Day: 003 [Nov. 23, 2014]
I forgot to mention this previously, but I
love the new gameplay mechanic for the Dowsing Machine. I never bothered to use it before, as I had found it to be tedious, but I find myself constantly using it now every time I reach a new area.
Anyways, after constantly trying to find Plusle I decided to have my sister send me one she had captured so I could register it on my Pokédex, have it appear on my DexNav and then capture my own using the Search function. I could have probably tried to tough it out some more, but I wasted way too much time this morning doing that.
With that I made my way towards Mauville City and... Wow. I knew they had changed it, but I definitely did not expect
this! Regardless of Mauville City being a city that stood out to me back in the day, mostly due to the different branching paths and the bike shop, I am rather fond of this new version. It really does make it fit a lot nicer and I enjoyed taking my time going through all of it and talking to everyone seeing what they all had to say! The camera angles from X/Y were also a nice touch.
In any case, after spending a little too much time exploring the new
mall Mauville City, I headed towards the 3rd Gym. I was expecting a little bit more from the "puzzles", but then I remembered that this was only the 3rd Gym, so I let it slide. Wattson was not difficult at all but it was very nice to get to see him virtually unchanged. Love that guy.
After that was done I spent some time on the neighboring routes completing as much as I could of my DexNav [curse you, Marill, for taking ages to appear] and then I headed towards Route 111 to continue on my journey. I was exceptionally glad to see this area mostly unchanged, as well, as I absolutely loved it way back in the day.
Fast forward me fighting bunches for my DexNav and passing through the Fiery Path and I reach Fallarbor Town! I get right down to business and go straight to looking for Prof. Cozmo. Once I arrive at Meteor Falls nostalgia hits me again. The moment I stumbled into my first Solrock was amazing and I absolutely love how they made the cave look! This game is gorgeous.
In any case, I finally get a glimpse at Tabitha! Although I am not a huge fan of the character design change, I do have to say that his personality does intrigue me. I fight him and the Grunt alongside May and am finally introduced to Archie! It is super nice getting to see [in-game] the difference in personalities between not only Archie and Maxie, but the team overall, as well. They leave towards Mt. Chimney but May and I return to Fallarbor Town to take Prof. Cozmo home safely. May offers to walk back to Mauville City together, which I accept and am instantly transported to the center of the
mall city.
After healing my Pokémon I make a beeline to Mt. Chimney, enjoying the look of the small cutscene as the Cable Car reaches the top. Once I set foot outside, nostalgia has snuck up on me and punched me in the face once more. I loved being able to see the Poochyena "battles" between the Team Aqua and Magma grunts. So many memories! After talking to all of them, as I often try to do, I go up and find Tabitha once more! Once again his personality catches my interest, particularly that laugh of his.
We fight, I beat him and then I get to see Maxie again. He explains his plans to me in that calculating tone of his that I have grown to really like. I am loving the small differences in storyline and how they've implemented Mega Stones into it and stuff like that. I'm really enjoying this remake. In any case, he then challenges me to a battle! Even if he didn't use it I love that I got a glimpse of his Mega Glasses, a concept I found very interesting and enjoyable. I beat him and I get to see him freak out for a second, which I must agree was funny, and then he storms off, apparently having received intel on the actual location of the orbs they've been searching.
I make my downwards, passing through the Jagged Pass and taking my time there, capturing the available Pokémon and going every possible route to get as many of the items scattered around. I then finally reach Lavaridge Town, where the first thing I do after healing my Pokémon is check out the new Hot Springs! I breathe in the hot, warm nostalgic air. The old ladies may not be there anymore, but that is fine by me. I save and call it a night.
~My team up until this point:
Swampert
Vigoroth: HM Slave [Cut, Rock Smash, Strength]
Skitty: TM Slave [Flash, Secret Power]
Azumarill: For my upcoming water HMs!
