Oh…just noticed Failry’s standing by the gym.

Gary: Challenging the Gym, huh? Nice! Keep getting stronger! Let me tell you, though, Clay’s tough! Even if all you have to use against Ground types is Water-type Pokemon, you might still be in for a rough fight!

I…did something get screwed up in the translation? “If all you have” generally means it’s not the best option. Maybe it was supposed to be something more along the lines of “if your whole team is water types”.

Well, at least he’s brief.

Also, for once he’s beaten the gym ahead of me like a proper rival.

Okay, this gym actually is pretty cool! It’s really big and you’re thrown around by conveyor belt, and also it’s a maze.

Driftveil City’s Pokemon Gym is soaked in the sweat and tears of the Pokemon that worked so hard to dig it out of the rock.

So that’s why Team Plasma’s castle was built on pokemon abuse – because all construction in the pokeworld is done like that.

Well, I need to leave to heal anyway, so I’m going to find out if I can go through the cave without the badge.

Hm…there’s Bianca by the sparky blue rock…

Hi there!
Bianca: Did you know this? If you push the floating stones, they move! As always, this place is charged with lots of electricity that Pokemon like! The electric charges react from one stone to another, so that’s why there are floating stones!

…No, Bianca. No, I don’t think that’s really something you’d describe as “why” so much as “also, for no clear reason”.

You can’t push all of them, though. Oh, that’s right! I came here to research something! Be seeing you!

And…she’s gone?

Looks like nothing stops me from continuing. That’s nice. I’ll fight the gym now.

I will say this much for Clay, at least this game he hasn’t been bothering me yet.

Current team:

L33 sigilyph
L33 zoroark
L30 psyduck
L32 servine
L30 koffing
L30 ampharos

Harrumph! Kept me waitin’, didn’t ya, kid?

But he’s doing his best to make up for that lack.

All right, time to see what ya can do!

Huh, that was gloriously brief. Maybe he’s going to shut up more this game.

Hmph, his strongest pokemon’s L36. That’s not much.

Li’l whippersnapper Trainers who pack a real punch keep showin’ up one after another.

One after another implies more than two in a row. Is a cooler rival running around?

Mrmph.

My thoughts entirely.

Here! Take this!

Badge! I’m now five in, more than halfway done with the badge plot.

So this is yer fifth Badge, huh?

Exactly.

If that’s so, Pokemon up to Lv. 60 will obey ya.

Seems like overkill when mine aren’t even nearing L40 yet.

Here! Take this, too!

Bulldoze TM.

Well, I suppose… Come thisaway!

And we go up again…to the same place I came in?

Clay: Good dancers

Oh no.

are crucial fer puttin’ on a good show!

No more minigames.

Then he…walks away.

Exiting, Failry runs up to me.

Gary: You got a Gym Badge, too!

Oh my god I hate this so much.

I knew you could do it!

STOP TALKING

You know… My partners are the reason I was able to get that Badge.

ARGGGG

But I’m sure there’s more connecting us to each other than Poke Balls!

Eventually, Failry, I’ll get to fight you again. And I will win, proving your love and care to be meaningless.

Then I’ll make my dragon eat you.

If that’s all there is, the stolen Purrloin’s feelings will never be what they were!

…what?

Do you mean stolen pokemon will never care about their new owner? But if there’s more to it than pokeballs, then owning a pokemon doesn’t mean it wouldn’t like someone else better.

Clay: Oh, so you two squirts know each other, huh?

You’ve given me a badge. Your plot relevance is over. Go away.

Ya both ain’t bad, so I wanna show ya somethin’.

No no no.

Gary: Wait! I just remembered. Clay…Why? What’s the reason? Why have you forgiven Team Plasma?

Failry. Look, you weren’t there last time, so I understand you don’t know. Let me explain. Clay, like most assholes, only likes bullying those far smaller and weaker than himself, ie, us. To adults, like Team Plasma, his only response is to roll over and let them do what they like.

Clay: There’s always room for folks to grow and change, ain’t there?

As you demonstrate, that doesn’t mean people actually will.

And, if ya only go after what ya think is right, ya might end up rejectin’ all thoughts and opinions other than yer own. That’s mighty dangerous.

Haha like anyone in this game actually cares about other viewpoints.

Gary: Hmph… Is that one of those compromises adults are supposed to make?

No, it’s the sort of compromise weak people make and claim it’s just being mature.

Whatever! I’m gonna fight Team Plasma!

Go get ’em, Gary. Just away from where I am so you’re not killstealing.

Oh yeah, what were you wanting to show us?

Noo don’t make him keep talking!

Clay: Ya ever heard of the Pokemon World Tournament?

I’ll look it up. Go away!

Trainers from all over the world gather on up to see who’s toughest! Well then, I’ll be waitin’ for you at the south end of town!

Huh, I’d think that’s more an endgame thing.

Gary: A tournament to decide who’s strongest, huh? Right on! It’s time for some special training!

And he runs off.

Okay, heading down, seems this place is a BP collecting place. Also, there’s an entrance to Relic Passage from here, which I guess is where I catch all those other pokemon the pokedex said I needed to finish collecting.

I really liked the idea of the habitat thing, but in practice it’s really annoying. It doesn’t distinguish between light, dark, and rustling grass, and a lot of the areas here have hidden levels you can’t reach at first where there’s different pokemon found. In earlier games this would’ve been a great idea, but it doesn’t mesh well with all the complexities they’ve added. They should’ve made some sort of subdivision.

Clay: Here we are! Whaddya think? Great buildin’, huh?

It’s a gaudy monstrosity.

Here’s where the Pokemon World Tournament takes place! Ain’t she purty?

As I just said, no.

Follow me, tads!

What?

And we do, like idiots.

Clay: This time, I’m gonna have ya participate in the Driftveil Tournament. Anything goes in this here tournament! Eight people will participating’, and if ya win three times, yer the champion!

Huh, that sounds nice and short.

Cheren: Why did you call me, too? I’m busy looking into something!

As I explained, he liked to jerk kids around, possibly to compensate for his weakness to adults or possibly for his surely tiny dick.

Clay: Ya know somethin’, Cheren. The one who’s gotta show everyone what Pokemon battlin’ means–is you. And yer pal ain’t here, either! I’m countin’ on the power of youth,

See, I told you, kids are the only ones he dares order around.

’cause everyone likes up-and-comin’ stars!

No, you just don’t dare boss around the established ones.

OK! Whenever yer ready, get on over to reception!

Cheren: Man oh man… You never change, Clay.

And how does that square with his claims Plasma members changed?

But the tournament itself does look pretty fun! OK! I’ll go register!

And the reason he’ll never change is because you’re going along with him! Dammit, Cheren, grow a backbone!

Gary: Me, too! Farla. C’mon! let’s have some fun. We’ll battle, plain and simple!

My desire to spite Clay wars with my desire to kick your blithering friendship ass.

The two trot off.

Clay, damnably, remains.

Okay, so first I fight Failry. Unlike Battle Subway, levels aren’t standardized. His pokemon are L25. Like in Battle Subway, they don’t get experience points.

Also, Colress is here for some reason on the other side, so presumably I’ll be fighting him.

…huh, Cheren also has L25 pokemon. Opens with a L25 stoutland.

Sigilyph sweeps them because they waste their first turn on work up and then die on the second hit.

Cheren is quite perky about the loss. Then he says something about a relationship not between people and pokemon but between living beings, which actually sounded pretty good.

Colress.

As a researcher, it is the truth and the ideal way things should be that I seek. The latent power of Pokemon… What is the best way to bring it out? If possible, I want it to be the trust between Trainers and their Pokemon, just as it always has been. I look forward to you teaching me that this is indeed true!

…so, you’re trying to figure out the best way, and at the same time asserting that you know what the best way is and you want that to be true.

Okay, so L25 magnemite, L25 elgeyen – at least it’s not a steel type – and L25 klink.

Colress: Just as I expected!

Even by the low, low standards of science in this world, your scientific method is embarrassing.

Your Pokemon must be happy to be by your side! You bring out the best in their power!

The person at the gate says I’ll get battle points for winning, but I only get a single one. That’s not what a plural means.

Clay:

why won’t you go away

An outstandin’ battle, runts! Now everybody’s gonna want to join in on this here tournament an’ show their stuff!

Yeah, the fact a no-name like myself won sure will make it look like easy pickings.

Roxie: Hey! You two! Haven’t you got any wild and crazy Pokemon battles to show me?! Guess I’ll have to enter the tournament myself and rock the audience right outta their seats!

Why are you talking to me.

And she leaves.

Clay: See what I mean? People are pourin’ in already! If the strongest Trainers from all over join in, it’ll raise up everybody’s level of skill! An’ then, li’l ol’ Driftviel City will grow even more

Hotels replacing everything isn’t “growing”. Your actual population is if anything further shoved aside by this.

and make a heap of money! So keep on bustin’ those battles and rilin’ everybody up! See ya!

And he goes away, at last.