The day has finally come. Pokeradar Pearl has reached its conclusion, and I'm happy it ended on a note like this. 493 questions - one for every Pokemon upto Generation 4. It really couldn't have ended a better way. This series is done for now, and I truly hope that you enjoyed your time with it.
Part 12 was successfully hosted on Feb 10, 10:00 CST. It lasted for a week, as a grand finale.
Results:
Hunt:
Explanation about the meta puzzle (you can find the puzzle at https://pastebin.com/raw/QYcgBYaU):
Part 12 was successfully hosted on Feb 10, 10:00 CST. It lasted for a week, as a grand finale.
Results:
The official scavenger hunt by WarriorGallade was ended automatically.
1st place: p^_^okemonvortex. [09:17:59].
2nd place: EpicCreeper9002 [02:02:07:17].
3rd place: yeet dab xd(>'-')> [06:05:46:48].
4th place: blazeofvictory [07:12:17:16].
1st place: p^_^okemonvortex. [09:17:59].
2nd place: EpicCreeper9002 [02:02:07:17].
3rd place: yeet dab xd(>'-')> [06:05:46:48].
4th place: blazeofvictory [07:12:17:16].
Hunt:
1) 458. Welcome to the finale of Pokeradar Pearl - no holds barred. Remember to use alphabetical order and a Pokemon’s nickname to answer, unless otherwise specified. It's a new dawn, it's a new day, and Zeiol's (not) feeling good. After an excruciating journey through the distortion, it took him a while until he could move around, get his bearings and adjust to the minimal light. As he did so, he noticed light all around him; a strange shade of orange - not blue or pink. The familiar figure of Prof. Rowan was welcoming him to the world of Pokemon yet again. It seemed surreal; this was nearly the exact same way that Zeiol started his journey so many questions ago, but something's different. What Pokemon did Rowan send out? [buneary]
2) 459. With that introduction, Zeiol sees a flash of light, and awakens to a familiar room. Instantly, he notices that his clothes are different, much better suited for cold-protection. As he looks around, he feels like he recognizes it, it's his home at Twinleaf Town! Before he can make sense of what happened, his rival Tinston barges into Zeiol's room and declares a quest to visit Prof. Rowan for some Pokemon, before dashing out. This made no sense whatsoever as per Zeiol's memories. He distinctly knew that he was the one who visited Tinston, and that they went to Lake Verity, not to meet Rowan. He takes a look around his room, and it seems identical to its state before Zeiol left on his journey. He tried to recollect more of his memories in the original world, but nothing much came to mind. The only familiar aspect was the all-too-familiar Pokeradar affixed to his bag, which Zeiol seemed to remember. The red tint it had seemed reassuring for some odd reason. Nothing else made sense at the moment, so he decided to head off on his journey yet again. Before he did so, Zeiol sees a TV show talking about Prof. Rowan and his visit to Kanto, hoping that the viewer would understand the meaning of those words. What remark was left by the Prof just before he said this? [Pokemon are by our side, always. / Pokémon are by our side, always.]
3) 460. Zeiol heads to Route 201, visibly surprised by Twinleaf's snow, as he'd never known cold temps there, and is greeted by Tinston, with Prof. Rowan and a seemingly unfamiliar girl in red walking away. Tinston was scolded for his hastiness, but still allowed to pick a Pokemon from Rowan's briefcase, and the duo headed off before Zeiol got there. Tinston saw Zeiol in the distance and waved out, telling him how he'd be fined for his lateness. As Zeiol caught up, Tinston mentioned that he'd got a Poke Ball with him to capture a Pokemon from Prof. Rowan, just in case. Tinston did want to battle, so suggested that Zeiol capture a Pokemon on the route for that. This seemed to bring on a spell of dizziness, and instinctively, Zeiol's hand went to the Pokeradar, pressing it, and rustling the grass nearby. A Pokemon came bounding at him, and another reflexive action threw the Poke Ball at it, capturing it. Tinston was puzzled, he'd never seen this Pokemon before but is ecstatic at the capture. What Pokemon could Zeiol have encountered? [nidoranf nidoranm]
4) 461. Surprisingly, it was a Nidoran-F who came bounding up. Zeiol almost celebrated his first capture, but something felt off. This wasn't his first, where were the Starly that scared him so, and the lovable blue blob that helped him out? Still, he hoped to piece this mystery together later and initiated battle. Growl and Scratch were sufficient to grant the win, as Zeiol headed home, determined to talk with Rowan the next day. Before he did, he headed to Lake Verity with Tinston, and came across a tall imposing man with blue hair, and he couldn't help but feel they too had met before, almost as if he'd expected to see someone matching this description. Soon, Tinston headed back, but Zeiol felt familiarity, and wanting to stay longer, activated the Pokeradar, but nothing happened. Not a sound heard, not a leaf stirred. A familiar cry echoed over the lake, but Zeiol couldn't see where it came from, and left. What cry did this Pokemon belong to? [mesprit]
5) 462. The next steps of the journey proceeded as normal, Zeiol met with Rowan, who was impressed at the scrappiness Zeiol had to find such a Pokemon, and gave him the National Pokedex, like before, if he found any new rarities. As he bid farewell to his mother and set off for Jubilife city, the sense of deja vu was growing more strong. This was where more divergence was apparent, as he encountered an oddball from the international police who introduced himself as Looker, heading off after a quick introduction. He was also surprised to know the girl he saw earlier was Dawn, as her outfit was completely different. Before rushing forth, Zeiol takes stock of a few things. Neither the route to the north or the east had any Pokeradar responses. There was also no writing on it - he distinctly remembered something about the Magma Stone, and verified that its jamming properties held true. Back to the old restriction; only route non-natives encountered using the Pokeradar can be caught. It also seemed that if Zeiol had memories of catching a particular Pokemon in his original world, then that species would not appear for him in this world. As anxious as he felt, something had changed and he was willing to take this journey at a slow pace, like a Snorlax. With that, Zeiol heads to Oreburgh, defeats Tinston and heads into the mine. Up to this point, there's exactly one item that Zeiol could obtain that has an effect when held. What is it? [quickclaw]
6) 463. Nidoran-F is able to carry its weight very well with Double Kick, and with some training, evolves into Nidorina before Zeiol challenges Roark. This is a welcome boon, as he still has only one team member. Nidorina's high stats as well as the trifecta of Growl, Tail Whip and Double Kick are all Zeiol needs to seal the deal. Still, something seemed strange. Nidorina didn't seem to be doing as much damage as anticipated, but it didn't matter all that much. He headed back to Jubilife, and realized that he had to expend the Rock Smash HM on Nidorina, since he didn't have other Pokemon. As he did so, he felt a strange calling from an area in the city. It seemed as if he'd been here before, but at the same time it was his first journey. This dissonance brought on another headache as he slowly walked to the Global Terminal, a massive building he'd never seen before. As he entered, the festive atmosphere took him aback. This place truly did connect the world. He first stopped by at the GTS to see what was on offer, but he couldn't really trade for them with only one Pokemon. The clerk on duty noticed this and handed Zeiol was handed a mystery egg - along with a mail and an item. Apparently this was a free gift from some trainer? In any case, Zeiol decided to accept this and look at it after he was done, resuming perusal. Wobbuffet Pop was a very captivating minigame that reminded him of something familiar, and the other games were very fun too. The grand parade on floats at the end left a memorable impression and perfectly concluded his time there. Next, he decided to check out some battle videos in a bid to refine his tactics. As Zeiol was perusing the records, he came across a popular replay uploaded by a trainer called SPP. It was apparently the 114th battle at some place called the Battle Arcade. What Pokemon were featured in this battle? [dewgong lucario]
7) 464. Soon after his time at the Global Terminal, the mystery egg hatched to reveal a Trapinch! It seemed to recognize Zeiol somehow, but Zeiol was unable to place it; its selection of 4 moves - Bite, Gust, Quick Attack and Giga Drain seemed like exactly something he'd pick, which confused him all the same. He decided to head to the Pokemon Center to spend a while and process this info. Trapinch's presence was the key that broke the lock on Zeiol's memories, as they all flooded back. Sadness overcame him yet again, but it was soon replaced with hope. He was still alive, and still had a way to change things! "So that's how it's been, a journey that started with Paleo and ended with Arceus. What a wild ride. Priso… I think I'll follow your lead, continuing my journey in the same order as before, and see what things I can do differently with the knowledge of hindsight.", he thought. Soon, he headed northward, and encountered Rowan and Dawn being hassled by a pair of Galactic grunts. Of course, the duo are dispatched and flee, as Zeiol continues. Rock Smash allows him passage through the Ravaged Path, and as he steps out into the sun, the Pokeradar springs back to life again. Intrigued, he activates it and finds a Sunkern, which is promptly caught. That being said, it was hard to miss. Many Sunkern were seen clustering together and floating in the wind soon after the radar was activated - perhaps it was their migration season? In any case, this encounter reminds him of one of Rowan's rules which he'd said just before the galactic battle, particularly the fourth one. What was it? [Don't think you've grown strong just because you're in a group.]
8) 465. Before heading to Floaroma, Zeiol decided to visit Jubilife TV, in hopes that they might have some news coverage that informs him about the differences of this new world. Unfortunately, it seems routine as normal, but a few odd words pop into his mind as Zeiol talks with the producer there. He's able to receive these wallpapers as a reward that were different (in name) from the ones he could obtain in his original world. [contest croagunk distortion]
9) 466. With no new leads, Zeiol continues onward to Floaroma Town as the soothing scent puts him a bit at ease from the headaches. He resolved to be happy for his new allies, as it didn't seem like the Pokeradar was going to be usable for quite a long while. "No matter what, even if I knew Trapinch before, I'll still aim to be the same old caring person!", Zeiol resolved to himself. He headed to the meadow, defeated the grunts hassling the Honey-seller, and speeded his way to the Windworks. One neat observation he made along the way was that Trapinch leading the party didn't seem to affect any encounters. This story seemed almost like clockwork, but here was another difference. Mars was not alone! This character was with her. [charon]
10) 467. Zeiol didn't have much time to ponder the implications of a possibly fourth Galactic admin, and accepted Mars' challenge. Trapinch criticals Bite and snipes a KO on her Zubat with Quick Attack, and Nidorina's Double Kicks seal the deal against Purugly, hitting more strongly than anticipated. With that, Galactic scurries away but Zeiol's still wondering who this Charon was, there was no memory of him. That being said, barely any new details came to mind as he headed to Eterna Forest. The meeting with Cheryl was perfunctory, and the duo made it to Eterna City with little trouble. Something called out to him, and Zeiol talked with the Underground Man to receive the Explorer Kit, and went underground before doing anything else. The impromptu quest was to obtain this item, which would otherwise not be obtainable until after Zeiol had at least three badges, and would significantly impact his team. [sunstone]
11) 468. Gardenia is a bit of a challenge, but Sunkern's Grasswhistle combo with Nidorina's Fury Swipes to grant Zeiol the victory, though the former sometimes losing HP at the turn's end made the battle harder. With that, he heads into the Galactic Building (notably more well equipped than what he remembers), dispatching the incompetent grunts before facing off against Jupiter. This battle is far closer, but Trapinch's Ground typing bails Zeiol out against her Skuntank. That being done, he heads to Hearthome. Soon after, Zeiol finds a Sun Stone underground and uses it to evolve Sunkern, who appreciates the power boost. Surprisingly, despite being a stone evolution, it continued to learn moves via level up. However, the different anatomy reflected in a changed movepool. What moves does Sunflora learn by level up that Sunkern is unable to learn at all? [leafstorm petaldance pound]
12) 469. Fantina's up next, but Sunflora's hit its stride and the four-pronged combo of Grasswhistle, Growth, Leech Seed and Mega Drain are all that's needed to seize victory and acquire the Relic Badge. Still, didn't something seem out of order? Before leaving hurriedly, she calls out. "My dear challenger? How shall I say this...it seems to me that you're under far too much stress. Perhaps exploration around the city of Eterna is my recommendation, I hear they have some herbal remedies that help with this?" Zeiol's taken aback by the suggestion, but accepts the idea all the same, quickly cycling back to Eterna. However, the herbal medicine shop is closed for the day, so he decides to explore the remnants of the Galactic Building to take a break. As he explores the lobby, he notices that Pokeradar glows a bright blue and emits a blinding light, falling silent soon after, but somehow still retaining the jamming effect. He decides investigation is in order, and notices an odd keyhole with a peculiar shape. However, the door leading into it was unlocked, so Zeiol proceeded forth. As he did so, he came across a strange room, very dimly lit by a fading lightbulb. It didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the Galactic base at all. Here, he saw notes on this Pokemon. [rotom]
13) 470. The notes and appliances seem very strange to Zeiol. He sat down and took a moment to think. "A Pokemon inhabiting machines? Not impossible, given this lab here. But that being said, does this have to do with my Pokeradar? I've always felt it was sentient, but to think a Rotom of all things was responsible....well, it does explain the flash of electricity that saved me back at Pal Park. It might be a good idea to explore around and see what I can find.". Zeiol looks around the room, but it seems as lifeless as ever. He decides to explore Eterna Forest, seeing as the room is somewhat decrepit. The Old Chateau did spook him a lot before, but now he was confident that nothing there would scare him, after the hell that Arceus put him through. Soon after, he came across the TV room, and it sprang to life upon seeing him. A Pokemon appeared on the TV, and began talking through the speakers. "Bzzt! Give a mon some time to recover won't you? Here's the deal. I was the one messing with your Pokeradar, and the Magma Stone was a devilish way for me to be entertained. I was fine taking a back seat after you found it, after all that effort even if temporarily. Now, if some power-tripping deity threatens to take away my amusement by sending you to some crazy place, that's where my mischief changes into malice." With this message, Rotom burst back out of the TV and engaged Zeiol in battle. Rotom seemed to know a move that it wouldn't normally know, (but it's one that it can legally learn in some mainline games) and Zeiol had seen it once before at Pal Park. What move was it? [night shade]
14) 471. Rotom didn't seem to put up much of a fight, and was notably weaker than Zeiol's team. As he asked about this, as well as the reason it was red and not orange - as per the pictures in Charon's lab, Rotom zapped back into the TV and continued, "Thank the Red Chain for all of this. Its residual energy stuck to the Pokeradar with me inside, and before I knew it, I was turned like this." Rotom zipped back around the room, lighting the bulbs for clearer visibility, and returned back to the TV. "Do you know how hard it is to incapacitate a deity with electricity? I positively levelled down doing that, bzz. That's why I'm so weak now. Anyways, before you blame me about the part with the void and your Pokemon getting sealed? Blame Arceus for that; it wasn't me in control of the radar, the plates reacted to the Red Chain and forced me out briefly. About that accursed artefact - if you put me into a Pokeball I'd well say the residual energy I've got would flow into it, turning it also a very deep red. ", with Rotom's grin growing wider, it continued "Let's see if you know what Pokeball that becomes, my dear dimensional traveller!" What item was Rotom talking about? [cherish ball]
15) 472. "Figurezzz. So much for me graciously telling you after you pleaded ignorance..." Rotom's smile turned into a pout, as it continued. "Annywaayzzzz! As you've seen from our last encounter with Arceus, the element of surprise is key. There's no way it'd be as damaged as it was, if it took my attack head on. I'd almost guarantee our poor little deity is back at the Hall of Origin trying to recover. Now, I have a plan. We need to confront it before it becomes too strong again, and while you need to gather the plates again, make sure that Rapidash stuck in a fence doesn’t even get one of them. I’m confident any party you train up - without rushing - will be able to defeat it in that state. Well, at least distract it a bit. From that point, throw me the Radar and my Pokeball and I’ll handle the rezzzt. Probably. " Zeiol interrupts, wanting to ask something but Rotom takes back the conversation. "Now, I know what you're thinking. You want me to stop jamming the radar, to get stronger Pokemon, blah blah. Well, tough luck. For that to happen, I'd have to unleash all of this Red Chain energy, and we just discussed why I can't do that, it's all or nothing. Both of us want to get home, so I'll conserve my strength to help you until the right moment. Good luck, partner. Bzzt! " With that, Rotom happily darts from the TV into a Pokeball, turning it into a Cherish Ball, just as it'd said, nicknaming his newest Pokemon Red. With that, Zeiol took a quick trip back to Charon's lab, as the notes were meritorious. Here, Red chose to enter this appliance which would give it a move strong against the next gym leader that Zeiol encountered. [fan]
16) 473. Despite the form change, Red wasn’t actually able to assist with battling, as it was still recovering. From this point onwards, Zeiol’s journey sped by like a blur. While there were differences, the fact that he’d travelled these lands before was enough of an advantage. The Cobble badge obtained, Zeiol headed south and realized that Poochyena were available for capture. He decided to take the gamble and chain for a shiny one - as low on funds as he might be at the moment. He decided to play it safe and account for 200 manual radar activations (excluding the first activation), and buy the least amount of Pokeballs needed to reach the max shiny chance, using Pokeballs that could be guaranteed to catch it on the first turn of battle. What’s the least amount of money Zeiol would have to spend doing this? [65000]
17) 474. A shiny Poochyena was snagged after a few days of chaining, nicknamed Yellow. Zeiol also cycled down to Pastoria and defeated Wake to earn his 5th badge. Zeiol’s expertise as a trainer more than made up for his team’s shortcomings. After the battle with Wake, Red indicated that it’d regained the strength to battle, which gave Zeiol another power boost. He journeyed to Celestic amidst the fog, caught a Tauros, met Cyrus but was positively shocked that he was challenged to battle! This was intensely challenging, as his Sneasel and Murkrow landed quick critical hits on the newest capture, taking no additional damage from Horn Attack and quickly beating it, but the rest of Zeiol’s team pulled through. After the battle, the Celestic elder invited Zeiol to her house to relax and talk over some myths, where he learnt of the other legendary Pokemon revered in Sinnoh - Dialga. With that win, Zeiol obtained Surf, and got his next capture, Aron at Fuego Ironworks. However, the allure of chaining was still very strong and he decided to spend some time near Pastoria City doing so. As this happened, he remembered his time at the Global Terminal and felt like it'd be fun to visit the Battle Frontier someday, particularly the Battle Arcade as its volatility would be the direct opposite of the monotony he was going through. If Zeiol was to enter Red in its Frost form knowing the move exclusive to that form, and no other moves, then when sent into battle in the Battle Arcade, it would be guaranteed to know this move. [thundershock]
18) 475. Soon, a Shiny Grimer is caught and nicknamed Green. The rest of his adventure proceeded as before - obtaining the Mine and Icicle badges, and heading to Galactic HQ. He found it funny that fate seemed constant; even when no detours were taken and Tinston being informed, Galactic still captured the Lake Pokemon. This infiltration was a lot harder than what Zeiol remembered, and this time, he overheard Cyrus’ speech to the grunts. Passionate, yet aloof - Cyrus was truly a leader to behold. With that concluding, Zeiol headed deeper within the base. The Lake Pokemon were set free and Zeiol soon proceeded to Spear Pillar. Red assured him that Arceus wouldn’t be there, given the events likely to transpire. As Zeiol dispatched the final elite grunts, the holy land ahead was a terrifying and traumatic sight, but he pressed onward, defeating Mars and Jupiter. However, nothing prepared him for what he saw next. Both Dialga and Palkia were controlled by the Red Chain, to create an even stronger universe - unshaken by the efforts of Uxie, Azelf and Mesprit. As Zeiol grew fearful, with Red preparing to discharge the energy to stop this cataclysm, a shadowy sphere coalesced on the floor, halting the genesis. A towering figure began to form from this sphere, and nobody present was more fearful than Zeiol, as he remembered that outline - Giratina! It created a portal, dragging Cyrus within as Zeiol followed in quick pursuit. As he jumped in, it seemed nostalgic in a way, he’d seen images of this place back in his original world’s Turnback cave, but to be in a place this bizarre was another thing entirely. Perhaps, "Distortion World" itself was not this place’s true name? Surely a place like this was obscure enough that no human would’ve been here to formally give it a name. Zeiol pondered this as he made his way through the twisted lands. What is the internal name of the Distortion World? [tornworld]
19) 476. Zeiol reached the abyss, and defeated Cyrus yet again - Lairon’s Stealth Rock being instrumental in the victory. Giratina’s power seemed like it’d overcome the Red Chain jamming, but Zeiol never considered it an ally, so two Blizzards from the Frost-form Red dealt with it, as it let out a melancholy cry, disappearing further within as Zeiol escaped. The world was back to normal, as he was relieved that Red’s plan could proceed as intended. However, Zeiol decided to hang around the Department Store restocking on supplies and thinking where to go next. He did need a stronger team to keep up with the stronger trainers, and thought about what he’s known so far. “For a Pokemon to be catchable, it must be encountered through use of the Pokeradar and shouldn’t be native to that route.” That was the tenet that’d stuck with him ever since the first part. He thought and thought, but head empty. He decided to set up a meeting with Rowan and Oak, telling them all of the events that had transpired, and asking for their thoughts on the matter. Both were stunned to hear this - were this info coming from anyone else, it’d be dismissed, but Zeiol was trusted enough that they took it seriously. They deliberated for a long time, and told Zeiol that the Red Chain was likely imbued with the energy of Legendary Pokemon, which is why it prevented the capture of any others. That being said, if Zeiol encountered any Pokemon that contributed energy to the Red Chain, it still wouldn’t be catchable, from what they inferred. If there was a way to encounter any other legendary Pokemon, their innate power would override the jamming, making them formidable allies if Zeiol could match the challenge. He deeply thanked the two professors, who were delighted to decode this mystery, and set off. What are the Pokemon Zeiol could capture fitting this description? [articuno moltres zapdos]
20) 477. As part of the discussion earlier, Oak mentioned how Kanto’s Legendary Birds were like mirages, fleeing soon after being sighted. With that in mind, Zeiol thought to plan ahead and acquire a Pokemon that could trap them. He decided to rest at home for a while - after all the Distortion World and Spear Pillar were tiresome, to say the least. He remembered that he’d deposited Ruby in the GTS in a prior part, and decided to check if it was still up for trade. Fortuitously, it was. As such, Zeiol headed to this location to catch the Pokemon needed for the trade, at the correct level. [route 209 / Sinnoh route 209]
21) 478. For some odd reason, Zeiol only seemed to encounter male Kirlia. He was taken aback at the fact that he’d never used the Pokeradar there despite passing by many times before - surely it would’ve been a good Pokemon to have earlier on but time was too limited to train them. He caught one of them, and quickly proceeded to the GTS. However, something was different this time around. If the trade went off successfully, what Pokemon (species) would Zeiol receive from the GTS? [dusknoir]
22) 479. Unfortunately, things weren’t going to be that simple. The GTS staff were apologetic but mentioned that the trade was impossible to proceed, as an odd black mist prevented the Pokeball’s transfer, so it was returned to the original trainer’s PC. Zeiol’s face grew darker upon hearing this news. If he wasn’t going to be able to rely on any of his original 24, then he definitely needed all the power he could get, and fast. The black mist was unlikely to go away unless something was done about Arceus, so his motivation was reinforced. He decided to game the system, and acquire some more Pokemon from the GTS in a bid to win the Loto-ID’s grand prize - a Master Ball, knowing what the winning ID number was. After some trading, he received a Pokemon with a Mild Nature, holding a Lucky Egg in a Cherish Ball - with the assurance that nothing about the Pokemon had changed since the original trainer obtained it. What are the possible trainer ID’s this Pokemon could have? [07207 09129 12269]
23) 480. With that Pokemon, Zeiol wins the Loto-ID jackpot, uses his two Master Balls and a stash of Dusk Balls to capture the legendary birds over the next week. The professors’ hypothesis was correct, and their innate power overcame the jamming as they became Zeiol’s allies. Now, he’s sure that he has the power to defeat the league posthaste, as well as what comes after. With the recent captures, Red retreated back into the Pokeradar to better conserve energy, especially given the high legendary surroundings. Volkner was easily defeated and Zeiol proceeded onward to the Pokemon League. Here, he noticed something interesting while exploring. If Zeiol was in the situation described in the image below, then he could use this key item to escape. https://imgur.com/a/kBOVwWt [bicycle]
24) 481. As Zeiol continued through Victory Road, he realized that he’d not given the recent events at Spear Pillar a second thought because they happened so quickly. “Dialga..? I know I saw a blue Pokemon there, with Palkia. Perhaps it’ll be a good idea to see if I can make it an ally too. Anyhow, that’s a conversation for later.” With that, he heads to the League, defeats Tinston, the Elite Four and Cynthia. These are much closer battles, but Zeiol realized that he’d still have won had he trained up his prior Pokemon - the legendaries weren’t needed. He thought to himself “Am I losing sight of what made my Pokemon precious in the quest for power? Sure, none of my Pokemon have complained, but maybe they’re just putting up with this for the greater good…” Similar thoughts muddled his might as he registered in the Hall of Fame and headed home, as the credits rolled. On his journey home, he saw these Pokemon. [drifloon magnezone wingull]
25) 482. With the league defeated, Zeiol now had free reign to travel wherever he wanted to in Sinnoh. He decided to head over to the Fight Area as planned, but was taken aback at Flint and Volkner challenging him and Tinston to a double battle! This was a battle of synergy: Volkner’s Electivire used Fire Punch on Flint’s Flareon to activate its Flash Fire and score a clean OHKO on Zapdos with Overheat! Zeiol was taken aback; two Pokemon that weren’t a threat before combo’d for devastation. Flygon won the battle thanks to its Earthquake striking for super-effective spread damage, but this made Zeiol ponder even more. Were his skills faltering as a trainer, to rely on the birds that much? In any case, he decided to look around the Fight Area a little more. He came across a helpful person who gave him an introduction to various items such as the Life Orb, Choice Specs, Leftovers, and so on. While Zeiol had used these items before, the short talk was informative and Zeiol left a little smarter. What title did this person use while introducing themselves? [item expert]
26) 483. Before continuing further, Zeiol felt it was time to address the prior concerns. As a start, he decided to head to Spear Pillar to visit Dialga, surely more power on his side wouldn’t hurt, right?. He’d of course taken the three legendary birds with him, in a bid to convince it. He found the Adamant and Lustrous orbs in Mt. Coronet, and reached Dialga’s portal. It emerged, noticed the Pokeradar, and patiently listened as Zeiol pled his case, without attacking. At the end of it all, Dialga sorrowfully shook its head, and roared out loud, forcing Red out of the Pokeradar. As Zeiol feared for the worst, it began talking with Red, whose expressions changed with the second. It retreated back, and relayed the message from the Pokeradar’s speaker. “Right, right, here’zz the deal. Our metallic friend here doesn’t want to become your Pokemon, but it does sympathize with your cause. If you choose to surrender Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres to it for some time - apparently it wishes to discourse with them in a different dimension - it’ll grant you temporal protection, which means that if you’re sent into another one of those interdimensional portals, your mind and body are guaranteed stay intact, no more of that amnesia you had when travelling to this world. It’s really up to you if you want to accept, the trio is strong but parting with them for now could save us in a pinch, zzz.”, Red concluded. Zeiol thought this through deeply. He decided that it’d be best to rely on his original team, as they were strong enough as is, and accepted the offer. Dialga roared again, and Zeiol’s body glowed a pale blue as he felt stronger. With that, the four pokemon left together, as Zeiol sat there for a bit longer, contemplating. Was even the deity of time not subject to change, given that it desired stimuli? Dialga can only learn this move if it is in Sinnoh. [heal block]
27) 484. With that done, Zeiol returned to using his original Pokemon after a bit more training - now consisting of Red, Flygon, Aggron, Tauros, Sunflora and Yellow. With Dialga’s protection, Zeiol felt a little safer in deciding to go a little slowly, and spend some time relaxing. He decided to head eastward, given what he knew of the area as it would let him think more clearly as well about the future. On the way, he passed through the central island on the route. It was a work of beauty, volcanic rock having crystallized into a small alcove. Not only that, it gave off a refreshing aroma in combination with the salty sea surrounding it and fresh grass with a lush aroma. However the island was a bit too isolated to spend too much time and so Zeiol proceeded further east till he spotted land - near a settlement and made that his temporary base of operations. He decided that this would be the last act, and stayed there planning to use the Pokeradar to chain for a shiny near the extra-tall grass. What new Pokemon could Zeiol have chained in the location? [venomoth venonat]
28) 485. Before Zeiol set out on the chain, he explored the Resort Area anew. Unfortunately, he hadn’t earned the 10 ribbons needed this time, so the massages were a no-go. Still, the swimming pools were open, and free to boot, so Zeiol chose to relax there. However, he soon found out why exactly they were free. As he was lazing in the water, a regal-looking Magikarp swam up to him and furiously tackled him head-on. This didn’t really hurt him, but Zeiol was taken aback - surely there were no Magikarp in the Resort Area he was used to! If anything, it seemed that the Magikarp exuded an aura far too powerful, as if none could be stronger than it. It looked angrily at Zeiol and then splashed back into the water, as he stood dazed. What is the chance that Zeiol encountered this Magikarp? (express as a floating point number, so if he had a 90% chance to find it then your answer would be 0.9) [0.0001 / 1 in ten thousand - not all karp are created equal, the youtuber absolblogspokemon has a video where he demonstrates this statistic and it is not 0.01]
29) 486. Of course, Zeiol wasn’t swimming in the actual pools that the Resort Area sponsored and was lounging around in a pond. Why else would there be Magikarp surrounding him? Slightly embarrassed, he decided to head forth with chaining to forget about the experience. However, as he visits the PokeMart to stock up, he sees a youth standing in the east of the Resort Area, looking for someone. Zeiol did think this person was shady, but went up to talk to him anyway. If Zeiol didn’t say “Yes” to what the youth was asking, then he would not be able to obtain these items within the Resort Area. [grepaberry leppaberry lumberry qualotberry]
30) 487. Well, Zeiol’s now stuck with a Villa. Given Sinnoh’s real estate prices, he’s happy that he actually has a place of his own…but something didn’t quite sit right with him. The place was devoid of furniture and looked as barren as Route 217! As he was wondering what to order with his limited funds, this character entered the villa, and wondered aloud how rich Zeiol was to own such a villa, then left soon after, concluding that they’d tell everyone about the news. Who was it? [tinston]
31) 488. This is the perfect place for Zeiol to just spend time formulating a plan of action, all the while in the lap of luxury. This was truly a blissful reward given the harrowing journey he’s had to take across two regions, but he had to slap himself back to reality. No, it wasn’t over. While it’d be lovely to stay there forever, Arceus was still a pressing concern and he needed to be ready, even if the challenge never came. While the comforts were good, he couldn’t spend all the time relaxing out of concern for the original 24. In any case, he chose to spend some of his leftover cash furnishing the villa. He bought exactly three furniture items and spent a total of $567,000. What did Zeiol buy? [audiosystem bed tv]
32) 489. More villa fun abounds! Zeiol grew accustomed to a peaceful time, but didn’t forget his plan to chain, and he made sure to rest in the villa after every few failed attempts. It definitely helped retain his sanity, and even though this took longer, he was happier for it. Within about two weeks, a shiny Venomoth graces his eyes, and a Dive Ball seals the deal. It’s nicknamed Blue, and Zeiol heads back to the villa to celebrate - because this is the last celebration for quite a while. He invites all of his acquaintances, and whoever’s free attends for one gala party. The festivities go on for quite a while, but Zeiol knew the gravity of the situation. As night fell, all the attendees left in a happy mood and Zeiol took to bed for an early rest. As dawn broke, he left on a quest to obtain all the missing plates. Arceus had to be challenged eventually, and Zeiol would rather have this battle be on his terms than the foe’s. As he was on the quest, he remembered how fun it was to have visitors at the villa. However, there’s one character that would never visit Zeiol. Who is it? [lucas]
33) 490. Within a short time, the plates were gathered, and Zeiol decided to take a quick trip to the Survival Area to spend some more time with his Pokemon, particularly Blue, and see if anything had changed. Of course, the Battleground was a new addition and Zeiol was pumped to give his Pokemon the most intense training possible before the final showdown among familiar faces. After these battles, he’s all ready and heads back to Mt. Coronet, the Azure Flute now in his possession thanks to the Red Chain reacting with the plates. As he does so, he reminisces about the recent battles. The first trainer had one of their pokemon know a HM move and a move that inflicted a status on the foe on the same turn it was used. The second trainer had a Pokemon that knew a damaging move that never missed and a move that inflicted a status on the foe. Lastly, the third trainer had a Pokemon that knew multiple moves that could strike a target more than once in the same turn. You can assume Zeiol has access to all trainers in the Battleground. In the order mentioned, who are these three trainers? [cheryl fantina volkner]
34) 491. Zeiol ascends the sky stairway to the Hall of Origin one last time, ready to duel with a plan. Arceus' expression was one of surprise as it saw Zeiol ascending, surely it expected Zeiol to turn tail and run for as long as he could. It stopped charging energy and turned to face him in combat. Zeiol trusted in his team and they repaid that trust - defeating Arceus in its weakened state. Before the final blow could be landed, Arceus feigned defeat and launched a searing Hyper Beam, forcing Zeiol to tumble out of the way to dodge it, barely hanging onto the hall’s floor. This was all Arceus needed to absorb the 18 plates from Zeiol’s bag and gain an omnipotent aura. Now, the tables were turned, as the fight was made even more merciless. No matter what Zeiol's Pokemon did, it seemed like they were unsuccessful in defeating Arceus this time, with its propensity to change types. With all of Zeiol’s Pokemon defeated, Arceus’ body glowed a deep black and launched the sealing mist at all of his Pokeballs, with only Red escaping as it was tucked away in the Pokeradar. No opposition left, Arceus recreated another portal at the end of the Hall of Origin and used its telepathy to force Zeiol to approach it. It spoke again, "Pitiful. You did not arrive here out of subservience. Nor did you arrive here to resist me with that appalling display of battling. If this lackadaisical approach is your fiber, I shall rend it from your being. If you have no intent when traversing worlds, I shall give you one. No more interruptions, for the conception draws close. Perish. ", Arceus' voice echoed as it commanded Zeiol forward into the portal. However, Zeiol’s body didn’t seem to react with the portal, so Arceus looked closer to investigate. "Bzzt!" A searing flare of electricity strikes Arceus at close range, blinding it, as its vision fades. When Arceus came to, it was still paralyzed, and looking at a Zeiol just barely hanging on at the portal’s edge - which was now affected by the surge. Red's Night Shade had conjured up a mirage to make Arceus misjudge distance. As it was still reeling from the shock, Zeiol lifted up the Pokeradar and Red's Pokeball, as it used Charge Beam to absorb all the Red Chain energy from both objects, turning it into a concentrated, potent beam. In its debilitated state, Arceus could not dodge, and the searing energy pierced through at close range. Its final moments were in rage, as its entire body turned a solid shade of scarlet, and it remained motionless - entombed in what looked to be a statue through the dimensions. Perhaps in another universe entirely, Arceus was nothing more than a statue, a myth, or a legend, unable to be battled, and unable to manipulate anything. In a Pokemon spinoff game where this happens, you can see a statue of Arceus here. [destiny tower]
35) 492: Despite Arceus' sealing, the portal conjured up earlier was still present Zeiol rushed to Red's side- who’d somehow been able to retain its luster despite not having any Red Chain energy. It smiled a weary smile at Zeiol and darted back into the radar, which had now returned entirely to normal. A faint voice was heard from the radar's speaker, "We really did do it. Can't say I've tried my hand at godslaying before. Well done...I think I'll rest here for a while. If you want to head home, that portal's it. If you're really that hungry for new adventures, give it a go. Think really hard when entering it, and you might just end up somewhere else. Or not. I'm not an interdimensional travelling expert here. About Arceus? It's sealed for good, and with you being the only Person with the Azure Flute needed to get here, I doubt we need to worry about it. Think we'd all love a nice long nap after how long this adventure’s been. Thank you...", its voice trails off, as the radar falls silent. Worried, Zeiol presses the radar's button many times and shakes it a bit,, and a loud and angry voice soon greets him “I’m not dead, you idiot! Just give me a while to rezzzt, would you?”, as the radar falls silent again. Zeiol was grateful for Red's assistance, and mentally thanked it for being the linchpin in the plan to take revenge against Arceus. He sat down for a while at the Hall of Origin to recover a little, and realized he could finally actively marvel at the scenery he was looking down at. He had no clue if it was Sinnoh at all, but the sparkling lights along the starry sky was truly a sight to behold. Though, he did wonder about Red's remarks earlier - could Pokemon lose types outright by unleashing too much power? Considering all mainline games, these damaging moves would cause their user to lose a type as long as they didn’t fail. [burnup doubleshock / fun fact, this question was originally written around the time scarlet and violet released, so double shock was a funny addition that changed a little]
36) 493. When he's ready, Zeiol leaps back into the portal to reappear back at Spear Pillar. His new team's still sealed away, so he was unsure how to return to a Pokemon Center. As he was musing thus, he looked back at the portal, which seemed stable. Soon after, three familiar faces flew in from the other side. Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres were a sight for sore eyes, and after reconvening, they slowly flew Zeiol down Mt. Coronet - all the while partaking in Sinnoh's sights. Perhaps Dialga anticipated such an event when they’d last met, and took the birds to plan for this eventuality? A moment of rest from the harrowing experience slowly made him tear up from the nostalgia. If Zeiol had a Wurmple with him, this would’ve made for some avant-garde comedy. Along the way, he saw a very bland looking Eterna Galactic building, and that was all the confirmation he needed - Zeiol was in his original world. The trio dropped him off at Hearthome’s fountains and roosted nearby, understanding what he’d do next and wanted to see the events play out. Still very anxious, Zeiol headed northward, his jog turned into a bolt as he scrambled into Hearthome's Pokemon Center, withdrew his original 24 from the PC, and headed back to the plaza. Unfortunately, the black mist was still there sealing the Pokeballs, as malevolent as ever, but Zeiol had no fear anymore. He dared it to try and take him on, as Arceus was now gone for good. The mist slowly rose up from all Pokeballs taking the shape of the deity he so loathed, and it charged at Zeiol, before either him, Red or the birds could react, rendering him unconscious. As he opened his eyes, he felt like he was trapped in an unusual dimension, where time, space and antimatter blended together, with streaks of vivid colors flying by. As he looked around, he saw flashbacks of his journey across both the old and new Sinnoh streaking across the ceiling and floor, with statue-Arceus looking down on him. There seemed to not be a way out, but Zeiol saw columns of the black mist arising from stone tablets at different points in the dimension forming some sort of a corporeal string attached to them. After a careful survey, there seemed to be 32 strings in total. It seemed like both of these would be pivotal to escaping. "That's a puzzling number of strings facing me here. Arceus sealed away all of my 36 Pokemon besides Red and the birds, so I suppose that makes 32. Well, this is good. If I can decode this, there's hope to save my team, and I'm going to do it no matter what!", he declared. As Zeiol took a closer look, it seemed as if he'd need to use the past experiences he sees to do so. This was truly the meta-puzzle of all time, a fitting finale to quell the false god and deserving of its status as question #493, the last of this Sinnoh sojourn. Zeiol took a deep breath, sat down, and began looking carefully. Not all the riddles needed to be solved to escape, but solving all of them would guarantee Zeiol a way out. That being said, it seemed as if this dimension was one of no space and absolute order, Zeiol felt like playing by its rules was the best path to escape. He'd have to build up his wits, starting to count from zero. What order could this be? Well, he had an idea. More specifically, he remembered had access to this order very early on in his journey. Combining these two pieces of information, what did Zeiol need to create that would allow him to escape? Below are the inscriptions on each tablet. (note: The puzzle is included in the pastebin [https://pastebin.com/QYcgBYaU] for ease of access as well. Let me know if you can't access it.) [four dimensional hypercube / tesseract / tessaract]
37) Epilogue 1: Perhaps it was luck, perhaps it was inherited will, but the notions of possibility were shattered as Zeiol combined the strings to create it. He smiled up at the ceiling to see Arceus, furious at Zeiol's revelation. The puzzle is successfully decoded, the dark mist slowly fades, and the last of Arceus' lingering spirit turns the same scarlet it was sealed in, crumbling to dust. With that, the dimension collapsed in on itself [...], forcing Zeiol back to his original world, to the surprise of many onlookers. With trepidation, he looked back at his Pokeballs to see that they were all unsealed, with his team outside and happily greeting him upon his return! Everyone was here; all 36 of his Pokemon! Were they perhaps watching him? Not that it mattered, as Zeiol pulled them all in for a group hug, and was truly happy that this terrifying experience had come to a close. The last Arceus is in captivity. The galaxy is at peace. Finally, Zeiol decides to head back home to Twinleaf, to take a nice, long rest. The last few weeks have been harrowing for him, and he could think of no better place to unwind with all of his Pokemon. To immortalize how he's felt, he makes a record of his entire Pokemon roster, found here: https://pokepast.es/fb462493857a5913. With that, Zeiol's adventures of Pokeradar Pearl come to a close. I bequeath to you the acknowledgements and some fun design choices in the next question. Type /scavenge continue to continue. [continue / no]
38) Epilogue 2: Well, you actually did it. You made it to the last question, impressive! You've already solved plenty of hard and impossible questions up to this point, even that meta (seriously, what was with that question? it was a pain in more ways than one) and a break is definitely in order, for both you and me. Aren't you a dedicated one? Words really can't do justice to how thankful I am to you for getting this far. Pokeradar Pearl; a journey of 493 questions, and in no small part, you've played through a part of it - or even multiple of them! This series was initially just a way for me to catalogue my playthrough of the game - simply for my own musings 2 to 3 years down the line as a fun novelty, nowhere near as long or detailed as what you see now. But as I did so, I realized the vastness of what Sinnoh had to explore and wanted to bring it to a wider audience. Through making these ideas into cohesive puzzles and questions, I could leave my mark as both a storyteller and hunt maker, and I feel I did a good job at both to leave a lasting impression. Did you notice any hints I left about the ending? If not, you might want to check out question 189 (good lord, was it really that long ago? have I really been writing this for over 6 months? my poor assignments...) Heck, while I foreshadowed Platinum so heavily, even going so far as to nickname Metang for it, the original plan was to end at Pal Park - with Zeiol's fate left ambiguous and no Platinum content at all at roughly the 444 mark. However, I really didn't want to end on that passive a note and the allure of the picture-perfect number was too much to pass up on. Most importantly - this old draft didn’t have a meta puzzle at all! Looking back now, it’s good I made the change because the ending is far more impactful. Perhaps you'll experience Zeiol's adventures anew in a new universe, sometime in the distant future? However, that’s where this story concludes - we’re done with Pokeradar Pearl now. Lastly, to the QCers of the longest odyssey in scavenger history - aQrator, TurtalKatThing, Pants, ComputerWizard8800 and TeutonicSquire. You have my utmost gratitude (especially aq who stuck with this series from start to end). That being said, here's a toast to your success, scavenger! Keep up that indomitable spirit, and hopefully this series was one where you could Mhave fun! I, WarriorGallade, thank you for playing, and hope to see you next hunt! Type /scavenge pokeradar to finish. [pokeradar / no / LETS FUCKING GOO I'M FINALLY DONE WITH THIS SHIT WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
2) 459. With that introduction, Zeiol sees a flash of light, and awakens to a familiar room. Instantly, he notices that his clothes are different, much better suited for cold-protection. As he looks around, he feels like he recognizes it, it's his home at Twinleaf Town! Before he can make sense of what happened, his rival Tinston barges into Zeiol's room and declares a quest to visit Prof. Rowan for some Pokemon, before dashing out. This made no sense whatsoever as per Zeiol's memories. He distinctly knew that he was the one who visited Tinston, and that they went to Lake Verity, not to meet Rowan. He takes a look around his room, and it seems identical to its state before Zeiol left on his journey. He tried to recollect more of his memories in the original world, but nothing much came to mind. The only familiar aspect was the all-too-familiar Pokeradar affixed to his bag, which Zeiol seemed to remember. The red tint it had seemed reassuring for some odd reason. Nothing else made sense at the moment, so he decided to head off on his journey yet again. Before he did so, Zeiol sees a TV show talking about Prof. Rowan and his visit to Kanto, hoping that the viewer would understand the meaning of those words. What remark was left by the Prof just before he said this? [Pokemon are by our side, always. / Pokémon are by our side, always.]
3) 460. Zeiol heads to Route 201, visibly surprised by Twinleaf's snow, as he'd never known cold temps there, and is greeted by Tinston, with Prof. Rowan and a seemingly unfamiliar girl in red walking away. Tinston was scolded for his hastiness, but still allowed to pick a Pokemon from Rowan's briefcase, and the duo headed off before Zeiol got there. Tinston saw Zeiol in the distance and waved out, telling him how he'd be fined for his lateness. As Zeiol caught up, Tinston mentioned that he'd got a Poke Ball with him to capture a Pokemon from Prof. Rowan, just in case. Tinston did want to battle, so suggested that Zeiol capture a Pokemon on the route for that. This seemed to bring on a spell of dizziness, and instinctively, Zeiol's hand went to the Pokeradar, pressing it, and rustling the grass nearby. A Pokemon came bounding at him, and another reflexive action threw the Poke Ball at it, capturing it. Tinston was puzzled, he'd never seen this Pokemon before but is ecstatic at the capture. What Pokemon could Zeiol have encountered? [nidoranf nidoranm]
4) 461. Surprisingly, it was a Nidoran-F who came bounding up. Zeiol almost celebrated his first capture, but something felt off. This wasn't his first, where were the Starly that scared him so, and the lovable blue blob that helped him out? Still, he hoped to piece this mystery together later and initiated battle. Growl and Scratch were sufficient to grant the win, as Zeiol headed home, determined to talk with Rowan the next day. Before he did, he headed to Lake Verity with Tinston, and came across a tall imposing man with blue hair, and he couldn't help but feel they too had met before, almost as if he'd expected to see someone matching this description. Soon, Tinston headed back, but Zeiol felt familiarity, and wanting to stay longer, activated the Pokeradar, but nothing happened. Not a sound heard, not a leaf stirred. A familiar cry echoed over the lake, but Zeiol couldn't see where it came from, and left. What cry did this Pokemon belong to? [mesprit]
5) 462. The next steps of the journey proceeded as normal, Zeiol met with Rowan, who was impressed at the scrappiness Zeiol had to find such a Pokemon, and gave him the National Pokedex, like before, if he found any new rarities. As he bid farewell to his mother and set off for Jubilife city, the sense of deja vu was growing more strong. This was where more divergence was apparent, as he encountered an oddball from the international police who introduced himself as Looker, heading off after a quick introduction. He was also surprised to know the girl he saw earlier was Dawn, as her outfit was completely different. Before rushing forth, Zeiol takes stock of a few things. Neither the route to the north or the east had any Pokeradar responses. There was also no writing on it - he distinctly remembered something about the Magma Stone, and verified that its jamming properties held true. Back to the old restriction; only route non-natives encountered using the Pokeradar can be caught. It also seemed that if Zeiol had memories of catching a particular Pokemon in his original world, then that species would not appear for him in this world. As anxious as he felt, something had changed and he was willing to take this journey at a slow pace, like a Snorlax. With that, Zeiol heads to Oreburgh, defeats Tinston and heads into the mine. Up to this point, there's exactly one item that Zeiol could obtain that has an effect when held. What is it? [quickclaw]
6) 463. Nidoran-F is able to carry its weight very well with Double Kick, and with some training, evolves into Nidorina before Zeiol challenges Roark. This is a welcome boon, as he still has only one team member. Nidorina's high stats as well as the trifecta of Growl, Tail Whip and Double Kick are all Zeiol needs to seal the deal. Still, something seemed strange. Nidorina didn't seem to be doing as much damage as anticipated, but it didn't matter all that much. He headed back to Jubilife, and realized that he had to expend the Rock Smash HM on Nidorina, since he didn't have other Pokemon. As he did so, he felt a strange calling from an area in the city. It seemed as if he'd been here before, but at the same time it was his first journey. This dissonance brought on another headache as he slowly walked to the Global Terminal, a massive building he'd never seen before. As he entered, the festive atmosphere took him aback. This place truly did connect the world. He first stopped by at the GTS to see what was on offer, but he couldn't really trade for them with only one Pokemon. The clerk on duty noticed this and handed Zeiol was handed a mystery egg - along with a mail and an item. Apparently this was a free gift from some trainer? In any case, Zeiol decided to accept this and look at it after he was done, resuming perusal. Wobbuffet Pop was a very captivating minigame that reminded him of something familiar, and the other games were very fun too. The grand parade on floats at the end left a memorable impression and perfectly concluded his time there. Next, he decided to check out some battle videos in a bid to refine his tactics. As Zeiol was perusing the records, he came across a popular replay uploaded by a trainer called SPP. It was apparently the 114th battle at some place called the Battle Arcade. What Pokemon were featured in this battle? [dewgong lucario]
7) 464. Soon after his time at the Global Terminal, the mystery egg hatched to reveal a Trapinch! It seemed to recognize Zeiol somehow, but Zeiol was unable to place it; its selection of 4 moves - Bite, Gust, Quick Attack and Giga Drain seemed like exactly something he'd pick, which confused him all the same. He decided to head to the Pokemon Center to spend a while and process this info. Trapinch's presence was the key that broke the lock on Zeiol's memories, as they all flooded back. Sadness overcame him yet again, but it was soon replaced with hope. He was still alive, and still had a way to change things! "So that's how it's been, a journey that started with Paleo and ended with Arceus. What a wild ride. Priso… I think I'll follow your lead, continuing my journey in the same order as before, and see what things I can do differently with the knowledge of hindsight.", he thought. Soon, he headed northward, and encountered Rowan and Dawn being hassled by a pair of Galactic grunts. Of course, the duo are dispatched and flee, as Zeiol continues. Rock Smash allows him passage through the Ravaged Path, and as he steps out into the sun, the Pokeradar springs back to life again. Intrigued, he activates it and finds a Sunkern, which is promptly caught. That being said, it was hard to miss. Many Sunkern were seen clustering together and floating in the wind soon after the radar was activated - perhaps it was their migration season? In any case, this encounter reminds him of one of Rowan's rules which he'd said just before the galactic battle, particularly the fourth one. What was it? [Don't think you've grown strong just because you're in a group.]
8) 465. Before heading to Floaroma, Zeiol decided to visit Jubilife TV, in hopes that they might have some news coverage that informs him about the differences of this new world. Unfortunately, it seems routine as normal, but a few odd words pop into his mind as Zeiol talks with the producer there. He's able to receive these wallpapers as a reward that were different (in name) from the ones he could obtain in his original world. [contest croagunk distortion]
9) 466. With no new leads, Zeiol continues onward to Floaroma Town as the soothing scent puts him a bit at ease from the headaches. He resolved to be happy for his new allies, as it didn't seem like the Pokeradar was going to be usable for quite a long while. "No matter what, even if I knew Trapinch before, I'll still aim to be the same old caring person!", Zeiol resolved to himself. He headed to the meadow, defeated the grunts hassling the Honey-seller, and speeded his way to the Windworks. One neat observation he made along the way was that Trapinch leading the party didn't seem to affect any encounters. This story seemed almost like clockwork, but here was another difference. Mars was not alone! This character was with her. [charon]
10) 467. Zeiol didn't have much time to ponder the implications of a possibly fourth Galactic admin, and accepted Mars' challenge. Trapinch criticals Bite and snipes a KO on her Zubat with Quick Attack, and Nidorina's Double Kicks seal the deal against Purugly, hitting more strongly than anticipated. With that, Galactic scurries away but Zeiol's still wondering who this Charon was, there was no memory of him. That being said, barely any new details came to mind as he headed to Eterna Forest. The meeting with Cheryl was perfunctory, and the duo made it to Eterna City with little trouble. Something called out to him, and Zeiol talked with the Underground Man to receive the Explorer Kit, and went underground before doing anything else. The impromptu quest was to obtain this item, which would otherwise not be obtainable until after Zeiol had at least three badges, and would significantly impact his team. [sunstone]
11) 468. Gardenia is a bit of a challenge, but Sunkern's Grasswhistle combo with Nidorina's Fury Swipes to grant Zeiol the victory, though the former sometimes losing HP at the turn's end made the battle harder. With that, he heads into the Galactic Building (notably more well equipped than what he remembers), dispatching the incompetent grunts before facing off against Jupiter. This battle is far closer, but Trapinch's Ground typing bails Zeiol out against her Skuntank. That being done, he heads to Hearthome. Soon after, Zeiol finds a Sun Stone underground and uses it to evolve Sunkern, who appreciates the power boost. Surprisingly, despite being a stone evolution, it continued to learn moves via level up. However, the different anatomy reflected in a changed movepool. What moves does Sunflora learn by level up that Sunkern is unable to learn at all? [leafstorm petaldance pound]
12) 469. Fantina's up next, but Sunflora's hit its stride and the four-pronged combo of Grasswhistle, Growth, Leech Seed and Mega Drain are all that's needed to seize victory and acquire the Relic Badge. Still, didn't something seem out of order? Before leaving hurriedly, she calls out. "My dear challenger? How shall I say this...it seems to me that you're under far too much stress. Perhaps exploration around the city of Eterna is my recommendation, I hear they have some herbal remedies that help with this?" Zeiol's taken aback by the suggestion, but accepts the idea all the same, quickly cycling back to Eterna. However, the herbal medicine shop is closed for the day, so he decides to explore the remnants of the Galactic Building to take a break. As he explores the lobby, he notices that Pokeradar glows a bright blue and emits a blinding light, falling silent soon after, but somehow still retaining the jamming effect. He decides investigation is in order, and notices an odd keyhole with a peculiar shape. However, the door leading into it was unlocked, so Zeiol proceeded forth. As he did so, he came across a strange room, very dimly lit by a fading lightbulb. It didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the Galactic base at all. Here, he saw notes on this Pokemon. [rotom]
13) 470. The notes and appliances seem very strange to Zeiol. He sat down and took a moment to think. "A Pokemon inhabiting machines? Not impossible, given this lab here. But that being said, does this have to do with my Pokeradar? I've always felt it was sentient, but to think a Rotom of all things was responsible....well, it does explain the flash of electricity that saved me back at Pal Park. It might be a good idea to explore around and see what I can find.". Zeiol looks around the room, but it seems as lifeless as ever. He decides to explore Eterna Forest, seeing as the room is somewhat decrepit. The Old Chateau did spook him a lot before, but now he was confident that nothing there would scare him, after the hell that Arceus put him through. Soon after, he came across the TV room, and it sprang to life upon seeing him. A Pokemon appeared on the TV, and began talking through the speakers. "Bzzt! Give a mon some time to recover won't you? Here's the deal. I was the one messing with your Pokeradar, and the Magma Stone was a devilish way for me to be entertained. I was fine taking a back seat after you found it, after all that effort even if temporarily. Now, if some power-tripping deity threatens to take away my amusement by sending you to some crazy place, that's where my mischief changes into malice." With this message, Rotom burst back out of the TV and engaged Zeiol in battle. Rotom seemed to know a move that it wouldn't normally know, (but it's one that it can legally learn in some mainline games) and Zeiol had seen it once before at Pal Park. What move was it? [night shade]
14) 471. Rotom didn't seem to put up much of a fight, and was notably weaker than Zeiol's team. As he asked about this, as well as the reason it was red and not orange - as per the pictures in Charon's lab, Rotom zapped back into the TV and continued, "Thank the Red Chain for all of this. Its residual energy stuck to the Pokeradar with me inside, and before I knew it, I was turned like this." Rotom zipped back around the room, lighting the bulbs for clearer visibility, and returned back to the TV. "Do you know how hard it is to incapacitate a deity with electricity? I positively levelled down doing that, bzz. That's why I'm so weak now. Anyways, before you blame me about the part with the void and your Pokemon getting sealed? Blame Arceus for that; it wasn't me in control of the radar, the plates reacted to the Red Chain and forced me out briefly. About that accursed artefact - if you put me into a Pokeball I'd well say the residual energy I've got would flow into it, turning it also a very deep red. ", with Rotom's grin growing wider, it continued "Let's see if you know what Pokeball that becomes, my dear dimensional traveller!" What item was Rotom talking about? [cherish ball]
15) 472. "Figurezzz. So much for me graciously telling you after you pleaded ignorance..." Rotom's smile turned into a pout, as it continued. "Annywaayzzzz! As you've seen from our last encounter with Arceus, the element of surprise is key. There's no way it'd be as damaged as it was, if it took my attack head on. I'd almost guarantee our poor little deity is back at the Hall of Origin trying to recover. Now, I have a plan. We need to confront it before it becomes too strong again, and while you need to gather the plates again, make sure that Rapidash stuck in a fence doesn’t even get one of them. I’m confident any party you train up - without rushing - will be able to defeat it in that state. Well, at least distract it a bit. From that point, throw me the Radar and my Pokeball and I’ll handle the rezzzt. Probably. " Zeiol interrupts, wanting to ask something but Rotom takes back the conversation. "Now, I know what you're thinking. You want me to stop jamming the radar, to get stronger Pokemon, blah blah. Well, tough luck. For that to happen, I'd have to unleash all of this Red Chain energy, and we just discussed why I can't do that, it's all or nothing. Both of us want to get home, so I'll conserve my strength to help you until the right moment. Good luck, partner. Bzzt! " With that, Rotom happily darts from the TV into a Pokeball, turning it into a Cherish Ball, just as it'd said, nicknaming his newest Pokemon Red. With that, Zeiol took a quick trip back to Charon's lab, as the notes were meritorious. Here, Red chose to enter this appliance which would give it a move strong against the next gym leader that Zeiol encountered. [fan]
16) 473. Despite the form change, Red wasn’t actually able to assist with battling, as it was still recovering. From this point onwards, Zeiol’s journey sped by like a blur. While there were differences, the fact that he’d travelled these lands before was enough of an advantage. The Cobble badge obtained, Zeiol headed south and realized that Poochyena were available for capture. He decided to take the gamble and chain for a shiny one - as low on funds as he might be at the moment. He decided to play it safe and account for 200 manual radar activations (excluding the first activation), and buy the least amount of Pokeballs needed to reach the max shiny chance, using Pokeballs that could be guaranteed to catch it on the first turn of battle. What’s the least amount of money Zeiol would have to spend doing this? [65000]
17) 474. A shiny Poochyena was snagged after a few days of chaining, nicknamed Yellow. Zeiol also cycled down to Pastoria and defeated Wake to earn his 5th badge. Zeiol’s expertise as a trainer more than made up for his team’s shortcomings. After the battle with Wake, Red indicated that it’d regained the strength to battle, which gave Zeiol another power boost. He journeyed to Celestic amidst the fog, caught a Tauros, met Cyrus but was positively shocked that he was challenged to battle! This was intensely challenging, as his Sneasel and Murkrow landed quick critical hits on the newest capture, taking no additional damage from Horn Attack and quickly beating it, but the rest of Zeiol’s team pulled through. After the battle, the Celestic elder invited Zeiol to her house to relax and talk over some myths, where he learnt of the other legendary Pokemon revered in Sinnoh - Dialga. With that win, Zeiol obtained Surf, and got his next capture, Aron at Fuego Ironworks. However, the allure of chaining was still very strong and he decided to spend some time near Pastoria City doing so. As this happened, he remembered his time at the Global Terminal and felt like it'd be fun to visit the Battle Frontier someday, particularly the Battle Arcade as its volatility would be the direct opposite of the monotony he was going through. If Zeiol was to enter Red in its Frost form knowing the move exclusive to that form, and no other moves, then when sent into battle in the Battle Arcade, it would be guaranteed to know this move. [thundershock]
18) 475. Soon, a Shiny Grimer is caught and nicknamed Green. The rest of his adventure proceeded as before - obtaining the Mine and Icicle badges, and heading to Galactic HQ. He found it funny that fate seemed constant; even when no detours were taken and Tinston being informed, Galactic still captured the Lake Pokemon. This infiltration was a lot harder than what Zeiol remembered, and this time, he overheard Cyrus’ speech to the grunts. Passionate, yet aloof - Cyrus was truly a leader to behold. With that concluding, Zeiol headed deeper within the base. The Lake Pokemon were set free and Zeiol soon proceeded to Spear Pillar. Red assured him that Arceus wouldn’t be there, given the events likely to transpire. As Zeiol dispatched the final elite grunts, the holy land ahead was a terrifying and traumatic sight, but he pressed onward, defeating Mars and Jupiter. However, nothing prepared him for what he saw next. Both Dialga and Palkia were controlled by the Red Chain, to create an even stronger universe - unshaken by the efforts of Uxie, Azelf and Mesprit. As Zeiol grew fearful, with Red preparing to discharge the energy to stop this cataclysm, a shadowy sphere coalesced on the floor, halting the genesis. A towering figure began to form from this sphere, and nobody present was more fearful than Zeiol, as he remembered that outline - Giratina! It created a portal, dragging Cyrus within as Zeiol followed in quick pursuit. As he jumped in, it seemed nostalgic in a way, he’d seen images of this place back in his original world’s Turnback cave, but to be in a place this bizarre was another thing entirely. Perhaps, "Distortion World" itself was not this place’s true name? Surely a place like this was obscure enough that no human would’ve been here to formally give it a name. Zeiol pondered this as he made his way through the twisted lands. What is the internal name of the Distortion World? [tornworld]
19) 476. Zeiol reached the abyss, and defeated Cyrus yet again - Lairon’s Stealth Rock being instrumental in the victory. Giratina’s power seemed like it’d overcome the Red Chain jamming, but Zeiol never considered it an ally, so two Blizzards from the Frost-form Red dealt with it, as it let out a melancholy cry, disappearing further within as Zeiol escaped. The world was back to normal, as he was relieved that Red’s plan could proceed as intended. However, Zeiol decided to hang around the Department Store restocking on supplies and thinking where to go next. He did need a stronger team to keep up with the stronger trainers, and thought about what he’s known so far. “For a Pokemon to be catchable, it must be encountered through use of the Pokeradar and shouldn’t be native to that route.” That was the tenet that’d stuck with him ever since the first part. He thought and thought, but head empty. He decided to set up a meeting with Rowan and Oak, telling them all of the events that had transpired, and asking for their thoughts on the matter. Both were stunned to hear this - were this info coming from anyone else, it’d be dismissed, but Zeiol was trusted enough that they took it seriously. They deliberated for a long time, and told Zeiol that the Red Chain was likely imbued with the energy of Legendary Pokemon, which is why it prevented the capture of any others. That being said, if Zeiol encountered any Pokemon that contributed energy to the Red Chain, it still wouldn’t be catchable, from what they inferred. If there was a way to encounter any other legendary Pokemon, their innate power would override the jamming, making them formidable allies if Zeiol could match the challenge. He deeply thanked the two professors, who were delighted to decode this mystery, and set off. What are the Pokemon Zeiol could capture fitting this description? [articuno moltres zapdos]
20) 477. As part of the discussion earlier, Oak mentioned how Kanto’s Legendary Birds were like mirages, fleeing soon after being sighted. With that in mind, Zeiol thought to plan ahead and acquire a Pokemon that could trap them. He decided to rest at home for a while - after all the Distortion World and Spear Pillar were tiresome, to say the least. He remembered that he’d deposited Ruby in the GTS in a prior part, and decided to check if it was still up for trade. Fortuitously, it was. As such, Zeiol headed to this location to catch the Pokemon needed for the trade, at the correct level. [route 209 / Sinnoh route 209]
21) 478. For some odd reason, Zeiol only seemed to encounter male Kirlia. He was taken aback at the fact that he’d never used the Pokeradar there despite passing by many times before - surely it would’ve been a good Pokemon to have earlier on but time was too limited to train them. He caught one of them, and quickly proceeded to the GTS. However, something was different this time around. If the trade went off successfully, what Pokemon (species) would Zeiol receive from the GTS? [dusknoir]
22) 479. Unfortunately, things weren’t going to be that simple. The GTS staff were apologetic but mentioned that the trade was impossible to proceed, as an odd black mist prevented the Pokeball’s transfer, so it was returned to the original trainer’s PC. Zeiol’s face grew darker upon hearing this news. If he wasn’t going to be able to rely on any of his original 24, then he definitely needed all the power he could get, and fast. The black mist was unlikely to go away unless something was done about Arceus, so his motivation was reinforced. He decided to game the system, and acquire some more Pokemon from the GTS in a bid to win the Loto-ID’s grand prize - a Master Ball, knowing what the winning ID number was. After some trading, he received a Pokemon with a Mild Nature, holding a Lucky Egg in a Cherish Ball - with the assurance that nothing about the Pokemon had changed since the original trainer obtained it. What are the possible trainer ID’s this Pokemon could have? [07207 09129 12269]
23) 480. With that Pokemon, Zeiol wins the Loto-ID jackpot, uses his two Master Balls and a stash of Dusk Balls to capture the legendary birds over the next week. The professors’ hypothesis was correct, and their innate power overcame the jamming as they became Zeiol’s allies. Now, he’s sure that he has the power to defeat the league posthaste, as well as what comes after. With the recent captures, Red retreated back into the Pokeradar to better conserve energy, especially given the high legendary surroundings. Volkner was easily defeated and Zeiol proceeded onward to the Pokemon League. Here, he noticed something interesting while exploring. If Zeiol was in the situation described in the image below, then he could use this key item to escape. https://imgur.com/a/kBOVwWt [bicycle]
24) 481. As Zeiol continued through Victory Road, he realized that he’d not given the recent events at Spear Pillar a second thought because they happened so quickly. “Dialga..? I know I saw a blue Pokemon there, with Palkia. Perhaps it’ll be a good idea to see if I can make it an ally too. Anyhow, that’s a conversation for later.” With that, he heads to the League, defeats Tinston, the Elite Four and Cynthia. These are much closer battles, but Zeiol realized that he’d still have won had he trained up his prior Pokemon - the legendaries weren’t needed. He thought to himself “Am I losing sight of what made my Pokemon precious in the quest for power? Sure, none of my Pokemon have complained, but maybe they’re just putting up with this for the greater good…” Similar thoughts muddled his might as he registered in the Hall of Fame and headed home, as the credits rolled. On his journey home, he saw these Pokemon. [drifloon magnezone wingull]
25) 482. With the league defeated, Zeiol now had free reign to travel wherever he wanted to in Sinnoh. He decided to head over to the Fight Area as planned, but was taken aback at Flint and Volkner challenging him and Tinston to a double battle! This was a battle of synergy: Volkner’s Electivire used Fire Punch on Flint’s Flareon to activate its Flash Fire and score a clean OHKO on Zapdos with Overheat! Zeiol was taken aback; two Pokemon that weren’t a threat before combo’d for devastation. Flygon won the battle thanks to its Earthquake striking for super-effective spread damage, but this made Zeiol ponder even more. Were his skills faltering as a trainer, to rely on the birds that much? In any case, he decided to look around the Fight Area a little more. He came across a helpful person who gave him an introduction to various items such as the Life Orb, Choice Specs, Leftovers, and so on. While Zeiol had used these items before, the short talk was informative and Zeiol left a little smarter. What title did this person use while introducing themselves? [item expert]
26) 483. Before continuing further, Zeiol felt it was time to address the prior concerns. As a start, he decided to head to Spear Pillar to visit Dialga, surely more power on his side wouldn’t hurt, right?. He’d of course taken the three legendary birds with him, in a bid to convince it. He found the Adamant and Lustrous orbs in Mt. Coronet, and reached Dialga’s portal. It emerged, noticed the Pokeradar, and patiently listened as Zeiol pled his case, without attacking. At the end of it all, Dialga sorrowfully shook its head, and roared out loud, forcing Red out of the Pokeradar. As Zeiol feared for the worst, it began talking with Red, whose expressions changed with the second. It retreated back, and relayed the message from the Pokeradar’s speaker. “Right, right, here’zz the deal. Our metallic friend here doesn’t want to become your Pokemon, but it does sympathize with your cause. If you choose to surrender Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres to it for some time - apparently it wishes to discourse with them in a different dimension - it’ll grant you temporal protection, which means that if you’re sent into another one of those interdimensional portals, your mind and body are guaranteed stay intact, no more of that amnesia you had when travelling to this world. It’s really up to you if you want to accept, the trio is strong but parting with them for now could save us in a pinch, zzz.”, Red concluded. Zeiol thought this through deeply. He decided that it’d be best to rely on his original team, as they were strong enough as is, and accepted the offer. Dialga roared again, and Zeiol’s body glowed a pale blue as he felt stronger. With that, the four pokemon left together, as Zeiol sat there for a bit longer, contemplating. Was even the deity of time not subject to change, given that it desired stimuli? Dialga can only learn this move if it is in Sinnoh. [heal block]
27) 484. With that done, Zeiol returned to using his original Pokemon after a bit more training - now consisting of Red, Flygon, Aggron, Tauros, Sunflora and Yellow. With Dialga’s protection, Zeiol felt a little safer in deciding to go a little slowly, and spend some time relaxing. He decided to head eastward, given what he knew of the area as it would let him think more clearly as well about the future. On the way, he passed through the central island on the route. It was a work of beauty, volcanic rock having crystallized into a small alcove. Not only that, it gave off a refreshing aroma in combination with the salty sea surrounding it and fresh grass with a lush aroma. However the island was a bit too isolated to spend too much time and so Zeiol proceeded further east till he spotted land - near a settlement and made that his temporary base of operations. He decided that this would be the last act, and stayed there planning to use the Pokeradar to chain for a shiny near the extra-tall grass. What new Pokemon could Zeiol have chained in the location? [venomoth venonat]
28) 485. Before Zeiol set out on the chain, he explored the Resort Area anew. Unfortunately, he hadn’t earned the 10 ribbons needed this time, so the massages were a no-go. Still, the swimming pools were open, and free to boot, so Zeiol chose to relax there. However, he soon found out why exactly they were free. As he was lazing in the water, a regal-looking Magikarp swam up to him and furiously tackled him head-on. This didn’t really hurt him, but Zeiol was taken aback - surely there were no Magikarp in the Resort Area he was used to! If anything, it seemed that the Magikarp exuded an aura far too powerful, as if none could be stronger than it. It looked angrily at Zeiol and then splashed back into the water, as he stood dazed. What is the chance that Zeiol encountered this Magikarp? (express as a floating point number, so if he had a 90% chance to find it then your answer would be 0.9) [0.0001 / 1 in ten thousand - not all karp are created equal, the youtuber absolblogspokemon has a video where he demonstrates this statistic and it is not 0.01]
29) 486. Of course, Zeiol wasn’t swimming in the actual pools that the Resort Area sponsored and was lounging around in a pond. Why else would there be Magikarp surrounding him? Slightly embarrassed, he decided to head forth with chaining to forget about the experience. However, as he visits the PokeMart to stock up, he sees a youth standing in the east of the Resort Area, looking for someone. Zeiol did think this person was shady, but went up to talk to him anyway. If Zeiol didn’t say “Yes” to what the youth was asking, then he would not be able to obtain these items within the Resort Area. [grepaberry leppaberry lumberry qualotberry]
30) 487. Well, Zeiol’s now stuck with a Villa. Given Sinnoh’s real estate prices, he’s happy that he actually has a place of his own…but something didn’t quite sit right with him. The place was devoid of furniture and looked as barren as Route 217! As he was wondering what to order with his limited funds, this character entered the villa, and wondered aloud how rich Zeiol was to own such a villa, then left soon after, concluding that they’d tell everyone about the news. Who was it? [tinston]
31) 488. This is the perfect place for Zeiol to just spend time formulating a plan of action, all the while in the lap of luxury. This was truly a blissful reward given the harrowing journey he’s had to take across two regions, but he had to slap himself back to reality. No, it wasn’t over. While it’d be lovely to stay there forever, Arceus was still a pressing concern and he needed to be ready, even if the challenge never came. While the comforts were good, he couldn’t spend all the time relaxing out of concern for the original 24. In any case, he chose to spend some of his leftover cash furnishing the villa. He bought exactly three furniture items and spent a total of $567,000. What did Zeiol buy? [audiosystem bed tv]
32) 489. More villa fun abounds! Zeiol grew accustomed to a peaceful time, but didn’t forget his plan to chain, and he made sure to rest in the villa after every few failed attempts. It definitely helped retain his sanity, and even though this took longer, he was happier for it. Within about two weeks, a shiny Venomoth graces his eyes, and a Dive Ball seals the deal. It’s nicknamed Blue, and Zeiol heads back to the villa to celebrate - because this is the last celebration for quite a while. He invites all of his acquaintances, and whoever’s free attends for one gala party. The festivities go on for quite a while, but Zeiol knew the gravity of the situation. As night fell, all the attendees left in a happy mood and Zeiol took to bed for an early rest. As dawn broke, he left on a quest to obtain all the missing plates. Arceus had to be challenged eventually, and Zeiol would rather have this battle be on his terms than the foe’s. As he was on the quest, he remembered how fun it was to have visitors at the villa. However, there’s one character that would never visit Zeiol. Who is it? [lucas]
33) 490. Within a short time, the plates were gathered, and Zeiol decided to take a quick trip to the Survival Area to spend some more time with his Pokemon, particularly Blue, and see if anything had changed. Of course, the Battleground was a new addition and Zeiol was pumped to give his Pokemon the most intense training possible before the final showdown among familiar faces. After these battles, he’s all ready and heads back to Mt. Coronet, the Azure Flute now in his possession thanks to the Red Chain reacting with the plates. As he does so, he reminisces about the recent battles. The first trainer had one of their pokemon know a HM move and a move that inflicted a status on the foe on the same turn it was used. The second trainer had a Pokemon that knew a damaging move that never missed and a move that inflicted a status on the foe. Lastly, the third trainer had a Pokemon that knew multiple moves that could strike a target more than once in the same turn. You can assume Zeiol has access to all trainers in the Battleground. In the order mentioned, who are these three trainers? [cheryl fantina volkner]
34) 491. Zeiol ascends the sky stairway to the Hall of Origin one last time, ready to duel with a plan. Arceus' expression was one of surprise as it saw Zeiol ascending, surely it expected Zeiol to turn tail and run for as long as he could. It stopped charging energy and turned to face him in combat. Zeiol trusted in his team and they repaid that trust - defeating Arceus in its weakened state. Before the final blow could be landed, Arceus feigned defeat and launched a searing Hyper Beam, forcing Zeiol to tumble out of the way to dodge it, barely hanging onto the hall’s floor. This was all Arceus needed to absorb the 18 plates from Zeiol’s bag and gain an omnipotent aura. Now, the tables were turned, as the fight was made even more merciless. No matter what Zeiol's Pokemon did, it seemed like they were unsuccessful in defeating Arceus this time, with its propensity to change types. With all of Zeiol’s Pokemon defeated, Arceus’ body glowed a deep black and launched the sealing mist at all of his Pokeballs, with only Red escaping as it was tucked away in the Pokeradar. No opposition left, Arceus recreated another portal at the end of the Hall of Origin and used its telepathy to force Zeiol to approach it. It spoke again, "Pitiful. You did not arrive here out of subservience. Nor did you arrive here to resist me with that appalling display of battling. If this lackadaisical approach is your fiber, I shall rend it from your being. If you have no intent when traversing worlds, I shall give you one. No more interruptions, for the conception draws close. Perish. ", Arceus' voice echoed as it commanded Zeiol forward into the portal. However, Zeiol’s body didn’t seem to react with the portal, so Arceus looked closer to investigate. "Bzzt!" A searing flare of electricity strikes Arceus at close range, blinding it, as its vision fades. When Arceus came to, it was still paralyzed, and looking at a Zeiol just barely hanging on at the portal’s edge - which was now affected by the surge. Red's Night Shade had conjured up a mirage to make Arceus misjudge distance. As it was still reeling from the shock, Zeiol lifted up the Pokeradar and Red's Pokeball, as it used Charge Beam to absorb all the Red Chain energy from both objects, turning it into a concentrated, potent beam. In its debilitated state, Arceus could not dodge, and the searing energy pierced through at close range. Its final moments were in rage, as its entire body turned a solid shade of scarlet, and it remained motionless - entombed in what looked to be a statue through the dimensions. Perhaps in another universe entirely, Arceus was nothing more than a statue, a myth, or a legend, unable to be battled, and unable to manipulate anything. In a Pokemon spinoff game where this happens, you can see a statue of Arceus here. [destiny tower]
35) 492: Despite Arceus' sealing, the portal conjured up earlier was still present Zeiol rushed to Red's side- who’d somehow been able to retain its luster despite not having any Red Chain energy. It smiled a weary smile at Zeiol and darted back into the radar, which had now returned entirely to normal. A faint voice was heard from the radar's speaker, "We really did do it. Can't say I've tried my hand at godslaying before. Well done...I think I'll rest here for a while. If you want to head home, that portal's it. If you're really that hungry for new adventures, give it a go. Think really hard when entering it, and you might just end up somewhere else. Or not. I'm not an interdimensional travelling expert here. About Arceus? It's sealed for good, and with you being the only Person with the Azure Flute needed to get here, I doubt we need to worry about it. Think we'd all love a nice long nap after how long this adventure’s been. Thank you...", its voice trails off, as the radar falls silent. Worried, Zeiol presses the radar's button many times and shakes it a bit,, and a loud and angry voice soon greets him “I’m not dead, you idiot! Just give me a while to rezzzt, would you?”, as the radar falls silent again. Zeiol was grateful for Red's assistance, and mentally thanked it for being the linchpin in the plan to take revenge against Arceus. He sat down for a while at the Hall of Origin to recover a little, and realized he could finally actively marvel at the scenery he was looking down at. He had no clue if it was Sinnoh at all, but the sparkling lights along the starry sky was truly a sight to behold. Though, he did wonder about Red's remarks earlier - could Pokemon lose types outright by unleashing too much power? Considering all mainline games, these damaging moves would cause their user to lose a type as long as they didn’t fail. [burnup doubleshock / fun fact, this question was originally written around the time scarlet and violet released, so double shock was a funny addition that changed a little]
36) 493. When he's ready, Zeiol leaps back into the portal to reappear back at Spear Pillar. His new team's still sealed away, so he was unsure how to return to a Pokemon Center. As he was musing thus, he looked back at the portal, which seemed stable. Soon after, three familiar faces flew in from the other side. Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres were a sight for sore eyes, and after reconvening, they slowly flew Zeiol down Mt. Coronet - all the while partaking in Sinnoh's sights. Perhaps Dialga anticipated such an event when they’d last met, and took the birds to plan for this eventuality? A moment of rest from the harrowing experience slowly made him tear up from the nostalgia. If Zeiol had a Wurmple with him, this would’ve made for some avant-garde comedy. Along the way, he saw a very bland looking Eterna Galactic building, and that was all the confirmation he needed - Zeiol was in his original world. The trio dropped him off at Hearthome’s fountains and roosted nearby, understanding what he’d do next and wanted to see the events play out. Still very anxious, Zeiol headed northward, his jog turned into a bolt as he scrambled into Hearthome's Pokemon Center, withdrew his original 24 from the PC, and headed back to the plaza. Unfortunately, the black mist was still there sealing the Pokeballs, as malevolent as ever, but Zeiol had no fear anymore. He dared it to try and take him on, as Arceus was now gone for good. The mist slowly rose up from all Pokeballs taking the shape of the deity he so loathed, and it charged at Zeiol, before either him, Red or the birds could react, rendering him unconscious. As he opened his eyes, he felt like he was trapped in an unusual dimension, where time, space and antimatter blended together, with streaks of vivid colors flying by. As he looked around, he saw flashbacks of his journey across both the old and new Sinnoh streaking across the ceiling and floor, with statue-Arceus looking down on him. There seemed to not be a way out, but Zeiol saw columns of the black mist arising from stone tablets at different points in the dimension forming some sort of a corporeal string attached to them. After a careful survey, there seemed to be 32 strings in total. It seemed like both of these would be pivotal to escaping. "That's a puzzling number of strings facing me here. Arceus sealed away all of my 36 Pokemon besides Red and the birds, so I suppose that makes 32. Well, this is good. If I can decode this, there's hope to save my team, and I'm going to do it no matter what!", he declared. As Zeiol took a closer look, it seemed as if he'd need to use the past experiences he sees to do so. This was truly the meta-puzzle of all time, a fitting finale to quell the false god and deserving of its status as question #493, the last of this Sinnoh sojourn. Zeiol took a deep breath, sat down, and began looking carefully. Not all the riddles needed to be solved to escape, but solving all of them would guarantee Zeiol a way out. That being said, it seemed as if this dimension was one of no space and absolute order, Zeiol felt like playing by its rules was the best path to escape. He'd have to build up his wits, starting to count from zero. What order could this be? Well, he had an idea. More specifically, he remembered had access to this order very early on in his journey. Combining these two pieces of information, what did Zeiol need to create that would allow him to escape? Below are the inscriptions on each tablet. (note: The puzzle is included in the pastebin [https://pastebin.com/QYcgBYaU] for ease of access as well. Let me know if you can't access it.) [four dimensional hypercube / tesseract / tessaract]
37) Epilogue 1: Perhaps it was luck, perhaps it was inherited will, but the notions of possibility were shattered as Zeiol combined the strings to create it. He smiled up at the ceiling to see Arceus, furious at Zeiol's revelation. The puzzle is successfully decoded, the dark mist slowly fades, and the last of Arceus' lingering spirit turns the same scarlet it was sealed in, crumbling to dust. With that, the dimension collapsed in on itself [...], forcing Zeiol back to his original world, to the surprise of many onlookers. With trepidation, he looked back at his Pokeballs to see that they were all unsealed, with his team outside and happily greeting him upon his return! Everyone was here; all 36 of his Pokemon! Were they perhaps watching him? Not that it mattered, as Zeiol pulled them all in for a group hug, and was truly happy that this terrifying experience had come to a close. The last Arceus is in captivity. The galaxy is at peace. Finally, Zeiol decides to head back home to Twinleaf, to take a nice, long rest. The last few weeks have been harrowing for him, and he could think of no better place to unwind with all of his Pokemon. To immortalize how he's felt, he makes a record of his entire Pokemon roster, found here: https://pokepast.es/fb462493857a5913. With that, Zeiol's adventures of Pokeradar Pearl come to a close. I bequeath to you the acknowledgements and some fun design choices in the next question. Type /scavenge continue to continue. [continue / no]
38) Epilogue 2: Well, you actually did it. You made it to the last question, impressive! You've already solved plenty of hard and impossible questions up to this point, even that meta (seriously, what was with that question? it was a pain in more ways than one) and a break is definitely in order, for both you and me. Aren't you a dedicated one? Words really can't do justice to how thankful I am to you for getting this far. Pokeradar Pearl; a journey of 493 questions, and in no small part, you've played through a part of it - or even multiple of them! This series was initially just a way for me to catalogue my playthrough of the game - simply for my own musings 2 to 3 years down the line as a fun novelty, nowhere near as long or detailed as what you see now. But as I did so, I realized the vastness of what Sinnoh had to explore and wanted to bring it to a wider audience. Through making these ideas into cohesive puzzles and questions, I could leave my mark as both a storyteller and hunt maker, and I feel I did a good job at both to leave a lasting impression. Did you notice any hints I left about the ending? If not, you might want to check out question 189 (good lord, was it really that long ago? have I really been writing this for over 6 months? my poor assignments...) Heck, while I foreshadowed Platinum so heavily, even going so far as to nickname Metang for it, the original plan was to end at Pal Park - with Zeiol's fate left ambiguous and no Platinum content at all at roughly the 444 mark. However, I really didn't want to end on that passive a note and the allure of the picture-perfect number was too much to pass up on. Most importantly - this old draft didn’t have a meta puzzle at all! Looking back now, it’s good I made the change because the ending is far more impactful. Perhaps you'll experience Zeiol's adventures anew in a new universe, sometime in the distant future? However, that’s where this story concludes - we’re done with Pokeradar Pearl now. Lastly, to the QCers of the longest odyssey in scavenger history - aQrator, TurtalKatThing, Pants, ComputerWizard8800 and TeutonicSquire. You have my utmost gratitude (especially aq who stuck with this series from start to end). That being said, here's a toast to your success, scavenger! Keep up that indomitable spirit, and hopefully this series was one where you could Mhave fun! I, WarriorGallade, thank you for playing, and hope to see you next hunt! Type /scavenge pokeradar to finish. [pokeradar / no / LETS FUCKING GOO I'M FINALLY DONE WITH THIS SHIT WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
Explanation about the meta puzzle (you can find the puzzle at https://pastebin.com/raw/QYcgBYaU):
So, how this puzzle works is that you're given a set of 24 questions, each with a number in brackets.
Here's an example of an intended solve path:
The answer to each question is one Pokemon. Find that Pokemon.
Use that Pokemon's national dex number to correspond to a question in the odyssey.
Look at the number in brackets, and use string indexing (starting from zero) for the answer corresponding to that question.
Rinse and repeat for all 24 questions.
Each Pokemon that's the answer to the its respective question will be mentioned in order below, with its natdex number.
After getting these results, you'll find the answers to the corresponding questions along with the letter to extract, based on the number in brakcets.
A notable point is that you'll need to ignore spaces in the answer when solving, but they're included below to assist readability, and the indexing used takes the intended no-space approach.
Each out these letters when combined in the order arranged, spell out four dimensional hypercube, which is the answer. Alternatively, tesseract is a cooler answer which is also accepted.
Now, as thanks for reading this far, here's some cheese to entertain you.
If someone found this cheese, they wouldn't need to solve any of the questions, but it was deftly hidden, and it stayed that way. So, the flavor text in #493 mentions 32 strings, and there are 24 tablets. Coincidentally, a tesseract also has 32 edges and 24 faces. Given that Zeiol had to create something to escape, it could be a bit of a stretch. But hey, if you found it you well deserve the loophole.
Here's an example of an intended solve path:
The answer to each question is one Pokemon. Find that Pokemon.
Use that Pokemon's national dex number to correspond to a question in the odyssey.
Look at the number in brackets, and use string indexing (starting from zero) for the answer corresponding to that question.
Rinse and repeat for all 24 questions.
Each Pokemon that's the answer to the its respective question will be mentioned in order below, with its natdex number.
Chansey | 113 |
Misdreavus | 200 |
Lairon | 305 |
Ditto | 132 |
Wobbuffet | 202 |
Purugly | 432 |
Staraptor | 398 |
Ho-oh | 250 |
Palkia | 484 |
Sentret | 161 |
Grimer | 88 |
Miltank | 241 |
Pachirisu | 417 |
Swellow | 277 |
Regirock | 377 |
Abra | 63 |
Houndoom | 229 |
Corphish | 341 |
Drapion | 452 |
Gallade | 475 |
Clefable | 36 |
Bulbasaur | 1 |
Slakoth | 287 |
Tropius | 357 |
After getting these results, you'll find the answers to the corresponding questions along with the letter to extract, based on the number in brakcets.
A notable point is that you'll need to ignore spaces in the answer when solving, but they're included below to assist readability, and the indexing used takes the intended no-space approach.
footprintribbon | 0 | f |
roark | 1 | o |
bugbuzz | 1 | u |
dragonfang | 1 | r |
workerbrendon | 10 | d |
horndrill | 6 | i |
chimer stripe / chingling pachirisu | 3 | m |
baltoy nidoking / (i love this q because it is absolutely pure bs unless you’ve been paying attention to the last part) | 18 | e |
venomoth venonat | 12 | n |
shadowball shadowclaw | 0 | s |
kirlia stantler | 4 | i |
meditite ponyta tyrogue | 9 | o |
a commemorative ribbon obtained in a mysteryzone | 19 | n |
solarpowered | 3 | a |
rockclimb surf waterfall | 5 | l |
rocksmash | 8 | h |
lakevalor lakeacuity lakeverity | 18 | y |
mankey primeape togepi. / Fun Fact! The blockades from the Fight Area are dependent on the cutscene with Rowan, when he gives you the national dex, and not on anything else. Therefore, even if you already have the national dex/battle tower, you can't leave the Fight Area to the north or east | 6 | p |
azureflute | 4 | e |
tornworld | 2 | r |
psychoshift | 3 | c |
munchlax | 1 | u |
bibarel kadabra medicham mrmime steelix | 0 | b |
charcoal fullheal lifeorb protein | 19 | e |
Each out these letters when combined in the order arranged, spell out four dimensional hypercube, which is the answer. Alternatively, tesseract is a cooler answer which is also accepted.
Now, as thanks for reading this far, here's some cheese to entertain you.
If someone found this cheese, they wouldn't need to solve any of the questions, but it was deftly hidden, and it stayed that way. So, the flavor text in #493 mentions 32 strings, and there are 24 tablets. Coincidentally, a tesseract also has 32 edges and 24 faces. Given that Zeiol had to create something to escape, it could be a bit of a stretch. But hey, if you found it you well deserve the loophole.
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