PPPB Part 10: Dress for Success

Part 10

Dress for Success

My mind is a labyrinthian pastiche of emotions.

Anyway, welcome back and hey I got a show to watch.

The old guy standing in front of us turns around and goes up to us, stating that he's the owner of this place.

How phenomenal is "got my Pokeyman stolen" again? Ah well, he wouldn't know.

I literally did not ask.

In any case he hands us a Prop Case which allows us, the player, to play dressup with our Pokemon.

 I gave Haum the tennis racket and the cane.

Anyway, with a dolled up Pokemon they can participate in the musical.

You and me both. But might as well ride out this whole... musical thing. Bianca heads off to do more sightseeing. I wish to do the same.

Oh dearie me I tripped over another cutscene.

Bianca's dad was never particularly for Bianca leaving town due to concern over his daughter. So, of course, when he eventually decided to get out the house several towns after we left he managed to catch up to take Bianca home. Bianca is less than willing to do so. But someone steps in to diffuse the situation.

The woman introduces herself as Elesa, the town Gym leader who is also a model. She starts talking about how people's different ways of thinking can hurt you but you must learn about the differences of people, being different is OK, pokemon are with her, heart of the cards, that kind of thing.

The father concedes (although admits that the both of them are being selfish) and soon leaves. Well... I saw that conflict coming a mile away and it went 3 feet before deciding it was done. I mean, in the beginning of the game the father made it clear to the player that he didn't want his daughter going out in the world. Bianca basically ran away because she knew her father wouldn't have allowed her to go.

And it all just kinda... fixes itself within a minute. Just to introduce the gym leader.

I thought you *were* doing what you really wanted to do.

Anyway, the others leave and hopefully there's no more plot to accidentally step in for now. Another building has what looks like a teleport that takes me to some sort of...

...some sort of Pokemon Stadium?

No, it's just soccer. There are a number of players here but only one of them actually triggers a Pokemon battle.

No that's Pocket Soccer. What you want is Sopokermon.

I leave and end up going into a basketball stadium. The court itself is off limits as there's a game going on, though.

If they are so easily distracted shouldn't normal people be disallowed from a sports team's training session? I mean, if I were a coach I wouldn't appreciate it if some teenager just came from nowhere and distracted a couple of my players with monster fights, you know what I'm saying?

 I'm just going to leave this here. Now, I'm not going to make the obvious joke. I'm sure people can do it themselves. But I would also like to point out during all of this, he's not only with the rest of the crowd watching the game... he's also not even watching the game.


Cripes... so easy to make the obvious joke.

What court? I see a soccer field. Seriously, these people are supposed to be watching a basketball game and they are clearly looking at something that isn't a basketball court.

 Oh, nevermind. This is some form of... uber Basketball I cannot comprehend.

I decide to go back to the Musical building (it says Musical on it, actually) and decided to do the musical thing.

Don't hate me because I'm so dapper!

So Haum and 3 other pokemon perform on stage.

Oddly enough, the items vanish when they turn around.

Anyway, after the play the participants are told how they performed. Thankfully I seemed to do well enough that I don't have to pull a Parasite Eve on the stage.

 Afterwards, someone gives me a paintbrush. However, I did the Musical. I've no real interest as of now to try another.

I think of socialism, economic woes, and Snakeman.EXE's operator. But I guess musicals are fine too.

Back at the amusement park I look into the gym. It seems as though the gym leader uses ground type pokemon. I think. The guy at the entrance states that Electricity doesn't work well on ground types but makes on obvious indication which the gym leader uses. So I'm guessing she uses ground types.

Also, a gym leader, who is also a model, has a gym in an amusement park with bumper cars in it.

I mean, come on, at least have some thematic connection, guys.This is just outright random.

Anyway, I shall leave off here. I should go train a bit. Just in case. See you next time.

PPPB Part 9 I was hoping to see Alphamon appear.

Part 9

I was hoping to see Alphamon appear.

 So, with the bike obtained I decided to go back to the day care and put a couple of Pokemon in there. Not for breeding purposes, whatever comes out goes straight into the PC. However, I decided to put in *some* effort in getting a decent number of Pokemon, if only for curiosity and the Professor giving me additional items. 

Also the Bike is neat.

With my party switched around a bit now I'm set to check out the city. I head to the closest building, the gym (Edit: Totally not the gym. It's the Battle Subway). 

 Smells like shenanigans.

She mentions the Battle Subway, shoves a Vs Recorder in my hands, and runs off to the Battle Institute. Okay. Said institute isn't something I seem to be able to use yet (looks like a post game thing judging from the message).

In a house, a guy gives me the HM Strength. Someone else in the same place gives me a Soothe Bell.

And the Trash cans still offer nothing. Does everyone not have anything in the trash?

I head to the Battle Subway, which leads to a bunch of trains.

Each train seems to lead to a set of a certain type/difficulty of battle, and I cannot use held items and I'm limited in how many pokemon I can take with me. So I'll be holding off on this for a bit.

After some more walking I discover...

It's N.Cortex!

Since this is the amusement park TP mentioned earlier, he has me follow him to find them. He decides to ride the Ferris Wheel so we can spot them more easily.

So, you're a Zangeif player?

But never mind that. Let's get on the Ferris Wheel.

Huh.

Also... you are the "King" of Team Plasma? Not the "Leader"? TP has mentioned a king before but hearing "King of Team Plasma" just sounds a bit off to me. In any case, he exposits that Ghetsis asked him to save Pokemon with him. The whole ride is otherwise uneventful, the only other thing he mentions is wondering how many Pokemon are out there. Once we get out, though...

 He decides to battle me as some sort of distraction for TP to run away. I beat him... but only barely. I carried 6 Pokemon in and left with 2 alive not fainted. TP left, and N.Cortex...

Hmm...

Well, to be fair this isn't Terry's usual hat, just what he wore in the old Fatal Fury OVAs/Motion Picture. 

So... perhaps N.Cortex is a fan of fighting games?

*Sigh* And I was getting my hopes up too. The plot thins. 

 

Huh? So you want Trainers to not have Pokemon. And the way for me to remain with my Pokemon is to get the gym badges and get to the Pokemon league. 

...

Anyway, he runs off.

I eventually run into Bianca as I go around the city. 

Not even a warning. She drags me to the theater. 

But I shall end this here and deal with the Musical some other day. But a Musical sounds nice...

PPPB Part 8 An Influx of Golden Brown!

Part 8

 An Influx of Golden Brown!

Well, I'm back, and it seems I was on the right track in seeing that the Gym leaders all had some sort of second jobs. First it was a restaurant, second was a museum. I know Burgh is a painter, so his gym is...

 

 ... full of honey. 

Well, his name does start with a letter B. And The Mighty B looks vaguely Bee-like. And this... is a massive stretch as a train of thought so...

Anyway, there are honey walls that you need to force yourself through.  There's also some switches around.

Art of Switch Pressing? I don't quite... get... what job this is supposed to represent. Is this a circus?

Because I see clowns. I do see paintings around as well but they seem second fiddle to the mounds of honey and the clowns running about.

I admit, though... the honey walls is kinda annoying. They are a gimmick with no real reason to it other than making you take longer to cross somewhere. Also annoying is the fact that the Pokecenter is near-literally on the other side of town. It's not a terribly long run but it's a bit long.

I make it through and get to Burgh.

Looks like a weirdo. But he is an artist so... yeah. I beat him and I get his insectible Gym Badge. 

Leaving the gym, I get a call from Bianca. She wishes to fight me again... well... at least she's asking me this time. In any case, Iris had trained Bianca a bit so she can protect her Pokemon better. Well, might as well.

She decides to pop in and fight me within the gate.

It seems screens are safe within the world of Pokemon.

After defeating her, she talks for a bit before leaving.

The next area is going through a sandstorm, which I saw off camera (so to speak). Like earlier games, when Sandstorms happen within battle, all but a few types of Pokemon can resist being buffeted by sand. However, I do have a Ground type. But even without it, the sandstorm damage isn't that much. 

Also, I knew Cheren was here. But with the Bug Badge he decides to fight me as well. After I beat him as well, I get a call from the Professor. 

Bianca... is dead. 

Or unavailable. Don't know why there's no 3-screen version of this.

Well, it turns out that, yes, Bianca *is* unavailable, but the Professor wanted to talk to me as well, but only said that she's waiting at the next town.

The path splits off into to. One leading to a Desert Resort, the other leading to the next town. I go to the latter and meet up with the Professor and Cheren. 

Please don't tell me this is a tutorial on Electric types...

Well... it actually isn't. She came and gave me some Ultra Balls. After some talking (by the by this isn't a transcript of the plot of this game) the Professor leaves, and then Cheren leaves to go capture some Pokemon in the previous area he hadn't caught yet. 

Nimbasa City

What sort of world is this where between two cities there's a sandstorm that basically begins and ends within the span of a gate?

In any case, I'm in a new City. 

Oh jeez. Team Plasma again. 

Of course, since he runs a daycare TP figures they can bully an old man into giving them the Pokemon he's tending to. You see, this is why I'm losing faith in TP, the first sighting of them was neat, bringing up questions and making people think, and then each and every meeting afterward is ruining that aspect of them.

Anyway, the old guy begs for my help. Once I defeat them, the grunts run off, mentioning hiding in an amusement park. The old guy also gives me a Bicycle. 

He leaves, and then Bianca shows up, if only to namedrop some areas in town to visit before leaving. Okay then.

Well, I shall end it here. Join me next time as we explore this town and try out that Bicycle!