Text Play: Pokémon Xenoverse #42

Hello, and welcome to the Eldiw region! This is entry #42 in my Text Play of Pokémon Xenoverse!

Now, as is the tradition, I must warn you, I will be spoiling the game.

As such, I highly recommend that you play through the game yourself first before reading these Text Plays. You can do so here. And with that out of the way, on with the show!

Last time, we made our way through the Cluster Jungle to find its Cardinal. We ended up at a gate, which led to a path that was flanked by funny statues. If we go up the path, we end up here.

These ruins give me the impression that there used to be some massive complex structure standing here way back in the day. Also, the Item Box in the screenshot contains a Max Repel. We go through these ruins, and we end up here at this pyramid.

It's a really beautiful structure; I tell you what. And look who is standing there, little Ruta. I want to talk to that little punk. 

When you talk to him, he rants that things are getting worse than he thought, and the Sentinels don't want to listen to him about it. Yeah, considering how weird they acted we acted when we battled them in the last entry (not to mention the glowing tattoos), I think there may be a reason for that, Ruta. Doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to realize something funny is going on here.

He sees us and he says he knew we'd be okay. Yeah, you didn't help, you brat. He reveals that he didn't bring us here to prove our innocence to his father. In fact, it was the opposite. Yup, I am going to kill this kid. He did this because he wanted to get his father's attention. Yeah, there are better ways to do that, Ruta! I get it, he's a Cardinal, and considering that this is a Pokémon world, that likely means he's a very busy man who has an important job. I get that. I really do. But doing something like this can ruin a person's life, kid! 

He thought that if he brought us to his father, the Cardinal would praise him for finding the H-Mineral thief. I think he'd be angrier that you framed an innocent person, Ruta. Not to mention you helped complicate the investigation. However, he's come to a realization. And what is that realization?

...He can't do it. He realizes that he can't do this. He can't help his father on his own. He begs us to help him out. That's fine, but we're only doing this to help the Cardinal, not because we like you, Ruta. He is impressed by our willingness to help him despite everything. He offers to scout ahead, as he knows this temple like the back of his hand. That makes sense, as he grew up around here.

He warns us of Sentinels and traps in the Temple. That's good to know. As I approached the entrance to the temple, I looked at what looked like a stone mask that was decorating the top of the entrance. I think I've seen that mask before, but where?

When we first enter the building, the game tells us we are in the Shyleon Temple. Wait, Shyleon? As in one of the starters of this game? That's why that mask on the entrance looked familiar! 

I mean, it makes sense. This is what a Shyleon's mask looks like.

Anyway, the first room isn't really much to look at. 

It's gray, it's dull, and we got more of those creepy statues. Which got me realizing something. Presumably like Trishout, Shyleon doesn't evolve like the standard starter Pokémon. Instead, it presumably has Terrestrial and Xenoversal forms. I think the statues are of one of those forms. Anyway, if we go down the stairs, we end up here.

Now this is more like it! Got some lighting, some nice decorations, looks good. Before we go further downwards, we have to deal with that trio of Sentinels standing in front of the stairs. But before we do, see that Item Box? You can use Kaiserium H to cut down the tree in front of it. The Box contains an Energy Root. The Energy Root is a bitter tasting, well, root that can restore 200 HP to a Pokémon. So, if you have a high-level Pokémon that likes bitter foods, there you go. I can't imagine feeding this thing to a Pokémon.

Anyway, you can fight the Sentinels if you want to. You do not have to, but if you need some extra HP and money, you can. I'm not going to, because my poor Pokémon have already taken a beating to get here as it is. I have plenty of Potions and status healing items, but when it comes to Power Points (how many times a Pokémon can do a certain move) ...yeah. I need a Pokémon Center or a Porygon Center. The stairs to the third floor are at the lower right, as shown in the screenshot above. Once you take them you end up in this room here.

Like in the last room, there is another Sentinel. You have to get close to them to trigger a battle. As you can also see in the screenshot, there is an Item Box on the left. To get to it, you have to use Kaiserium H to cut the trees down. The Box contains a Dragon Fang. It ups the power of Dragon-type moves. Handy if you have a non-Dragon-type Pokémon that knows a Dragon-type move. The screenshot also shows a second Item Box sitting above the Sentinel. It contains a Revival Herb.

Well, that's this room explored. So let's go further downwards, shall we? 

All we need to do is cut down this tree. Kaiserium H to the rescue again! And down we go!

Welcome to the third floor! Sports equipment, energy drinks, and comfy chairs! As you can see in the screenshot, there is an Item Box surrounded by rocks. I don't think we can get to it yet. Same with that Sentinel near the Box. If we go downwards, we find a corner, and another Sentinel.

You can battle him if you want. The direction he faces changes every so often, so you have to make sure you don't end up in his line of sight, as is trainer tradition. But if he does catch you, he says you won't leave this sacred place alive. Sure, Jan.

(Sentinel) Naana
1st Pokemon: Metang (Lv. 44) - Defeated by Trishout.

After we beat him, he faints. Like all the Sentinels we've faced in the past. But there is nothing we can do about that now. Once we go further, we find this.

It looks like some sort of altar. At least, I think it's an altar. Another thing I noticed was a golden rock covering the yellow-topped Item Box in the lower-right corner. You can use Herculeum H to push the golden rock aside. From there, we can open the box. It contains TM53 (Energy Ball). Energy Ball is a Grass-type attack. It draws power from nature around the Pokémon using it and blasts the opposing Pokémon. It can also lower the opponent's Special Defense. So, yeah. If you want to give a Pokémon Energy Ball, and it can learn it, there you go.

I investigated the altar and found nothing. However, behind the altar is a wall with some writing on it.

"What is holding up the sky of this room will only respond to the presence of a mask, deep red in color."

Huh. Well, all the Sentinels wore masks, but they were all white. Which does make sense, as this is the Shyleon Temple, and said Pokémon wears a white mask. 

The altar does have a path on the right that allows us to reach the Item Box that we saw behind the rocks when we entered this chamber. We'll have to battle the Sentinel to reach it.

Here we go!

(Sentinel) Mazatl
1st Pokemon: Donanas (Lv. 43) - Defeated by Trishout.
2nd pokemon: Exeggutor (Lv. 43) - Defeated by Trishout.

And with his defeat, Mazatl faints. Like the other Sentinels. Nothing we can do about that now. Let's see what's in that box!

The Item Box contains...a Big Nugget!

Why 'woo-hoo'? Because if you are a little low on money, you can sell a Big Nugget at a store and get a nice chunk of change. Since that's pretty much everything explored, we should move on. How do we do that, you ask? Well, we have to get to the top of the room, as shown here.

We can move the golden boulders with Herculeum H. This puzzle...is a bit of a pain. And that is where we're going to have to stop for the month. Hopefully, next time, we'll get past these boulders and move further into the temple. Wish me luck! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Pokémon Obtained:
(Shyleon Temple)
- Meowth (Eldiw variant) (Encountered, didn't catch)
- Masgot (encountered, didn't catch)
- Claydol 
- Spiritomb
- Kadabra (encountered, didn't catch)
- Yamask
- Golbat (encountered, didn't catch)
- Excalibould (encountered, didn't catch)
- Sigilyph (encountered, didn't catch)

Mega Man #2 (June 2011)

All the way back in...April 2017 (wow, nearly ten years ago), I took a look at the first issue of Archie Comics' short-lived Mega Man ongoing comic series. I found myself really enjoying the comic, and the series itself was pretty darn good. It deserved to last a lot longer than 55 issues. Looking for a comic to write about this week, I found myself remembering the series, so I figured, why not do another issue of it? This is Mega Man #2!

The cover is a Patrick Spaziante piece. It's pretty neat, but it is a bit basic. It makes me think of a poster, with Mega Man standing front and center. Behind him to his right are three of the Robot Masters he'll fight in this issue, and on his left, there's a pile of Mets. Not much else to say about the cover, really. 

"Let the Games Begin! - Part Two: Weapons Get!"
Writer: Ian Flynn
Penciler: Patrick Spaziante
Inker: Matt Bryant
Colorist: Matt Herms
Letterer: John Workman
Editor: Paul Kaminski

The story begins in a city, with two police officers hiding behind an overturned personnel carrier.

"We don't get paid enough for this!"

I find it amusing these guys are supposed to likely be SWAT-type guys, but one of them has a purple mohawk, which I cannot imagine is a police regulation hairstyle. They see the newly combat-ready Mega Man teleport in, and this gets them scared.

It's understandable. In the last issue, thanks to the machinations of Dr. Wily, Dr. Light's six Robot Masters went evil (or to use a more appropriate term, maverick), and started rampaging. Thankfully, they manage to overhear Rock Light's conversation with his "father", Dr. Thomas Light. Dr. Light advises Rock to go after Bomb Man first. Makes sense. He's arguably the most destructive of the first six Robot Masters, being a walking talking demolition derby with his ability to make bombs.

Rock assures the two SWAT officers, and heads on his way.

However, Rock is naturally not going to have an easy time. He gets attacked by small green "fleas", failed crop-protection robots.

Mega Man is very uncomfortable right now.

Mega Man is saved by a strange new robot, who Dr. Light recognizes to his shock as an old prototype robot of his: Blues. However, he tells Mega Man to get past him, and that it's just a Sniper Joe (a robot enemy from the games). Light's found Bomb Man at a nearby excavation site, and he's the priority. Roll asks who Blues is, and Light tells her that's not important right now. 

Rock arrives at the excavation site, where Bomb Man is waiting for him. Bomb Man likes Rock's new look and praises his entrance, but also gives him a tip: if you want to make an impression, you have to do it with a bang. Bomb Man demonstrates this by, well...hurling his namesake weapon everywhere.

Rock doesn't want to fight Bomb Man but still blasts him. And just like in the games, thanks to Mega Man's Variable Tool System allows him to replicate Bomb Man's Hyper Bomb weapon. Weapon Get!

Thing is, Mega Man can't use the Hyper Bomb and the Mega Buster at the same time. Mega Man laments that having one weapon is too many as it is. Light agrees, but there's no better way right now. At least Bomb Man can be retrieved. From there, he can be repaired and Wily's programming can be undone. 

Mega Man next heads to a quarry, the last known location of Guts Man. Mega Man finds a construction worker's hard hat, hoping that it was just dropped and not on the head of a corpse. But the hat turns out to not be a hard hat at all.

"Hey! I was sleeping, ya jerk!"

The angry Met leaps at Mega Man, and he also gets ambushed by Mettaurs. Mega Man runs for it, blasting his way out.

The Super Fighting Robot sees what he thinks is an oblivious construction worker. He tries to get the worker to get out of there...

...only to find it's another robot. One that tries to give Mega Man a pickaxe to the face.

Light realized Wily must've reprogrammed all the robots in the area when Guts Man took over the quarry. Instant robot army. Mega Man is horrified by this, as he sees these robots as a victim of Wily. Dr. Light assures him that they can be rebuilt. But Rock still sees this as wrong. These robots are victims of Wily and destroying them feels like they're being punished for something that is not their fault. Light points out that these robots will try to destroy Mega Man, and if he doesn't protect himself, then the world is screwed.

Mega Man goes deeper into the quarry, and he loses contact with Dr. Light, being under a hill blocking the signal. He finds Guts Man. True to a robot with the name of Guts Man, he compliments Mega Man's, well...guts. Despite this, he thinks he can easily trash our hero. After all, he's bigger. He's stronger. He's tougher. He also presumably talks like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nobody's tougher than him, right?

Wise men say, no matter how strong you are, there's always someone who can beat you. Mega Man shows that. He does have some trouble at first. After all, Guts Man is a powerhouse, and Mega Man's signature Mega Buster can't really make a dent in him. Rock thinks even if he hits him with a fully-charged Mega Buster blast, it will only make Guts Man mad. He's going to need a heavier weapon. Something like...a Hyper Bomb, perhaps?

Luckily, thanks to fighting Bomb Man earlier, our robo-hero has a Hyper Bomb.

"...where do these things come from?!"

Thanks to the Hyper Bomb, Mega Man is able to make quick work of Guts Man, blowing him right out of the quarry. Mega Man emerges, and Dr. Light is able to re-establish contact. 

Mega Man reports that he's alright. Not only alright, but he also has got Guts Man's Super Arm weapon. Dr. Light tells him he found Cut Man. Mega Man is willing to take him on, but he sounds flat, numb. He sounds, well...robotic. Dr. Light asks if he needs to be recharged or anything like that. Makes sense he'd worry. Mega Man just fought two Robot Masters. Wouldn't hurt to make sure that our hero's batteries are fully charged and he gets a quick lookover for maintenance purposes. However, our man would just rather get this over with. 

Our hero arrives at an old factory. Dr. Light tries to warn him about the potential dangers, but Mega Man isn't hearing it. He simply says that he is Mega Man, and he blows up other robots. Roll wonders what is going on. Why does he sound like this? Dr. Light feared something like this would happen. You see, Rock was originally programmed with Light's peaceful values. At heart, Rock is a gentle, kind soul. He did willingly choose to be modified into a combat robot to fight Wily, but it's causing him to have a bit of a mental crisis. He feels he's betraying his own nature by doing this. 

Roll points out that this whole thing is not Rock's fault. It's Wily's. Wily reprogrammed the Robot Masters as well as the various civilian robots to become threats. If Wily never did that, then Rock would never have had to become Mega Man. She grabs Dr. Light's headset so she can talk to Rock, who has managed to reach Cut Man. 

She assures Rock that he is not a bad robot by helping stop Wily and the reprogrammed Robot Masters. He's doing this because he cares. He's not a bad robot at all for wanting to stop Wily. In fact, he's the best robot. Which is true. Mega Man is a pretty darn good robot. The T-800 approves.

She encourages Mega Man to win and come home. It seems to help a bit. Mega Man and Cut Man fight. Presumably as an homage to the 90s cartoon, Cut Man makes a lot of puns about cutting. Mega Man tries the Hyper Bombs, but Cut Man's Rolling Cutter is able to reduce the bombs to ribbons. Luckily, Rock has a second weapon: Guts Man's Super Arm. Just like in the first game, it's super-effective against Cut Man. 

Brick beats Scissors.

Rock makes a bad pun, which he admits is bad. Don't feel bad about it, man. After all, you're the Super Fighting Robot, not the Super Comedy Robot. That's Joke Man's gig. With Cut Man defeated, Rock obtains his Rolling Cutter. Dr. Wily observes this from an unknown location. He orders the retrieval of Bomb Man, Guts Man, and Cut Man's bodies. He taunts Mega Man, promising to reduce our hero to a pile of burnt microchips and scrap metal personally. With a nice dollop of evil laughter, of course.

I enjoyed this issue. It was a fun adaptation of part of the first Mega Man game.  

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback Mega Man Vol. 1: Let the Games Begin. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Pineapple Day

Today is Pineapple Day, everyone!

Pineapples are tropical plants, native to South America. In the wild, they are pollinated by hummingbirds and bats. They have been cultivated by the Aztecs and the Mayans, where they were considered a staple food.

In 1493, Christopher Columbus became the first European to encounter the pineapple in Guadeloupe. He brought it back to Spain, where he called it the "piña de Indes", meaning "Pine of the Indians". Pineapples became a symbol of wealth in Europe, as despite the existence of greenhouses, pineapples were still hard to grow. They would not be eaten but displayed until they rotted. In Britain, aristocrats would have rivalries over producing pineapples.

In the 18th century, the Spanish brought the pineapple to Hawaii. In 1900, James Dole (you may know his name if you ever bought bananas) started a 60-acre pineapple plantation, having come to Hawaii a year earlier. Pineapple production would greatly decline in Hawaii due to competition from other food companies and improvements in refrigerated sea transportation. Despite this, pineapples are still seen as a symbol of Hawaii. Heck, one of Honolulu's nicknames is "The Big Pineapple". The Philippines have since become major pineapple producers. Pineapples would be part of the cuisine of many places thanks to the journeys they underwent. 

So yeah, pineapples have a fascinating history. 

All-Star Superman #6 (March 2007)

It's that time again! It's time to join the Man of Steel in what appears to be his final grand adventure! Last time, we witnessed the Gospel of Lex Luthor. We got to see how he views the world, with a little bit of mythological reference. So, where do we go from here? Let's find out in All-Star Superman #6!

The cover is a Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant piece. It depicts Superman and Krypto standing at the grave of his father, Jonathan Kent. It's a very nice cover. It shows Superman being more contemplative, more thoughtful. It's not something you see often on superhero comic covers.

"Funeral in Smallville"
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciler: Frank Quitely
Inker: Jamie Grant
Colorist: Jamie Grant
Letterer: Phil Balsman
Editors: Brandon Montclare, Bob Schreck
Executive Editor: Dan Didio

The story begins in Smallville, located in the bright farmlands of Kansas. Amber waves of grain, and all that. We look in on Jonathan Kent talking to his adopted son Clark about how the Kryptonian hero came into his life. He and Martha Kent had been married for about ten years, and they were trying to have a little child of their own. Jonathan so wanted a kid, he came out to the farm and prayed, despite his not being much of a church-sitting guy. And then, one night a short time afterwards. It happened.

Well, kind of. Krypton blew up, not Earth. Obviously. A small rocket containing Krypton's last hope (and presumed last survivor) crashed near the Kent farm. It was almost like a miracle. Jonathan and Martha Kent found themselves the proud parents of a bouncing alien baby boy.

Jonathan musses Clark's hair, going on about how perfect his boy is, and how he's destined for great things. Superman is invulnerable to many things, but even he is not immune to being embarrassed.

Thankfully, Clark sees an old tree that got hit by lightning and offers to move it. A simple thing for a man of his strength. And an old buddy arrives.

"...Bacon? I smell bacon!"

It's Krypto! Soon to make his live-action film debut in James Gunn's Superman flick. The two play a bit and go to move the tree. Jonathan watches, and he lets out a little grunt and holds his chest. Foreshadowing...

Martha notices that Jonathan looks pale. However, the man is more concerned about some other questions. Mainly the type of questions philosophers like to tackle. Why here? Why us? Why is peanut butter so good? He knows Clark doesn't belong on a farm. After all, he's meant for...bigger things. Fighting alien warlords and getting kittens out of trees and the like. The two are then approached by another man, who has something to say.

"No, the lighting does not make me look ominous. It's just my face."

Yeah, that totally is not foreboding or anything. Meanwhile, the Man of Steel and Krypto are having a little fun out in space together, ending with them on the Moon, looking at Earth. The next day, Clark notices that a trio of odd men were helping Pa with the harvest. Pa introduces them to Clark. He told them that he's studying journalism.

"Good thing yer pa just lets any random strangers help on the farm."

Yup, this is a flashback tale. Not that I could tell. More on that later. Clark spends some time hanging out with his childhood friends Lana Lang and Pete Ross. Clark tells them that the new farmhands have gotten him a bit suspicious, but Lana thinks he's gotten some of that big city cynicism. Clark is also struggling with what to do next in his life. He likes farming, and he's not sure if he even needs to be in the city. Lana asks if he wants to see the world, as she herself wants to. The three take a picture together, but Clark's super-hearing picks up talk of a "Kansas Superman", and he goes to investigate while claiming his stomach is acting up. When he leaves, Lana grumbles about her and Pete having to pretend they don't know he's Superman.

Clark and Krypto are on a silo, watching the mysterious new farmhands.

"Could be worse. Could have eaten Khund chocolate. That stuff turns you inside-out. Literally."

Calvin Elder manages to sneak up on Clark, revealing that he is actually Kal Kent, the Superman of the 853rd century, the setting of DC One Million. Yeah, Morrison has connected these stories before, so that's not surprising. The other farmhands are fellow members of a Superman Squad, protecting spacetime. They are the Unknown Superman from A.D. 4500, and Klyzyzk Klzntplkz, the Superman of the 5th Dimension (where Mr. Myxzptlk comes from). GOD, I HATE THE FIFTH DIMENSION'S NAMING CONVENTIONS.

They're hunting a monster known as the Chronovore. Been tracking it across ten centuries so far. Huh, that means they get a free soda now. Get it? Ah, never mind. Anyway, as the name suggests, the Chronovore is a time-eating monster. And it's come to Smallville.

"HUUUUUUUG MEEEEEEEE!"

Ugly spud, ain't it? This is what happens when you let Dr. Putrid T. Gangrene cook a meatball and chicken meal. The Superman Squad engage the time-eater. Superman wants to help, but Kal tries to get him to stop. Superman says there's something weird about all of this and tries to fight off Kal. However, being his distant descendant, Kal is much more powerful. But Clark has another secret weapon: Krypto. During this time, the Unknown Superman visits Jonathan. 

The two talk a little, Jonathan complimenting him and his associates on their help with the harvest. Jonathan reveals that Martha wants to concentrate on the family's general store in Smallville, which I think is a reference to the Bronze Age Superman mythos. Jonathan feels this is the end of the line, not just for the farm...but for him. He asks the Unknown Superman if Clark will be okay. The Unknown Superman assures him it will all comes out right in the end.

Superman tries to engage the Chronovore, and Kal reveals why he didn't want this to happen. Remember, the Chronovore eats time. This battle will result in three minutes of Superman's life being consumed. Those three minutes are very important, as in those three minutes...Jonathan Kent dies of a heart attack. The Unknown Superman arrives, telling Clark they've got this. Then to his horror, Clark discovers he can no longer hear Jonathan's heartbeat. He flies back to the farm. He goes so fast that his hair bursts into flames, screaming for his father. 

Time passes, and now we're at his funeral. Clark is speaking at said funeral, talking about all the lessons that Jonathan taught him. The strong have to stand up for the weak, that bullies don't like being bullied back, that a good heart is worth far more than money. Jonathan helped lay the foundation for Superman, and that is something Clark will always be grateful for. 

Their mission accomplished, the Superman Squad get ready to return to their proper time. The Unknown Superman removes his bandages, revealing that he's the Superman of the present. He thanks the Superman Squad for letting him help with this, as it allowed him to see his father one last time. Other members of the Squad arrive.

"I interrupted my regular replating for this. Theresa is going to yell at me so much."

Superman asks the golden version of him in the center which of his descendants he is. Goldie responds with a "Ha". That's because that's Superman himself from the far future. It's another tie-in to DC One Million. Golden Superman recalls this is another one of the Twelve Labors of the Man of Steel. He gives his past self a little gift: an indestructible flower from New Krypton. For Jonathan, as he not just helped lay the foundation for Superman, but for the entire dynasty that would follow. 

The story ends with Superman at Jonathan's grave, the Kryptonian flower planted in front of it.

I enjoyed this little flashback tale. It was rather heartwarming and tear-jerking. The only complaint about it is that if you read DC One Million, you know that this is truly not the last days of Superman. Not only will he live through this mini-series, but he'll end up still being around in the 853rd century. So, yeah. It's still a great story, though. Clark gets to see his father one last time, and I can imagine that he managed to find a little peace in these supposed last days of his life. 

As for Frank Quitely's art, I've talked before how to me, the way he draws people is off. His way of drawing people always comes off as...well, uncanny valley to me. At first, I didn't realize it was a flashback tale focusing on a younger Clark because to me, Clark did not look any younger in the story, if you get what I mean. I do like his take on the chronovore, though. It was really cool. 

If you want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback All-Star Superman. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!