Rainbow Chara X
Impossible to gauge!
- 129
- Posts
- 9
- Years
- Shiny Hunting in Sinnoh
- Seen May 12, 2025
Murder mystery time!
Chapter 8 - A Traitor Among Our Ranks
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Last time on Snakewood, we were told by Gleis to go to New Mauville. However, let's take a look at this spot right here.
Island of Calm? Sounds kind of suspicious.
[Current audio in-game: Drought Theme]
... The song of this place is a bit creepier than it deserves to be.
[We get booted out of the Island of Calm]
Well, damn. This is plot we're not supposed to be at quite yet. Let's not mess around anymore and just go to New Mauville.
Hey, it's Dantalion. If he hits on Jack again, I'm making them a couple for sure.
: "What exactly is it that Gleis wants me to do?"
Dantalion: "As you can see, the Inquisition is not exactly a positive influence on this region. The population of Mauville have all taken refuge from them, the zombies and the chefs."
I knew that these guys were up to no good with a name like the Inquisition. That, and they have the Rocket theme as their main theme.
: "I see... so?"
"They should be safe here, but they are not. This door is locked at all times and guarded. No one enters and no one exits. And yet... someone has been murdered here."
Oh shit. Murder mystery time!
Dantalion: "Yes, it's true. The Master was passing by and said he would look into it, but he is rather busy trying to undermine the Inquisition at the moment - which is why you're here. You will find the culprit, of course?"
I like how the instant the Inquisition show up, they drop bombshells like this. Cool, cool.
"Of course! Let's go. If it's murder, then there's no time to lose."
Jack is a noble soul.
"This boy here is the one Gleis sent, officer. He's a strong and intelligent trainer, so I'm sure he'll be able to help."
: "Oh, stop."
"I'm a member of the Hoenn Internal Affairs Army, acting as a policeman for the time being. The corpse is in the storage room, kid. Go check it out, and search the place for clues. When you think you know who did it, come tell me. Find evidence it was them, a motive, and prove they had the means to do it and I'll go arrest them."
Jack agrees and now we're a detective. Hot damn.
"It's important you solve this mystery, for the good of the people of Hoenn. So says Gleis. Anyway, I'm off to guard the entrance."
Dantalion is very honorable despite being a demon. Why couldn't the other demons in the Rustboro section of the hack have been as helpful as him?
[Dantalion walks offscreen]
Alright, here we go. Get your best detective music out, folks, cause the New Mauville theme isn't gonna cut it.
But first let's talk to this lady. We're gonna be a major dick and say yes.
"All my friends and family... dead... (Sobs uncontrollably)"
Jack, you heartless bastard.
Also, on a side note, I've discovered what the Broken Heart item actually does. There's 50 of them throughout the game, and you need to collect all 50 of them to meet a special legendary. I take back everything I said before.
However, since I don't want to make ladies cry for no reason, let's tell her the truth.
: "Sorry for lying. I really needed that Broken Heart."
: (".....")
[Bellamine slaps Jack]
: "Ow! I said I was sorry, damn!"
: ("Jack, you know better than that.")
: "Yeah, yeah..."
There's this fellow who contradicted himself by talking. Just felt like bringing him up.
"Wattson has had to give up on his plan to electrify the city, but now we live here, where all the electricity is born. So he's happy!"
Believe it or not, this girl will be useful in a few moments.
"Next question: What's it like to be rich and famous?"
Rocker dude: " What's it like to be famous? I can't really say, Jean, I've only just become famous. But it certainly is nice to be rich now that my song is No.1!"
Rich and famous how? Who is listening to your song in the middle of the zombie apocalypse? Besides, where does the money go except towards ATMs?
Oh god, a chef! Let's get him!
Oh. Well, I still have my eye on him.
"Heee... I licked Nurse Joy's Healmadio and now I'm soooooo high..."
... I don't even know what to say other than are you ok, buddy
"I don't have my healing machine, but let's see what my Healmadio can do."
[Healing SFX]
: "Thanks, doll."
"Sigh... I was part of a two-man band. But my partner has left to be rich and famous, and I'm just left with my guitar case and a broken spirit..."
You mean the guy in the room over? I'm starting to be more convinced that these guys are just like putting on an act out of desperation or something. It would make sense.
There's also these incredibly suspicious scientists hanging around everywhere. Each one has a different evil laugh, but they all say the same thing regardless.
These two are playing Chess, but the fat man doesn't know how to play. They may not contribute to this investigation, but they're amusing nonetheless.
"... Mind out, though, I think some Voltorb got in with our supplies."
The murder victim is definitely a priority, but let's see those supplies first.
I don't know why you would catch a Voltorb here, but they're here if you want them. There's two of them, by the way.
So much loot.
Snake Oil is Full Heal under a different name, while Teleporter is Escape Rope. Nice haul, all things considered.
: ("No way!")
That's quite a reward.
: ("Hey, Jack... I'm not quite feeling it yet. Let's wait for a good time for me to evolve.")
: "How come?
: ("I feel like there's still more things I have to learn before I can become a Raichu. Just trust me on this.")
: "... I understand, buddy."
Well, hot damn. We can evolve Ambes at any point now!
With that out of the way, let's check on Wilfred to see what exactly happened to the poor guy.
"This corpse is badly scorched... Are we looking for a Fire-type using murderer?"
Fire types, huh? Well, that's one question down... a hundred to go.
"Wahaha! Please aid the officer in his investigations. It's a terrible business..."
Oh hey, Wattson. Good to see you weren't eaten like the other gym leaders.
If they're those scientist guys hanging around the place then yeah, me too.
"The corpse is singed and burned - it looks like a Fire-type attack killed him." Officer: "Okay, that's a start. But it doesn't get us any closer to unravelling the mystery - plenty of Pokemon can learn Fire-type moves by TM or something, and there aren't actually any Fire-type users here. Keep looking."
Hmm. I do like that we're forced to use our brains here to put things together, but this next part is a bit confusing. You have to go talk to the little girl.
"I didn't say to the officer, but you're nice so I'll tell you. I saw the chef going into the storeroom the night that Mr. Wilfred got killed."
She was withholding information? Well, to be honest, she's a kid... so that might have not been easy on her. But let's go talk to that suspicious chef.
"I have a witness who can place you at the scene of the crime on the night of the murder."
Chef: "I needed supplies! I went in to get some honey, it was dark and I didn't even see the corpse, if it was there at all! Honest, I didn't do it!"
: "Do you have any proof?"
: "This is a jar of nutmeg."
Chef: "As I said, it was dark."
: "... I need to talk to the officer."
"He was at the scene of the crime at about the right time, and as a chef would have a Fire-type Pokemon to use as a portable oven. In fact, the Pokeball I saw in his pocket probably contained a Charmeleon."
Officer: "Whoa. That's real trainer knowledge there. Gleis did say you were good... Okay, if you can find a motive, I'm sold. Why not ask Wattson? The chef works for him, after all."
Jack, this is a delicate situation. You'd better not just make up stuff on the fly like that Charmeleon remark because it could have went much uglier. That aside, let's go talk to the man himself.
: "That's right. It's about your chef. We think he may have committed the murder, but we can't see why. Can you help us with that?"
: "Waha! I think so. I don't he's ever liked poor Wilfred, to be perfectly honest."
: "But why now?"
"But I can guess - I've suspected it for some time. He's becoming... a Former Chef."
Well fuck, that's not good.
: "I don't think anybody needs to. I think it may be like a disease."
: "I see... Thank you for your time, Mr. Wattson."
I'm really getting into this whole murder mystery plot.
Yeah, everything points toward him. Let's book this asshole before he becomes a Former Chef.
... What? He wasn't the guy!? We got thrown in for a loop!
If it wasn't the Chef, then who did it?
This time let's say he's not. What will Jack say about it?
[My recommendation for this scene: Bayonetta - Vigrid Town Areas]
"No. It occurred to me when I was talking to Wattson. He uses the Electric type, am I right?"
: "You see it too? We were looking for a Fire-type Pokemon Trainer, but we forgot that powerful Electric attacks scorch as much as fire does."
... This just escalated. Jack is a legitimate detective now.
: "Is it? The chef said he was going in to the storerooms to get honey - but he came away with nutmeg."
Officer: "So?"
: "The extent of the damage done to the corpse couldn't have been done with an ordinary Electric attack."
"It would have to be powered up with a special item, and what do you use to power up Electric attacks?"
A Magnet?
... Or as Snakewood calls it now, Electric Honey. I'm rolling with it.
"Precisely. The chef couldn't get any honey because there wasn't any. Someone had already used it to power up their Electric attacks, and kill Wilfred."
I adore this man more than ever now. Jack is best character.
: "I don't know, but I'm going to find out."
Officer: "Right! You do that."
... Oh my god, this is legitimately good writing. If Cutlerine didn't spend so much time being a troll, this entire game would be so much better as a whole.
Alright... we're all healed up and the team is still strong after beating up those Inquisition Footmen. Let's go bust this asshat.
[Current Audio: The Team Rocket Inquisition Remix theme]
: "Oh, you do, do you? Waha! It doesn't matter! I work with the Inquisition now, and I've been told that you can't be allowed to continue."
: "Then I'll have to defeat you!"
Oh, damn! What could have possibly won Wattson over to the Inquisition? I thought he was a jolly guy? I swear, when this game isn't being dumb, it's actually competent.
"My generator fills my Pokemon with electric energy! It makes them impossible to defeat!"
: "We'll see about that!"
[Current Audio: Magma/Aqua Boss Battle Theme]
If that's not a plot twist then I don't know what is. That, and the Magma/Aqua Boss theme is actually appropriate this time! Sweet.
Let's see what he has.
Oh my god we are so boned
Well, damn. What are we gonna do now? Let's try to do... something!
Shit! Let's just throw everybody at him!
damn
Go Reggie, you can do it!
oh no
...
[Fading Consciousness starts playing]
Nah, just kidding. That was supposed to happen.
: "Urgh... He was hideously strong. I really need to find a way of weakening his power and turning off that generator."
Good god, that was bad. If it wasn't for Jack running away, Hoenn would have been screwed. Let's go plan out our revenge.
Thank god that's not like some unwinnable fight. That would have been a giant dick move.
"Hehehe... Let's see how Wattson fares without his precious generator powering up his Pokemon."
Jack, you sly devil.
Next time on Pokemon Snakewood, we face Wattson for real. See you in... like a second.
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Team setup:
(Reggie,
, Level 25, has Leftovers,
/
) - Not sure if he feels dizzy because of the spores or because of that super-Luxray attack
(Bellamine,
, Level 24,
) - Reeling at that last attack
(Ambes,
, Level 24,
) - [Unconscious]
(Zagon,
, Level 29, has Plus Band,
) - Wants to bust some heads open after what just happened
(Ace,
, Level 26, has Anadrin Talon,
/
) - Feels the same way as Zagon
(Benedict, Level 17,
/
) - "...?! What did Benedict do!?"
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Back-up Team:
(Alice,
, level 12,
) - Worried about Jack and the others after that last scuffle
(Krusha,
, level 12,
/
) - Playing the Card Game with Cherry
(Ballin,
, level 14,
/
) - Relieved that he was not brought along
(Pumbloom,
, level 14,
) - Scared for Jack and crew
(Letro, level 15,
/
) - Holding off the scientists from reactivating the generator
(Cherry,
, level 12,
/
) - Playing the Card Game with Krusha
(Shine,
, level 12,
) - "Oh jeez! Wake up, bro!"
(Spark,
, level 12,
) - "Come on, Ambes! You'll be alright!" [Dumps cold water on him]
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Chapter 9 - Tomorrow is Mine
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Let's pay Wattson back for the hax.
"You still can't beat me, don't you get it?"
: "We'll see now that your generator is off."
: "My generator... off? Whatever! Wahaha! I'm still a Gym Leader! I can still win! Wahahaha!"
... Right, yeah, like that certainly means something now that the region's collapsed into chaos.
hahahaahahahahaha
This is going to be cathartic.
GET DESTROYED YOU CHEATING SCRUB
Wattson also has a Lanturn, but it can't stand up against a Calm Mind-boosted Confusion.
Fun note: This dude used Bubble of all things to stop Bellamine's psychic fury. Very, very sad.
wh-wh-what
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
A legendary this early in the game
why cutlerine why
He also knows a move to drag out your other Pokemon, so good god keep an eye on him.
... Uh? Why exactly was I freaking out? Look at how easily we trounced him. As long as you have something that resists Electric, Raikou shouldn't be that scary even if it is a legendary.
: ("Bring it on, buddy!")
: [Yelling at the top of his lungs]
: ("... *gasp*, * gasp*... Nothing personal.")
This is Wattson's final Pokemon and... well, it gets putzed without a fight. Not so good without your game-busting generator, huh?
... What the hell, teleport?
Oh god damn it! All that work for nothing.
"No, he didn't - and that poor Raikou he trapped has been released, too."
Huh?
"I suspected they might flee like this, so I waited outside to where their teleporter comes out and arrested them. Thanks for your help."
: "No problem!"
... He's actually a competent officer? The writing of this murder mystery section is amazing. I really do wish the rest of the game was like it.
Yeah, it was a genuine mystery. The only real clue that it was Wattson before the reveal were his creepy technicians, so I'll give props to the creator that he didn't make it completely obvious. The red herring with the chef helped quite a bit, too.
Back to Mauville, let's go investigate the area.
... Oh. There's nothing here. For future reference, there's nothing in the Game Corner either. So that's a bit of a waste.
The only real place of interest is the Gym.
For you see, this guy is here.
[Current audio: Team Rocket Remix Theme]
".... Got it! These are the badges and TMs that Wattson asked us to recover!"
Mind if I loot those off of you, buddy?
"Well, I can't have you rescuing Gleis from our base. I'll have to stop you."
They captured Gleis? Oh, we're in trouble now.
But not right at this moment.
Oooh, a Lairon! Not only is it a departure to all of the damn Hombone, but the only person that has a decent chance of beating this guy is Zagon due to Surf.
[Inquisition Footman flees offscreen]
"This is bad... they got Gleis. I'll have to rescue him. Hey, wait! That Footman dropped something!"
That's a nifty reward, at the very least.
Let's not use it now, though. Onward to Route 118!
... How do you explain rockblocking of this magnitude
Moving on to the route on the left, we meet the Day-Care-Man. He says his Pokemon have helped take care of him, so that's good. While it may not seem important now, trust me in that we will require this guy's services later on.
I should mention that from this point onward, I went into a giant grinding montage with one major change to the team - Tohru has replaced Benedict. The egg fakemon are cool and all, but they are not immediately effective.
I'm sorry, pal. You're going to have to be benched for a while.
: * grows and shrinks like a balloon *
... I don't understand?
Anyway, time for a giant grinding session.
OH MY GOD THERE ARE VULPIX ON THIS ROUTE
i'm calling her jeanne and giving her a cool theme
You can also find this thing. Calfby is a Fakemon that sort of works like the Hitmon-family in terms of how they evolve. If you evolve it with more attack than defense, you get Tauros. More defense than attack, you get Miltank.
However, raise it with equal attack and defense, and you get Ramshaker. Ramshaker being a new
/
Fakemon that is practically designed to rip apart your Fighting-type offense. Bring your best Dark and Bug moves because it will be a pain otherwise.
With that, the training montage is done. And now, we witness the growth of a new hero.
Groovy. Let's go bust some heads.
Our first target is this dude. He has a set of six Pokemon, but that should be the extent of his threat. He has four Munchlaxes and two Kirlia.
He didn't even stand a chance.
These two, on the other hand, will be much more annoying.
Aside from a new zombie Pokemon, they have the gall to be smart and pull out legitimate competitive tactics. See, Shrivelsaur there will use Leech Seed, Substitute and use Protect on himself to wall you into submission. He will also use Double Team to make hitting him a prominent issue.
Absolutely devilish for what is supposed to be a rotting, mindless monster. Poliworm (ugh) is more brute force as he will just try to sock you with Focus Punch and use Protect on himself too.
Fun fact: In practice, the SubSeed strategy actually worked and screwed me over something fierce to the point where I had to reset. Don't underestimate these guys.
... You see that Chef right there? That is no ordinary Chef. (also that head is just a severed head don't pay him any mind)
Say hello to the more painful variation of the Former Chef - the Skilled Chef. These guys are dangerous due to the fact that the "skilled" in their name is actually relevant.
BAD BEAR ALERT
Fear his dopey gaze. The Snorlax this guy has is a step up from everything you might have faced so far. It's also the prime reason why I trained up Tohru - nobody could beat this Snorlax in practice no matter how hard they tried.
He's immune to Reggie's poison-powder and Zagon's Headbutt was outmatched by her opponent's. It was a dark day... until Tohru came to the rescue.
: ("Do you think you can take me on, little man?!?! Come, break your fists against mine!")
: ("Hwahahahaha! You put up a better fight than I expected but it was not even close enough to scratch me.")
Kick-ass.
Wait, what?
We can do that now?!
: "It's probably better that you don't know. But hey, at least it's possible to help people turn back from those... things."
I do like that you can at least turn back from being a Former Chef. No such luck for the zombies, though.
Unfortunately, there's another Skilled Chef here. What exactly does he have?
A Gardevoir, of course. Man, I can't wait for Bellamine to evolve into this.
That aside, he's nowhere near as strong as the Snorlax even with Psychic being as painful as it is. A few Leech Lifes should take him out no problem.
Now I'm just imagining that these guys have done some nasty shit as Former Chefs. It's probably for the best that they don't remember.
There was this. Hallelujah.
Anyway, there's nothing more on that Route. You get rock-blocked again, only this time by the passage leading into Verdanturf. The route above Mauville leads into a desert, which is blocked off by a breakable rock. So the only way to pass through this part of the game is to go into the Island of Calm.
"You're that devilishly strong Trainer who defeated me in Mauville... Please don't hurt me."
: "I don't have to if you don't get in the way. Capiche?"
... You can find wild Ralts here? The Pokedex location must have been pointing to here the entire time, but the map was not fixed to show the actual location. Anyway, this is technically where I would have found Bellamine - had I not gamesharked her in earlier into the game.
I do not regret my actions.
Oh, now we're talking. Say goodbye to that dinky little Thundershock, Ambes. Now we're going to roast fish and birds with greater precision.
There's also a medical kit in case you were aching from the random encounters here.
... I don't think this has any relevance???
oh would you look at that, a cute little chikorita
Honestly, I would scream at Jack again but let's not be a dick to this Chikorita by snatching it away from its home. I mean, this place is surrounded by water so no zombies can get to it.
... * gulp *
I'm not worried because of that Footman, but instead because of this area. It's going to give me a tremendous amount of headaches later on.
Also, oh god we're wanted. That didn't take long!
Boring fight aside, Bellamine learned Psychic! We're getting rid of the kid gloves all over the place today, and the team is not going to mess around anymore.
Oh please, buddy. You and your friends with the crazy hair won't be enough to slow me down just on the principle that you all use Hombone.
... Oh NO.
Say hello to the Island of Calm's tunnel dungeon. I'll probably regret ever coming in here by the end of the next update.
... Uh? What is up with that's guy's sprite? It's funky looking. Believe it or not, they will be very important...
NEXT TIME ON POKEMON SNAKEWOOD: I'M GOING TO GO INSANE.
See you then.
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Team setup:
(Reggie,
, Level 27, has Leftovers,
/
) - "I'mma feeling that these mokes got a big headache waiting for us, you feel me?"
(Bellamine,
, Level 26,
) - Shaking at the thought of finally evolving
(Ambes,
, Level 26,
) - "And then I made his face concave!"
(Zagon,
, Level 29, has Plus Band,
) - Sick of fighting Hombone
(Ace,
, Level 28, has Anadrin Talon,
/
) - Feels the same way as Zagon again
(Tohru,
, Level 25,
/
) - "Hwahahaha! So what are we going up against next? Come on, Jack, don't leave me hanging!"
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Back-up Team:
(Benedict, level 18,
/
) - * Making a deep, heavy breathing sound *
(Alice,
, level 12,
) - Happy talking with Jeanne
(Jeanne,
, level 18,
) - "You wouldn't believe it, Alice! Jack saved me from being eaten by a zombie and..."
(Krusha,
, level 12,
/
) - Sleeping with Cherry sitting next to him
(Ballin,
, level 14,
/
) - Is playing a staring game with Pumbloom
(Pumbloom,
, level 14,
) - Is playing a staring game with Ballin
(Letro, level 15,
/
) - "JACK, WATCH OUT. YOU ARE ENTERING AN AREA THAT MAKES NO SENSE. BEEP-BOOP-BZZT."
(Cherry,
, level 12,
/
) - Is sleeping along with Krusha.
(Shine,
, level 12,
) - "Wow, Ambes! You sure are fearless."
(Spark,
, level 12,
) - "You punched him into the wall? That's something else, bro!"
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Chapter 8 - A Traitor Among Our Ranks
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spoiler:
Last time on Snakewood, we were told by Gleis to go to New Mauville. However, let's take a look at this spot right here.
Island of Calm? Sounds kind of suspicious.
[Current audio in-game: Drought Theme]
... The song of this place is a bit creepier than it deserves to be.
[We get booted out of the Island of Calm]
Well, damn. This is plot we're not supposed to be at quite yet. Let's not mess around anymore and just go to New Mauville.
Hey, it's Dantalion. If he hits on Jack again, I'm making them a couple for sure.
Dantalion: "As you can see, the Inquisition is not exactly a positive influence on this region. The population of Mauville have all taken refuge from them, the zombies and the chefs."
I knew that these guys were up to no good with a name like the Inquisition. That, and they have the Rocket theme as their main theme.
"They should be safe here, but they are not. This door is locked at all times and guarded. No one enters and no one exits. And yet... someone has been murdered here."
Oh shit. Murder mystery time!
Dantalion: "Yes, it's true. The Master was passing by and said he would look into it, but he is rather busy trying to undermine the Inquisition at the moment - which is why you're here. You will find the culprit, of course?"
I like how the instant the Inquisition show up, they drop bombshells like this. Cool, cool.
"Of course! Let's go. If it's murder, then there's no time to lose."
Jack is a noble soul.
"This boy here is the one Gleis sent, officer. He's a strong and intelligent trainer, so I'm sure he'll be able to help."
"I'm a member of the Hoenn Internal Affairs Army, acting as a policeman for the time being. The corpse is in the storage room, kid. Go check it out, and search the place for clues. When you think you know who did it, come tell me. Find evidence it was them, a motive, and prove they had the means to do it and I'll go arrest them."
Jack agrees and now we're a detective. Hot damn.
"It's important you solve this mystery, for the good of the people of Hoenn. So says Gleis. Anyway, I'm off to guard the entrance."
Dantalion is very honorable despite being a demon. Why couldn't the other demons in the Rustboro section of the hack have been as helpful as him?
[Dantalion walks offscreen]
Alright, here we go. Get your best detective music out, folks, cause the New Mauville theme isn't gonna cut it.
But first let's talk to this lady. We're gonna be a major dick and say yes.
"All my friends and family... dead... (Sobs uncontrollably)"
Jack, you heartless bastard.
Also, on a side note, I've discovered what the Broken Heart item actually does. There's 50 of them throughout the game, and you need to collect all 50 of them to meet a special legendary. I take back everything I said before.
However, since I don't want to make ladies cry for no reason, let's tell her the truth.
[Bellamine slaps Jack]
There's this fellow who contradicted himself by talking. Just felt like bringing him up.
"Wattson has had to give up on his plan to electrify the city, but now we live here, where all the electricity is born. So he's happy!"
Believe it or not, this girl will be useful in a few moments.
"Next question: What's it like to be rich and famous?"
Rocker dude: " What's it like to be famous? I can't really say, Jean, I've only just become famous. But it certainly is nice to be rich now that my song is No.1!"
Rich and famous how? Who is listening to your song in the middle of the zombie apocalypse? Besides, where does the money go except towards ATMs?
Oh god, a chef! Let's get him!
Oh. Well, I still have my eye on him.
"Heee... I licked Nurse Joy's Healmadio and now I'm soooooo high..."
... I don't even know what to say other than are you ok, buddy
"I don't have my healing machine, but let's see what my Healmadio can do."
[Healing SFX]
"Sigh... I was part of a two-man band. But my partner has left to be rich and famous, and I'm just left with my guitar case and a broken spirit..."
You mean the guy in the room over? I'm starting to be more convinced that these guys are just like putting on an act out of desperation or something. It would make sense.
There's also these incredibly suspicious scientists hanging around everywhere. Each one has a different evil laugh, but they all say the same thing regardless.
These two are playing Chess, but the fat man doesn't know how to play. They may not contribute to this investigation, but they're amusing nonetheless.
"... Mind out, though, I think some Voltorb got in with our supplies."
The murder victim is definitely a priority, but let's see those supplies first.
I don't know why you would catch a Voltorb here, but they're here if you want them. There's two of them, by the way.
So much loot.
Snake Oil is Full Heal under a different name, while Teleporter is Escape Rope. Nice haul, all things considered.
That's quite a reward.
Well, hot damn. We can evolve Ambes at any point now!
With that out of the way, let's check on Wilfred to see what exactly happened to the poor guy.
"This corpse is badly scorched... Are we looking for a Fire-type using murderer?"
Fire types, huh? Well, that's one question down... a hundred to go.
"Wahaha! Please aid the officer in his investigations. It's a terrible business..."
Oh hey, Wattson. Good to see you weren't eaten like the other gym leaders.
If they're those scientist guys hanging around the place then yeah, me too.
"The corpse is singed and burned - it looks like a Fire-type attack killed him." Officer: "Okay, that's a start. But it doesn't get us any closer to unravelling the mystery - plenty of Pokemon can learn Fire-type moves by TM or something, and there aren't actually any Fire-type users here. Keep looking."
Hmm. I do like that we're forced to use our brains here to put things together, but this next part is a bit confusing. You have to go talk to the little girl.
"I didn't say to the officer, but you're nice so I'll tell you. I saw the chef going into the storeroom the night that Mr. Wilfred got killed."
She was withholding information? Well, to be honest, she's a kid... so that might have not been easy on her. But let's go talk to that suspicious chef.
"I have a witness who can place you at the scene of the crime on the night of the murder."
Chef: "I needed supplies! I went in to get some honey, it was dark and I didn't even see the corpse, if it was there at all! Honest, I didn't do it!"
Chef: "As I said, it was dark."
"He was at the scene of the crime at about the right time, and as a chef would have a Fire-type Pokemon to use as a portable oven. In fact, the Pokeball I saw in his pocket probably contained a Charmeleon."
Officer: "Whoa. That's real trainer knowledge there. Gleis did say you were good... Okay, if you can find a motive, I'm sold. Why not ask Wattson? The chef works for him, after all."
Jack, this is a delicate situation. You'd better not just make up stuff on the fly like that Charmeleon remark because it could have went much uglier. That aside, let's go talk to the man himself.
"But I can guess - I've suspected it for some time. He's becoming... a Former Chef."
Well fuck, that's not good.
I'm really getting into this whole murder mystery plot.
Yeah, everything points toward him. Let's book this asshole before he becomes a Former Chef.
... What? He wasn't the guy!? We got thrown in for a loop!
If it wasn't the Chef, then who did it?
This time let's say he's not. What will Jack say about it?
[My recommendation for this scene: Bayonetta - Vigrid Town Areas]
"No. It occurred to me when I was talking to Wattson. He uses the Electric type, am I right?"
... This just escalated. Jack is a legitimate detective now.
Officer: "So?"
"It would have to be powered up with a special item, and what do you use to power up Electric attacks?"
A Magnet?
... Or as Snakewood calls it now, Electric Honey. I'm rolling with it.
"Precisely. The chef couldn't get any honey because there wasn't any. Someone had already used it to power up their Electric attacks, and kill Wilfred."
I adore this man more than ever now. Jack is best character.
Officer: "Right! You do that."
... Oh my god, this is legitimately good writing. If Cutlerine didn't spend so much time being a troll, this entire game would be so much better as a whole.
Alright... we're all healed up and the team is still strong after beating up those Inquisition Footmen. Let's go bust this asshat.
[Current Audio: The Team Rocket Inquisition Remix theme]
Oh, damn! What could have possibly won Wattson over to the Inquisition? I thought he was a jolly guy? I swear, when this game isn't being dumb, it's actually competent.
"My generator fills my Pokemon with electric energy! It makes them impossible to defeat!"
[Current Audio: Magma/Aqua Boss Battle Theme]
If that's not a plot twist then I don't know what is. That, and the Magma/Aqua Boss theme is actually appropriate this time! Sweet.
Let's see what he has.
Oh my god we are so boned
Well, damn. What are we gonna do now? Let's try to do... something!
Shit! Let's just throw everybody at him!
damn
Go Reggie, you can do it!
oh no
...
[Fading Consciousness starts playing]
Nah, just kidding. That was supposed to happen.
Good god, that was bad. If it wasn't for Jack running away, Hoenn would have been screwed. Let's go plan out our revenge.
Thank god that's not like some unwinnable fight. That would have been a giant dick move.
"Hehehe... Let's see how Wattson fares without his precious generator powering up his Pokemon."
Jack, you sly devil.
Next time on Pokemon Snakewood, we face Wattson for real. See you in... like a second.
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Team setup:
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Back-up Team:
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Chapter 9 - Tomorrow is Mine
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Spoiler:
Let's pay Wattson back for the hax.
"You still can't beat me, don't you get it?"
... Right, yeah, like that certainly means something now that the region's collapsed into chaos.
hahahaahahahahaha
This is going to be cathartic.
GET DESTROYED YOU CHEATING SCRUB
Wattson also has a Lanturn, but it can't stand up against a Calm Mind-boosted Confusion.
Fun note: This dude used Bubble of all things to stop Bellamine's psychic fury. Very, very sad.
wh-wh-what
A legendary this early in the game
why cutlerine why
He also knows a move to drag out your other Pokemon, so good god keep an eye on him.
... Uh? Why exactly was I freaking out? Look at how easily we trounced him. As long as you have something that resists Electric, Raikou shouldn't be that scary even if it is a legendary.
This is Wattson's final Pokemon and... well, it gets putzed without a fight. Not so good without your game-busting generator, huh?
... What the hell, teleport?
Oh god damn it! All that work for nothing.
"No, he didn't - and that poor Raikou he trapped has been released, too."
Huh?
"I suspected they might flee like this, so I waited outside to where their teleporter comes out and arrested them. Thanks for your help."
... He's actually a competent officer? The writing of this murder mystery section is amazing. I really do wish the rest of the game was like it.
Yeah, it was a genuine mystery. The only real clue that it was Wattson before the reveal were his creepy technicians, so I'll give props to the creator that he didn't make it completely obvious. The red herring with the chef helped quite a bit, too.
Back to Mauville, let's go investigate the area.
... Oh. There's nothing here. For future reference, there's nothing in the Game Corner either. So that's a bit of a waste.
The only real place of interest is the Gym.
For you see, this guy is here.
[Current audio: Team Rocket Remix Theme]
".... Got it! These are the badges and TMs that Wattson asked us to recover!"
Mind if I loot those off of you, buddy?
"Well, I can't have you rescuing Gleis from our base. I'll have to stop you."
They captured Gleis? Oh, we're in trouble now.
But not right at this moment.
Oooh, a Lairon! Not only is it a departure to all of the damn Hombone, but the only person that has a decent chance of beating this guy is Zagon due to Surf.
[Inquisition Footman flees offscreen]
"This is bad... they got Gleis. I'll have to rescue him. Hey, wait! That Footman dropped something!"
That's a nifty reward, at the very least.
Let's not use it now, though. Onward to Route 118!
... How do you explain rockblocking of this magnitude
Moving on to the route on the left, we meet the Day-Care-Man. He says his Pokemon have helped take care of him, so that's good. While it may not seem important now, trust me in that we will require this guy's services later on.
I should mention that from this point onward, I went into a giant grinding montage with one major change to the team - Tohru has replaced Benedict. The egg fakemon are cool and all, but they are not immediately effective.
I'm sorry, pal. You're going to have to be benched for a while.
... I don't understand?
Anyway, time for a giant grinding session.
OH MY GOD THERE ARE VULPIX ON THIS ROUTE
i'm calling her jeanne and giving her a cool theme
You can also find this thing. Calfby is a Fakemon that sort of works like the Hitmon-family in terms of how they evolve. If you evolve it with more attack than defense, you get Tauros. More defense than attack, you get Miltank.
However, raise it with equal attack and defense, and you get Ramshaker. Ramshaker being a new
With that, the training montage is done. And now, we witness the growth of a new hero.
Groovy. Let's go bust some heads.
Our first target is this dude. He has a set of six Pokemon, but that should be the extent of his threat. He has four Munchlaxes and two Kirlia.
He didn't even stand a chance.
These two, on the other hand, will be much more annoying.
Aside from a new zombie Pokemon, they have the gall to be smart and pull out legitimate competitive tactics. See, Shrivelsaur there will use Leech Seed, Substitute and use Protect on himself to wall you into submission. He will also use Double Team to make hitting him a prominent issue.
Absolutely devilish for what is supposed to be a rotting, mindless monster. Poliworm (ugh) is more brute force as he will just try to sock you with Focus Punch and use Protect on himself too.
Fun fact: In practice, the SubSeed strategy actually worked and screwed me over something fierce to the point where I had to reset. Don't underestimate these guys.
... You see that Chef right there? That is no ordinary Chef. (also that head is just a severed head don't pay him any mind)
Say hello to the more painful variation of the Former Chef - the Skilled Chef. These guys are dangerous due to the fact that the "skilled" in their name is actually relevant.
Fear his dopey gaze. The Snorlax this guy has is a step up from everything you might have faced so far. It's also the prime reason why I trained up Tohru - nobody could beat this Snorlax in practice no matter how hard they tried.
He's immune to Reggie's poison-powder and Zagon's Headbutt was outmatched by her opponent's. It was a dark day... until Tohru came to the rescue.
Kick-ass.
Wait, what?
We can do that now?!
I do like that you can at least turn back from being a Former Chef. No such luck for the zombies, though.
Unfortunately, there's another Skilled Chef here. What exactly does he have?
A Gardevoir, of course. Man, I can't wait for Bellamine to evolve into this.
That aside, he's nowhere near as strong as the Snorlax even with Psychic being as painful as it is. A few Leech Lifes should take him out no problem.
Now I'm just imagining that these guys have done some nasty shit as Former Chefs. It's probably for the best that they don't remember.
There was this. Hallelujah.
Anyway, there's nothing more on that Route. You get rock-blocked again, only this time by the passage leading into Verdanturf. The route above Mauville leads into a desert, which is blocked off by a breakable rock. So the only way to pass through this part of the game is to go into the Island of Calm.
"You're that devilishly strong Trainer who defeated me in Mauville... Please don't hurt me."
... You can find wild Ralts here? The Pokedex location must have been pointing to here the entire time, but the map was not fixed to show the actual location. Anyway, this is technically where I would have found Bellamine - had I not gamesharked her in earlier into the game.
I do not regret my actions.
Oh, now we're talking. Say goodbye to that dinky little Thundershock, Ambes. Now we're going to roast fish and birds with greater precision.
There's also a medical kit in case you were aching from the random encounters here.
... I don't think this has any relevance???
oh would you look at that, a cute little chikorita
Honestly, I would scream at Jack again but let's not be a dick to this Chikorita by snatching it away from its home. I mean, this place is surrounded by water so no zombies can get to it.
... * gulp *
I'm not worried because of that Footman, but instead because of this area. It's going to give me a tremendous amount of headaches later on.
Also, oh god we're wanted. That didn't take long!
Boring fight aside, Bellamine learned Psychic! We're getting rid of the kid gloves all over the place today, and the team is not going to mess around anymore.
Oh please, buddy. You and your friends with the crazy hair won't be enough to slow me down just on the principle that you all use Hombone.
... Oh NO.
Say hello to the Island of Calm's tunnel dungeon. I'll probably regret ever coming in here by the end of the next update.
... Uh? What is up with that's guy's sprite? It's funky looking. Believe it or not, they will be very important...
NEXT TIME ON POKEMON SNAKEWOOD: I'M GOING TO GO INSANE.
See you then.
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Team setup:
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Back-up Team:
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