Bethany Plays: Pokemon Sun Hau'oli Cleanup: So Much To See, So Little To Buy

We have a lot of business to get on with, starting with getting our paycheck from this guy.

...What are you talking about? There's nothing like that in either of its SM entries. Closest I got is that it rubs its rocks against its Trainer as proof of its affection in Ultra Moon.

...Come to think of it, are you allowed in Ten Carat Hill? I'm sure there's something for tourists to be able to get their hands on Rockruff (it's too cute not to be available), but still...

Another 3000. Worth it for Rockruff, less so for Sableye.

...I hope you guys are playing on Sun, by the way.

He doesn't believe you if you show him evidence that Sableye predates on Carbink. Granted, that description isn't great evidence, but Sableye's Sun and Ultra Sun dex entries specifically say it eats Carbink.

Despite showing this off as Ailey, this is an SM event as well as USUM. It's just night-locked in both games. After Hala's Grand Trial, you can find an old lady in mourning at the cemetery.

She's currently in the Poke Ride for Machamp, which honestly looks way too amusing for the tone they want this conversation to be going for.

Also, this Machamp will be interjecting with a mighty "Hyah!" several times. If it wasn't also grieving here, I would be more annoyed.

I think part of the whole thing going on here is that it is intended, at least in part, that "darling" be potentially misinterpreted as identifying the Machamp and not the departed. Which gives the conversation an entirely different tone.

Glad to know it's not just Lillie who's running around with untrained mons. Granted, Machamp is a lot scarier than Nebby, but Nebby does kinda have interdimensional incontience...

I think this guy died a while ago.

...Sorry, Miss, I...

Oh, I'm not in mourning. Yet.

Oh dear. What did he do?

...And which he?

...It was a car crash, I take it? What I want to know is, what kind of car crash is putting dents in Machamp? ...OK, admittedly, he's only 130 kg, but still. I feel like there were other things going on when Machamp was found inside that car.

That's one way to deal with your trauma. Or, well, manifest your trauma. Still, though, did he have therapy? Can Pokemon have therapists?

...Ma'am? What happened here?

You say that like I would've stopped you had I walked off.

Mechanically, this whole thing is a place to get the Fling TM. Fling is a physical Dark move that throw's the user's held item at the opponent, with a BP calculated based on what exactly was thrown- ranging from 10 for throwing a Berry to 130 for throwing the Iron Ball. There are usually better ways to use held items, even if your goal is to get rid of your held item for Unburden or Acrobatics. Still, though, if you can find a use for it, it's there.

...Was he hit by a Tauros? Suddenly a lot of this conversation is making a bit more sense to me.

And off they go. Hopefully things go better for them. Now to get on my Tauros and head down to Hau'oli.

...I'm one of his Trial participants. I am frankly concerned you think of me as a friend. Does he not have friends of his own? People he's met more than... four times?

He is... by far the best Trial Captain I've ever seen? (Does Hala count?)

Really stepping in the uncomfortable side of Alola today, huh...

That explains why he's more eager for a battle than the other Trial Captains. I think he may have been made for a different job.

As it happens, we are here for Ilima. Fortunately, we have to walk to the room, so we can save our game in preparation.

This is in answer to the invitation for a rematch we were offered from Ilima after beating Hala.

And it looks like he's game if we are.

Right now, Ilima might actually have some teeth to him. I can tell you Noah struggled here.

How's Ilima the second go around?

Yes, he actually takes us to the Trainer School. This is just for the environment, though.

I'm rather like that too, actually. I think your problem is more that you're the first Trial rather than anything actually in your job description.

Although maybe you may still be after a career with an opponent to fight.

Captain Ilima has, despite his claims, changed very little from his initial fight. He has the same two Pokemon, although I would like to know how he's gone about making the specific improvements he has made.

Gumshoos has 31/15/31/15/31/15, as his Yungoos did the first time, and also has 252 EVs in Def and Sp. Def, the Adamant Nature, and the moves Tackle, Pursuit and Leer. What it shouldn't have done is evolved- how do you get a level 15 Gumshoos? At any rate, it has seen one improvement other than its evolution- it is now holding a Normalium Z Crystal.

It goes for Tackle, I go for setting up an Infestation.

Woodstock and Leftovers will get along just swimmingly.

Much better than Gumshoos and its fleas.

...Never mind, Ilima's decided that game doesn't meet his approval.

That wasn't even Adaptability, that was Stakeout. 100 BP STAB still hurts, especially from an evolved mon to an unevolved.

At least he can only do that once.

...Not that Dottie is entirely pleased with the idea of taking Tackles.

Well, somebody got offended by how much damage he's doing.

Victory is hers! Dottie is getting somewhere!

Ilima's Smeargle is just as you remember it: 15/31/15/31/15/31, 252 EVs in Atk and Sp. Atk, Hasty Nature, and Technician to power up its moves. It has exchanged Tackle for Quick Attack, and learned all three of Ember, Water Gun and Leafage, no matter who your starter was.

Quick Attack is its most frustrating move, and our continued lack of evolutions mean it still has some power behind it, but somehow it doesn't feel so bad from this side of Hala's Trial.

Maybe it's how our moves are getting tougher too.

He still had a Potion- I had something to say about his Quick Attacks.

Sadly, one Growl wasn't enough to save Dottie. Oh well.

Snaggletooth victory is funnier, somehow.

I swear, this guy is going to make it much further than you think he would and it's going to continue to be funny.

Look at that 2HKO. Glorious.

Then remember Smeargle isn't exactly bulky and realise why Snaggletooth hasn't exactly been preparing for a long stay.

And only going to get even better at beating Gumshoos and Smeargle. Maybe something better next time?

...Pardon? Sam was in the backup, yeah, but I thought it evolved a bit later than this... Well, I guess we're getting to see some of the second stage after all.

Trumbeak (Ultra Moon): From its mouth, it fires the seeds of berries it has eaten. The scattered seeds give rise to new plants.

Trumbeak represents greater bulk increases than Atk/Spd increases, but both it provides, and it quite likes both. Whether that'll be enough to save it from the relentless march of Oricorio competition remains to be seen. It is still statistically inferior in every stat.

~~...So that's where duck lips got their name...~~

It is rather nice to see concrete evidence of how much stronger I now am- an absolutely terrifying fight got nothing but upgrades and I revised my estimate from "wall" to "speedbump".

Although you need to find another way to express your hobby. It can't be healthy for this battle to have made that much impact.

As a reward for clearing that battle, we have received an intangible and as yet nonredeemable prize indicated by this message. We will be able to see what this provides us when we land on the third island.

Ilima also has something tangible to give us. Not the tea and snacks, sadly (I don't know what that would translate to in Pokemon mechanics), but an item.

We skip right by the tea and snacks to go right to the part where we leave. Our prize is:

The Everstone. Bethany was the one that got the freebie from Roggenrola. Ha ha ha. In all seriousness, the Everstone does have some value if used the right way. One particularly amusing use I put it to is giving it to a three stage Pokemon I want to evolve when it's in its first stage- you get bonus EXP if you're past the level you should be at to evolve, so it's faster to evolve, say, Pikipek by giving it an Everstone and letting it level up until just before Trumbeak's evolution level, to enjoy that EXP bonus as long as possible.

It does, at least, qualify as a genuine use case. It's not like I do much Breeding (where the real utility comes in).

Since we don't yet have access to the mechanic which the Everstone's secondary use is relevant, it makes sense to set it aside. I mean, I'm doing it too.

You... know I won't be thinking about mine ever again, right?

The Ilima rematch is only available now in SM- Ray and Ailey will have to wait until later.

I'm going to leave Noah's fight out of this, but I am going to show this, since Ilima has been kind enough to demonstrate how Z-Status Moves work, in game. Replacing the "boosted itself with Z-Power!" message is a description of the Z-Move's additional effect, and then the status move will be performed as normal. I'm not sure which status moves care about Order of Operations, but do stay mindful of this.

(Also, if Ilima goes for the Z-Leer instead of Breakneck Blitz, you're in trouble- that Gumshoos is terrifying with a +1 Atk, try and get rid of that as quickly as possible.)

Next up, a City Hall event. Fair warning: There's another event in City Hall in USUM, and that one takes priority over this one. I'm going to cover the USUM-exclusive events in a separate update, so be mindful of that.

This lady earlier talked about deliveries from the Berry Fields, and this is one of them.

This isn't something we need to help out with, this is a free item.

It seems Delibird's delay was caused by a compulsive desire to pick up a shiny object and add it to its delivery.

City Hall doesn't really want it, and by the same right that gives me the ability to keep all the litter items I keep picking up, this Delibird owns this.

Delibird is a compulsive gift-giver, as seen in its Moon Pokedex entry, and its mind seems to have short-circuited on hearing "I do not want your present".

"Maybe I'll get better results if I show the shiny thing to the next closest person."

The Shell Bell is a special hold item in RSE, but downgraded into ordinary hold item in later games. It's not a particularly good one- whenever the holder successfully deals damage, they heal an amount of HP equal to 1/8th of the damage they dealt. This is not a calculation that tends to go well. I'd say the best user is something slow and powerful, to stave off the damage you take from being the second one to act in a fight. This assumes you're doing good damage without needing your held item slot for a damage boost.

And off it goes, like a puppy that doesn't realise it's made a mess.

I dunno, the only silliness about it seems to be that it refused to understand "I do not need your Shell Bell". I don't know if I'd call that silly.

Hey, random tourist. Anyway, as USUM was kind enough to mention but SM not, Hau'oli City Shopping Mall is now open! Shopping Malls were typically big shopping opportunities to the player in past games, but unfortunately, this one's opened just a bit too early in the game, and it doesn't offer us much in the way of utility.

The front desk lady is usually just a welcome lady in any game. This mall doesn't even have a general goods section this time! Then again, that's normally because the normal Poke Mart in the town is missing, and that's not the case in this game.

You only honeymoon in Hawai'i once, kiddo. Well, unless you remarry, which is, I assume, related to not thinking of their wants as equally valid to yours.

This makes it sound like the souvenirs are for Pokemon held items, although I think it's meant to be read as "him complaining about holding too many bags". One of those cases where you wish it was reflected in his sprite.

This is a reference to RBY- in the Game Corner of Celadon City, a poster depicting a rocket covered a secret switch that, when pressed, would reveal the entrance to Team Rocket's local hideout. They seem to like jokes where the protagonist looks under posters for switches, just in case.

(Side note, but there isn't a Game Corner in Alola. They took those out starting with Pokemon Platinum for reasons of "depictions of gambling bump up the age rating these days". I never liked grinding out Coins anyway. Besides, Alola specifically doesn't feel like a tonally appropriate place for a casino.)

Inside this store on the bottom floor is the nice clothes store. There was one of these in XY, and it was so exclusive you needed some Lumiose Style just to enter. There is no equivalent mechanic in this game, but they have their ways of making you come back later.

Not in a store this expensive. This place probably doesn't sell clothes in your size.

Maybe. Ask an ophthalmologist.

So, how much for a new pair of-

Those are numbers.

I only have 40K Poke, for reference.

I will say, though, that is a cute hat. I may have to bookmark it.

USUM mostly sticks to the same outfits here, but it adds a complete, very expensive set themed after an Alolan Pokemon. Women get an outfit that makes them dress like a Lurantis, men one based on Kommo-o. I don't really like either of them, although I will praise the Kommo-o design for being just as skimpy as the Lurantis design.

(This lady took me a bit by surprise, particularly with screen switching, so sorry for the Ailey cutaway)

Just for coming in (come on, at least make us buy something first), we get... a Gracidea flower?

Gracidea is a special flower that blooms based on grateful feelings. This is... a heck of a thing to associate with a ritzy store.

At any rate, yes, this Key Item is actually one of Pokemon's many pieces of inventory baggage it's picked up over the series. In this case, Using a Gracidea flower will cause the Mythical Pokemon Shaymin to transform into its Sky Forme. It has no other purpose, and because Mythical Pokemon can only be obtained through special real-life events, we will be unable to use this Gracidea flower for its intended purpose.

Fun fact: Alola is the only game in the series that lets you obtain a Gracidea without already having the Shaymin. Which makes its location as "freebie item from ritzy shop" even weirder.

I wouldn't say continual, but I do want that hat...

...I'm not sure I have any shoes that might need shining.

On the right-hand side of the top floor are a few stores, which have most of the utility. And even then, this man sets the tone: We will have no need of this store.

This is another dumping ground for important items for Pokemon the series has picked up over the years.

The Red and Blue Orbs are associated with the Legendary Pokemon Groudon and Kyogre, the signature Pokemon of RSE. Although they were just plot MacGuffins in Ruby and Sapphire (and not even player-obtainable in Emerald), they became in-game utilities in ORAS, where they were reimagined to be able to grant both Pokemon their Primal Reversions, powerful alternate forms that grant them greater control over the weather than they were originally given.
The Adamant and Lustrous Orbs are associated with the Legendary Pokemon Dialga and Palkia, the signature Pokemon of DPPt. They had no purpose in the plot of their games, and their sole use (aside from summoning the two in Platinum) is to be a 20% boost to their STAB moves as a held item. I don't even think that's what competitive players want from them.
The Griseous Orb is associated with the Legendary Pokemon Giratina, who is also part of a set with Dialga and Palkia. As you might imagine, this item also gives a 20% boost to Giratina's STAB moves, but in addition to that, it also transforms him from his tank-oriented Altered Forme to his offense-oriented Origin Forme. So, more useful than Adamant and Lustrous, perhaps less so than the Red and Blue Orbs.

While SM has zero use for these items without transferring in the associated Legendaries, it is possible to find and use them within USUM. I'd save your money for when you actually catch them, though.

This, on the other hand, is a feature a player might conceivably be able to interact with- not just "at some point", now.

She'll teach the special Pledge moves to a starter Pokemon with 255 friendship. Oatchi will be able to learn a move from her, no matter what stage of evolution he has achieved, but he hasn't quite hit 255 friendship yet. Even then, the Pledge moves are of the Special category and Oatchi is a physical attacker.

Grass Pledge is an 80 BP Special Grass move with the special effect that, if an ally Pokemon attempts to perform either Fire Pledge or Water Pledge in that turn, the slower of the two Pokemon will perform a single attack, rated at 150 BP, that has a powerful bonus effect. The type of the move that is ultimately performed is based on the combo- for the descriptions below, the move listed first is the move that will be performed (important for the purposes of STAB and type effectiveness):

Grass Pledge comboes with Water Pledge to create a Swamp field effect on the opponent's side of the field. This swamp will reduce the Speed of all Pokemon caught within it by 75% for four turns.
Fire Pledge comboes with Grass Pledge to create a Wildfire field effect on the opponent's side of the field. This wildfire will inflict 1/8th of the opposing Pokemon's HP to all non-Fire types for four turns.
Water Pledge comboes with Fire Pledge to create a Rainbow field effect on the user's side of the field. This rainbow will double the chance of bonus effects used by your moves for four turns. This stacks with Serene Grace, except specifically in the case of Flinching.

Although the player will virtually never get the chance to even try a Pledge combo (even if there were Doubles Battles for the effect to occur during, you'd need a second Starter and you'd need Island Scan for that), the Pledge moves do have one useful utility- it's still an 80 BP STAB move at a point in the game before they get their own. Rowlet and Litten prefer Physical moves, yes, but Popplio might like Water Pledge just to replace Water Gun.

This man also has a move to teach to starter Pokemon, this time the ultimate move. Like with the Pledges, you will only be able to learn these moves if your starter has 255 friendship, but unlike the Pledges, you must also be in your final stage. The three ultimate moves are Frenzy Plant, Blast Burn and Hydro Cannon, and they are all Special moves with 150 BP and 90% accuracy that force the user to waste their next turn recharging after performing them. The ultimate moves, all right, although in a real fight, you might want something a bit less costly.

I love the exotic language they use to describe the eligible Pokemon for each move.

The store we can enter to the left of these guys is a restaurant, and apparently not a normal one.

Those are on the other islands.

No, really, there's a fine dining restaurant on all three other islands that is missing from this one.

This restaurant is possibly one of the weirdest mechanics I've ever tried to explain, although I'm sure it makes sense if you try it.

Of course, this food is not a thing the player can acquire.

This always happens whenever you select a dish. This is a gauntlet of Pokemon Battles to win your prizes.

And also your efficiency.

I ultimately chickened out, because I wasn't 100% sure how it worked and thought it might have been another postgame thing.

It's not, you can do it at level ~15- in fact, they don't upgrade their levels from that at all until postgame.

Ultimately, I decided to go with Ailey for two main reasons: 1) At the point in the game I'm recording this, I just landed on Akala Island, and it's easier for me to backtrack without tripping into story triggers from a USUM file instead of an SM one, 2) Ailey needs to give Mawile some EXP and 3) Callie and Nephenee's high BP Foul Play and Headbutt are just what this challenge needs.

Foreshadowing: 4) Moss would also have been very nice. I did not bring Moss.

The initial cost is 1200 Poke, paid in advance. The Trainers you fight award prize money as usual- two of the richest Trainer classes you can find will pay you back double this, and a further four have a payout of at least half the price. If you're good at this, you'll easily win back your entry fee.

We don't actually go back to sit down until we've claimed all our food.

Our first job will be to grab all the food we will be eating. Can we stuff it all down our gullet? That's tomorrow's problem.

The man in the pink shirt is a mechanical NPC, who may be talked to to give you a clue about the game.

When the minigame starts, there are four randomly generated meals, each with one of three coloured cloches. Each dish is being watched by a Trainer, although fortunately, this minigame does not have a real-time element: You may take as long as you wish to select your dish.

There are nine types of dishes, three of each type, but there are only two important pieces of information you can learn about them.

Cloche colour: The popularity of the food is determined in the order Gold > Silver > Bronze. More popular dishes award a higher score, but other patrons will snap it up while you're not looking.
Serving size: Dishes can have one or five servings of food. You will be awarded the entire contents of the cloche when you win a battle, but the cloches you didn't pick will be depleted at a rate consistent with their popularity. The initial message will tell you how many servings of that dish are remaining.

So, what are my initial options? From left to right:

Three servings of Whirlpool sushi, worth 6 points.
Two servings of Vanillite parfait, worth 4 points.
Five servings of Tamato pasta, worth 5 points.
Four servings of Eggant in chili sauce, worth 4 points.

As a side comment, part of the reason I did wind up doing this at all was to look for that Eggant in chili sauce. That is a deep cut: The Eggant Berry was released as an e-Reader exclusive for the original Ruby and Sapphire, so exclusive that it cannot be traded, stolen by Thief, or even stored in Pokemon Box. It never actually reappeared in a later game. (It cured infatuation when eaten.)

I go with the Whirlpool Sushi, and get stopped by the Preschooler. There is only one Trainer associated with each visual Trainer Class, so it is possible to know in advance what Pokemon each Trainer has. Since you have free access to your menu, to rearrange your team, you can organise to have your best counter ready assuming you actually know the list.

Hannah uses a level 13 Drifloon in both games. There's a few changes, but not that many.

This is why I have Foul Play.

...Ow. I have Potions.

Ooh, that's an important one! Topsy-Turvy is a move learned only by Inkay, and it takes all the stat stages of your opponent, and reverses them. Opponent has +2 Atk? It's -2 now. As a cool detail, this also bypasses Abilities that punish attempts to lower stats, like Clear Body and Defiant, since it's not technically lowering stats. Looking at those Totems in particular...

Shiva also hit level 15 and got its Psychic STAB in this fight. Also worth commenting on.

The creatures that most belong in the jungle will be the ones that live in the jungle.

You get a count of how many turns to go, and can choose your next dish. There will not be a replacement dish for the one you just took, you must wait until after your next battle for one.

So, how much food is left in these?

A gold cloched dish will lose two servings for every turn it is left unattended.
A silver cloched dish will lose one serving for every turn it is left unattended.
A bronze cloched dish will lose one serving for every two turns it is left unattended.

There's still five servings in the Tamato pasta. Five points here, or two points for stealing that Vanillite parfait.

Pretty much, although the EXP is worth it.

Lass Salla uses a Petilil in both games. Oneshot it with Headbutt this time.

Well, lose and you also hand over 312 Poke.

All right, there's a replacement for the Whirlpool sushi, and also one for the Vanillite parfait, since that's been naturally eaten. Good to know they both get replaced.

Replacement dishes always have the five servings ready. So, you know, try and get those ones.

Hoenn ramen it is.

~~I mean... isn't that part of the life cycle of a breeder?~~

Unfortunately, Shiva was not able to oneshot Savannah's Pichu, but she did manage to Freeze it with Powder Snow.

Savannah is one of the few Trainers to be different between SM and USUM: She has a level 13 Pikachu in SM instead.

Until next serving.

Losing a second turn's going to sting, but I didn't come here for a perfect score.

The dish over here has been replaced by a silver cloched meal, but since I took an extra turn defeating Savannah, there's only four servings in it.

Pink shirted man has revealed his purpose! If the next meal that appears is going to be a gold-cloched meal, he'll let you know ahead of time. We want this one as full as we can get it.

So it's in our interests to oneshot the Pokemon that Office Worker Cody here has. And here's the point where I lose my efficiency to my own hubris.

That is a Magnemite. A Pokemon that might have Sturdy, in addition to being particularly bulky. The best way to deal with Magnemite is with Moss, and even then, it'll probably be a twoshot with or without Sturdy.

That... that is a three turn. I had too much confidence in the power of Foul Play as a 95 BP STAB move unresisted by Steel. What I had overlooked was Magnemite's pathetic base Attack of 35.

Strategically, I probably should've taken the bronze-cloched dish guarded by Madame Kathleen (Delibird in SM, Seel in USUM), gone for the one turn with Nephenee's Headbutt, and then had a healthier chunk of the Chansey omelette. If Nephenee could secure the one turn, that'd be an extra twelve points from the omelette in exchange for losing out on... four points from this dish? Hell, if Nephenee didn't get the one turn, I'm still coming out ahead from that plan. Plus Madame Kathleen has a high Poke payout...

At least we're not the only ones having a tough time of it.

Eight points here.

And only three left here.

Honestly, I probably should've left it and let it get replaced by something else faster.

To add insult to injury, I don't get the one turn on Black Belt Walter's Machop. Maybe Shiva's Confusion could've done it, but I didn't have the Expert Belt here.

Only one turn left. I should honestly have considered checking to see what happens if 10 turns came and you were still in a fight.

However, this eight pointer was guaded by a Trainer I knew I could one turn handily, and I wanted at least some dignity back after fumbling that omelette so badly.

Rising Star Kainoa seems to think similarly, but his Noibat is easy pray for Powder Snow. It's a Bagon in SM.

My food.

Incidentally, a full list of each Trainer you can find, in order of prize money (note that the two Office Workers and Sightseers are different genders, so can be distinguished before challenging them by sight):

Preschooler Hannah: Drifloon
Lass Salla: Petilil
Youngster Kai: Charjabug/Ledyba
Black Belt Walter: Makuhita/Machop
Beauty Carolyn: Cutiefly/Meowth
Cook Carver: Psyduck/Magikarp
Office Worker Kristen: Carbink/Roggenrola
Office Worker Cody: Magnemite
Pokemon Breeder Savannah: Pikachu/Pichu
Rising Star Kainoa: Bagon/Noibat
Sightseer Amy: Diglett*
Sightseer George: Grimer*
Ace Trainer Tori: Growlithe
Madame Kathleen: Delibird/Seel
Gentleman Ronald: Pikipek/Spearow

*Sightseers, the designated class for Tourists, use the classic forms of Diglett and Grimer, rather than their new Alolan forms.

Right, so what is my score? You don't actually get to see the final numbers, just the earned reward.

Three servings of Whirlpool sushi, worth six points.
Five servings of Tamato pasta, worth five points.
Five servings of Hoenn ramen, worth ten points.
Four servings of Vanillite parfait, worth eight points.
One serving of Chansey omelette, worth three points.
Four servings of Hoenn ramen, worth eight points.

I had 22 servings. I'm not sure how much a serving is, but I think I had enough to eat.

40 points, landing squarely inside the second-highest reward tier.

In SM, you can only partake in one buffet a day. In USUM, you can partake in as many buffets as you like, but you will only receive one item a day. Presumably this is for EXP purposes.

50 points or higher gets you a Max Revive, an exceptionally limited item that restores a fainted Pokemon to full HP.
35-49 points gets you a HP UP, an item that gives 10 HP EVs to a Pokemon.
25-34 points gets you a Big Mushroom, a selling item that sells for slightly over twice the entry fee.
Less than 25 points gets you a Honey, absolutely not worth it.

The next thing Ailey does on this file is surf back to Akala Island, performing a rapid series of stunt flips along the way. I apologise profusely to the ocean and the good people of Heahea City.

Over in the top-left corner is a stage, and it says entirely the wrong kind of thing about the mall that it's probably the most relevant thing going on right now.

...

Perish Song is a move that, when performed, causes everyone on the field (including the singer) to die in three turns unless they switch out. Please don't.

We'll see that on the next island.

This is a free thing going on to "advertise Ride Pokemon". I wonder if a rental fee is included in "things Hala took care for us off-screen"- I have no idea what the point would be otherwise. Awareness?

You can (and if you want the freebie items, must) watch the whole thing. Fortunately, they don't go through all seven. Just three.

We start, of course, with the same one the player did- Tauros.

1.4 m, 88.4 kg. I think the Pokedex uses metric in metric regions, but also not having a distinction between American and European versions is the whole point of the region-free thing the 3DS has? Either way, those are its actual height and weight. ~~That is a tall woman.~~

I assume that counts us. Is it a compliment?

Yes, they give you the option to leave.

Next up, the tough horse Pokemon Mudsdale! Mudsdale is a Pokemon new to the Alola region seeing an early appearance here- and, mild spoilers, Bethany is eyeing one for her team. Perhaps this is where she got the idea, then...?

2.5m, 920 kg. To date, Pokemon have traditionally been... "fun-sized", rather than the size of a proper animal. Mudsdale is an absolute chonker of a beast because, for the hell of it, they decided to make this Pokemon based on a draft horse actually the size of a draft horse. Try not to think about how, if Tauros were a real bull, it would probably be closer to the size of Mudsdale than it is.

Mudsdale serves roughly the purpose of Rock Climb, crossing over rough terrain in our way. We haven't seen any yet, but if we do, good to know what we're looking for.

Machamp flexes for the cameras when it's brought out. As a result, it gets way more pictures.

1.6m, 130 kg. Much heavier than a normal person, but about the right height. I assume a bodybuilder might start pushing 100 kg once they have the sort of muscles Machamp has?

Machamp serves the purpose of Strength, and is the Ride Pokemon we need to push the rock blocking the Flyinium Z in SM. We won't get one until the fourth island.

...Odd praise, but OK?

It's either Ride Pokemon have a fee or Ride Pokemon are a loss leader for Alola Transit. Considering the size of the islands, I'm assuming the rental fee. Ride Pokemon are too useful to be a loss leader for a travel company.

Gladly added to the bag and moved on.

Anyway, as it happens, this event occur exclusively during the daytime. It happens in all four games, but only during the hours where the sun is up.

When the moon is out, a different event occurs here.

(It should be noted that I'll mostly be playing Ailey, Noah had to fill in for a mistake on my end this time.)

Despite the janitor's grumblings, this event is not actually dependent on you having already seen the Ride Show- you can experience both events in any order.

You get a short dialogue choice in how you phrase your apology, but neither satisfies him.

...I meant to test if he lets you walk off, but I just kept saying yes by instinct. I can't imagine he would, though. Fortunately, this isn't a mechanic that they shouldn't be too fussed about locking you into?

This is a character we can meet elsewhere in USUM, except this is not the impression I get from him. Maybe this is a different janitor? At which point things just get more confusing.

Hello, Grimey. I'd show you Woodstock, but this isn't the Trainer who's using him.

Grimey gets a nice meal, and we get a clean floor. Everybody wins.

Basi-lissa!

...It doesn't sound right.

Can probably smell all the inventory clutter in my pocket. Does he take Potions?

...

I was joking. I can't assume the answer to those questions is yes.

Rather fortunately, all this entails is walking up to piles of garbage and pressing A. No mopping minigame or the like.

Although you have some nerve claiming all of it tracked on my shoes. If it tracked on my shoes, it wouldn't be as big.

The trash isn't visible to the naked eye, but this guy has just the thing to help us see what he's talking about:

Meditation.

...Is he... sane?

Somehow, it works. There are six sparkly spots of dirt on the floor, and we need to gather them all.

You also have to walk all the way back to Grimey after each one.

Complete with this spiel every time. Things that overstay their welcome:

No matter what order you find the garbage in, they get bigger and bigger with each one you find them in. Also, yes, Ailey puts them in her bag, despite the fact that, behind the "garbage" euphemism, they are Pokemon feces.

Presumably, the big one is Mudsdale.

I think the trash sites are different between SM and USUM, for... some reason. Either that or it's random- but after doing all four trash cleanups, I think it's SM/USUM.

Interesting to consider the concept that Grimey can metabolise other Pokemon's waste products. Is that physically sound?

I'd rather not test that, though.

Good to have a backup? Maybe? I'll leave that to Woodstock, though.

The main reward for this is a TM. Not a great move, but USUM has a reason to amass a lot of TMs. Round is a move I always confuse with Echoed Voice, because the two moves have similar themes, but they function much differently. Round is a 60 BP Special Normal move, and if a different Pokemon also uses it during that turn, it turns to 120 BP and always moves directly after the first user, regardless of the correct turn order. It's a Doubles move, mostly, and I'm not sure how much utility it has as just an ordinary 60 BP move. Normal isn't exactly stellar coverage.

...Speaking of, how mad will your bosses be you coerced a customer to helping you doing your job?

Yeah, yeah, just let me leave.

No.

Rotom has an appropriate rejoinder for that side adventure. Couldn't even spring for gloves?

Checking in on my Pokedex before I finish up here on Melemele. Still plenty of missing space scattered throughout this grid that cannot be attributed to evolutions- most of this requires some tools from the next island. Also the Moon exclusives and Bagon, of course- Bagon and Salamence are the last Pokemon you can obtain in the Melemele Pokedex for a long time.

We are as ready as necessary to move on to the next island.

And this shall be our vessel of choice.

Just as long as we don't send out any heavy Pokemon. I don't think I've found anything that counts...

"I mean, if it hasn't sunk yet, the odds are in our favour!"

And it's always nice to see visible proof of legacy. Something that'll be there to prove you were there.

Let's sail.

This cutscene gets a nice, charming theme to hype you up.

And the two of us and Hau are out on the prows, catching a breeze.

Nice sweeping shot of the ship here. Also putting Lillie and her death-grip on her hat in frame.

As both the only always-female character on board and the most responsible person, I am not entirely surprised to learn Lillie's driving. I am surprised she has the skill in her toolset, though, but I don't imagine Kukui stayed on Melemele all three months of her "internship".

I think you're both exaggerating, but somehow I'm inclined to think Lillie is closer to the truth than you are, Hau. I mean, most people don't typically worry about their hat falling off in normal sailing conditions.