Draco: 16 Shadow Pokémon caught, 4 purified. That's two more whole teams of Shadow Pokémon. I'm not gonna lie, the idea of purifying that many Shadow Pokémon without a Purify Chamber was kind of intimidating before I discovered that Duel Square had rematches available instantly and perpetually. Managed to knock out two Pidgey with one Rock Throw by money-grinding with my Shadow Pokémon.
In addition to the other #AntiFrustrationFeatures regarding purification in the pseudo-remake, I've got one more way to vastly accelerate the process.
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Chapter 9: Administrator of Enforcement
Mt. Battle was a very dominating volcano on Orre's northern edge - host to a battle challenge of no less than one hundred consecutive fights. Some of the best trainers in Orre were employed on the upper reaches of the mountain, and the number of trainers who had fought their way to the peak were few and far between.
Which raised the question of why Cipher thought raiding this place was a good idea.
Wes pulled up outside the courtyard with a decent stock of Ultra Balls and Timer Balls, looking up towards the peak. "Ten tiers of ten battles each," he observed as they got off the bike. "How high do you think Cipher's gonna take the place?"
"Here's hoping we don't even need to climb the whole first tier," Rui admitted.
As they stepped into the courtyard, an Athlete in yellow was pacing in a panic; as she saw the two of them, she quickly dashed up to them. "Please tell me Duking sent you two to help!" she pleaded.
"He did," Rui confirmed. "What's going on?"
"Mt. Battle is being taken over by a group of shady people!" the Athlete insisted. "They're led by this brute who's built like a Machoke! He muscled his way through reception when they tried to stop him!"
"Another admin?" Wes wondered.
"I'd wager," Rui confirmed. To the Athlete; "Wait right here. We'll take care of him."
They quickly dashed inside, finding the lobby filled with trainers in a panic. The woman at the healing machine looked like she had her hands full tending to everyone's teams, and there was a separate line at the PC that made Wes glad he'd thought to patch-up and arrange his team in Agate; the receptionist was nowhere to be found, and a woman who looked like she should have been minding the prize counter was pacing along the opposite wall, leaving it unattended.
Rui seemed to notice something behind the prize counter as they were approaching reception. "Wait, are those-?"
"Don't eye the prizes," Wes insisted, "they're not gonna hand out Poké Coupons in the middle of this." Then, when someone was approaching them; "Where's the attackers?"
"They've gone inside!" the man replied. "The big one mentioned something about Vander - he's the leader of Area 1. I think they're after him!"
Wes narrowed his eyes. "They're not just here for dominance?"
"That's ten platforms," Rui observed. "Less if we can catch up before they make it to him."
"There were at least nine goons in jumpsuits following the big guy," the man warned. "They might be taking up position on the platforms!"
"Of course they will," Wes muttered.
+x+x+x+
None of the Peons they fought on their way up had Shadow Pokémon - which meant that, like in the Pyrite Building, Wes could have the ones he'd already caught handle the brunt of the fights, working towards purification, and keep Espeon and Umbreon fresh and ready. By the time he hit the ninth platform, Remoraid, Mienfoo, Herdier, and Slugma were receptive enough that Wes would wager they were set to be purified; he patched them up as best he could with some Potions as he and Rui climbed up towards the tenth.
'Built like a Machoke' was an apt description; the brute who was standing on the last platform of the area had musculature that made Wes feel very inadequate all of a sudden. An impressive mane of red hair flared back from his head, and he was dressed in a white jumpsuit that was vastly different from those of Peons; rather than having the appearance of armor, his was a more form-fitting garment that showed off the bulges of his arms and legs. He was accosting a much narrower figure who Wes assumed to be Vander, wearing a grey jacket with dark sleeves over a pair of dark trousers; the Area Leader had an expression of concern that told Wes he was in deep trouble.
"Fine," the brute reprimanded. "After all the persuading, you still won't hand it over? This is what happens to stubborn oafs who won't do as I say!"
Wes watched, shocked, as the big guy brought his hand forward, slamming a blow into Vander's stomach and leaving him doubling over. His other hand came forward shortly after, bashing him in the chest and throwing him onto his back.
"Y-You... treacherous brute..." the Area Leader coughed. "H-How could you... refuse to battle?"
The brute scoffed. "I'm not here to beat you," he reprimanded, "I'm here to demand of you. All you had to do was hand it over without a fuss. It's your own fault for getting hurt. If you're not gonna cooperate, I'll haul you off to Ein's Lab and see how pliable you'll be after he's done with you."
Rui stepped forward. "That's enough!" she insisted. "Leave him alone!"
A confused hum came from the brute as he turned around, revealing a face painted with red lines that extended down from his brow and crossed over his eyes; a weighty choker was secured around his neck, and a blue sash hung around his waist, dangling over his fore like a loincloth. "Who are you? What were my underlings doing?" He narrowed his gaze. "Wait, that outfit... You're the troublemaker who messed with Skrub in the Relic Forest!" He grinned. "And now you've come to mess with me? Don't make me laugh!"
He slammed his fists together, earning a loud crack from his knuckles in the process.
"I am the great Dakim, Cipher's Administrator of Enforcement! I'll pound a lesson into your flesh and bones, so you'll never even think of bothering me again!"
He made to step forward - and Wes's hand moved quickly, throwing out a couple Balls from his belt. Slugma and Herdier emerged in flashes of light between him and the brute, stopping him in his tracks.
"Don't think you can just walk up to me like you did to him," Wes reprimanded. "If you want to bruise me up, you're gonna have to show me what you can do as a Trainer!"
The brute chuckled. "You think I got up here because I'm weak?" he reprimanded. "Bring it on, then!"
You are challenged by Cipher Admin Dakim!
He seized a pair of Balls off his belt, throwing them forward to send out a Metang and Marshtomp. Trusting Rui to warn him if/when a Shadow Pokémon appeared, Wes directed his Pokémon forward; Herdier charged at the Marshtomp as Slugma unleashed a Flamethrower in Metang's direction. The Iron Claw Pokémon took the hit rather roughly; the Marshtomp was better prepared, a refractive crystalline barrier appearing before it that interrupted Herdier's Bite before it could make contact. An earthen energy gathered around Metang's claws as the smoky aftermath of the Flamethrower faded out, and it slammed down to ground level and dug them into the platform.
And the platform began to shake.
Wes was thrown off-balance as the Earthquake wracked the platform, striking at Slugma and Herdier and throwing him and Rui off-guard. The structure was sturdy enough to handle the attack, but that didn't do Wes and Rui much good as they were knocked to the ground; Slugma managed to endure the hit, but just barely, and Herdier was a good deal worse for the wear himself as the aftershocks wore off.
"Not just a mindless musclehead, then!" Rui observed.
"No, he's not," Wes agreed. He'd seen this tactic before - two Pokémon alternating between protection and area-spanning attacks in an effort to brutalize the opponents without taking too much damage themselves. Effective... but predictable, once the opponent knew the pattern was in motion. A Pokémon trying to defend too long would have their defenses falter, mandating that they take turns on the offensive - and if the attacker was knocked out or otherwise prevented from attacking, the other couldn't take a second turn on defense without risking their guard dropping.
The strategy's own inertia worked against it.
He swept his hand to the side, yelling, "Get the Marshtomp!" Herdier and Slugma promptly turned their attention to the Mud Fish Pokémon as his Protect wore off - and Metang raised a Protect of its own. Before Marshtomp could set off another Earthquake, Herdier had closed the distance, slamming a ferocious Bite that interrupted his effort; Slugma proceeded to drop a Rock Throw on the Marshtomp right after, throwing him back.
As Metang's barrier subsided, the two Shadow Pokémon heard Wes' command, "Now switch!" They quickly rounded on Metang as Marshtomp made to Protect himself; another Flamethrower from Slugma had the Iron Claw Pokémon falling to the ground, prompting Dakim to withdraw it. A Golem was sent out to take its place as Marshtomp's defense faded out; Wes promptly withdrew Slugma as he yelled "Switch!" again, an instant before the Golem started to raise her own Protect, and Herdier rushed Marshtomp with a Take Down that managed to finish him off, at cost to the Loyal Dog Pokémon.
Mienfoo was sent out to take Slugma's place as Dakim withdrew the Mud Fish Pokémon, sending out a Camerupt in his place. Golem's guard faded out, and Wes yelled "Switch!" as Camerupt started to raise its own; Herdier proceeded to charge Golem with a Bite, and Mienfoo followed suit for a hard-hitting Force Palm. Unfortunately, the Megaton Pokémon was able to stay standing through the double blows, and promptly slammed its feet to the ground to unleash another Earthquake that had everyone struggling to keep their balance.
Herdier was finished off by the second quake; Wes promptly withdrew him, and sent out Remoraid to take his place once the shocks wore off. "Switch!" he commanded as Camerupt's defense wore off; Mienfoo dashed towards the Eruption Pokémon, prompting Remoraid to unleash a Bubble Beam that flew past him and struck the target for super-effective damage twice over. The blow was promptly followed by a hard-hitting Shadow Rush from Mienfoo, and Wes winced as the recoil hit the Martial Arts Pokémon - but it was enough to push Camerupt over the edge, and he started to collapse as Golem's guard wore off.
"Switch!"
Dakim was still withdrawing his fainted Pokémon as they made to finish off Golem; Remoraid unleashed another Bubble Beam, and Mienfoo struck with another Force Palm that pushed her over the edge, knocking her over. The Cipher Admin scoffed, stowing Camerupt's Poké Ball and raising Golem's to withdraw her as well.
"How much more you got with you?" Wes taunted.
A grin rose on Dakim's face. "Just one."
In hindsight, Wes would wish he had understood the cause for that confidence; down to his last Pokémon, in the midst of a Double Battle, against a trainer who had two on the field and still had two more fresh and ready, Dakim must have had one incredible ace in the hole to grin at him like that. But in the moment, Wes didn't understand; not until the Cipher Admin drew out his last Poké Ball and brandished it over his head.
"Show 'em what you can do!"
He flung the Poké Ball forward so that it opened in the center of the platform - and Wes' heart sank when he saw the Pokémon that emerged from it. A quadrupedal beast with deep brown fur, silver plates like wings resting upon its back; a cloud of smoke trailed over its back like a mane, and a crest in gold rested over its brow, connecting with the silver arc arounds its jaw to form a helmet-like mask that left only its eyes and mouth exposed.
The Volcano Beast roared - and Mt. Battle in its whole reacted.
Wes started, fearful - and his Shadow Pokémon, who by Cipher's own report should be incapable of feeling fear, shifted uncomfortably. "Entei...?"
Rui cried out, stumbling back. "No...!"
"No way..." Wes knew what her reaction meant. "You endarkened a legendary Pokémon!?"
"All the better to crush meddlers like you with!" Dakim retorted. "Entei! Burn 'im!"
As he reared on his hind legs, flames gathered around the Volcano Beast's maw - but in the flames, Wes could see the darkness that cursed a Shadow Pokémon. Immediately, he realized that Dakim's instruction was to target him; he dashed aside before the Shadow Fire seared forward, and Remoraid swam into the path, unleashing a Bubble Beam in the hopes of counteracting the flames.
No such luck; there was not even a sign of struggle before the Shadow Fire washed over the Jet Pokémon. The darkness gave the flames strength that defied typing - the attack knocked Remoraid out, leaving Wes to quickly withdraw it as Mienfoo made to close the gap. The last flames were still dispersing in the air when the Martial Arts Pokémon slammed a Force Palm into the Volcano Beast - and though the damage was negligible, there was a sudden stiffness to Entei's movements as he rounded on Mienfoo. He fought through the paralysis, for now, roughly slamming a Bite into the offending hand and then thrashing angrily before throwing it to the ground.
Wes raised Mienfoo's Poké Ball as well before seizing his last two; Espeon and Umbreon emerged, and promptly panicked as they saw the Volcano Beast standing there. As Entei turned to face them, it became clear that the Pokémon could tell what had happened to him - not in the same manner as Rui sensing the Shadow Pokémon's aura, but by dint of the fact that a legendary Pokémon should not have been possessed by such mindlessness.
"Hold Back, you two! We can't let him run off with this one!"
The two Eeveelutions nodded; and as Entei reared back to unleash another Shadow Fire, they charged forward. Wes grabbed Rui's arm and dragged her out of the path of the attack; Espeon leapt away a moment before Umbreon did, leaving Entei to keep a bead on the Moonlight Pokémon before unleashing the wave of flame. Espeon struck him from behind with a withheld attack, and as soon as the heat wore off on Umbreon, he did the same; then they both retreated, leaving the Volcano Beast turning in circles.
Umbreon took a low stance as an ephemeral moon appeared above him, easing his wounds as Espeon charged for another go-round. Entei made to rear back again... and was interrupted as the paralysis took a suddenly firm hold, giving the Sun Pokémon the opportunity to strike him again and retreat before she could be victimized. Umbreon had recovered as much as he dared hesitate for by the time Espeon had returned; the two rushed the Volcano Beast again as Entei managed to act, unleashing another stream of Shadow Fire towards the two attacking him.
This time Espeon took the brunt of the blow, by virtue of Umbreon diverting his path first; she charged through the flames and leapt at Entei's fore, striking a withheld blow into him and then leaping away before Umbreon followed suit from the side. As they retreated, Wes drew out a Poké Ball - a Timer Ball, sensitive to the flow of battle and all the stronger the longer a battle has raged.
He'd managed to endure Dakim's Earthquake tactics - he could only hope that had been long enough.
Wes swept the ball to his side, and rings of light covered the surface of the Ball. His Eeveelutions dashed aside, and Entei reared back as Wes hurled the Timer Ball forward; Rui dashed away, and Wes didn't dare to wait long enough to watch the Snag Ball connect, instead dashing aside for fear of being in the path of the Shadow Fire.
There was no roar of flames, and after a moment Wes heard the sound of a Poké Ball hitting the ground, his attention turning to the fallen Ball.
Shake...
Shake...
Shake...
...Click!
Wes' breath slowly started to slip out between his lips as the Ball bounced back towards him, and he barely managed to catch it it between both hands. Espeon and Umbreon gave simultaneous sighs, and Rui turned to him with a smile that didn't seem totally cheerful, as though knowing exactly how lucky he was for that Ball to have locked on the first throw.
Dakim growled at the sight of him, making to storm forward. "Why you-!"
He didn't make it that far; Espeon and Umbreon quickly moved in his path, exhausted from the clash with a legendary Pokémon but still with enough energy to stand between their trainer and his opponent. The Timer Ball vanished from Wes' grip, acknowledging his full party as he lowered his hands and glared. "Had enough yet?"
Dakim glared. "...That audacious skill with which you handle your Pokémon... Who are you?!"
"Master Dakim!" The voice from nearby drew Wes' attention; in his haste to avoid Entei's attacks, he had managed to end up on just about the exact opposite end of the battlefield as he'd started, which meant the Cipher Peons charging up from the ninth platform were straight ahead of him. One of them wore a darker jumpsuit than usual, and Wes recognized him as the Peon who had attacked the Relic Forest.
"Skrub..." The Cipher Admin scoffed. "You were hopelessly outclassed against this one. You had zero chance of winning. I'm pulling out for now. You go to Ein's Lab and help out there."
The Peon nodded. "Yes, sir!"
As he took off, Dakim rounded on Wes. "This isn't over yet!" he warned. "Stronger Shadow Pokémon are being made even now. If you're gonna panic like that over what I've already got, you'd better get stronger!"
With a laugh, he charged the edge of the platform - and, to Wes' astonishment, leapt from the edge, enough strength in his body to cross the gap between the platform and the mountainous ridge that surrounded it.
"...Stronger Shadow Pokémon?" Wes murmured, glancing at his Snag Machine. "Stronger than even a Legendary Pokémon?"
"What's this?" Rui stepped forward, picking something up off the platform; it had landed on the great red 10 on the platform, and its own hue had made Wes completely miss it. "Some kind of... device?"
A groan from nearby reminded them that they had other things to worry about; Rui pocketed the device as she and Wes approached Vander, who was getting to his feet. "Hey," Wes prompted. "You gonna be alright?"
"Maybe," Vander admitted. "That wasn't an experience I'd want to have again." He gave them a weak smirk. "Thanks for the rescue."
"No worries," Wes insisted. "We already know those guys are bad news. What were they coming after you for?"
Vander shook his head. "Let's head back to the lobby first. All my trainers from this tier are gonna be panicking."
+x+x+x+
Once the panic had been dismissed, Vander, Wes, and Rui took a seat in the lobby. Rui and Wes explained what had happened with Cipher so far, earning a sigh from Vander.
"I see how it is," he mused. "And that's why they were after me."
"Why were they after you?" Rui asked.
Vander reached into his jacket pocket, drawing something out. "Because of this." It was a flute of some description - silver, mostly, but laced with gold along its body and around its holes. "This is a Time Flute. I happened to find it a couple months ago, on a training trek."
"A Time Flute?" Wes echoed.
"They say if you play it in the Relic Forest," Vander explained, "it'll summon Celebi, the legendary Time Travel Pokémon - and vanish when she appears. If the power of Celebi can purify Shadow Pokémon, then it's no wonder that Cipher doesn't want anyone summoning her."
Rui glanced at Wes. "Didn't that File say..."
"Yeah," Wes confirmed. "Exposure to Celebi might mean instant purification for the Shadow Pokémon that meet her."
Vander held it out. "Here."
Wes started. "What?"
"You're trying to help those Shadow Pokémon, right?" Vander asked. "Take this, and make sure you use it in a way that matters." He set the flute into Wes' hand. "But..."
"But... what?" Rui asked.
Vander sighed. "If the stories are true, and it does summon Celebi, it's a one-time thing. The flute will disappear. You can't waste that chance. You've got to make sure you're using it to help the Shadow Pokémon that matter."
"What do you mean?" Rui observed.
"...This is going to sound... cruel," Vander admitted. "But maybe... you should hold off on trying to purify some Shadow Pokémon. The ones that are too risky to take into a battle when they don't have all their faculties. If Celebi can purify Shadow Pokémon, you should take as many Shadow Pokémon with you as you can, and hope she can purify them all at once."
He got to his feet. "I'd better get back to work," he mused. "Try the battle challenge sometime - when you have the freedom to."
He started back into Mt. Battle, speaking briefly with the receptionist as he did so. Wes glanced at the Time Flute for a moment before turning to Rui - and he was surprised to find her looking at the prize counter again.
"Something up there catching your eye?" Wes accused.
Rui turned to him. "Just... kind of," she admitted. "There's some stones up there."
"Stones?" Wes glanced at the counter; there were what seemed to be a few evolutionary stones, as well as some strange items that looked like marbles. "I guess any pretty rock can be a girl's best friend," he observed.
"Hey," Rui retorted - and it was clear from her tone that she wasn't just taking a token offense at the comment.
"Sorry?" Wes murmured. "Anyways, this flute..."
Rui glanced at it. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked.
"I think I am," Wes insisted, "but... I really don't want to be."
"Cipher endarkened a legendary Pokémon," Rui observed. "Maybe more than one. We can't risk taking Shadow Pokémon that powerful, that uncontrollable, into battle for rehabilitation like we do with the others. And if Celebi can purify them..."
Wes nodded. "Yeah. We should save it... until we know how many they've endarkened." He lowered his hand. "And we've Snagged 'em all."
"I don't like it either," Rui admitted, "but it's the safer options."
"When I meet the guy in charge of Cipher," Wes observed, "he's gonna pay for this."
Draco: All Mega Stones are available at Mt. Battle in exchange for Poké Coupons, with a few select exceptions that will become clear later on. Orre doesn't have Routes to scatter them on. Maybe have a few of them visible from the player's purview without needing to talk to the receptionist so you know where to look.
As for the Time Flute, yes, that's implying exactly what you think it is. For the psuedo-remake, Time Flutes would not be a single-target #TooAwesomeToUse item. When you play a Time Flute in Agate Village, the Time Traveller will purify every Shadow Pokémon in your party. In the existing game, you do blow those frickers in the forest if you have [Time Flutes you trust yourself to find] Shadow Pokémon unpurified, but beyond that it takes a bit of premeditation to decide who to use them on. Hopefully, in the pseudo-remake, you wouldn't be quite so pressed to find out which Shadow Pokémon those are.
(...I've never beaten Mt. Battle. I don't trust myself to get to zone 100 and find the last one.)
You know, Timer Balls can already be useful in Orre. The timer was ridiculously long up to Generation IV, but with the AI mechanics and the fact that most enemies save their Shadow Pokémon for last, that spends a lot of turns. That being said, if you go for the early-Gen strategy of power-levelling your starter(s) at the exclusion of all else, you're gonna be hitting too hard to play the waiting game. #RocketTagGameplay | With the shorter timer since Generation V and the enforcement of a full team's tactics, they'd be useful all around in this pseudo-remake.