Supergirl #2 (October 1996)

The last time the Maid of Might graced this blog in a solo book was just last April with my look at Supergirl #18 (April 1984). But that version of Supergirl is not the focus of this week, review. In fact, this version of Supergirl is arguably one of the least famous incarnations of the character: Linda Danvers. This version of Supergirl was born back in Supergirl #1 (September 1996), born from the merger of a dying woman named Linda Danvers and the protoplasmic lifeform known as Matrix, who was active as Supergirl at the time. This left the newly combined being with fragmented memories of Linda's life. So, where do we go from here? Let's find out in Supergirl #2! 

The cover is a Gary Frank piece. It's really cool. It's alike a horror movie poster, depicting Linda/Mae trying to fight a massive cat-like demon. This would make one heck of a movie.

"Cat's Paw"
Writer: Peter David
Penciler: Gary Frank
Inker: Cam Smith
Colorists: Gene D'Angelo, Digital Chameleon
Letterer: Patricia Prentice
Editor: Chris Duffy
Executive Editor: Gary Frank

The story begins with the newly combined form of Linda Danvers and the Matrix Supergirl, aka Mae Kent, looking through Linda's old photos, trying to piece together the person they once were. Mae has sensations when she looks at these photos. One photo in particular that get sensations going is one of her and Buzz, the man who tried to kill Linda. 

"Linda realized that she accidentally mismatched her underwear that day."

She's disgusted but at the same time, her skin tingles with desire. Mae realizes that this is the man who knifed Linda. However, she gets interrupted by Mattie Harcourt, who comes into the room with her parents: Fred and Sylvia Danvers. And they are actually pretty happy to see that "Linda" is seemingly alive and well.

"Did you get that thing we sent you?"

They wonder why she was hiding in a closet, and she gives an excuse that she got spooked by the noise. They buy it. After all, from their perspective, Linda survived something very harrowing. It's natural that she'd have some form of scarring and trauma from that whole thing. 

As this is going down, Cutter Sharp witnesses a member of Buzz's cult seemingly kidnapping a child. He follows, muttering there's never a cop around when you need one. He ain't wrong.

Fred tries to convince her to get checked out. After all, "Linda" has no memories of what happened in that warehouse, and it could be a sign of a physical problem. Remember, he is unaware the "Linda" he's talking to is an amalgamation of Linda and Matrix. She tries to convince everyone she is fine, until she sees a giant hand reaching for her. 

"I'M TELLING YOU! I DON'T HAVE YOUR PANTS!"

Her parents think "Linda" is hallucinating. The demonic hand passes through Mae, unable to touch her. This is the hand of the demon Chakat. And he's not a happy camper. He's especially angry at Buzz, as the blond sociopath said Linda's blood would help him fully appear in the material plane. Yet, he still can't touch anything! He still cannot interact with the material plane. Come on, Buzz! That demon wants to go to Vegas! He wants to play some blackjack, see the sights! Be a bro!

Chakat would punish Buzz for this...somehow, but something's got him spooked. The demon claims that he must hide, as "they" are coming closer. Buzz has to hurry. Luckily for him, he spots Cutter, who is pursing the van he spotted earlier. The reporter ends up being surrounded by other vans, and Buzz introduces himself. 

We next look in on a local hospital. Evidently Linda had agreed to get checked out after all. And the doctor thinks she's perfectly fine.

There's no sign of concussion or anything like that. However, there's also no scar from an appendectomy she had four years earlier. Linda was also shot in a mugging last year. There's no physical sign of that, either. Heck, Linda's eyes had changed colors as well. Last issue established that Linda originally had brown eyes, but thanks to the merger with the Matrix Supergirl, they're now blue. The doctor isn't sure what exactly caused all those scars to vanish, but he attributes the eye color change to stress. Yeah, I don't know if that's an actual thing. 

As the doctor and "Linda"'s family talk, Mae herself ponders her current state. Basically, the merger has left the new combined being with some of Linda's looks and fragmented memories. She feels a great amount of love for this family, but at the same time, they are strangers to her. It's here she gets a visit. 

"Hey there, champ! Still on for that human sacrifice next week?"

Yup, Buzz is here. He clearly has some sorcerous power that allows him to pull it off. She insists he's not here, but in a way, he is. He wants to help clear up some of Linda's confusion as to who he is...and what Linda was all about.

Remember the photo of Linda and Buzz from the beginning? Well, Mae now knows how it was taken. Buzz had a camera in hand, asking Linda how she felt. The young woman admitted that she felt a rush.

Buzz hands the camera to a dwarf buddy of his named Humbert, wanting to immortalize this moment on film. He asks Linda to take off her shirt and embrace him. The dwarf takes the photo. So, why did Linda feel a rush? Well, turns out lying nearby...was a corpse with several knives in its back. Yup. Linda helped Buzz kill someone. 

Buzz taunts Mae, revealing that he not only knows she's Supergirl, he also knows that she wanted a soul. Now thanks to the merging with Linda, she's got one. A soul blackened and stained with innocent blood. A soul that happily embraced Buzz's evil. A freaked-out Mae flies out in her Supergirl form, screaming at Buzz to get out of her head. 

Buzz tells her he had fun seducing Linda into his little Chaos Cult, but doing it to Supergirl? Now that will be a true challenge. 

Mae screams that this was Buzz's fault, that Linda wasn't in control. However, Buzz points out she was. And he's...not wrong about that. It is true that Buzz is an evil son of a gun, but again...he's not wrong. Based on what we've seen, he didn't force Linda to follow him. He didn't make Linda help him put knives in that person's back. She willingly went along with it and enjoyed it. She even outright said she got a rush from it. So, yeah. Things are a bit more complicated than Mae thinks. Buzz calls for her. She follows, if only because she wants to put a fist down the punk's throat.

The trail leads to a closed movie theater, where Humbert has stabbed Cutter in front of a projection of the demon Chakat shown to a cheering crowd.

Cutter realized Humbert was not going to help with his appendicitis.

Supergirl bursts in, and Chakat emerges from the screen, much to her horror. Yes, Cutter's blood was what allowed Chakat to finally enter this plane.

She may not have been able to stop Chakat from crossing over, so that means it's time to hand the demon a beating. She goes right up into the demon's face, knocking him back into his own realm, taking her with him as well. She struggles against Chakat, demanding he stay away from Earth. Chakat mocks her by pointing out that Earth's already been invaded. It's been that way for centuries. His people are already there, they're just waiting for him, so they can stay away from other beings that have been pursuing them.

As he talks, Supergirl is able to break his sword, and cut into his shoulder. Outside, Buzz spots some cops outside. He plays the innocent bystander, telling them he thinks a murder is being committed in there. They agree to check it out, much to Buzz's delight. 

Chakat taunts that Supergirl can't defeat him. Only one problem with that. She wasn't trying to do beat him. She had heard Chakat when he said he was being pursued. Remember when she cut the demon's shoulder? She figured that the blood spilled from it was as signal to his pursuers. Her gamble ends up royally paying off, as a pair of large demons with pitbull heads show up. Not the rapper, actual pitbulls, the dogs. In particular, they appear to resemble American Bullies.

These big dog demons tell Chakat the chase is over, as they have finally found him. Chakat screams for Mae to save him, but she's like "Nah", and flies off. She goes through the portal to Earth, grabs Cutter, and flies off as the building explodes.

That theatre went up real good. You know the city's going to want to put up apartment buildings in its place.

Later, Supergirl watches over Cutter in the hospital. She thinks about Buzz's words. As much as she hates to admit it, Buzz was right. Linda Danvers was not a good person. The darkness was already in her. All Buzz did was exploit it. However, maybe the merging between Mae and Linda was meant to happen as a way to redeem her. A way to save her for a higher purpose. And Mae intends to find out what that higher purpose is. 

A crowd gathers around the destroyed old theater. One lady remarks that this town seems to be going straight to Hell. Buzz walks by and tells her it's not the case. The town is not going straight to Hell. After all, there are some detours planned, and isn't half the fun of going to Hell the journey?

This issue is pretty good. It helped set up what would be a couple of the themes of Peter David's Supergirl run, mainly ones of religion, faith, and redemption. Angels and demons would become part of this series, as a way to make her stand out from the pre-Crisis Supergirl. The story is not perfect, but that does not mean it's enjoyable. One of my favorite parts of the story is the revelation that this version of Linda Danvers was not a good person. It's a very good and intriguing twist and helps set up Mae's future adventures trying to not get Linda redeemed but also find out why Linda should be redeemed. I mean, the DC Universe has its fair share of people who are rotten to the core, so what makes Linda so special? Also, it will be neat seeing Mae try to connect with Linda's friends and family. 

I admit, I think Buzz was a bit overly obvious as a villain. However, rereading the story, I think it does make a bit of sense. I got the idea that Buzz revels in his dark nature because he believes he is unstoppable. He thinks he's untouchable, so yeah. Of course he's going to revel in his evil nature. 

I'm more familiar with Gary Frank's art in Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes, and it looks so different here. I think that may be due to style evolution and different inkers. His work is really good here. It has a clean, almost Silver Age-like quality, which helps juxtapose against the brutality of Buzz. I love his rendition of Buzz. You can see the evil and madness in him.

If you want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2016 trade paperback Supergirl by Peter David, Book One. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Fourth of July Captain America Reading List

Since today is the Fourth of July, I thought I'd give out a list of my reviews of Captain America's adventures over the years. After all, what better time to enjoy the trials and tribulations of the Star-Spangled Avenger, huh?

 

Captain America #1 (January 2005) - The beginning of the Winter Soldier storyline, revealing one of the most shocking retcons in Marvel history: after decades of being seemingly dead, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes was not only alive, but he had also seemingly broke bad. However, things were not quite what they seemed.

Captain America #20 (August 1999) - During Mark Waid and Andy Kubert's run on the book, Steve had experienced a couple of shakeups. One was that his mighty shield, thought to be completely indestructible, had shattered like glass. Another was that an old flame long thought dead had also been alive. Huh, bit of foreshadowing for Winter Soldier. And as things go, Steve's broken shield was a sign of a bigger crisis.

Captain America #398 (March 1992) - The events of Operation: Galactic Storm (a criminally underrated crossover, if you ask me) hit Earth as our man Steve Rogers ends up battling the alien robotic enforcer pair known as Warstar.

Truth: Red, White, and Black #1 (January 2003) - The success of Captain America would inspire others in the Marvel Universe to create their own supersoldiers. The United States was no exception. One attempt involved a man named Isaiah Bradley.

Tales of Suspense #80 (August 1966) - A sample of Marvel's swingin' Sixties Silver Age, this tale told of how the Red Skull first obtained an item that he would be associated with for many years in the comics afterward: the Cosmic Cube. The Cube is a device that uses cosmic energies to alter reality based on the whims of the user. And our man Cap has to stop the evil Skull from getting his fascist paws on it.

Captain America #357 (Early September 1989), Captain America #358 (Late September 1989) - These two comics are part of another underrated Cap story, The Bloodstone Hunt. This storyline was Captain America paying tribute to pulp adventure stories in the vein of Indiana Jones. Makes sense, as The Last Crusade came out in 1989.

Captain America #107 (November 1968) - Captain America may be a supersoldier, but even he is only human. Even he can struggle with nightmares and regrets. Which is what he deals with here, and of course, he ends up dealing with the evil psychologist known as Doctor Faustus.

Captain America Annual #13 (1994) - A mighty flashback tale from Roy Thomas and Arvell Jones, this annual tells the tale of the Red Skull attempting to grab a strongbox that he believed contained a weapon to dominate the world. This tale is set predominantly in the 40s and 50s, and weaves in pre-established comic continuity. I love this story. 

Captain America #332 (August 1987), Captain America #333 (September 1987), Captain America #341 (May 1988) - In the 1980s, Mark Gruenwald was penning Cap's book, and it was under him we'd get the epic saga Captain America No More. Basically, the government wants Rogers to operate under their thumb, and Rogers refuses. He felt that Captain America should not be used as a tool or a stooge. He made it more than that. Rather than compromise his principles, he hands in his costume and shield. He continues operating as "The Captain", while former Super-Patriot and future USAgent John Walker takes up the mantle of Captain America...and being Cap turns out to be tougher than he thought. 

Captain America #300 (December 1984) - All feuds have an end. And this comic promised the final battle between Captain America and the original Red Skull. The two would battle again in the future, but this was one heck of a fight, including an epic retelling of the Skull's origins. 

Captain America and the Falcon #175 (July 1974) - The climax of the original Secret Empire storyline created in response to Watergate, this storyline caused Rogers' faith in the American government to be shaken for a while, even giving up the identity of Captain America for a time. 

Captain America #255 (March 1981) - Part of the short but spectacular Roger Stern/John Byrne run on Cap's book in the early 80s, this comic is a retelling of Steve Rogers' origins and how he came to be Captain America. I can imagine The First Avenger took inspiration from this comic.

And that's a list of fun Cap stories to read! While it's not a complete list of his stories I looked at, these represent some of my favorite eras of the book. Who knows, maybe they'll make you a fan as well! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time, and have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

Fourth of July

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

For those not in the know, the Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day, is essentially America's birthday. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, which was their stating that the Thirteen Colonies, which would become America's first 13 states, were breaking off from Great Britain. Congress would make it a federal holiday in 1938.

The holiday is traditionally celebrated with parades, barbecues, baseball games, concerts, and carnivals. And at night, beautiful displays of fireworks are shown all over the country, from major cities to small towns. All for saying "Happy Birthday" to the nation. This Fourth of July is special as 2026 celebrates the 250th birthday of the United States!
 
I hope you all enjoy this day! Enjoy the hot dogs and the parades, and don't forget to watch the fireworks! And most importantly, be safe. Thank you for reading this blog entry! I you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

World Meerkat Day

 Today is World Meerkat Day!

If you're like me, you may have first heard of meerkats from the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King. The character of Timon is a meerkat. But what is a meerkat, exactly? Well, contrary to what their name suggests, they are not cats. They are not remotely related to felines at all. Meerkats are actually a species of mongoose. 

Meerkats are native to southern Africa. They make their homes in rocky crevices, but they're mainly known for living in plains, where they dig systems of tunnels that they can retreat to for protection from predators (like tawny eagles and black-backed jackals) and harsher weather.

Meerkats are very social animals. They're "people people"...or is that "animal animals" in this case? Anyway, meerkats form packs that can consist of as many as 30 members. Members take turns taking care of the kids and watching out for predators. Older meerkats often get higher "ranks" in the pack. Packs can be pretty violent to each other. 

Meerkats mainly eat insects, but they have also been known to enjoy eggs, scorpions (scorpion venom is useless against the meerkat), small birds and mammals, and even plants and seeds. I can imagine a meerkat on Iron Chef would make some...interesting recipes. They aren't the type to chase after prey, often finding food by digging and turning up rocks.

Meerkats can breed all year, but they mostly do it during months of heavy rainfall. Meerkat gestation periods are around 60-70 days, and they can birth between three to seven pups a litter. How many litters of pups a female meerkat has often depends on if she is the dominant female in the pack or not. Dominant females can have up to four litters a year. 

Meerkats aren't considered especially endangered, but the effects of climate change can have negative impacts on packs, increasing temperatures and less rainfall harming pack growth. 

Yes, meerkats are fascinating animals. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! See you next time!

Happy 40th Anniversary, Great Mouse Detective!

This day is a special one for me. You see, today celebrates the 40th Anniversary of one of my favorite movies in the Disney Animated Canon, Movie #26: The Great Mouse Detective!

It was on this day that the film was released. Set in 1897 London, it was based on the Basil of Baker Street children's books written by the late American author Eve Titus and illustrated by the late Hungarian illustrator Paul Galdone. The film told the tale of the brilliant detective Basil of Baker Street (Barrie Ingham), and his crimefighting compatriot Maj. David Q. Dawson (Val Bettin) as they help find the kidnapped toymaker father of a young mouse girl named Olivia Flaversham (Susanne Pollatchek) from the evil criminal rat known as Ratigan (Vincent Price). The film also uses archival audio of the late Basil Rathbone to give a cameo to Sherlock Holmes.

In the mid-1980s, Walt Disney Animation was in trouble. After the critical and commercial failure of the 1985 film The Black Cauldron, the higher-ups were seriously considering closing down the studio. The decision was further spurred by the company wanting to expand and concentrate on other endeavors, including theme parks and live-action projects. It started out as an alternative project thanks to the animators' displeasure with the direction Cauldron was going in. 

The film was originally intended to be budgeted for $24 million and released on Christmas 1987, but Disney CEO Michael Eisner slashed the budget down to $10-14 million (sources differ) and pushed up the release date to July 1986, leaving the production team only one year to complete the movie. Eisner had also called for the film to be renamed The Great Mouse Detective (its original title was Basil of Baker Street) in response to the underperformance of Young Sherlock Holmes, fearing the original title was "too English". The genius of executives, folks.

The rename was not popular with the production crew. Alongside The Black Cauldron, this film was one of the first Disney animated films to use CGI (both films were being made at the same time). It was the first project directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, who would both go on to work together on other films, most notably The Little Mermaid.

Despite all of the obstacles, the film was given critical praise and was a box office hit, making around $50 million in the USA and overseas. While it was not the highest-grossing animated film that year (it was outperformed by An American Tail), it did convince Disney their animation studio was still viable, paving the way for the Disney Renaissance. 

Sadly, despite its role saving the studio, this film has become rather forgotten. And I think that's a shame. I think personally that it's because it's not what people think of when they think of a Disney animated movie: there's no Princess, it's not based on a fairy tale. It's a detective story. And that's what I love about it. Growing up, it felt like it was a movie a boy could enjoy. As I grew older, I really grew to appreciate the film's story and how it was made. I still love it in my 40s as much as I did as a kid. It's available on Disney+, if you want to view it. You'll have a good time, I guarantee it. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!  

Canada Day

 Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian readers!

To all my non-Canadian readers, you may be asking what Canada Day is. Well, in a way, it's the birthday of modern Canada. On this day in 1867, the confederation of Canada occurred. What this basically means is that the passing of the British North America Act (1867) the British colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the United Canadas were combined into a Dominion of Canada. This essentially made Canada into a self-governing country while still a part of the British Empire. 

Before 1982, this day was called Dominion Day. In that year, the Canada Act was passed, giving the country full sovereignty. Canada Day is a federal holiday in the country. Much like July 4 here in the USA, Canada Day is celebrated by barbecues, parades, and fireworks.

Whether you hail from the Great White North or not, I hope you had a good day today! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Text Play: Pokémon Insurgence (Detergent Mod) #6

Hello, and welcome back to the Torren Region! This is entry #6 of my Text Play of Pokémon Insurgence!

Last time, me made our way to Vipik City, a once-beautiful city that was essentially wrecked by the building of a massive landfill right nearby, showing that local governments can be dumb, too. We encountered Nora and Damien again, and we learned about the local Gym Leader, Xavier. This entry ended with me preparing a brand-new Pokémon team to face off against Xavier, who is a specialist in Bug and Poison-type Pokémon. And now we are here. Now, as is tradition, I will be warning you that I will be spoiling this game.

As such, I highly recommend that you play this game for yourself before reading these Text Plays. You can download the game here. And now, let's get on with this!

So, I've been grinding my new team, preparing to take on Xavier and his team of Pokémon. Hopefully, my new team will be able to spray some metaphorical Raid all over Xavier's team, ha ha.

Yes, I know. I am sorry. As was established in the last entry, I wanted to build up a new team to take on Xavier. He's likely carrying a Shuckle, Croagunk, and Heracross at Level 33, a Tentacruel and Haunter at Level 34, and a Level 35 Beedrill. My new team to counter will consist of Shiro the Charmeleon, Thunderwing the Zapdos (Articuno was my favorite of Kanto's Legendary Bird Trio, but Zapdos was on the team I used to beat the original Pokémon Red Version back in the day as it had two things I wanted: an Electric-Type, and a flier), Krystal the Delta Ivysaur, Razor the Sneasel, Palpitoad, and Gabite. 

My goal levels for them were around 36-38, so I had to do some grinding.

Luckily, most of my Pokemon were almost at my goal levels anyway. The only exception was Thunderwing, who I got at Level 1 thanks to the Debug Mode. Now, I know what you're thinking, "why not just get a Zapdos at Level 38?" Well, you see, if you raise a Pokémon from a lower level, they'll have much better stats. Basically, since I raised Thunderwing from Level 1, they'll have much better stats than a Zapdos I got at Level 38.

Not to mention thanks to the EXP Share and the grass area in front of the entrance to Vipik City, the grinding wasn't so bad. Although fighting Furfrous can be a bit more difficult than I expected.

...well, that was the original plan. I had noticed when my team's members had hit around level 35, they would keep getting XP, but not get any higher level wise. Yup, this game has level caps.

I did go to the game's Discord server (yes, this game has one), and I inquired about it. I learned that having level caps is the case here, and they cannot be shut off. Great. So, looks like I'm going in under leveled (at least, for me). Ah, well. I also would prepare by getting lots of Revives, Full Heals, Potions, Antidotes, Full Restores, and Burn Heals. Thank you Debug Mode!

Once I got the new team ready to go, we can go hit the Vipik Gym!

Once we enter the Gym, there is a surprise waiting for us in the first room.

Yeah, there's a...tree. It's a nice tree, but it's not the first thing I expected to see when entering this Gym. I shouldn't have been surprised. Xavier specializes in Bug and Poison-type Pokémon. It makes sense his gym would be themed around a forest. And hey, it's that guy we last saw in entry #4!

Like at the Suntouched Gym, he gives us some advice to face Xavier. He tells us that Xavier's Gym is basically a maze. We have to know the way through to reach him. Finally, he gives us a bottle of Fresh Water and wishes us luck. That's very nice of him. A bottle of Fresh Water is always great to have on a hot humid day. I do wonder why this guy is here cheering us on. I can imagine that from a gameplay perspective, he's here to give us some encouragement, and the Fresh Water is a little reward for making it here to the Gym. Not to mention from an in-universe sense, having some cold water would be handy in a hot forest.

The guy says we need to enter the hole in the tree.

Yeah, I mean. These holes aren't exactly large. How am I supposed to fit?! Well, we somehow can, since we end up here. 

Man, a flashlight would be so handy right now. It leads upwards to a crossroads. We can go to the left, or to the right. If we go on the left path, it will take us upwards, and we'll end up here.

We emerged from the tree on the right side in the screenshot. As you can see, there's also a grass patch. However, these patches have no wild Pokémon in them. Which makes sense. I can imagine that allowing wild Pokémon into the gym would be seen as an unnecessary hazard, especially since one of this gym's specialties is Poison-type Pokémon. This room is also a bit bigger than it looks. You see, if we go upwards, we'll find another big grass patch...and a Trainer to battle.

If you want to battle them, you can. It's a nice little way to get some extra experience. He expresses gratitude that he's not in Xavier's room, as there's always a weird mist in there that makes him feel odd (his words, not mine). It sounds sinister, but I think it's meant to imply that Xavier is a bit of a pothead. Which is funny. As long as it doesn't interfere with his job, it's not a big problem, in my opinion.

(Bug Catcher) Melnor
1st Pokémon: Volbeat (Lv. 32)- Defeated by Shiro.
2nd Pokémon: Vivillion (Lv. 35) - Defeated by Shiro. Vivillion's Bug Buzz was able to hit it hard, though.
3rd Pokémon: Dustox (Lv. 35) - Defeated by Shiro. 

After we win, Melnor remarks that he's not sure if the mist is legal. Yeah, Xavier is a pothead. This battle was surprisingly tough. That's why one should never underestimate Gym trainers. After we defeat him, we're left with a choice. On the left side of the room are two trees, one near the upper-left corner of the room, the other on the lower left-corner. If we take the lower-left tree, it takes us to another tunnel. The tunnel's path goes to the left, taking us to this room here.

Much like the last one, it's a nice little room with a couple big trees and grass patches. Again, there are no wild Pokémon in the grassy patches. If you battle the Trainer, he'll ask if you have a minute to talk about Arceus. Oh great, she's one of those fundie weirdoes.

(Picknicker) Tara
1st Pokémon: Rosalia (Lv. 35) - Nearly defeated by Shiro, but Tara switches for Skrelp. Defeated by Shiro after Parasect fell.
2nd Pokémon: Skrelp (Lv. 32) - Defeated by Krystal the Delta Ivysaur with Razor Leaf. Skrelp managed to poison her, but Leech Seed and some Antidote helped.
3rd Pokémon: Parasect (Lv. 33) - Defeated by Shiro the Charmeleon.

After this, I felt like exploring the Gym some more. So, I made my way back to the room that you get into when you first enter the Gym. I went back into the first tree and took the path going to the right. That path leads you here.

As you can see in the screenshot. There are two more trees below, and another Trainer we can battle if we want to. She claims Pokemon that live in the forests are the strongest Pokemon. And she will brook no argument about it. Lady, I got a Zapdos on my team, and it didn't live in a forest.

(Aroma Lady) Natalie
1st Pokémon: Gloom (Lv. 34) - Defeated by Krystal the Delta Ivysaur.
2nd Pokémon: Seviper (Lv. 32) - Defeated by Gabite. I tried to use Krystal, but she got badly poisoned. Also, her Psybeam attack was ineffective against Seviper despite it being Posion because it was also a Dark-type. 
3rd Pokémon: Roselia (Lv. 32) - Defeated by Shiro.

She takes the loss well.

Heh heh. After this, we can go into the tree in the bottom-left of the room, or the bottom-right. Let's go in the bottom-left tree. If we do so, we'll end up in a path going upwards that takes us here.

And there's also another Trainer. She tells us we went the wrong way. Yeah, I noticed.

(Aroma Lady) Molly
1st Pokémon: Croagunk (Lv. 34) - Defeated by Krystal.
2nd Pokémon: Beedrill (Lv. 33) - Defeated by Shiro, but Beedrill managed to spread some Toxic Spikes.
3rd Pokémon: Golbat (Lv. 35) - Defeated Shiro with two uses of Acrobatics. Switched out for Gabite, Gabite got poisoned by Toxic Spikes. Golbat defeated by Gabite. 

And that's pretty much it for this room. We go back to the last room (the one where we fought Natalie) and go into the bottom-right tree. This has a path that goes downward and then branches to the left or right. If we take the left path, it leads us down to this room here.

As you can see, there's yet another Trainer here. He warns to never underestimate Bug-types, as they are small, but tough. He's not wrong. Bug-Type Pokemon often learn moves that can make an opposing Trainer miserable. I mean, look at Butterfree, for example. Look at the moves Butterfree can learn. Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Psybeam, Supersonic, that Pokemon is made to inflict status problems. 

(Bug Catcher) Avery
1st Pokemon: Yanma (Lv. 33) - Defeated by Shiro, but he got hit hard by Ancient Power.
2nd Pokemon: Shuckle (Lv. 32) - Defeated by Shuckle, but it hit her hard. 
3rd Pokémon: Butterfree (Lv. 32) - Defeated by Gabite. 

Bug Pokémon are just like Avery, strong but tough. No kidding. After defeating Avery, we head to the right as there is another tree. This tree takes us to yet another tunnel.

This tunnel takes us to the left. Halfway on this horizontal path, there's a crossroads. If we keep going to the left, the path takes us downwards, and then we'll be right back in the room we just fought Avery in. But if we go upwards, we'll be right back in the room we fought Natalie in. So right now, you must be wondering something: "How do we get to Xavier?" Well, that's not an issue. First of all, we have to make our way back to the tree in the room that we entered when we first entered the Gym.

Yeah, that one. The one with the guy rooting for us and who gave us that Fresh Water earlier. From there, we make our way back to the room in which we fought Melnor. From there, we enter the tree on the upper-left corner of the room he's in. Once in the tree, we take the tunnel path to the right, and then downwards. That way leads us to this room.

This is the battlefield we'll fight Xavier on. The man himself can be found hanging around a little way upwards.

I imagine he's meditating right now. I don't want to disturb the guy, but I have a badge to win. Xavier seems to be a congenial dude, happy to take us on. He warns us that he's no pushover. Hey, we welcome the challenge. Dude trains Bug and Poison Pokémon for a living. They're not types for those who like to use brute force. He also has a special surprise for anyone that battles him.

(Leader) Xavier
1st Pokémon: Shuckle (Lv. 33) - Switched out for Heracross. Shuckle will spread sticky webs on the battlefiend to slow down opponents.
2nd Pokemon: Heracross (Lv. 33) - Defeated by Shiro the Charmeleon.
3rd Pokemon: Tentacruel (Lv. 34) - Defeated by Krystal the Delta Ivysaur.
4th Pokemon: Beedrill (Lv. 35) - Evolved to Mega Beedrill. Defeated Shiro. Defeated by Gabite.
5th Pokemon: Haunter (Lv. 34) - Defeated by Razor the Sneasel. 
6th Pokemon: Croagunk (Lv. 33) - Defeated by Krystal.
The battle ended with Shuckle being brought out, and was defeated by Palpitoad.

And with that, the battle was won! Thank goodness I got some Full Restores thanks to Debug Mode. Those came in real handy.  Funny enough, Xavier asks if you liked his Delta Mawile, not his Mega Beedrill. My guess is he had one in a previous version, but got changed out and they forgot to update the dialogue. Oops.

Anyway, he hopes we'll be able to Mega Evolve a Pokemon ourselves. We did see that in the past. With Xavier defeated, we now have badge #2: The Stinger Badge. We also get TM76 (Venoshock). Xavier advises it to use it on a Pokemon that has been poisoned, as that will double the attack's power. He also tells us the next Gym is in Helios City. That Gym is themed around the sky. So maybe Flying and Electric will be their specialty. With that, he wishes us luck.

I hope this win means the game's hidden Level Cap is upped. Shiro is one level away from becoming Charizard, after all. Luckily, we don't have to deal with the tunnel maze to get out of here. We can just jump down a couple ledges and leave.

The fanboy near the front door congratulates us and advises us to bring an Ice-type to Helios. Once we leave the Gym, we encounter this guy.

He has a letter for us. This Hiker claims a guy with blue hair in a blue suit left it for him. Why not give it to a mailman? Or that guy in black from the end of Back to the Future Part II?

Anyway, the letter is basically a form of ransom note. Someone has our friend. Which friend? Nora? Damien? Batman?

Okay. They want us to come alone to the Vipik Dump. Alone. I don't think that'll be a problem. I have not seen a single police officer around here anyway. Well, except maybe those three guards in front of Vipik Dump's entrance. Were they police officers? I mean, they didn't wear blue uniforms. Maybe they were private security? 

Either way, the guards were not there anymore, so we can enter the Dump. Let's be very careful. It's still a garbage dump. Don't want to accidentally catch something.

When we enter the Dump, we're spotted by this purple-haired dude.

It turns out she's an Abyssal Cultist, one of the Kyogre worshippers. Yeah, we've encountered these guys before, all the way back in entry #3. Remember that? When they tried to kidnap (Pokémon-nap?) that Riolu in the Ancient Ruins around Route 2 and got sent packing by a Mega Lucario? Sure you do!

Well, we'll have to find our friend, whoever it is. I also noticed she knows our name. This is not good. 

(Abyssal Cultist) Purplehead (Yeah, she does not have a name.)
1st Pokémon: Poliwhirl (Lv. 33) - Defeated by Grotle.
2nd Pokémon: Skrelp (Lv. 33) - Defeated Grotle. Defeated by Thunderwing the Zapdos.
3rd Pokémon: Mightyena (Lv. 33) - Defeated by Gabite.

After we defeat her, she remarks that we walked right into her trap. 

Yeah, we got to make our way through this Dump and find the kidnapped friend. So, where do we go from here? Well, the path is somewhat obvious. From here, we go upwards and find this blue-haired cultist. Just wandering around the Dump waiting for us.

And if she spots you, she'll take you on. Also, get away from you?! You came to me, lady! Let's do this.

(Abyssal Cultist) Bluehead (yeah, why does she not have a name?!)
1st Pokémon: Frogadier (Lv. 33) - Defeated by Grotle.
2nd Pokémon: Kingler (Lv. 33) - Defeated by Grotle.

After we defeat her, she reveals that the Cult wants something...and we and our friend are free to leave once they get it. Why do I have the feeling that's not true? After battling Bluehead, we go to the left and find a couple more Cultists: another purple-haired girl (I'm calling her Violet), and a redheaded guy (I think that's a guy). I chose to battle the redhead first.

(Abyssal Cultist) Redhead
1st Pokémon: Clauncher (Lv. 33) - Defeated by Grotle.
2nd Pokémon: Golbat (Lv. 34) - Defeated by Thunderwing.
3rd Pokémon: Crawdaunt (Lv. 35) - Defeated by Thunderwing.
4th Pokémon: Lombre (Lv. 34) - Defeated by Krysta the Delta Ivysaur

The redhead is shocked that we beat him, as before the battle, he claimed he was the strongest Trainer ever. Sure, pal. He wonders how we're so strong. Good diet, exercise, regular sleep, and lots of bonding. 

If we bet the redhead, the path he guards takes us to the dead-end corner of the Dump. but it's not a complete loss.

Yeah, somebody left behind an Ice Heal. Although I can't imagine why a Trainer would pick something up left behind in a garbage dump. 

Let's head back up to where Violet was. She crows that soon, the Abyssal Cult will be unstoppable. Yeah, yeah. 😒

(Abyssal Cultist) Violet
1st Pokémon: Binacle (Lv. 34) - Defeated by Grotle.
2nd Pokémon: Skuntank (Lv. 34) - Defeated by Gabite.
3rd Pokémon: Prinplup (Lv. 34) - Defeated by Grotle. Bubblebeam hits hard. 

After we win, she warns us not to underestimate them. Yeah, that's true. One should never underestimate an opponent in anything.

But there is some good news: my Grotle evolved into a Torterra!

I did a bit more grinding in the grassy area nearby, and I managed to get Shiro and Palpitoad to evolve into a Charizard and Seismitoad, respectively. Heading upwards, we see a couple more Abyssal Cultists, another blue-haired one and another red-head.

As can be seen in the screenshot, there's also an item on the ground. It's an Awakening. The blue-haired Cultist spots us and says they don't care what the prophecy says. They're not afraid of a kid. Yeah, pal. You may consider that there is a reason why we were chosen by Mew. Same with Celebi and Nora.

(Abyssal Cultist) Bluehead (seriously, was it that hard to give these guys names?)
1st Pokémon: Sealeo (Lv. 35) - Defeated by Grotle.
2nd Pokémon: Shiftry (Lv. 36) - Defeated by Shiro the Charizard.
3rd Pokémon: Seadra (Lv. 36) - Defeated by Thunderwing.

After we win, the Cultist warns us not to underestimate them. I think they're just doing a lot of coping. And after the battle, Krystal achieved her full evolution. She's now a Delta Venusaur!

I also decided to battle the redhead. He claims he's one of the strongest grunts here. Let's test that out, shall we?

(Abyssal Cultist) Redhead.
1st Pokemon: Relicanth (Lv. 36) - Defeated by Torterra. Relicanth used Yawn, but I had plenty of Full Heals.
2nd Pokemon: Crawdaunt (Lv. 35) - Defeated by Thunderwing. Crawdaunt's packing Night Slash, which hits really freakin' hard. If you have the Delta Bulbasaur line, do not use them against this Crawdaunt.  
3rd Pokemon: Starmie (Lv. 36) - Defeated by Krystal the Delta Venusaur. Starmie was a pain to fight, as it had Confuse Ray, Recover, and Rapid Spin (which allowed it to shake off Leech Seed). 
4th Pokemon: Alomomola (Lv. 35) - Defeated by Thunderwing.

After we win, he vows that we'll pay for this. Considering how much of a pain his Starmie was, I can see him being a threat to us in the future. Never underestimate your opponents indeed. 

If you see a pattern when it comes to the Abyssal Cult's Pokemon teams, you're not crazy. Their teams tend to have plenty of Water-type Pokemon on them. Which does make sense. Remember, the Abyssal Cult worships Kyogre, which is a Water-type. So, members of this cult would prefer training and raising Water-types. What I do like about theier teams is that they don't all use the same Pokemon. They may be members of cults, but they're still going to have some individuality. 

From here, we go upwards and to the right. It leads us here.

Yeesh, that puddle does not looks safe. Reminds me of those acid pools all over the base in entry #1. We go downwards a bit and end up here. With a couple more Cultists hanging around. 

I swear to Arceus, these guys are like cockroaches. If the redhead spots you, they'll say they're the Abyssal Cult, and they worship Water-types, and they will soon possess Kyogre. Yeah, we figured that part out already, pally.

(Abyssal Cultist) Redhead
1st Pokemon: Simipour (Lv. 35) - Defeated by Torterra. Be warned, this Simipour has Scald, which allows it to give Grass-types a Burn.
2nd Pokemon: Kingler (Lv. 36) - Defeated by Thunderwing.

The redhead warned us not to interfere with their plans. Jerk, you took a friend of mine! What did you think would happen?! 

You Cultists brought this on yourselves, really. And speaking of cultists, there's another blue-haired one nearby. And we have to battle that one to move forward. They want us to bring it. Their wish is our command.

(Abyssal Cultist) Bluehead
1st Pokemon: Frogadier (Lv. 34) - Defeated by Torterra.
2nd Pokemon: Kingler (Lv. 35) - Defeated by Torterra.

The bluehead warns us that if we obey, we may leave unscathed. Yeah, I doubt that. From here, we go to the right and upwards between two big piles of trash. And it's here we find our ringleaders. 

And it looks like Damian was the friend they captured. I wonder where they grabbed him. The blue-head welcomes us to the Dump. It's not a nice place, but it's still a good place to talk. I do wonder why they're gathering around here as this place isn't exactly one someone would go if they want to catch Water-type Pokemon. He heard us talking about Mew when he was walking by the Vipik Gym. He's got to be lying. I don't remember mentioning Mew around the Gym. Wait a minute...Nora said to us that before he went to Vipik City in entry #5, she told him about us being chosen by Mew and her by Celebi. And since the Abyssal Cult knows about us being chosen by Mew (the note they gave us indicated that), then that means...DAMIAN, YOU BIGMOUTH!

Well, the cat's out of the bag now! The Abyssal Cult wants Mew. Problem with that is, yes, I can summon Mew if I need to, but Mew is not a part of my regular team. Never really was. Mew just helped us escape from the Darkrai Cult base. They trapped Damian in a small island surrounded by the acid water. They'll get him out if we give them Mew. First of all, Mew is not a Water-type. Why do these guys care? Yes, I know that in the lore, Mew is the supposed ancestor of all Pokémon. I get that, but I don't get the impression that these guys care about that. 

Also, why should I believe that they'll let Damian go if we give them Mew? For all we know, they'll just give Damian an acid bath anyway, or they have some other nasty trick. So, we refuse. The blue head commands her (yes, the purple-haired henchmen next to her say 'Ma'am', so we know this leader is female) henchmen to take care of us. I'm naming them Iris and Violet. Seriously, these Cultists need names.

(Abyssal Cultists) Violet and Iris - Double Battle
1st Pokémon: Dewgong (Lv. 36) and Starmie (Lv. 36) - Dewgong defeated by Torterra. Dewgong nearly defeated Torterra with Aurora Beam.
2nd Pokémon: Crawdaunt (Lv. 37) - Defeated by Krystal. Starmie defeated by Torterra. Starmie was a real pain to fight thanks to Recover.
3rd Pokémon: Skrelp (Lv. 37) - Defeated by Krystal, but Krystal got poisoned thanks to Skrelp's Toxic.

Of course, the Abyssal cultists were shocked that we beat them. The leader is not happy with this. She demands Mew show itself. She knows Mew will try to save Damien. And true to her prediction...the Ancestor of All Pokémon shows themselves.

Damien is clearly scared out of his wits. She tells Mew it's time to join a new side, but another certain Legendary Pokemon has something to say about that.

Yes, it is indeed Shaymin, lady! Which means it can't be Nora here. She was chosen by Celebi. Shaymin purifies the green water with its Seed Flare ability. The Cultists are confused. Why is Shaymin here? They theorized that Mew maybe called it to help. But how it got here doesn't matter. The Cult can't take on two legendary Pokemon at once. So, they have no choice but to run away.

Before they flee, they warn us that we'll meet again, and they'll get Mew. Damian wants to know why Shaymin rescued him. He's still on the little island, but he can swim to safety thanks to the water around it being purified and safe to be in. He realizes that like Celebi with Nora, Shaymin had chosen him and wants to travel with him. Well, that's nice. He then realizes that "the prophecy" could be about him or me. He has to tell Nora about this. He thanks us for our help, and he's gone.

Mew comes to us, and it's revealed that we now have a sample of Shaymin's DNA. This will allow Mew to use Shaymin's Seed Flare ability outside of battle. There's not much else to see around here, except lots of piles of garbage. Which makes sense. This is a dump, after all. But there are still a couple things worth picking up around here. In the lower left corner of the dump, one can find an Ultra Ball.

I mean, if you want to pick it up, go right ahead. Although I do find it kind of hilarious that somebody would leave perfectly good and useful items here. Traveling to the left, there was another surprise.

A Delta Pokemon! A Delta Numel to be exact. According to the Pokedex, this variant of Numel first appeared in the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. Wait...does that mean this Pokémon is radioactive?! That can't be good!

And that's where we're going to have to stop for the month. Join me then as we make our way to Helios City and go for badge #3! Wish me luck! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Pokemon Obtained:
(Vipik Dump)
- Grimer
- Venipede
- Gulpin
- Torterra (evolved from Grotle)
- Charizard (evolved from Charmeleon)
- Seismitoad (evolved from Palpitoad)
- Trubbish
- Delta Numel