ppe 18: Time for a bath!

[xaq_the_aereon]

Alright alright, fine.

[TEAM STATUS]
Atlas, Lv 36
Dogmeat, Lv 37
Nebula, Lv 40
Tessa, Lv 39
Astra, Lv 38
Belfries, Lv 38

[YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY SURE DROPPING NALA FROM THE TEAM RIGHT BEFORE GOING THROUGH A WATER AREA WAS A GOOD IDEA?]
Not particularly...even less so putting Atlas, a Ground/Rock type, in the lead...but she needs the Exp more than anyone. Anyway, time to Surf our way over to Canalave at long last. ...Or rather, right into the net of a loudmouth fisherman.

[VS. Fisher Miguel]
[Round 1: vs. Gyarados]
Atlas avoids a Brine and chomps down with Ice Fang for mediocre damage. It uses Rain Dance next and shrugs off a Stomp. Leer drops Atlas' Defense, and Ice Fang puts it in the yellow. Another Leer drops her Def further before another Ice Fang puts it on death's doorstep. It wastes its last turn on yet another Leer before succumbing to a third Ice Fang. Sheesh, may as well have sent a Magikarp.

[Round 2: LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN, SHALL WE?]
I tag Atlas out for Dogmeat to deal with this Gyarados. Thunder fang nearly one-shots, while its Ice Fang is even less effective than Atlas' was against the first one. Shadow Ball wraps this one up in style.

I swing around past him to try and get by another fisherman...no dice.

[VS. Fisher Luc]
[Round 1: vs. Magikarp]
...Moving on.

[Round 2: vs. Gyarados]
Oh screw that. I tag in Nebula and Thunderbolt it out of the sky.

[Rounds 3, 4,: vs. Magikarp]
I bring Atlas back for the Exp, but...they're Magikarps. What exactly am I supposed to write here to make it sound interesting? They did 3 damage with some lucky Flails and wasted 3 PP on Drill Run in the process of getting shishkebab'd.

[AS YOU SAID, MOVING ON]

Up ahead I spot a point where I could have avoided them. In my embarrassment I run right into a sailor.

[VS. Sailor Skyler]
[Round 1: vs. Mantyke]
Ice Fang crits for the KO. Oops?

[Round 2: vs. WHAT'S WITH ALL THE GYARADOS TODAY!?]
Leer does what it's been doing, Ice Fang does what it's been doing, I get bored and tag in Nebula, she Traces its Intimidate to lower its Atk, she shrugs off a Crunch, and Thunderbolt erases it. Sheesh, what is with all the Gyarados today?

Past them is the entryway to Canalave, and inside we run into...I wanna say "Logan?"

[ANDERSON, WHAT WAS THIS GUY'S NAME?]
Oh right, Lucas' dad. Apparently he was supposed to give my Pokedex an upgraded to switch between viewing male and female Pokemon, but it was already on there.

[GUESS JETTY'S BEEN HITTING E621 A BIT?]
Hush.

Anyway, seems he and Prof. Rowan want us to keep an eye on Team Galactic after the stuff they've been pulling lately. Fair enough. With that, we arrive in the port town of Canalave!

[SO NAMED BECAUSE IT HAS A CANAL RUNNING THROUGH IT]
Cute. At the northeast end of town is the Harbor Inn, whose sign is too faded to read and whose door absolutely will not open...that doesn't sound ominous in the least. Moving on across the bri

[LOOK OUT!!]

Whew! Clint almost slammed into us again! Seems he just cleared out the Gym and wants to see if we're up to the task.

[VS. THIS DIPSTICK AGAIN]
[Round 1: vs. Staravia]
Okay, seriously, how is it not a Staraptor yet? It Quick Claws into an Endeavour to drop Atlas' HP, then gets Ice Fanged. It uses Double Team to boost its evasion, which lets it avoid another Ice Fang. It Double Teams again and avoids the third. It Endeavours again and dodges a Stomp, then Double Teams again to really get on my nerves and dodges another Stomp. A fourth Double Team fails to do anything, and Stomp finally connects to flatten it.

[Round 2: vs. Buizel]
I'm not playing nice anymore, Clint. Nebula tags in and Thunderbolts it right out of the battle.

[Round 3: vs. Ponyta]
Tessa takes the lead on this one. Flame Wheel does a decent bit and burns her, then Bubble Beam extinguishes it.

[Round 4: vs. Heracross]
YOU BASTARD, HOW DARE YOU CATCH ONE BEFORE ME!? Astra comes out for this one and Aerial Aces the hell out of it.

[FINAL ROUND: vs. Grotle]
Dogmeat Fire Fangs it for more than half and shrugs off a Razor Leaf, then hits it with one last Fire Fang to end the battle.

[WHAT HAPPENED!? YOU'RE TELLING ME I LOST!? SIGNED, A HUMAN WRECKING BALL WHO JUST LOST]
So long, doofus. With that and a quick jaunt back to the Pokecen, it's time to take on the Gym. I'd love to go for a cliffhanger here, but after a 2-week hiatus I Canalave you guys hanging any longer.

[BOOOOOOOOOOO]

...Y'know what? Just for that, I'm taking a side trip to the Canalave Library first.

Most of the shelves have nothing to offer...then I get to one of interest, "The Sea's Legend."

[ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE EAST SEA, THERE WAS A POKEMON KNOWN AS THE PRINCE]
[A BRAVE HUMAN ASKED POKEMON LIVING IN THE SEA TO LET THEM SEE THE PRINCE]
[MANTYKE, BUIZEL, AND A QWILFISH WITH HUGE SPIKES ACKNOWLEDGED THE HUMAN'S BRAVERY AND JOINED THEM]
[TOGETHER, THEY SET OFF IN A BOAT OVER THE SUNSET-STREAKED SEA, SAILING THROUGH THE OCEAN GATE STRETCHED OVER THE WAVES]

Ooo, that sounds cool!

[NEWS OF THIS REACHED THE EARS OF THE PRINCE, WHO WENT TO MEET THE BRAVE LITTLE PARTY AT THE SEASIDE HOLLOW]
[...AAAND THAT'S IT]
What?! What kind of abrupt ending is that!?

Up on the top floor we find "The Original Story."

[IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS ONLY A CHURNING TURMOIL OF CHAOS]
[AT THE HEART OF CHAOS, WHERE ALL THINGS BECAME ONE, APPEARED AN EGG]
[HAVING TUMBLED FROM THE VORTEX, THE EGG GAVE RISE TO THE ORIGINAL ONE]

So the Chaos was the original Pokemon Nursery?

[FROM ITSELF, TWO BEINGS DID THE ORIGINAL ONE MAKE]
[TIME STARTED TO SPIN]
[SPACE BEGAN TO EXPAND]
[FROM ITSELF AGAIN, THREE LIVING THINGS THE ORIGINAL ONE DID MAKE]
[THE TWO BEINGS WISHED, AND FROM THEM, MATTER CAME TO BE]
[THE THREE LIVING THINGS WISHED, AND FROM THEM, SPIRIT CAME TO BE]
[THE WORLD CREATED, THE ORIGINAL ONE TOOK TO UNYIELDING SLEEP]

Yeah, I'd be a bit exhausted after all that as well...I thought this was supposed to be the Children's Lit section, though? What's next?

[A HORRIBLE MYTH]
Again, I thought this was the kiddie lit?

[LOOK NOT INTO THE POKEMON'S EYES]
[IN BUT AN INSTANT, YOU'LL HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF WHO YOU ARE]
[RETURN HOME, BUT HOW? WHEN THERE IS NOTHING TO REMEMBER?]
[DARE NOT TOUCH THE POKEMON'S BODY]
[IN BUT THREE SHORT DAYS, ALL EMOTIONS WILL DRAIN AWAY]
[ABOVE ALL, ABOVE ALL< HARM NOT THE POKEMON]
[IN A SCANT SEVEN DAYS, THE OFFENDER WILL GROW IMMOBILE IN ENTIRETY]

...Didn't Markiplier read this book once?

Anyway, the rest of the stories here are a bit folksy--

[BETRAY NOT YOUR ANGER, LEST ??? WILL COME]
[WEEP NOT WITH SORROW, OR ??? WILL DRAW NEAR]
[WHEN JOY AND ENJOYMENT COME AS NATURAL AS THE VERY AIR, THAT IS HAPPINESS]
[LET SUCH BE BLESSED BY THE HAND OF MASTER ???]
[IT WAS A CUSTOM TO SPEAK THOSE WORDS]

...Okay, this was the book Markiplier read.

A kid mentions a "secret path" in town...I figure he means the spot on the bridge nearby where I can Surf into the canal. This leads us to a secret spot with TM89 for U-Turn. Neat.

Anyway with all that done, time to take on the Canalave Gym for real. Since it's Steel-type, I move Dogmeat to the front. Apparently it's a multi-floor construction site with open sides.

[YOU SURE IT'S NOT JUST STILL BEING BUILT?]
Maybe. Anyway, a kung-fu man blocks our way forward....for now.

[VS. Black Belt Ricky]
[vs. Steelix]
Thunder Fang does nothing to it thanks to a thumb slip, while its own Thunder Fang hurts a bit. Fire Fang does a decent bit, while Ice Fang glances off. Wow, this match bites so far. Another Fire Fang hits it, and its Iron Tail puts Dogmeat in the yellow before she scarfs down her Oran Berry and finishes it with one more Fire Fang.

I try to sneak by the construction guy at the next entryway...no dice.

[VS. Worker Garry]
[vs. Onix]
I swap Dogmeat out for Atlas, who shrugs off a Bulldoze despite it being super effective. Another Bulldoze does more of the same, while Drill Run skewers it outright.

I move Atlas to the front and, a few elevator platforms later, run into an Ace Trainer with an ego.

[VS. AT Cesar]
[Round 1: vs. Skorupi]
Iron Tail hits dead air as Atlas Digs, then Bite hits dead air as she erupts from the underground for some serious damage. Toxic fails to poison her, while Ice Fang fails to hit. Another Iron Tail glances off, and Ice Fang puts it down for the count.

[Round 2: vs. Steelix]
I tag in Tessa for this one and Surf it right on out.

[WHO'S THE NOOB NOW, JERK?]

A few more elevators have me way up into the rafters, farther up than the exterior of the building suggests should be possible. Maybe this guy can explain what the hell's with the decor?

[VS. Worker Gerardo]
[Round 1: vs. Onix]
Guess not. Bulldoze does little, Drill Run scores a knockout.

[Round 2: Repeat]
Iron Tail misses, Drill Run scores another win.

Seeing another Black Belt coming up, I swap Astra to the front. Who knows, maybe he uses Fighting/Steel?

[VS. Black Belt David]
[Round 1: vs. WHAT'S WITH ALL THE ONIXES TODAY!?]
First Gyarados, now Onix...this region has an obsession with long Pokemon. Anyway, Close Combat pummels it at the cost of some of Astra's Def.

[Round 2: vs. Steelix]
Tessa takes the lead again and scores another wipeout with Surf.

Another Ace Trainer awaits us a few floors down.

[VS. Ace Trainer Breanna]
[vs. Azumarill]

She mentions focusing on 1 type, then sends out a Water/Fairy. Okay. Aerial Ace takes half its HP while Play Rough wiffs, then Aerial Ace hits again for the KO. Some Ace. XP

[MORE LIKE A PAIN IN THE ACE]
With that, we're back on the first floor next to a red elevator. Guess it's time for the grand finale, so I move Tessa to the lead. Sure enough, it takes us all the way to the top floor and Byron, the Gym Leader...and Roark's dad, apparently? Neat. Well then, like father like son, time for a beatdown!

[GYM BATTLE: VS. Gym Leader Byron]
[Round 1: vs. Bronzor]

Surf puts it deep in the yellow, and it responds with Trick Room to let it go first. Confuse Ray leaves Tessa a bit baffled, causing her to hurt herself. It follows up with Sandstorm before eating a Bubble Beam for the KO.

[Round 2: vs. Steelix]
I leave Tessa in in hopes that the confusion isn't an issue. It Earthquakes to put her at 1 HP, but she toughs it out and hits with Surf to put it at 1 as well. I take a turn to heal with some Moomoo Milk, but Earthquake puts her right back at 1. Trick Room wears off and Bubble Beam scores the KO.

[FINAL ROUND: vs. Bastiodon]
I tag Atlas in for this one. Drill Run and Flash Cannon both miss. Another Drill Run scores a direct hit and puts it deep in the red, forcing a Sitrus Berry, while Flash Cannon hits and puts her at 1. I opt for Dig and have her burrow into the metal, dodging a Flash Cannon before scoring the win when she comes back up. Not sure how she safely dug into a metal platform thinner than her, but whatever works!

[ASTRA: Take Down -> Agility]

Victory secured, Byron surrenders the goods, and the Mine Badge is mine! This lets us use the Hidden Move Strength to move boulders, as well as some TM91s for Flash Cannon.

We leave, and now it's our turn to bump into Clint...who wants us to follow him to the Library.

[BUT FIRST, THE POKECEN]
Screw off, Clint. My team's beat.

After that, we head back to the library, and Clint drags us over to a table with Lucas and Prof. Rowan...and then tries to duck out before getting the Death Glare from the professor. Sit down, Clint.

Rowan goes into a spiel about how some Pokemon evolve and some don't, and what that makes of Legendary Pokemon that don't evolve. With that, he wants us to check out the Three Lakes and the mysterious pokemon that live in each one. Clint complains about having to do this without a Pokedex, to which he's reminded that he bolted before he could be given one.

[IDIOT]

With that, the three of us each take a lake and split up. We get Lake Valor, between Veilstone and Pastoria...the one Team Galactic had blocked off, if I recall. Maybe this is why they di--

[KA-BOOOOOOOM!!!!!]
WTF!? We all run outside, and a sailor mentions an explosion just happened at Lake Valor. Ominous enough that that's where I'm heading, but...that's clear on the other side of the Sinnoh Region. How big a blast was that?!

With that, we Fly off to Veilstone...which is the perfect spot for a cliffhanger.

[TEAM STATUS]
Tessa, Lv 41
Dogmeat, Lv 39
Nebula, Lv 41
Astra, Lv 41
Atlas, Lv 39
Belfries, Lv 40

Until next time!
[TAKE CARE!]