Yeah. 20 entries. I can't believe it. This is the furthest I have ever gone in a Pokémon fan game. And it's all thanks to everyone who read and enjoyed this Text Play journey. Your support helps keep me going. Thank you all so much, and I hope you continue to enjoy my journey through this game. And I want to do more Text Plays like this in the future. I have my next two Pokémon fan games already in mind for the future. But for now, let's continue on with our travels through the Akiba Region, shall we?
With the sixth badge collected, it's time for me to move on. Got a Pokémon League to get to, after all. Not to mention Team Prime is still out there, and I'll have to help take care of them, too. So, time to hit Route 13! I may come back here to try out the Safari Zone a third time.
There, I found an Ultra Ball, as well as some berries in that berry patch. Cheri Berries on the left, and Chesto Berries on the right. Cheri Berries can heal paralysis, and Chesto Berries can wake up Pokémon that have been put to sleep in battle. I have been wanting to grow more berries, as they're just as good as using the various cures you can get in the Poké Marts. Cheaper, too. Thing is, I don't have anything like Berry Pots from HeartGold/SoulSilver. If I grow Berries in a patch like this one in the screenshot, I'll end up forgetting about them. Having the Pots allowed me to keep an eye on my planted Berries. Also, see that rock next to the water in the screenshot? There's a Big Nugget hidden there. You can sell that for big money.
Anyway, I moved on ahead, and I found this girl here, with her Braixen.
It's our old friend Serena. I wonder what she's been up to? Anyway, she's pretty impressed with our badge count, and cannot wait to battle us. Hey, I'll take her on, if she wants to give her Pokémon a workout. However, she can't right now. Her Braixen is not doing so hot, and it needs some rest. This is unusual. Generally, in Pokémon games, if trainers challenge you, you cannot refuse. It's generally considered rude in-universe. However, I think it would be fair to say there can be exceptions in the case of emergencies, like if a Pokémon is injured and needs medical help badly. So, it's fine.
I want to face Serena at her best. As such, she offers to meet me in front of the Gym at Synchrone City. She gives me HM02: Fly. Hey, that will be pretty handy. As shown in the screenshot, I could go straight ahead, or to the left. Being a bit of an explorer at heart, I went to the left. I encountered a wild Floette and Flabebe. I also found another Mega Stone.
It's a Lucarionite. The path led to this little grotto here.
At least, I think it's a grotto. I'm going to need a Pokémon that knows Surf to cross. This is why I like the Ride Pokémon in Sun and Moon. I have really grown to dislike the HMs, so I was so happy that they were finally ditched in that game. Anyway, I went back to the Pokémon Center, got my Poliwag (which knows Surf), and surfed to the center and found this.
Yeah. There's nothing here. No fishing, no nothing. I get the feeling there was originally something intended to be here, but the developers changed their minds. It's really odd. It kind of discourages exploration a bit as what's the point? If there's no reward, there's no reason to explore.
With that a bust, I went upwards. Fought a trainer, and found a Rare Candy near an entranceway. Upon entering the entranceway, a police officer wished me a nice day! That's nice! And he encouraged me to visit Synchrone Cave. And with that, I arrive at Synchrone City. The first thing I see when I'm there?
A frickin' Team Prime grunt. And he has a Goodra. He's feeling a bit down because someone kicked his butt. I'm guessing Ash, Looker, or someone else whupped him. I'm not going to be lifting this grunt's mood. He brought out an Aerodactyl, but Thundra the Luxray was able to handle it. Got wrecked by Goodra, though. However, Butterfree and Venusaur were able to take it down. The grunt taunts me childishly (He literally says he'll tell his boss on me), and he...walks away. He doesn't run, he walks. He's in no rush to tell his boss on me. After this, I ventured into the city. After all, it seems like there's plenty to do here. Maybe there's more minigames. But it looks like the search for minigames will have to go on the back burner for a while, as this town has some unwanted guests.
Yeah, this place is evidently crawling with Team Prime. Didn't that guard at the entranceway notice this?! I'm guessing that he's on the take, if you know what I mean. I highly doubt a world-conquering organization would be above bribing people. With another grunt defeated, I was able to explore further into the city. Right here, I found the Move Deleter's house.
Got a move you regret teaching your Pokémon? This guy will fix that for you! I also found the Synchrone Cave the guard told me about.
Evidently, that's also the Gym. And that is not Serena. So...where did she go? Also, I have to say, it's so weird going back to having separate buildings for the Pokémon Centers and shops. I'm just really used to having them in the same building. Much more convenient. One of the people in the Mart is just hanging out and enjoying the cool breeze of the air conditioner. I'm guessing this place has a hot and humid climate. So, it's like Upstate New York in the summer.
At the Pokémon Center here, I learned the Gym Leader was named Irina, and she is gone at the moment. So, based on last time, I think we can assume that Irina was actually a guy named Ted.
The Grunt guarding the cave entrance had a Dragonite. The combo of Luxray and Primarina took it down. Her Kokomo-o was a nightmare, though. Its Dragon Claw attack gave my team quite the beating. Thanks to Primarina's Moonblast, I finally beat it. Once inside, I noticed I'm going to need a Pokémon that knew Rock Smash.
Time to bring Moguera back on the team! He also knows Strength, so I'm not worried about boulders. And just my luck, there are boulders in this cave. There's one near the entrance. You have to move it carefully, as it's easy to end up blocking the path. But it is worth it, when you do.
Another Mega Stone for the collection. This one is an Alakazite. I now have seven Mega Stones in my little collection. Now if only I had an Alakazam... Anyway, the cave is crawling with Team Prime grunts. What're they doing here? It does seem that they're not too worried at the moment, as they have problems of their own.
I have to give this game credit for something. I like that it shows other Trainers fighting Team Prime. Especially when they take over somewhere. It gives the idea that you're not alone in dealing with these guys. It also makes sense that when Team Prime take over something, trainers there would rise up and try to drive them out. It does make me think that there should be cops dealing with this. After all, Team Prime are criminals. By the way, that item up there? That's a Max Potion. Get it. It can come in handy.
Funny enough, there's a Grunt guarding a ladder nearby. Before we battle, she screams at me to stop following her. She can't be the same Grunt that I encountered when I entered the town. That Grunt was male, and had different Pokémon. She was armed with a pair of Dragonite, but my Primarina easily took care of them. With that, the ladder was usable. But before I went down, I wanted to explore this floor some more. I found another item here.
It's a Revive. That'll come in handy. I am curious as to what is at the other end of that ladder in the screenshot, but there's a battle blocking it, so I'm a bit stuck here. I'll have to wait to check out that ladder for now. Time to go down! Once I did, I encountered Looker. He's explaining that the Boss of Team Prime is battling Sabrina. Yes, Sabrina from Pokémon Red and Blue. You'd think the Gym Leader of this town would be helping out, too. Where is Irina, taking a coffee break?! Looker is trying to help her, but Team Prime has a bunch of Aces, and they're pretty powerful. He's hoping I'll help him. Since they need a whuppin', I agree to help...but then the screen shook, like someone set off an explosion.
Looker believes it's Mewtwo and Rayquaza. Wait, Mewtwo is here, too?! Yup! Turns out Sabrina has Mewtwonite, and they want it from her. They also want to capture Mewtwo. Makes sense. They are interested in powerful Pokémon. And Mewtwo is a powerful Pokémon. Anyone who's seen Pokémon: The First Movie would know this.
I just had a realization. I'm going to have to fight the Boss and Rayquaza again, aren't it? His Mega Rayquaza was no joke. It wrecked one third of my team last time I fought it! I should know. But I'm not as worried as I was before. I still have a Primarina that still knows Moonblast. Bring it on, Boss. The floor has a couple of Noivern flying around here. They take a bit of skill to avoid.
On this floor I found a Burn Heal and a Hyper Potion. Those could come in handy. I'm thinking maybe I should do a bit of grinding before I go ahead. Just in case. This game can be a bit grindy. Makes me think of Dragon Quest IX. Fun game, but insanely grindy. I know I've complained about this before, but I'll do it again: I wish the EXP Share item in this game was like the one in Sun and Moon. It was something I loved about Sun and Moon. It made building new teams to take on the trials that much easier as it cut down the grinding time significantly.
And it's time to take on the Aces! The Aces are named Henri and Amanda, and they are recolored Team Rocket sprites. It's a double battle, and each of the Aces has a Mega Pokémon. Henri has a Mega Sceptile, the Amanda has a Mega Ampharos. Lovely. Thankfully, my Garchomp and Venusaur were able to take care of them. Venusaur wore them down with Poison Powder and Leech Seed, and Garchomp wrecks them with Dig. I have really grown to love Garchomp. And it's funny hearing the two "Aces" whine about how they still lost despite Mega Evolution. It's not the Evolution, it's the Trainer. And you two were found wanting.
Going further ahead, I found our old friend from Descent Tower, the Team Prime Boss with his Mega Rayquaza. He's trying to recruit Sabrina...who has Mewtwo on her team. Wait...how did this woman get that Pokémon on her team? Yeah, Mewtwo is a Psychic-type Pokémon, and that is Sabrina's specialty and all (not to mention she does have psychic powers), but...Mewtwo is not a normal Pokémon. Anyone who has watched the first Pokémon movie would know what kind of character Mewtwo is. I cannot see him letting himself be part of anyone's Pokémon team.
Yeah, their dialogue could have used some proofreading. That's a regular problem with this game. The two battle, but the artificial Pokémon is having some troubles against the big green dragon. Red shows up and brings out his Charizard for backup. Evidently, the Boss doesn't like the idea of two-on-one battles, so he retreats. Coward.
Also, Sabrina is the Gym Leader here? I thought it was someone named Irina! Was that an alias? And isn't this some kind of conflict of interest? I mean, Sabrina is already a Kanto gym leader, and she's also one here in Akiba? Must be one heck of a commute. You know, this reminds me of something. I have said in the past that I think this game was originally intended to be a remake or maybe a sequel to Red and Blue, and Sabrina's presence here really helps contribute to the theory.
She tells me that she'll be waiting for me in her Gym. I head out, and I notice that the wild Noivern that flew around here are gone. I think I caught one of them, so I'm not too worried. Team Prime cleared out after the Boss fled, so the path through town is cleared. At the end is Looker.
How ya doing, pal? He wants me to stay and challenge Sabrina. He also hints that that he wants to battle me himself. Don't you have something better to do, like I don't know, go after Team Prime?! The Boss is still out there! Did you just let him run by you or something?!
You may be wondering, if the Synchrone Gym is in the Cave, how do we get there? Well, remember that ladder that was blocked off by the Team Prime trainer's battle? With them gone, the way is clear. That is our way in.
Kudos to Sabrina for uniqueness. Thing is, you may need the HM Flash to get through the Gym. The cave being dark also makes a bizarre form of sense. Sabrina is a Gym Leader who specializes in Psychic-type Pokémon. Why need eyes when you got the power of the mind at your command?
Awww, to heck with Flash. Flash is stupid. It's a useless waste of an HM. The Gym is a maze where you have to find your way through, while fighting her mini-boss Trainers. Your standard stuff in a Pokémon gym.
As usual, it's time for me to reevaluate my Pokémon team for taking on the Gym. It was tough to do here. My Butterfree knows Poison Powder and Bug Buzz. Bug Buzz is a great move to hurt Psychic-type Pokémon. Butterfree is also a Bug-type Pokémon, the attack will have a little extra kick. This is known among Pokémon fans as STAB (Special Type Attack Bonus). That'll be helpful. My Incineroar also knows a couple Dark-type attacks (including its signature move: Darkest Lariat). It also is a Dark-type, so it has STAB. My Luxray knows a Dark-type attack, but it tends to get its butt whipped a lot. Maybe some grinding will help?
Maybe I can bring my Deino out again. It's a Dark/Dragon, It does know a couple Dark-type attacks, and Dark is good against Psychic...but I would have to grind to build it up. God, I wish the EXP share in this game was like Sun and Moon's. Would really cut down on the grinding. Luckily, it's surprisingly not so bad here. Battling the Trainers at the Gym helped out majorly. My Garchomp is only a couple levels below the others, so I can grind him regularly, and give Deino the EXP share.
Sabrina has her own room in the Gym, and unlike the previous level of the cave, it's brightly lit, despite there being no visible light sources.
As shown in the screenshot, there's an Abra in the room, and another ladder. The Abra is there to teleport you out of the cave if you feel that you're not ready to face Sabrina yet. The ladder leads into another room. This room is one that you can use Flash, but you don't really need it. I found my way around it fine without it. You can find a Twisted Spoon and PP Max in there. And with that, time to face Sabrina! I hope that she's not as OP as she was in Red and Blue. She was a monster in those games. Blasted balance issues that made Psychic overpowered.
She claims that she was watching me when I battled the other trainers in her Gym. I can presume she uses her psychic powers to do it. Interestingly, she describes Mewtwo as her partner. Ah, I think that explains how she got Mewtwo on her team.
She starts with a shiny Gardevoir. Wow. I think in all my years of playing Pokémon, this is the first time I ever encountered a Gym Leader who had a shiny Pokémon. Butterfree and Incineroar took it down with a mix of Sleep Powder and Darkest Lariat. She next brought out Mewtwo, who had Mewtonite Y. It wrecked Incineroar, but it was able to weaken it enough for Primarina to finish it off. Sabrina brought out Gothitelle next. It beat Primarina, but she was able to bring down its energy bar about half down. Butterfree was able to finish her off with a Sleep Powder/Bug Buzz combo.
Then my game froze, and I had to start again...with the damage my team already took. Luckily, I was able to Revive Incineroar, and it dominated. Arceus was smiling at me this day. And it turns out I didn't really need my Deino after all. Sorry, pal.
And with that, I win. Sabrina was impressed, saying Mewtwo enjoyed the battle. With that, I got the Calm Badge and TM03 (Psyshock). Sabrina says she cannot wait to meet me at the Pokémon League. Seven badges down, one to go.
Looker is outside of town, and as he foreshadowed earlier, he and I have battle. He brings out his only Pokémon, a level 65 Croagunk. You'd think he'd have more Pokémon than that. I think Arcanine and Machamp would be good Pokémon for Looker. Arcanine tracks suspects, and Machamp restrains them. Despite it being stronger than my Butterfree by nine levels, Butterfree is able to take it down with a Sleep Powder/Psybeam combo. He gives me a gift: TM06 (Toxic).
And with that, I'll end this entry here. Again, I want to thank everyone who has enjoyed this Text Play journey. It has been a ton of fun to do, and I can't wait to put up the next one! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, please spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! See you next time!
Pokémon Obtained:
Route 13
- Floette
- Gothorita
- Duosion
- Espurr
- Garchomp (evolved from Gabite)
- Spiritomb
Synchrone Cave
- Noivern
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