Welcome to another chapter of Diary! As always, I do not own Pokémon, and enjoy!

14: Bugs in the Shadows

Day 13 (February 23, 2018)

Off to another episode of the Gracie channel!

This time, it's up to Azalea, and do I have a lot of things planned for that…

First things first, the Togepi egg. It's required to get this item after Violet City, although the player is not required to do anything with it. I'm just going to keep in my party anyway, because I have a soft spot for Togepi.

And the first of the Kimono Girls appears here… I always liked the Kimono Girls, and they are confirmed to know the protagonist of Usurping. Suffice to say they will play a part in her stories, but I have no idea what part they will play in Gracie's… It may have to do with Gracie being worthy of the legendary Pokémon… They're slightly different in the Traveler universe. The youngest is a traveling Trainer rather than a performer. She travels with the protagonist of Usurping for a time. So, nor for the remaining four sisters to have all eight Eevee evolutions, each of them has two.

Maybe Gracie actually does receive an Egg, having it explained that sometimes traveling Trainers hatch Eggs for others. She still starts to wonder about having her own egg and mate, but doesn't want to slow down her mission. Falkner mentions there some sort of system that allows Pokémon to carry others' Eggs inside of them (meaning, like a surrogate). While Gracie wouldn't get to keep the baby or have a mate, she would at least be able to understand what having an egg is like. The old couple near Goldenrod would more information, and supposedly it pays well. Gracie decides to keep it in mind.

This is based on something in gameplay, where players can hatch eggs for each other, or if one player has more than one version, they can hatch eggs for the other one. I've done both situations, and I have also hatched eggs for other people. Plus I also think would be interesting to see what Gracie does what comes to pregnancy and childbirth because her species is often associated with motherly vibes. It would change her relationship with another character later though, from two friends to mother-daughter…

Anyway, the Ruins of Alph is to the west. The Ruins of Alph is fairly important in the other books, but Gracie has no reason to go there now. There's not much to do at this point, except listen to some cool music and catch a few species of Unown. However, it becomes much more relevant gameplay wise once the player gets the abilities cross water, and a secret entrance is discovered. I plan on doing this part of the game, even though it's not related to the main story. Therefore, I will do anything about the ruins of Alph that relates to this story after I get the ability to cross water.

So on Gracie goes.

I'm playing that night, and there's a very useful Pokémon, Wooper that appears here if the game is played at night. I catch it mainly for HM reasons.

The Trainers here pretty easy, but it's worth noting there are two paths. One is a giant fishing area with a huge bridge and water. Another is through the grass. I think that Gracie will actually learn how to fish, because several Trainers here offer to teach the player. It's worth noting that this is the first of the games where viable water type Pokémon from fishing can be gotten very early on (meaning with the Old Rod, rather than the Good Rod). So it would make sense story wise.

This is probably where Falkner starts to teach Gracie how to be comfortable with flying, although he lets Gracie walk around the routes to train. She also learns that he is the Vessel of Lugia, and Gracie shudders as she thinks of Amber. However, she reassures herself that Amber and Falkner are not the same, and that she should wait before judging.

Anyway, on the route I continue.

There's the Old Rod here. And of course, the person who tries to con the player out of all their money with a useless Slowpoketail… It will never work, because the value the person asks for is impossible to get legitimately in the game… But back in the day, I thought that could work, so I tried figuring out ways I could get that much money… And then when I actually got to the point in the game where the player can buy that item, I bought a lot of them thinking they were useful. Turns out they're not...

I get why they're not in the regular game story, because it's considered something illegal, but the Pokémon lore also states they are pleasant to chew on, so I would think they would at least be a healing item. Not to mention I don't understand what's so bad about taking the tails other than the people doing it didn't ask anyone's permission and didn't seem to care for the Pokémon... I feel like the emphasis was more how was done, rather than the tails themselves…

Which is why the tails are more useful and don't have a negative connotation in the Traveler universe.

Slowpoketails have a legal business near Azalea, and they're priced slightly higher than some other foods. It's so much having exotic food, and having that be more expensive or having to go to a special market (e.g like crab or lobster for a lot of places, or any area where a foreign food is available, but not local). Furthermore, the locals have found a way to do it that doesn't really bother the Slowpoke, so it's become a thriving trade. Falkner gets one for Gracie, and she thinks about how tasty it is, but also about how odd it is that she's eating the tail of another Pokémon. She decides she will respect Slowpoke from now on for bringing other something so delicious.

This idea is based off of several ways of hunting or otherwise using animals without killing them. For example, there's a dish that's made from crab claws, but doesn't involve killing the animal. Instead, the crab has two claws, and fishermen cut off the larger of the claws. The crab is tossed back into the ocean, where can hunt with a similar claw until the other one grows back. Then, the cycle repeats again. I remember when I had the dish for the first time, and was surprised at how was made… I haven't had in years though, so I miss it…

Anyway, moving on.

Also, I realize that I forgot to get the HM Rock Smash, so I head back. Good thing I did, because there's a very good item hiding past a breakable rock… It's a Shell Bell, something that heals HP based on the amount of damage the holder does. It's a pretty good item for Gracie, considering her offensive stats, so I equip it to her.

Anyway, time to enter the Union Cave (or as some people hilariously call it, the Onion Cave). It's a small cave that's already lit up, so it's easy to traverse. The claim to fame is that once the player gets the ability to cross water, they can find the secret entrance to the Ruins of Alph, and catch the rare Pokémon Lapras. Unfortunately, Lapras only appears under very specific conditions, and it's not required to complete the run. So I don't know if I will see it here.

For now, it's time to go through the cave. It isn't too difficult, but I do have to worry about Power Points. Also worth noting that the short route here is almost always raining, so I might include something about how Gracie feels about the rain.

Anyway, I enter Azalea. This quite a bit to do here, and some story too, but I'm saving it for later.

Because now Gracie has to drive back Team Rocket from the Slowpoke Well. Off to go talk to a man named Kurt, and she is on her way.

The Slowpoke Well, like its name implies, is one of the few places to catch Slowpoke. However, they don't appear as Trainer battles here. Instead, the battles are against Team Rocket and their many Poison Type Pokémon.

Also, Gracie gets a move here, Wish. It's a powerful healing move, but doesn't take effect until the end of the turn after it's used. I am not sure if I will actually use it due to healing potions and items being available, but it's worth learning for now.

Anyway, Team Rocket Executive Proton makes his first appearance. He actually was present in the original, but went unnamed. Proton claims to be ruthless, but he is also a coward and master of dirty fighting. He is one of the Team Rocket members that helps to lead the resurrected organization. I have my thoughts on this entire plot, but I will save them for later. Furthermore, the Traveler series has him acting almost completely the same as the canon counterpart, but the circumstances for the resurrection are very different. Again, that's something I will get to later.

Proton is not tough, with his poison type Pokémon being taken down by Confusion. After that, Kurt takes Gracie to his place, and talks little bit about Apricorns.

Speaking of which, might as well talk about Kurt now. Kurt is an interesting character, but unfortunately not all that useful. He makes exclusive Poke Balls from Apricorns using an ancient technique. Unfortunately, these Poke Balls aren't all that helpful. The reason is because of the process used to make them.

The player must bring Kurt his materials from various trees. Once the materials are collected, Kurt can only make one set of Poke Balls at a time. While he can make multiples of the same ball, he can't do more than one type of ball per request. It's also worth noting that although the player can call him to check on the progress of request, they cannot obtain the finished items from him, nor can they send him materials. So it becomes tedious, because the only way to get items from Kurt is to physically go back to Azalea… The player gets the ability to instantly fly to locations later on, but by that time, they will have much better equipment. So Kurt is rather useless, unfortunately. It's also worth noting that his granddaughter goes unnamed in the games, but the anime reveals her name is Maisie.

I don't really have much of an opinion on Kurt personality wise, especially since he's never seen battling. He is part of a special event in both the anime and the games. In the anime, he is the conclusion of the GS Ball arc, taking the item and trying to study it. Unfortunately, that arc was supposed to longer and contain Celebi, but it never came to be.

In the games, this event can be completed in full. The player receives a GS Ball in Goldenrod, and takes it to Kurt. Kurt is unsure what it is, but decides to study it. After a day has passed, Kurt has figured out something and asked the player to take the GS Ball to Ilex Forest. He states that the forest has grown restless, and asks the player to investigate. Celebi then appears when the player enters the forest, and can be battled after the player interacts with the shrine in the center. Kurt then ends the event by saying that this will inspire him to make better Poke Balls.

The interesting thing about this event of is its history. It's one of the few mythical Pokémon events that is now available to all players, but didn't start out that way. Originally, it was only available to copies of Japanese Crystal that used a Pokémon mobile service. The event was translated into English, but never used in the game. However, it could still be activated if the player cheated to get a GS Ball. It was also worth knowing that the mobile service did not need to be used, instead transferring the beginning of the event to the Pokémon Center itself. Regions outside of Japan did not have a legitimate way of performing this event until Pokémon Crystal released on the 3DS Virtual Console. This release was nearly two decades after the original event, and also added the additional requirement of completing the main game. The GS Ball is not found at all in the remakes, with the event instead been replaced by one in which the player finds out Silver is Giovanni's son, and a Celebi solo battle with Giovanni.

As for the GS Ball, I doubt it will make an appearance in the Traveler series, although if it will, that will be very late. Also worth noting that the GS Ball arc in the anime starts with Professor Ivy, so she'll probably make an appearance here.

Anyway, I have bigger fish to fry.

Like Silver.

Silver appears when the player tries to proceed to the Ilex Forest. His team is a bit tougher, but since two out of the three members are poison types, Gracie doesn't have much trouble. It's worth noting that he had an issue where if Totodile was his starter, it would show up in its second form before it could legally get to that evolution. This was fixed in the remakes by making his starter higher-leveled.

So after that fight, I head to the final area; Azalea Gym.

This gym has received a complete redesign, and it's really cool. Originally, there was just a simple puzzle of heading through trees, with no traps at all.

Now, it's changed to having the Pokémon Spinarak moving through spiderwebs as the player traverses the Gym. The Pokémon have colored pathways, and flicking a switch of the same color changes the pathway they are on. Strategically flicking the switches determines what Trainers the player will battle, and how they reach the leader. I imagine if this Gym were to be put into the Traveler universe, Gracie would be a bit freaked out because of the height. However, thanks to Falkner helping her with her difficulties in air, she'd be able to traverse it easier.

Anyway, the trainers here are not difficult. It's mostly due to severe level disadvantage, though. Gracie is at level 20. To put that in perspective, that's around the level a player can expect to be at when facing the fourth gym. Bugsy is the second.

Speaking of Bugsy, I may as well talk about him.

I'm rather neutral on him. I do like the nerdy researcher type of personality that he has, but I don't like how the anime turned him into a bratty kid… I'm never understand why they did that, considering he's a respected researcher in every other medium… Also worth noting that he looks like a girl, so some fan works have portrayed him as female. I won't be doing that here.

Anyway, Bugsy got a significant upgrade in the remakes. In the original games, he had Fury Cutter. This attack that stronger the more times a hit in a row. However, it started at only 10 power when other weaker moves were around 35. Furthermore, the attack could miss, and then the power level would reset. He had a powerful Pokémon called a Scyther, but since his Type had many weaknesses, it was little more than mildly annoying.

The remakes gave Busgy U-Turn.

Which is a move that often strikes first, and has over 80 power.

The player's Pokémon don't have anything near that level.

The only upside is that he will automatically switch out into his other Pokémon, Metapod and Kakuna after that. They're significantly weaker, but as soon as they are down, Scyther comes back out.

To make matters worse, all of Scyther's other moves have been boosted in power thanks to something called Technician. Technician boosts the power of weaker moves, and all of Scyther's other ones fit that definition.

Bugsy calls Scyther the bug Pokémon warrior. He's not kidding.

With Gracie's weak defense and Type disadvantage, this will be a dangerous fight.

But I begin anyway.

And I get insanely lucky.

Gracie uses Confusion, and Scyther uses Leer. It probably is setting up to weaken me and take me out on the next turn, but never gets the chance. Instead, Gracie hits her opponent again, confusing it. Scyther hits itself in confusion, and Gracie finishes it off. Fairly easy fight, but it could have gone much worse…

And then there's just a bit of story.

Gracie reaches Azalea, finding Karen and Will, as well as Prof. Ivy, there. Karen and Will greet Gracie warmly, as does Professor Ivy. The two Elite Four members explain that although they are members of Kanto, they still return now and then to defend their homeland. Professor Ivy states that she will sometimes study the creatures of Johto and travel there. Gracie nods, and Falkner also says hello. The group engages in small talk, when they hear a commotion. It appears rebels are attacking along with Team Rocket and June. Professor Ivy suspects that they are targeting the forest to the west, but they want to subdue the town so it doesn't cause them any harm.

Even with their combined strength, the rebels prove more than a match. Falkner and the Gym Leader Bugsy are injured, and Gracie thinks that this will be the worst possible outcome. All of a sudden, shadows appear in the sky darkening everything. As if possessed by their own will, the shadows shoot out and attack all of the enemies. The enemies are caught off guard, with many not knowing what is going on. June starts to say "You… What are you doing here?". Gracie wonders what June is referring to, but feels like she can barely move. She becomes terrified as the shadows reach out for her as well, but they feel almost comforting, like sleep. Gracie lets herself drift off, as Professor Ivy and Karen muse on what happened.

Gracie wakes up later, and the others are relieved to see she is safe. She asks about what happened, and Prof. Ivy thinks it's an intervention of one of the other Pokémon gods. Gracie's eyes widen, and she remembers what she knows about Arceus and her miracles. Gracie wonders if this is one of them, and Will shakes his head. He states that those familiar with Johto know Arceus from one of the worship sites there, and that doesn't appear to be her. Gracie thinks it's a Vessel, but Karen doesn't believe so.

The Dark Type user's eyes hard and she says she can think of only one Pokémon that acts like that. Gracie trembles as she says the name Giratina. Gracie is stunned, thinking of Giratina as the critical judge of the dead and the one that leads people and Pokémon to the afterlife. She shivers, remembering that Giratina would become angry at those who took honest souls before their time, subjecting them to his ghostly justice. And although he was fair to most of the dead, he was known to be vicious to those who dared threaten his allies. And once someone earned his loyalty and respect, he would never look back.

Gracie wonders why he would find them all worth protecting, because they were just ordinary people and Pokémon. And he seemed particularly harsh. Gracie thinks that it might've just been because those people wanted to end their lives, but she is not sure. She then looks at Karen, wondering why one of the gods of Sinnoh would be here. Karen replies that he could have forged a pact with a Trainer, in which case he would dutifully follow them to the end. Gracie wonders if it's because of a Vessel, and Karen replies it's not. She shakes her head as she explains Giratina does not have a Vessel. He hasn't had one for long as anyone can remember, even though many Trainers have tried.

Gracie simply replies "Then who…" Will cuts in "The Mold Breaker". Gracie's eyes widened, and Will continues, "According to legend, the Mold Breaker has known Giratina since she was a baby, and as soon as the two met, he became ever fateful." Gracie continues to act surprised, wondering how the Mold Breaker would know Giratina for that long. Professor Ivy explains Giratina is one of the gods of death. The Mold Breaker has been through many situations where she has been close to dying, so Giratina knows that Trainer very well. She continues saying that that Trainer may be ruthless, but the Mold Breaker also has an instinctive need to protect others in trouble. Gracie thinks it's ironic that someone is using a God of death to protect people.

She then asked why the rebels were trying to attack the forest of the west. Prof. Ivy states that the forest contains a shrine to honor Celebi, and almost every Trainer knows that obtaining Celebi also means obtaining great power. Gracie asks if Celebi has a Vessel to protect it, and Professor Ivy's eyes are full of sadness, as she states that the Vessel for Celebi died some years ago. Since then, it has yet to choose another, and Gracie thinks it had better hurry up.

Later on, the group finds out that Falkner's still the hospital, and it will be a while before he gets better. Gracie is crestfallen, wanting to continue her journey but not wanting to leave Falkner behind. Professor Ivy comforts her, saying that Falkner is in good hands, and offers to travel with her in his place. She says that she would like to study Gracie's interesting relationship with the training world, and Gracie accepts.

That's it for now. Next time, Goldenrod, and even more interesting story!