Hello, and welcome back to the Eldiw region! This is entry number 24 in my Text Play of Pokémon Xenoverse!
Now, as is tradition, I wish to warn you that I will be spoiling this game.
As such, I highly recommend that you play this game through yourself before reading these Text Plays. You can download the game here. And now with that out of the way, let's do this!
Last time, we made our way through the Wild Bull Saloon, only to end up fighting a possessed Chrysler and Salem. We ended up in front of a fence maze...which is pretty darn annoying.
Yeah, I've grown a bit of a dislike for mazes in video games. But there's no use crying about it. Let's just get through this thing. The entranceway has three paths: Forward, left, and right. Logically, we should try the leftward path first. That path is a dead end, but we do find something interesting there.
More diary pages! Let's see what they say.
Everyday, the little one came to the saloon where it had an assured meal. Finally, I had found a new friend. But then...One night, a gang of outlaws alongside three Houndoom broke into the inn, raiding all my and my customers' money. Westar has never been the city of Trainers, so I didn't know who to ask for help, especially to protect at all costs that Pokémon. Among the people, a newborn infant broke down in tears and one of the Houndom, sick of that whining, attacked her. I didn't want to witness such a brutal scene, so I shut my eyes...
Once I opened them again, I saw the Dark Pokémon groaning on the floor...It was my friend! That kind-hearted Pokemon stood up for the saloon and that baby! The three outlaws ordered their Houndoom a combined attack right away, but the small shadow threw them away in a blink of an eye. The thugs cut and ran and so I tried to reassure the customers, telling them what really happened...It was such a relief telling someone about that Pokémon strongly attached to the saloon! But the outcome was not like what I was expecting at all...the clientele, just by the idea that a ghost has been there all that time, just got terrified and fled...
I tried explaining that the creature was inoffensive, but I couldn't talk them out. Even my friend, saddened about the whole story, hid into its own shadow...Since then, the saloon income crashed and no one came by anymore...This memory of mine now is nothing more than a nightmare that haunts my sleep! No more songs, no more dances nor drinks...everything is so sad and quiet here! Not even it came back...now it's only me and my worst enemy--the loneliness...
Huh. I'm guessing this was the incident Minta was talking about earlier. The incident that caused the Wild Bull Saloon to go out of business. The Pokémon in this place saves a kid's life, and this happens as a result. That's gratitude for you. No good deed goes unpunished, indeed.
Although, I do have some questions about this saloon's interior. Well, there's really nothing else here, so let's head back to the entrance. Going all the way to the right-going path only leads to another dead end.
Yup. Just another dead end. Nothing special. So let's head back to the entrance. Again.
Since the right and left paths don't lead anywhere, we might as well take the middle path. That's the only path left, after all. However, that path takes us to a crossroads next.
So, up or down? Well, we can try the downward path first. Doing so leads us to this branching path.
I hate mazes. I hate them so much. Going downward here just leads to a dead end, so we have to go upwards. Going that way and then to the left (the right is another dead end) leads us to this fork.
No, not that fork!
There we go! Going to the right leads us to this dead end with an Item Box in it.
It contains an X Special Attack. Going on the downward path takes us to the left and to another fork in the road.
The left path is a dead end, but the right path leads us to Willy.
Oh dear, looks like he's been hit as well. Hangead's got him running around that there mechanical Tauros like he's on fire or something. Based on the pattern, we've got to fight him as well.
However, once we talk to the possessed Will, Hangead doesn't seem to be interested in battling us again.
Instead, as the screenshot shows, he wants to play a game.
Funny enough, I watched that Doctor Who special "The Giggle" while working on this entry. Huh. The cosmos is weird. Anyway, Hangead wants to play hide and seek with us. With that, Will vanishes in a puff of blue smoke. Great. This means we have to backtrack our way through this blasted maze to find him. Lovely. Just lovely. 😒
Backtracking through the route we went to get through this stupid maze, we find Will.
Will just says "peek-a-boo" and vanishes again. Great. I start wandering around the maze like a madman, trying to figure out where Will is hiding now. I think I may have gone a little insane. Just a little.
Eventually, I made my way back to the entrance of the stupid maze room. I went on the right-side path, and on the dead end, I found him.
And he vanished again. Stupid maze. We can find him again in the room with the mechanical Tauros.
When we talk to him, he reveals that he has always been afraid, ever since he was a boy. As a bizarre form of therapy, his father would take him to rundown places like this. Will drew strength from his dad's presence, allowing him to find his courage. This mechanical Tauros has special significance to Will, as his dad would let him ride it to help him forget his fears of Ghost-type Pokémon. He thinks about those days a lot, and he realizes why he wanted to father in his father's footsteps. However, he now realizes that he's alone. His dad is gone, and he's still a coward. Hangead realizes he had a very easy time possessing Will, because his cowardice made him especially vulnerable. Hangead wants to leave this place and be among humans, and one he deals with us. He can do that. Yeah, buddy. like the other three members of GEIST are going to let that happen. But to face them, he'll have to go through us.
1st Pokemon: Kidoon (Lv. 33) - Defeated by Harrowk.
2nd Pokemon: Kidoon (Lv. 34) - Defeated by Harrowk.
3rd Pokemon: Bulbasaur (Lv. 35) - Defeated by Trishout.
Despite the defeat, Hangead is still determined to leave this place in Will's body. But then Will fights back from within. Will may see himself as a coward, but he knows one thing: he isn't alone in this world. His dad may be gone, but he still has his GEIST teammates, who he considers family. He includes us in that, too. Aww.
He finds the strength to fight Hangead's possession off. You know, Will. You might have more courage than you realize. Once he's beaten, we can use the stairs behind the area with the mechanical Tauros. Yeah, it was originally blocked off by a candle, but now we can use the stairs. Using said stairs leads us here.
Yeah, I wonder what this room was for. It can't be an attic. attics don't have platforms like in the upper left corner of the screenshot. And it can't be a performance hall. There's no chairs. Looking around, I realized that this isn't the attic, this is a roof. We're on top of the Saloon. The corners have things to find there. The upper right corner of the roof has an Item Box.
It contains a Spooky Plate. You give this to a Pokémon, it boots the power of any Ghost-type moves they know. On the upper left corner is more torn pages.
If we read them, we learn more about the fate of the Saloon, as well as Chempo himself...
August. Not even a single customer in months...I was on the rooftop, when I heard a roar coming from that main hall. I immediately ran there...I shouldn't have! Those gangsters came back with reinforcements...But this time, there was a known face--the mayor! Gunther, a corrupt politician of Eldiw's underworld--the man behind the tourist crisis of Westar City...why was he there?
He made it clear immediately--he had come to take his revenge for what happened a few months earlier and catch the Pokémon of the saloon! He was done talking, and one of the outlaws' Scarphasmo attacked me, while the other Pokémon started destroying what remained of my inn...Slash hit me hard, but my physical pain was nothing compared to my inner wound...Everything I built, every happy memory, everything went up in smoke...I was about to pass out when...
All of the Pokémon were thrown away by a powerful attack...It could only be it, my friend! Gunther ordered his minions to attack the little Pokémon that, despite its small size, was really powerful. It came back to protect me as it did that child, months ago! The mayor, out of henchmen, ran away and the little Pokémon fell on the floor exhausted. I owed so much to that Pokémon, so I took care of it for days, until it got its health back. Meanwhile, the whole city, hypnotized by the mayor's claptrap, started hunting the Pokémon that committed the "crime" of hurting that liar of Gunther. I had no choice...the lil' one and I had to leave Westar City!
Waking up from its coma, it came closer to me and a thick black tear crossed its face...I don't know if it was sadness or happiness to see in me the good ol' days...all I know is that I witnessed the creation of an unforgettable memory of our bond! After that, the Pokémon vanished before my eyes...My friend didn't want me to leave everything I created...and so it was! I'm old now and death will soon come visit me, so...
Please! I ask those of you who will read these words to respect my only remaining wish...Keep the bottle of the black tear safe--I've kept it hidden in the basement...It represents the soul of a Pokémon that did everything to protect me and my beloved city! Goodbye. - Chempo.
Wow.
In the center of the roof is a shrine. And Minta is clearly there. When we approach her, her Hangead-possessed-Blastoise Buster appears before us in a flash of blue smoke.
I get the feeling he'll be a tough customer. Hangead has both Blastoise and Minta herself under his power. He wants vengeance for presumably our beating him in the past. He can possess both Minta and Blastoise at the same time, because the two have a very deep bond. I can imagine Minta raised it from a very young Squirtle. He thinks of Minta as a jackpot body. She has brains like Chrysler, the capability of Salem, and the spirit of Will.
1st Pokémon: Blastoise (Buster) (Lv. 40) - Defeated by Harrowk.
Well, I guess not. Although to be fair, Harrowk is part-Electric (Electric beats Water), and I think he's ten levels stronger. Hangead is so infuriated by the loss, he tries to possess us. Thankfully, the rest of the GEIST team is there to back us up.
As you can tell, the Pokémon is not very impressed. After all, he possessed them before. They say they'll face Hangead together. The screen shakes, and flashes colors. Somehow, Hangead's power ends up dissipating from this. A freed Minta thanks us for the help, and Salem flirts with her a bit. Salem! Dude! She just was possessed!
With Minta freed, we see Hangead's true form.
Yeah, looks like a deranged Muppet. Salem wants to fight the thing. Which I can get. If I were him, I'd want a bit of vengeance for being possessed. I can't imagine it was a pleasant thing. Minta, though, has an idea.
She gives us a shot at catching this Pokémon, as it has been weakened...presumably thanks to the battles we had with it when it possessed the GEIST team. Minta asks us to meet her at the Firehouse one we beat or catch it. I managed to capture it.
When we beat the mad puppeteer Pokémon, there is a shiny spot left behind in front of a tombstone.
The shiny spot is a Dread Pendant. As for the gravestone, my guess is that its Chempo's. It would make sense. The man clearly dedicated his life to the saloon, it's only appropriate that he'd be buried near it. I'm assuming that he's not actually buried here, but this gravestone is meant to be symbolic. I can imagine he was actually buried somewhere else. Or maybe he was cremated. Who knows?
With that all done, we may as well head back to the GEIST firehouse. After all, Minta did tell us to meet her and the crew there.
We go into the lab, where the GEIST gang are waiting for us. Minta has announced that Chrysler has managed to build a little something that will send those Team Dimension goofs packing. I wish I met this guy at Newtron. Chrysler explains that the device used his Pikachu's Nuzzle attack. It worked, but his Pikachu had to run for it.
The device created an "electrical bond" between Pikachu and the grunt robots. Chrysler used this to create something that will let him control the grunts.
Wouldn't it be simpler to just...hack them? I mean, they're robots, right? Robots are guided by programming. I doubt that they have any really advanced AI, so...yeah.
So, what is the device Chrysler built? It's basically a glorified EMP generator. With the press of a button, he'll unleash EMPs that will bring one of the robots to him. And it works.
Hopefully, Team Dimension won't get too much wind of this. Minta suggests that Chrysler could modify the device to make it so that GEIST can outright control the robots. Chrysler says it would be his pleasure. Besides, I think that would be easy for him.
Minta wants to name the grunt Chrysler captured. She notices that on its neck is a code: R3VO. It inspires a brand spankin' new name for the grunt: Revolver. As Chrysler gets to work, Minta suggests we introduce ourselves to Sheriff Caspar, Westar's Gym Leader. He's helped the team out in the past, and Minta believes that we'd be a very tough opponent for him.
With Hangead taken care of and the Team Dimension goons hacked, we can now go to El Purgatorio, the high-security prison that also is Caspar's gym.
I do believe that I have said something about this in the last entry, but I feel the need to say it again. I wonder how this works. Why would the Eldiw Pokémon League allow this? Do the prisoners train there as some form of work-release?
Don't get me wrong, I never had any problem with Gym Leaders having side occupations. If anything, it's a great opportunity to help give them some characterization beyond "generic boss you have to fight to move forward". But to me, having one also be a sheriff/warden does raise questions.
And I think that is where we'll stop for this month...and for 2023. Don't you worry, folks. There may be a new year, but this journey will continue! Next time, we're going to start 2024 with getting ready to go through El Purgatorio to face Caspar. Wish me luck! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!
Pokémon Obtained:
(Wild Bull Saloon)
- Golbat (Encountered, didn't catch)
- Haunter (Encountered, didn't catch)
- Puppillon (Encountered, didn't catch)
- Scaracno (Encountered, didn't catch)
- Nunvil (Encountered, didn't catch)
- Hangead (105th Pokemon! Woo!)
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