Part 21: Wherein Joat passes.
And so, Joat’s harrwing journey continued. Seeking refuge in even harsher places…
They fled north.
Ooh! Are we off to find Santa Claus?
Yes, Santa is canon. Well, at least, according to the amine.
They crossed row upon row of mountains…
There sure are a lot of mountains in this region, aren’t there?
Forded fetid swamps… Scaled frozen cliffs…
Till finally, Joat’s tiny team arrived in a world of snow… A frigid wasteland of driving blizzards.
You don’t say.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I know that feeling.
|
|
|
Then suddenly, the snow ninjas attack.
|
|
|
Bah! This is nothing, you pansy! I’ve lived with lake effect snow before.
|
|
|
You having said that aloud significantly reduces the odds of that.
Well, that and the fact that someone apparently put down salt to thaw this path out.
|
|
|
That, dear Cherithe, is Absol, who is primarily a messenger of coming disasters. I can understand ver being a bit late. I mean, I’m guessing ver schedule is… full, as of late.
At the very least, though, I imagine ver job is a lot easier than usual in this case, since ve’s delivering word to Pokémon. I mean, the whole thing of them being considered, by humans, to be a bringer of doom rather than a predictor is due to the language barrier. In this case, though, that’s not an issue.
*ahem* AS I WAS SAYING, THE FACT THAT ABSOL CAN CLEARLY COMMUNICATE VIS MESSAGE MEANS THAT oh forget it…
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You mean like the ones directly to the left and the right of us?
I agree that falling snow is beautiful, but has she really never seen it before?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Especially considering that out here is horribly cold, too.
|
|
|
And hope beyond hope that nothing inflicts the frozen status on us.
Going to Snow path first, for a bit of experience and to see what it looks like.
Kinda nice, actually! Even if the path itself is more ice than snow.
Nom!
Seriously, look at that image and tell me that’s not what it looks like is happening.
Ow.
|
|
|
I wonder…
|
|
|
The coloration makes it look, to me, more like a wasteland than anything frosty.
Ooh, another one! Useless at the moment, but useful to hang onto.
That’s a rather unfortunate thing about this area. Furret is ubiquitous here and tends to flee when at low HP, meaning I often need to use up rocks to finish the job, lest I get snuck up on later by same Furret. And, as seen earlier, it even knows a multi-hit attack!
The water does sort of help make the area look more frozen and less wasteland, at least. Sort of.
Well, that’s interesting. Who is it using as a base, though? Doesn’t it usually strive to copy its opponent?
…
Someone has intruded upon the forest… The enfeebled flow of icy winds… Is the intrusion to blame? It must be stopped. For it is to protect the forest…
We’ve faced Zapdos and Moltres and we’re in a frozen area. Who could it beeee…?
Like, seriously, I imagine that even someone completely new to the series would be suspecting an ice-themed bird, right about now. Heck, during this very LP (and, so you know, this is farther than I got on my prior playthrough before being distracted by something shiny), I suspected Articuno would be showing up from the moment we were shown walking in a winter wonderland.
Uh… This is the first move used.
That was the ditto? Like, seriously, does Transform not give PP to any moves? I mean, unless it happens to have a PP-restoring item, the only moveset advantage one gets from Transform is being able to get Transform out of the way, in order to have the privilege of using Struggle.
The game sure loves this TM, doesn’t it?
Interesting! A fight against a Mightyena.
I imagine this fight would be a lot more difficult if it actually, y’know, attacked at some point.
As if this fight needed to be any easier.
Uh…
Aaaaand another one.
And we know what this means…
I do kinda wish the actual snow effect were present for the entire time, but I do understand, hardware limitations and all. That said, with the subtle tinting, this finally actually looks like snow!
Huh. I know this is a RhyHORN, not a RhyDON, but this still highlights the absurdity of Pikachu’s striking the horn with a lightning attack and winning.
|
|
|
Er, you look to be more on a plateau than in the forest at this point, but alright.
: …
|
|
|
I did not. Nor did anyone else, for that matter.
|
|
|
…Nah, not gonna make that joke. Too easy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Articuno used Flash!
Fancy that.
Interestingly, Articuno is one of my many favorite Pokémon. Sylvanus’ (one of my tulpae), too.
You mean aside from all the other Pokémon who have entered the forest, who we fought through to get here?
Because of course I open the fight with that.
It seems I have melted vis heart…
I think I came on too strongly. Ow.
Fortunately, I have a Reviver Seed, but still, ow.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It seems that being beaten up makes Articuno much more reasonable to talk to. Who knew?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Such as all of the snow on this plateau, apparently.
|
|
|
Well, yes, that goes without re-saying.
|
|
|
I do wonder exactly how ve suspects we would have done it. Or how ve can be so certain that violence will solve the problem if we did.
Yes, I know, I said Moltres’ deductions sorta made sense, but here, we arrived only after this stuff was happening.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Again, for the target demographic, someone is about to, with virtually no proof, murder a child. I mean, yes, I know, you take your job seriously, but come on, Articuno, that’s just cold. *ba-dum-TISH!*
…learned Teleport, apparently.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
While this is quite convenient, why does Absol get special treatment? I mean, Absol clearly travels, so is very likely an outsider, and Absol has no more proof than we do, so…
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Speaking of flimsy deductions, how does Articuno come to the conclusion that some random duo, one of whom is a Poochyena, would be able to do anything about this, even if they were tough enough to get this far? I mean, I doubt ve’s addressing Absol, so…
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rather hard to miss, really.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Is it that surprising?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Arcus is a Pathfinder character created by Sylvanus, one of my tulpae. Arcus is a tengu summoner who is a follower of Damerrich, and for those who know what that means, it should speak a fair bit about the character. In any case, like this Absol, Arcus is rather grim, serious, and determined, but is, in the end, a kind-hearted sort, even if not very social.
The tulpa who made Cherithe (the Pathfinder character) is named Fluffy, by the way.
Anyway, next time, we shall continue onward to find Santa! Onwaaaard!