I Didn't Get To Choose My Friends - Pokemon Platinum Random Team Run

UPDATE 06: A Bunch of Uniformed Mooks Doesn’t Mean Anything

004

We begin with a Barry impact.

005 006
007 008

009

It’s funny how all these plot events seem timed so that Barry passes by them before we arrive.

010 011
012 013

There’s Brick Break in the cave, but it requires Rock Smash AND a bike or Surf to get. So, it’s not gettable at this time.

014

Spamigo and Looker made eye contact, and Spamigo felt the instant pang of regret shoot down his spine. He took a half-step back, but it was too late now. He couldn’t pretend to have not seen Looker now, the foreigner was already rushing over.

015 016

I have no need for any wi-fi features that may or may not work. Not bothering.

017 018
019 020
021

Well, if Looker says that it’s safe, then it must be safe.

022 023
024 025

Wait, people threatening Rowan? BUT LOOKER SAID THE CITY WAS SAFE!

026 027

Rowan’s not going to pay attention to weirdoes with cyan hair.

028 029
030

Aww, shucks.

031 032
033
034 035

it’s time

036 037
038 039
040 041
042

Seems like these grunts should just crumple up like a stepped-on aluminum can after that barrage of insults.

043 044
045

I imagine the most nasally sound possible for that “Eeeeeh!”

046 047
049 050

“Oh…” Dawn said after she glanced down at Anomalo. The disappointment wasn’t evident except for a slight furrowing of her brow, but her tone conveyed it plenty.

Spamigo sounded as clueless as he felt. “What? Anomalo’s been sort of on the bench lately I thought he needed some exercise.”

“I just thought it’d be special if we were both using our fir- You know what, nevermind.”

“What?”

" Nevermind ."

051

I love Fake Out. My Hariyama in my Emerald run wound up keeping Fake Out for the entire game because he had the stats to make it hurt beyond what the 40 power would imply. On a Glameow it’s not nearly as much of an issue.

052 055

Dawn’s Chimchar take the brunt of the aggro while Anomalo uses his wittle claws to get some damage in.

056 057
058

A lucky Burn takes out the Glameow.

059 060

And the Stunky doesn’t last long on its own after that.

061 064
065 066

He keeps saying benevolent but I keep hearing it in the voice of the alien bad guy from that one terrible Doctor Who episode that looks like a low-rent Jabba the Hutt with fake feathers glued to him and an extremely coarse bad-guy deep voice trying to talk about his “benevolence” like it’s a codeword for blowing up a planet.

You heard me.

066 067
068 069

Rowan harrumphed, “I’m a scientist, not a wizard! I’ll not sully my doctrine with this mystical mumbo-jumbo.”

070 071

Doesn’t Pokemon evolution take like 30 seconds? How would you even harness that?

072 073
074

…I’m gonna need to see a citation on that stat.

075 076
077

Dawn clenched her hand into a fist and shot a narrow glare over her shoulder in the direction those two Grunts had run off. Rowan had to hurriedly break the tension before she stormed off on her own.

078 079
080 081
082 083
084 085
086 087

Rowan’s extremely chill. “Hey, here’s a Pokemon to start your journey with. If you could fill this Pokedex for me, I’d appreciate it. But I mean you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’m not the boss of you. See ya.”

It’s either that or he’s trying to guilt-trip the player into completing the Pokedex.

100

Route 204: The one with the cave. Not that cave, the other cave. No, not that one either.

106

I went down the main path, leaving that item tempting me. It could be anything! Is the detour worth it?

108

No.

109 110

No… you won’t.

112 113

Although Spamigo had always tried to be honest, he could suddenly see that being too honest in this case would simply crush poor Tyler even further. And he couldn’t bring himself to be so cruel.

124
122 123

Spamgio paused and noticed that in training, Bidoof teeth could sometimes inflict damage on Anomalo’s mineralized exoskeleton. And if they could do that much against a mineralized exoskeleton, surely they could do more against minerals!

125

So say hello to Scarfy, our Designated Rock Smash Haver.

127 128

I choose to imagine she’s just wedging her front teeth in there and ratcheting up the pressure until the rock splits.

129

Rock Tomb’s got 50 power, 80% accuracy, and a 100% chance to lower the target’s Speed by one stage on hit. It’s not a great move, but here’s what hadn’t sunk in when I took this screenshot: Anomalo’s level-up movelist is DIRE. As in, the only Physical Rock move he gets is the Rock-Type Doubleslap. AT LEVEL 49.

As soon as I realize how he’s not going to get a Rock move I windmill slam the TM into his forehead or have him copy that floppy or serve up a crispy TM with a choice of dipping sauce (ranch, bleu cheese, honey mustard, cream gravy, or the house sauce that’s always just a thickened thousand island dressing) or however you teach TMs.

131 132
133

Buddy this trip’ll be hard enough even with a diverse team.

134

It’s almost insulting how small the cave seems from this angle.

144 145
146

Look, I believe in Anomalo and Castellia.

It’s just gonna take a lot of levels and TMs.

158 159

Somehow, maybe through localized air currents, the scent of flowers only hits you in the face like a fluffy down pillow after you pass under the big arch.

167 168

I can’t figure out what this town’s theme is.

175

It’s subtle.

163 164

Surely nothing we will never be involved with.

198 199
200 201
202

I’ve got Bulk and Skull’s theme playing in my head while I read these lines. Heck, I might as well put on the ten hour version of their theme whenever I’m dealing with Galactic Grunts.

203

Walking away from the Galactic Grunts and letting them continue their villainy seemed to leave Wilhelmina annoyed, and not particularly listening to Spamigo’s excuses while she trotted beside him.

204 205
206 207
208 209

With all of that, Spamigo didn’t need to look to know that Wilhelmina was glaring at him now. With a sigh, he pulled his cap down a little tigther around his brow and said, “Alright. We’re getting involved.”