Anyway, a new day, it's time to check out these upstairs rooms. Turns out they've got Grunts in the foyers now!
Bold words for someone with one Pokemon.
There's the other Fearow. This one is Double Team, Roost, and Fly, an annoying kit designed to carry itself as long as possible given it's an HP/Spd investment.
My relent-less approach was too much so to let it get an attack off.
This wing makes use of a kind of gimmick that has long-been associated with Team Rocket, having first appeared in RBY's Team Rocket Hideout and Viridian Gym, but it has not been widely associated with evil teams following. Among all of the appearances of the tiles following RBY, they appear only one more time in an evil team's lair, that of Team Flare.
The boss of this wing is not the boss of Team Flare. So much for trying to fit the puzzles to the bosses.
...I think that's a question of physical space more than your capability as a guard.
Particularly seeing as you've got one of the Haunters, and none of them are really good at attacking...
Oh, you have the Night Shade one. Def/Sp. Def investment, only capable of dealing 62 damage at a time to non-Normal types.
So yeah. You're not stopping a Rattata capable of Biting.
So, how do spin tiles work?
When you step on one, you will be sent spinning and traveling in a straight cardinal direction the tile is pointing until you either hit another tile (which will start you spinning in the new direction), a wall (which will stop you) or a stop tile (which don't exist in USUM's version). Navigating a spin tile room requires taking a good look at the tiles and figuring out where the tiles you currently have the option of standing on will go.
To get that Revive, we have to stand on the down-pointing arrow on the far side. A surprising amount of the items in this room requires us to have already got to the exit.
Speaking of the exit, each room just gets more and more complicated.
The best thing to do to start with is try and find a vantage point that allows you to see as much of the room as possible. Right away, I can see that only one accessible panel will not end with me going right back where I currently am.
This one. This also lets me go right to the Grunt and the item.
...New and unique concerns. That is, if I even knew where the restroom was.
This one's the other one of the Sucker Punch/Quick Attack or Super Fang Raticates. I have not noted which one in this case, too, which clearly means I didn't see Sucker Punch as worth noting.
(This one's Sucker Punch, incidentally.)
You know what I'd do if I had a teleporter maze? Let the grunts be able to choose where they come out, but not intruders. Seems like that would fix the issues there, and more than justify never bothering with the spin tiles.
No thanks, I'm full on EVs.
Our only real option is to take this spin tile out to the bottom-left corner, before walking back up to use this one that'll drop us somewhere useful.
OK, no pillars to crash into, just all spin tiles. And yet, HGSS Viridian Gym was still more complicated.
Don't even have a decent vantage point from here. It's pretty obvious that the spin tile to my right is the only one that goes someplace useful from here, though.
Ah, there's the end of the room. From here...
Up, then left.
This will send us right in the teleport tile, but we can just step back into it to go get the item.
Although this is a downgrade from the Full Restore I got from one of these.
"Fair" is... a word.
OH GODS NOT ANOTHER HYPNO-
At the very least, there's only one of those "abuse of all that is good" Hypnoes. The other two- one of which we've already seen- are helpless against Dark types, with the only difference being one of them uses Hypnosis and the other just goes for Psychic and Psyshock.
Both proved pretty easier to take down.
At least this strikes me as something that could actually reflects what could happen to Ailey.
I have no idea how she isn't dizzy, though.
Another two-fer, too! This'll make it clear what I'm looking at.
HP/Def invested, Glare and Gunk Shot for moves. Pairs nicely with Intimidate.
Pairs less nicely with the fact this Arbok clearly needs glasses.
Sp. Atk/Spd, only carries Air Slash. Lady, both Archie and Maxie have trained us on Special Attacking Crobats, this is going to be child's play.
The Max Revives for Pokemon are rare enough, you think the one's for humans are going to grow on trees?
These Grunts... clearly have no love lost for the boss in here. The feeling, as it happens, is quite mutual. But that doesn't change the fact we're going to be fighting him, so team.
Sometimes, you really need something fast deleted before it deletes you. That's what the Choice Scarf is for. And if an opponent is weak to Water, Chip is excellent at having the power one needs to do the deletion.
Shiva is doing the same thing, but with power instead of speed. This is when there's something bulky that's going to cause problems.
Genevieve will be doing just fine this time. Hopefully. Although when she wasn't doing quite so fine with her Ampharosite, one doesn't have faith.
Whether or not I eat those Berries, I'm getting the effect of not taking a powerful hit I'm scared of. I think that's for the best.
Shade drew the "use my Mega!" card. Mostly because I want a good Fairy type, and didn't quite think Crysantha could cut it. In hindsight, might've been worth considering.
Usagi is going to soak up some EXP for a potential Mega Lopunny sweep later, and may be called on to do it now. Also, we can see that, since she's going Mega and doesn't need Z-Splash anymore, I started teaching her some extra moves again. Mirror Coat... well, you never know.
Rather than banners proclaiming the team of this boss, the floor is instead emblazoned with his emblem. Part of me feels like this is also reflective of how they represented the Hoenn teams compared to this man.
This boss isn't in a hurry to introduce himself. I totally believe that from him.
There we are. Cyrus is the boss of Team Galactic, of the Sinnoh region, and while Team Magma and Aqua established the evil teams relationship with their Legendaries, Team Galactic were the ones who set themselves the higher goals in terms of what they wanted to do with them. Unlike Magma and Aqua, Cyrus knows exactly what is going to happen when his evil plan is completed, and he wants that outcome.
Cyrus tried to create an entirely new world with the power of his Pokemon of Myth. And it was a pretty close thing even in the timeline with Dawn in it.
His motivation, and stated aim, is that he is utterly depressed with the state of humanity- and in particular, their emotions- and decides the best way to deal with his problems is to remake the world without them. Honestly, that's just par for the course for a particularly anti-social autistic, and not being supported by his parents (and not being openly supported by his otherwise sympathetic grandfather) helped push him over the edge.
The curious thing about this description is that it actually doesn't really shed light on whether this is a DP Cyrus or a Pt Cyrus. In DP, he summons only one of Dialga or Palkia, and attempts to use that to create his new world, and is stopped by the Lake Guardians. In Platinum, he uses both, and being stopped requires the intervention of Giratina, who appears before Cyrus as a shadow.
Saying he used the power of a Pokemon that controls "time and space" and the shadow interfering points to Platinum, but he only has one of them on him, and "the great shadow" doesn't explain the Ultra Wormhole he'd have to go through at some point.
I find the allusion to this particularly weird. I sorta get what they're going for, but also that's not actually a thing like they think it is.
Rotom was introduced in DPPt, and was given a Legendary-like treatment. As part of this, there are a pair of journal entries describing Rotom's appliance forms, and also the backstory of a man and his Rotom friend. They may be attempting to imply the author of these notes was Cyrus, but the notes of the time also suggested it was his subordinate, Charon.
If Rotom was related to Cyrus, the discovery that they've turned him into a jabbering jerk would be an insult of the highest order.
And this, in particular, really sells the way they're trying to make Cyrus out to be as an old friend of Rotom. It's just not as clever as they think it is.
It may be too late to talk you out of this, but it's never too late to put a stop to you the old-fashioned way.
With that very spirit you profess to hate.
Team Galactic's Cyrus will be introducing to a mechanic common to every other Rainbow Rocket boss- version exclusivity. In particular, each boss's Legendary will differ based on version. Something to look forward to when Ray fights these guys.
Cyrus's theme. In DPPt, it was a little bit lower pitched, really selling the idea of a battle against a man without faith. This version kinda feels like they gave it a bit too much spirit, but the general idea of the theme remains sound- this is a fight for the very concept of humanity.
I'd expect him to have the casual underhand kind of throw, rather than something passionate like that. At any rate, he leads with Houndoom, a Sp. Atk/Spd sweeper with Fire Blast, Dark Pulse, Sludge Bomb, and Shadow Ball. This is the kind of thing you really don't want running rampant. And with 185 Speed, that's hard to prevent.
Somewhat hilariously, Houndoom was a Platinum-only Pokemon on Cyrus's team, and its appearance in the Alola Pokedex is also due to a Dex expansion.
Choice Scarf Liquidation to the rescue! Every one-headed Cerberus must GO!
Next up, Honchkrow. Invested in Atk/Sp. Atk, as a mixed attacker might, it carries Night Slash, Sky Attack, Heat Wave, and Icy Wind. A lot of those moves are moves I'd rather not be hit by, particularly Icy Wind. Although Sky Attack's Charge turn ought to leave it open.
Surprisingly, Insomnia for the Ability, it looks. With that moveset, it's begging for Super Luck.
Right, Ice Beam right away.
Good grief, another Crobat? At the very least, people have a lot of fun with this one- How does the nihilist manage to induce a friendship evolution? Well, however he's managed it, he's not falling in line with Maxie and Archie and has kitted it with Atk/Spd, using the moves Cross Poison, Zen Headbutt, X-Scissor, and Super Fang. The hardest part of using a Crobat is apparently finding the right moves to sell it the way you want.
Genevieve handled it quite splendidly, and this is technically her worse defence! Well, maybe not if they're using fixed damage moves.
Cyrus's ace is Weavile, and somehow, the Dark/Ice type is fitting for Cyrus's particular brand of depressive funk. Atk/Spd, of course, with the moves Ice Punch, Night Slash, Brick Break, and Quick Attack. Designing the Pokemon otherwise poorly deprived of STAB was as hard for him as it was for Ray, it seems, but come on, at least pack Ice Shard!
Hahaha, that doesn't work on Pressure. But at any rate, you want something fast and hitting it in the Physical side. Hawkeye should be good at both.
...Oh. Outsped. 224 Speed is nothing to scoff at.
On the plus side, we have finally done it. We have found a moveset so terrible that the AI attacked into a weakness Berry rather than use one of its other moves. I resist both Night Slash and Brick Break, and Quick Attack is an off-STAB priority move. I genuinely think Ice Punch was doing the most damage even after the Yache Berry.
In retrospect, I think that was overkill. (The damage calculator says that did about 400%)
Palkia (Platinum): A legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh. It is said that space becomes more stable with Palkia's every breath.
Now for the version-excluisve legendary. In Ultra Moon, Cyrus uses the Pokemon associated with space, Palkia. Palkia is a Water/Dragon type, weak to Dragon and Fairy (only Dragon in DPPt), and Cyrus's is running HP/Sp. Atk and the moves Spacial Rend, Surf, Earth Power, and Thunderbolt. It has 150 base Special Attack, it can do some serious damage, and odds are pretty good it will get a hit off.
Spacial Rend is Palkia's signature move, with 100 BP, 95% accuracy, Special Dragon, and a +1 crit ratio. You know, a spammable move with an insane BP to accuracy tradeoff.
I love this staredown between a giant dragon and a tiny futakuchi-onna.
Enough being tiny, it's time to go in for the Play Rough!
...
Oh.
Well, time for Plan B. I notice Hawkeye has eaten the Berry he was holding, and is now holding no item.
I was hoping Acrobatics would be more impressive than that. This... could take a while.
I don't think there's much I've got that's taking one of those. Except my Fairies, of course. Although, come to think of it...
It turns out that Usagi actually has just enough inexplicable Sp. Def that she can just about eke out taking that hit.
This was a damage range, as it happens. The odds of Usagi being defeated here were 7/16- and at these levels, every different roll of that damage range is a different HP value. The range encompassed 147-174.
The fact that Palkia went first should have served as a clue of what move I clicked- Usagi is faster than Palkia. Mirror Coat has negative priority, however.
Palkia has 259 HP at max, and Mirror Coat would've oneshot from full. But expecting this to work was a bit of a longshot. Worked out in the best way, of course.
Similarly to Maxie, this is a defeat quote from the games, but not the one corresponding to his final defeat. This comes from his battle in Celestic Ruins, which appears only in Platinum (and actually shows him using his Crobat in Golbat form).
DP: I won't accept this! The power spoken of in mythology... I didn't just make it obey me, I made it my own!
Pt: I won't accept this! This can't be! Not after all the sacrifices we've made to get this far! What of my new world?! Of my new galaxy?! Was this all a dream to be swept away by your reality?!
To be fair, his post-defeat quotes on Spear Pillar (DP) and especially Distortion World (Pt) are long. And would not suit this context anyway.
I'd say the move Return, but it's not like I clicked that move. I feel like you'd know better than I how friendship turns into strength, given your Crobat...
...Rotom, thank you for stating the obvious. I don't think that was even a statement in question, and Cyrus's problems have less to do with his own incapabilities and more to do with what others weren't doing for him.
You actually got your perfect world? I think that means the world he was in before is done for. Either that or this really is some kind of Platinum Cyrus and he's hanging out in the Distortion World (and kinda being chill with that).
Team Galactic's HQ in Veilstone is open to the public, but getting far enough into it to thwart their plans requires a key card. When the time comes to storm the place, Dawn can find such a key card in their warehouse, and will have to use it more than once while inside.
I'm surprised they brought it back. To be fair, the other second-floor evil team boss has a shout out to his home games, and I think the Galactic Key has existed in the coding of every game after DPPt because they have yet to flush the games of the unused key items, but still.
You could use the Galactic Key on both these little devices or directly on the door in DPPt. I assume it only works on this in USUM, mostly because checking the alternative is way too inconvenient.
I also imagine they require us to use it here for flag-related reasons. Good ones, too, not just Flags being dumb.
Probably not. Pt Cyrus gets his world without spirit, and while I'm not sure what happens to him in DP, I can't imagine he gets over his misanthropy.
Anyway, time to use a key card.
Mirror door is now open. The teleport tile is still inert, though.
Only after using the Galactic Key does this thing open.
Oh, how times have changed. In DPPt, Dawn needed a Storage Key in order to access the Galactic Warehouse and find her Galactic Key, and that key broke on use. The Galactic Key never broke, which was part of the reason for getting it.
Seems they just don't make 'em like they used to.
Anyway, that's Cyrus done. Hey Guzma, Grunts still treating you well?
I'm just gonna move on in here, to this horribly behind Grunt.
Ah, the other Muk!
Toxic/Pain Split, with a Def/Sp. Def investment.
And I see that Ailey's AI has gone for Pain Split first again. They shouldn't let the AI have that move.
You did, at least, reduce Justy's HP.
This wing of the mansion is probably my favourite, even (or perhaps especially) because this puzzle type is completely original. It also feels like an actual puzzle, and not just an obstacle.
With that said, this isn't out of nowhere. Team Rocket used Meowth statues in their Mahogany hideout. Those ones summoned a pair of Rocket Grunts to fight you if they spotted you. These ones will do something else.
The other Persian, of course in a room full of Meowth statues! Sp. Atk/Spd investment, as if it were an Alolan one, with the moves Hyper Voice, Dark Pulse, Power Gem, and Thunderbolt.
...No, seriously, that's just an Alolan Persian in Kantonian form.
I dunno, I think I just my strength is just part of my purrsonality.
...My technique could use some clawing out.
In Mahogany Hideout, there was a computer you could get to that would shut off all the Meowth statues. There is no such thing in this game, but the statues now have a new weakness, since they are now in the middle of the room.
First of all, let's talk about how the Meowth statues work.
Stand in front of one, and they'll let out a loud meow and teleport you back to start. Standing "in front of them" is merely the cardinal line in front of them.
Meowth statues can point in one of two directions. Pushing the button on the back of their head (and you must be standing cardinally behind them) will change which direction they are pointing.
Changing direction until they are no longer in our way is going to be the name of the game.
Looks like I'm reading this one's thoughts.
Third Arbok. This one's got Atk/Spd investment, with the full set of Elemental Fangs and Crunch. It works on Muk. It works less well on Arbok.
I am just imagining a Rocket Grunt dressed as a catgirl.
Good question. I think the basis for it is that they're doing the thing where the James Bond villain is stroking the white cat, but Meowth itself was designed based on the lucky cat, so it wasn't specifically designed for that purpose.
Twenty years of being part of the Team Rocket trio in the anime means Meowth is never losing that reputation, though.
All right, now for navigating this room. To get that item, we need to get to that Meowth on the left, so pointing these two out of our way.
Now we can sneak around the back and grab the item...
(And proceed to never wind up using it)
I'm fairly sure we did need to move that to access the teleport.
Ooh, that's a fair few Meowth statues. Right, let's start with the basics- where do we want to go, who's in our way?
We want to move that statue in the top-right, but these two are going to prevent us from walking there.
There we are, now would you kindly...
Ah, interesting. This is one of those weird consumable items they've added for some reason but which nearly nobody uses. If you're holding this item and are hit with an Electric-type move, the item is consumed and you get +1 Atk. It does not protect you from the Electric move, and does not work if you are protected for some other reason (eg Ground type or Motor Drive Ability). Your guess is as good as mine what sorts of Pokemon want something like this.
If you want more, you can get them from Emolga ambushes in Poni Plans, or held by Geodude, Graveler, and Charjabug at 5% odds.
Right, we need to get you out of our way, and also you, because there's no way to reach the teleport tile otherwise.
That's far more fun in practice than on paper. Almost wish there were more of these puzzles.
Hm... we'll see about that.
Oh, you have two Pokemon. This might actually go somewhere...
OK, this is actually moderately amusing. The Muk has HP/Atk investments and its only move is Explosion. The Fearow's gone Atk/Spd with Giga Impact, and thanks to STAB, that might actually be more terrifying, but still. This really isn't all that terrifying. Particularly if you have a Ghost type.
Maybe don't blow up one of your Pokemon when you only have two.
...Now that was not a joke I was expecting. This is a reference to a troll answer to the question "why did they call it the XBox 360". While Nintendo is no stranger to participating in the console wars (shoutouts to DKC2's No Hopers bin), the XBox 360 was already dead by this point, and putting the joke in the mouth of an incompetent villain offers no guidance on who exactly Nintendo is laughing at. If anyone.
It's quite possible they didn't realise the origin of the joke. I don't think this is one of those memes that got too far away from its origin, though...
HP/Def investment, only knows Scald. Apparently going for the Burn part of that move.
Without the Sp. Atk investment, it's... it's trying.
I can still walk away if I moonwalk? But yeah, that refrain is so easy as to be conversation-derailing.
Apparently, so he can mock us with a reference to his home game. He says the buttons do things, but I don't believe it.
...You mean they just do that on their own? Here I was thinking Rocket Grunts did it on their behalf. Shows what I get for expecting logic.
...Wow, Crysantha's really 17 EXP off her next level, huh? Going for sweeper Xatu this time. Odd choice, but it might help.
Crysantha's back, but not Scarfing this time. Still not going to use those setup moves, though.
Chip is Scarfing. Naturally.
Genevieve has a surprising role to play, particularly with the lack of of her Mega. I hope she can pull it off, but Leftovers might be a bit ambitious...
Shade's going to have another go on the Mawilite. This should go better.
Ridley's on cleanup for a surprising amount of the team ahead. And it's only after the fact that I notice nobody's holding an Amulet Coin or Lucky Egg! I think I left the Pokemon holding those in my box by accident. Oh well, I guess... mildly upsetting, but I can live with it...
This one's also got banners. Here's Cyrus as the odd man out. And of course, the buttons.
As the only evil team who has already appeared on the 3DS, Lysandre of Team Flare has a certain character in this appearance missing from the other nostalgia characters. I feel like his face is a bit more wrinkled than his XY one, though, but that may just be his expression.
So yeah, Team Flare went full mask-off and take on genocidal overtones. Of the villains represented in Rainbow Rocket, Lysandre and Team Flare are ones I have looked into most closely, and while XY probably isn't worth an entire blog, the man has shortcomings that make it somewhat difficult to condense his exact beliefs and motivations into a simple blurb.
His shortcomings start somewhere around here. The idea behind the man is sound- he's a nihilist like Cyrus, but rather than making a new world without his problems, Lysandre has decided to take a more direct approach and is planning to kill everybody causing his problems. While he has the standard suite of "fascism won't solve your problems" in that he considers poor people part of the problem, he also has unique-to-him issues of "he wants to save Team Flare despite despising the very character it takes to join up, and knows his plan will kill off innocent Pokemon and mourns that as an unfortunate byproduct".
Also, you know how I've been pointing out how Pokemon is a post-scarcity society? Yeah, uh, no one told Lysandre that.
I should probably mention that Lysandre didn't actually do this schtick in XY- that was his subordinate Xerosic- but he did know about it and probably ordered Xerosic to do it on his behalf, so it's close enough for the game's purposes.
In XY, one button triggered the Ultimate Weapon, while the other disabled it. In that game, one could argue that the buttons did actually do as advertised.
I refuse to believe that the Ultimate Weapon is here in Alola, nor do I believe that the buttons will be able to control the Ultimate Weapon in Kalos. I mean, Sina and Dexio are pretty explicit evidence that Serena and her adventure in XY has canonically already happened, and the Ultimate Weapon was destroyed in the aftermath of that.
This is a direct quote given to Serena before she makes it to the room that Xerosic has the two buttons in, which is probably why it's all in one textbox. Now, in XY, the red button triggered the weapon and the blue button did not (but if you pushed the blue button, Xerosic would trigger the weapon remotely anyway).
Let's see if the same holds here.
Nope.
Lysandre never accuses Serena of not being the chosen one, regardless of her choice. He does, however, acknowledge the unfairness of triggering the weapon even though she technically "passed" the trial, in the sort of slimy way one expects from a genocidal madman:
But conflicting egos drive this world- things don't always go the way you want!
Xerosic actually pulls his punch if you push the red button- he admits that he was planning on triggering it regardless.
Don't lie, Lysandre, I know full well you're talking out of your ass.
Really, one has to wonder what happens if we lose this fight.
Funnily, him talking about "I will keep you busy while the weapon activates" does precede his Team Flare Secret HQ final battle. It's this bit that's new. You'd think it'd be the other way around.
It's weird, seeing Lysandre using artwork as his challenge sprite and not a 3D model, like he was using in XY. At least he was spared the weird goggles. Amazingly, Lysandre's remix for Rainbow Rocket actually sells the crisis of the incoming end of the world better than his original theme. The XY theme had the clock motif opening it, but it didn't go nearly as hard.
Lysandre's lead is Mienshao, as one of the few evil team leaders ever to be fought at a high enough level for it to have evolved. Atk/Spd investment, with the moves Fake Out, High Jump Kick, Dual Chop, and U-Turn.
Mienshao delights in running away. I wonder if he can U-Turn into his Legendary, though...
Rainbow Rocket members not getting caught using someone else's Pokemon on their team challenge: Impossible. Honchkrow is eschewing the mixed attacker plan of Cyrus's, though, instead going with a Sp. Atk/Spd build using Dark Pulse, Heat Wave, Psychic, and Shadow Ball. Odd missing a Flying move, but I'm not sure Honchkrow has one...?
Anyway, Consilia wants no part in this.
This must be humiliating for him. Imagine getting two attacks off and barely doing more than a third of my HP.
So long, you bad bird.
Lysandre's only Kalosian Pokemon in XY, Pyroar makes almost obvious sense as an ace, but he has to use something else for relatively understandable reasons. It's a great pick, though, with Sp. Atk/Spd investment and the moves Flamethrower, Hyper Voice, Snarl, and Will-O-Wisp. Fire/Normal is surprisingly underrated.
Still, that's what I've got Chip for.
Mienshao's back. Something's making me wonder if Lysandre doesn't have logic to make him use the other two Pokemon last, not just his Legendary.
Wow, that's a huge Fake Out.
And followed up with a U-Turn again, disproving my theory that he's going to force his last two slots.
And also KOing Consilia in the bargain.
Ah, yes. Gyarados. A Magikarp in a Master Ball, there's a good reason this is Lysandre's ace. Atk/Spd invested, with the moves Waterfall, Crunch, Stone Edge, and Earthquake, this thing is holding Gyaradosite. Unlike Guzma and Lusamine, who don't have access to Z-Moves, Lysandre does have access to Mega Evolution.
The next few evil teams flip-flop on whether the evil teams should be using the local gimmick, so I'm not sure if one can say either one is the outlier, but I have heard the criticism that Lysandre should not be capable of Mega Evolution and I agree with it.
But that's not for me to decide. Genevieve, you're needed.
Mega Gyarados (Sun): Mega Evolution also affects its brain, leaving no other function except its destructive instinct to burn everything to cinders.
Mega Gyarados continues Gyarados's history of not being a Dragon type by instead pivoting to Water/Dark, and exchanging Intimidate for Mold Breaker. Its statups are +30 Atk, +30 Def, +30 Sp. Def and +10 Sp. Atk. Gyarados becomes even better at what it's doing, but doesn't gain that much in the way of new tricks and is far from impressing me, although it's not like it's a particularly bad choice.
Mold Breaker does not ignore Static. I'm good.
...Well, except for the part where that happens.
Dangit. No longer x4 weak to Electric. Ah well... I can clear that with Ridley.
Good luck.
...
You went with Aqua Tail. The only move you had with a Miss chance. And you missed.
This is your fault.
Anyway, Mienshao is still looking pristine. Not switching Genevieve out, and-
...Genevieve, how did that happen?
Mienshao went down to this. And I am having new feelings about Ampharos.
Yveltal (Y): When its life comes to an end, it absorbs the life energy of every living thing and turns into a cocoon once more.
Ultra Moon's Legendary for Lysandre is a bit unfortunate, considering his Honchkrow, but Yveltal is more than ready to make up for that. It has invested in HP/Sp. Atk, and carries the moves Oblivion Wing, Air Slash, Psychic, and Shadow Ball. Really feels unfortunate next to that Honchkrow, but Oblivion Wing will make up for that. 80 BP Special Flying, it heals Yveltal for 75% of the damage dealt. Yveltal doesn't go down easy.
I have absolutely no idea why, but Yveltal does not actually have a Dark type move to benefit from Dark Aura. My suspicion is that whoever designed Yveltal's kit forgot that Oblivion Wing is a Flying type move and not a Dark type one. In their defence, you'd think Yveltal's aura would boost the power of its signature move.
I had hope, but it sure wasn't clicking a Flying move on an Electric type on purpose.
This is what Shade is for.
And more importantly, what the Mawilite is for.
Ow. Shade is like one of the handful of Pokemon that Yveltal actually wants Shadow Ball for.
So long, death! We just play here.
This is Lysandre's defeat quote for his first battle in Lysandre Labs. Like Cyrus, his final defeat quote would be unfitting, both because of lack of context and because Lysandre is a massive drama queen. In fact, both of his Team Flare Secret HQ battle quotes are like that, and it's worth showing both right next to each other:
The strength to protect, huh? But what are you really protecting? A tomorrow that will only end up being worse than today?
It's over... Fools with no vision will continue to befoul this beautiful world. They will go on until the only thing left to do is squabble over the remaining scraps of hope...
Right, that's enough of your brand of doomsday preaching.
It turns out all these buttons do is turn on the teleportation functionality to our destination.
The path forward is always opened mirror first, then teleport tile, regardless of which order Lysandre and Cyrus were defeated in.
Our way out has also been opened.
No. You refused to listen to Serena at every turn, to the point that Calem was starting to come around to your perspective.
Which was yikes, by the way.
Here's a hint, Lysandre: A beautiful world doesn't have any fascists in it.
Back to Guzma still dealing with these flailing Rockets. I don't think those two ever had oxygen going into their brains. Anyway, we've got a boss fight when we go back to see Lillie, so...
Leona, it turns out, is a perfect counter to the lead of the next boss- an odd combination of things is going her way. Considering how much of a pain it can be, I'm happy to have one.
If I wanted, Usagi could probably make some serious headway into the fight on her own. She's not going to, but I kinda regret it- it would've vindicated keeping Usagi around.
It's honestly kinda surprising, how hard it's been to fit Moss into my strategy. Technically, she shouldn't even be on the team for the challenge's purposes, so perhaps that's for the best...
Crysantha again. Having a bunch of Dark types around in evil teams makes Fairies pretty valuable. Especially since so many Darks don't really prepare for Fairies, considering how new they are.
Finally, we're bringing Kanaloa into this. Almost feels like I wasn't even bothering. Admittedly, I don't think Beth and Noah needed and/or wanted their Guardian Deities, but it's about time we got their help.
Sue drew the cleanup crew card. Kanaloa's particular plan is going to make her an incredibly cool synergistic choice, if my idea works.
Well, it's now an option. Will it help? It certainly can't hurt.
Fortunately, being ambushed in what has thus far been a sanctuary does not result in us losing a healing opportunity. Somewhat surprisingly, but not entirely unfittingly- the boss we are about to fight has always been an ambush, but has also always been preceded by a heal.
...Hello there. You don't look anything like your coworkers.
I mean, what were you expecting to see? The back side of a mirror?
You've got two idiots who flunked primary school Science class and two nihilists who think there are too many people like you. Frankly, I think less of you for assuming they'd do anything to help.
Oh, you haven't met this guy, have you? I suppose we haven't either... well, I'd say he's not the boss of Team Rainbow Rocket, but that doesn't preclude the need to fear him.
He sure seems to know what happened to her, at any rate.
Ghetsis, the mastermind behind the activities of Team Plasma (although at the time of BW, he was not technically its commander) and the direct narrative ancestor to Lusamine herself. Much of what makes Lusamine the woman she is exists in Ghetsis's characterisation, although the two have many differences to set them apart.
Ghetsis is the only evil team leader represented in Rainbow Rocket who could conceivably have come from two points in the timeline. Maxie, Archie, Cyrus, and Lysandre all have different "versions", but at the end of the day, all four of them only ever had one evil plan, and the devil was in the details of how it unfolded. Ghetsis was defeated twice- once by Hilda, once by Rosa. Considering his attire, his Legendary, and what he alludes to in his conversations, I suspect this Ghetsis is one that succeeded at the plan Hilda was meant to thwart- his first one.
Telling me that a woman is currently asleep in the domain of men who have done a hostile takeover of her entire house is not the reassurance you think it is.
Lillie lights up on the fact that her mother is ahead, and goes to run in and see her.
Lillie, I really don't know what you expected.
I guarantee you, if it has anything to do with you getting more power, it is not the reason you're here. You're just making up excuses for your own rhetoric.
...I feel like whoever wrote this line forgot where exactly the line between what Team Plasma was preaching and what Ghetsis's goals were was drawn. Ghetsis's evil plan was to manipulate N into believing that the bond between human and Pokemon was inherently abusive, have him headline rhetoric to persuade all of Unova to think the same, impose an order mandating that they release all their Pokemon, and then swoop in with his team of Pokemon (who he wouldn't release) in order to rule unopposed. And yes, the implications of this plan as a metaphor for related real world symbols of power is not lost on me.
The person who wrote this line is sort of ascribing the belief that Pokemon "should" be freed from people as a genuine belief of Ghetsis's. Whatever his opinions on the matter, he only cares about the topic as far as it is useful to giving himself more power.
Ghetsis, in all three of BW, B2W2, and USUM, never does his own dirty work, instead hiding behind puppets. While this highlights his cruelty, considering this fact as a pattern makes me realise... lazy much, Ghetsis?
His pawn this time is Giovanni, the boss of Team Rocket, and not Lusamine.
I quite like this reflection, particularly how it colours his new ambitions compared to his old. In BW, he raised N from near-birth, grooming him for the role he selected, but N's nature as being genuinely compassionate put him at odds with Ghetsis's plan and ultimately led to his downfall. What better way to go about things the second time than to employ someone who genuinely desires something similar to your own goals? Simply point them where you want them to go, and you rocket up as mutual beneficiaries!
I recognise no king.
Surprisingly, this is not a reference to his BW lines. When you're about to fight him, you have already disarmed a large chunk of his plans and even if he wins, he'll have to go back to the drawing board to try again. As such, his pre-battle cries are far more petulant:
BW: I won't allow anyone to stop me! No matter who does what!
B2W2: This time I WILL succeed! No matter what they try, no one will be able to stop me!
The artwork really nails the petulance, though. Ghetsis served as the literal final boss of BW, and the sharp spike in levels he had over his preceding boss fights make him one of the more intimidating evil team bosses by reputation. Fortunately, time has not been kind to him. His theme keeps his iconic Latin orchestra he got (making him Pokemon's only final boss that has a JRPG-style Latin final boss theme), although I think this is the version of the theme that sounds least intimidating.
To be fair, he's openly not in charge of anything this time.
Cofagrigus (White): They pretend to be elaborate coffins to teach lessons to grave robbers. Their bodies are covered in pure gold.
While most (but not all) of the other evil team leaders' Pokemon are in the Alola Pokedex, by accident or design, most of Ghetsis's Pokemon are absent, surprisingly. His lead, as it was in all three games, is the pure Ghost-type Cofagrigus, known for being a powerfully defensive Pokemon and for having a highly unfortunate swear word in its name. Ghetsis's has invested in Def/Sp. Def, naturally, and carries the moves Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse, Power Split, and Will-o-Wisp. Power Split is a Psychic Status move that will average out the Atk and Sp. Atk of it and its target (with base 50 and 95, respectively, Cofagrigus is probably gaining in both). Its Ability is Mummy, which, when hit by a contact move, will overwrite the Ability of the offending attacker with Mummy.
Leona, as a Special attacker that is immune to both Shadow Ball and Will-o-Wisp, has already shut down most of Cofagrigus's scariest tricks.
Honestly, I'm not used to oneshotting Cofagrigus, especially not with off-STAB. Power of Choice Specs.
Bouffalant (B2W2): They are known to charge so wildly that if a train were to enter their territory, they would send it flying.
Found only on his BW team, Bouffalant is a pure Normal type that takes cues from Tauros, while serving a bit more of a specialised role. High Atk, strong defences, but much weaker Speed. Ghetsis's is running Atk/Spd investment, with the moves Head Charge, Poison Jab, Earthquake, and Megahorn. Ghetsis's has the Ability Reckless, suiting his playstyle to a T, but Bouffalant only has one recoil move to use with it- its signature move Head Charge, which is literally identical to Double Edge in every way but name. In BW, it had Wild Charge, but that got replaced with Megahorn.
...It had Poison Jab in BW, surprisingly, despite it not yet being Fairy coverage at the time.
All right, Usagi, it's your turn.
Literally everything except Cofagrigus and his Legendary is weak to Fighting. And with Usagi's Speed, she could probably High Jump Kick all three of them without touching the ground.
Hydreigon (Black): This brutal Pokémon travels the skies on its six wings. Anything that moves seems like a foe to it, triggering its attack.
Including this thing. Hydreigon is the 600 club member of Unova, and Ghetsis's underlevelled one is the keystone of his reign of terror over BW players. This one is not underlevelled, but it is a Special sweeper with Dragon Pulse, Dark Pulse, Hyper Voice, and Surf. A Dark/Dragon type with Levitate for the Ability, it's not quite as terrifying now that that the Fairy type exists and has a x4 SE on it.
Once a terror. Now? Crysantha's plaything.
The only thing Ghetsis has that we've seen before, Bisharp is running Atk/Def with Iron Head, Night Slash, Stone Edge, and X-Scissor. Defiant for the Ability, and a fairly standard sort of Bisharp.
That Stone Edge could've sucked, but the accuracy is not worth writing home about. Amateurs.
Reshiram (White): When Reshiram's tail flares, the heat energy moves the atmosphere and changes the world's weather.
This is slightly odd: The pattern thus far is that the Legendary the evil team uses in Ultra Moon is the legendary of the game listed second in common phrasing. Reshiram is the mascot of Black- the first game. This is supported by the text, though- in the plot of BW, N got his hands on the opposite mascot to use against you. Had Hilda failed to materialise, it is probable that Ghetsis would have commandeered it rather than look for the other mascot.
Regardless, it's a Reshiram we're fighting now. Atk/Sp. Atk investment, with the moves Blue Flare, Dragon Claw, Hyper Voice, and Zen Headbutt. I'm a little weirded out by the choice to not go all in on Sp. Atk, but it's not like the Atk stat is anything to scoff at. Blue Flare is a 130 BP 85% accurate Special Fire move with a 20% burn chance, as you do.
Turboblaze is basically Mold Breaker by another name. It's just to make it look cool.
Finally, a use for Misty Terrain!
What do you call that? 130 BP and that's all you have to show for it?
Not that I'm doing any better.
All right, time to do something for the next guy.
Twice! Thank you speed drops!
You served your purpose, Kanaloa.
Sue thanks you for nullifying the weakness she has to Reshiram's Dragon Claw.
And the Speed drops, those helped extra.
Vermillion City. It's not my fault your stupid American ass doesn't know geography.
This is actually the last line of his B2W2 final defeat quote. In that context, he was expressing dismissal of Rosa's origins in New Jersey. So on top of Ghetsis's conventional assholery, he's a snob about what part of America you're from. Part of me hopes that's intentional.
"I am perfection" is a beloved one of Ghetsis lines, and really, it shows off a side of the man that really emphasises how much much of a paper tiger Ghetsis is. The man refuses to execute his own evil plans, and the failures of said plans cause him to go literally insane. The fact that Ghetsis got as far as he did once is kind of an embarrassment for Unova.
Your new world is as pathetic as you are.
Even Lillie recognises how difficult it is to take this man at face value.
I'm hardly rethinking the idea that Ghetsis should (or should not) be considered a classic villain. But I am noticing that he fits a particular mold of character with a fundamental belief in transparently absurd rhetoric that he is championing for personal power, combined with the fact that he's the villain in the games set in the contiguous States, and wondering how much of that was intentional.
At least he admits that his inability to accept reality is his own personal failing and not ours for failing to persuade him.
At which point he lunges forward and knocks Lillie aside.
Considering it is semi-canon that Ghetsis's right arm is in some way infirm, this is actually kind of physically impressive. I'm almost expecting him to topple onto his side and start flailing pathetically.
Nobody likes a sore loser. Even the other villain teams accepted the result of being defeated in a Pokemon battle, including in their home games with their own evil schemes' outcomes at stake.
For what it's worth, Ghetsis is currently the only character in a mainline Pokemon game to attempt physical harm on any other human- and he was daring enough to do it to a protagonist! In that case, he ordered his Kyurem (who hadn't yet been defeated in battle) to use Glaciate on Rosa in B2W2. I notice that he is not attempting to have a Pokemon enforce this threat, and indeed, all of the Pokemon on him ought to be too tired to do much in the way of enforcement.
(Technically, and hilariously, speaking, Ghetsis using Glaciate on Rosa was not him having a temper tantrum, but also a hostage gambit. It's not obvious, because N was not yet present when he made the order, but him using Glaciate on Rosa was to force N into the open so he could steal his dragon and fuse it with Kyurem. The fact Ghetsis would celebrate Rosa's death is just icing on the cake to him.)
I had no intention of it. Besides, I think Usagi could zip in and get you out of there if she needed to.
She's not N, Ghetsis. And just because she's got an abusive mother doesn't mean she'll bend to a different abuser.
We've come a long way in the name of giving Lillie what she deserves, and it's not like you're something unusual.
I think you're the one who has both failed to listen and failed to understand. I'm not giving in to your hostage situation, and this is not the same as me sacrificing Lillie. This is me calling your bluff.
(The dialogue for surrendering, as seen by Ray. Another one of those lines that would have read a lot differently if the girl was the one seeing it.)
I haven't been skipping anything. He literally just teleported in. He doesn't even have a real animation for it, just a sound effect.
It doesn't really take away from how cool of a rescue Colress gets, literally teleporting Lillie out of danger before she's even realised what's happened.
It kinda downplays the strength of the moment that Colress has teleported her no further away in terms of absolute magnitude, but it's not like Ghetsis is allowed a weapon other than his Hydreigon. He doesn't even have his B2W2 cane!
Speaking of, I've pointed out how, considering what we know of Ghetsis's plans, this is his BW appearance. Colress did work for Ghetsis... but only in B2W2. As far as we are led to believe, Colress only joined for the B2W2 plan. And yet Ghetsis still recognises the man.
No such scene appears in the game, which means this is a backstory element of some description. I'm not sure if we're meant to think of Colress as an Aether collaborator who helped Lillie get away with Nebby, or if this is describing Colress's collaborations with Aether after Lillie came back- this would have something to do with Necrozma, no doubt. The timeline is more favourable to the former, but it would paint Colress not particularly pleasantly to be tarred with the brush of collaborating with Aether at Lusamine's most crazy and not getting a chance to explain himself.
He actually did materially meet us- he gave us the N-Solariser and N-Lunariser.
One day I will care about those, but that day is not today.
Invisibility. Sure. I think you teleported.
The game does choose to have Colress lend a hand at this exact moment so it can have Colress acknowledge his history with Ghetsis, as tricky as that might be while trying not to call him evil for it.
I have absolutely no idea what gives you that impression, Ghetsis. Why would one need reason to meddle with you?
Colress gives him a comment along those lines, attributing his desire to see Ghetsis lose to his hatred of the man himself, and then does a very rapid movement where he types into his gauntlets before holding his hand up to Ghetsis.
Looks like we know who's been doing that, then.
He comments about that, but he does have an argument. Rosa was given a Colress Machine in order to startle a Crustle out of her way as an obstacle, and it immediately broke on use. I'd hate for a machine needed for something more important to be similarly limited.
I dunno why, I'm getting a "family friend" vibe. Even though this is probably more formal than not.
I don't think we were too surprised that was what was going on, but nice to have confirmation. Wherever he is, he's not our problem anymore.
He's no doubt lording over his own world, given there's no Hilda around to stop him, but that's a problem for his world to solve.
The alternative sounds nice, but I certainly wouldn't want to go around establishing too many precedents for going into other worlds and solving their problems. In addition to the vaguely colonialist vibe of assuming they've got no solutions of their own, I don't think I could handle the responsibility of choosing where to stop.
Lillie gives this worried reaction, presumably out of ignorance. It's helpful to keep in mind that, in our world, if Ghetsis is still alive, he is a vegetable, and not particularly in any hurry to cause harm to anyone, much less anyone outside the Unova area.
While he has been able to send people back, his device isn't quite capable of sending the whole thing back. In part, he probably isn't even entirely certain of what needs to be sent where.
With Giovanni around and plotting things, the answers to Colress's questions are no doubt going to change, and that makes it difficult for him to do much of anything. Deal with him, and Colress can answer his questions and do the things he needs.
No need to condescend to her, Colress.
Do you have the blueprints of Lusamine's mansion? I'd run comparisons to be sure you're setting things "right".
Lillie will still give us our free heal before Giovanni, of course.
Oh hey, Colress does try out this whole "explaining what the hell is going on" thing if you talk to him at this exact moment.
...You can just say this is here for fanservice, I feel like Necrozma hasn't exactly been doing enough interdimensional travel in order to resonate with much of anything. If UBs could do stuff like this, they'd be much more terrifying than they already were.
Choice Scarf? On Shiva? There's something incredibly fast in this fight that I do not want to get a single attack off. Fortunately, it is pretty easy to actually KO it once you're launching an attack, but Shiva does need that Scarf.
Sue is just going to be practical. Annoyingly, weak to Ground, but her own Speed should serve her just fine.
Kanaloa's also got some good chops to show here. This is the sort of fight where a Water type pays off.
Psychic and Tailwind, mostly. And I don't even necessarily expect the Tailwind to work.
Mega Evolution? Of course it's Shade. Shade's got my best strategy for one Pokemon in particular- the ace.
It says a lot about how scared of the ace I am that I'm carrying this. If I use Usagi, I will consider the fight morally lost, but Ailey's team leaves an unfortunate amount to be desired.
Time for us to beam on up to the mystery room again.
There's two teleporting sounds, one after the other, and then we both run on screen at the same time. One of us was waiting for the other, and for some reason, I feel like it's supposed to be me waiting for Lillie.
Lusamine is currently lying on the ground unconscious. We won't be paying her much mind, but it kinda feels like she should be repositioned so she at least doesn't look like she's just been knocked over five seconds ago.
Did they catch the adults we were accompanied by?
There's a part of me that wonders just which one of Ghetsis and Giovanni is the one in charge. Something about the way Giovanni acts kinda makes me feel like any acknowledgement of Ghetsis's "manipulations" is him humouring the man.
...About what I expected.
At least he gives us due credit.
They're having a lot of fun not showing this guy's face for how nondescript it is.
...That was your ambition? And here I thought you were doing something sensible, like racketeering. I think you might have the least possible goal of everyone, and I'm including the guy who wants to recreate the world without the human condition.
Giovanni is clearly based on a conventional Japanese businessman, as part of his whole schtick of doing most of his business "legitimately". As a result, it's hard to take this face reveal seriously. HGSS and B2W2, Giovanni's last appearances, gave him a conspicuous fedora and trenchcoat, since they take place after he was deposed and requires being in hiding, and this honestly helps the man stand out compared to using his FRLG design.
At least he gets an encounter theme. Not a great one, honestly, but they're going somewhere with it.
Sometimes I really wonder whether we're supposed to be able to see things that are off-screen, but otherwise visible in the room.
I mean, clearly you've done something to her. I don't think I'd leave her like that if I didn't have some kind of insurance.
I feel like this is a plot point that couldn't have been left unstated like this. The only implication that the UBs are relevant to Rainbow Rocket is the acknowledgement that it was likely Necrozma's inter-dimensional activity that allowed them to arrive. They do not have access to this Necrozma, and there is no suggestion that Giovanni has a UB of any description under any form of control- it's sure not on his team.
It's not even like Nihilego is supposed to be able to brainwash you into doing things you didn't already want to do, and that's the only UB known to have brainwashing powers of any kind.
I choose to interpret that as a literal question, but Giovanni doesn't seem to be in much hurry to answer it.
Giovanni announces his actual plan- to get his hands on some UBs and start conquering.
And stealing Aether's notes is exactly how he's going to get his hands on some. If the earlier line was a mistranslation, I suspect the plan would be that Giovanni would keep Lusamine unconscious until he gets a UB before going back and brainwashing Lusamine with one of those.
This does not, however, explain what UB Giovanni thinks can accomplish this end.
Giovanni turns to us, and prepares to do another bit of acknowledging the schemes of Team Rocket's history- one that has actually turned up in-game before.
He asks if we want to sign up.
I wonder if the guy running the Nugget Bridge mockup in Malie Garden were told their old boss is active. I don't think any of the Rainbow Rocket grunts are using the right Pokemon for it.
Don't ask stupid questions.
Even Giovanni declares an acceptance null. I don't think Ray is capable of joking.
This is a Giovanni that has never met Red, but somehow, he has the memory of it. This might raise more questions than it answers, although considering Giovanni did hold the post of Viridian City Gym Leader, perhaps he's just thinking of a normal kid fighting him in that position.
Giovanni and "make you feel a world of pain" go way back. This is his pre-battle quote for his Silph Co. appearance in RBY, and in addition to that, it was used for his Rocket Hideout battle in FRLG. The quote also appears as his pre-battle quote in B2W2, seeing as how his position as Gym Leader allowed him into the massive rematch set that game offered.
Giovanni may have won the top spot on being first, but he's determined to make it count. His team has flat 30 IVs, not 25, and he's got a surprise so lovely waiting for us that he's actually going to handicap the rest of his team to accomodate it.
He has also finally dug between the couch cushions and fashioned himself a theme to call his own- he has never been able to claim that before now. This theme remixes the standard Rocket theme with what I am told are the Rocket Hideout and Radio Tower Takeover themes, played on instruments that really sell the image of a man who has the power of a yakuza. He's earned it.
Like Ghetsis, every Pokemon but one is something we are not expected to have seen before in USUM. Unlike the other evil team leaders, every Pokemon but his Legendary shares a type- he's borrowing more from his Gym Leader team than his Team Rocket Boss team, and has eschewed Kangaskhan and Honchkrow. As a matter of fact, Giovanni's team is exactly identical to his RBY Gym Leader team, except he's evolved his original ace (it gained an evolution post-RBY) and dropped the dupe.
Dugtrio is a Pokemon we're familiar with, although this one is sans Steel tying. Atk/Spd invested, with the moves Earthquake, Sucker Punch, Sandstorm, and Stealth Rock. It is also one of a very exclusive club of Pokemon holding an item: It's holding a Smooth Rock. If I want Usagi to be an option, and also for the sake of the rest of the team, I must under no circumstances let it set up Stealth Rock or Sandstorm. Its Speed score is 231, so if you want to outspeed it, you need to have a Speed score of at least 155 while holding the Choice Scarf. I can't imagine having something faster than that without the scarf.
Shiva has 194 Speed before the Scarf. She also has SE on Dugtrio, and the Ground type in general. This might actually set up a sweep.
Although I'm just glad to get rid of this. It's also worth mentioning it has Sand Veil, so, uh, that'll be a fun time if Sandstorm gets off for that reason.
Rhyperior (HGSS): From holes in its palms, it fires out Geodude. Its carapace can withstand volcanic eruptions.
Probably the most impressive Ground/Rock type of the lot, Rhyperior is the aforementioned evolution of Giovanni's original ace. Atk/Def invested, you can expect a titanic Atk and physical bulk score, but terrible Speed and Sp. Def. It has the moves Stone Edge, Earthquake, Megahorn, and Thunder Punch, and the Ability Lightning Rod.
This is where Kanaloa is coming out. I have some bad news for Giovanni.
Rock/Ground was a very common type to fight in older games, almost entirely represented by Geodudes (and ones without Sturdy), and everyone knows the way to get rid of them is with a Water type attack. They not be as prolific, but without the benefit of Rhyperior's better Solid Rock Ability, Giovanni is able to demonstrate the issue with the typing. It's a fantastic offensive typing, and Giovanni at least had dual STAB, but still.
Nidoqueen (Silver): It uses its scaly, rugged body to seal the entrance of its nest and protect its young from predators.
The female evolution of Nidoran, famed the world over for being inexplicably unable to breed despite there being no valid explanation why, Nidoqueen is the weaker and bulkier of the twins. Poison/Ground typing, with an HP/Sp. Atk investment and the moves Sludge Wave, Earth Power, Surf, and Flamethrower, this will serve as Giovanni's only Special attacker of his Ground types. This is not actually reflected in its stats, but most people tend to accept Nidoqueen is a Special attacker nonetheless. XY gave them her perfectly cromulent Atk buff and everything!
That bulk does mean it's taking an Earthquake. I think these two might both take doing.
And sadly, it seems Sue will not be the one doing it.
Kanaloa, I guess Scald can help out here, too.
...Ah. Yeah. Forgot they could... do that...
At least Kanaloa took it. Probably won't get the second one, though, it's faster.
Nidoking (Yellow): Its steel-like hide adds to its powerful tackle. Its horns are so hard, they can pierce a diamond.
Nidoking is the male, stronger and squishier. Considering the margins of their stats either way, the calcs work out that Nidoking is usually the better one (which I think is complemented by a better movepool), but Giovanni has found a way to make both put in work. HP/Atk investment, with Earthquake, Poison Jab, Throat Chop, and Aqua Tail. Both of them have deep movepools, to the point that a mono-Poison run I did used two Nidokings- a Physical one with Poison Point and a Special one with Sheer Force. These ones only have Poison Point, thankfully.
This is the last Pokemon before the Legendary, so this is the time to Tailwind.
Although that may pose an issue... I was hoping for a Psychic.
That... is probably the last thing I wanted to see.
The Misty Terrain is gone, too. Didn't need it for anything- Giovanni isn't carrying any Dragon moves- but it will be missed.
I think Shade is the way to go. It also helps I want her fighting the Legendary.
This won't give me anything tangible, but it does feel right.
And also, I am not happy with you.
...I was also expecting a Full Restore, not gonna lie.
Mewtwo (Yellow): Its DNA is almost the same as Mew's. However, its size and disposition are vastly different.
The OG strongest Pokemon ever, Mewtwo's power is no exaggeration. 154 base Sp. Atk, 130 base Speed, and we're asked to solve that from about ten levels down? Yes, it has invested in Sp. Atk/Spd, and even though Psychic is no longer a terror thanks to the Dark typing, Mewtwo has an impressive kit of Psystrike, Psychic, Ice Beam, and Aura Sphere. Almost going easy on us, what with the two Psychic type moves, but consider that's STAB and gives Mewtwo a choice in which defence it will hit, that's not much of a boon.
Psystrike is a 100 BP Special Psychic move that hits physical Defence. It is still a Special move, though, and will interact with Mirror Coat, Light Screen, and so forth.
Don't worry, it won't be doing that long.
Mega Mewtwo Y (LGPE): Despite its diminished size, its mental power has grown phenomenally. With a mere thought, it can smash a skyscraper to smithereens.
Mewtwo is holding one of its Mega Stones (which one depends on your version), leveraging 780 BST against you. Mewtwonite Y is worth +40 Atk, +40 Sp. Atk, +10 Spd, +30 Sp. Def, -20 Def, and grants Mewtwo the Insomnia Ability. For some reason (no idea what it could be), Mewtwo never gets a good Ability. We've got plenty enough to be getting on with. 266 Speed.
Oof. Worst part is, that's a damage roll- to be fair, falling short the KO is the more likely outcome, but still. It might as well be a coin flip.
Fortunately, it turns out that Mawile is actually an amazing pick to bring to Mewtwo Y. Steel/Fairy resists Psychic, Ice, and is neutral to Aura Sphere, which is incidentally the weakest possible move.
I handily take one hit. Keyword: One.
If it's any reassurance, Shade falls short the outspeed even with Tailwind.
That's just cruel. And the worst part is, I was in a false sense of security about a lack of Full Restores, so I clicked Sucker Punch again. Play Rough actually has a chance of KOing, but it's 1/4.
Need to Sucker Punch this time, and thankfully, I land the 7/16. I think it says a lot about Mewtwo that I had the best type and I still needed luck to win. Imagine how the RBY players felt!
You can say that again. This is his Viridian Gym defeat quote, and his behaviour surrounding his defeat characterises him well as being a good sport about losing- as much as a yakuza don can, at any rate.
Giovanni has the highest prize money coefficient in the game- x320. This also happens to be the highest coefficient ever, too. He really is a good sport!
One thing it's worth mentioning- there is no textual evidence in RBY
that Giovanni has the slightest interest in Mewtwo. Giovanni was
responsible for the project in the anime, and the trend of villain teams
basing their plans around a legendary caused many players to read into
Giovanni's actions and ask whether he did have the goal of catching and taming Mewtwo, but there is no support for that within FRLG. In addition to that, Giovanni has never appeared in a game with Mega Evolution before now- although the next games would go about rectifying that. Not that I think many people particularly minded the chance to go up against a Mega Mewtwo.
"I see you have raised your Pokemon with the utmost care" comes from RBY. You can kinda see how his last fight was part of the League Challenge. One thing that kinda changes the context in USUM, though, is the absence of his next sentence "A child like you would never understand what I hope to achieve."
Clearly he knows better than to doubt a kid's capacity to understand. Particularly to understand enough to fight.
...
Then what do you call what's happening now?
There's a large earthquake-sort of effect and a few screen flashes, but of the sort it's hard to convey in screenshots.
This one's also a post-defeat quote from Giovanni in Viridian Gym, picking up after he complains that Red doesn't understand him. Given what we know he was doing in HGSS thanks to the Celebi event, I'm only so worried about him.
With that, the castle has been reset.
...Although if the game wants me to be happy that Lusamine's collection of cryogenically frozen pets is back, I think we have a fundamental difference of opinion.
I understand "rather the devil you know", but that assumes what we're dealing with here is a devil.
Guzma's finally done holding the faces of Rainbow Rocket Grunts. I assume he promptly fell over.
...Colress, couldn't you have zapped those guys, at least?
I wouldn't call it 'easy'. Surmountable, yes. Perhaps a little tedious? Yes. But easy? Mate, they were throwing EVed Oblivion Wing Yveltal and Mega Mewtwo at me.
...Downplaying your own part in that and implying that defeating Giovanni alone caused the eviction event? There's "we're not explaining, this is fanservice", and then there's "we're going to give lip service to explaining, and confuse the matter further than if we had offered no explanation."
...Admittedly, that has been USUM in a nutshell.
...No explanation?
Fine. I didn't care anyway.
His machines definitely... work.
Anyway, it's time to finally let Lusamine talk.
Good on you for noticing your daughter. Particularly given she's the only one who matches the colour of the room. Even with the outlines and bright yellow hair, it can be tricky for me sometimes.
Guzma's happy to remind her that he's here too. This Lusamine may not be as cruel, but she still made use of his attachment issues.
It's not like you listened when the Ultra Recons told you not to pursue Necrozma.
...Hopefully this is her having learned from that.
Absolutely no acknowledgement of the fact that it was your fault last time.
...OK, technically, it wasn't, but that's on USUM, not her.
There's a small movement just slightly off-screen, and Lillie calls out to Faba, who has somehow snuck in here for a moment of addressing the elephant in the room. Frankly, I feel like him being in here without permission is worthy of censure on its own.
Faba quickly goes back to ass-kissing, hoping that Lusamine's unconsciousness will allow him to hide from the consequences of his actions.
And for right now, it seems to be working. Lillie is looking very displeased with this turn of events, though.
His face doesn't even look contrite.
Lillie, who saw him usurping the Foundation, is more than happy to rat him out. As she should. Doing what Faba did to your boss's daughter would definitely be grounds for censure if your boss appreciates her as much as a parent ought.
Faba realises this, and immediately shuts her down with a classic line for shutting up women. Just as hateable as you'd expect-
Before promptly explaining what exactly he did in his denial.
Lillie is shocked. Guzma realises that, as dumb as the people he surrounds himself with are, that there is dumber.
Even Lusamine can't overlook that.
Although I really wish Lillie got to be the one that got the punishment to stick and not Faba.
You can run, but you can't hide.
...We're really ending this one on a laugh track?
Now then, we can have our briefing with Wicke. Someone with a head on her shoulders.
If she had anything that didn't wear of in a day, I'd be worried.
Fortunately, it seems that justice made its way to the man.
Faba hasn't received any of the standard punishments you'd expect of someone who betrayed a company like the Aether Foundation. He's got something far worse.
He has been... demoted.
You mean there's a possibility he might? I suppose one shouldn't count out the possibility of genuine redemption, but I don't think Lillie or Gladion is going to forget what he's done to them. I suspect he'll be let go by the time Lusamine retires.
1.1M Poke, for the record. Slightly more than the UB sequence was worth, just in selling fodder instead.
No, I'm not sure why.
It sounds like the explanation they're going with is that Team Rainbow Rocket was working around inflation and/or non-transferable funding. This ignores the fact that the Rainbow Rockets gave us prize money directly, but I don't think any part of Pokemon has actually acknowledged prize money.
YOU CAN'T EVEN KARMICALLY PUNISH HIM RIGHT!
Unsure if this is a net positive here.
Don't forget the not-Team-Rocket people. Those guys were probably scarier.
...Yes, even more so than Giovanni, I'd reckon.
...But I won't turn down the chance to take the credit for giving you an experience like that.
This feels like a line that's really aimed at the people who missed Lillie in SM, and as much as I want to comment on that, I also want to comment on the walk cycle Lillie gets here- she just looks so much more confident in this one walk cycle than the rest of the time she's been Lively Lillie.
One more event like this and Lillie's Champion material.
It's worth mentioning that there's something else that gets unlocked here, but we have to go out of our way to go check in on that, and I'd rather lump that in with the second round of Alola cleanup.
For now, Ailey's job is done.
...Apparently, Rainbow Rocket's is not.
And an Island Guardian and a Mega Stone. Can't forget those.
Giovanni gets this absolutely metal line and event, implying that Giovanni did, in fact, manage to manifest the ability to teleport between dimensions of his own free will. This line is also blatantly setting up a sequel of some description. And it was.
Giovanni would not manifest for over a year and a half... in real time. Giovanni's next target proved to be none other than the real world- or at least, Pokemon GO. It doesn't sound quite so impressive when you put it that way, but they sure are putting their hearts into taking over those Poke Stops.
Oh hey, Rotom Dex commented on a postgame plot point! He's back to his SM "are you even paying attention?" whimsy, but at least he actually commented on it and not on something completely unrelated.
Team Rainbow Rocket is... an interesting idea. As fanservice, the opportunity to fight characters that lore suggests are no longer available to be battled is always a plus- expanding on the parts of the Battle Tree that players wanted to interact with. And yet, at the same time... Rainbow Rocket, and particularly Archie's wing, is an onslaught of Grunts that kinda wears you down. This is a setpiece that overstays its welcome, but at least when compared to the SM postgame, it overstays its welcome by giving you too much gameplay as opposed to too much story.
As for the bosses, well.. they showed up and largely reiterated their stories and legacies from their original stories. Archie and Maxie hate each other, Cyrus resents emotion, Lysandre does the two buttons speech (thankfully without the vibes that have become a bit in poor taste since his original debut), Ghetsis is a monster who abuses others, and Giovanni arranges a hostile takeover. The characters that won out most here were Lillie and Guzma, frankly, and they did their winning early. Ghetsis and Giovanni got enough new material to work with, at least, but only Giovanni really got respect out of it- and that's mainly because Giovanni's home games give him nothing to work with. Not a fan of the Aether Foundation apologism, though.
Next time: Oh yeah, Ray's gotta do these in Set.
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