Rejuvenation Review: Version 13 Chapters 1-4

[Outside Indoorsman]

I decided, semi-randomly, to start writing a review for what I thought of Version 13 of Pokemon Rejuvenation so far. I like the game overall - I did decrease it to Casual mode before the Narcissa fight after I got sick of constantly wiping, though. I'll probably reset it eventually... ah well. Here we go!

 

(Note: The reviews get much longer after the first two chapters - I'll probably update this as I go). (Also, the reviews are being written as I play the game, and I'm not really editing things).

 

Chapter 1

 

Spoiler

 

It may just be because I haven't played Reborn or Rejuvenation in a long time, but there seems to be a pretty steep experience gap in the early game area - I wasn't even in the 20s when I fought the Rift Galvantula. (And also, I sort of remember Ren and Venam freaking out a little when they first saw it before - I kind of miss that).

 

The part where Ren, Venam, and the PC all stayed in the city for a few days after Melia "died" was a nice touch, too - losing a friend/crush like that would probably hurt a lot. I say "probably" because I thankfully haven't gone through that yet...

 

 

Chapter 2

 

Spoiler

 

Not much changed here - this isn't a bad thing, though. V12 really did a lot for this chapter.

 

The new first encounter with Nim was pretty funny, by the way.
 

Madelis saying "Fall." was totally a shout-out to Pokemon XD and Greevil.

 

The short of how to get to Akuwa Town was pretty interesting.

 

 

 

Chapter 3

 

Spoiler

 

The start of Chapter 3 was interesting! I can't remember how you got brought over to Gearen before, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't because there were phantom trees and grass growing in the streets.

 

I'll be honest, at first I was worried about the Amanda fight in the rain, because after a search around I didn't think there were any computers...

 

Then, her Bronzor used Sunny Day when it was raining. My Voltorb still had Sonic Boom.

 

I didn't laugh maniacally, but there was definitely a smile on my face. (Her Weepinbell wiped it off, though - that thing is really annoying).
 

That fake start to a fight with... Luka, by the way? Clever.
 

The Courtyard's music was very pretty, by the way. And the Mansion got changed a lot - this isn't bad. It's less like trespassing now on Venam's part and more just Indriad being a jerk. As usual.

 

Marianette still needs a hug. Indriad still needs to be kicked in the groin.

 

The Dusknoir maze was a sadistic, sick, trick that I should have seen coming. And the puzzle maze for Marianette.

 

Thank you, Rejuvenation Team, for putting in the Audino trainers. And curse you for making Marianne, sweet as she is, SO G0#&$@#!$ HARD!! (I reset probably at least 20 times before bringing in Lunatone - that mon' is a lifesaver).

 

 

 

Chapter 4

 

Spoiler

 

Venam's two friends breaking up with her offscreen was... well, I dunno how to take it.

 

And Venam's reaction to Saki's name being brought up was pretty funny.

 

This comes late, but I did Novae's second battle late. And seeing her start to develop and sort of becoming a friend is nice. (Her teaming up with Rorim B really made me feel less bad about how much I overleveled them, also).

 

The Goldenleaf Town entrance was better handled here - and Ren and Aelita's first meeting was interesting. I like the edits that were made to Aelita's sprite, too. And she got a Clobbopus! Plus her Hawlucha knows Gale Strike. Yeah... It took me a few tries to beat her.

 

Aelita's an Eggplant! Dang, lady, savage.

 

People are afraid of you at first in Goldenleaf? Huh. That's new... And I'm mildly proud of them! They aren't quite as hostile as before. Some of them.

 

The "Narcissa the Goddess" segment made me chuckle. And so did both Aelita and Keta/Kenneth calling her "cultured, not old." Like father, like daughter.

 

"Narcissa! Narcissa, come down here! I'm finally here to face you! I know you're up there, you're not exactly quiet." I chuckled yet again.

 

Sariah was manipulated by Geara? Huh. That's a new addition - not a bad one.

 

Ren calling out Narcissa was pretty well-done. Frankly, Ren's doing pretty well since V11, which is not a bad thing!

 

Aelita's an Eggplant again? Dang, Sariah.

 

Team Xen attacked the Pokemon Center?! Dang.

 

N-Narcissa?!

 

Oh, and the other girl I don't care about.

 

B-But Narcissa!!

 

The below-tower lab was given one heck of an overhaul.

 

...I sense Sharon is very exasperated about how Eli has repeatedly screwed up her name.

 

...Giratina's a chicken. I never expected to hear that phrase, but it makes so much sense.

 

Speaking of Giratina, I grabbed both types of Dugtrio to fight it/her. I still had to reset a few times. (And as it turns out, Giratina was Shiny for one of those resets - weird).

 

And then I learned you had to fight Geara afterwards. I went back to Sheridan after that so that I could grind against the Breeder.

 

That "Fall" line seems to be popular for Team Xen.

 

...and wow. Ren in early versions really needed a punch in the face. Now he really needs a hug.

 

I actually forgot about that Kingdra (and Gothitelle was not there before this version, I think) - seeing them both as "Max" Pokemon made me worried, but I actually was overleveled when I took them both on... they still both took a few pokemon down each.

 

That Crobat fight, though? Bonsly used Shift Gear twice. And Rock Tomb'd everything into oblivion. Including a level 48 Crobat.

 

This mon is going to be a mainstay as soon as I get to a Move Relearner.

 

After the whole Drifblim with a Seed thing, I went "screw it" and set the game to Casual. I'll probably set it back later on when I have a bigger team and all. Narcissa still matched me mon for mon - I lost 4 pokemon, so did she. Pretty even match...

 

 

[Gastronely]

Spoiler

You forgot to mention that Sariah is now canonically into emo boys (geara and ren). That pretty much sums up the entire chapter 4. And I mean, who can blame her?

 

 

[Outside Indoorsman]

Chapter 5

 

Spoiler

 

The Wispy Ruins were - more or less exactly the way I remembered them. Maybe that'll change later, but for my first go-through that's all I have to say.

 

Route 4, though? Two minutes in and I've already been blown away.

 

The Lost Camp was pretty interesting - although when I went into the second house that gets added after the first expansion and it was raining, it was raining inside the house. Is that a glitch, or has the roof not been added yet?

 

I don't know what's playing when you enter Akuwa Town, but it's very pleasant.

 

That segment with the old man went downhill fast...

 

And the Aquarium? Dang. I didn't remember that Deathwing fight from before... but dang. I got in one hit on their first pokemon. And I counted... about 26 total? 

 

Blacksteeple got an upgrade! And that "Night/Day" transition scene is pretty cool.

 

Adam's the best, and i'm pretty sure Valarie agrees.

 

And I still haven't found Susie...

 

Emma sure looks different from how she used to. Which is the whole point, I suppose.

 

Neved: "...I see you're very hungry. ...I'll speak to you in the morning."

 

The Battleground was fun.

 

Emma and Neved talking was informative and funny - those two should start a comedy duo.

 

Well, except for the discussion about the prisoners rioting and such...

 

That house remains interesting. And... books on how to survive domestic abuse belonging to Anathea... hoo boy.

 

The rebellion took place a little faster than I thought it would - but I guess that makes sense.

 

And that corridor filled with guards and a Happiny made me smile. Let me guess - level 100 Happiny right there?

 

I thought it was weird that Neved gave Emma the key - I felt my respect for him go up when it turned it that wasn't the real key.

 

There are a lot of Xerneas statues in the castle...

 

Is that an Aevium-style Pallosand?? Sweet. Gotta give Neved credit for that. Also, the Xen Admins really do not hold to any specific style or type - or team.

 

I don't know what the music for Madame X is, but it's pretty cool. And she's suitably intimidating. Decimation's move animation is also pretty cool. And Spiky Shield works against it now - that's a good thing.

 

Madame X will, as a villain, always get credit for trying to just murder her enemies when she sees them, if it's efficient. And... she was genuinely surprised Emma turned out to be Melia. Dang - seems she's not as all-knowing as she looks. Taking note of that...

 

But what was with that "disguise"? I thought it could just be makeup and hair dye, but it's pretty clearly not - and it "washed off" when Madame X tried to run you through? Hm. Gotta be an explanation there...

 

"Our bond did not dissipate?" Okay... Yeah. There is definitely something we don't know - or at least, I don't know - about Madame X and Melia. Considering I haven't gone through the V13 content yet.

 

Okay... instead of getting run through instead of you, Nancy stays behind to keep Madame X busy. Definitely an improvement! For the player at least, who doesn't have to see it up close and personal... instead of from a distance... yeah...

 

...it's better bad news, at least. Like being told you have stage 1 cancer instead of stage 3.

 

"This soulless disgrace?" Hm. Nancy has more of a soul than you do, Madame X, at least for what matters to most people.

 

Knowing what I do for later... it seems Spacea and Tiempa decided that the plot change Jan made was unacceptable for their purposes, and that railroading is a thing of beauty.

 

"Sam. We have a Code:Orange." Nicely done.

 

Valarie - at least on Casual - has a Phione! Nice. I have a strange fondness for that mon', really.

 

 

[SharlaSmith44]

4 hours ago, Outside Indoorsman said:

I don't know what's playing when you enter Akuwa Town, but it's very pleasant.

Spoiler

 

 

There's a bunch of Super's music in the game, not that it's a bad thing, tbh <3

[SoulN7]

4 hours ago, SharlaSmith44 said:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

There's a bunch of Super's music in the game, not that it's a bad thing, tbh <3

Actually, there are many music from SMD, but I think some are from previous MDs...I don't know actually.

[Outside Indoorsman]

Chapter 6

 

Spoiler

"I guess this just means we're going to have to walk... through annoying patches of grass... and deal with the heat and humidity..."

 

...

 

"Nooooo..."

 

(On a side note, it seems that Phione has been relocated).

 

Carnivine went down fast.

 

And Geara... you're an idiot for thinking you could kidnap Melia with her, Aelita, us - oh, and the two gym leaders right there.

 

Yeah.

 

(Note - Protect fails if used right after a healing item - or at least, a Hyper Potion - is used, and a Protect was used beforehand).

 

Also, Rift Carnivine outsped a Crobat... I mean, I still won, but wow.

 

Melia and Crawli know each other? Fairly sure that's new. Not that it's a bad thing - a prospective gym leader and an actual gym leader knowing each other.

 

"I need a warm shower. PLEASE."

 

That woman really loves battleships...

 

...I can't remember exactly why those two people in that house are so quiet, but I think I have a very educated guess.

 

Hula Meadow looks pretty cool! Good work, you guys.

 

Minor critique for the "Find It!" quest - when you're fighting the AA grunts in the pokemon center, if Valarie's still there, maybe she should react to it?

 

"Don't let your grief pull you down."

 

...I will never be surprised that Aelita won first place in the poll for best Rejuvenation character.

 

"...Well, yeah, that's basically it."

 

Melia's really not doing too well at this leader thing. But really - why does she think she has to be a leader in the first place? (Glares at Spacea and Tiempa).

 

I challenged Novae again - but I'm gathering from the fact that her first pokemon was, on Casual, level 44, I probably should have waited a little longer.

 

Gotta give Zetta credit - I actually had to reset once to fight him. On Casual. I wasn't taking him that seriously, but still...

 

"...I don't have a way to cross water yet, so I guess I'm stuck here..." Poor Aelita.

 

"That's the Legendary Pokemon Giratina. Do you think a mere Poke Ball could stop it from doing whatever it wants?"

 

Dang - our first glimpse of Angie.

 

Okay, so now Crawli tells you about the door from the beginning - and they didn't install it? Okay... hm. Interesting.

 

(My personal theory was always that Crawli just didn't tell you before because if Valor Mountain was in the wrong "mood", there was magma or freezing water on the other side of the door).

 

"Just shut up and hug me you idiot!"

 

Sheridan Wetlands looks interesting.

 

There's a lot more foreshadowing now that Ren is... more than he appears. He was really a jerk in the earlier versions.

 

Minor note - the Shadow Stunfisk for some reason was a lot smaller than usual when I went up against it.

 

Ren fight! That Corviknight of his is as tough as before. And his Greninja was... yeah. Dang.

 

On a side note, I now have more Absorb Bulbs than I know what to do with.

 

And Rorim B is really doing a lot better in this version, frankly - he's gone from an extra to a true character.

 

...After catching so many of them, I have to say it. Either there are too many Grass pokemon in the early game, or Grass is just my favorite underappreciated type.

 

That ruin near Goldenleaf wasn't there before. I think. Don't remember for sure...

 

Minor heads up - in 13.02 there's one grunt left behind in the Forsaken Laboratory.

 

A secret Shrine to Mesprit, if I see the statue correctly, in Goldenwood Forest... hm.

 

BUG ALERT: In 13.02, I had just applied a max repel and switched areas in Route 4 - all of a sudden, the Golden Surfboard stopped working, and I was stranded on the water.

 

That Gym Battle with Crawli... yeah. He crushed me the first time. On Casual.

 

I really need to build my team up with more mons - I think a lot of them are untiered, honestly.

 

I won the second time - Castform changed the weather and brought up the Rainbow Field. Honestly, it was easy enough that... honestly, well, I'm not sure what I should do. Well, reset the difficulty back to normal, but past that, we'll see.

 

And yeah - magma sensor on the door into Valor Mountain. CALLED IT!

 

Saki accidentally let us know where she is. By live streaming. Wow.

 

[Outside Indoorsman]

Chapter 7

 

Spoiler

 

"You're acting like you and Zetta are best buds or something."

 

"Well, we've never argued about anything in the past."

 

...The bar for getting along amongst the Xen Admins seems to have not just set very low, it seems to have been set at ground level.

 

"...is this really what you do behind closed doors?"

 

"Don't group me together with those idiots."

 

Novae's from Alola! Huh. I mean, her pokemon are all from Alola, yeah - but my assumption was that she just themed herself that way. Ah well. She's still cool.

 

Rorim B RETURNS! Novae and Rorim B is not a team-up I expected before this version, but they're really cool together.

 

Good luck, Novae. We're all rooting for you.

 

Aquamarine Cave is as beautiful as ever.

 

The Sharpedo Squad! I've never had a Sharpedo on one of my "final" teams, come to think of it... hm. Things to work on. (Also, I think there's a power rangers joke here somewhere...)

 

...Saki really marches to the beat of her own drum, doesn't she?

 

(I had to fight the Squad a second time after shutting the game down by accident).

 

...Alex and Sam challenged me when I had a pokemon I was training and an Egg on my team. I was... fairly annoyed by this, and went back to alter my team.

 

"Strong perfume and bankruptcy!" A word choice that goes... fairly well together, actually. Music's great, though.

 

Teila Resort was great.

 

Amber's a brat, but I knew that was the case at this point.

 

And Venam has a heart! Even if she doesn't like Amber. Or at least, says she doesn't.

 

The same seems to apply to Amber...

 

A shrine to Uxie... and I remember a shrine to Mesprit over in Goldenleaf Forest. Hm. Wonder where the Azelf shrine is gonna be...

 

...Casual or not, the fact they hate each other aside, that fight with Venam and Saki was barely worth being called that...

 

Tesla continues to be Best Mom. (As long as a certain theory/fear of mine doesn't come true).

 

...huh. Amber's more self-aware than we thought!

 

Pity her self-awareness was followed up with getting kidnapped by Team Xen...

 

"...make that three hostage situations." Man, we just can't catch a break, can we?

 

Dang, Angie. Isle of Angels, huh? Pretentious, much?

 

"South of... the Northern parts of Aevium." Uh-huh. Sure, Venam.

 

Not sure why that recording of Jenner musing about Pokemon morality showed up... but I have the oddest feeling it will make sense soon.

 

Cera is... odd. Like, an "inverted morality" type of odd. A cheery girl who thinks it's fun that people are trapped as ice sculptures...

 

"Self-proclaimed leader. The League would never allow someone like you in. And that's really saying something considering who's actually in."

 

Angie's... acting polite. For now, at least.

 

I remember where I heard this music before... it's from the Citadel D'astra in Pokemon Reborn. Hoo boy.

 

These servants really seem to have... personality, you know?

 

...What does that portrait of Angie cracking mean, anyways?

 

Everything is... glitching now. Okay, that's not good... The music's gotten - chaotic, for lack of a better word. Fitting, I guess.

 

The background to Angie's battlefield is... pretty cool. Not gonna lie (pun aside).

 

BUG ALERT: Um... okay, this makes no sense - but when I soft reset the battlefield after both of my pokemon got flinched by Rock Slide the first time... her Alolan Ninetails had Drought. This trend did not go away over time - you guys should look at that.

 

The pokemon, by the way, that got me out of that slump against Angie? Stonjourner with Wide Guard. For the win.

 

Ditto statues in the church? I get the feeling that's going to mean a lot more to me later... Or it could just be a nod to El.

 

 

[Lspaceship]

On 8/7/2021 at 6:56 PM, Outside Indoorsman said:

Chapter 5

 

  Hide contents

Okay... instead of getting run through instead of you, Nancy stays behind to keep Madame X busy. Definitely an improvement! For the player at least, who doesn't have to see it up close and personal... instead of from a distance... yeah...

 

 

Spoiler

While it's an improvement, I still don't like it as when Nancy's running towards the Togekiss, the Togekiss only starts moving towards Nancy when it gets to the slow-motion part. If Togekiss had seen Nancy running and started moving towards her, or even picked her up from an angle, she'd be still alive. So I'm blaming Melia for this death.

 

[Outside Indoorsman]

It took me FAR too long to finally clear V13 myself! But it's done now, I have several boxes full of pokemon, nearly 400 confirmed pokemon on my Pokedex, and 15 badges!

...V14 is going to destroy us all, isn't it?

Well, here we go!

Chapter 8     

 

Spoiler

"Neved, give me vodka. Straight."

 

"I'll need to see some ID." Ha! Get wrecked, Geara!

 

And yeah, the Xen Executives really give the "out shopping" vibe in that room. There is just... it is amazing how casual it is in there.

 

Kristiline has a therapy clinic. I foresee many new patients post-Angie...

 

I saw Reina in the Sapphire Musuem! Cool.

 

And Valarie just - yeah, considering how unstable Saki's been, she was well within her rights to tell her she couldn't come because there were lives at stake.

 

Aelita kicked my butt the first time I fought her again - you go, girl. I'm mildly annoyed I lost - ah well.

 

Dang - Texen... yeah. You really should have checked with Aelita before you started redecorating, considering that this is her house.

"How about I drop kick you at mach 9 first." Hoo boy. Aelita's pissed. "Yeah, anything goes... directly in the trash."

 

"You get your insults the same place you get hair style ideas. On the back of some stupid candy wrapper." Aelita's in fine form today.

 

Huh - seems the Rejuvenation team actually made Texen tough this time. Honestly, I liked it better before when you could just smash his face into the ground - does that make me mean?

 

"Die alone in a senior citizen home!" (Kind of funny when that's addressed to Aelita, considering the Vivian thing...)

 

BUG: Mienshao, in the Murkwater Field, got hurt even when it was performing Bounce.

 

...I was initially worried about the Groudon fight. Then I found the TM for Grass Knot. Yeah.

 

Aelita...

 

Dang, mental Melia/Emma! You really don't pull your punches. (I find myself thinking of the Persona 4 Shadows - is that just me?)

 

...Rift Nirvana. ...rest in peace, Nancy.

 

I didn't exactly cry... but that scene with Nancy was really sweet. In a sad way. It's not the Rift trying to fool you like before

 

- it's her, talking to you one last time.

 

Valor Mountain is pretty cool. Kyogre was animated beautifully, by the way.

 

And... Madelis, like you have been told, you're an idiot for not just grabbing Melia. Though I think Venam was with us in previous versions - I remember her telling us we were scary. Could just be me...

 

Valor Mountain is cool.

 

And dang - you go, Jenner!

 

Oh no, Jenner! Oh no, Nim!

 

I mean, I knew this happened ages ago, but... well... rest in peace, Jenner. At least you got to patch things up a little with Melia.

 

And Geara... really deserved getting shoved into that teleporter and having it destroyed mid-warp.

 

"...you've completely gone out of control."

 

...dang. Even Zetta is saying Geara's lost it. 

 

"...Geara... I have no words to express my extreme hatred towards you. You are just absolutely... disgusting. For Dad... for Nim..."

 

...Crescent's motivational speech was pretty good.

 

And the "parts of yourself" that you lost segment was amazing.

 

And the last fight with Geara and Zetta? Nice touch.

 

The post-battle scene was definitely improved on too.

 

And the part where nobody likes Geara is nice too. "I had a moment of peace where I forgot your existence, but here we are again..."

 

...Good work on that final scene. And... Melia giving Jenner and Nim a eulogy.

 

I spent a lot of time going places before I went to fight Amber.

 

And things really changed there! I remember that before, her fight was in Doubles. And that it was on the Volcanic Field, not the Volcanic Top Field. Well - I had Bounce.

 

On a side note! I finally turned the difficulty back to Normal. Granted, my pokemon were all at the level cap, but I still won on my first (serious) try! I'll admit I did a soft reset when I saw that the entire battle had changed, but I am kind of proud of that.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 9

 

Spoiler

These Team Xen scenes are pretty funny, I have to admit. And also a good look into what's happening on the enemy's side.

 

"They all died." 'GOOD." Amber, I sense unresolved issues.

 

...the path to becoming a better person is traveled one step at a time.

 

The forest in Valor Mountain segment was fairly funny. And the forest seems to have been updated as well. And it's funny - if you say there's a forest in Valor Mountain and later you answer "Been here before" and you've played the game before, you're giving Venam a Cassandra Truth.

 

You rock climb down thin air to a waterfall coming from nowhere in a forest inside a mountain.

 

This game is great. And I think that it is very unlikely anyone has ever said or typed that last sentence before.

 

Venam has issues that appear to be both less serious than Amber's, but are also related to her hair.

 

"Could you come back later? I'm analyzing footprints of pokemon-" "Outta my way!" I wish that option existed for "delays" in the games.

 

Shiftry? And is that Anathea? Hm... it is Anathea! Also, I caught one of the Shiftry.

 

And Venam is justifiably uncomfortable about that mansion, considering what happened last time she went in it. And Anathea is a loving mother, and Maria's playing the Relic Song...

 

Gardevoir is making a deal with the police officers... and she knew you were there the whole time. Heck of a villain. And her Dark/Fairy Rift typing is showing up early.

 

"You have several problems that must be addressed one day." Savage, Indriad.

 

"Yeah."

 

...oh, Anathea...

 

"Oh... My God." ...yeah, there's not really any other way to react to that, is there?

 

And Kanon needs a slap in the face.

 

Fastforwarding! That maid you fought to prevent Kugearen's destruction was fairly annoying.

 

"On second thought. I think I'm going to move very far away and become a baker."

 

"Support ticket?! What is this? Customer service??"

 

No, Karrina, you're not the only one who noticed it's insane. Unfortunately, there's really not much you can do about it.

 

"We have the power of foul play. Lock the door!"

 

My feelings on Karrina were previously neutral. After resetting about ten times to beat her, and her overall demeanor, neutral has shifted to "mildly annoyed."

 

"Process of elimination, work in my favor!"

 

These are not words that should ever be spoken around heavy machinery, Melia.

 

Erick was wise, bringing a gas mask.

 

We get to meet Volta! Huh.

 

"So, yeah, she's probably dead." Huh.

 

...That Garbodor actually scares me a little now.

 

"Take him, not me!"

 

Next time I see Garbodor, Erick, I'm throwing you to it.

 

That Rift battle was extremely aggravating. To say the least - I went to the move tutor to teach my Magmar Lava Plume so I could blow up the battlefield (but that ended up being unnecessary, because Marowak's Bonemerang managed to hit Garbodor hard enough and fast enough that it fainted).

 

"Why is the floor looking at us?" ...That is one big Unown.

 

"Atebit World." That's a nice pun.

 

Alice and Allen! Good to see those two - even if they're currently kind of loopy due to living in the Unown Dimension for who-knows how long.

 

Erick seems more... memorable, in this version. Okay, his Toxtricity can Mega Evolve... crud.

 

It took me far too many tries, a revive, a lot of trips to the Breeder of West Gearen, and a Moody Glalie to finally beat Erik. And on a side note, "the Hags?" Spacea and Tiempa really aren't popular, are they?

 

Oh dear.

 

...that part with Angie losing it is definitely new. Or I just forgot, because I'm pretty sure it wasn't that disturbing before... And... did she have red hair for a second?

 

 

 

Part 10

 

Spoiler

Dang, Neved has guts. Defying your stab-happy boss who can kill you at any time right to her face can only be called that.

 

Alexandra, you rock. And saved at least twenty people by using psychic powers to keep a train from crashing after you had a vision.

 

"We're mass produced androids that come from Yui's Ranch!" Kid if you want, but that makes far too much sense.

 

I have the strange feeling those two - whoevers - in Oblitus Town will be important later on/serve as foreshadowing.

 

And dang, Flora really does not want people going to Grand Dream City. What Melia described about going to Grand Dream City, though - about this nostalgia for a place you don't really remember but want to go back to - that really hit home for me, in a good way, I think.

 

And... the Hags took away Melia's pokemon. I wonder why I'm even surprised, at this point.

 

I found that Azelf statue in Honec Woods! And a bulldozer right by it, too...

 

A youngster who starts out with a Level 60 Bidoof... and then a Moody Bibarel and a Dry Skin Toxicroak in a Swamp Field with Rain. Nice fake out.

 

Also... I later lost to a Pokemon Ranger out patrolling. It was embarrassing - I actually had my Phione turn the field from Murkwater to Underwater and forgot my three non-fainted pokemon from earlier rounds besides them were all vulnerable to Ground or Water. They had a Swampert.

 

I nearly had a heart attack when I went into Darchlight, though - the whole de-leveling thing. I had to go back and reload the game when it turned out that was a bug - I thought for a brief time it was a genuine part of the game. Because, let's face it, that sounds like the sort of thing the Rejuvenation/Reborn teams would make us go through, and the sort of thing a faerie would do.

 

Wait, Jenkel was the Malamar?

 

Erin's as blunt/rude as ever. Florin's as mostly-pleasant and personality-wise opposed to Flora as ever, and Flora's still Flora (that is to say, she's more similar to Erin than she'll ever admit, and (rightfully) convinced she's Surrounded by Idiots).

 

It seems that Ryland's music from previous versions has become the overall Bladestar theme. This is not a bad thing.

 

And Team Bladestar really does, in a lot of ways, come off as less evil than Team Xen. (One of the grunts thought she had signed up to be a... plumber? Flora, you really need to have a long talk with whoever the hell you have in charge of hiring. Er, a talk that doesn't end up with somebody dead or fired).

 

The Spelunker Grunt's signature move seems to be Dig. Go figure.

 

I went and looked around again - things are mostly the same around here, but the area past Darchlight leading to the Dreamyard got changed.

 

Also, Flora has a new VS sprite, I noticed. Hm. It took me a few tries to beat her, but it wasn't as hard as it was with Erick.

 

"Why do you look like...?!" Hm. I don't remember this - who does Venam/Melia look like? I guess we'll see.

 

"Hey, nice hair!" "Thanks, you too."

 

"The Dragon's potential?" Is this a reference to his Salamence?

 

 

 

Chapter 11

 

Spoiler

Strength can help you protect people in some ways. But not every way.

 

Neved is actually sounding like a mentor now. If it wasn't for the whole "Team Xen Executive who tortured Aelita" thing, I'd actually get along with him, I think.

 

Rune's an Axis High Professor at the age of 25?? Huh. Dang, I wish I had a doctorate/knew what the heck I was doing, that's my age...

 

"Grand Dream City Day-Care! Where we raise your pokemon because you're too lazy to!" Erin, is this where you work?

 

I think that Hardcore Trainer - Beat - on the main boulevard might be the first ordinary Pokemon Trainer I've faced with a true six-man team... Oooh! He has a shiny Luvdisc!

 

Risa takes off her hair accessories now, huh? I think I recognize her a little... do not reply, I know the widespread theory.

 

"Well that was disappointing." Trust me Venam, you're probably going to be glad you weren't involved in that tournament when it ends.

 

Patty... wait, she worked for Angie as a maid?! The heck?! Okay...

 

Rune just vanished one day, huh... and I distinctly remember that Flora wasn't behind it. And I doubt Team Xen had a reason to kidnap her... come to think of it, we've never really gotten an answer to why someone would kidnap her at all yet. Well, at least pre-V13, maybe we'll get to see her soon.

 

...Damien didn't actually get turned to stone, though, so everyone doing this was a student at Axis University... hm. Does Lorna have a hidden motive?

 

Lavender sure acted cryptic at first, didn't she? She seems to be less cryptic talking to Huey, though. And the Right-Wing Penthouse is... ominous. Empty. Hm.

 

"Free date with me, Nancy." Yeah. Okay, I remember those two fakes, but I have no clue what the heck they're doing in all of this... And yeah. "I thought this place would be dirtier if it was owned by a couple of schoolkids..."

 

Lavender's doing pretty good, isn't she? And... she's a psychologist now, huh? Interesting.

 

And she and Huey clearly liiiike each other. Even if she won't lie to preserve his ego - which isn't a completely bad thing.

 

"We're just friends!" Yeah. At the moment.

 

Nancy at Magnolia Theater... yeah... Well, the Interceptor sure had an unpleasant shock there.

 

And so did those two. "B-B-B-B-But they're not supposed to be here!" Really? Why is that...

 

The us-imposter is stuck like this? Why? Okay, Cosmia is a horrible big sister.

 

And Thomas Blakeory is clearly inferior to Saki, even though I just met him. Whether due to personality or the fact he's a jerk.

 

...okay, after seeing what he said, jerk has been upgraded to "I hope Bladestar gets their hands on him." I hope you hit him as hard as you could, Lavender.

 

Everyone's meeting up! Even Erin! And geez, Erin's really not getting treated that well. She can't go back home until she finds Aelita??

 

Erin's assessment of Talon is brutal. I'm not saying it's wrong, though.

 

Valarie's back! With amnesia. The heck? And Erin's softer side shows up briefly, due to gratitude.

 

Also, I just realized it, but Venam and Melia are sharing a bed. Bit intense on the shipping there, Rejuv-team.

 

Okay, that "dream" scene actually has me worried. "What are your dreams, young Interceptor?" This person knows we're the Interceptor...

 

Okay, Flora's a really good actor.

 

"All for a better future."

 

There are probably way too many gravestones out there that have some semblance of that scratched out over the top.

 

"Lethal Forest" in the Badlands? Hoo boy. And Darchlight Caves was their first HQ, huh? I honestly - well, a ton of people going out there probably would have attracted a lot more attention than people going to the Botanical Gardens.

 

"Uh, all right... welcome to Bladestar, then!" You can actually see Flora getting surprised. That might be a first.

 

At first, Madelis and Cassandra seemed to like each other... then the daggers under their words started coming out.

 

Madelis, Cassandra just - sort of - told you what happened to Geara.

 

I lost that fight with Venam... I could have reset, but ah well. It's a fight between friends.

 

"Back in Jenner's lab?" Is Cassandra connected to Jenner, or am I misunderstanding things completely? And geez, I think we found the Token Evil Teammate of the Xen Admins. Besides Geara.

 

"I'm not going insane, right? Everyone saw that?" No, Rhodea/Sandra, it was not just you. "The Elite 8?!" "...Yes, and as you can see... she's not very... stable." Rhodea, good on you for using words that polite. I think a lot of people would have been a lot cruder. Karen takes pills, huh? Yeah, she could definitely use some. Her being high is also very possible...

 

So the Puppetmaster sent Karen, Alice, and Allen... and apparently got offended when Karen asked them to be their new "momma..."

 

"I have a headache." Rhodea, go take a long nap. A loooong nap.

 

"...okay, I've had about enough. Goodbye." Probably wise, Erin.

 

"Okay, why are we allowing these morons to keep talking?"

 

"It's strange, but we've been through our fair share of strange instances too."

 

Karen leaves. "Is... is it safe to let her roam free like that?" No, Lavender. No, it is not.

 

Allen... doesn't know what a bed is. That's new.

 

So Melia gets nightmares? Hm - I don't quite remember that...

 

Seviper is Venam's best poke-pal.

 

Ouch. Venam got petrified - and Melia's not taking it well, to say the least. And Lavender's getting a hospital visit, and Huey's not taking it well either.

 

"You ate all of the food in the freezer?!" Rhodea does not get paid enough to watch out for these two. "Y-you didn't even cook them! You two just ate a bunch of frozen meals." "Oh my... that would explain why it tasted so cold." It... that was months worth of food for Rhodea? Okay, she really needs a vacation. And she's only spent one day so far with Alice and Allen.

 

Hoo boy.

 

"Nonsense! I do not cry... when people are watching!"

 

That gang member who told me it's dangerous to walk down a dark alley... was really nice!

 

The rest of the gang was less so, but still oddly pleasant for a gang.

 

And Aelita... really needs help. And everyone knows it. Her included.

 

Nightmare City is interesting. Is that the Pulse+ Machine? It is...

 

Okay, trees are blocking off the streets... there's a waterfall from where the entrance should be... and another city seemingly growing out of the underside of the floating island we are currently on...

 

...part of me just realized I nearly described Dalaran from World of Warcraft.

 

A cave? That's also new...

 

I found the TM for Dream Eater. Pretty sure that if a TM for Nightmare exists, I'll find it here somewhere...

 

And huh, Zetta's back. Using Aelita's own pokemon against her? That's not a bad trick.

 

A casino? Did we just walk into Persona 5? ...okay, yeah, if this isn't a shoutout to Sae Niijima I'll eat one of my shirts.

 

Why is Zetta's hair black now, though... the nightmare? Something else?

 

I like how when the Clefable talks Aelita's just quiet for a few seconds before she rolls with it. Nice touch.

 

Don Carto - knows Taelia? Huh... I might have to go back and replay Where Love Lies.

 

One of the trainers in that Casino has a freaking Pheromosa. That is just unfair. I mean, I won, but still!

 

And then a fucking Suicune. Are you people - no, wait, it's Rejuvenation. What the heck was I thinking, expecting a fair fight.

 

Okay, all three of the trainers you can fight have one of the legendary dogs of Ho-Oh and an Ultra Beast. Jeez, you people play hardball.

 

"Real Zetta or not, I think I like this one a lot more." You're not alone there, Aelita.

 

That Zetta fight was, for me, actually a lot harder than the Puppet Master Fight. Is that just me? Granted, Silvally did a lot of the fighting - and Aelita's Blaziken and Hawlucha did a ton of damage.

 

You know... part of me thought that Indriad could be the Puppet Master. But now, given his speech patterns, I sort of doubt it.

 

"It would help if we actually knew what we were fighting for! This whole time we've been fighting Team Xen because that's just what had to be done! What's their motive? Why are they doing all of this? Yet everyone wants to remain silent and leave us in the dark. We're blindly running into danger because we were told to do so!" Preach it, Aelita.

 

Route 9 got an update too!

 

And Aelita - for once - didn't apologize after she went redder. Yeah - she's kind of pissed at Souta and the Eldest. Not unreasonably so, but the curse isn't helping. Erin's even more pissed, though, and even more justifiably. Souta... really doesn't seem to be a good parental figure.

 

Eldest, if Erin smacked Aelita, she deserved that and you know it. Granted, that probably will take a while to sink in, because she's... pretty much your kid, and parents are often not rational about their children.

 

Dang, Erin's a savage. Granted, she's not even remotely wrong, considering Aelita screwed her over...

 

And wow. They made a Kimono just to keep Aelita in check...

 

 

 

 

Chapter 12

 

Spoiler

Ren changed his look! And Nastasia does what she wants. You go, lady.

 

And not explaining things is really just pissing both Aelita and... pretty much everyone else off more and more. Good work on seeing a thread there, Aelita. How did he know Melia was at the hospital?

 

Lavender's doing okay. Good! So is Madelis. Less good.

 

I chuckled a little, seeing Madelis just casually walking down the hall, passing the door, and then doubling back and going "wait, what?"

 

Souta continues to be lacking parental material.

 

"Your head is weirdly shaped." "W-what?" "We should go out on a date!" "Nah, I don't really like you. Thanks, though." Dang, Adam! Well, Risa was barking up the wrong tree anyways.

 

And Tuff-Puff's level 85... okay. I need a plan here... Score one for Aevium Form Milotic!

 

Wow, Risa. Kind of being a jerk to Erin, aren't you?

 

"How did this happen a second time?" Wait, is this the guy who gave us the Clefairy at the Agate Circus in Pokemon Reborn?

 

Amber, your heart is showing.

 

Damian wanted to be the Dark-type Leader, but it... wasn't in the cards, huh? Hm. Wonder what that means.

 

"I'm going to... live it?" You'll learn the truth, Aelita. The truth isn't always nice, though.

 

"Why can't I just let her stupidity kill her?!" Because you've got a heart, Aelita. Easy.

 

"Five individuals"? Um - only four of us came through that crystal... Okay, that's concerning.

 

And Erin's getting a history lesson. Good for her.

 

"We exist solely to please Her Majesty", huh? Who's that, I wonder...

 

We couldn't pick any of the berries from in front of Sheridan in the past. I'm sad now...

 

Anju's the president of Angel's Ice, whatever that is? Huh... And she really looks a lot nicer. And strangely, she also looks older than Angie...

 

Aelita loves tea, huh? And also spending time with her grandma (of a sort).

 

"How did I end up here? I ask myself this daily." Erin's great.

 

There is not a single PC in all of Sheridan Village in the past. I found this very annoying - it took me a few tries to beat Erin and Melia. Kind of embarrassing, but oh well.

 

And Cella's a lawyer? Huh. I could make the traditional evil lawyer joke, but that's - well, I'm not good at jokes.

 

And Kanon gave Vivian a book of... Garufa magic, if I remember correctly. Wait, when did he have the time to come here? Okay, he's working in a time-traveling organization, stupid question. He could have spent a year here and come back ten seconds after he left. Also, Melia is apparently still scared of Anju - or Angie.

 

Okay, so the people who aren't from Aevium thought there were no natives... but the Protectors of Aevium, say they're natives. Okay. But that's minor, since the Miera Region that most of the people here came from has apparently been forgotten somehow. How did that happen? There should have been records, and even if people had trouble remembering thanks to Storm-9 trauma like what happened to Narcissa... yeah. There's probably not a coincidence - something maybe tried actively to erase all mention of Miera?

 

Someone's been watching Vivian? I wonder who.

 

And,,, the Garufan self-sacrifice spell. Whoof.

 

"Everything's going to be okay... right?"

 

Less true words were never spoken.

 

Melia looked a little... ashen, there. And we get to see Madame X right off the bat (and frankly, if anything good came from going to the Doomed Timeline, it's getting to see her knocked off her high horse).

 

I sort of wish Aelita got to come along and see her dad, though.

 

Captain Pyriah Valarie. Melia, you're looking pale again...

 

"I AM COMPLETELY CALM!"

 

"I said it was a rock and the stupid girl believed me!" Valarie seems to be hiring from the same agency that Flora uses.

 

"They put our pokemon right outside the cage!" "Wow, these guys are just vibing with no brains in their heads, huh?" "Definitely seems that way." Yeah... I think Valarie might have been hiring from Flora's reject bin.

 

"...grandpa?"

 

Holy crap, Amber's right - this Mimikyu is scary, especially for a baby...

 

Yeah, people are going to take one look at that Mimikyu and go "NOPE!"

 

Bit of a drama queen, aren't you, Madame X? With the backflip.

 

...Melia has a surprisingly dark and vivid imagination.

 

...why is there a potted plant with eyes and a smile?

 

"Lackeys that stoop down to our sick level." You know, Madame X, it's becoming more and more apparent the only reason anyone works for you is because you have a sniper bead on the skulls of everyone who works for you.

 

Is that... a Garufa banner on the SS Paradise? I think it is... okay.

 

Wow, Captain Valarie really doesn't have the guts our Valarie does. Granted, she did just see a bunch of her men get slaughtered by Madame X and yelled at by the Princess...

 

Ooh! Unique battle cut-in!

 

"NO! Please. I'm sorry. I'll pay you all off. What about cake? Cookies?"

 

"Madame X is a girl!?"

 

...I'm pretty sure even Madame X would have facepalmed there, if there was nobody else around. As it is, I'm going to imagine she was just giving Mosely a flat look through her mask.

 

...what is that music?

 

Those pirates sure turned on Valarie fast.

 

The Time Diamond is a limited-use thing, huh? Okay, that's reassuring, considering Madame X has it... had it, at this point.

 

...Madame X said please?...

 

Okay, Eyepatch Amber rocks. AAARRRGGGHH! And a Fourth Wall was briefly cracked.

 

And the lower deck was redecorated from merely having a lifemaking machine to being a slice of nature in hell.

 

Even with that many pipes, it shouldn't be able to affect the entire world... even if they were pumping out waste day in and day out...

 

...You know, if Madame X was anyone else, I'd pity her with how Captain Valarie is acting.

 

But it's Madame X. KEEP YELLING, VALARIE!

 

Nymiera was the original caretaker of Blacksteeple... And Tesla's getting compared to her. Not that she doesn't deserve it (in a good way).

 

"My mother sold me for three slices of bread and water! Ah, memories." Okay...

 

"My "mother" was a weak individual who gave her life to protect me." Usually, people don't say things like that about the people who died protecting them...

 

Okay, Tesla's brainwashed. That's new. And Melanie would definitely have a Palace that shows up as a playroom, if we were in the Persona universe...

 

And before, things were a lot quicker. This whole segment is new... let's see where it takes us. And the field in this place is apparently a chessboard... fitting.

 

Also, Melia's - yeah, a way better job has been done this time then last time, demonstrating how the Dark Timeline traumatized Melia.

 

We won! But Amber and Valarie are doomed! Yay, Tesla saved them! But teleported everyone but us away...

 

Round two. Lovely. "I-I'm not pressing that button!" Probably wise, Melia! I wonder what it would have done, though... Ah well. I'll look it up later.

 

Round 3! I lost the fight with Melia. Ah well. I don't reset fights I don't have to win, usually.

 

And Round 4 - good work, Melia.

 

And - Melia and I died. Huh. And we get a Melia POV section!

 

"It's all so foggy..." Yeah. So far, the PC and Melia haven't really gotten any information on their pasts, huh?

 

You guys really drew on the Persona themes this time when you were writing, huh? This isn't a bad thing, I'm just noticing.

 

Also, we didn't appear to Melia when she was having her mental voyage... I wonder why?

 

And Melanie's the "Little Demon", huh? Makes sense. And wow, she really is just a kid throwing a temper tantrum. Although - we really didn't get to see that much of her here.

 

...Madame X is upset because the world got fixed. Wow, either she knows something about what was happening we didn't, she's upset Melia's starting to control her powers... or she's a sore loser.

 

Mosely stole MADAME X'S SWORD. That made me smile. "Give that back." "I hate to see people confined", huh? Right.

 

So... Melia's powers are literally unconsciously warping reality as a side effect? Well - that sort of explains why she was (according to some people) a Mary Sue in earlier versions. And why she attracts so many Shiny Pokemon.

 

Melia's jumping for joy! And has a bit of a potty mouth.

 

...You guys really had fun with "Classified Information", didn't you? And Melia seems to be getting more comfortable with the fact she's not a perfect hero - "Or maybe I'm just a wuss, which is completely possible!"

 

I barely know Ana, but I already like her.

 

"...both ceased to exist?" Where the heck did Ana come from? Who's this "Grandma..."

 

Ooof. Aelita's Rift is as dark as ever.

 

And I can't help but notice the video call was a change made from past versions. And that the vaccine sideplot seems to have been removed. Ah, Covid-19 inspired changes... And Melia seems to have gone into shock.

 

Nim was genuinely scary, by the way. Good work.

 

 

 

Chapter 13

 

Spoiler

Neved and Nastasia really do make a good pair of friends.

 

After Melia said "bomb" and "you open it", I shamelessly went with "I forgot how to open things."

 

An Absol. Hoo boy - thanks for the warning, pal.

 

"Did you come from Route 9? Did you come from outer space??" "You came from hell!"

 

That made me chuckle darkly.

 

"You people can't just hit me every time I tell you the truth." "I dunno, your face is pretty punchable. You just make it too easy." Nice one, Huey.

 

Yup, Reina and Huey are just going to stay there. Riiight there, while I head off to the (very nice) National Park.

 

I spent a while goofing around the desert - and it turns out several of the more useful areas are off limits until I get either more badges or the right items. Well, time to stop procrastinating and go to the Voidal Chasm! Which is giving me a disturbing vibe.

 

Yeah, I don't know what that stuff at the bottom of the Chasm is, but I have a feeling it's more than just plain ol' darkness...

 

"This is... advanced darkness."

 

Alexandra! And Ren!

 

"Floating... skateboard." Yeah, Reina, it does sound kinda fake. It's also completely true, and you will owe Alexandra an apology later.

 

Alexandra's sitting in the chief's chair... granted, she is a bit winded still.

 

And she seemed a little bit... off, there. Hm.

 

Good luck, Lavender. And Braxien, I understand you want to stay - but staying would just get you locked up again.

 

Ren's story. Crescent really has a flair for the dramatic, doesn't she? And a very "romantic" decorating style. And a bit of an obsession with us. And a total lack of concern for anyone else.

 

Alamissa Urben... yeah. If there was ever a reminder needed that Team Xen are the bad guys, this is definitely it. And Team Bladestar... yeah. If it wasn't for how far Flora was planning to go, I'd sort of be tempted to cheer for them.

 

....what the hell? Where did you guys come up with the design for that Cofagrigus?!

 

"Don't allow yourself to be trapped by a cruel decision like I have." ...Ren really has grown up a lot.

 

The Library segment was really interesting. And Erin really does need a hug.

 

Yeah, Reina - mouthing off to somebody with a sword when you're unarmed is a stupid idea. You admit it, at least.

 

"You're gonna be late if you keep trying to clarify." Nymiera rocks.

 

I finally found the TM for Return... outside what seems to be a house we have memories of.

 

Also, I just remembered that I forgot to set the game back to Normal after beating Souta...

 

Ah, Nastasia. Annoyed with Ren up until she realizes they're literally in different time periods.

 

And... really, why couldn't he and Anastasia just say they're there to reunite the president with her kid?

Nastasia is probably chuckling at her past self a little right now. "I. Don't. Want. Any. Part. Of. It!" You're so precious, kid.

 

And then Gardevoir kills the mood by showing up.

 

Yeah, Nastasia. It's kind of hard to not figure it out. And her reaction was pretty funny.

 

And then Nymiera realizes what's happened. And Indriad really did try to move on. For a brief while, at least...

 

And Ren shows a great deal of genre saviness, and doesn't even try to talk Reina or Huey out of helping.

 

And Nastasia, your timing sucks. And the maids are less... people-like, the younger they are, it seems.

 

And Reina's like "Yeah, bro, I'm gonna follow you no matter what." And Ren's like "Yeah, you're gonna follow me... so I'm giving you the option to just come with me.

 

"What about you, Reina? Scared?" "Hm... not really scared, but that's because I don't really understand what we're up against." Well, she's not wrong... sometimes, ignorance can be healthy.

 

"Think of Uncle Leo at Aunt Lisa's wedding when he didn't get his meds or slice of dulce de leche cake."

 

"Holy shit my heart just dropped. It's literally in my ass right now."

 

"Instantly regretting this..."

 

Why are all those Unown or Unown-like symbols on the floor...

 

Gardevoir: "I don't remember inviting you three..."

 

Reina: "*Scoff.* The people behind RSVPing are always so incompetent. But I can assure you that we are definitely on the list."

 

...who were we talking to...?

 

Maria's here! And so is Anathea... oof. And Anastasia... you probably shouldn't be here... but neither should we, if we're measuring being here as being unsafe.

 

..."We will be free from the prison that is Earth!" That's... concerning. "Plans for Maria, and for the rest of this miserable planet." That's also concerning...

 

Those rifts really do fit a Persona 4 theme.

 

And - I know she probably sort of deserved it, but we seriously ripped Gardevoir in half? And then destroyed everything but her head? How freaking hard were we hitting her?

 

Wait, Mr Luck? The guy who changes the game's difficulty? Uh - hm. He used to be Gardevoir's master? And... thousands of years ago?

 

And Maria and Anastasia are still down there, along with Nymiera, Anju, and Hazuki...

 

"That gem hanging on the wall is a Timesplicer Crystal, and you four came in from the past through it? I've concluded that... I need a drink, because I am stressed the heck out."

 

And Novae's back! And she changed up her team a lot. And she's feeling down... oof. Hope she feels better soon...

 

Team Xen Grunts in the Ruined City?! Okay, not Team Xen grunts any longer.

 

"Two extremes are bad. No matter which side you're on." Words to live by.

 

And... they really are both right. Adam's right that you can't let things fester. But Damien's right when he says it's not always easy to just let go of the past right away.

 

And that kid really has the worst luck. First she falls into the Voidal Chasm, then she's kidnapped by a Mandibuzz, then an Exeggutor.

Casual or not, Ren and his team have gotten really tough. Especially his Greninja.

 

"I have a plan." "This plan won't get you arrested, right?" An important step to ask for any plan.

 

"...what?" Yeah, Amber, I get it. "After that weird ass... uh, whatever that was..." It's Melia vs Risa! Don't let Tuff-Puff disturb you too much, Melia.

 

Protesters! PROTEST! And Erin, go give Melia a hug.

 

Ah, Mordecai... and next up is Rigby! And then Alexa.

 

Wow, Erin's got a pretty good fashion sense. I mean, considering how she acts you probably wouldn't expect it, right?

 

That couple again, all the way from Sheridan... huh. I really met them back there. It's been a while...

 

The first guy in Round 2 was a Black Belt, and then we have one of the Yui's Ranch Androids. And... did Huey just swap places with Kanon? Yeah, he did. Heh. Well, you made it pretty far, man!

 

And Flora did send Bladestar Grunts, Erin. And you'll never guess what they're up to...

 

And yes, Erin. Alice and Allen are those two kids that appeared out of a box. But they are also so much more than that.

 

"Do you know what it's like to be a kindergarten teacher? I SURE DO!!! I just need some time to myself before my head explodes into a million pieces. Okay?!"

 

Adam is a lot more headstrong now. He was quieter before - but I guess whatever the heck happened to him can be blamed for that.

 

"After Angie attacked my town, I vowed to never let something like that happen again." Well... good-sorta news, Regalia! You might get a chance to 'never let something like that happen again' soon.

 

Those waiters are creeping me out...

 

And... thank you, miss greeter. Good luck. Here I come, Adam!

 

And I reset several times just to work out a plan to get past his Tyranitar that didn't end up with at least two of my teammates fainted... whoof. That thing and his Aerodactyl were both sweepers, the Tyranitar in a "slow but steady" kind of way.

 

But I won. "THE Adam Might lost? How is that possible?!"

 

Do Not Adjust Your Set, everyone. And Flora finally takes that swan-dive over the deep end.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 14

 

Spoiler

Valarie! DON'T FORGET!

 

And Flora... maybe there were good intentions in you once. But "good intentions" have long since spiraled into "getting revenge and proving I'm right." And the fact you didn't tell anyone else, even Jenkel... well, a quote comes to mind.

 

"It's not as though knowing that we need to lie about it to the paladin (people who work for us) is a good indication that it may be the wrong idea."

 

Man in white?! Oh god, Ryland...

 

"That is the dumbest idea I've ever heard. Who knows what could be going down in the city right now?! For all we know, there could be another attack! All right, I'm convinced! Let's go!" Reina's great.

 

HAZUKI!?! And she remembers us! Nice!

 

And Ren's back, and Nastasia! And Eli and Sharon! And those last two are cute together...

 

And Aelita's back too! And Adam and Braxien (though I wonder how Braxien found Adam...)

 

And everyone seems to be getting Sharon's name wrong. Even us...

 

You're slipping, Nastasia. Your softy is showing. Also, have you made Ren self-destruct before?

 

Geara's "Alright I guess", huh? Wow.

 

Kreiss and Aelita went on an adventure and we haven't gotten to see it yet... ah well.

 

Texen's getting really unpopular. And yeah, partying 24/7 would get sort of boring after a while - TAELIA?! Wait, what? Oh - it's Aelita... but... huh.

 

"Just shut up and fight already!" Also, Rejuv team? You might want to fix what Texen says, since he fights us and Aelita 2v1 now instead of having us just curbstomp him.

 

Wait, "You're just as high as me?" ...I guess I can see Texen doing drugs.

 

...especially after what Aelita said to him there. Ouch.
 

Kai'ya's showing up again... I wonder if she's related to Nymiera? Hm. Hazuki's in Grand Dream City, Anju got... somethinged... into being Angie... and Vivian became Taelia, then Aelita.

 

...Eli and Sharon have gotten a lot tougher. Enough that you know what? I'm going to challenge them later instead of now. And I really need to go get everyone EV trained...

 

"Aren't these just walkie talkies?" "Transmitters."

 

Whatever's at the bottom of that pit we landed by looks a lot like what's at the bottom of the Voidal Chasm...

 

Here we are.
 

Zone Zero. Ominous. And the building toppled over at the beginning and all the statues here are even more ominous than the name...

 

One of those Bladestar Grunts has a shiny Sawk... And a shiny Throh. Good on him...

 

One of those statues is missing its head...

 

"You're... you're just like me, waaahhh!" Man, Trigon, you really need a hug...

 

Risa, stop beating up Ren!

 

"G-grape head?" Tuff-Puff was... kind of unintimidating, this time. But Risa dropping the whole "Aelita and Venam both did their matches" thing? More than made up for it.

 

Huh, one of the Bladestar grunts has the same name as my Sawsbuck...

 

Aelita got an 8, a 9, a 10, and a 3. That last Dugtrio is probably getting chewed out by their friends.

 

Those Bladestar fools are really determined to get into that Pyramid.

 

Also, nice helmet, Aelita.

 

And... I think I recognize these buildings... and there appears to be a box from the Puppet Master inside the jail...

 

That the toughest Bladestar Grunt in the area (he has a Garchomp, Starmie, and one other mon) just wants to go to lunch says... something. Not sure what, but it says something.

 

And yeah. We're in Hiyoshi City. And we found Anathea's medical records, but... scar in the shape of a key on the back of her neck? What does that mean? "Mother of... 4 children?" Huh? "Black hair"? Did she dye it? Well... the mysteries deepen... "Starting to suspect that someone's been here very recently..." Okay... but why? And... why would somebody be looking for Anathea's file? If they were looking for it - I remember the Puppet Master's box, so... were we just directed here?

 

Ren, were you trying to look cool in front of Aelita?

 

...I mean, I get it...

 

And Nim returns... and so does Lorna.

 

Took me a few tries, but I won... and the weather's going haywire now. And - when she tried to turn Ren to stone, those three marks were in a pattern that looked like an inverted Archetype... why do I have the feeling that's important? And at the very end... I know it can't be her, since, well, she was with us at Blacksteeple...

 

But Nim really reminded me of Madame X.

 

...

 

...Moving on!

 

Aelita made a new friend. And Ren probably got the life scared out of him.

 

And Rhodea really does not get paid enough for putting up with all this crap. "You look like my cousin Shira after her third salt bath. And trust me, the bath was normal before she got inside."

 

...okay... I think I never want to meet Ren and Reina's extended family except from a distance as an observer.

 

And... I'm guessing that Isiah, in the pod... well, he "was" in the pod.

 

Huh. So Saki kept Braxien from evolving - and was kind of rude to her, too.

 

And Melanie really is a little demon, huh...

 

It took me several revives, but I defeated "Amanda" on my first try. But... wow. The number of factions in this whole game just keep piling up...

 

And the gate opened for Adam just as he charged it. Heh.

 

...the chances of Risa not being that red-headed female jerk grow ever lower.

 

And there used to be two Hippowdon! Also, it seems Super Fang automatically fails against Hippowdon, and probably all Rift Pokemon... And dang. That thing is a marathon boss fit to exceed Rift Garbodor...

 

And Nastasia's interested in Mega Audino, now. Probably not good.

 

And you go, Audino! When I saw that "HEALING PARTY" thing, though, I had a brief flashback to when Darchlight Woods briefly "ate" my team until I loaded a previous save.

 

"Madame X has no idea what we're doing right now, which is... um."

 

"Dangerous."

 

Yeah, like Aelita said - no kidding. That's not just risky, that's directly life-threatening.

 

"Are those pipes coming out of the ground? Does this Pyramid have a plumbing system?" Yes, it does.

 

"It only counted three of us. Why not all four?" It's Garufan, Aelita. They... probably didn't count Audino.

 

Adrest. Nymiera mentioned them... And Veriya? Never heard of them before... And yeah, now's not the time to question your possessed friend, you probably don't have too many options left.

 

And Ren seems to be our highest-level Rival, at least on Normal. Granted, that fits with Ren's personality.

 

I had to reset for that first pyramid puzzle, sadly... twice...

 

Wow, we had a stampede there!

 

Well, good seeing you, Allen! And you really look better now. Same with that Ninetails.

 

"A-all machines?" "All machines! They're the fiends that will destroy the world if I don't stop them! Justice shall be served hot!"

 

"No one tell him." No worries, Ren. We'll give you shit about this later, though.

 

So Rune and Flora had a falling-out. And Flora wasn't responsible for her disappearing...

 

Ah, Ren saved Alice (and then so did Allen)! And Allen helped Aelita. (And these Defense Mechanisms are... very frustrating). And Alice made her own Sableye, and freaked Ren's Sableye right out.

 

And that "blink" screen when Alice vanished... it was like the flashbacks we and Ana had...

 

Heh. "Bladestar's final stand..." Okay, that's actually sort of a pity. Flora had to go, but most of the other Bladestar people weren't too bad.

 

And Alice? Get a hold of yourself. From all of us. Thanks!

 

That team fight against Bladestar was pretty fun! I wonder where Mecha-Rayquaza sent them all... or if they just died.

 

...Florin, you're a good brother. But sadly... you have a bad sister.

 

You go, Aelita!

 

And... yeah. Alice screwed up. She needs to be told that. She needs to - well, she's not in the Unown Dimension anymore. She needs a hug too, though.

 

And... neither of them can remember their father, huh? That might be for the best - and also, the Unown Dimension has a weird effect on people's views of reality. So that's probably why.

 

Who was that at the end that showed up to save them, though? Erin?

 

And Nastasia's just getting surprise after surprise today, huh?

 

Bladestar lost the moment they decided to blow up the Grand Dream Ball, huh? Okay, there's probably a specific reason for that.

 

And Aelita's the Firefly, huh? Not a bad nickname.

 

And Flora lost it a long time ago, Ren. Like Edelgard at her worst.

 

That look on Ryland's face in the gym battle really drives the point home.

 

Bit of a complaint/potential bug - Desert's Mark affects pokemon with Solar Idol. Of course, that could be intentional...

 

It took a lot of cheesing, but I beat Flora/Ryland with Moody Glalie. Protect and random stat boosts for the win!

 

...and what Flora did at the end there really certifies she's evil. Abandoning three people to die just because... what? Aelita annoyed you? If you really wanted - no, if you really cared - you'd just, well, do what she said? Let them heal their friends, take the Jewel, and leave.

 

Almost enough to take away the sting of Cassandra surviving.

 

And Huey's... starting to give up, huh? Well, two months of somebody missing would do that.

 

So... Reina's Huey's other sister, huh? Well - those two really do get along.

 

So the Pyramid's a mystery to everyone, huh? Even Madame X and those two.

 

And I get the feeling that "working together" is more "alliance of convenience", possibly.

 

Madame X: "Even if you were to destroy me here... do you truly think the pain and suffering of many will end? This cycle of pain and suffering will continue."

 

Erick: "Yeah, yeah... but it'll be a lot better with you gone."

 

Huh, so the lady got a Mega Ring for her Orbeetle... And while I was planning to lose, the sheer throughness of my loss to Aelita and Melia tells me I really need to go find a Pokemon Breeder and start training. And get EV training done...

 

...wow, lady. If you're trying to actively get every one of our group's members after your head on a personal level, you're succeeding.

 

Adam and Delpha, you both rock! In more ways than just type!

 

Adam and Damien really need to talk things out. And Alexandra telling them to "or else" made me laugh just like it did the first time I saw it. I wonder what the letter contains.

 

And Ryland... you've got nothing to be ashamed of. And... thanks.

 

I just noticed this, but after the "sister" remark, both Aelita and Ren are staring directly away from Erin and Melia. I think they might be in shock?

 

"Um, hey." "Um, hey." They're conversationalists, Melia and Ren. And they're also finally patching things up.

 

After that, I spent a while going places in the Desert before I went back to Grand Dream City.

 

On a side note, Sand Stream cave has Trapinch! Now I know where Ren found his Flygon...

 

And the Hospital of Ruin segment has come. Where did all that lava come from? And giving Isha Arctozolt and Dracovish makes a lot of sense, themematically. And Vanilluxe... well, I guess Isha never did get a childhood. I used up my Focus Sash taking out that Dracovish, though...

 

Melia's face was hilarious when she saw Venam. And so was the "wha-wha-wha-wha-WHAT?"

 

Kanon changed his hair color...

 

And... Florin is the new leader of Bladestar! Well. It's not like he won't be an improvement.

 

I went over to Neo Gearen! And Aya says she's nostalgic, but seeing her and Adrienn is making me nostalgic, a bit.

 

But then "You know what happened last time something like this occurred" and "Devon Co" kind of killed the mood...

 

Well... no more delays. Here we go.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 15

 

Spoiler

Vague Clarity is coming.

 

Adam has naturally brown hair? Makes sense.

 

Uh-oh... Geara's back.

 

Alexandra's number 1 in the Elite 8?! And - her and Damien's mom is the Champion!?

 

Mount Ruin? That's new. And - it belongs to Team Xen, but used to be the home of the people of Alamissa Urben? Why Team Xen went after them is making more sense now... both to keep them from the Stones, I bet, and to get rid of Celine.

 

And... what the hell? That's Nim? And... she remembered us... plus Hazuki and Anju...

 

...so... we fight Storm-9's personification.

 

Nice.

 

It's Nim.

 

Less nice.

 

...okay, I was not expecting that behind the bookcase.

 

...huh? No reserve leader or anything? Weird... Okay, Marianette grows ever more mysterious.

 

A battle on the Fairy Tale Field against Melia... hoo boy. Time to go back and train more pokemon. I remember her team's composition...

 

Went to check out the Pokeball factory, among other things. "You two look ridiculous. It fits you perfectly." We're the Destroyer of Team Xen, huh? Nice.

 

Those Deathwings looked tough... but my team, which ironically lost a pokemon to every other Team Xen duo in the factory, did pretty well against them, relatively speaking.

 

And for Death Wings it's "Succeed or Die", huh? Yipes.

 

[INSERT TIMESKIP HERE WHERE I DO A LOT OF SIDEQUESTS FROM PREVIOUS VERSIONS AND DON'T DESCRIBE THEM].

 

I chickened out and fought Melia on Casual. I changed the difficulty back afterwards, though! And the "Fate Badge"... well, we were going to be her first challenger, I guess. So... the Fate Badge does seem fitting.

 

Alice is... really giving me a Luna vibe. This isn't a bad thing, though... I look forward to seeing her and Allen become Gym Leaders.

 

Venam really has changed. Even her battle Sprite.

 

And... for some reason, my pokemon are all shiny in the practice fight? Weird.

 

And... then we get a look at Madelis and Cassandra, who have apparently retaken the Xen Battleship. Ah well... we never really used that thing anyways. Or... did they get a new one?

 

More importantly, what happened to the people on board?

 

And... there's a machine at the center of the Earth? Huh. Okay, what the hell were the Garufa up to?

 

The world's been RESET?! Like... what happened with Homura, sort of?

 

...and we reset it. Wow.

 

Adrest is... the third piece of Arceus? And... god is taking a snooze in us?

 

...Garufa Inc?

 

Zeight... I sort of remember this place...

 

NANCY?!

 

...ouch. Dang, Keta. You really don't pull punches. No wonder Neved doesn't like you. He pretty much offered you an open hand, and... you spat on it.

 

Wait, two hosts? Host 2 is clearly us, but Host 1... lost their life from a... severe head injury by blast of powerful psychic energy...

 

Kenneth? Or... am I completely wrong...

 

Current host is Liaka.

 

Secondary co-host is Crescent.

 

...What?

 

Hoo boy.

 

Nancy is that "Black Box"... that we got from the Puppet Master, I think? And she was created by someone, wasn't human/isn't, and got stolen by Crescent...

 

But who made her? And why?

 

And Crescent is actually broken up about us. But... we forgot her? Huh? Okay...

 

And Alice and Allen have superpowers after all! Allen is super fast, and Alice can create illusions. And Erin's got barriers. Cool. So... hm. Does Melia have the offensive powerset? Okay, she's not sure what powerset she has.

 

...okay, so we have to fight Ren. With a vastly disadvantaged team, while he's got a terrain set up for him. Great...

 

...Wait. We can change the movesets our teams have. Suddenly this doesn't seem impossible...

 

And Ren, you beat me three times with the teams provided. The only reason I won was that I had Sunny Day to cripple Water teams. You're amazing.

 

Axis High University... uh oh.

 

Hazuki? "Anju, Nymiera... I will bring you all justice." That doesn't seem good.

 

Aelita's in charge? Nice.  I would probably have picked her too. Everyone likes her.

 

Oh, and... we are too, I guess?

 

Aelita, you're first in command. That's my decision.

 

Oh, Alice and Allen are in charge of the Oblitus Town Gym? Cool. That place could use the help, even if it's just a tourist/trainer attraction.

 

NOTE: I went and checked out the Xen Battleship. It seems that Team Xen had a spare battleship lying around... well, at least everyone there is okay.

 

And - we're picking out paths. And got railroaded onto the Diamond Component first.

 

 

Diamond Route

 

Wow, Erin. You really don't pull your punches. But Kanon is a little... robotic.

 

And he can... smell something.

 

"It's probably nothing", huh, Kanon?
 

The following quote from Magic: The Gathering springs to mind.

 

"People only say 'I'm sure it was nothing' when they're sure it was something."

 

Oh, dear.

 

And no, Erin. Not exactly... Anju...

 

Why are they freezing all the pokemon, though...

 

...Alexandra and Damien aren't picking up. And we have Angie's music playing. On Anju's estate, preserved on the ocean floor.

 

...fuck.

 

The music's catchy, though.

 

Bug note: I was able to more or less overwrite the Frozen Dimensional Field with Sylveon's Misty Terrain when I ran into the (First?) Regice.

 

And Alexandra and Damien got captured. Lovely.

 

Angie's currently being nice. Let's see how long that lasts...

 

...I was pretty sure I set the difficulty back to Normal after I beat Melia...

 

Also, it seems they, like we, have worked out that Angie used to be Anju. But we still don't know HOW Anju -> Angie.

 

"You have a death wish, child." "I have an Absol as my ace."

 

Those Servants are really not giving off a "non human" vibe. More like "humans with the intelligence of adults, but the maturity of children, told it's their purpose to serve."

 

...holy crap, they're gems.

 

"But the glacier is gone! Does that mean we have more free time?" "Sure do. Take up a hobby or something." "I'm going to learn how to make pipe bombs!" "...wait." Sorry, Erin. Too late.

 

...The Servant playing piano and the Servant dancing next to her really strengthens my gem theory. Unless Angie's just screwing with us. Or, more darkly, Anju's trying to surface through them.

 

Vivian lived underground her whole life and thought a baby's crib was a cage. And Hazuki thought babies hatched from eggs. I love the Protectors of Aevium.

 

"BLEUURGH!" "He gets motion sickness very easily..." "I'll get the paper towels."

 

And Kreiss is Angie's kid? Huh. Well, that explains why she went after him, sort of.

 

And... Angie showed up. And called Erin by that name that only Alice and Allen were supposed to know? Okay, that's a sign of something. She's connected to Indriad/Vitus... but we already knew that. But how did Anju/Angie know about them...

 

And the Regice even attack the Servants, huh? Really not getting a benevolent boss vibe from you, Angie.

 

So Angie can create Nevermeltice? And I see - yeah, freezers that don't require electricity? That would be pretty useful. And I have the 'very odd' feeling the fact we found her in the back room of Indriad's Manor has something to do with her losing it.

 

Nymiera had Regigigas? Huh. I thought that Hazuki would have Registeel, but that actually surprised me.

 

And the Ballroom... it seems more and more of Anju is starting to surface.

 

At least, I thought that until she sicked a Salamence and Absol at Level 90 on me.

 

And then the Ice Soldiers proved to be as bad(ass) as their "pokemon."

 

Something tells me that saying that out loud might be a mistake, Erin... actually, Angie probably already knows Erin's got part of the Archetype. She's got some sort of relation to Indriad/Vitus/Whatever.

 

...is Cera related to Cella, maybe? Hm. Okay, she is. She was (probably) inspired by Angie's memories of Cella.

 

It seems there aren't any pokemon in the tall grass in Angie's manor. Makes sense, I guess. She probably froze them all by now.

 

And that's Anju's ship. And yeah, the Servants are Gems.

 

On another note, either it's not always there, or Group Talk accidentally got disabled in a few places. I was really hoping I could see Erin's commentary on the kitchen.

 

And the Aberrants are free gems! ...who are planning to murder Angie. Like Bismuth. "Murder is fun..." Yipe.

 

I mean... if I didn't know that Angie used to be Anju, and that Anju probably didn't become Angie by her own choice, I'd totally go along with it. But with that said, Kanon, you really should not have tipped over that pot.

 

...why is she turning red like Angie...

 

Yeah, getting out of there was wise.

 

And Kanon's basically... a loyalist gem. Except he's loyal to the good guys. Like... a more moral/good-aligned Jasper.

 

Okay, so Angie/Anju can undo her own ice? Good to know. That'll probably come up.

 

And there's a voice in Kanon's head that... he's been trying to forget?

 

So Cold Truth is like a weaponized version of showing someone their Shadow...

 

Oh. He got made by Vitus and Nymiera. And... Vitus was the same ass that he is to everyone.

 

And Erin's being the same as ever. "It cannot be hard to hit a target that was literally not moving in any way, shape, or form. But I suppose something like that was too much for someone so simple-minded."

 

And both Kanon and Erin might learn some uncomfortable truths, huh...

 

And they're in Zeight. The place we go to...

 

"The Night Witch?"

 

Anathea?

 

"I want someone to save me. I want someone to finally love me."

 

Okay, Anathea was a lot more... disturbed than we thought at first. Meddling in dark arts, basically using love potions... or as Child of the Storm put them, date rape drugs...

 

And Erin... you want to break down because that was your mom.

 

And it seems Vitus wasn't as controlled as Anathea thought he was... and Erin was a spy as a kid?

 

So Vitus married Anathea to take the estate and find Meloetta. Well, there were those statues there before...

 

And what Erin said... isn't that what Madame X said...?

 

...no. She's nothing like - well, no. She's like Madame X, but she actually is what Madame X thinks she is.

 

"Erin, you are intelligent, ambitious, leader-like, and crafty. But you are also harsh. Darkness is in your heart and anger inhibits your potential."

Beat

"...Anyone can read a horoscope, lady. Stop embarrassing yourself and let's get on with this. You know why we're here, and it's not to tell me whether or not I'm going to find my true love today."

 

Took me a few tries to beat Angie. But I pulled it off. And... yeah. Vitus did something to her. I think we all figured that out.

 

And Melia, Venam, and Ren got in trouble. No surprise there, considering what Kanon, Erin, Damien, and Alexandra went through.

 

...what was that at the end, though?

 

(...the realization that Angie is the "Diamond" of her Servants gave me the image of Anju, if she's healed, just sort of BSODing when she realizes she has about fifty kids to take care of. It made me smile).

 

 

 

Pearl Route

 

Ren's going home.

 

Awkward. Both because he ran away almost... two years ago?

 

And because his mom asked if he, Venam, and Melia were a threesome/harem.

 

What's up with Venam, though?

 

And Mosely probably was stealing something, but Melia definitely wasn't.

 

And Sariah actually was trying to do the right thing this time... good on her.

 

And yeah, Melia, those two shopkeepers weird me out too.

 

...what.

 

Okay... overlapping... oh dear...

 

Oh great. These two. And... what the heck are they up to, anyways? Why go after Ren's mom?

 

Goldenwood Grove, huh? I see... really feeling a little nostalgic here.

 

Heh, the blanket me and Melia used never got picked up...

 

Madame X has been here. That can't be good.

 

OH FUCK. MADAME X IS HERE, NOT WAS HERE.

 

...the Den of Souls? I remember this place, but I don't know what we'll find here...

 

Oh dear, Nim's here. And... you lost because it was 12 vs 6.

 

Okay, Nim gave us a tornado warning. That's new...

 

And we're in the Den of Souls.

 

And there's Garufa crap down here... that can't be good. And... those ships Melia and Ren found look like the ships Alexandra and Angie have. And the pokemon center-esque place looks like, well, a pokemon center...

 

So there are two "classes" of Garufan, huh? Why the distinction... and why the tech difference?

 

And why all the steel-type "Pokemon..."

 

So... holograms that respond when you interact with them. But why...

 

And then Ren glitched out big time. "Glitched" might not be the right word, though...

 

And - Cassandra, Madelis isn't wrong... but yeah. Openly defying Madame X is basically - no, if you're part of Team Xen, it actually is suicide.

 

And... Cassandra wants revenge on Tesla and Amber? Why? And... what the hell even is the Xenpurgis?

 

Venam got eaten by a Gyarados! We should start a club! What happened to her, though, she really has been acting weird...

 

Madelis is down here?! And... why? She and Cassandra - are they both here? The Xenpurgis is nearby, isn't it... or something to do with it. I beat her with Melia's team - she's gotten pretty good.

 

Nim's back!! And she's helping us again! Yay!

 

And she's asking how we can't know if the red-haired woman hasn't been screwing with us this entire time. Possibly true, and not yay.

 

...does Nim have Intellectus or something? (From the Dresden Files, it basically means you automatically know stuff within a certain category).

 

And the Team Xen Grunts and Servants that the Diamond and Pearl teams are going up against really seem to be kind of... lacking.

 

The 3rd layer? Hm... what are the other two? Team Xen seems to have been here for a while, too...

 

And... the Arcehtype's coming out by force? The Garufans have a lot of secrets up their sleeves. Melia can generate barriers too, though. Is that "powerset" Erin, Alice, and Allen have self-imposed, potentially? That is, they can use the power they most identify with the easiest? Curious.

 

By the way, Melia looks really cool when she pulls out the Archetype. And also a lot like Nymiera when she got dressed to fight Vitus.

 

So the Garufans were running experiments on the Archetype. Wasn't there a library somewhere implying that sort of thing? Hm. I'm pretty sure that I found it on my last run, I'd better go find it again...

 

And wow. The Garufans really did not care about anything, huh? Course, the "Incorporated" should have given that away.

 

...except they did... how bad did things get that a corporation willing to throw lives away seemed like the best option? Brainwashing? Were things just that bad? Hm.

 

...this place looks like Melia's mindscape... And she realized that too.

 

So they scanned people to see what was wrong with them/right with them after they fused with the Archetype. And Melia wants to see if she's got any issues herself.

 

...and she does.

 

...Melia is terminally ill.

 

That is not something anyone wants dropped on them.

 

...I would hug her if I was there.

 

...the Den of Souls does not look like I expected it would.

 

...and Nim is a people-eater. Yeah, that would piss Damien off.

 

So Cassandra's a Xen Admin, huh? And Madelis, Geara, Neved, and Zetta were all Executives. Nastasia's probably another Admin, then. Wonder if we've got any other Admins out there...

 

Nim... yeah. Maybe you kind of did deserve to have them go after you. But... be at peace. And I hope whatever you broke can be fixed.

 

Okay, so what Melia reported wasn't as bad as I thought.

 

...what happened to Melia is in some ways worse than I thought, though.

 

But what are those white rift things?

 

 

Platinum Route

 

Wow. Heck of a building here.

 

The people who graduate get all 18 badges?! Dang. Even if it's just for a season.

 

Geez, this place has trees indoors? They really took this place seriously when they built it.

 

And Saki has her gym in a school? Wow.

 

I'll be! Huey and Lavender. They weren't kissing, to my surprise.

 

And Saki is here, huh? ...what did they do to her, I wonder...

 

And geez, even the STUDENTS here have Megas?!

 

Oh, it's Amber! And she's finally giving us - concert tickets and letter.

Sweet of her.

 

"DROWN!"

 

That was less sweet of her for that random dude she threw in the water.

 

And then Saki doesn't remember us either... or that she already met Amber again a while ago.

 

"We've already done this shit before! We are not doing it again." Good on her.

 

...Xara Bela? Doesn't quite ring a bell...

 

...Risa's Delcatty knows Frustration, huh? ...and her Tuff-Puff has Beast Boost. Not even trying to hide it any longer, are you, Jan? And if Jean isn't a certain someone... i'll be very surprised.

 

And Amber's just going incandescent when we tell her we trust her.

 

And Hazuki... yeah. Calling Aelita Vivian is a bit weird. And Aelita's right, it has been... 50 years. With Mr. Blakeory, who is... a jerk, if I remember right. But, again... it has been 50 years.

 

Also, after you talk to Hazuki, Saki returns to the cafeteria. And I'd call that a glitch, but it does seem like a Sakiish thing to do.

 

Someone destroyed Huey and Lavender's project? It could be an accident... or it could be "Risa Raider" and "Jean."

 

Apparently, the beds at Axis High are one of the things they didn't splurge on.

 

And... we have a fan club?

 

...and Risa's with us. And Jean is with Aelita, Huey, and Lavender. Oh dear.

 

Wait, Hazuki's working with the Puppet Master?!

 

And Sec's back. Man, Aelita can't be happy about that.

 

The students in the School of Nightmares seem to be a lot less dangerous than the students in Axis High. I'd be lying if I thought that there wasn't a reason for that...

 

The Puppet Master's method of making us not want to go outside makes me smile. "DON'T GO OUT THERE! DON'T GO OUT THERE!" "W-what? What's out there?!" "It's SEC. He grew legs and is doing ballet... it was such a horrible sight..." "...is it bad that I'm morbidly curious about this?"

 

"Jean" has Zekrom, huh... And yeah. "Jean" is also a traitor.

 

Huey's Nightmare Realm is... a lot like the Dreamyard seems to look from the outside.

 

Who's the redhead, though... A ??? Student. Lovely. Wait, ??? is the first missing student, Xara?

 

And Rune... oof. Hm.

 

Eclysia Pyramid?

 

So that's where that Cofagrigus sprite in Alamissa Urben came from...

 

Note to self, let Aelita lose to Huey. Done - (though really, if I had taken that fight seriously/with a brain, Aelita would have stomped Huey, but well, we all knew that.)

 

Coffee Gregus, huh? So that's why he's called Gregus. And he has the same ability as that Octillery... I mean, that Gyarados from the Pearl Route. Huey sent out his Octillery when I was typing. That is the reason.

 

Aelita and Lavender coming up with a plan to get past Gregus and then freaking out when Huey goes to just talk to him is great.

 

"I'M GOING! I'M GOING TO OUTER SPACE!"

 

Huey, you're great. So are you, Gregus. Enjoy outer space!

 

"ZABBA! ZABBA DO! ROCK FALL! ON YOU!"

 

I remember SEC saying those students won't die in real life, and that's good! Hazuki showing so little empathy is not, though, even if they aren't really dead...

 

The Genesis Glyph? Looks more like a fancy Archetype.

 

Aelita's Nightmare Realm is underwater?

 

Okay, it's not. There's Amber!

 

And there's... Pop and Bloom?? Okay, Aelita is "Pop", and Amber is "Bloom"... but what are they doing?

 

And there's Deagan! Aelita's... family member! Okay, uncle. And Amber's dad...

 

And wow, Amber is going to need... milkshakes and donuts, after this. She's too young to drink, but sugar can work wonders.

 

So Deagan got abducted by Isha because he could "connect" with him successfully to transfer his mind again? And he got away... but where is he now?

 

THE PUPPET MASTER'S LIMITATIONS AND ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS RULES!

 

1: The Puppet Master can't affect the real world.

2: You can't destroy the Puppet Master in his world.

3: The Puppet Master always tells the truth, even if it's a lie.

4: The Puppet Master will never harm anything other than objects.

 

The Ligosomnia Engine? So, it lets people look into the subconscious of others. Nothing to be ashamed of - it took a literal AI to beat that.

 

Risa? And another ??? Individual...

 

...That Comfey, if it sets up, is a bigger nightmare than I ever wanted to run into.

 

And Cherrim really reminded me of the power of setting up.

 

Aelita... I think you are escorting the person you possibly hate most in the entire world. Unless there are two Risa Raiders out there and what's-her-face is swapping out with her or something...

 

And dang, 'Jean' isn't screwing around...

 

And I think 'Jean' would probably actually be terrified if he saw Lavender right after that.

 

...so the turn-off things never existed. And 'Jean' apparently got murdered right after that by "SEC"/The Puppet Master. Well, good riddance...

 

And the Puppet Master is a problem for those two, huh? Good.

 

Phew! Just a mannequin. And wow, yeah, Lavender is probably both very embarrassed and very relieved.

 

...okay, that's a new one.

 

And Risa's right there... And hitched a ride with Lavender.

 

And Lavender has made footfall on the moon! Cool.

 

So this Crimson Quartz stuff is what those Black Shards the Garufan structures are made out of come from?

 

And Risa "needs" that Black Shard stuff, huh?

 

Wow. Guessing SEC didn't notice there was more than one traitor. Or just didn't mention it...

 

And yeah. 'Risa' is nuts... and acting like she's in a slasher movie. Maybe what happened to 'Jean' affected her more than we thought it would...

 

What's with that scientist, though?

 

Lavender's outfit is great, by the way.

 

And... dang. 'Risa' is really not pulling her punches. At least two level 83s against a trio of Level 25s/26s...

 

Hey! Gregus is back!

 

Celine found... potential? Within Lavender? The Champion?

 

And Risa has a Reshiram. Lovely. Also, I think we pissed her off.

 

Reshiram may be tough... but three successive High Jump Kicks from a Medicham with a Metronome put it down for good.

 

And then the other route started.

 

Zetta's back to explain stuff! And Amber has been listening to everyone, since she knows who he is and they never actually met.

 

Risa and Saki are arguing - oh wait, there's Amber!

 

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! Is this how annoying I was when you met me on Terajuma?! I sincerely apologize, because this is fucking awful."

 

"When Amber's being the bigger person, you know you're a clown." Well put, Saki.

 

'Risa' has an accent? Hm. She reminds me of the Breeders. Or Chihaya...

 

"I think she did that just so she could jump in the water without getting in trouble." Probably, Amber.

 

The password segment was initially frustrating, but then I saw the Group Investigation thing and it became a lot funnier. "Ants troubled, I see..."

 

And wow, Amber. You actually embarrassed the red-headed girl.

 

The student "pods" are weird, though. And the "Hiring" posters are... yeah, kind of a Catch-22 situation, aren't they? "We will not hire interns unless they have prior experience."

 

And Saki saying "->" out loud actually scared her. Nice.

 

"...we manunfacture only the BEST students here at Axis High University." That's disturbing. And - actually, all of the professors are disturbing.

 

Once was weird, but getting the Mysterious Black Boxes twice? The ones that Nancy/Mom got "stored" in. That's not a coincidence. Is this where the Black Boxes were created? And now there's three of them...

 

"Build an Employee!" Well, at least they're honest here...

 

And yeah, Saki is really getting a very rude awakening, isn't she?

 

Flora? Well, we knew she was a graduate here.

 

And Zetta (if this really is Zetta) seems to be much more at peace with himself now, enough that he can joke with Saki. And also changed up his team...

 

And Amber really is improving. Well, except for that "what could go wrong" comment... you clearly haven't seen enough TV.

 

Wait, after seeing this a second time... that was Deagan after he fell down the waterfall. And he got pulled through a Rift? By Cassandra...

 

And Amber's learned Aelita is her cousin. Good for her. That's going to be an interesting talk with Tesla later...

 

Cosmia and Comet are Dittos that Xara once took care of... and Risa is... huh.

 

Okay, I think Risa isn't as non terminally-ill as we were led to believe...

 

And the Masked dude doesn't hate us. Except for Saki. ESPECIALLY Saki.

 

"I'm fine, but damn I have a headache." Considering you literally just got thrown about fifty feet into a wall, Saki, a headache is probably getting off lightly. At least for us - Pokemon world people do seem to be made of tougher stuff.

 

AXIS HIGH GALLERY! VIEW AT YOUR OWN ######! What does that ###### mean...

 

And... there's no art here. At first.

 

The Electricians are complaining about not getting a promotion. And the Drama club's only member is Cassandra...

 

...Flora really was a different person once, huh?

 

And Isha's looking to "escape this curse". I'd be more sympathetic if he wasn't using people as guinea pigs. And the new recruits are "loyal to him", huh...

 

Team Xen is at the "Grand Opening Ceremony" with their own, huh? And there are 346,932 people there...

 

Also, since I played Route 1 first... shouldn't Risa have been "abducted" by now?

 

Unless that was never Risa at all... or could it be? The whole time flowing weirdly thing here means it could have been...

 

...the strongest dimensional rift? No wonder Flora and the Puppet Master were both so worried...

 

And yeah. Madame X - and Cassandra - have long since jumped past the Moral Event Horizon.

 

The game was rigged. And we are indeed idiots for not realizing it sooner.

 

Saki: "Proposal. We all have an Electrobat. Also known as a One-Hit KO Bat. And we keep them."

 

Yeah, Zetta, you better run!

 

And Risa got abducted. No yay there.

 

By Saki's brother Thomas... who is an asshole, yet again. And working with... wait, he said he hated the Blakeorys.

 

I think we just saw the moment where Amanda got kidnapped.

 

...this got dark fast. So the Red-Headed lady and Kieran were behind Saki, Adam, Amanda, and Valarie all disappearing? Why, though...

 

And... those black boxes? The ones that Nancy was "stored" in?

 

...it was never Risa after all.

 

And Xara and Jean made the SEC units? And they wanted the money to treat Risa... but is that really it?

 

And - are they related to Kieran and what's-her'face? Those two have been around way too much to really say their motivation's as... simple as this.

 

Crescent was here - and we know those three had a bad history. So she stole one of those boxes - is it related to Nancy?

 

What's-her-face has a nice motorcycle.

 

And they're at Axis High to get rid of Adam, Delpha, Erick, and Valarie...

 

And they're robots... and in two places at once?

 

But if the real Risa died, and then Xara and Jean got whacked by these two...

 

...who's the Risa up there?

 

Crescent! And... us?!

 

A Nihilego that... transformed?

 

Okay, the turning to stone thing is happening again? Is this - this must be what happened to the people in Hiyoshi City.

 

"Ariana was the peppy girl who loved all things school spirit. At first I thought her enthusiasm would tear away at me, but... she was always so nice to me, and when I needed help she was always there. She and her brother Axel loved and hated each other an equal amount. But I guess that's just how siblings are, right? They were always together. I was envious of them."

"Aevis was the type of guy who dropped everything to help you out. Whenever I needed advice for something, Aevis would always have an answer. He and Aevia got along really well, if you know what I mean. It makes me jealous."

"Aevia is quiet, reserved, and a bit of a genius... a master at playing the piano, and baking. Though she's insanely shy, and gets herself into rough situations with strangers because of it. I remember, once, Alain gave Aevia a taser to see what would happen... in a panic, Aevia tased about 5 people and an old lady because of it. She has issues, but she's sweet. I like her a lot."

"If I could compare Axel to a pokemon, it would be an Impidimp. He is chaos incarnate. A prankster that believes there a no limits to a joke. Aevia finds it hard to like him, but I'm sure she still loves him like we all do. In an "Axel what the hell did you do this time' kind of way. He's very fond of his sister Ariana, and as a result she's the victim of a lot of his pranks. Hopefully he doesn't take a prank too far. That will be his demise. A fitting death, though."

"Aero is the silent, but strong type. He was really popular in our school, much to his chagrin. He jsut wanted to live his life with his best friend Alain. Aero is also the strongest trainer among our group. If there was anything we couldn't do in battle, Aero could definitely pull it off. He's really admirable."

 

...no wonder Crescent is so protective of us.

 

Even if it's not exactly us.

 

...Sorry, Alain.

 

...so, we're from another world.

 

 

 

And Hazuki... yeah. You're angry. And Amber is right, though. You have every right to be angry, but why not just do it yourself?

 

So... everyone sees us as somebody else, huh? Interesting...

 

SEC. Again. Aelita, I think they might qualify as your archenemy by now. And it could be they're defective in this area... or they're just screwing with you.

 

 

 

And the Ligosomnia Engine got wiped... but the Puppet Master is not letting that stop them.

 

And Geara's here? That can't be good.

 

Sweet! We get to see the Starlight Arena in real time battling!

 

And Lavender's back in her dream getup. Nice.

 

And Risa, I barely know you... but you're cool.

 

And... yeah. Rhodea has every right to hate Thomas Blakeory (Senior) at this point. And I really doubt that he's sorry. At all.

 

"...you know, when I came to this school, I thought I was just going to pop in for an apple or something."

 

Yeah, Amber, so did we.

 

And after all this, we still don't have a clue where the Platinum Component might be...

 

Hazuki really needs a good slap in the face. She's gone somewhat senile...

 

...that might just be despair, though, in hindsight.

 

And Valarie's back! And so is Registeel.

 

And... so is Nymiera. Even if only in spirit.

 

"A world without her... is not the world I wish for..." ...Hazuki...

 

And everyone else is here too! Even Zetta and Risa. And yeah, Zetta, this isn't a good time to talk to Melia...

 

...I'm sorry, Huey.

 

So... Huey and Rune both fell into the Voidal Chasm? And that's where they met Flora? Wow...

 

...Farewell, Risa. I didn't know you as long as I hoped I did, but you were pretty cool while we did know you.

 

Farewell, Zetta. I hope you got to talk with Melia one last time before you had to go.

 

...I'll see you again eventually, SEC.

 

...farewell, Puppet Master. Rune. Despite the name, you weren't that bad of a person.

 

And hoo boy, things are going to get shaken up by this.

 

Bladestar at least gets a little reassurrance knowing they managed to pull a few of their goals off "posthumously."

 

Except for Flora... yeesh.

 

And we get to see Saki's parents! And yeah, they're probably right that it is not safe in Grand Dream City at the moment.

 

And Erin, Venam, and Ren all learn that Melia is terminally ill. Fun times!

 

And Melia's mind is telling her that she's not Maria.

 

And the thing is... I think she's right.

 

She shared the same timespace with Maria for three years when she was in the past.

 

She clearly has a piece of the Archetype, though.

 

But, at worst? That just means she and Erin/Alice/Allen are half-siblings.

 

And Amanda's back! The real Amanda!
 

Hoo boy, I feel bad for her when she has that conversation with Jan. Oh, it seems he already knows.

 

But... I do not want to be the person who tells Zumi and Texen their sister is dead.

 

And Saki, Valarie, and Adam are going to be out of commission for 9 months while they get put back in their original bodies... that's going to be a problem, considering that the final showdown with Team Xen and Indriad, whenever he shows up, is probably going to happen sooner rather than later.

 

But... why did Clear and Kieran transfer them between bodies in the first place?

 

On a side note, I finally got all the Neo-Gearen sidequests done.

 

And now the Goomink quest begins. He gained 11 levels by... swimming across the ocean.

 

I can see Aya regretting everything already. "What am I doing?" "Kill me."

 

Crawli takes it slightly better. As in, he's still very confused, but he isn't talking to himself.

 

Back to Saki's Gym! Her grandfather... basically bulldozed over an ancient temple to Registeel. Perhaps - well, tempting fate is a thing.

 

We have to fight Geara on the Haunted Field. Time to go back and get a pokemon with Purify! 

 

Oh, and see how Goomink's doing. He's doing well! And - what is Team Anti-Assist after?

 

And Ben, 2 badges is pretty good for a single inexperienced pokemon, in the Aevium League (and, well, a lot of the other Gym Leaders are currently busy doing other things...)

 

The boss? Who's bossing Team AA around, actually... I have theories there.

 

It's Goomelda, and my theories were wrong in this case.

 

And I heard Goomelda's explanation, and my theories were wrong a second time.

 

Big Betty... and Team Anti-Assist's boss is a "she?"

 

...I really hope Goomelda isn't dead.

 

...and if she is, this guy's dead too.

 

She's not, and Goomink won!

 

We got to see Celine a little early - so she was the one who gave the castle to the Kingdom of Goomidra.

 

And... Kasumi... "Thanks for everything. Oh, Interceptor."

 

Geara's back. And... wait, Nastasia taught him how to generate the field?
 

Hoo boy.
 

That fight was not easy - I had to think outside the box a lot, but I did win.

 

Of course, now we have Saki.

 

She was worse.
 

I won again! I used both of my Synthetic Seeds, but I won!

 

And now... the finale of the plot.

 

Saki goes to sleep.

 

The Xenpurgis... is unbeatable, even with the Champion on our sides. Wow.

 

So... we're taking them out before they can launch it. Wise.

 

And if we face it...

 

We've beaten fate before. We can do it again.

 

And with that, Version 13 ends.