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

25: Order of Things

Day 24 (March 18, 2018): Hoenn

And back with another Gracie episode! Time to go into the second half of Hoenn as I work to complete the game.

Also worth noting that Holly Rising has started back up after a bit of an absence. What happens there affects almost all the other stories, even those in alternate timelines. So once prompts are given for Holly Rising, that will take priority over this until complete. Holly Rising is expected to be done mid 2018.

After that there will be Diary, and any other gameplay related stories (but not their corresponding story only parts). What follows will be Daughter and Corruption (if not completed before then). Finally, I will be working on the sequel to Holly Rising, called Flowers Falling. This will be done after bit of research, and the sequel to that is Purpose Searching.

Once all this is done, the works in Holly Rising's timeline will be completed. However, there is still a companion story or two that takes place there. Since Holly Rising's timeline interacts with Usurping's, these companion stories probably will not start until Usurping does. The outcome of Holly Rising's timeline also affects the prequel to Usurping, Mold Breaker. However, there are still snippets of Holly's Rising's story that will be shown within Usurping (similar to the dream sequences shown off in Knowledge).

This is mainly to explain the different actions each of the protagonists took, and what led them down their chosen paths. However, Usurping doesn't make much sense without Mold Breaker, so Mold Breaker will be completed before Usurping starts. Usurping's third book is planned to be the last in the Traveler series, including companion stories. However, there may be also a spinoff series taking place in the far future, but not many details are known.

But that of the way, there is also going to be an additional story added. I have plans for doing a run of Pokémon Stadium 2, with the intent of 100% completion. However, the story around that game has changed. It was originally connected to another character that's going to show up in a different series, and was also originally going to be a challenge run on top of that. Unfortunately, this prolongs that characters story, when her story was almost as long as Traveler's. Also, Pokémon Stadium 2 is ill-suited for the type of challenge from that I was planning to do.

So instead, there will be no challenge runs, and Gracie will go through the Stadium. This run will be a part of Angel, shown off at the end of the solos. However, it will be a separate story when logged in through gameplay. The reason for Pokémon Stadium 2 being included with Gracie has to do with something that comes up much later in the story. I won't say much about it now because it's a pretty heavy spoiler. However, I will say that one of the fights near the end of one of the games would have been almost impossible to write otherwise. This is despite the fact that said fight is very important for both gameplay and story.

There's also another change involving Stadium, and this has to do with a place called White City. In the games, White City was a place where the player could fight some of the toughest trainers that were known at the time. They could do so through a variety of different modes, and the goal was to get to the end of them all. There are also places where the player could take part in minigames, play on the Game Boy Color, and even get lessons about battling. However, it's unknown where White City is actually located, and no other media makes any mention of it.

The Traveler series fixes that.

Normally, in the games, the Pokémon League for Kanto and Johto is in the same place and treated as one area. The Elite Four is also shared between the two. Holly Rising's RP follows suit.

Usurping, however, doesn't.

Instead, the Kanto and the Johto League are two separate facilities, each with their Elite Four. The Kanto Pokémon League is still held to the east of Viridian, like in most media. The Johto League, on the other hand, is held in White City. White City is located at the end of the routes east of New Bark. It has two paths, one a bit further away from the city which leads to Victory Road and the League.

The other path leads into the city itself. In this city, tournaments, festivals, and Stadium battles are held. Trainers from all over come to stay and compete in White City, and civilians enjoy watching the battles. One of the most popular events involves a traditional Johto series of Stadium fights and modes. With this, the entire city comes to life, and people flock from all over to try their luck.

This festival is considered one of the most prestigious but also difficult, undertakings. The Gym Leaders and Elite Four even gather for this event, taking residence in a castle in the city's corner. One must beat all of them and all the battles in the Stadium in order to become the festival's strongest. However, there's usually an opponent guarding that the summit as well, and the one aiming for the title is required to defeat him or her. Furthermore, completing all this for the first time makes everyone even stronger, and one can only become the true champion by going through it all again.

Usually, there's no restrictions as to who can fight in the battles and with what strategies. However, this festival is an exception. It's worth noting that the city was around since the time Johto was founded. The festival is thrown in order to celebrate the city's long heritage and the battle skills that were traditional for those ancient times. Therefore, Pokémon trainers are only allowed to use Pokémon originally present in Johto and Kanto. All battles are set so that they only use mechanics that were utilized during the ancient times of the town's founding (the mechanics of Gold, Silver, and Crystal).

All this explains why Pokémon Stadium 2 uses outdated mechanics, despite other generations existing in Traveler. However, anyone is allowed to come and watch. Furthermore, there's still festivals and battles for those who do not fit the traditional setting (meaning, later generations, or remakes). The festival that Gracie attends happens to be the most popular and well-known one. This floor has a bit of basis and gameplay as well, as Pokémon Stadium 2 is widely considered to be the best of the series' battle facilities. This is despite the fact that there are now other options and the game itself is very old.

Gracie doesn't fit the traditions, but she's more like a Trainer, she is let through. The Will, Karen, and Lance fights are as normal here, because the three originally held positions in Johto. I'm not sure I'm going to write the final fight, however, since the last battle in the game is Silver… And the person who I could use in his place cares nothing for tradition… I could write it so that Silver and his rebels are convinced to attack and try and take over the city… And since Silver has established himself as the strongest Trainer, Gracie realizes the only way to stop the rebels is to her way to the top…

But that's neither here nor there.

As it's now time for gameplay.

So, I'm in the ash fields of Fallarbor.

And I have to say I love the place.

Not only does it have awesome music, but it looks different from the rest of the route.

The entire area is grey as ash falls from the sky. Several characters will comment on this, with many saying that the player smells like ash. The grass is also gray, but will turn the normal green color as the player runs through it.

This is also a gameplay mechanic, the player can receive an item later down this route that can be used to collect ash. The ash can be then transformed into decorations and other useful things. These items can typically be gotten nowhere else. I am not sure if I will do this quest, because the process is rather tedious. In the original games, the player has to consistently run through the grass.

In the remakes, there are huge piles of ash that the player can run through. They will give varying quantities of material, but the player is never really told how much of the material each pile will give. Again, the mechanics are bit tedious, but the items are very good. I imagine Gracie will at least try to run through the ash, although she probably won't stick with it.

This place is also worth noting for story reasons.

It's the place where most players think Wally is going to die.

The reason for this is that Wally has to get through this area to have one of the Pokémon he has on his final team. However, with the constant ash falling from the sky, the area is a death trap for anyone with a breathing problem. Wally is shown to have a breathing mask in Pokémon Special, but I feel like it would only do so much (for instance, if it got knocked off). Interestingly, another major character, the protagonist of Usurping, has a breathing condition. However, it works a little differently. Instead, this character has a Pokémon, Mew, and she uses its power to act as a filter. With this power, only clean air comes through, and the ash is forced out of her body.

The whole process works because Mew is shown to protect itself with a barrier in Pokémon Snap. It's normally used to repel the player's attempts to take a photo of it. However, I got the idea of using this barrier as a protective shield around the protagonist's lungs. The concept of it letting only clean air through is so Usurping's protagonist does not suffocate. However this also comes from the fact that the barrier does allow certain type of attacks to go through. However, the game (Pokémon Snap) doesn't really explain what those attacks are.

Something else happens here in the ash fields.

Gracie meets Toby.

Gracie asks him what he is doing there. Toby explains about his Trainer and what happened to him. Gracie responds with the phrase "Why don't you just train a Trainer?" Toby looks disgusted, stating that no amount of training could have allowed his Trainer to continue. He also acts offended, stating that Gracie's idea is stupid and that they are done here. Gracie thinks she's never seen a Pokémon that strong, but has also not seen one who's lost so much hope.

Anyway, I continue, fighting more battles along the way. Some of them are double battles, and my Zigzagoon evolves. Also noting that I start having Power Point problems here, but thankfully, the next city is not far.

Also, I decide to try to get some of the flutes after all, since they are useful. The red, yellow, and blue flutes heal sleep, confusion, and attraction. They are permanent items Gracie only needs to get one. Other items are here too, but they're used for influencing the appearance of wild Pokémon, and secret base decorations. Maybe Gracie takes an interest in flutes, or perhaps she even learns how to play one. It would definitely foreshadow something later… Regardless, she leaves with three of them.

On to Fallabor, but it's not like there's much here. It is a good place to stock up, however, as the battles from this point out start getting tougher. I quickly grab some X items that can be used to increase stats in battle. Considering what happened with Lance and his Dragon Types, it's a good idea to stock up on those… I also grab some more healing items, considering what I have is a bit outdated by now… Repels are incredibly useful, because there is a cave coming up.

Also, there is a woman standing by the PC. Her name is Lanette. She appears to be good friends with Bill, which is why the husband and wife in the Traveler series. She is quiet and polite, but also scatterbrained. Finally, she has an older sister named Bridget, but Bridget is not seen in the main games. If the player follows Bridget to her house in the south, she will give them a Pokémon doll. Since I'm not collecting dolls this run, I won't be doing that.

But there is something I will be doing. And that is the next Battle Tent.

The next Battle Tent is quite interesting. Battles last three turns, and are measured by three categories. The first is mind, which goes up depending on how often a Pokémon attacks. The second is body, which measures how much HP a Pokémon has left by the end of the three turns. The final category is skill, which measures how efficiently moves are used. Moves that are super effective against an opponent raise the score. Moves that are not very effective lower it. Similarly, the skill rating goes up depending on whether a move hits. If a move misses, that rating goes down. At the end of the three turns, the Pokémon with a lower score is eliminated from the match. This happens regardless of whether the Pokémon was going to faint or not. Pokémon can still be knocked out normally, however.

May as well talk about the person in charge of the Battle Frontier version: Greta. Greta is one of my favorites, mainly because she's energetic and cheerful. I also like the amount of tactics that her area requires the player to use. Not to mention she contrasts well with her place in the Battle Frontier, because the trainers that guard the place are usually male hardened martial artists. However, she's anything but. Also worth noting that I believe she is one of the ones I actually beat in the Frontier.

So I could see Gracie greatly enjoying Greta's challenge. And Greta has a role in Traveler. In this story, she starts to set up things similar to her Battle Frontier challenge, and invites people to fight. One of the people that does so is the protagonist, and she does very well. This also has a peculiar effect on one of her Pokémon, Tulip, but neither truly realize what it is yet... She probably invites Gracie to battle too, and Gracie also does fairly well.

Hopefully. This is one of the few side quests that can be attempted on a solo run, due to how to it is set up. And it also happens to be one I like.

So I will give it a go. Linoone and Geodude are my support partners, although I don't expect them to do much.

Except they are surprisingly useful. The first two matches are easy, with opponents falling to Psychic and Shock Wave.

The last one, not as much.

There is a Kirlia, and I try to hit it with Shock Wave. However, it launches an Attract at me, preventing me from striking back. After that, it hits hard with Hypnosis and Dream Eater. The resulting damage and lack thereof causes the match to end in a tie. As a result, both Pokémon faint.

Linoone is forcefully sent out, trying to battle a Lombre that's 10 levels higher than it… Luckily, Lombre doesn't attack much other than Leech Seed and Rain Dance. This allows Linoone to defeat it with a Headbutt.

And my reward is a Hyper Potion. Not much to write home about, but still better than what I have at this point. Anyway, it seems I have to rescue Prof. Cosmo from Meteor Falls.

So now's the time to do that.

The Trainers aren't tough, but the route is long. I start running low on Power Points, but still have enough to enter the Falls.

Where I come face-to-face with Team Magma harassing Prof. Cosmo. Time to defeat them.

Or not.

Archie and his group arrive, chasing them off. However, it still clear the player and them are enemies, and they only came to the rescue because of Team Magma. The teams still don't get a proper introduction from anyone, but it will come in time…

Anyway, time to do some backtracking. According to Cosmo, Team Magma took off near Mt. Chimney. But heading south yields more battles, along with a few extra items.

The quickest way is through the newly formed tunnel, since the rest of the route is north of Rusburto.

So that's where I'm heading next.

Before long, I reach Mt. Chimney. However, Team Aqua and Team Magma are trying to destroy each other with a pack of Poochyena… Looks like I have no choice but to head to the top.

Where I defeat a bunch of Grunts.

And I encounter a Team Magma Admin: Tabitha.

Tabatha is easily mistaken for girl at first (to the point some fan works make him a girl). Luckily, the remakes are clear that he is male… He's also a bit of a jokester in comparison to Courtney's more serious attitude. And many of his lines are hilarious... Not to mention that the remakes also add that he's one of the more intelligent members of the team, and one of the first to realize what could happen if their plans succeed… But I don't have much of an opinion on him... It's worth noting in the original version of the anime English dub, Tabatha was named Harlan. I might use that name in Traveler, as Tabatha is typically a girl's name…

Luckily, Tabatha goes down easily.

Leaving only Maxie left.

Maxie is an interesting character, because his personality got a bit of a redesign in the remakes. In the remakes, he also was expanded upon, but some parts were changed.

In the original version, he's shown to be stoic and ruthless, willing to stop at nothing to succeed in his plans. Maxie is also calculating, and doesn't lose his temper easily. However, while the remakes amp this up, he's also shown to have a strong sense of justice, warped though it is. Maxie is also polite even to his enemies, and quickly realizes how his plans could permanently damage the world. Unlike most team leaders, he is seen reforming at the end of the game, genuinely regretful over what he has done.

But some media have different interpretations.

Such as one where he succeeds in his plans, becoming genuinely ruthless with no redeeming qualities. And since it is clear his plans cause no disaster that he can't control, Maxie has no reason to be polite. Pokémon Special takes this interpretation, as does his postgame appearance in Ultra Sun and Moon. Traveler uses this interpretation as well.

After all, while he was the first evil team leader to be more affable, I always found his change in demeanor rather sudden. After all, why would he suddenly abandon his plans after chasing them for so long, as opposed to still finding a way to make them work (e.g. stealing the item that allows the player to control the legendary Pokémon)? He's shown no concern for the world beyond his own dreams before, so why would he then? And if his goal is to dry up the land, then he got what he wanted…

The remakes did a bit better by making his teammates question what happened. They tried to slowly try to convince Maxie that his ways were wrong. But it still felt a little sudden, especially compared to later examples (some of Team Galactic, Old Team Plasma in the Unova sequels, Guzma, N, and depending on who one asks, Cyrus).

Not to mention that one of his last line says that humans cannot freely control the balance between land and water. However, most people who pay attention to environmental science will probably know that humans can and will do that all the time… It makes the whole thing very odd… That's why I'd much prefer if he was completely evil like those before him… It's better than his character flip-flopping all over the place…

But he does have a very good battle theme, which I will hear as I fight him.

Unfortunately, I don't get to hear it long. He does have a Mightyena, which does some super effective damage to Gracie, but is nearly defeated by Shock Wave. Maxie tries to heal, but his Pokémon goes down on the next turn. His other two Pokémon, Zubat and Camelrupt, succumb quickly to Shock Wave and Psychic.

I retrieve the Meteorite, but I think I will stop there.

It's still a long way to the next Badge, and I have quite a lot to say about it.