Marvel: The Lost Generation #3 (December 2000)

It's that time again! It's time to take a look at the adventures of the Lost Generation of Marvel Super-Heroes!

Last time, we saw tragedy on two fronts: the First Line suffering their first fatality in battle, just as America will end up losing its Camelot thanks to an assassin's bullet. And for one member, he truly could not go home again. On the other hand, we got a good laugh by seeing the start of a new partnership. As we go further back in the First Line's history, we ask ourselves this, what other threats did the Line face? Well, did you know that the Line once battled a villain from the 1950s? You'll see what I mean when they face a certain wannabe Fu Manchu in Marvel: The Lost Generation #3! 

The cover is a John Byrne and Al Milgrom piece. It's...alright. It depicts the Yankee Clipper and another character facing off against the armored forces of the Golden Claw in front of a cityscape, the man himself looming over them while holding what looks like an action figure of Namor the Sub-Mariner in his hand. Yeah, the Claw is very protective of his action figure collection, and he will never let anyone else get their grubby little paws on them.

"Mad to Live"
Writers: Roger Stern, John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Al Milgrom
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins at the Rocky Mountains-based hideaway of the First Line, where they're engaging in some relaxation. Well, relaxation for them, anyway. It's spring 1961, and the Yankee Clipper is showing how strong he is by doing some one-armed pushups with Liberty Girl and Nightingale standing on his back.

The exercise isn't just for showing off, though. It's also a way of examining Patrick Carney's physical limits, even with his strength-enhancing power belt. After all, you never know when the group will face the Red Front again. Kid Justice, aka Timothy Carney (Patrick's younger brother and the future Mr. Justice) comes in with a newspaper. It's got an announcement. 

"Oh my God, a new petition to free that mad horse!"

Not really. President John F. Kennedy has announced that he intends to have a man not only go to the Moon by the end of the 1960s, but also safely return to Earth. Of course, that does end up happening both in real life and in this miniseries, as shown in issue #6. Liberty Girl, Timothy, and Nightingale are feeling optimistic about it. However, Patrick is thinking about one thing: it's all coming to pass, just as "she" said it would. He remembers that Cassandra Locke told him about the Apollo 11 mission, which is now nearly a decade away. Liberty Girl remarks that Black Fox would have loved to see this, as he's a big space buff. Patrick decides to go talk to his brother privately. 

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, a hip new hero has made the scene, a cool new heroic cat for the 1960s!

"You guys are the kings of Squaresville, man!"

Meet the Hipster, the swingin' new super-sensation of the Sixties! This man is Fred MacRae, his original identity before he became Captain Hip. A man is about to put a few bullets in him before he is rescued by Pixie. She uses her "pixie dust" to petrify the men that the Hipster is fighting. One manages to escape, needing to warn the "master". 

Pixie wants to be the Hipster's partner in crimefighting. The Robin to his Batman, that kind of thing. Thing is, the Hipster is a solo act at this time. Pixie pouts and flies off, saying she'll find a partner that'll show him up. And who actually bathes. 

Ah, don't feel too bad for Freddie. As past issues have shown, he won't be a solo act forever. As for the one man who got away? Well, he managed to make it to his master...

"You haff interrupted my bratwurst eating marathon!"

Yes, the menace named Plan Chu, but most men know as the Golden Claw (or the Yellow Claw as he was originally known). The Claw's associate finds the man's story a fairy tale, but Chu tells the associate (a former Nazi named Von Voltzmann) that the henchman only spoke the truth to him. After all, the henchman would not dare lie to the Golden Claw. Not to mention, it's the Marvel Universe. A superpowered beatnik would not be that strange. 

The Nazi remarks that they are in vexing times. The rise of the First Line is causing a new wave of superheroism to emerge. Von Voltzmann finds it as annoying as the era of the Invaders and the Liberty Legion during the war. The Golden Claw is not worried about that. After all, he has a little something they can use against the Line.

Page 10, Panel 1

Yup, Namor the Sub-Mariner himself. He was found by one of the Claw's operatives, amnesiac and wandering around. Which makes sense. This story is set in 1961. In 1958, Namor had an encounter with a mutant telepath named Paul Destine that left him amnesiac, as shown in the events of Sub-Mariner #1 (May 1968). 

Voltzmann sees an opportunity to get some lethal payback against the former Invader, but the Claw refuses to let him kill the human/Atlantean hybrid. Why? Well, Namor is a powerhouse. He nearly destryoed New York City before he became an Invader. A being that powerful is useful. Namor wakes up and breaks his bonds, demanding to know who did that to him. The Claw pretends to be a benevolent man named Tzing Jao, who wins Namor's loyalty. Namor seems to remember a faraway place...and that's when the scene shifts to Atlantis, where Namora reports to the then-monarch of the underwater city: Prince Byrrah.

"At least now Namor won't bother my plans for conquest...."

Byrrah thinks that with Namor gone, Atlantis needs all the defenses it can get. As part of that desire, he had a warlord named Krang pursue one avenue: meeting a geneticist named Vyrra to create a warrior to protect Atlantis. Yyrra has done that successfully, but he's going to need time for said warrior to grow to proper maturity. And he has given her a name: Mako. Yup, that's the same Mako that appeared all the way back in issue #12! 

Back to San Francisco! We're not there to get Rice-A-Roni, even though it is the San Francisco treat. We're there to check in on the Hipster. He's been hearing about some electronics thefts and is looking into it. He follows a car that has some of the thieves in it.

Unseen by the Hipster, the Black Fox is also around. He views the beatnik-themed hero as a loose cannon and decides to call in the Line for some backup.

Elsewhere in the city, Cassandra Locke materializes in a warehouse...in the same warehouse Plan Chu is using as a lair.

The man gives Namor a suit of armor that matches the armor of a group of men who swore fealty to the Fu Manchu pastiche. Outside, the First Line have gathered to kick the Golden Claw's head in. And they proceed to fight the armored minions of Chu, alongside the Hipster.

Nightingale senses Namor in one of the suits, the one holding back. She tries to heal him, but he pushes her away. She was able to clear up his mind enough that he realizes the Golden Claw was using him. Cassandra watches the fight.

Elsewhere, von Voltzmann and Chu have a nasty surprise for the Line.

"This machine will make the First Line into popcorn!"

The two are confronted by a furious Namor, who demands the Golden Claw tell him who he is. The Claw tells him not to come any closer or else he'll set off this bomb. The Black Fox is like "NOPE" and dropkicks him in the chest. The Claw reveals another nasty surprise: the bomb had a dead man's switch. And since Fox knocked his hand off it, the bomb is going to blow.

Cassandra tries to initiate a time-jump as the building goes kablooie.

Now, if you have read issue #12, you know this is not the end for our heroes. Nope, they still got about 20-25 years before they get taken out. It's here that the Yankee Clipper's little power belt is revealed to have unlocked a new trick.

"So that is what the green button does."

Looks like the Yankee Clipper got enough experience points in that battle to level up and unlock a new skill!

Sorry. I love RPGs. The Black Fox also survives, because, well...he's a Batman pastiche, and that comes with Batman-level plot armor. He claims that he's alive thanks to Lady Luck...

No, not that Lady Luck! She's not even a Marvel character! She's DC! Anyway, Fox managed to use a grapple line to get out of there. And even better? He got von Voltzmann. So, yup. At least they captured the Nazi war criminal. Nightingale senses that there's no one else in the building. Liberty Girl asks Hipster if he'd like to join the First Line. They have a great dental plan, after all. The future Captain Hip is impressed with the Line, but he finds being in a team too "square" for him. And with that, he's gone.

Black Fox also notes that he thought he saw the Sub-Mariner when he attacked the Claw. Yankee Clipper asks if he's sure, as the man's been missing for years. The story ends with him realizing the exploding base was one that Cassandra warned him about in the past. And now, she's on her way there to meet him...and her destiny...

This was a fun issue. It felt like a Silver Age adventure to a degree. I do wish that we got some idea of what the Golden Claw was doing in that issue, and why he wanted Namor under his power. Considering the fact that the Golden Claw had been having men steal electronics, I wonder if he had been building some kind of machine. It can't be that bomb we saw later in the issue, as it seemed like a contingency in case of superheroes, not the main part of a plan. 

I did also enjoy seeing the pre-Captain Hip Fred McRae. I can imagine that as the 60s went on, he transitioned his gimmick from beatnik to hippie to seemingly go with the times, and the hippies by then were more fashionable and fitting to his anti-establishment mentality. I do wish we got to see that transition. I also got a nice chuckle out of Black Fox surprising Kid Justice. I can see that being a bit of a running gag of the First Line's existence. 

John Byrne's art is enjoyable, but it is clear that his style here is a bit "rougher" than in the past. I have pointed this out before, but I think it's likely a mixture of age and possibly style refinement.

If you want to read this for yourself, you'll likely have to find it in the back issue bins. It was never collected in a trade. It was included in a 2018 Omnibus: The Marvel Universe by John Byrne Vol. 2. However, if Omnibuses are too big and expensive for you, well, you'll just have to find it elsewhere. I got the series on eBay. 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!

Marvel Tokon Phoenix Cyclops Gameplay Trailer, My Thoughts

Back in July, I gave my thoughts on the announcement trailer for the first DLC character in Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls: Scott Summers, the optic-blasting Original X-Man known as Cyclops. But not just any version of Cyclops. A version of the character that has the Phoenix Force within him, which is clearly a nod to Avengers Vs. X-Men. 

I was somewhat not surprised to see Cyclops be a playable character here. After all, he's been riding a wave of popularity thanks to X-Men '97 (Ray Chase, who voiced him in that cartoon is voicing him here as well.) and he's also been revealed to be a playable character in Marvel Cosmic Invasion (I talked about that here). Makes sense he'd appear here. Let's look at the trailer to see how he plays!

Which makes things really awkward when Scott is trying to pay for things at a store. I mean, I doubt debit cards are fireproof, which doesn't make things any easier. Dang it, Phoenix.

Cyclops is totally handling it. He is clearly handling it well. 

I mean, he's not wrong. A star going nova? As in, exploding for all you non-fans of space stuff (space stuff rules). Yeah, that can consume a planet.

Illyana, Scott was giving supevillains optic blasts to the face when Belasco was trying to find a babysitter for you in Limbo! He is way above your weight class here!

Yeah, Cyclops is totally handling the power well. 

And there it is! The optic blast!

Cap ain't wrong, Cyke.

Yeah, Cyclops is totally handling the power well. 

You know, Scotty. Saying stuff like this is one of the reasons WHY PEOPLE HATE AND FEAR MUTANTS!

Oh boy, he's got Jean and Phoenix confused again. 

Heh, quoting the iconic cover.

Well, that looked pretty cool. I can imagine why they chose this particular incarnation of Cyclops with this game. Yeah, in the comics, Cyclops is also a skilled martial artist, but I can imagine having optic blasts would be rather limited when it comes to cool fighting effects. Having the power of the Phoenix Force with him also him to create some cool visuals, as can be seen here in this trailer. Not to mention the addition of a bit of Phoenix fire can give his punches and kicks some flair. 

I am so excited to see the next DLC character. I hope they go for someone lesser known. I mean, we got the Roberto Reyes Ghost Rider here, and Rivals and Cosmic Invasion have been giving spotlight to lesser-known characters like Phyla-Vell and White Fox. I hope Tokon does the same. 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!

Incredible Hulk #275 (September 1982)

Back in August 2017, I took a look at Incredible Hulk #276 (October 1982). In it, the Not-So-Jolly Green Giant battled a group of villains known as the U-Foes, basically a bad guy version of the Fantastic Four created by a businessman named Simon Utrecht. The U-Foes would go on to battle various heroes of the Marvel Universe, like the West Coast Avengers, Captain America, Daredevil, and of course, they'd fight the Hulk a few times over the years. Funny enough, they never fought the Fantastic Four. That is so weird to me. Anyway, the hectic life of the Hulk shows that he's had to deal with his fair share of problems even before the events of issue #276. You'll see what I mean when I look at The Incredible Hulk #275!

The cover is an Al Milgrom piece. It depicts the titular Megalith holding the Hulk in its monstrous hands and trying to crush him. There isn't any background, but I get what Milgrom was going for. It forces your eyes to focus on Megalith and the Hulk. I wish we also got to see Betty Ross and Bereet (two of Hulk's supporting cast at the time) looking up in horror or something. It would help show how big the Megalith is and help sell the potential danger to the Hulk. 

"Megalith!"
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Penciler: Sal Buscema
Inker: Joe Sinnott
Letterer: Jim Novak
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editors: Al Milgrom, Ann Nocenti
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter
Megalith & Jackdaw creator: Richard Konkle

The story begins with the Hulk taking some big leaps, his way of getting around quickly. Unusually for the Green Goliath, he's doing so with a big old grin on his face, and presumably a song in his heart. You see, this Hulk is being driven by the mind of his human alter-ego: Bruce Banner. And understandably, this Hulk is overjoyed. He's got the best of both worlds now. The power of the Hulk, guided by the reasoning mind of a man. 

He's headed to a lab he had in a cave located in the southwestern desert, where he labored to find a cure. He wants to tell Betty Ross and Rick Jones about this. He notices that they're gone, but the gamma ray projector is on.

Bruce then realized that Rick had transformed himself into another Hulk.

Well, he tried to. Turns out instead of creating a second Hulk...

Rick Jones really could use some padding on that spider...

He ended up giving himself a massive case of radiation poisoning. Heck of a time for realism to kick in. Rick is lying on an alien device, a techno-art creation of their alien friend Bereet. She has him lying on what's called a "life-support spider". This arachnid-themed automaton is able to keep Rick alive and stable. But that's all it can do. It cannot cure him.

It's why the alien artist and the Hulk's two most famous human friends are here at Gamma Base. Originally the headquarters of the Hulkbusters, it was a base dedicated to capture and study of the Incredible Hulk. However, at this point, it was abandoned. Naturally, Betty hopes there may be something here that can help Rick. But another problem has come up. While Betty and Bereet are presumably smart cookies, the technology at the base is beyond either of them.

Betty thinks Bruce could easily figure these gadgets and gizmos out, considering his own smarts when it comes to gamma rays. Bereet says that she was also quite impressed with Banner's knowledge, and she always had been, ever since they first met years ago. Betty angrily points out that the Krylorian never even met Bruce until recently. She only observed them and made a movie based on his adventures.

Bereet points out that film was highly acclaimed on her world, even winning seven "Drulies" (her world's equivalent of the Oscars), and the profits from it allowed her to further work on her art. It is true that Bereet observed Hulk and Rick Jones from afar, but she ended up learning a lot about the two, and it caused her to "bond" with them in a way. And considering that she is also trying to help Rick, and she genuinely wants to be a friend of Betty's...well, Betty lets it go. She's dealing with a lot after all. Unseen by them, they are being observed.

"Oh, I just love flying around abandoned buildings..."

Meet Heather O'Gara, aka Jackdaw (later known as Blackbird. Also, her real name would not be established here. It would be revealed in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe). A mysterious bird-themed mercenary, she was sent to the Gamma Base by a mysterious employer to find something. She thought the base was abandoned, but Bereet and Betty being here actually was a good thing.

Because thanks to Bereet's gadgets "eating" Gamma Base's security systems, Jackdaw had a much easier time getting in. All she has to do is accomplish her mission, stay out of the ladies' sight, and get out of there.

Good thing she was briefed on the Base by someone who knew it every well...

During her visit, Jackdaw looks around for what she was intended to get. While there, she spots a certain large robot.

"Whoa, that is the biggest LEGO set ever!"

Meet the titular Megalith, ladies and gentlemen. That thing is totally not going to cause problems for anyone, nope.

It's here that Bruce returns to Gamma Base. After all, much like Betty and Bereet, he figured it'd be the best place to take Rick considering his current condition. And much like all of us, Betty and Bereet are surprised to see the Hulk talking like Banner. Keep in mind, at this point, it's likely that the Hulk speaking like Banner was rather new. Sure, Hulk early on didn't talk with the broken English that he is associated with (most notably his time as the Gray Hulk, later Joe Fixit), but Hulk under Banner's control? It was a surprise at the time.

Hulk adjusts a gamma ray projector and prepares to use it to reverse Rick's gamma poisoning (reverse the polarity and all that), when he hears a rumbling.

Hulk goes to check it out, and finds the titular Megalith staring down at him. 

"Did you bring the pizza I ordered?"

The robot is being controlled by Jackdaw. She wasn't supposed to do this, but she found this robot ripe for the taking. Hulk engages the robot, which naturally makes her freak out. She ends up accidentally knocking him into a wall. This gets her feeling pretty confident. After all, if she could whup the Hulk with this big old robot, why not just give her employer the robot instead? Or even keep it for herself and/or sell it to someone else?

Her line of thoughts gets interrupted by the Hulk getting up. She isn't afraid of him anymore. After all, she knocked him down by accident. But if she attacked him on purpose?

She tries to stomp on the Hulk, but being the Hulk, it doesn't work. He instead knocks the Megalith down. Banner realizes that the old Hulk would have easily and quickly torn through the robot with his rage making him stronger. Bruce is slower to anger, more rational and has a tendency to think a lot. This makes Hulk weaker, as the angrier Hulk gets, the stronger he gets. But let's keep this in mind. A weaker Hulk...is still dangerous as even at his base power-level, he's still one of the strongest beings on Earth. He easily thrashes the Megalith, Jackdaw feeling pain from the control system allowing to feel what the robot does. I get the feeling Banner didn't design that.

Luckily, Megalith's destruction terminated the connection, allowing Jackdaw to flee, no one ever aware she was even there. 

Bruce wonders where that robot came from, but he can examine it later. Right now, the priority is helping Rick Jones. Elsewhere, a man sits in another industrial complex, once was the property of Utrecht Industries. This man was once known as Michael Steele, but now he is known...as Ironclad. He made his way here to wait for his comrades in the U-Foes: Simon Utrecht/Vector, Ann Darnell/Vapor, and Jimmy Darnell/X-Ray. Fortunately for the metallic man, the others have arrived.

"I don't pay you to sit on your metal butt! Get back to work, Steele!"

They have one goal in mind now: to take down the Hulk. Once and for all!

I enjoyed this comic. One detail I thought was clever during the battle with Megalith was that the Hulk was slowed down by Bruce Banner's mind. Which makes a lot of sense. Keep in mind, the classic green, or "Savage" Hulk, gets stronger the angrier he gets. Banner is not exactly known for being the most emotional of men. So it does makes sense he'd have trouble getting strong enough to easily smash the Megalith. Of course, Hulk isn't exactly a 90-pound-weakling in his base level, so he ultimately won the day. 

If I do have a bit of criticism of this story, it's a couple things. I would have liked to have learned a bit more about Jackdaw/Blackbird. We do get a bit of character for her in the comic, the idea that she can let her greed get to her head. Shame we won't see more of her for a couple decades, as she has a neat design. Also, this one is more about Mantlo's run on Hulk in general: his portrayal of Betty Ross. I can't quite explain it, but I can't help but feel he gives her a bit of a "damsel-in-distress" vibe to her. She just seems to worry and lament about Bruce all the time.  

John Buscema and Joe Sinnott are quite an underrated team when it comes to art. They have a good sense of storytelling and their work are very expressive. 

If you want to read this comic for yourself, I recommend you track down the 2012 trade paperback The Incredible Hulk: Pardoned. It also was collected in the 2026 trade paperback The Incredible Hulk Epic Collection Vol. 11: Devolution. 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!

National Raccoon Day

Today is National Raccoon Day!

Raccoons are a mammal native to North America. Well, the North American raccoon is arguably one of the more famous species of the animal. That's because they've been introduced to Europe and Japan in the past. Most notably, Japan got a bit of mania for the critters thanks to the anime Rascal the Raccoon. They're also known for their ringed tails, their facial markings that make them look like they're wearing masks, their dexterous paws and their gray thick fur which serves to insulate them from the cold. 

Raccoons are also known for their adaptability and intelligence. This has allowed them to make homes in a variety of areas, even though they originally could be found in forests. They are usually nocturnal animals, although they can be active in the daytime to take advantage of food sources. Their diet is rather diverse, as they are omnivorous. They can eat berries, fruits, nuts, bird eggs, insects, and fish. 

Raccoons have very strong senses of touch thanks to little whisker-like vibrissae above their claws in their front paws. They also were originally believed to be solitary animals, until studies suggested that they do engage in certain social behaviors. For example, female raccoons live in what is called a "fission-fusion society". 

Raccoons are known to "wash" their food after dabbling for it at shorelines. The reason for this is not exactly known, but the general theory is that it's an instinctual behavior. 

In the wild, raccoons tend to live around 1-3 years. This is due to many factors, like weather severity, traffic, and diseases like distemper and rabies. They've also been preyed on by bears, great horned owls, cougars, wolves, bobcats, and even alligators. In captivity, raccoons have been known to live around 20 years.

Raccoons are part of folklore and mythology in Native American cultures. In some of these tales, the raccoon is portrayed as a sly tricker. 

So, yeah. Raccoons are quite fascinating creatures. 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! 

October

 Today is the first of October!

I hope you're all ready for a month celebrating scares! And I hope it's a good month for you all!

Text Play: Pokémon Insurgence (Detergent Mod) #9

 Hello, and welcome back to the Torren Region! This is entry #9 in my Text Play of Pokémon Insurgence...with the Detergent Mod!

Last time, we managed to defeat Damien in a rematch. He was good. Real good. His Delta Charizard is no joke. We also explored Roggan Town, home of Torren's Game Corner and future site of its Battle Frontier. And then we started on Route 6. 

So, where do we go from here? Let's find out! Before we begin, I wish to warn you, I will be spoiling this game.

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

Before we fully travel through the Route, I wanted to hit the Game Corner and give Triple Triad a try. I've never been interested in the game before. Who knows, maybe playing around will win me over. Before we did, I went to Felicity to check out the lucky number. Won another Ultra Ball. Yay! I also wanted to buy some more cards. Thanks to Debug Mode and a lot of Nuggets, I have more than enough money to buy a ton of expensive ones.

I bought a couple Torterra and Zapdos cards, And because I have a Fire deck, I bought some Heatmor, Charizard, and Dugtrio cards, the Dugtrio ones just for the heck of it. I got money, after all. Why not spend it? One we bought some cards, we can now play the game. So, how does Triple Triad work? Well, first we have to talk to Felicity at the Game Corner.

She doesn't just let you buy and sell cards, she'll explain the rules of the game to you. That's very nice and helpful of her. I hope the Game Corner pays her very well. Anyway, the rules work like this: We have a grid, 3 squares by 3 squares. Each player chooses five cards from their deck for their hand. Each player then takes turns putting cards on the board. 

Each card has a number on its sides. When a card is placed, the numbers on the card are compared to the numbers on the sides of the card that touches it. If the placed card's number is higher, the placer gets control of the card. Whoever controls the most cards when the grid is filled wins the game and also wins one of the loser's cards. The card lost is chosen at random, so make sure to get lots of extras. The game here comes in four difficulties: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Legendary.

I'm playing on Easy mode because I'm new to this. This mode also allows you to see your opponent's hand, and there are no rule variations. In fact, the purpose of this mode is to help teach the game. Every game should have an Easy mode. Once we agree to play, Felicity lets us in, and we meet our first opponent: this nice old lady here.

She seems like one of those "one with nature" types. Which is cool, never had an issue with those folks. Nature is nice after all. Let's play some Triple Triad. 

We have to pick our five cards. I chose to use a Natu, Aerodactyl, Charizard, Marowak, and a Heatmor card.

The lady, Tyla by name, chooses her own five cards: Two Budews, a Nidorina, a Growlithe, and an Anorith. She placed her first Budew on the top center cell. I placed my Natu on the top right, taking the Budew. She then placed her Anorith card on the top left, taking it back. I put the Aerodactyl underneath the Anorith, giving me 3-1. She placed her second Budew on the bottom left. I put my Charizard on the middle right cell, taking control of the second Budew. She then placed her Growlithe on the bottom middle cell, taking back her Budew. I put my Aerodactyl in the middle, giving me control of her first Budew She placed her final card, her Nidorina, on the remaining cell.

As you can see, we won against Tyle, controlling six cards to her three. And I won her Nidorina card.

I admit, I felt a little bad about that. I would have happily taken one of her Budews, as she had an extra. I can certainly see why people enjoy Triple Triad. It's basically a game that requires a bit of luck and a bit of strategy. Anything can happen.

When we first enter the Route, we can battle this guy.

He tells us, like the screenshot says, that Helios is north of here. Also, it's the biggest city in Torren. Which makes sense. Helios, in Greek myth, is a sun god and personification of the sun. His chariot pulls the sun through the sky, explaining sunrise and sunset. And the Sun is the biggest (and brightest) star seen in the sky, due to the fact that Earth is closer to it than any other star. 

So, let's take him on!

(Athlete) Tor (His sprite is a baseball player. That's neat. Reminds me of Black and White.)
1st Pokémon: Hitmonlee (Lv. 42) - Defeated by Torterra. Hitmonlee's Hi Jump Kick hit Grotle hard, though.
2nd Pokémon: Primeape (Lv. 42) - Defeated by Krystal the Delta Venusaur.
3rd Pokémon: Hitmontop (Lv. 43) - Defeated by Krystal.

After we win, he tells us we should go there, as he describes it as a "crazy place". I don't doubt it. Helios is supposedly a big ol' city, after all. Makes sense there's be lots to do there. I want to see what's going on there, but we have to get there first! Once we enter the Route and get past Tor, we can fish and surf in a nearby lake. Also near the lake is an Ultra Ball.

You can grab it if you'd like. As you can also see in the screenshot, there is a bridge. If we cross it, we end up passing through here.

We have to battle that guy to continue onward. He compliments the colors he's seen on this Route. He especially is fond of the majestic greens and beautiful blues. I mean, he's not wrong. The greens are indeed majestic and the blues are indeed beautiful. And he wants to capture them not by painting or photography, but battle. Eh, whatever floats your boat.

(Artist) Kao
1st Pokémon: Smeargle (Lv. 42) - Defeated by Torterra.
2nd Pokémon: Musharna (Lv. 43) - Defeated by Krystal. Musharna was hard to damage due to my team having no Dark-types or Dark-type moves. I have to work on that.

He found our battle elegant. I'm glad he did. Anyway, we continue on the next Bridge ahead of him and find...this thing on the wall.

What is that? Is that some kind of art thing? It reminded me of something I saw when I was a kid. On my way to my grandmother's house in Great Britain, we would see these colorful shapes arranged in a line on the side of cliffs. Not the white cliffs of Dover, different cliffs. They were really cool. I don't think they're there anymore. I wish I had a camera then, I would have photographed or filmed them. 

Right, right. Sorry about that. Just feeling a bit nostalgic. Anyway, if we continue upwards, there's a path that takes us to the left. If we go on that path, we'll be taken here to this corner.

As you can see in the screenshot, there's a Max Repel. It's handy if you don't want to be bothered by wild Pokémon on your travels. There's also a Trainer we can battle. He's a big fan of Bug-types, as he believes they are the strongest kind of Pokémon. I mean, I'd agree with him when it comes to Butterfree. Butterfrees have always been reliable powerhouses on my teams in various games. 

(Bug Catcher) Mikage
1st Pokémon: Butterfree (Lv. 44) - Defeated by Shiro.
2nd Pokémon: Beedrill (Lv. 44) - Withdrawn from battle after a dose of Fire Blast from Shiro. 
3rd Pokémon: Ninjask (Lv. 43) - Defeated by Shiro. Brought out in place of Beedrill.

He still insists Bug-types are the best. Whatever floats your boat, my friend. And again, I'd agree with him when it comes to Butterfree. Anyway, we go upwards, and we find ourselves here. 

A maze of fences. I wonder why this is here. Is it an artist making some kind of statement? Who knows?

The blue haired man explains that every year, a parade passes through this Route to Helios City. It's a big celebration, but he doesn't reveal what it's for before we battle him. 

(Bird Keeper) Josh
1st Pokémon: Pidgeot (Lv. 42) - Defeated by Thunderwing the Zapdos.
2nd Pokémon: Swoobat (Lv. 43) - Defeated by Thunderwing.
3rd Pokémon: Fearow (Lv. 43) - Defeated by Thunderwing. 

We swept his team! I friggin' love Zapdos. After we beat him, he mentions the "next festival" is in two months, and he is excited for it.

Yeah, he doesn't say exactly what this "festival" is or what it's celebrating. Is it celebrating a harvest? Or, considering games like this, it's a general celebration of Pokémon? Maybe we'll find out more in Helios, because I am very curious. To actually get to Helios though, we're actually going to have to get past that fence maze. Thankfully, it's not remotely as complicated as it seems to get through. No, it's not. It really isn't. Just enter, go to the left, and then the exit is right there. It's literally that simple! Makes me wonder why it's there in the first place.

Yeah, just stay hugging the trees, and we'll be right at the exit. Before we go, if we go down the other side of the maze's exterior, we'll find an item.

It's an Ether, if you're wondering. So, now we got that, let's move on.

Welcome to Route 7.

Yeah, it's another route. We'll get to Helios. I hope. We can battle the green-haired cape-wearer in the screenshot if you'd like. He wants to run away and join the circus. Is that still a thing in this day and age?

(Juggler) Shan
1st Pokémon: Ambipom (Lv. 45) - Defeated by Torterra. Ambipom's Double Hit managed to hurt it bad, though.
2nd Pokémon: Ambipom (Lv. 44) - Defeated by Gabite. Like with Torterra, it was hit hard by Ambipom's Double Hit move.

After we beat him, he says he loves the circus. I don't blame him. I went to one years ago when I was younger, and it was neat. Anyway, this Route is a short one. We just go upwards and follow the path to the left. Doing so takes us up here.

Hey, there's also a Dusk Ball on the ground! I wonder how that got there. Maybe some Trainer accidentally dropped it. Although how it ended up there is anyone's guess. Maybe it rolled there. After picking up the Ball, I noticed something...familiar.

Huh. Haven't seen a puddle of green water in a while. I think since all the way back in entry #1 when were escaping that facility. Come to think of it, you'd think Persephone would have noticed that we were gone by now. I mean, we've gotten two Badges. I can imagine Badge fights are public record.

I wonder how that got there? Maybe somebody did some waste dumping in Helios?  

To go forward, we have to pass by those two watchtowers and battle the lady with the umbrella. She thinks we want to see Jaern. Honestly, I'd rather avoid him if I can. Man gives me the creeps.

She says he's way too important to waste his time on people like us. Yeah, I'm sure.

I'm going to enjoy fighting her.

(Parasol Lady) Maurine
1st Pokémon: Basculin (Red Stripe, Lv. 44): Defeated by Torterra.
2nd Pokémon: Heliolisk (Lv. 44) - Defeated by Gabite with one shot of Earthquake.
3rd Pokémon: Absol (Lv. 44) - Defeated by Seismitoad with Drain Punch and poisoning.

She grumbles it wasn't fair. Too bad, lady. No one cares. We go upwards and find us at this bridge.

I admit, when I first saw this bridge, I got the impression it was meant to be lined in gold, giving the idea that Helios is a rich city full of rich people. I mean, it makes no sense, but the phrase "Rich in dollars, poor in sense" exists for a reason. Ah, well. This bridge leads us right to Helios City.

Welcome to Helios City! Home of the Augur, and one of the richest and biggest cities of the Torren Region. In fact, according to one woman walking around the streets, this place is actually Torren's capital city. I can't help but think that Helios was inspired by Manhattan. It looks like a big island, and it even has what appears to be its own version of Central Park right near the center of the city. I want to explore that park. However, when we arrive in the city, Damian is there.

How you been doing, buddy? Sadly, he has some bad news for us.

He went to the Jade Tower to warn Jaern, but it turns out the Cultists were already there. Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that Jaern invited them. We have to find another way into the Tower, presumably as they have the main entrances covered. He thinks maybe we can get in through the sewers. Do I look like Wolverine to you, Damian?!

He then vanishes, presumably to find another way in. I imagine he's going to try to get in through the sewers. He's going to stink to high heaven. But first, let's get to the Pokémon Center here in Helios. Naturally, for a big city, the Center is a full-on PokeMall. According to one old lady here, Helios's is actually bigger than most other complexes like this, due to how rich the city is.

However, when I went inside, it didn't seem any bigger or fancier than the previous PokeMalls we've been to in the past. Yeah. There weren't any unique stores or anything like that. Well, there is a reason for that. You see, Torren isn't just known for being the home of the Augur. It's also known for its big Department Store. 

There's a house to the right of the PokeMall. 

Yeah, that one. If we go upstairs and talk to the kid with the Chatot, he'll say there's someone willing to trade a Barboach for any Pokémon. It's a good opportunity to get yourself a Whiscash if you want. We'll have to do that next time. Yeah, not much happened here in this entry, and I do apologize for that. This month has been a bit crazy, so I haven't been able to devote a lot of time to this game. New job, other fangames, that kind of thing. I hope you'll join me next time when we fully explore Helios City. 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!

Pokémon Obtained:
(Route 6)
- Minun
- Gogoat
- Lapras (obtained by Surfing)
- Farfetch'd
(Route 7)
- Stoutland
- Phantump
- Chatot