Welcome to the next chapter of Diary! As always, I do not own Pokémon, and enjoy!
26: Taking the Heat
Day 25 (March 19, 2018): Hoenn
Off with another Gracie episode! Probably be a long and busy one too! A lot of different areas to talk about, and many Badges to earn!
So let's get to it!
The first area is Jagged Pass. It's an area that heads straight down, featuring a few Trainers.
And it also punishes those who did not get the Arco Bike.
The Arco Bike can be gotten back in Mauville, and it can be used to jump over some obstacles. Typically, player would be forced only head downward until they reached the end of Jagged Pass. But with the Arco Bike, they can move back and forth by jumping on pebbles located throughout the area.
Which is exactly why brought the Arco Bike. That, and it's much easier to control.
Well, not easy enough. I have to slow down the game a bit to fight all the Trainers, but in the end, I make it through.
And I'm finally to Lavaridge.
Pardon me as I rant about how roundabout the whole trip was.
There are some ledges to the west as soon as the player heads north of Mauville. It seems like that would be the best place to go. But this is not the case, as the player cannot jump over the ledges.
Instead, the player must go through Fiery Path, and keep heading to the different routes until they hit Fallabor. Fallabor is rather out of the way, and the game doesn't give any hints that it relates to Lavaridge.
Which is what makes the whole thing so confusing.
But even then, the confusion continues. The player has to keep heading west, until they hit Meteor Falls. After doing the quest there, they have to travel all the way back to the beginning of Fiery Path. Alternatively, they can head to the south of Meteor Falls, and pass through the newly made tunnel. Either way, the player must return to where they were at the start of all this, and that could take a long time.
A new area opens up, Mt. Chimmey. The player has to walk in, take the cable car, and head up. Defeating the evil team leader at the top reveals the way to Jagged Pass. However, it's barely visible, and there's only a slight hint that the player has to head south (a tiny flashing arrow in the bottom of the screen). Then, after all this is completed, they have to walk down Jagged Pass, or around it if they have the Arco Bike (and the games also gives no hints that the Bike is even needed). When the player is finally done with that, they can head west into Lavaridge.
And unfortunately, the game doesn't tell the player any of this, it takes a lot of time as they run around the region, and there is a massive amount of backtracking. Not to mention that the game hardly gives any hints that the new areas connect to the player's goal, or when they are accessible. The only slight clue the player has is that Mt. Chimmey is inaccessible at first, due to Magma grunts, and that the only way forward is to the north.
So, this quickly becomes one of the most frustrating parts in the game.
Lavaridge should have been closer, or least given more hints about where it was. Maybe even take the ledges out. I can remember myself and many a confused player trying to jump over the ledges, only to realize that was not possible and having no idea where to go next… Unfortunately, Hoenn has a problem with a lot of backtracking and long-winded quests its latter half, as I will show off in future parts of updates.
But now that I finally got here, it's time to explore Lavaridge.
For all the time it took to get here, the town really isn't much. There's an herbal shop, where medicine can be bought cheaper, but Pokémon dislike taking it. I don't plan on using this shop, mainly because I have enough money for normal things. A woman here will also give the player an Egg that will hatch into a Wynaut, but I don't take it. In the remakes, later on in the game, she will give an egg that will hatch into a Togepi.
And then there's the Hot Springs. It's a shame because they're supposed to be the pride and joy of the town, and help Trainers relax. Unfortunately, they don't do anything. Oddly enough, Pokémon don't seem to be able to go into the Hot Springs, with someone mentioning that it would be odd if they did. It's even stranger Pokémon do go into Hot Springs in the previous games (Sevii in Kanto) and in anime (Cinnabar). The remakes added a bit more relevance to the Hot Springs by allowing the player to find hidden Pokémon there. However, this can only be done twice.
In the Traveler series, Pokémon can go into Hot Springs, provided they behave themselves (e.g. no launching attacks, or forcing someone in that may be weak to it). So Gracie goes in and enjoys the Hot Springs. It may also be mentioned that the protagonist of Usurping enjoys them as well. It's mainly because she has a medical condition that makes her muscles stiff. So the hot water relaxes her, and sometimes even makes her fall asleep. I'm not sure where Gracie would learn this though. However, she thinks that it's at least one positive story about the Mold Breaker, and one thing they have in common.
But enough about that.
On to the Gym.
Flannery's Gym is entire room of geysers. The player must fall into and rise from the geysers in order to progress. Some geysers hide trainers, and once the Trainer is fought, they will remain there. It can be a bit annoying to remember which geyser leads to which area, but I find it simpler than other puzzles (like Sabrina's).
So it's time to take it on.
The Trainers are easy, but I do get a little lost with the puzzle. I'm not sure how I will write this in, but maybe Gracie doesn't have a sense of direction…
Anyway, on to Flannery.
Flannery is unfortunately not one of my favorite characters. I like her because she is a female Gym Leader, but not for much else. Flannery appears to be shy, but just really insecure and under-confident. However, she hides this insecurity under a mask of arrogance and bravado, but it's easy to see through… The game tries to explain Flannery's issues as her being young. However, several other Gym Leaders are young or otherwise new to their positions and they are fine… The anime does not help Flannery's case, as it shows her falling asleep during lessons, and otherwise not paying attention…
And in the Traveler universe, she is not fought as a Gym Leader at all.
In the Traveler universe, she is the sister of Sinnoh Gym Leader Candice (who is also not a Gym Leader in the series). They are the daughters of Glacia, and enjoy the prestige that earns them. More on that relationship later, by the way, but it is based on a fan theory that Glacia married Flannery's father. The games neither confirm nor deny this, and that theory has largely been forgotten. However, I thought that it was interesting, and used it here.
Anyway, the sisters travel together, and their clashing personalities leads to some interesting dialogue. They also receive help from Glacia at times, and the protagonist of Usurping later joins them. Once Glacia figures that out, she tries to help the protagonist of Usurping as well. The protagonist tries to refuse the help, but Glacia continues insisting. She explains that anyone who is willing to protect her daughters deserves her aid, and that the protagonist of Usurping can't possibly do everything alone. Reluctantly, the protagonist accepts. Later on, Candice and Flannery start making reckless decisions, such as mismanaging money, and putting their Pokémon in danger. The protagonist of Usurping is unsure what to do, because of the laws favoring the younger Trainers.
Things come to a head when she and her Pokémon get forcibly traded to Diantha. For the record, the reason she and her Pokémon can be traded together is because she is a Pokemorph. At this time, she and her Pokémon can also act separately to an extent, so the trade is able to go through. However, more details on that will come later. The girls try to trick Diantha by giving her an empty Poke Ball. So, at first the Kalos Champion believes she has done a regular trade. However, Diantha figures out the truth when she realizes the Pokémon she received has no Ball, and recalling it doesn't work. The protagonist of Usurping is forced to reveal her identity, and is devastated. However, Diantha comforts her, telling her to report to the League if she believes something is wrong.
The protagonist is afraid of getting herself in trouble. However, Diantha says that under the right circumstances, the League can vouch for her. Furthermore, Diantha states that it is safer for her friends, because then can learn right from wrong. She also explains that this is no different from being a younger trainer, and having to get help from someone older. Diantha reassures that even if the protagonist is charged, Diantha has the power to remove any charges as the Champion of the Kalos League (similar to a presidential pardon). So there's nothing to fear. Phoebe also appears at some point during this scenario, telling the protagonist that she made the right choice by stepping up. Phoebe has met the protagonist several times by this point and is someone that she trusts, at least partially.
This situation also paves the way for the protagonist of Usurping's character development. It also gets her more emboldened about reporting things and otherwise desiring the League's protection. This ties into the idea of changing the laws, so that the older Trainers can have a more balanced system. In any case, Candice and Flannery get in trouble. Although I am not sure yet what the punishment will be.
It's also worth noting that in Holly Rising, Candice and Flannery are never reported. This is because the protagonist has an antagonistic relationship with the League, and especially with Diantha. Many believe that she is guilty for letting the behavior continue. However, the protagonist is able to get out of it because there is no proof that she even knew that the behavior existed. Also, unlike in Usurping, the protagonist cannot have her memory searched as proof. In Usurping, she still can't have her memory searched, but she finds a way around it later on. This is how she becomes innocent of any crimes when she meets with Diantha after the failed trade.
It's unknown if Gracie will learn about any of this, or how much she will know. However, she probably won't learn about anything initially. But as a result, another character takes Flannery's place.
That character is her father. He is mentioned to be a powerful Fire Type Trainer, to the point where he used to be in the Elite Four. However, it is unknown what happened to him since, and no canon characters match his description. Therefore, I like to think he stepped down to spend more time with his family, and he is an OC other than what little is known of his back story.
With all the lore done, time to fight Flannery in the games.
It's a pretty easy battle, with all her Pokémon being taken down by Psychic.
But now I have to do more backtracking.
Because my next opponent is Norman of Petalburg.
Also, there are some side quests that open up here. One of them involves a bunch of Trainers appearing at Mt. Chimmey. I can easily fight them for extra experience.
The biggest one is probably a new area, the desert. Of course, I'm going to head there.
The desert is a bit of an oddity, because the player needs the Go-Googles to traverse it. This is despite the fact that the items are not needed in any other desert area. The desert is like a cave, with almost all the sand able to trigger encounters. Furthermore, Sandstorm is constantly in effect. When this happens, Pokémon that are not Ground, Steel, or Rock are damaged every turn.
There are a bunch of Pokémon and Trainers here, although they are not that tough. The biggest issue is a Pokémon called Trapinch. Trapinch has Arena Trap, which forces the foe to stay in battle unless they are above the ground. Luckily, they can be avoided with Repels.
The last area worth noting is something exclusive to Emerald. It is called the Mirage Tower, appearing randomly when the player enters the desert. In this area, the player traverses crumbling floors using the Mach Bike. At the end, the player can obtain one of two fossil Pokémon. The other will disappear, but can be found after the main game is cleared.
Also, I forgot to mention that I found a Team Magma Grunt in the Jagged Pass. Surely he won't be relevant later…
Anyway, onto the desert.
The Sandstorm does cause some issues, mainly injuring Gracie by making her take damage every turn. Thankfully, I manage to get through.
The last area businesses is the Trick House, and then to head through the tunnel to Petalburg.
The puzzles are just finding my way through doors that open and close, and of course, beating up weak Trainers. Unfortunate, my bag is too full to accept the Trick Master's reward, but he keeps it until the next challenge is completed. It's just a Hard Stone, though, so nothing noteworthy.
A quick trip through the tunnel, and finally, to Norman.
Norman's Gym has an interesting gimmick. Each Trainer only has one Pokémon, and is fought alone. However, they each specialize in a certain stat. What stat they specialize in can be read on the Gym doors. On the first turn, the Trainer will use an item to boost their stat (e.g. X Attack for a physical attack user). The exception is a room that specializes in healing items, for obvious reasons. Norman himself abandons his trainers' philosophy for an all-out offensive, but he's plenty powerful. The player only has to fight three Trainers to get to him, but they can choose to fight everyone in the Gym if they wish.
Then there's Norman himself, but I will talk about him after I go through the puzzle.
The Trainers fall quickly to Psychic, and only Norman remains.
Norman is a bit of a conundrum, and I'm not sure how I feel about him. In the games and the anime, Norman is shown as strict, but willing to do anything for his children. This is particularly noticeable in the anime. May's Pokémon is stolen and Norman doesn't hesitate to run off to rescue it, even though he gets himself a trap. He also makes time to watch every single event involving May's journey as a Coordinator, no matter how busy he is at his Gym.
However, the manga paints him as a villain. Ruby, his son, is disgusted with him, and Norman seems to care almost only about his job. When Norman forbids Ruby from going on a journey, Ruby runs away anyway. Norman's reaction is to scold him for this, but it ends up turning into a fierce battle in which Ruby almost kills Norman. Thankfully, Gabby and Ty were watching, realized that the danger in the battle. They were able to calm the two by commanding a wild Castform. After that, father and son make up at least a little bit, although not much.
The remakes shift of being villainous to almost neglectful, once again prioritizing his Gym duties over almost everything else. They also apply that his marriage was beginning to fall apart. Norman has a child in all adaptations, but who child is depends on the medium. In the anime, it's the female protagonist. In the manga, it's the male. The games leave it ambiguous.
Holly Rising takes the more villainous interpretation seen in both the remakes and the manga. Usurping takes the gentler interpretation seen in the originals and the anime. I always liked that interpretation better, because it's the more realistic depiction of someone who truly loves their family even though their job duties sometimes get in the way. The other interpretations paint Norman as neglectful and in the manga's case, abusive. However, I don't believe he is. The protagonist has trouble either way.
Her Holly Rising's incarnation absolutely hates Norman. She doesn't hesitate to tell him how she feels and antagonize him at all costs. This is because he reminds her of her father, and the damage his uncaring attitude and workaholic nature did to his family. In Usurping, there's not as much damage done, but she still has trouble with Norman and other stern male figures. Usurping's protagonist is more confused than anything, as Norman maintains a happy marriage despite his busy lifestyle and is close to his children.
It's also clear that he supports them, which her own father hardly ever did. And even though the separation is amicable in Usurping, it's clear that there's some aspects of the family that the protagonist's father no longer cares about. Sometimes she thinks that that he was just biding his time until he could leave. I'm not sure how she would work to get over those bad memories, but I don't think Norman would be involved. This might be where Falkner comes in, since Morty is not shown as being particularly strict. Not to mention, Falkner was supposed to become close to Usurping's protagonist in the original drafts.
Anyway, on to the match.
It's not much of one at first, with his Pokémon falling easy to Psychic.
Until Norman brings out his ace, Slaking.
Slaking is well known for being one of the strongest Pokémon available. It has an ability that makes it so it only moves every other turn. However, this is offset by its incredibly high Attack, decent other stats, and a wide movepool. On top of that, once the ability is removed, Slaking can be downright terrifying. Luckily, Norman doesn't have the means to do that…
To demonstrate, it takes one Psychic, going down into half health despite Gracie being about 10 levels higher than it. Slaking then proceeds to retaliate with Façade, which throws her at half HP. Luckily, Gracie is able to take it out on the next turn, but I imagine if the battle had continued going on, it wouldn't have ended well…
Anyway, I get the next Badge, and am also immediately given Surf.
A bunch of side quests have now opened up, but I will save them for next time, as I approach the last quarter of the arc.