Trainer Strawberry: Chapter 13

“Okay, guys! Give it all you’ve got!” I shouted as my Pokemon trained. We had recently defeated the Gym Trainer in the Rustboro City Gym, but I had decided we needed to do some training before we took on the Gym Leader, Roxanne.

Suddenly, a Pokemon that looked like a bird showed up. My Pokedex told me it was a Taillow, a Flying- and Normal-Type.

“Oh, wow, a new Pokemon! Let’s catch it! Go, Zip!” I was always excited to catch a new Pokemon.

“Zigzagoon!” Zip ran forward at my request. The Taillow prepared to battle as well. When the Taillow turned towards us, I realized that it had a scar on its right eye.

“Taillow!” It shouted as it charged at Zip.

“So, it’s using ‘Quick Attack’,” I said mostly to myself. “Zip, dodge it and use ‘Headbutt’!”

“Zigzagoon!” Zip easily moved to the side to dodge the Taillow’s attack. Then, right as he and the Taillow were side by side, he jumped up quicker than most people would have thought possible. He hit the Taillow, and sent it flying into a tree nearby.

“Now’s my chance!” I shouted as I threw a Pokeball at the Taillow. It shook three times, then it clicked. “Gotcha! Taillow was caught!” I exclaimed happily. All of my Pokemon, except Caso, jumped up in down in happiness. They were all glad to have a new friend. “Now, he just needs a name. Come on out, Taillow!” I threw the Pokeball containing my newly caught Pokemon. When he emerged, I walked around him a little, examining him to try to figure out a good name. “How’s about… Blackfeather?”

“Taillow, Taillow.” The bird Pokemon shook its head. He didn’t like that name. He then tried his best to point at his eye.

“Oh, I get it. You want to be called Scar, right?”

“Taillow, Taillow.” Scar nodded his head. I was a little surprised that he would like that name. I thought Pokemon didn’t like their scars being pointed out, but I guess I was wrong.

“Alright then. Let’s get back to training!” All of my Pokemon happily agreed. Even Caso agreed, not happily, but he agreed.

*Later*

Our training had been going great, when suddenly, we heard a rushing sound, like a bunch of wings flapping at one time. Soon after the sound started, we spotted the source. It was at least twenty Taillows, and they looked angry.

“Whoa! That’s a lot of Taillows!” I yelled in surprise. “What do you guys think they want?” I asked nervously while I turned to my Pokemon to see if they had any ideas. When I looked at them, I realized they were looking at me, waiting for me to tell them the answer. All of them except Scar, who was looking at the other Taillows with a slight hint of anger. Scar and the other Taillows were talking to each other about something. That’s when I realized, Scar had probably been kicked out of this flock of Taillows, so they were probably mad that he hadn’t left the area yet. I couldn’t help being angry at that realization. No one, and I mean no one, picks on my Pokemon. I don’t care if they’re Pokemon as well, I will not tolerate it. “Alright, guys! It looks like these Taillows want a fight, so let’s give them one they’ll never forget!” My Pokemon roared in agreement.

The battle began, with both sides giving it their all. We were vastly outnumbered, but that didn’t stop us. We were ready for them, I don’t know how, but we were. As we fought with the flock of Taillows, I felt my Pokemon and I getting closer. It was an experience I had never felt before-it was like my Pokemon and I were thinking the exact same thing. I knew exactly when my Pokemon would dodge and how they would retaliate. It was like we were in perfect sync.

So, this is what it really means to be a Pokemon Trainer.

Sometime during the battle, my Pokemon began using moves they had never used before. Pepper was using “Bite”, and Aqua was using “Rollout”. It was a long battle, but we came out on top. Suddenly, Caso began to glow a bright white. Even though he was glowing brightly, I could see he was changing shape. Just as suddenly as it began, Caso stopped glowing, but he wasn’t a Mudkip anymore.

“Marshtomp!” Caso called when he stopped glowing. His appearance had changed quite a bit. He was slightly taller, and he stood on his hind legs. The three orange spikes on the sides of his face were now one single spike. He had two fins on his back, and both his back fins and his head fins turned into a grayish color. And his underbelly was now orange.

“Wow, Caso! You’re a Marshtomp now!” I said excitedly with my Pokedex in my hand. I had to check, okay. Caso stared at me for a moment, then he used “Water Gun” to hit me in the face. I sputtered for a minute before angrily yelling “Caso!”, the rest of my Pokemon just laughed. I stared angrily at Caso for a few seconds, then I sighed and started laughing too. After all, that was just his way of teasing me, so maybe it was a good thing.

Well, at least now I know that Caso’s still Caso, even if he looks a little different.

Pokemon met this chapter: Scar, male, lax nature

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Info. Once again, sorry for the wait. I hope this chapter was good enough to make up for it. Anyway, quite a bit happens in this chapter. Catching a new Pokemon, Caso becoming a Marshtomp. By the way, did you guys know I have a page that keeps track of the little details like which Pokemon are on my team, and what attack they know? Well, I do. The link to it is here.

Info #11

I have the chapter finished now. Quite a few things happen in this chapter, so I hope it was worth the wait!

Later.

I’m Very Sorry

I’m afraid I won’t be posting the next chapter of Trainer Strawberry today. Usually, I write the chapters the same day I post them, but I didn’t get the next chapter done today. I’m really, really sorry about that. But, I hope to have it done and posted sometime tomorrow.

Later.

What’s this, an OC?!

This is my Megaman Battle Network OC, Betaman. Usually referred to as just Beta. I started this picture a while back, so if I were to redraw it, it might look better. But, I’m too lazy to completely restart a picture just to see if it will look any better. This is the frontal view of a reference sheet I’m working on. Of course, whether or not I finish said reference sheet has yet to be seen. Anyway, you can draw him yourself, if you want to. Just make sure you give credit to me for the character design. And leave a comment with a link to the picture when it is done, because I want to see it. Now, for his backstory. He was programmed by an inexperienced programmer who lived in a place where Net Navis were just characters in stories, not programs that actually existed. Beta’s programmer loved the stories about the Net Navis, and thought it would be cool if they were real. So, the programmer set to work programming a Net Navi. Unfortunately, the programmer didn’t have a PET, nor did anyone they knew have one. So, Beta was programmed for a smartphone instead. The programmer was unable to correctly program Beta’s sight and hearing senses, and instead programmed Beta to use the camera on the phone for sight, and to use the internal microphone for hearing. Beta was also programmed to be able to completely operate the phone on his own, meaning he could access all of the apps himself. He also had capabilities like a security system, being able to send out “Scouts” to check for and eliminate viruses. He also has anti-hacking programs that allow him to detect and prevent hackers from hacking into whatever system he is in. The programmer was also unable to program him to use Battle Chips, so they programmed him with some attacks similar to certain Battle Chips. By lifting his arms and bringing them together, Beta can access his Beta Cannon, which looks like a regular Cannon Chip’s cannon, except Beta’s cannon is white, like him. He also has a Beta Sword (which is also white), and when he wants to use two at one time, it is known as a Double Beta Sword. Beta does not have a buster, however. Later on, both Beta and his programmer meet Dr. Hikari, who helps Beta’s programmer slightly reprogram Beta so he can function in a PET, and Dr. Hikari also adds Beta’s sight and hearing programs. For the first time, Beta is able to see what his world looks like, which was something he was previously unable to do, because the phones camera only showed outside the phone, not inside.

Anyway, I have some more pictures for you awesome readers, because I didn’t play Super Mario RPG today, and therefore, will not be making a post about it. Sorry about that. So, let’s see if you can guess who this is. I’ll give you a hint, he appears in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. I made three versions of this picture for you awesome readers to enjoy.

 

Yeah, I’m better at headshots than full body pictures. Also, I had meant to put my signature on my previous pictures, but I forgot to do so.

Later.

Trainer Strawberry: Chapter 12

This is it. We’re finally gonna take on a Gym.

Pepper and I stood outside the Gym doors, full of confidence that we would win the Gym Badge. After looking at the building for a few seconds, we entered through the sliding, automatic doors. The inside contained rocks that lined the walls all the way up to the ceiling.

“Welcome, Future Champ!” The referee called as I entered. “Are you ready to take on the Rustboro Gym Leader, Roxanne, Rock-Type Extraordinaire? Rock-Types are weak against Water, Ground, and Grass-Type attacks. So, make sure you have plenty of Pokemon of one of those types on your team!”

“You bet I’m ready!” I answered enthusiastically.

So, Roxanne has Rock-Type Pokemon, huh? Well, I don’t have any Grass-Type Pokemon, but Caso and Aqua are both Water-Types. So, we should be fine.

“Great enthusiasm! That will take you to great places!” The referee said happily. He clearly loved his job, either that, or he was the best actor in history. “But, before you can challenge the Gym Leader, you have to get to her. The only way to do that is to make your way through the Gym Trainers.”

“Gym Trainers?” That was another term I had never heard of before.

“Gym Trainers are Pokemon Trainers that are stronger than the average Trainers you find hanging out on Routes. If you can get past them and make it to the Gym Leader, then you get to challenge Roxanne!”

I thanked the Referee for his help, then Pepper and I started walking to the back of the Gym. As we walked, I made sure that I had Caso and Aqua’s Pokeballs handy.

“Well, lookee here. We got us a challenger,” An unfamiliar voice said.

“Are you one of the Gym Trainers?” I asked the source of the voice, it was a boy who appeared to be a Pokemon Trainer.

“Sure am. You ready for a battle?” He asked as he prepared to throw one of his Pokeballs. I nodded my head I prepared to throw Aqua’s Pokeball.

“Let’s go, Geodude!”

“Come on out, Aqua!”

“Geodude!” A Pokemon that looked like a rock with arms, hands, and a face called has it emerged from its Pokeball.

“Marill, Marill!” Aqua called has she emerged from her Pokeball.

“Aqua use ‘Water Gun’!” I shouted. Aqua shot a steady flow of water at the Geodude.

“Humph. Geodude, dodge it.” He ordered his Pokemon like he had no interest in this battle at all. Geodude moved to the side faster than I thought it could. “Now use ‘Tackle’.” Geodude charged at Aqua.

“Aqua, look out!” I called. Aqua tried to dodge it, but the attack still slightly hit her. “Good job, Aqua! Now use ‘Tackle’ as well!”

“Ha. That won’t work. Geodude’s a Rock-Type; Normal-Type attacks just feel like a poke to him.”

“Who said we were using ‘Tackle’ to attack?” By this time Aqua had gotten to point-blank range. It no longer mattered how fast the Geodude was – it wouldn’t be able to dodge Aqua’s next attack. “Now, use ‘Water Gun’!”

“Oh no, Geodude!” The Gym Trainer yelled as Aqua’s attack hit the Geodude full force.

“Geodude is unable to battle, Marill wins!” The Referee called as the Trainer returned his Pokemon.

“No big deal, that was the weaker of my Geodude anyway.” He said while trying to act like this was exactly what he wanted. He threw another Pokeball that contained a Geodude.

“Aqua, return! Show ’em what you got, Caso!” I said as I threw Caso’s Pokeball.

“Mud, Mudkip!” Caso called as he emerged from his Pokeball. He then turned around and used “Mud Slap” to hit me in the face.

“Ugh, Caso! Now is not the time to do that!”

“Haha. Looks like your Pokemon doesn’t like you!” My opponent called arrogantly.

“Grr. Caso use ‘Mud Slap’!” I shouted. Caso began firing spheres of mud at the Geodude. The Geodude dodged the attack easily. It was like Caso wasn’t even aiming at the Geodude.

“You call that an attack? Geodude show ’em what a real ‘Mud Slap’ looks like!” The Geodude began attacking with spheres of mud of its own.

“You know what to do, Caso!” I shouted encouragingly. It had taken me a minute, but I had picked up on Caso’s strategy. Geodude’s attack hit Caso, causing mud to splatter everywhere. When it stopped raining mud, Caso was nowhere to be seen.

“What’s this?! Where’d that Mudkip of yours disappear to?” He asked as both him and his Geodude looked around frantically, trying to figure out where Caso was.

“They don’t call Mudkip the Mudfish Pokemon for nothing!”

“Huh?”

“When Caso used ‘Mud Slap’ earlier, he wasn’t aiming for Geodude. He was using it to get the battlefield nice and muddy, so he could dive into it. Now, Caso reappear and use ‘Water Gun’!” Caso leaped out of the mud directly behind the Geodude, and shot out a steady current of water from his mouth. The Geodude was down for the count.

“Geodude is unable to battle, Mudkip wins!” The Referee shouted as we both returned our Pokemon while complementing them on how great they were. Afterward, we both shook hands and agreed to battle again sometime. Pepper barked happily and wagged her tail, she was happy that we won too.

I decided to wait a while before we challenged Roxanne. Because, even though we won, the battle against the Gym Trainer hadn’t been easy. And I knew Roxanne would be even harder to defeat. So, Pepper and I headed to just outside of Rustboro to do some training. And once we’re stronger, we’ll come back to challenge Roxanne!

———————————————————————————————————————–

Info. We finally made it to the Gym. Whew, it took awhile, but we made it. I should have the battle against the Gym Leader in the next chapter. But, there is a possibility I won’t with how I’ve been writing this.

Info #10

We’re finally going to the Pokemon Gym. At long last! I’ve almost caught up to my in-game file. In order to help me keep motivated in my writing, I decided that I would stop playing after I finished a Gym, and not start back until I had caught up to my in-game file in my story. Anyway, the actual Gym Leader fight is not in this chapter, but the battle against the Gym Trainer is. I hope you like it!

Super Mario RPG – Legend of the Seven Stars: Part 2

Okay, time to catch that thieving reptile! In the second area of his level, you are required to jump on the yellow blocks to get to the other side to catch him. But, what’s this?! There’s only two blocks to jump on! Good thing the back on moves to the front when you jump on the one in the front. So, all you have to do to get across is just keep jumping. In the third area, all you have to do is follow Mr. Reptile to the other side. There are some enemies in this area, you can avoid them, but I chose to fight them for the EXP points. I have learned from other RPGs that it’s a good idea to level up while the enemies are weak, because they will get tougher later on.

After going through another area with two treasure chests and some enemies (which I didn’t get a screenshot of), the reptile realizes he’s cornered and decides to hide. He is terrible at hide-and-seek, though. Seriously, he hides out in the open! Anyway, you have to sneak up behind him three times before he admits that you have caught him. Now, I know that this sounds easy, and it is, but it is also pretty annoying. He turns around when you get close, and if you wait to long, he dashes off to another hiding place. This probably would have been a lot easier for me if I had known how to run at this time, but since I didn’t know how to run, I had to walk after the guy. I found out how to run later, though; you press the Y button.

When you finally catch the reptile, he pretends to give up, only to turn around and attack you. He’s not difficult to defeat, however, although he could be annoying if he restores his HP enough. Anyway, when he gets low, he will give Mallow back the coin he stole from him before running off.

After he leaves, you will find a wallet lying on the ground and a spring that will take you back to the first area of the level will appear. After you jump on the spring, it’s just a short walk before you leave the level. On the way there, since I fight almost every enemy I see, Mario leveled up.

Upon returning to Toad Town, you find that it has been completely overrun by Shyguys on pogosticks! The first sign of this you will get is the poor Toad who forgot his bazooka at home being chased by one of the Masked Bouncers. After saving him, he will give you ten coins as thanks.

After that, I went to rescue all the other Toads in Toad Town. I don’t think you have to do this, but I wanted to. I mean, come on! They give you items for crying out loud! That should be incentive enough! By the way, Flower Tabs raise your MP level. MP is required to perform special attacks. A special “Thank you” to Stina for telling me this. It made battles a lot easier.

When you enter the castle, you can talk to the Vault Guard (who will be hiding in the guest room) and he will give you a Wake Up Pin, which prevents you from falling asleep. After that, head to the room on the left from the main hallway. There will be some Toads who need your help in the top room. After you help them they will give you a Flower Tab and inform you that the Chancellor is trapped in the throne room. Alright, I’ll go save him. But if he turns out to be a Sith in disguise, and shocks my with lightning from his hands, I’m blaming you, Bob.

Upon entering the throne room, you find that the Shyguys are being led by a bouncing, talking sword name Mack. I know what you’re thinking, “Mack is the best villain name ever.” Well, you’re right. He wasn’t hard to defeat, however, although it would have been easier if he didn’t have so many bodyguards. After I defeated him, both Mario and Mallow leveled up and learned new moves. Another special “Thank you” to Stina for explaining how those worked to me as well.

After defeating Mack, a blue star shows up at the back of the room. It then flies over to Mario, and you’ve gotten your first Star Piece! Six more to go. You then find the Chancellor cowering in the corner. After the guards return, Mario and the Chancellor are at a loss for what to do next. The Mallow suggests that he and Mario talk to his grandpa because “He knows…EVERYTHING!”

 

Unfortunately, you have to go through some sewers before you can speak to Mallow’s grandpa. Which brings up the question, why does Nintendo make the sewers so maze-like in Mario games? After wandering around randomly for a while, I found a treasure chest that had a monster inside. After defeating it you get a Trueform Pin. You’re gonna wanna get that pin and equip it, because, believe me, it will save you a lot an annoyance later on. I didn’t equip it when I got it, and that caused me to take longer to get out of there than it would have if I had worn it. During some of the battles in the sewer, Mario leveled up again.

 

Eventually, I found the right pipe. Inside was a switch that drained the water and allowed me to move on through the level.

 

After going down a pipe that had previously been underwater, the time had come to fight the boss and get outta here. This is where the Trueform Pin comes in handy. The pin prevents you from turning into a scarecrow or mushroom. At first, I thought that was just silly. But it turns out, this boss has the ability to turn you and your partner into scarecrows! While you’re a scarecrow, you can only use special attacks. And eventually, you’ll run out of MP to perform those attacks. When that happens, you’ll just have to defend until the status condition wears off.

 

 

Upon defeating the boss, you find out that he was the only thing keeping the place from flooding! Oops. Mario and Mallow are washed out of the sewer and sent spiraling down a waterfall. Nintendo took this as the opportunity to put a minigame in there. The object of the minigame is to grab as many coins as you can while you fall. If you get sixty of them, the Toad at the bottom will give you a Frog Coin. Unfortunately, I didn’t get sixty coins, but I did nab some of the Frog Coins that are mixed in with the regular coins as I fell down the waterfall. Anyway, when you arrive at where Mallow’s grandpa lives, your first task is to find and talk to him. He then reveals a not-so-shocking fact, Mallow is not actually a frog. Dun dun dun. Apparently, Mallow’s grandpa found him in a basket that had fallen from the waterfall. The name Mallow was written on the baby’s belt, so that is what the grandpa named him. After you talk to Mallow’s grandpa, you can play another minigame of sorts where you have to get the tadpoles to play the right melody in order to inspire a musician that is there at the pond. Upon playing the right song (which a tadpole in another area will tell you), the musician rewards you with an Alto Card. I’m not sure what this does, so I’ll have to look the next time I play. Until next time!

Later.

Drawing Process: James from Pokemon

I decided that I wanted to make a drawing process post. This isn’t the way I usually draw, but I’ve drawn my last two pictures like this, and I think they turned out good, so I think I’ll make this my new style. Especially since I actually finished the pictures I drew like this, which is a pretty rare occurrence. I should probably also mention that this was the first time I had ever drawn James, and it was also the first time I had drawn someone with their head tilted. I drew James’ outfit that he had in the the episode of Pokemon XY called “Grooming Furfrou”. By the way, once I get this post finished, I will begin typing my Super Mario RPG post. Anyway, let’s get started!

Step 1:

First draw a circle. Next draw a horizontal and vertical line. These lines will help to position the eyes, nose, and mouth. They will also help keep track of which way the head is facing. If you are drawing someone facing forward, you will want to just draw these lines straight up and down, but since James has his head tilted in this picture, the lines need to be slightly tilted as well. Also, you’re not gonna want to draw these lines with the color black, like I did by mistake. It is easier to use different colors while doing the sketch, it makes it easier in the long run.

Step 2:

Next, draw a rough outline of the face. This will help with the placement of the hair. Notice how the chin is placed at the bottom of the vertical line. This doesn’t have to be super detailed as its main purpose is to help with hair placement. After you draw the hair, if the ears are showing, you can add them.

Step 3:

Now draw the hair. I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but it really helps if you have a reference picture. And it helps even more if you can find a reference that has the character facing the same direction as you want them to be in your picture. But if you can’t find one of them facing the same direction, then you’ll have to try to improvise.

Step 4:

Draw the face. Even if the eyes are going to be closed, it’s a good idea to draw them open for right now. Especially if the character you’re drawing has glasses or something, because having the eyes open helps with the placement of accessories. Although, it’s a good idea to try to get the emotion you want right now.

Step 5:

Draw the neck, shoulders, and any accessories that you haven’t drawn yet.

Step 6:

Get rid of any unwanted lines. Now’s the time to change the eyes to how you want them.

Step 7:

Finish the line-art by changing the color of the lines you kept to black.

Step 8:

     

Color! You can color the character the same way as they appear in their anime (if they’re in an anime) like in the first picture, or if you want more of a manga look to your picture you can color it the way I did in the second picture (basically use different shades of black and gray).

I also colored this with James’ eyes open, but I don’t think it looks as good as it does with his eyes closed. I’ll post it below. Have a great week!

Later.

A New Game! Super Mario RPG – Legend of the Seven Stars: Part 1

This post is one day early, but I don’t think anyone will mind. Anyway, I asked if anyone had any requests for games they wanted me to play, and Stina of JaNanamation requested that I play either The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker or Super Mario RPG – Legend of the Seven Stars. I decided to play Super Mario RPG, so here is the first installment of my video game journal of Super Mario RPG.

So, this game starts off like any other Mario game, everything is peaceful and happy. Suddenly, Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach (or Toadstool, as she’s called in this game)! My, what a big surprise! Never would’ve seen that coming.

Anyway, Mario chases after Bowser, and ends up right outside his castle. When Mario arrives the doors are closed, but as he gets closer, they open automatically for him. Wait, what? Okay, I’m going to call it. It’s a trap!

For the entire first three rooms (and a while after that) the battle system in this game was totally confusing to me. I’m not sure why, I mean it’s almost exactly like the one in Paper Mario. But during these first three rooms, I was constantly thinking “Okay, what am I supposed to do?”. I think I have it figured out know, so hopefully my confusion won’t be repeated.

Once you get to the third room, you will find Peach hanging from the ceiling. The camera will slide upwards, and you will see Bowser hanging out on one of the chandeliers. Mario will then do an impossible feat, and jump right onto the other chandelier. Once he’s up there, the fight against Bowser begins! I honestly thought that this battle would go exactly like it did in Paper Mario, with Bowser showing that he’s way too tough for you right now. But that wasn’t the case. After hitting Bowser a few times, Peach will tell you to attack the chain. After hitting the chain, it will let go of the chandelier Bowser is on. But before he falls, he attacks the chain holding the chandelier Mario is standing on. This was kinda weird, though, because from how fast the chandeliers were falling, and how much of a drop it appeared to be, you would think Mario and Bowser were fighting at the same height as a skyscraper.

Mario manages to jump back up to where Peach is, and I thought I was done. I was wrong. I don’t remember what it was that knocked Mario out of the castle, but something did. And seven stars started shooting all across the sky before a giant sword stabbed the castle. After being sent flying out of the castle, Mario conveniently lands in his house by falling through his chimney (which looks like a warp pipe by the way). A Toad happens to be waiting for Mario when he crashes into his house. When the Toad walks in to see what is happening, he gives one of the best witty remarks I’ve ever read, “Hey, Mario. Lots of people use something called a ‘door’ to go in and out of their houses…”. I’ve heard/read that remark before, but somehow, when the Toad used it, it seemed ten times funnier.

Once you walk outside, you are able to go back to Bowser’s castle. At this point I’m thinking “There’s no way it’s this easy”, and I was right. When you go to Bowser’s castle this time the doors do not open, and instead the giant sword that stabbed the castle earlier starts…talking to you? Yep. A talking sword. I bet he’s the bad guy. The sword informs you that the Smithy Gang (I think that’s their name, I knew I should’ve wrote this down as I went) would already be ruling the world if it wasn’t for nosy people like Mario. After that, he destroys the bridge, making the castle completely inaccessible.

This is what Mario’s house looks like.

Since you can’t get to Bowser’s castle, the only thing you can do is go back to Mario’s house. Mario then tells the Toad that he can’t access Bowser’s castle anymore. The Toad immediately panics and tells Mario that they need to inform the Mushroom Kingdom Chancellor ASAP. You then have the option of viewing a tutorial of how to use items from the start menu, and how to perform timed attacks. Unfortunately, my game kept freezing every time I tried to view the menu tutorial, and I didn’t even try to view the timed attacks one. I’m not sure if it was the tutorial itself, or if it was the menu screen, but something was causing my game to freeze, and I’m assuming it was the tutorial. Needless to say, I’ve skipped every tutorial since then, but I get this feeling that it’s going to cause me trouble later. Anyway, the Toad then takes off to go to Toad Town. Unfortunately, the path is overrun with Goombas, and it doesn’t take long for the Toad to get captured. I should probably mention that I actually died to a Sky Troopa here. Yeah. Not one of my best moments. Anyway, after you save the Toad, he gives you some Honey Syrup, an item that restores ten HP.

 

In the next area, the Toad is once again captured, but this time by a Sky Troopa. Upon saving him, he will reward you with a Flower Tab, and I have no idea what that does. I probably should’ve checked. It might have come in handy. You know, I think this Toad needs a name, don’t you? How’s about…Bob. Yeah, I think that’s a good name. After Bob gives you the Flower Tab, he rushes onward…

 

…Only to get captured once again. This time by a Hammer Bro. After the Hammer Bro tells you not to come any closer because “My hammer and I don’t like you” Bob warns you that this is one tough cookie. And he was right! Or at least, I thought he was tough. I actually died from this guy-twice! I leveled up on my way back to him, though, so it wasn’t a complete waste.

I think I’ve found Bob’s problem.

After finally defeating the Hammer Bro, you get his hammer. Finally! A weapon! Now Mario doesn’t have to punch the enemies! Speaking of which, does anyone know if Mario takes damage from jumping on spiked enemies? I know he does in other games, but from what I’ve seen so far, spikes don’t seem to have too much bearing in a battle in this game.

After you get the hammer, you finally reach Toad Town. Now, I don’t know if any of you awesome readers do this, but when I get to a new town (and sometimes when I revisit a town), I talk to everyone I can. While doing so, I entered the Toad Town Inn, and in the back corner was the gem of a Toad that I put a screenshot of above. All I could see was Mario walking up to the Toad and saying “Hi’a, Buddy! How’s it’a going?”, and the Toad giving his response. I’m not sure what he’s doing, but he definitely isn’t happy about it. I personally think he’s either washing or drying dishes. What do you think he’s doing?

After talking to everyone in Toad Town, I entered the castle. Once I explored all around it, I walked straight back to where the Chancellor is. I’d just like to mention that, ever since Star Wars, I do not trust Chancellors. So, I’m going to be watching my back whenever this guys around. Upon arriving, Bob joins the line of castle guards, which I guess means Bob himself is a castle guard. I believe I have found the root of the Mushroom Kingdoms problem, and the reason Bowser is able to kidnap Peach so often. It is also during this section that I found out that Mario is the best storyteller. Ever. He would also be great at charades. Anyway, after asking where the Princess is, and finding out that she has been kidnapped once again, the Chancellor gives you a map. I’m not sure if this is the overworld map, or if it’s some sort of town map. Do any of you awesome readers know which it is?

Upon leaving the castle, a creature that appears to be a cloud calls for help. He has just been robbed by some sort of Reptile (one of the Toads in town says it’s a Crocodile, but I think it looks like a Raptor). When the cloud is unable to catch the thief, he begins to cry, causing it to begin raining cats and dogs. After Mario agrees to help him, the cloud reveals that he is actually a…frog? I’m not sure what to say to this. Anyway, the frog, whose name is Mallow, then joins your team in order to catch the thief. As you near the edge of the town, you will see a Toad bouncing up and down. He tells you that he just saw the thief run out of town, and points you in the direction that he went. When Mallow asks the Toad why he didn’t stop the thief, the Toad gives the best answer I’ve ever read a Toad give, “Because I left my bazooka at home! Sheesh… Give me a break, here.”

When you find the thief, he will run to the next area, but not before teasing you and saying that there’s no way you’ll ever catch him. And as of right now, I still haven’t caught him. Although both Mario and Mallow have leveled up during the chase, and Mario learned Fire Orb, which is something that I have no idea how to use. Seriously, how do you use it? Anyway, hopefully I’ll catch that thief in the next part of Super Mario RPG.

Later.

Trainer Strawberry: Chapter 11

After a close call with Pepper, and a good night’s rest, my Pokemon and I walked out of the Pokemon Center and into Rustboro City. I had returned all of my Pokemon, except Pepper, to their Pokeballs after breakfast. It was great to see Pepper feeling like her old self again. She seemed just as excited as I was when we walked out the front doors of the Pokemon Center. Rustboro was the biggest city I had seen so far on my journey.

“Oh, wow! Look at all the buildings!” I exclaimed in awe as I looked around. Pepper barked in agreement, I guessed that she had never been in a city this big before. Okay, so Rustboro wasn’t really all that big, but for a little Poochyena, these buildings were big enough to keep giants away. “Where do you suppose the Pokemon Gym is?” I asked my little companion. Pepper gave me a look that said ‘How am I supposed to know?’. “Haha. Well, I guess we’ll just have to walk around until we find it.”

The two of us started walking around, looking for anything that resembled a Pokemon Gym. Suddenly we heard the laughter of children, along with shouts of “Hey, that’s mine!”, “Catch me if you can!”, “It’s my turn!”, and “Ready or not, here I come!”.

“Huh, there must be a playground nearby. Sounds like those kids are having a lot of fun.”

“Hey, look! It’s a Poochyena!” A little girl shouted as she pointed at Pepper. Soon she and a few other children had ran up to admire Pepper. Poor Pepper had no idea how to react at first, but she got used to the sudden attention pretty quickly and even seemed to enjoy it. “Is this your Poochyena, Miss?” The little girl asked sweetly.

“Yep. You can pet her if you want to. She doesn’t bite.”

The little girl gave a happy gasp as she reached out her hand to pet Pepper. Pepper jutted her nose forward to meet the hand. She obviously loved kids. It wasn’t long before all of the kids that had came over were crowding around Pepper to pet her.

When they started to be crowded too closely to the Poochyena, I decided it was time for Pepper and I to move on. “Okay, it’s time for us to go. Come on, Pepper.”

“Excuse me, Miss? Do you think you could bring Pepper over to the Pokemon Trainer School sometime? I’m sure all of the other students would love to meet her.” One of the older kids asked. By older, I mean that he was seven at the most.

“Pokemon Trainer School?” I looked at the boy questionably. I had never heard of a Pokemon Trainer School before.

“Yeah. It’s the building over there,” He pointed at the building right next to the playground. “It’s where young Pokemon Trainers go to learn all of the basics of being a Pokemon Trainer. Didn’t you know that?”

“To be honest, I had never heard of it before,” I replied as I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. “It sounds pretty cool, though. What do you say, Pepper? Do you want to go check it out?” Pepper barked happily, then she began to pant excitedly. “I guess that’s a yes, then. Do you kids think you could show us around?”

All of the children replied with a happy “Yes”, and “Come on, follow me!”. They giggled excitedly the whole way there.

*Later: After most of the tour around the school*

“And this is Mister I. R. Cheesi’s class room. This is where the final year students study,” The boy informed me as we walked into the biggest room in the building.

“Mister I. R. Cheesi must be brilliant Pokemon Teacher if he has a class this big.” I said as I looked around in awe.

“Actually, he tends to be a little cheesy sometimes. But, all in all, he is a great teacher.”

“He’s a little cheesy sometimes? Really?” I asked even though his name should’ve given that one away. Suddenly, Pepper started barking at something. “What’s the matter, girl?” I asked as I turned to see what she was barking at. Leaning against the wall was that weird guy we met as we were leaving Oldale. “Hey, it’s you! Let’s see, what was your name again? Wasn’t it something like ‘Spot’ or something?”

The guy fell over when I asked if his name was “Spot”, then he quickly got up and angrily corrected me, “My name is ‘Scott’, not ‘Spot’!”

“Oops, sorry. Anyway, Scott, what brings you here?”

“Oh, me? I’m here looking for Pokemon Trainers with potential. What are you doing here?”

“Pepper and I were just taking a look around. By the way, you wouldn’t happen to know where the Pokemon Gym here is, would you?”

“Why, of course! It’s just down the road. If you head toward the Pokemon Center, you’ll see it on your left.”

“Thanks, Scott. Well, we should probably get going. Come on, Pepper.” I then turned to the kid that had shown us around, “Thanks for the tour of your school. It was really impressive.”

“Anytime, Miss. Good luck at the Gym.”

“Thanks, we’ll do our best. Right Pepper?” Pepper barked in agreement. “Well, later guys.”

As we left the Pokemon Trainer School, there was only one thing I could think about.

I can’t believe we walked right past the Pokemon Gym, and we didn’t even notice!

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Info. I have a question for all of you awesome readers, do you think I should be more to the point in my writing? Or do you like the way I’m writing now? If I was more to the point, I’d probably get to the end of Trainer Strawberry quicker. But I probably wouldn’t have as much storyline as I do now. Also, I’m still taking requests for what I should play next, so if there’s a game you want me to play, leave a comment with the name of the game. The game you request could be the next one I play! The only restriction is that I do not play FPS games.