EXP: 22/25/28/32




As you might have guessed, we're not going to go through here anytime soon.
I hope there's something nice on the other side!



Meditite is similar to Makuhita just like Squirtle to Poliwag.



Required Loops: 4
Possible EXP: 22/26/30/36




Most of the time, the game is nice enough not to force us to use Cross for the return trip.

As an added bonus, I actually managed to avoid the Corphish this time :toot:




It's a good game design to show us two unclearable targets, and then gave us the Pokemon we need just a little ways ahead, forcing us to backtrack and discover new Pokemon.



The very different design of the area reinforces the idea that you're actually exploring and discovering something new. The sewer isn't the first place you'd think to find Oddish, but here it is.
I really like this little natural cave hidden behind a concrete wall. It really does feel like you're discovering something.



Unlike Bellsprout, Oddish's leaf doesn't return like a boomerang.



Required Loops: 5
Possible EXP: 20/23/26/30




Magneton is relatively tough for a portable battery.



Required Loops: 3
Possible EXP: 8


It does restore more, though. It restores 15 (I think) instead of the normal 5. It's a full heal right now.
I swear this section had to have two different people working on it at the same time. On the one hand you have ambush Corphish, ice physics, an annoying NPC who won't stop complaining, and, as far as I can tell, unavoidable status effects that make you move even slower.

But then on the other hand, you have a neat little optional side path that has multiple uncommon capture pokemon and even a guaranteed full heal for going out of your way to explore. The two parts of the map are a little incongruous with each other.

The status effects can be avoided very easily, actually. I just got hit by it to show it off. Can't defend the other parts, though.



With the diversion done, we go back to the main route.



There's another Meditite and shortcut up ahead. This is the less involved method of getting Oddish and Magneton.



Up ahead there's another pipe. There's no branches in this one. Did I mention that there's water flow here from top to bottom and thus we move very slowly while in these pipes?
Not gonna lie, I'm still not seeing the good parts of this sewer. The few bright spots aren't enough to overcome the absolutely atrocious "waste the player's time at all stops" design philosophy that seemingly went into this.



We can get Raticate from last update here, but :effort:

The pipe here isn't actually the one we just went through. It's the way we need to go.




This pipe has a 'H' shape with us going in from the top right. And, of course, with Corphish at both intersections.

:argh: Unintentional Corphish: 9 (There goes 2 minutes of my life...)




Huh. That's very nice of the game. (This is in the bottom right exit.)



gently caress you.





Another example of rewarding exploration.



Crawdaunt also bites (albeit with its claws), but it actually dashes to the line, which makes it quite dangerous.



Required Loops: 10
Possible EXP: 40/45/50/55/60/65


Crawdaunt teaches us that sometimes we need to not release our Styler when it attacks. You might have seen me doing that while showing off attacks.

This is a technique you need to pick up on your own but is absolutely vital. It's one of the big stumbling blocks for newcomers.

I admit, it's not something I would have thought about doing, but it is a clever technique!



:byewhore:

I'm actually thankful for the flowing water since it's now speeding us up. And this is the last Corphish in the sewer :dance:




Looks like your estimation is off, DN.
Darn. Oh well, off by 3 isn't too bad.

Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


I almost forgot to show Plusle's upgraded assist. Here's the changes:
  • The Pokemon is now stunned longer except Ground types which isn't affected and resistant types which might as well not be paralyzed.
  • We can use Electric assist when we have at least one bar. It will correspond to the number of bars we have filled. After using the assist, the gauge will reset, so leftovers are wasted.
  • Plusle now discharges in 4 ways instead of 3. This is important since it reduces the chance of missing (yes, the discharge can miss the Pokemon, thus wasting it).


Music: Krokka Tunnel


Captured Grimer: 11

You should return to the Ranger Base and report to Joel...



Huh? What the...? There's an even worse stench coming from over there. Urrrgggh! It's making my nose go weird! *leaves*

Good news: The boss of this mission is indeed Muk! But it's not just a Muk.

Video: Muk + 2 Grimer




Oh that's a bad pun, haha. Also, err, make that off by 5?
I don't know which one is worse, that pun or your guess :v:

I... I'll get word to your Leader!

The way this scene plays makes it seem like the engineer is going to tattle to Muk's leader.



This is the shortcut to the beginning of the sewers. There's a Drowzee nearby if you feel like trivializing the boss.



So, Muk.

New Music: Wild Boss Pokemon Encounter




Music: Capture Complete


It's captured in 15 seconds.
Hahahaha. Given that the Drowzee is right there, there's zero reason to not just dunk on this Muk as hard as you can.

Captured Grimer: 13 (I know it's an infestation, but isn't 13 a bit much?)



Required Loops: 10
Possible EXP: 58/64/70/78


Before we continue, though, let's actually see Muk's attacks.



We'll capture the Grimer first. Fun fact: The more loops we make around a Pokemon (but still not enough to capture), the higher the ball jumps before breaking.



Another fun fact: EXP are gained right after a Pokemon is captured, not at the end of the encounter. That means we can level up at the middle of the encounter, which also acts as a full heal. It can be nice surprise.



Muk's attacks are just Grimer's except its sludge trails lasts longer.

Music: Krokka Tunnel


I mean, it's so overpowering, I can't smell anything anymore! Look, see? Watch me breathe deeply. In, out, in, out!

You might want to have your nose checked :ohdear:
Welp. This rando ranger is never tasting anything again. That sucks.

OK, I'll haul this last lot away. Good job! *leaves*

Music: Mission Clear!




...What about me? I didn't spot any Go-Rock Squad members, and my clothes smell horrible now. There's no reason for me to stay here even another moment. So, I'll be on my way. I wouldn't dawdle if I were you. You should report to the Ranger Base right away.

*They both leave*



Wow, Aria. Turns out you're very incompetent :colbert:
I'm somehow not surprised that she's this bad at her job. All she does is wander around aimlessly telling everyone else how to do theirs.

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 18:24 on Apr 21, 2019

Black Robe
Sep 12, 2017

Generic Magic User


There should be an alternate solution to every puzzle/obstacle/battle in this mission and that solution should just be throwing a metric fuckton of Corphish at every problem. Crossing a gap? Fill it with Corphish. Beating an enemy? Literally bury them in goddamn Corphish. Fed up with an NPC? Chuck a Corphish at their head. Breaking down a wall? Use a pile of Corphish to climb over. Strut out at the end with an entire army of the little buggers, no other Pokemon necessary.

AweStriker
Oct 6, 2014

1234567890num posted:



...Which is a bad thing because Tangela gives a negative reaction time. Seriously, looking at the GIF, Tangela gave the signal AFTER it attacks.

To me it looks like the signal for Tangela's attack isn't it leaning forward, but leaning back. I can see in the gif that it's not in a neutral pose before it throws the vine.

PetraCore
Jul 20, 2017

👁️🔥👁️👁️👁️BE NOT👄AFRAID👁️👁️👁️🔥👁️

I think this is the Pokemon Ranger game I played! But I got stuck on a certain boss and couldn't seem to advance no matter what.

Aesculus
Mar 22, 2013

PetraCore posted:

I think this is the Pokemon Ranger game I played! But I got stuck on a certain boss and couldn't seem to advance no matter what.

Are you talking about ----Groudon----? Yeah, it doesn't help that your partner's poke assists are completely useless since Ground is immune to Electric too. :doh: I never did get past that one, not even when I replayed it years later on an entirely new DS.

Crosspeice
Aug 9, 2013

This can definitely be a tricky game, but I still love the series overall... and completely wrecked my screen since then. But replaying them on a 3DS worked out a lot better.

mateo360
Mar 20, 2012

TOO MANY PEOPLE MERLOCK!
ONLY ONE DIJON!
The one big problem i found with this game that they fixed in later games is that you have to get all the loops in one motion. The two sequels makes it so it's more of a HP number and you can lift the stylus between loops.

PetraCore
Jul 20, 2017

👁️🔥👁️👁️👁️BE NOT👄AFRAID👁️👁️👁️🔥👁️

Aesculus posted:

Are you talking about ----Groudon----? Yeah, it doesn't help that your partner's poke assists are completely useless since Ground is immune to Electric too. :doh: I never did get past that one, not even when I replayed it years later on an entirely new DS.
Salamence. Maybe I was doing something wrong, I think I tried to get past that by looping as fast as I could instead of pausing mid-loop to dodge attacks, but iirc it had a shockwave that went out from it in all directions.

Blaze Dragon
Aug 28, 2013
LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

mateo360 posted:

The one big problem i found with this game that they fixed in later games is that you have to get all the loops in one motion. The two sequels makes it so it's more of a HP number and you can lift the stylus between loops.

Yeah, this is the real big fix between Ranger 1 and 2. It greatly helps the gameplay and makes it far less frustrating, especially on some later bosses.

1234567890num
Oct 6, 2017

Black Robe posted:

There should be an alternate solution to every puzzle/obstacle/battle in this mission and that solution should just be throwing a metric fuckton of Corphish at every problem. Crossing a gap? Fill it with Corphish. Beating an enemy? Literally bury them in goddamn Corphish. Fed up with an NPC? Chuck a Corphish at their head. Breaking down a wall? Use a pile of Corphish to climb over. Strut out at the end with an entire army of the little buggers, no other Pokemon necessary.

This game would be better with this. It would make the Corphish tolerable.

AweStriker posted:

To me it looks like the signal for Tangela's attack isn't it leaning forward, but leaning back. I can see in the gif that it's not in a neutral pose before it throws the vine.

The cue for almost all attacks are the exclamation mark above the Pokemon's head and their cry. And those are done after the attack, so I still consider it negative reaction time.

Aesculus posted:

Are you talking about ----Groudon----? Yeah, it doesn't help that your partner's poke assists are completely useless since Ground is immune to Electric too. :doh: I never did get past that one, not even when I replayed it years later on an entirely new DS.

That one is actually painfully easy, though it'll be a long while until we get there. Grab Poliwrath or Sceptile to trivialize it. I find it's nowhere near as hard as Kyogre.

PetraCore posted:

Salamence. Maybe I was doing something wrong, I think I tried to get past that by looping as fast as I could instead of pausing mid-loop to dodge attacks, but iirc it had a shockwave that went out from it in all directions.

This, on the other hand, is by far the hardest boss in the game. But, again, it'll be a while until we get there. I might have to actually slow the game down for this one.

Crosspeice posted:

This can definitely be a tricky game, but I still love the series overall... and completely wrecked my screen since then. But replaying them on a 3DS worked out a lot better.

My DS' touch screen has scars from this game...

Jen X
Sep 29, 2014

To bring light to the darkness, whether that darkness be ignorance, injustice, apathy, or stagnation.

Blaze Dragon posted:

Yeah, this is the real big fix between Ranger 1 and 2. It greatly helps the gameplay and makes it far less frustrating, especially on some later bosses.

For all that I enjoy this game, I think the sequel is a much better game in a lot of ways

I beat it twice and I think I've only ever done that with like 3 games

1234567890num
Oct 6, 2017

Music: Ranger Base


You restored clean drinking water to the citizens of Fall City by yourself. You restored the city's lifeblood!

No mention of the guy who sacrificed his smell? :patriot:
He's probably not allowed to comment on cases currently undergoing active litigation.

Those captures you made would have challenged veteran Rangers! You've outdone yourself again. I'm hereby certifying you as Ranger Rank 4, Circe.

Music: Rank Up!


We're moving up in the world! :woop:
The ranks are coming fast and furious! Do they slow down in the future, or is it still a 1:1 ratio of rank ups to missions?
They come for every mission, but we're not usually going to be given one right after another. Us getting 3 missions in a row is a special case.

This 'unlocks' Ground and Bug Assist.

Music: Ranger Base
Circe, now that you are a Rank 4 Ranger, there's something I should tell you. You are permitted to add one more friend Pokemon to your party when you reached Ranks 4, 7, and 10. Actually, all Stylers have the capacity to allow up to seven friend Pokemon in your party. However, novices can't make full use of party Pokemon if there are too many. That's why we cap the Styler. Allow me to remove the first cap on your Styler's party capacity. Circe, you are now authorized to be accompanied by up to five friend Pokemon in addition to your partner.



:toot:
Part of me is really hoping that there are puzzles later on that require a specific combination of pokemon friends.



From: Spenser
To: Joel and Circe

I've got unconfirmed reports that the Go-Rock Squad has resumed activities in Summerland. Circe, if you're not on active mission, head for Summerland. This isn't a mission. I want you to gather intelligence on the Go-Rock Squad with your own eyes and ears.

Looks like it's finally time to go to Summerland! :dance:
Everyone break out your sunscreen and big floppy hats!

Now even Summerland is threatened by the Go-Rock Squad... I would like you to go there immediately, but there's a major problem. For some unknown reason, the ferry to Summerland hasn't been running. If you took the Dragonite Bus, you would be in Summerland instantly... But you can't use it at your Ranger Rank. Now what to do?

This is why you should've had a Pokemon that could fly as your partner. Like Spenser with his Fearow. :colbert:

*Thinks* ...Oh, that's right. How about asking the Lapras Guy who is always in the harbor? If you explain your situation, he may be willing to let you ride the Lapras. He's quite a reasonable and generous person. It's worth a try.

Looks like we're going to mooch off a guy and his Lapras. Looks like the Rangers should've invest more in their transportation :colbert:

But before that, we'll look at our newly-available assists.




It's Bug type, which means it sucks in terms of typing matchup.



It's pretty much exactly the same as Grass, including the ineffectiveness against flying Pokemon.

Anyway with that done, it's time to go to Summerland talk to people in Fall City. This is going to be a very length section, so if you don't care about NPC chatter, just scroll until you see a Lapras.

The Go-Rock Squad may be in Summerland? Hmm... The Go-Rock Squad loose on that peaceful island...
So far, we investigated pretty well every possible place we could think of. But we haven't had any luck tracking the trail of the Go-Rock Squad...

Have you tried examining the inside of Dusk Factory?

...Hey? Come to think of it, has anyone seen Aria around lately? She's got the chops to be a great Ranger. She's considered the No. 1 candidate to become a Leader, even. But just between you and me, I can sure do without that harsh personality.



You need to be endorsed by a Leader or pass a certification exam to be accepted. Aria supposedly got the highest score ever on that exam.

Supposedly? :raise:
No wonder Aria doesn't like us. She studied hard to join and we just wrote 50,000 letters begging to join the Rangers. Oh well, sucks to be her!

Hey there, rookie! ...Actually, I'd say you're not much of a greenhorn rookie anymore. I see this here Dragonite Bus still has you interested. After all, if you take to the skies on it, you'll find yourself at another Ranger Base just like that! There's nothing more I'd like to do than let you fly just as soon as you get the Ranger Leader's permission. So, I suggest you get out there and earn yourself some more experience!

Soon, Dragonite Guy. Soon...

Music: Fall City


No

Well, I guess not! A plain Ranger like you wouldn't get the chance to talk to a leader like Joel.

Yes

Then, please, can you do this for me? Please, convey my love to that dreamboat Joel!

Sadly, we cannot help this girl convey her message :(



But why did the Grimer move into the waterworks? There weren't any there before. It's all very strange.

Grimers love sewers. What's not to understand? :psyduck:



You deserve a medal for putting up with that awful stench.

There's another Ranger who also put up with that stench. He complained the whole time, but he still did his duty :patriot:



Pwaaah! It's cold! It has no flavor! There's definitely no odor! This is the way Fall City's tap water has to be!

I don't know... There's still Koffing running around down there...



Snubbull is Daddy, Torchic will be Mommy. And we'll be the twin babies, Ranger girl!
Apparently, I get to play the part of a Grimer when we play house...

That's adorable :3:



Being robbed of the Super Styler was a terrible shock to him, I think... To Prof. Hastings, the Styler is something that represents his whole life from the time he was a teenager. He really has dedicated his life to its research and development. If his Stylers were to be used for criminal acts... I'm worried about the professor...



It will be our 20th anniversary soon.
I suppose it's a waste of time to tell you this... But I'm going to celebrate my 20th anniversary with my wife soon. I'm planning to give my beloved a vacation in Summerland. Ssssh! I'm keeping it a secret from her.

This couple is still very sweet :unsmith:



But I do get lonely sometimes.

...Unlike this guy :smith:



Want to stay and have some tea or something?

As much as I want to, the game won't let me :(



The tap water has become sweetly delicious again. I've heard that you're the one to thank. You were the one that cleaned things up in the waterworks? Thank you so much. Oh, must you leave already? I'm sorry to see you go, but I mustn't impose on your time.



The old lady downstairs was really happy that she got back clean water from the tap.
Don't you wish there was an elevator here? Ahaha! I knew you would! The both of us could use some toughening up!

Good news: We're a third of the way done!



Oh, hello! Are you sure you can afford to waste time here, Ranger?
I'm worried about how things are going. You know, like how the clock tower was almost wrecked. Oh, and how the tap water turned smelly, too. That sort of thing damages the town's image.



I hear they have a Marine Capture Challenge where you compete against other Rangers.



They have different temperaments, and they all look different, too. Oh? You couldn't tell?
Our Skitty have stopped running away on us. Did you say something to them when you captured them?

Of course not! Circe is a silent protagonist after all. Unspoken dialogue, on the other hand...



How's Fall City Fountain for a name? Is that too obvious?

Yes. Also, I just noticed that the water sprouts are Horsea statues.
Falling Waters Fountain
:cripes:



I thought up a new souveninr item for tourists. Fall City's famous clock tower dumplings! I'm going to get rich off those babies!



Some people claim to have seen them treating Pokemon cruelly.



They say she's also amazing at doing captures. And that icy-cold attitude... Don't you think she's the greatest?

So you're the type of guy who likes Tsundere, huh?



Victreebel? Vileplume? ...Cradily?
There's plenty of Pokemon that fit the bill, really. You're close, but it's actually Gloom.

Anyway, we're almost done. Only the harbor is left.

Music: Fall City Harbor


I can't remember what it was officially, but they made it shorter. It would be like calling you PokeRan!

PokeRan is a pretty good nickname for this series, not gonna lie.





If you want to ride the Lapras, you'll need to befriend the Lapras Guy.
No one told us that we can't go to Summerland! I bought a cute swimsuit for the resort, too!
I'd like to go to Summerland, but the ferry is out of service.



But, you know? I'd love to take a gently rocking cruise on a Lapras just once.

That's everyone beside the Lapras guy.



Music: Trouble


Speaking of...



It and its buddy got so mad, they went after my Lapras...

This presumably is based off of Gen 3. Lapras can learn Thunderbolt in Gen 3. I don't see a problem here. :colbert:
The problem is that TM doesn't exist in Fiore, so its best move is Body Slam.



Um...

You're kidding?! You're ignoring Lapras's plight?!

Of course we'll help. We do need a favor, after all.

That's the spirit, Ranger! Even your reply is cool!



Music: Wild Pokemon Capture


If you can catch 2 Grimer + Muk, you can catch 2 Krabby.
You even got some bonus style points.

Music: Fall City Harbor
Thanks, Ranger! You're my Lapras's savior! Oh, I also hate to seem ungrateful, but I'd like you to return those Krabby to the sea. It was my own carelessness that got us into this mess. Those Krabby aren't to blame.



We owe you huge! If there's anything I or my Lapras can do for you, don't be too shy to say it!

*Circe explains to Lapras Guy*

What's that? You want to go to Summerland? That's all you want form us? Ride my Lapras, and you'll get there in no time. There's no need for any boat or for you to swim!
*To Lapras* Lapras, don't let me down!

Lapras: Puuw wuu.

Circe and the Lapras connected on an emotional level!



Spoiler: This is apparently the only Lapras in Fiore, so we're not going to capture any.

It looks as if my Lapras has taken a shine to you. If you want to ride my Lapras, feel free to go for it whenever you like. Don't worry about me!



That was easy. Off we go!
Pictured: Circe about half a second from missing the Lapras and going for a swim in the harbor.



Next time: Summerland. Finally.
It sounds like the water around Fall City is as clear as the Caribbean is supposed to be.

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 18:27 on Apr 21, 2019

Geemer
Nov 4, 2010



I really like how this game just says the styler is actually already fully powered, but has limits on it to let the newbies ease in.
It's better than just magically being able to use more energy/have more friends at certain points and our protagonist doesn't seem like the kind of person to just slot in random things they found on the street into their hard-earned styler.

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Zanzibar Ham
Mar 17, 2009

You giving me the cold shoulder? How cruel.


Grimey Drawer
Hopefully the Styler doesn't have some special environmental protection capabilities that you'll only be authorized to activate once you're already halfway inside an active volcano or something.

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