Adventures in Pokemon Y Part 13: Connecting Cave and Route 8

Wow! It certainly has been a while since we last went to Kalos, hasn't it? It really wasn't intentional. As often happens, life can get in the way...and I've been messing around with Pokémon X and various other games and stuff like that. If you want to read the last Adventures in Pokémon Y entry, click right here.

Anyway, where were we? Ah, right! I got all the Pokémon in Route 7, so off to the Connecting Cave!

Looking at the cave, it really does amaze me how the graphics of the Pokémon games over the years have grown and changed. I know I've talked about this before, but it still amazes me how much the games have evolved over the past...twenty years. Yeah. This year is the 20th Anniversary of the Pokémon franchise. Wow. I feel old. I actually remember getting the first two for the Game Boy so long ago. I was attracted to them by the images of Charizard and Blastoise on the boxes. They looked so awesome. The idea of collecting and battling monsters seemed like such a brilliant concept to me. And to be honest, Pokémon was the series that got me into role-playing games. Before that, I was a platformer guy. If you want to know what I hope they do for the anniversary, click here.

Anyway, the cave is...well...it's a cave. Not much to say about it, really. But this cave is also known as the Zubat Roost, and you can probably guess why. Zubats. So. Many. Zubats.

Zubat. The bane of the cave explorer's soul in the Pokémon universe.

I can certainly see why the Angry Video Game Nerd hates bats so much after spending some time in this cave. And I do have to ask a question about another species of Pokémon that resides in the cave: Whismur. According to the Pokédex, when Whismur senses danger, they let out screams that can rival a jet engine with the amount of noise they can put out. You'd think caves would be hazardous places for Whismurs to live in as they can cause a cave-in or two with their screeches.

Not to mention I think Zubats use echolocation to get around (They have no eyes). I can imagine Whismur screams screwing up their echolocations, making them go bananas.

I decided to stick around and see if I can add more Pokémon to my collection. As it turns out, I can't simply pass through the cave to go to Ambrette Town. There is a big hole in the ground, making the cave impassible, and a big grey block next to it. What makes me curious is, who dug this hole? And why? And what is with the big concrete block next to it? I do get that when it comes to gameplay, it gives you a obstacle to overcome, but what's the point of it in-universe? Was it part of an attempted construction project that got its funding cut off or something?

A hiker explains that we'll have to take the long way around, going down Route 7. Okay, so off we go! There was another cave further down the route, so we pass through that, and we arrive at Route 8. However, not long after we arrive, two acquaintances make another appearance: Sina and Dexio. God, those names make me chuckle so much.

Anyway, Sina asks me how a single Pokédex could cover a region as big as Kalos. I suppose they just can, since previous games never had a problem with that. Dexio explains that regular Pokédex cannot, so they're here to power it up...I was just in Camphrier Town. Why couldn't they do this for me there? It would be a less hazardous place to do this than in the middle of a route filled with wild Pokémon everywhere! Anyway, they add the Coastal Dex to my Pokédex. Sina also advises that new encounters help people grow and mature. I guess that makes sense. Meeting new people does make one more worldly.

I'm not sure what to feel about the Pokédex being broken into "Central" and "Coastal" sub-dexes. I guess I just don't see the point of this feature. Maybe it's used to help organize the Pokémon you have seen, I don't know.

Route 8 is definitely a route filled with hazards. It's high above the beach, and it's got lots of grassy areas and a natural bridge that you can see the beach far below. Watch your step! There was also an Hp Up on the route, but you have to be careful which slopes you go off of to get to it. I'll hang on to it, just in case. And I can see the second Gym from here! Neat!

When I'm just about to enter the town, Serena catches up with me and tells me that we need to go to the Fossil Lab to learn about fossils. She thinks it may help discover something about the Mega Stones. Okay...

While getting my Zangoose by trade, I just realized something. I have a Bulbasaur, but I also lack a Squirtle and Charmander. I decided to look at the Global Trade System to see if anyone had any of those available. And...I need to go on a rant for a second.

I understand one of the goals of the game is to collect all the Pokémon to unlock all the entries in the Pokédex. I get that. I do. But here's the thing. I wanted a Charmander and a Squirtle. That was all I wanted. They are starters, but they are hardly Legendary Pokémon. You can breed starters. You can breed more. You have one Charmander, you can get more with patience and the right Pokémon. But the people who have Charmanders and Squirtles available for trade ALL WANT LEGENDARY POKEMON FOR THEM! I SAW A PERSON SAYING THEY WANTED A HOOPA FOR ONE! HOOPA! HOOPA! A POKEMON THAT WAS ONLY OBTAINABLE AT AN EVENT! ALL FOR A BREEDABLE STARTER POKEMON! GAHHHHHH!!!

I feel better now. Sorry about that. Anyway, I'd better get to Ambrette Town and choose a fossil.

Pokémon Obtained:
Banshee (Whismur)
Yvonne (Zubat)
Yogi (Meditite)
Stevie (Axew)
Helia (Drifloon)
Liu Kang (Mienfoo)
Cassandra (Absol)
Swoop (Bagon)
Trancer (Inkay)
Z-Slash (Zangoose) (Obtained by trade)