Pokemon Pearl - Celestic Town

After I healed my Pokemon at the Pokemon Center, I went toward the center of town. I was quickly stopped by an elderly woman, who told me of a "spaceman" at the front of the ruins, who was angry because there wasn't anything there. He said he would blow the town up with a bomb, and the elderly woman said she'd punish him with her Pokemon if she were younger.

I went to the ruins to stop this guy from blowing up the town. He told me there was nothing there, no reason for the town to exist, and that he would blow it up. He asked if I would try to stop him, and I responded by sending out Alexander, and he sent out Beautifly. Beautifly used Gust for good, super-effective damage, but Alexander countered with Revenge for great damage. Alexander used Submission to bring it into the red, but then the Beautifly countered with Mega Drain. Alexander used Rock Smash to knock out Beautifly, and then I switched to Lucius to fight his Croagunk. Lucius used Ember, and it was a critical hit that knocked out Croagunk and won the battle!

After the battle, the Galactic Grunt said there wasn't anything he could do there, that the place was nothing and that he would happily be rid of the place before running off. The elderly woman came up and complimented me on the battle, and gave me her thanks as Town Elder. I realized that she was Cynthia's grandmother, and handed over the Old Charm. She told me such charms were something they made in honor of a mythical deity said to have created Sinnoh, and that such Old Charms were still discovered now and again. The Town Elder suggested that I look around inside the ruins, and so I went in.

I went to the far side of the ruins and came across an ancient cave painting, plenty of mysterious designs cover the wall, and three strange things formed a triangle, and in the center a shining sphere. The Town Elder came up to me, and somewhat translated the designs on the wall. According to her, there existed a being so powerful, it was considered a deity at the time, and three Pokemon opposed it and kept balance with the being. Afterwards, she handed over something useful she found, HM03 (Surf)! I'll need to get the Hearthome Gym Badge to use it outside of battle, but it will be very useful. I immediately taught it to Maria in place of Rain Dance.

When I left the ruins, I came across the same man I talked to a while ago, at Mt. Coronet, the guy I thought may be working for Team Galactic. He noticed that there was an "insignificant" struggle previously, told me how everyone should step back and view things from a bigger perspective, one that is on a universal scale. He introduced himself as Cyrus, and it seems he was running Team Galactic. He told me that he sought the power to create a new world, one without strife, but such power was unavailable in Celestic Town. He recognized me from before, asking me to inform him if I discover any power derived from the legends of Sinnoh, like I'm just going to give him such information...

After Cyrus left, I went and healed my Pokemon, then explored the Town. I talked to some of the citizens, and happened upon an old man who asked where I came from, and told me that nearby (from Twinleaf Town) Lake Verity is said to be home to Mesprit, the "Being of Emotion" and said it must be watching over me. I continued exploring and found a house where an elderly couple would buy and sell items like a Poke' Mart. A man in the house gave me Wise Glasses, which boost the power of Special moves.

I did some training to the west on Route 211, and after several Trainer and wild Pokemon battles Lucius, Marcus, and Maria grew to Level 32. I also received TM77 (Psych Up) from an Ace Trainer, then I decided to fly back to Hearthome to see if the Gym Leader had finally returned.

Current Team:

Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 32)
Alexander (Machoke, Fighting, Lv. 32)
Maximus (Luxray, Electric, Lv. 32)
Annabelle (Torterra, Grass/Ground, Lv. 32)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 32)
Maria (Gastrodon, Water/Ground, Lv. 32)

Pokemon Pearl - Through the fog to Celestic Town

I visited the Hearthome Gym, and found that the Gym Leader was STILL gone. I decided to fly back to Pastoria City and check out the Great Marsh, and managed to catch a Skorupi (Poison/Bug, Male, Lv. 22), then I flew over to the Valley Windworks and caught myself a Drifloon (Ghost/Flying, Male, Lv. 22). I also flew back to Jubilife City to the Poketch Company and got the Marking Map Poketch App. I then decided to head back to Solaceon Town to try using that medicine on the Psyduck blocking the path on Route 210.

I ran into a couple Trainers in a side path to get an item, one a Double Battle won easily enough, and another a single battle also won easily. I grabbed the item, a Great Ball, and then hopped off a ledge to get to the Psyduck. I used the Secret Potion on them, and they were cured of their headaches, then they wandered north together. Right after the Psyduck left, Cynthia came up to me, happy that I used the Secret Potion on them. Cyinthia asked me to deliver an Old Charm to her grandmother in Celestic Town, to which I agreed. She warned me about her grandmother's bossy attitude before she left.

I continued north, getting into a wild Pokemon battle with Lucius, who grew to Level 31, and then kept on going. I soon encountered one of the Ninja Trio, and got into a battle. I sent out Alexander to fight his Geodude. Karate Chop knocked out Geodude, and Alexander grew to Level 31, and I switched out for Maria to fight another Geodude. Water Pulse knocked out Geodude instantly, and another Geodude was sent out only to be knocked out by another Water Pulse, and thus the battle was won.

I continued north, grabbing a Hyper Potion along the way, then an Ultra Ball in some grass, and then I encountered a thick fog. I don't have any of my Pokemon set with Defog, because it seems like it would generally be useless in battle, so I just continued through. I soon encountered the second of the Ninja Trio. Zubat was sent out, and I sent out Maria to fight it, missing a Water Pulse but getting hit for minor damage by Wing Attack. Maria used a Body Slam for a one-hit KO, then another Zubat was sent out. I kept Maria in the fight, and had her use another Body Slam, which took the second Zubat out too. Next up was Golbat, and I kept Maria going. Maria got hit by Wing Attack for minor damage, and then her Body Slam missed. Golbat used Confuse Ray on Maria, and she hurt herself in her confusion. Golbat tried using Wing Attack, but missed, then Maria snapped out of her confusion, but her Body Slam missed too. Body Slam hit Golbat for great damage, while it's Wing Attack missed, then Maria was hit with another Confuse Ray but managed to knock out Golbat with Water Pulse! Finally a Skorupi was sent out, and Maria hurt herself in her confusion, and Skorupi used Accupressure to up it's attack. Maria managed to attack with Mud Bomb, but it missed, and so did Skorupi's attack too. Maria snapped out of confusion and hit Skorupi with Mud Bomb for massive damage, bringing Skorupi into the red, then it countered for great damage and brought Maria into the red. Maria missed with Water Pulse, and got hit by Leer, but she tried again and won the battle. Maria grew to Level 31, and I healed her up before continuing west.

I went west, because I couldn't go further north on that road, and came across an Ace Trainer. She sent out Ponyta, and I sent out Maria again. Maria got hit by Fire Spin which did minimal damage, but her Water Pulse missed. Ponyta was switched out for Grotle, and Maria's Water Pulse missed, before I switched to Marcus. Marcus' Intimidate cut Grotle's attack, and it hit Marcus with Mega Drain for minimal damage. Marcus hit Grotle with Aerial Ace for massive, super effective damage, but Grotle clung onto the red. Marcus hit it with Wing Attack to finish it off, then Ponyta was brought out again. Marcus used Fly, and flew up high, so Ponyta's Fire Spin missed, then it was hit by Fly for an instant knock out! The battle was won, and I continued on my way.

I came across a pair of Ace Trainers, and we got into a Double Battle. I fought them, they sent out a Raichu and a Gyarados, and I sent out Marcus and Lucius. Both pairs were weakened by Intimidate from the other, but I won the battle easily, and Marcus grew to Level 31. I healed up Lucius before going up some stairs, and then further west. I fought another Ace Trainer, Annabelle fought all three of his Pokemon and came out victorious. I went west through a path for bikes only, and came across the third member of the Ninja Trio. He sent out Dustox, and I sent out Annabelle. Dustox tried to use Psybeam, but missed, and then Annabelle hit it with Bite for good damage. Dustox used Psybeam for some good damage, then Annabelle countered with Cut for good damage. Annabelle tried to finish it with bite, but missed, then got hit by Whirlwind and afterward I switched her out with Maximus. I had Maximus use Spark to finish off Dustox and win the battle. Annabelle grew to Level 32, and learned Leech Seed in place of Bite. After the battle finished, Annabelle evolved into her final form, Torterra! After evolving, she wanted to learn the move Earthquake, and I decided to make her forget Razor Leaf to use it.

I healed Annabelle, I tried to find my way through the fog. I went south from where I fought the last of the Ninja Trio, and found TM30 (Shadow Ball). I pocketed the TM, then went back a ways. I fought another Trainer, beat him easily, and kept looking for a way through. I came across another ninja (FOURTH of the Ninja Trio? I don't think someone at Game Freak learned how to count...) and beat him down, snagging the Smoke Ball just past him before going further. Another Trainer, another battle won, and Maximus grew to Level 32. I healed Maximus, and started to wonder if I was EVER going to find my way through to Celestic Town.

I fought yet ANOTHER Trainer (how many assholes are in this fucking fog?) and took him out, though my attacks were running out of PP count at this point! Alexander grew to Level 32, and learned Submission in place of Karate Chop, and then I kept on going. Finally, FINALLY after fighting SO many trainers, I made it to Celestic Town!

First thing's first, heal my Pokemon, and then find Cynthia's grandmother!

Current Team:

Alexander (Machoke, Fighting, Lv. 32)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 31)
Maximus (Luxray, Electric, Lv. 32)
Annabelle (Torterra, Grass/Ground, Lv. 32)
Maria (Gastrodon, Water/Ground, Lv. 31)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 31)

Pokemon Pearl - Path to the Pokemon Mansion

I went to the Poke' Mart to stock up on healing items, and then I headed west to Route 212. I encountered my first Trainer along the way, and I sent out Marcus to fight, and she sent out Luxio. I switched over to Alexander because of Marcus' Type weakness to Electric attacks. Alexander used Vital Throw, and it was a critical hit that took out Luxio in one go. Buizel was sent out next, and I kept Alexander in the fight. The Buizel used Swift for minor damage, then Alexander countered with a powerful Karate Chop for the win.

I continued on, and found TM06 (Toxic) along the way. I got into another battle with a Trainer, and I sent out Marcus to fight her Goldeen, and Intimidate cut it's attack. I had Marcus use Aerial Ace to take it out easily before it could do anything, and Marcus grew to level 30. Next up was Buizel, and I sent out Alexander. Buizel used a Quick Attack for little damage, and then Alexander used Vital Throw to knock it out and win the battle. Alexander also grew to Level 30 upon victory.

Right next to the Trainer I beat was a house with a sign out front saying that Shards were wanted, in payment for TMs. I went in with the bunch of shards I had, wondering what I could get my hands on. I talked to one of the women in there, and she said she would hand over a TM if I gave her 10 similar-colored shards. I didn't have 10 of any shard, and so left and continued on my way.

I came across some fishermen, and while I was wary of going into elective battles when I didn't know how much further I had to go, I decided I may as well take them on and build up my Pokedex. I fought two of them, and beat them easily enough. In those battles, Annabelle grew to level 31, and Lucius grew to Level 30.

I continued on my way, fought another Trainer, and sent out Maria against his Geodude. Maria used Water Pulse to knock it out, and another Geodude was brought out to suffer the same fate. A third Geodude was sent out, and it too was taken out by Water Pulse. I won the battle, and Maria grew to Level 30, then she evolved into Gastrodon!

Going further down the path I encountered a pair of Trainers, and we got into a Double Battle. The Pokemon Rangers sent out Aipom and Prinplup, and I sent out Maximus and Alexander. I had Maximus use Spark on Prinplup for an instant knock-out, and then Aipom attacked Alexander with Fury Swipes for minimal damage. Alexander hit Aipom with Vital Throw for an instant knock-out, and then the Rangers sent out Marill and another Prinplup. I had Maximus use Spark against Marill, which knocked it out, then Prinplup used Peck for effective, but minor damage against Alexander, then Alexander countered with Vital Throw for the win. Maximus grew to Level 31 upon victory, and I continued on my way.

Finally I made my way to the Pokemon Mansion, and fought another Trainer nearby. There were plenty of Trainers outside but avoided them for now. I found TM11 (Sunny Day) nearby, before I headed inside. I talked to a few of the Maids in the house, and got a Soothe Bell from one of them, and also got a Great Ball in one room. I talked to Mr. Backlot in his office, and found TM87 (Swagger), but he didn't say anything about any particular special Pokemon in his Trophy Garden. I wonder if he'll brag later?

I decided to check out the Trophy Garden, and found a Pichu and Pikachu, but my Pokemon were too powerful and knocked them out. I decided to just head back to the city, heal my Pokemon, and see if the Hearthome Gym is open.

Current Team:

Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 30)
Alexander (Machoke, Fighting, Lv. 30)
Maximus (Luxray, Electric, Lv. 31)
Maria (Gastrodon, Water/Ground, Lv. 30)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 30)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 31)

Pokemon Pearl - Chasing the Galactic Grunt

I did some Berry gathering, then I checked out the Great Marsh to see if there were any worthwhile Pokemon, and after that I went back to the Seven Stars Restaurant to do some battling. When I was done with the Trainers there, Alexander and Maria grew to Level 29, and she learned Body Slam in place of Hidden Power. I also earned plenty of cash from all those diners.

I came back to Pastoria City after the battles, and went to check up on that Team Galactic asshole with the package. He didn't notice me as I came up, talking to himself about how he just got the package from Veilstone, and how he needed to bring it to the nearby lake at any cost. He turned around and finally noticed me there, and told me that his mission was too important to stick around and deal with me, and not to follow him.

I ran after the Grunt, finding him right by the path to Route 213, and he ran again. Before I could chase after him again, Simon ran into me and wanted to battle. I wish I could tell the little shit to 1) pay attention and stop fucking running into me, and 2) that there may be a bomb being delivered to the nearby lake! But of course he's too fucking stupid to listen to either point, and I had to battle him.

Simon sent out Starly, and I sent out Lucius. Lucius Stomped on Starly for great damage, and made it flinch. In the next turn, Starly used Quick Attack for minor damage, and Lucius countered with Ember to knock it out. Simon sent out Buizel next, and in turn I sent out Annabelle. Buizel used Quick Attack for minor damage, and then I had Annabelle use Razor Leaf to knock it out. Next up was Monferno, and I sent out Marcus, with his Intimidate cutting it's attack. Monferno used Mach Punch for minor damage, and then Aerial Ace did great damage against Monferno and brought it to the red. Marcus finished Monferno off with a Wing Attack, and then I sent out Lucius again against Simon's Roselia. I had Lucius start out with Fire Spin, but it missed, and then Lucius was poisoned by Roselia's Poison Sting. Lucius used Ember for great damage, then Roselia countered with Mega Drain for minimal damage. Lucius got hurt by poison, but finished Roselia off with another Ember.

After the battle, Simon realized just how strong I've become since our last battle, and wondered what that Galactic Grunt was panicking about, and told me to chase after him. Simon figured if you're not a Pokemon, and you run away like that, then you must be a bad guy. He ran down the path to Route 213, and I had to halt my chase to heal my Pokemon up (Thanks, Simon...).

I came across the Galactic Grunt again at the beach heading toward the hotel, saying how they needed the energy from the Valley Windworks to make whatever was in that package. It seems the package was made by his leader, something of such complexity that only a scientist could make it. He ran again after he noticed me, and I gave chase. I found him again at the hotel, and he wondered why he was running, talking about how this package would help make a new universe like his boss had planned. Again he ran, and again I chased after him.

Just past the hotel, within sight of the lakefront, he decided to battle me. The Galactic Grunt sent out Glameow, and I sent out Lucius to fight. Lucius used Take Down for great damage, and suffered minor damage in return, then he was hit by a couple Fury Swipes for some damage. Lucius finished off Glameow with Stomp, and thus won the battle.

After the battle, the Grunt told me that he didn't have the energy, he would have to give the package to the Commander instead. I switched around my Pokemon and then continued to the lakefront. When I got to the lakefront, I met up with Cynthia. She came to research the folklore about the lake, but found it closed to the public. It seems there's an island inside the lake, and within it is a mirage of a Pokemon. She suddenly brought up the group of Psyduck I had seen on the way to Pastoria City that were blocking the path on Route 210, and gave me a Secret Potion to give to them for their headaches.

There were two assholes stopping everyone from entering the lakefront, and since I couldn't do anything otherwise I went back to Pastoria City to heal my Pokemon, and grab more healing items. When I'm ready, I'll continue west through Route 212 to check out this Pokemon Mansion I've heard the citizens of Pastoria City talk about...

Current Team:

Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 29)
Alexander (Machoke, Fighting, Lv. 29)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 29)
Maximus (Luxray, Electric, Lv. 30)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 29)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 30)

Pokemon Pearl - Pastoria Gym

I left the Great Marsh to go beat the Pastoria Gym.

My team consisted of:

Alexander (Machoke, Fighting, Lv. 28)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 29)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 29)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 29)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 29)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 28)

I entered the Gym, and saw that the layout was different paths at different levels, surrounded by water, and what looked like floating bridges. It seems that as I go through, I'll need to raise and lower the water level to get over to the Gym Leader. I stepped on a switch to lower the water level, and then came across a young Trainer. He sent out Buizel, and I sent out Maximus, and one Spark knocked out Buizel and won the battle.

I went through the bottom level, then came across another Trainer. Barboach was sent out, and I sent out Maximus against it. I had Maximus use Spark against it, but it did nothing, then Barboach used Water Pulse for little damage against him. I switched out to Annabelle, and she used Razor Leaf to take it out and win the battle.

I raised the water level and went through the middle level, then came across another Trainer. The Sailor sent out Wingull, and I sent out Maximus. I knew one Spark attack would do massive damage against a Water/Flying Type, and it was knocked out immediately. Another Wingull was sent out, and again it was taken out with Spark, and I won the battle.

I raised the water level to maximum, and continued on to battle yet another Trainer. The young girl sent out Azurill, and I sent out Maximus to continue fighting these Water Types. Spark knocked it out easily enough, then I switched to Annabelle to fight her Marill. One Razor Leaf took it out, and I won this battle too.

I fought another Trainer, a tough fight that saw Maximus grow to Level 30 and then evolve into a Luxray! I healed my Pokemon up after the battle, then lowered the water level. I went further through the Gym, found myself in another battle with yet ANOTHER Trainer (just how many are in this fucking place?) and took him out easily enough. Annabelle grew to Level 30, and I raised the water level before moving further through the Gym.

I finally made it to the Gym Leader, Crasher Wake. I was glad to finally be able to challenge him, and I sent out Maximus against his Gyarados, and Intimidate cut Maximus' Attack. I was lucky that Gyarados had such a weakness to Electric attacks, because Spark managed to take it out in one shot. I then sent out Annabelle to fight his Quagsire, and Razor Leaf took it out in one shot before it could attack. Floatzel was sent out last, and I kept Annabelle in the fight after all the Trainers that Maximus fought against. Annabelle got hit by Swift for some damage, but Razor Leaf did great damage against it, at least until it ate a berry to regain health. Floatzel used Brine for some damage, then Annabelle countered with Mega Drain for good damage. Crasher Wake used a Super Potion to heal Floatzel, and then Razor Leaf did great damage to bring it to the red. Floatzel used Brine again against Annabelle, but she countered with Cut to knock it out and win the battle.

I received $3600 and the Fen Badge from Crasher Wake, as well as TM55 (Brine), a Water-Type attack that does more damage if the opponent is at half health. I can also use Defog outside of battle now, but I'm not sure I really want to use such a limited HM on Marcus unless I really have to.

Four Gym Badges down, four more to go. I just hope that my Pokemon will be strong enough to fight the rest of the Gym Leaders without much difficulty.

Current Team:

Maximus (Luxray, Electric, Lv. 30)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 30)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 29)
Alexander (Machoke, Fighting, Lv. 28)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 29)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 28)

Pokemon Pearl - Pastoria City and the Great Marsh

I went to heal my Pokemon, then headed back to the hotel and the Seven Stars Restaurant to train my Pokemon further against the Trainers of the day. On the way back to the Restaurant, I got TM40 (Aerial Ace) on the path between the city and the hotel. After all those battles, Marcus, Maximus, and Lucius all grew to Level 29. I headed back to the city after that.

Going through Pastoria City, it's less a city and more a town, no real buildings, just houses. When I went in there, I found a Team Galactic asshole mocking me for my few badges, and mentioned having a package to place somewhere. I'm assuming the package isn't a bomb, because that would be WAY too dark for a Pokemon game, but on the other hand I have no idea what it could be otherwise.

Besides the Pastoria Gym, there are a couple things of note here at the city, those being the Great Marsh which acts as Diamond/Pearl's Safari Zone, and the Move Tutor who teaches level-learned moves to Pokemon in return for Heart Scales. I decided to go ahead and check out the Great Marsh, to see if there are any rare Pokemon there I need. I know I'm going to need to visit the marshlands a few times to make sure I get all the new, rare Pokemon that switch out each day.

In the Great Marsh, you only have 30 Safari Balls and 500 steps to take before you're pulled out of the marshlands. Before you go into the Great Marsh, you can go up to the top of the Observation Tower and pay $100 on each of the telescopes to see what Pokemon each area of the marshlands have. When you get in there, you can use a tram to quickly go to the back of the Great Marsh without having to walk all the way there, especially useful as you can sink right into the mud and use a few steps just to get out of there.

When I went in there, one of the people there handed over HM05 (Defog) which they found in the marsh. I took a tram deep into the marshland, and I caught a Carnivine (Grass, Male, Lv. 23) and a Marill (Water, Female, Lv. 25). As I explored further I also caught a Croagunk (Poison/Fighting, Male, Lv. 26) and snagged a Wooper (Water/Ground, Male, Lv. 24) though I think I have one from Sapphire. I'm trying to just grab unique Pokemon, no doubles if I can help it.

After leaving the Great Marsh, I went ahead and decided to challenge the Pastoria Gym.

Current Team:

Alexander (Machoke, Fighting, Lv. 28)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 29)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 29)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 29)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 29)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 28)

Pokemon Pearl - Path to Pastoria City

After healing my Pokemon, I started south toward Route 214. Just when I started down the road, I came across a Trainer, and we got into a fight. I sent out Maria against Ghastly, and it used Curse against Maria and sealed it's own fate by cutting it's health in half, so Water Pulse took it out easily. Maria got hurt by the Curse before Misdreavus was sent out, and I switched to Annabelle. Misdreavus used Mean Look to keep Annabelle in the fight, and then Razor Leaf did good damage against it. Astonish hit Annabelle for little damage, and she countered with Razor Leaf to knock it out, then grew to Level 27. Annabelle also learned Mega Drain in place of Absorb. I sent out Maria against Kadabra, knowing that Curse would be lifted. Water Pulse hit Kadabra for some damage, and then it countered with Confusion to knock out Maria. I then sent out Maximus who used Spark to knock it out easily, and he grew to Level 27 and won the battle.

I went back to the city since I was so close and healed up my team (and also bought healing items), then went back on Route 214. I did some gardening with Berries a short distance east, then I visited a little cave to the west and got TM28 (Dig) before I continued south. I came across another Trainer, he sent out Goldeen and I sent out Alexander. Goldeen used Flail for little damage, and then Vital Throw did great damage, yet Goldeen barely hung on. Another Flail hit Alexander for good damage, and then Rock Smash knocked out Goldeen. Another Goldeen was sent out, again using Flail for little damage, but then Alexander countered with Revenge to knock it out in one hit. Another Goldeen with Flail, another counter with Revenge, and another one-hit KO for victory, and Alexander grew to Level 27.

Just a bit further south and then I came across yet another Trainer. I sent out Maria, and he sent out Ponyta, and Water Pulse did great damage to bring it to the red. Ponyta countered with Ember, it was ineffective, but used a critical Stomp for good damage in the next turn and made Maria flinch, but then Maria's Quick Claw caused her Water Pulse to fire off first and knock out Ponyta. Another Ponyta was sent out using Ember, it was ineffective and was countered by a super effective Water Pulse which took it out in one hit. Another Ponyta was sent out with Ember, another counter with Water Pulse did great damage, and then a final Water Pulse took it out for the win. Maria grew to Level 27 and I healed her up afterwards.

I came across a few more Trainers, and they went down easily enough. Lucius grew to Level 27 and Annabelle grew to Level 28 between the Trainers and wild Pokemon battles. As I continued south, I found several items, and also came across Hotel Grand Lake. I found someone who was missing her Suite Key and locked out of her room, and after some looking I found it and returned it to her and got a Lava Cookie for my trouble. I went through the various rooms and talked to the people that were enjoying a stay at the hotel, and I received TM92 (Trick Room) from a group of traveling performers.

While I was there, I visited the Seven Stars Restaurant. In the restaurant there were some rich Trainers wanting to fight, and I got into a few Double Battles. It was nice, because they each asked if I wanted to battle, instead of just going into a fight. Through all those battles, Lucius, Maximus, Maria, and Alexander all grew to Level 28, and Alexander evolved into Machoke! I also got lots of cash from those diners, and then continued west.

I came across Dr. Footstep's House, where a man lived who said he could tell much about a Pokemon by how they walked. I let him watch Annabelle walk, and he said that we showed that Pokemon and People could be friends, and gave her the Footstep Ribbon. I continued on through, and encountered a couple more Trainers, but there's already too many battles to make this post a reasonable length if I described each one. I won those battles, and Annabelle grew to Level 28.

I finally made it to Pastoria City, and got my Pokemon healed up before I'd go out exploring.

Current Team:

Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 29)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 28)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 28)
Alexander (Machoke, Fighting, Lv. 28)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 28)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 28)

Pokemon Pearl - Galactic Warehouse

When I left the Veilstone Gym, before I could think to heal my Pokemon, Dawn came asking for help. She told me that she accidentally dropped her Pokedex, and Team Galactic found it and refuse to return it. She told me she needed my help getting it back, and I was happy to after I could get my Pokemon healed.

Dawn was waiting in front of the Warehouse after my Pokemon were all healed, and then we went up against the pair of Galactic Grunts guarding the Warehouse. I sent out Lucius, and Dawn sent out Clefairy, while the Grunts sent out Beautifly and Dustox. Ember hit Dustox for good damage, then Dustox used Gust against Clefairy for little damage, then Clefairy got hit by Giga Drain from Beautifly for good damage, but Clefairy countered with Gravity. I had Lucius use Ember against Dustox again, but it clung on to consciousness, and used Moonlight to heal itself. Beautifly used Gust against Lucius for a bit of damage, and then Clefairy used Sing to put Beautifly to sleep. Lucius used Stomp against Dustox for some damage, then Dustox used Psybeam against Clefairy, and then Clefairy used Metronome, which turned into Moonlight to heal itself. Lucius finally knocked out Dustox with another Ember, then Clefairy used Metronome to turn into Pound against Beautifly for good damage, and Croagunk was sent out to replace Dustox.

Lucius used Ember against Beautifly and knocked it out, then grew to Level 26. Clefairy used Metronome, which became acupressure to raise it's own accuracy, and then Croagunk used Revenge against Clefairy for great damage. Stunky was sent out to replace Beautifly, Lucius used Stomp against Stunky, and the critical hit brought it to the red, while Clefairy was switched out for Kadabra. Stunky attacked Lucius for some damage, and then Croagunk used a super effective Pursuit attack to bring Kadabra into the red. Kadabra countered the previous attack with a Psycho Cut which was super effective and took out Croagunk, and then Fire Spin from Lucius took out Stunky and won the battle.

After the battle, they handed back the Pokedex, claiming that soon they were going to own all the Pokemon in the whole universe anyway, and also that everything in the Warehouse was moved to Pastoria City already. They ran off, and Dawn thanked me for my help, and told me she was going to head to Pastoria City for the variety of Pokemon there. After she left, I went into the building they ran into, and found HM02 (Fly) which I taught to Marcus in place of Quick Attack.

Now that I've got my third Gym Badge, and Marcus knows Fly if I get in trouble, I'm going to head to Pastoria City too.

Current Team:

Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 26)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 26)
Alexander (Machop, Fighting, Lv. 26)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 25)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 28)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 26)

Pokemon Pearl - Veilstone Gym

After exploring the city and doing some shopping, I decided it was time to go ahead and start on my next Gym Badge. I went to the Veilstone Gym ready for a battle.

My team consisted of:

Alexander (Machop, Fighting, Lv. 25)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 26)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 26)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 25)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 25)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 26)

I went in and talked to the guy by the door, who told me that Flying and Psychic Types would be useful against the Fighting Types used by the Gym Leader. Inside the Gym there were lots of walls around and several small areas with Trainers ready to fight. I decided to just go down the middle and see what happened.

I came across the first Trainer, someone who called themselves one of the Karate Quad; he sent out Machoke, and I sent out Alexander to fight. He used Leer, and Alexander used Revenge for good damage. Machoke used a powerful Vital Throw against Alexander, and then was countered by a Vital Throw to be put in the red. Machoke was brought back for Meditite, and Alexander's Rock Smash didn't do much against it. I switched out to Marcus and he was knocked out by a critical Force Palm. I sent out Maximus to fight it next, and Spark took out Meditite. Machoke was sent out next, and a Bite from Maximus finished it off.

I revived Marcus and healed him and Alexander up, then looked around. I realized that the walls could slide from side to side, and that I'd have to go through several trainers to slide the walls aside and make a path to the Gym Leader. I went ahead and fought another Trainer, who sent out Machoke to fight against Marcus. A Wing Attack did critical damage and knocked out Machoke in one hit, then Machop was sent out. I had Marcus use another Wing Attack to take it out in one hit, and another Machoke was sent out. Marcus used Wing Attack for great damage, and then got hit by Seismic Toss for some damage. Another Wing Attack finished it off and won the battle, and Marcus grew to Level 27.

I continued trying to figure out the puzzle, trying to get the path fixed to the Gym Leader, but it looked like I messed up the puzzle and would have to leave to get it fixed and restart. I went to fight another Trainer, he sent out Meditite and I sent out Marcus, and one Wing Attack took it out for victory. After the fight, I realized that I hadn't done anything wrong, I was fine, and I continued through the puzzle. I came across the last of the Karate Quads, and took him out with quite some effort. Alexander grew to Level 26 upon victory, and I healed up the team before continuing on to the Gym Leader.

I met up with Maylene, the Gym Leader. She wasn't sure how strong she was, or how she managed to become the Gym Leader, but she told me she would do the best she could. She sent out Meditite, and I sent out Marcus, whose Wing Attack took it out. Marcus grew to Level 28, and then learned Aerial Ace in place of Endeavor. Machoke was sent out next, and then Aerial Ace did great damage, but then Rock Tomb did great damage against Marcus. Marcus used Wing Attack for the knock out, and then I switched out for Alexander when Maylene sent out Lucario. Lucario used Drain Punch for a one-hit KO before Alexander could do anything, then I sent out Maria to fight it. Mud Bomb did some decent damage, Lucario's Metal Claw missed, and it was hit with another Mud Bomb, then Lucario ate a Berry to heal up a bit. Maria used another Mud Bomb to do decent damage, then got hit by Drain Punch for great damage before she could use another Mud Bomb. Water Pulse was used against Lucario for some decent damage, and then another Mud Bomb missed before Maria got hit by Lucario's Metal Claw. Force Palm took out Maria, and I sent out Lucius to fight it next. Metal Claw did some decent damage against Lucius, and Stomp was ineffective in return before Maylene used Hyper Potion to heal it fully. I had Lucius use another Ember to do good damage, then another Ember did good damage, and Lucius was knocked out by Lucario. I sent out Annabelle who got hit with Metal Claw for good damage, and countered with Bite for minimal damage. Annabelle used Razor Leaf for minimal damage after getting hit with Bone Rush, and then Absorb did little against it too. Annabelle got hit with Force Palm and brought to the red, but one last Razor Leaf knocked out Lucario and won the battle.

I got $3600 from the battle, and a lot of unconscious and injured Pokemon too. I received the Cobble Badge and TM60 (Drain Punch) from Maylene as well, and now I'll be able to Fly from place to place when I get the HM. I headed out of the Gym for the Pokemon Center to heal my Pokemon, and wondered what would come next. I've been able to take care of most every other Trainer so far pretty easily, but then Maylene took out SEVERAL of my Pokemon before she was beaten, how much training will I need to put my Pokemon through before they're ready for the NEXT Gym Leader?

Current Team:

Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 28)
Alexander (Machop, Fighting, Lv. 26)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 26)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 25)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 25)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 26)

Pokemon Pearl - Veilstone City

So I made it to Veilstone City, a city "Hewn from Rock" as the sign says. There are a lot of rocky hills that the buildings stand on, and the roads go between them. I talked to some people around the city, and received TM63 (Embargo) from one of the citizens. I found a Team Galactic Warehouse there at the city, which one of the Grunts told me carried the HM for Fly. I'm going to have to take these guys out of Veilstone City too...

I came across the Veilstone Gym, and Dawn. She was surprised at how strong I've gotten, and told me she was working on her Pokedex before leaving. She seemed to be having troubles of some kind, but I have no idea what could be wrong. I could have just headed in and gotten my badge, but there's a lot more of the city to check out before I continue through.

I explored the city further, and found someone who offered to massage one of my Pokemon, and I let Lucius enjoy a good massage. I received something called Determination, a decoration, that she found on him, and then I continued on my way. Next door, I found a clown who gave me a Coin Case, for the Veilstone Game Corner, a good way to lose lots of cash...

Shortly after getting the Coin Case, I found the Veilstone Game Corner and checked it out. I went inside and was greeted by a generous man on a winning streak, and he gave me 20 Coins. I talked with others at the machines, and received another 50 Coins from another player. I talked with a couple others, one who told me how the machines worked, and then another who told me he was the father of the Gym Leader!

I decided to go ahead and try my luck at the slot machines, seeing as I had some free coins from the lucky folks there.The way that it works is that you insert 3 Coins, then you spin the machine. When the pictures are spinning, you go ahead and tell each row to stop in turn. After a couple tries, I won some Coins with a trio of Pikachus. Another couple tries saw me find another trio of Pikachus. I managed to get a trio of Moon Stones and out popped a Clefairy (though it's face was like that Ditto from the old show). After a few failed spins, I managed on 777 with the Clefairy and got plenty of Coins. After that I got 15 bonus rounds in which the Clefairy showed me which rows to stop and I got a BUNCH of Coins. I called it quits after my lucky streak, knowing I'd just lose it all if I went further.

I checked out the Prize Exchange next to the Veilstone Game Corner and found that the lowest-end prizes cost 1000 Coins, and so I just continued exploring the city. I went north, and found to my unfortunate surprise that Veilstone holds the Team Galactic HQ! After I'm done with the Veilstone Gym, I'm going to have to do some serious ass-kicking to get these Galactic assholes out of here!

I did a bit more exploring, and found the Veilstone Department Store, a tall building where you can buy all sorts of different things! Floor 1 was like a Poke' Mart, Floor 2 had battle items and stat-building items (as well as a Poketch App, Counter), Floor 3 had offensive and defensive TMs, Floor 4 had Secret Base items, and Floor 5 was the Rooftop Plaza. I got a Sticky Barb from a guy at the Plaza, bought some stuff for my secret base, and then decided that was enough for the city tour. I went ahead and went to my Secret Base to get the new stuff set up, then came back to the city to fight the Gym Leader.

Current Team:

Alexander (Machop, Fighting, Lv. 25)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 26)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 26)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 25)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 25)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 26)

Pokemon Pearl - Onward to Veilstone City!

Before continuing on my way, I went and dropped a Pokemon off at the Pokemon Day Care, my I-shaped Unown, to see how well it would grow, as well as to get the Poketch App Day-Care Checker, which allows me to keep track of my Pokemon in the Day Care. I was thinking about just putting it in to get the Poketch App, but then I realized that with it only being able to use Hidden Power, it would be extremely hard to train it otherwise.

I went north to Route 210, an area with very tall grass I can't ride my bike through. I did some gardening with Berries just in the tall grass, and then I encountered a Trainer. He sent out an Aipom, and I sent out Alexander. Aipom used Baton Pass to switch out with Girafarig, and Alexander used Revenge against it for great damage. Karate Chop went ahead and knocked it out, then Psyduck was sent out. Psyduck tried to use Disable, but it failed, and Revenge did great damage against it. Alexander used a Karate Chop to knock it out before it could use another attack. Aipom came out again, and used Tickle against Alexander, and he countered with Karate Chop. Alexander got hit with Astonish for minimal damage, then used Seismic Toss to finish it off and then grew to Level 25. Alexander also learned Vital Throw in place of Seismic Toss.

I went up a hill nearby and talked to another Trainer who gave me TM51 (Roost), a Flying Type move to heal half a Flying Pokemon's HP. I got off the hill and back on the main path, right into a Double Battle. The Belle and Pa sent out Stunky and Glameow, and I sent out Lucius and Maximus. Lucius used Stomp against Glameow for good damage, then Maximus used Spark against Stunky for a one-hit KO! Glameow tried using Hypnosis, but missed, and then got hit with Ember for the knock out.

I went further ahead and came across a Rookie Breeder who wanted to fight, and I sent out Lucius against her Cleffa. Lucius used Stomp to bring it to the red, but then it used Sing to put Lucius to sleep. I switched out for Maximus, but then he got confused and hurt himself, and then got hit by Sing to get put to sleep like Lucius. I found that I had one Awakening item, and used it on Maximus to bring him out of it, and fortunately Cleffa missed another Sing. Maximus was still confused, and again hurt himself in his confusion. He got hit by Magical Leaf, and then snapped out of confusion to Bite Cleffa and take it out. The Breeder sent out Clefairy, and I sent out Marcus to fight. Marcus used Wing Attack to take out Clefairy in one shot, and then she sent out Happiny. I had Marcus use another Wing Attack for the win, and he grew to Level 25 with a LOT of experience.

I went further north and found a place called the Cafe' Cabin, which offered Moomoo Milk, and I bought one for the road. I talked to a waitress there and she wanted to fight, so I was dragged into another battle. I sent out Lucius against her Clefairy, forgetting that he was still asleep. He could do nothing but snore while Clefairy used Defense Curl. While still asleep, Clefairy used Minimize, then Follow Me, and Lucius was still snoring. Lucius woke up and used Ember against it for some damage. Lucius followed the attack up with Stomp for great damage, then another Ember to knock it out. I got out of there before anyone else wanted to fight.

I saw that north of the Cafe' Cabin were some Psyducks just standing in the path, not moving, so I had to continue east to Route 215. It was raining when I got there, so I switched to Maria in first position knowing that Lucius wouldn't have much luck in that rain. As I went through, I came across a Trainer who wanted to fight. He sent out Bronzor and I sent out Maria, who used Water Pulse for good damage. Another Water Pulse brought it to deep in the red, but Bronzor countered with Confuse Ray. Maria was confused, but managed to use Hidden Power to take it out. Next up was Shieldon, and Maria used Water Pulse for super effective damage, bringing it down to the red, and she finished it off with Hidden Power, which didn't manage to take it out. One more Water Pulse knocked out the Shieldon and won the battle.

I looked over my information on Bulbapedia and found that the Cafe' Cabin had a couple trainers with Pokemon I needed to encounter to fill out my Pokedex, so I went back in to take them out. Maria and Maximus grew to Level 25, and Annabelle grew to Level 26 after the battles with the two Collectors, then I continued through Route 215. I came across a fighter who gave me TM66 (Payback), then continued on my way east. I came across another Trainer who wanted to fight, a fighter with powerful Pokemon. I sent out Lucius against his Meditite, and used stomp for good damage, then it used Detect to protect itself. I had Lucius use another Stomp to get it to red, then he was hit by Hidden Power for minimal damage. Meditite used Detect to protect itself from Ember, but another shot from Ember took it out. He sent out Machop next, and Stomp did good damage against it, but it countered with a powerful Karate Chop. Lucius used another Stomp for good damage, but Machop used Revenge to knock out Lucius. I switched out for Marcus, and Wing Attack took it out. Another Meditite was sent out and another Wing Attack took it out easily for the win.

I used a Revive to revive Lucius, then grabbed a Fist Plate nearby, and gave it to Alexander before continuing on my way. I came across another Trainer with Croagunk, and fought him easily enough with Lucius. A couple Stomps took it out and won the battle. I then went up against a wild Kricketune with Lucius, and upon victory he grew to Level 25, and learned Fire Spin in place of Tail Whip. I came across yet another Trainer, and took out his team easily enough, and Marcus grew to Level 26. A short distance east I found TM34 (Shock Wave), a great Electric Type move which causes paralysis, before I went further through Route 215.

I came across a pair of Ace Trainers, and they sent out Monferno and Glameow, and I sent out Alexander and Maximus to fight them. Monferno used Mach Punch for some damage against Maximus, then Maximus used Spark against Glameow for great damage, and then Glameow used Hypnosis on Alexander before he could attack. I had Maximus use Spark against Monferno for a one-hit KO, then Glameow used Feint Attack against Maximus for further damage, and then Alexander woke up to use Rock Smash against Glameow for the knock out. They sent out Gyarados and Kadabra afterwards, and both got weakened by Gyarados' Intimidate ability. Alexander got hit by Confusion and was taken out in one hit, but I had Maximus use Spark against Gyarados to return the favor and knock it out. Maximus grew to Level 26, and I sent out Maria to replace Alexander. Kadabra used Miracle Eye, then Maximus used Bite for another one-hit KO. I revived Alexander and healed Maximus afterwards, and then I continued east and finally got to Veilstone City.

I'll get my Pokemon healed up, and then I'll start exploring this new city.

Current Team:

Alexander (Machop, Fighting, Lv. 25)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 26)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 26)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 25)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 25)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 26)

Pokemon Pearl - Pokemon Breeding in Solaceon Town

So, a friend of mine lent me his copy of Pokemon Pearl, over 170 hours through it and most of his Pokemon sent over to Heart Gold. I didn't find many Pokemon in there, other than a shitload of Starlies and Bidoofs, but there WERE some interesting ones including several Burmies and Eevees.

I found out that he had a high-level Ditto at the Pokemon Day Care, and he was using it to breed with a Burmy, and an Eevee. I had done a bit of research on Pokemon Breeding before I really got into all this, and the concept sounds easy enough; you put two Pokemon into the Pokemon Day Care to be cared for and slowly gain experience as you go, and depending on several factors they have a chance at having an egg together. After you get an egg, it's only a matter of taking enough steps with the egg in your party to make it hatch.

Pokemon that you try to breed need to have some similarity to one-another, either with Type, Evolutionary chain, Egg Group, OR with a Ditto. I found out that Ditto can't be bred with another Ditto, but it can be bred with anything else because of it's transformation abilities. If you breed something with a Ditto, you'll get the egg from whatever the Ditto bred with.

There's a LOT of information on the subject of Breeding on Bulbapedia, including stuff about things called "IVs" and such, things I'm sure are meant for the most hardcore Pokemon Trainers and Battlers, but I'm just trying to get a wide variety of Pokemon and with decent stats and varied attacks. I don't know much anything about the most extreme Pokemon Training and stat-building, so I know I wouldn't be the best at figuring out which Pokemon to Breed, but it's a good thing to be able to get a variety of certain Pokemon.

I was curious about why he had so many Burmy eggs, but after doing some research I found out that Burmy is a unique Pokemon, as well as being hard to find. Burmy is a bagworm-like Pokemon that evolves into either a moth-like Pokemon if male, or if female into one of THREE different Type combinations depending on the make of their bag cover. If I'm going to have the best collection of Pokemon, I'm going to need to make sure I have one of each kind, Grass, Steel, and Ground.

The other thing he had several of were Eevees, another special type of Pokemon that can be, through various methods, evolved into one of EIGHT Types. The Eevolutions, as they're called, are valued by many different Trainers for their collections, especially as Eevee is a hard Pokemon to come across normally, and then trying to get every Eevolution requires Evolutionary Stones AND other factors. I've got enough Eevees in his file now to get EACH of the Eevolutions!

Before I had enough Eevees though, I had to breed some. I went ahead and put an Eevee in the Pokemon Day Care with the Ditto so they could breed, and I just rolled around Solaceon Town on my Bike to rush the hatching of a few eggs he already had, each carrying a Burmy, and I was surprised at how quickly I was getting eggs from the pair. I pulled out the Eevee and Ditto after getting several eggs from them, then I just worked on hatching all those eggs.

I think I'm just going to focus on getting through my game, then trading over all these Eevees and Burmies afterward. I'll definitely be bringing over that Ditto for breeding purposes, and make sure that I can get plenty of special Pokemon later on.

Pokemon Pearl - Solaceon Town and the ruins to the east

After healing my Pokemon in the Pokemon Center, I decided to go exploring this town. I talked to the person near the entrance from the route I took, and I received a Poketch App called Pokemon History, which shows my history of Pokemon caught. I looked around the town, and realized two things; one, it's barely a town, really more a few houses set up around a road, and two being that it's filled with cowboys.

I found a building next to the Center called the Pokemon News Press. The sign said they were looking for a pro Pokemon catcher. I became curious at the job opening, and decided to check it out. I went inside and found the man running the Press, who noticed my Pokedex and realized I knew Professor Rowan. He told me I was just the kind of person he was looking for, and asked me to catch a Luxio for their article. Fortunately, Maximus is a Luxio, and I showed him off. He was excited, and extremely grateful, and for doing my part he gave me some Luxury Balls.

I continued on through the town, going east to find a few houses and a cavern entrance. I visited the houses first, and the owner of one house I visited gave me something called a Seal Case. The item she gave me allows me to customize Pokeballs, though to what effect I have no idea. I talked to another couple people in the other houses, then started toward the cavern.

I made my way to the cavern, which turned out to be the Solaceon Ruins. At the end of the entrance hallway was some writing, made up in the form of Unowns, and I admit I find it extremely hard to read, but it was a long message. I get the feeling it is some kind of directions through the ruins. I know other people are big on getting every single Pokemon they can like every letter of Unown, but I don't see the point if they're basically all the same thing. If they were different types, sure, but not for different shapes.

I looked closely at the writing again and made out that it talked about different spots, "top right" and "lower left" and the like. I'm not quire sure what the meaning is, but I'll find out soon enough I'm sure. I went right to the next room, and found a little boy. The boy turned out to be the son of the Seal House woman, and he told me the ruins were weird, which is why he liked visiting them, then told me to come to his house after I was done here.

After he left, I realized that the place is made up of long rooms, with different paths of stairs, and the directions in the first hallway/room were telling me how to get to the end. I went back to write down the directions, then made my way through. As I followed the directions going down through the ruins, I found a Ruin Maniac who wanted to fight. The maniac sent out Geodude, and I sent out Annabelle, who used a Razor Leaf, but Geodude avoided the attack before using Rock Polish to increase it's speed. I tried using another Razor Leaf, and it again avoided the attack, then it used Mud Sport for minor damage. I had Annabelle use Absorb, a super effective attack against a Rock/Ground Type like Geodude, and it took it out. Annabelle grew to Level 25, and then the maniac sent out another Geodude, and I sent out Maria. One hit from Maria's Water Pulse took out the Geodude, then Bronzor was sent out. I tried using Mud Bomb, but it's levitate made the move miss, then it tried using Imprison and failed. Water Pulse did some decent damage, and then Maria got hit with Confuse Ray, and I switched out for Alexander. Alexander used Revenge for a great deal of damage, then finished off Bronzor with Karate Chop, and thus I won the battle.

I had to double back after I realized I lost track of where I made it through the directions, and then continued onward again when I regained my bearings. I encountered an I-shaped Unown, and caught it with Annabelle, another down for my collection. I made my way down to the bottom, and found another message; "Friendship. All lives touch other lives to create something anew and alive." An interesting message, to be sure. In the last room were several items, including a Nugget, Rare Candy, Mind Plate, and Odd Incense. I then made my way back out of the ruins.

I went back to the Seal House, and talked to the boy. He said that he was using seals to learn the alphabet, and his mother asked me to show him the Pokemon I catch from the ruins. I went to the Pokemon Center and came back to the house with my Unown, and he gave me several I seals for my Seal Case. I put the Unown away and looked around the town a bit more, and I found that this town has a Pokemon Day Care. I'm going to check it out soon...


Current Team:

Alexander (Machop, Fighting, Lv. 24)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 24)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 24)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 25)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 24)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 24)

Pokemon Pearl - Lost Tower

I went into the Lost Tower, a tall cemetery for Pokemon, and started my way up. I got to the second floor and encountered a Trainer. He sent out Stunky, and I sent out Lucius. Lucius used Ember to do a lot of damage, and a Stomp took it out. Next up was Shellos, and I switched out to Alexander. Karate Chop did great damage, Shellos countered with a Water Pulse, and Rock Smash took it out. Finally he sent out Kricketune, and I sent out Lucius again. Lucius used Ember and took out the Pokemon, and the battle was won.

After the battle, the kid told me that he was there because of a dare from other kids, and he was supposed to go to the top to collect an HM; it looks like there's some purpose for me being here after all. I grabbed an Oval Stone right across from the Trainer and continued on to the third floor. When I got to the third floor, I found another couple Trainers. The first Trainer had a Cleffa, I sent out Lucius and defeated it with Ember and Stomp. Upon victory, Lucius grew to Level 23. The next Trainer had a Pichu, and I first had Marcus ready to fight, but quickly switched out to Alexander. One good Revenge attack took out Pichu, and then he sent out Pikachu. Quick attack did some damage to Alexander, but a Karate Chop took it out, and Alexander grew to Level 24. He sent out another Pichu, and I decided to bring out Marcus against it. It didn't have a chance to attack, Wing Attack took it out in one hit.

I proceeded to the fourth floor, and found many more Trainers waiting for me. You'd think these assholes would just mourn for their Pokemon and leave me the fuck alone! I came across a Pokefan who wanted to forget her sorrow with a battle, and she sent out Bonsly while I sent out Marcus. Marcus used Wing Attack, which didn't do much damage, then Bonsly used Low Kick, which also did little damage. I switched out to Maria, and one Water Pulse took it out.

I went through the path and came across another couple Trainers itching for a fight, fucking assholes. They didn't even seem to be mourning for any Pokemon! They sent out Buizel and Ponyta, and I sent out Marcus and Annabelle, with Wing Attack and Razor Leaf, and Marcus' Intimidate ability cut the opponents' attack in half before the battle even started. Wing Attack hit Ponyta for great damage, then Ponyta countered with Stomp for some damage. Buizel used Swift against both my Pokemon for minimal damage, and then Razor Leaf hit both Buizel and Ponyta for the win. I took their money and continued through the floor, finding TM27 (Return) as I made my way through.

I found myself near the stairs, looking at a side-path I could have taken against a pair of Trainers to skip the few I fought against. I decided to go back through this side-path to get Marcus to grow stronger. I got into a Double Battle against a Young Couple, they sent out Misdreavus and Murkrow, and I sent out Marcus and Annabelle. Marcus' Intimidate ability cut the opponents' attack, and then the battle started. Marcus used Wing Attack against Murkrow, and it used Wing Attack against Annabelle in turn for effective, if reduced, damage. Misdreavus used Confuse Ray against Marcus, and then Annabelle's Razor Leaf hit, taking out Murkrow and doing damage to Misdreavus. I had Marcus try to use Wing Attack, but he hurt himself in his confusion, and Razor Leaf from Annabelle did more damage to Misdreavus. A final Wing Attack took out Misdreavus and won the battle, and Marcus grew to Level 24.

I made my way up to the fifth floor, finding a couple elderly women mourning at a couple graves, and I was worried that they might want to fight, but fortunately they were the most respectful of all the people in the tower. I talked to the one on the right, and she gave me a Cleanse Tag to give to my Pokemon to ward off wild Pokemon on the way down. I talked to the elderly woman on the left and she handed over HM04 (Strength), and then I handed Annabelle the Cleanse Tag to hold as I made my way out of the tower.

I got out of the tower, headed north, took out a couple that was running around on the path, and then quickly found my way to Solaceon Town. I went to the Pokemon Center and healed up my Pokemon after all the fighting I had to do at the Lost Tower, with plans to explore the town.

Current Team:

Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 24)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 24)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 24)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 24)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 24)
Alexander (Machop, Fighting, Lv. 24)

Pokemon Pearl - Exploring Route 209

Before continuing east, I went back to grab the day's Berry from the Berry Master, did some gardening with four Berry Spots next to the house, and then went south to talk to someone I had assumed was a Trainer wanting a fight, but amazingly enough he just gave me an Odd Keystone!

I finally started east on Route 209, and I got into a battle with a Pokemon Breeder. It went quickly enough, with no problems, and I came out victorious. I went into the grass nearby for new Pokemon and Maximus grew to Level 23 in a wild battle. I continued looking for new Pokemon, and in the middle of wild Pokemon battles Annabelle grew to Level 24. I found a wild Chansey, and sent out Maximus, but his Bite was critical and took it out in one hit, leaving me frustrated after almost two dozen encounters against wild Bibarel and Staravia. I found and caught a wild Bonsly (Rock, Female, Lv. 16) and then after encountering a few dozen more Pokemon I WASN'T looking for, decided to just continue on. I was on my way out of the tall grass, when my last encounter was against, you guessed it, a wild Chansey (Normal, Female, Lv. 16), and after a couple Bites and several Pokeballs, I FINALLY caught it.

I went back to the city to heal my Pokemon and replace the Pokeballs I used to catch the Chansey, then I went through Route 209. I received a Good Rod from a fisherman there, and beyond him were a couple little girls, Twins Emma and Lil, who pulled me into a Double Battle. They sent out Mime Jr. and Bonsly, and I sent out Maximus and Maria. Maximus used Spark and took out the Mime Jr. and also grew to Level 24, and a Water Pulse from Maria took out the Bonsly.

I went further through Route 209 and found what I thought was a Pikachu, but it turned out to be a Poke Kid. She sent out Pikachu, and I sent out Maria, but I switched out for Alexander. Pikachu used a Quick Attack which didn't do much, and then Alexander got Revenge and took out the Pikachu. Just past the girl was an X Accuracy on a short side path, and then I continued on to find another Trainer, a Pokemon Breeder named Jennifer. She first sent out Mime Jr. and I sent out Maria. Maria used a Water Pulse, and then a Mud Bomb missed, but Mime Jr. used Encore and sealed it's doom when Maria was forced to use Mud Bomb again to full effect. Next up was Budew, and Encore kept Maria using Mud Bomb, which did some decent damage, but then Budew used Stun Spore to Paralyze Maria. Maria kept using Mud Bomb and took out Budew, and then Cleffa was sent out. Cleffa used an effective Magical Leaf, and Maria used another Mud Bomb. Maria's Quick Claw caused her to use Mud Bomb first, but then a Sweet Kiss from Cleffa made her confused. Maria hurt herself in her confusion, and Cleffa got hit with another Magical Leaf, but finally she snapped out of Encore and used Water Pulse for the win.

I headed back to Hearthome City to heal my Pokemon, then continued through Route 209. I saw the rock formation where I needed to place the Odd Keystone, but I decided against putting it inside until I have the ability to revive it into a Spiritomb. I went into a small pit past the Pokemon Breeder and found a Small Mushroom, then went north. I found an Awakening before heading up a hill with the Bike, and got into another battle. The Trainer, Cowgirl Shelly, had a bunch of Bidoofs, and I first sent out Maria who grew to Level 24, then I sent out Alexander to fight the rest.

I moved on, finding TM47 (Steel Wing), before I came across a building called the Lost Tower. I think I'll go explore the place before I continue on to Solaceon Town.

Current Team:

Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 23)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 24)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 24)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 24)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 23)
Alexander (Machop, Fighting, Lv. 23)

Pokemon Pearl - Hearthome City

I went through the gate to Hearthome City, and right when I got there I was met by a running Buneary, followed closely by it's Trainer, who sent it back into it's Pokeball. She introduced herself as Keira, a Pokemon Contest Judge, and she was grateful to me for stopping her Buneary before it could run any further. She wanted me to come to the Contest Hall to receive a proper thanks before she left.

I went into the city and met with someone visiting from Hoenn, and he was kind enough to show me where the Contest Hall is. I saw someone at the door and talked with them, she turned out to be Fantina, the Gym Leader of Hearthome Gym, and she told me I needed to become much stronger before I could challenge her. Fantina left and I went into the Contest Hall, where I met up with the kid's mother and Keira. It turns out Mom was on a little vacation, and Keira gave me Glitter Powder for Contests. Mom also gave me a Tuxedo to wear to Contests, because apparently Trainers need to dress up just as much as Pokemon do.

I decided to go exploring the city since I couldn't take on the Gym Leader, and I found myself at the Poffin House. Here, they have a machine I can use to turn Berries into things called Poffins, which apparently are special food for Pokemon. I remember hearing at the Contest Hall that Poffins are needed to win Contests, but I have no idea what they're supposed to do. I wanted to try my hand at making Poffins, but the lady at the machine said that I needed a Poffin Case. I had no idea how I was going to find a Poffin Case, so I decided to leave for later.

I found a Pokemon Fan Club in the city, and went inside. I encountered a TV Reporter who wanted an interview about Alexander, and I used "Power" to describe him, though I wish I could have said "Powerful" instead. I went further in and talked with the old man running the club, the Fan Club Chairman, and he explained how feeding Poffins to Pokemon could build their attributes like "cuteness" and "toughness" for Contests. After the explanation of Poffins, he gave me a Poffin Case and encouraged me to make lots of Poffins and feed them to all my Pokemon.

Poffin Case in hand, I headed for the Poffin House to make my own. I decided to use a Cheri Berry for my first Poffin. To make a Poffin, it involves tossing your Berry into some batter, and then stirring it as it heats up in a pot. While it's cooking, you're told to stir it in one direction or the other, and the direction changes as you cook. The trick is to stir it at just the right speed; too fast and it starts to spill over, too slow and it starts to burn. I had a shaky start, but I kept at it and got a Lv. 9 Spicy Poffin for my efforts. I continued on with a few more Poffins before continuing on my way.

I explored the city more, encountering a woman named Bebe who runs the Pokemon PC System, and then I went into an apartment complex and talked to the people inside. I soon left the apartment and continued on, finding the east gate to Amity Square, where I could walk around with my Pokemon. I went in and found out that they would only let cute Pokemon walk around, and that covered less than a dozen different Pokemon. None of the Pokemon in my party matched, so I left the square.

I decided to head south and continue on my way, seeing as I couldn't do anything more in the city, and I encountered Simon again. He didn't want to talk, he only wanted to battle. I sent out Alexander and he sent out Starly, but then I switched out to Maximus to take advantage of it's advantage against Flying-Type Pokemon. I had Maximus use Spark, and the critical hit knocked out Starly. Simon sent out a Buizel to fight, and I kept Maximus out to fight it. One hit from Spark took out the Buizel, then Simon sent out his Monferno, met by Alexander. His Monferno used Fury Swipes, and while it didn't do much damage, Alexander's Revenge took the damaged received and doled it out in spades, bringing Monferno to the red. Monferno used Mach Punch and brought Alexander to the red, but a Karate Chop took it out, and Alexander grew to Level 23. Simon sent out Roselia, and I sent out Lucius, and an Ember attack did quite a bit of damage AND caused a burn. Roselia countered the attack with Poison Sting and caused Lucius to be Poisoned. A good Stomp took out Roselia and I won the battle, and Lucius grew to Level 23.

Simon complained about being beaten again, and handed over $2100 before talking about beating the Veilstone Gym, then he ran off again. I headed over to the Poke' Mart to grab some healing items and Pokeballs (and sell some valuables I've built up), then I started my way to the southern gates to grab a Berry (Tamato Berry) for the day from the Berry Master, before continuing east. Before the gate, I talked to a Hiker who gave me a Pokemon Egg. I put away the Egg for now, and then headed east for Solaceon Town.

Current Team:

Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 23)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 23)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 23)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 22)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 23)
Alexander (Machop, Fighting, Lv. 23)

Pokemon Pearl - Onward to Hearthome City

I went through a couple wild Pokemon battles under the Bike Path, and Alexander grew to Level 22, and learned Revenge in place of Focus Energy. I continued on south, and didn't make it too far before running into Dawn, who was nice enough to give me something called a Vs. Seeker, to have rematches with Trainers I've fought before, and she also gave me a Poketch App called Dowsing Machine which allows me to find hidden items.

I headed south back to Oreburgh City to heal up, then went to the Oreburgh gate to explore a bit, now that I've got Rock Smash and a Bike. I was able to find TM31 (Brick Break) and then headed back into the city to visit the Museum, and handed my Armor Fossil over to a scientist there who can revive it into a Pokemon. I left the Museum for a bit and turned a Pokemon in to the PC, then went back to get a Shieldon (Rock/Steel, Male, Lv. 20). I gave the scientist another Armor Fossil, and received another Shieldon (Rock/Steel, Male, Lv. 20), and I wonder if it's gonna be hard to find one that's female. I figure I'll just keep reviving the Fossils I find down in the Underground so I can bring plenty of Ancient Pokemon over to X and Y, maybe toss them into the random trades I've heard about...

I went and continued east, and encountered a couple Trainers for a Double Battle. I got through them easily, and Marcus grew to Level 23. I found a Hiker and fought him, and Annabelle grew to Level 23. I continued on into Mt. Coronet. I went in and met with a guy with blue hair, talking to me about how Mt. Coronet is said to be where the region was created. He wondered what happened to that world, saying that strife has spread because of the weakness of the human spirit. I think he must be a higher-up of Team Galactic, it sounds like the same kind of nonsense they spout. I found an Ether when I checked a rock, and then headed to the other side.

I traveled through Route 208, and fought a damn cocky Hiker named Robert. I sent out Maria, and he sent out a Geodude. One good Water Pulse knocked it out. Robert sent out another Geodude, and another Water Pulse knocked it out. I took his money, gave him the finger, and continued on my way. I encountered another Hiker asking for food if he won. I'd give him food if I had any, but I don't think he'd like any of the Berries I've got... I sent out Maria, he sent out an Onix, and Water Pulse took it out. He gave me about $600, and talked about maybe eating Berries, but then felt disgusted at the thought.

I came upon a small house, the home of the Berry Master, and I went in and received a Rawst Berry. I talked to his wife, and bought some Mulch to grow Berries. I then talked to his daughter and received a Berry Searcher Poketch App to find ripe berries. I grabbed the berries next to the house, and planted one of each and watered them to make sure more grew, then I went to fight an Aroma Lady in the field nearby. I fought her Combee with Maria, and she grew to Level 23 after it was knocked out. The Trainer sent out Roselia, and I sent out Lucius. Lucius used an Ember, then a Stomp to knock it out.

I was heading further east just a few paces before another Trainer, Artist William, wanted to fight. They sent out Mime Jr. and I sent out Maria, but switched out to Maximus. Maximus used Spark, and knocked out Mime Jr. He then sent out a Bonsly, and I kept Maximus out. I had him use Bite a few times to take out Bonsly, and didn't dare use an Electric attack because I thought it might be a Ground type, but it's actually a Rock type. After winning the battle I traveled on the road to Hearthome City.

I'll take my time to explore the city after I get my Pokemon healed up at the Pokemon Center.

Current Team:

Alexander (Machop, Fighting, Lv. 22)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 23)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 23)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 22)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 22)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 23)

Pokemon Pearl - Wayward Cave

After spending some more time in the Underground, getting myself another Armor Fossil, a couple Moon Stones, a Leaf Stone, and a few different Plates, I started my way south on the Bike Path. I went into the building and met up with Dawn's father, who congratulated me on my progress with the Pokedex thus far, and gave me an EXP Share to help me on my journey. I went down the path and fought a couple Trainers, and Maria and Alexander both grew to Level 20.

I saw some trees that could be cut to the side of the Bike Path, and I went around underneath the path to get myself a Burn Heal, Super Repel, and Poison Barb. I went further back and found the entrance to a place called Wayward Cave, but when I went in I saw that it was nearly black inside, and to continue on at a decent pace I'd need to teach one of my Pokemon how to use Flash. I taught Maximus to use Flash in place of Leer, then went on in.

I made my way through it, using Rock Smash quite liberally, and found no-one as I made my way through, but I managed to grab an Escape Rope. I kept on going through the tunnels, I found a pair of Trainers looking ready for a Double Battle, but I avoided them to continue through the tunnels. I went through a while longer and found a girl, named Mira, who got lost searching for Pokemon, and I agreed to help her through the cave. In a nearby rock I managed to find a Nugget before I started on my way out of the cave. I found out in our first wild Pokemon encounter that she has a powerful Kadabra.

Our first Double Trainer Battle was against a Pokemon Collector and a Ruin Maniac, I sent out Lucius and she sent out her Kadabra, and they sent out Geodude and Gastly. One Confusion attack from Kadabra knocked out Geodude and Lucius grew to Level 21. Lucius used an Ember attack against the Gastly, and it was a critical hit, knocking out the Gastly in one hit. The next two were Bronzor and another Gastly, and I switched Lucius out for Alexander. Mira had Kadabra use Confusion on the Gastly, and it was knocked out. Bronzor used a powerful attack against Alexander, and Gastly Cursed him, bringing him to the red. I switched Alexander out for Maximus, and Confusion from Kadabra took out the Gastly. Maximus finished off the Bronzor with Spark for the win.

Before moving on, I noticed some empty space past those two, but leading to a dead end. I checked around, and found a Tiny Mushroom. It is described as a rare mushroom, quite popular among some maniacal fans, but I have no idea what the hell that actually means; is it something I can sell for a high price, or is it something I need to hold onto for a special service? I guess I'll just have to hold onto it and find out...

Heading on through the tunnels, we encountered more wild Pokemon, and Maximus grew to Level 21. Another wild Pokemon battle and Alexander grew to Level 21 too. We went into another couple wild Pokemon battles before getting into another Double Trainer Battle against a Picnicker and a Camper. They sent out a Meditite and a Buizel, and we sent out Maria and Kadabra. Maria used Water Pulse to greatly injure the Meditite and confused it, and a Shock Wave from Kadabra knocked out the Buizel, and then Maria grew to Level 21. A Shinx was sent out, and one Mud Bomb took it out. Meditite used Bide, trying to get strength to use a powerful attack, but a Confusion and then Water Pulse took it out, and we won.

We continued on our way through the cave, trying to find our way out of it. Looking through some of the rocks, I found a Burn Heal and a Potion as we went through the tunnels. We got into a few more wild Pokemon battles, and Annabelle grew to Level 22, and she learned Bite in place of Curse. We continued on through, and found ourselves in another Double Battle, with another Camper and Picnicker; they sent out a Cascoon and a Silcoon, and I sent out Marcus. One Wing Attack took out Cascoon, and Silcoon was taken out by a Shock Wave from Kadabra. The two Trainers sent out a Dustox and a Beautifly. One Wing Attack took out the Beautifly, and Marcus grew to Level 22. Kadabra used another Shock Wave against the Dustox, but it didn't do much. I had Marcus finish the battle with another Wing Attack. Just past the two Trainers I found a Rare Candy.

We continued on through the tunnels, and after another couple wild Pokemon battles Maria grew to Level 22, and learned Rain Dance in place of Harden. We went farther through, finding an offshoot and a couple more Trainers, a Youngster and a Lass. They brought out Bidoof and Buneary, and I sent out Lucius.  I had Lucius use Ember against Buneary, and Kadabra used Confusion to knock out the Bidoof. Lucius grew to Level 22, but then Buneary used Frustration to bring Kadabra to the red, and a Quick Attack left Lucius on his own. Lucius used Stomp to knock out the Aipom the one Trainer brought out, and another Stomp knocked out Buneary. I just had a Zubat left to fight, and one powerful Stomp knocked it out and won the battle.

Past the two Trainers I got TM32 (Double Team) and went through the tunnels to head on out. Unfortunately I couldn't quite find my way, and instead stumbled upon a couple Hikers. I sent out Maximus, and they sent out Onix and Geodude. A combined Confusion and Bite knocked out the Onix, and then a Confusion attack took out the Geodude. They sent out Machop after that, and Kadabra used Confusion for the win. Maximus grew to Level 22, and we tried to find our way out.

We finally found the exit (Thanks to a map on Bulbapedia) and Mira thanked me for my help before leaving the cave. I left the cave and started towards Hearthome City.

Current Team:

Alexander (Machop, Fighting, Lv. 21)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 22)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 22)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 22)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 22)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 22)

Pokemon Pearl - The Underground

I decided now would be a good time to check out the Underground area, heading east right before Route 211, and I went on down. I met Roark down there, and he explained that there's lots to do down there before he left. I decided to wander around the place until I found someone, but there was a lot of area to cover and not a soul around. The Underground works differently than normal games, in which the gameplay is done on the bottom touchscreen, and the top screen is used as a map, with the Underground split into several areas.

I decided to look up information on Bulbapedia for the Underground, figuring out how to do things, and I managed to get some mining done, finding myself many Spheres in the process, which are used for currency down there. I went back up afterwards to go back to the Underground Man and talk with him. He knew I went down there, and gave me some traps to use, then talked to me about mining. The way mining works is that on the screen above there's flashing spots on the map, and you go to those areas, and touch the touchscreen to use sonar and find the flashing spots nearby to mine. You go to that area, and select it to start mining, and you're given two tools to get stuff, a hammer to smash a big area and a pick to chip at small areas. As you do this mining, however, there's a bar at the top of the touchscreen showing how weak the wall is getting, and you have to get as much as you can from the spot before the wall collapses.

Anyway, I showed him the spheres I mined before, and he gave me a few Size 1 Spheres. The Spheres are found in different sizes, and I was told that I could bury the Spheres and make them grow bigger over time. I went back down and buried a few Size 1 Spheres, got back to him. He was happy with my progress, and I received a Digger Drill, and was told to start on a Secret Base down there. I went ahead and dug myself a nice little spot, and did some more mining and found myself a couple Revives, a Moon Stone, and even an Armor Fossil! I sent those items to my normal bag and went back up.

I came back to the Underground Man and he congratulated me, happy that I could handle his tasks, and he gave me a few pieces of furniture for my Secret Base. His final task was to go in there and set the furniture up, get my Secret Base nice and cozy. I went in there, set up the Table and Chair to one side, a Bookshelf next to the PC, and a Buneary doll on the other side of the PC table. He was happy with my progress, and gave me a Turtwig doll to put in my base. The only thing left was being able to clear Boulders from the Secret Base, which I could only do by stealing a friend's flag.

I think I could spend hours down there, getting more furniture set up in my Secret Base and getting stuff like Fossils to increase my Pokedex. I'm definitely going to be doing more with the Underground during my adventures in Pearl, and I think I can get at least one boulder cleared thanks to a friend of mine.

Pokemon Pearl - Eterna City

I went back to Eterna Forest, fighting several Fisherman on the way and getting Maximus to Level 19. I went into the Old Chateu now that I can use Cut, and I almost immediately caught a Ghastly (Ghost/Poison, Female, Lv. 13) in the dining hall. I went into the kitchen and found an Antidote, then left the dining hall and made my way upstairs. I found a Dread Plate on the leftmost room, and headed down the other way. In the rightmost room, I found TM90 (Substitute) and pocketed it, then headed back to the upstairs part of the lobby.

I went into the left room upstairs, and found something called Old Gateau, apparently a medicine that heals all status problems of one Pokemon. I went into the right room upstairs, and there was nothing. I looked like that was all I could do in the Old Chateau and decided to head back to the city to heal my Pokemon, and go attack the Galactic Eternia Building.

Before I went to the Galactic Eternia Building, I read on Bulbapedia that there are more hidden items in the Old Chateau; for my efforts, I got myself an Insect Plate, Maximus grew to Level 20, and Maria grew to Level 19 there too. I couldn't find any other hidden items, I'm thinking maybe they come later? I went back to the city to heal my Pokemon, then went to the Galactic Eternia Building to fight Team Galactic.

I went inside the building after grabbing TM46 (Thief) from a side path nearby, and then I got into a double battle before the stairs to the second floor. They sent out a Zubat and a Wurmple, and I sent out Maximus and Annabelle. I took out the Zubat, and brought down Wurmple to yellow before switching out to Alexander and Maria, and they took out the Wurmple, Glameow, and Cascoon with ease.

The second floor was a computer lab, and one of the Grunts wanted to fight, so we had a battle. He sent out a Wurmple, and I sent out Alexander. A couple Karate Chops and a Rock Smash took down the Wurmple, and Alexander grew to Level 19, and he learned Seismic Toss in place of Low Kick. He sent out a Zubat next, and I sent out Annabelle to fight it. I was a bit worried that a Flying-type attack would do some damage, but Annabelle hit the Zubat with a Cut attack for critical damage, and knocked it out in one hit.

Another Grunt in the second floor computer lab wanted to fight, sending out Silcoon, and I sent out Alexander. A Karate Chop cut it to half health, and another brought it into the red, with Seismic Toss knocking it out. I took the $600 after the battle and continued on my way to the third floor. The few Grunts I talked to on this floor seem to think that they can use Pokemon as some kind of new energy source, though how that could be I don't even know. Some of these Grunts I've encountered thus far don't seem to really understand what their group is up to in the first place.

I encountered another Grunt who was happy to have someone come by to "donate" their Pokemon, and she sent out Wurmple. I gave the bitch the finger and sent out Annabelle, and one Cut did massive damage, then Razor Leaf finished the job. The Grunt sent out a Silcoon after, and I had Annabelle Cut it for great damage, then use Absorb to get a bit of health though it was ineffective. Annabelle used Razor Leaf to knock it out, and then went up against a Zubat. I had her strike at it with Cut and bring it down to the red, and a Bite from the Zubat made her flinch before another Cut could be used. I had Annabelle use Absorb and it was ineffective, but a Razor Leaf took it out and I came out of the battle victorious, and Annabelle grew to Level 20.

Just before the stairs to the fourth floor, I encountered a Scientist named Travon, and he wanted to fight. I sent out Maria, and he sent out a Kadabra. I had Maria use Mud Bomb and Kadabra used Confusion, which did quite a bit of damage to Maria. Maria used Water Pulse for a good bit of damage, and she got hit with another powerful Confusion attack. She got hit with another Confusion attack, being pushed into the red, but one more Water Pulse knocked out the Kadabra.

I went to the fourth floor, and I found the Bicycle Shop owner confronting a Team Galactic Commander. I went between them and talked to her, and she was itching for a fight. Her name was Commander Jupiter, and she sent out a Zubat to fight, while I sent out Alexander. Zubat used a Wing Attack and Alexander took great damage, with a countering Karate Chop doing little against it. I switched out for Maximus and Spark took it out. I switched out to Marcus when she sent out a Skuntank. Marcus's Intimidate ability cut it's Attack in half, and then he used Wing Attack, and it didn't do too much. I had Marcus use another Wing Attack, and then he got hit with a powerful Night Slash. I switched out for Lucius, and an Ember attack did some good damage, but the Skuntank seemed to have some VERY high defense, and I wondered how many of my Pokemon would need to fight this thing before it went down. Another Ember attack brought it to the yellow, and another Night Slash brought Lucius down to yellow too. The next attack from each of us both missed, and then I had Lucius use Stomp, and it was a critical hit that won the battle. Marcus grew to Level 21, and I got $600 for the battle.

Before Commander Jupiter left, she said that their investigation of the Statue nearby was finished, and that Commander Mars had gathered the energy they needed from the Valley Windworks. She said that her boss was studying Mythical Pokemon and was planning on using them to take over the Sinnoh Region. Jupiter left after that, and the Bicycle Shop owner thanked me for saving his Pokemon, and told me to come by the Bicycle Shop soon to repay me. I left the building, which was cleared out of Grunts and completely empty, and I went to heal my Pokemon before I headed to the shop for a new Bike.

The Bike in this game works differently than the previous game, this one can actually shift gears between speed and control, a combo of the old Mach and Aero bikes. It's going to be nice to get anywhere I need to without having to come back and switch models!

Current Team:

 Alexander (Machop, Fighting, Lv. 19)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 20)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 20)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 21)
Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 20)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 19)

Pokemon Pearl - Eterna Gym

Before getting to the Pokemon Gym in Eterna City, I went east to Route 211 to catch some new Pokemon and to build my team up for the Gym Leader. On Route 211,  I caught a Ponyta (Fire, Male, Lv. 13) and named him Lucius. Lucius shall be my Fire type for this game. I also caught a Chingling (Psychic, Male, Lv. 13) and a Hoothoot (Normal/Flying, Male, Lv. 14).

I did a lot of training on Route 211 to build my Pokemon up for the Gym Leader, growing Lucius and Alexander to Level 18, and Annabelle and Marcus to Level 19. I taught Annabelle Cut (HM01) in place of Tackle, Lucius learned Ember, and Marcus learned Endeavor in place of Tackle.

My team consisted of:

Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 18)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 19)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 19)
Alexander (Machop, Fighting, Lv. 18)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 18)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 18)

Oddly enough, the Gym Leader, Gardenia, was waiting for me right inside the entrance, at the door going into the central area. She said I had to beat EVERY other trainer there before she'd allow me to fight her. If I've got no choice, then so be it, but I'd rather just get to her and be on my way...

I went into the central area, and it was an indoor forest with winding paths. I looked around a little bit and found the first Trainer, and Lucius beat her down easily and grew to Level 19, and also learned the move Stomp in place of Tackle. The first Trainer gave me a hint to find the second Trainer, and off I went to find them. I found the second Trainer, she had 3 Pokemon and I beat them with Lucius, Alexander, and Marcus. Alexander was hit with stun spore, but a Paralyze Heal fixed him right up.

I found the third Trainer, she had a Turtwig, and Marcus made short work of it. There was my third victory here, and my third tip on how to find another Trainer. I found the fourth Trainer by some flowers, she had one Roselia, and a single Wing Attack from Marcus won the match and he grew to Level 20. Finally I was down to the Gym Leader, Gardenia.

Gardenia started out with a Cherubi, and I sent out Lucius. One Ember attack did great damage, and I finished it off with Stomp. Next up was Turtwig, an Ember attack brought it down to half health and it countered with Razor Leaf, not effective at all. I used another Ember attack against her Turtwig, and it clung onto consciousness deep in the red. On the next turn, I had Lucius use a final Stomp to go for the knock out, but before he could she used a Super Potion to heal it to full. I hit it with another couple Ember attacks and won that fight.

Gardenia's last Pokemon was Roserade, and Lucius got hit with a Grass Knot that did some good damage, countering with Ember. I switched out Lucius for Marcus, and he was hit with a powerful attack, Magical Leaf. I had him use a Wing Attack on Roserade, and brought it down to yellow, but it ate a berry to regain health. Roserade used another Magical Leaf attack, and brought Marcus down to 1 HP, but one more Wing Attack was all it took to win the battle, and Lucius grew to Level 20.

I got about $2600 AND the Forest Badge for my victory, and also received from her TM86 (Grass Knot).  I can now use Cut, and after a trip to the Pokemon Center to heal my team I'm going to have to get some things done around the city, for instance getting rid of those Team Galactic assholes!

Current Team:

 Lucius (Ponyta, Fire, Lv. 20)
Annabelle (Grotle, Grass, Lv. 19)
Marcus (Staravia, Normal/Flying, Lv. 20)
Alexander (Machop, Fighting, Lv. 18)
Maximus (Luxio, Electric, Lv. 18)
Maria (Shellos, Water, Lv. 18)