Pokemon Sun Wela Volcano Park: Value Pack

Just before we make it to the back side of Royal Avenue (where we're starting this update), we get one last NPC in the front who talks about the joys of fishing. Sure thing.

Anyway, the back half of Royal Avenue. There's only one building here, but we've got two areas and several brand new encounters to pick up afterwards. This is compared to the front side- the update contained one new route with no new encounters, cleanup in Heahea City, and then a few NPCs around Royal Avenue before the Battle Royal. It turns out USUM added a lot of stuff in that time period, and comparatively less in this part of the game, where there was already sufficient content.

Over in this south-east corner are some normal punks. The fact they look like Skull Grunts does come up from time to time, but they are otherwise unaffiliated. It is often more accurate to claim that Skull Grunts look like Punks.

Is that the lesson we take from the Guts Ability?

As much as the mechanic exists, this Murkrow was made a Pokemon we can play with in USUM.

Litter over here.

And two time-locked Zygarde Cells, the Day one over on this side.

Pokemon Sun Royal Avenue: Cry For Help

We've not got far to go to get to Wela, although we do have some sights to see along the way.

Starting with clearing out the path to Route 6 at last.

Have some of that, you bonsai fakers!

In GSC, you battled the Sudowoodo after spraying it with the Squirtbottle. This part seems to have been removed, and ultimately, I'm not 100% sure why. Probably because we could get Bonsly so easily anyway, it'd mostly be a waste of time.

You're welcome, kid.

...Hey Lana, too lazy to do it again?

After clearing out the Sudowoodo, you get the Mystic Water, the 20% item for Water moves. You know, in case Scald wasn't already scary enough.

He finishes that conversation with a mention of an interesting sight to see. There is, however, a major change in this scene for USUM...

Pokemon Sun Post-Water Trial Exploration: Fish?

In addition to Brooklet Hill, we're going to be re-exploring a lot of water areas, including some Melemele cleanup. So, you know, this is gonna be a lot of blue.

Starting with our first fishing encounter...

Magikarp (Ultra Moon): Thanks to their strong hold on life, dirty water doesn't bother them at all. They live in waters all over the world!

None other than Magikarp! Famed the world over for its incredible seven foot leap, Magikarp impresses with not actually being the record holder for lowest BST before Sunkern (that was Caterpie, actually). It is a Pure Water type that only knows Splash until level 15, where it finally gets Tackle. Magikarp evolves at level 20, an agonising process made worse by Magikarp's presence in the Slow Experience group, but on evolution, gains acclaim among Water types as being one of the better options, statistically, we'll get in this batch- held back by sporadic access to new moves. But really, we'll see so many of them we'll get sick of it.

Magikarp's Ability is Swift Swim, but it changes on evolution. It also has a HA (Rattled), but that also changes on evolution. Not that it would make good use of any Ability on its own. Note that, when it calls for help, it can summon its evolution.

There's something about that dead-eyed stare, open mouth, and static-y cry that makes you feel kinda blegh about seeing a Magikarp.

Worst part is? I had a 70% chance of hooking a Magikarp there.

If you want decent odds of hooking the things that aren't Magikarp, you need to find these bubbling spots. When you fish in a bubbling spot, you have a different encounter table- which can often mean higher levels as well as more chances at the unique finds. Bubbling spots have three big downfalls: They go away if you run over/near them, you can only get one thing out of them before they disappear, and you have to reload the map to get them to respawn.

Old games made rarer spawns more likely by tying them to which rod you choose to cast. By consolidating the Rods into one item, they made fishing way more complicated than it needed to be. So much for streamlining the process. At least this means we can get the new fishing spawns as soon as we arrive in a new route.

And yes, sometimes the fishing rod doesn't even hook. If nothing bites, the bubbling spot remains, but failing to hook does dispel the bubbles. It's literally just a time waste.

Magikarp has a 50% encounter rate in bubbling spots on Brooklet Hill's main area.

Did you want people to go fishing?

Pokemon Alola Bonus: Waterium Z

Ailey's turn to handle Lana.

Crysantha is surprisingly good for the Wishiwashi- high Sp. Def for Water Guns, and that Giga Drain from the Tutors is a deadly attack.

Genevieve has Zapple's job, and I have no doubt she'll do it with distinction. Getting Electroweb from the Tutors will put her well on her way to being even more effective than Zapple, even.

This thing is not doing anything other than Glare and Screech until it evolves, and even then...

Hawkeye is probably the most important Pokemon on this team. I did not stutter.

Usagi hits hard and maybe Baby Doll Eyes back. I wouldn't trust Z-Splash here, though- it might work out, but I'd rather have her on cleanup than wincon.

Neo promises to have some interesting tricks in store, although I may not commit to this set when better moves are available.

Lana has been moved over to this side of the bridge. And, if you might notice, so have the Trial Gates.