19: To Mossdeep!

19: To Mossdeep!

As soon as you are outside Fly to Lilycove, go to the Poke Center, heal and save.  Hit the Department Store to replace any kit you used, then hit the beach and Surf to Mossdeep City (check your map).  Note that at this point we are not really interested in side-trips, we need to stop Aqua! 

First I want to say good on ya!  You have come a long way in a short period of time.  Before we hit the Gym to get our next badge we need to head to a house to the north-west, where the Fishing Guru lives.  Talk to him to get the Super Rod, the last Rod we need for the set.

We are in streamline mode now, with our sights set on defeating Team Aqua, stopping the end of the world, and then defeating the Elite 4 in that order, the rest can wait!  So get that Rod now!

Got it?  Good!  Now go to the Gym!

The Mossdeep City Gym, a Twins Gym

-- Mossdeep Pokemon Gym --

As with all of the previously visited Gyms we are met by the Gym Greeter as we enter.  He tells us that this is a Psychic-Type Gym, and suggests that Fighting and Poison Types will work best.  Good info, really.

Now let's take out the AGL's first!

Psychic Preston has a Level 36 Kirlia worth 1080XP and $864.

Psychic Maura has a Level 36 Kadabra worth 1117XP and $864.

Psychic Blake has a Level 36 Girafarig worth 1149XP and $864.

Psychic Samantha has a Level 36 Xatu worth 1318XP and $864.

Psychic Nicholas has a Level 36 Wobbuffet worth 1168XP and $864.

Hex Maniac Kathleen has a Level 36 Kadabra worth 1117XP and $864.

Psychic Macey has a Level 36 Natu worth 562XP and $864.

Gentleman Clifford has a Level 36 Girafarig worth 1149XP and $2880.

Psychic Virgil has a Level 36 Ralts worth 540XP and $864.

Gentleman Nate has a Level 36 Spoink worth 685XP and $2880.

Hex Maniac Sylvia has a Level 36 Meditite worth 702XP and $864.

Psychic Hannah has a Level 36 Kirlia worth 1080XP and $864.

-- Mossdeep Gym Leader Battle --

Once you have managed all of the AGL's it is time to take on the Gym Leaders so head to the Poke Center to heal and save then head back to the Gym!  You did notice that I said "Leaders" and not "Leader" right?  Yes, there are two -- twins named Tate and Liza.

The best advice that I can give about this Gym Battle is that you have to take the initiative and keep it -- if you do not and they can get it, you will face an endless cycle of confused and sleep states, and once that happens it is pretty much over.  Aggressive play is the only solution to this because these two really know how to use their Pokemon! 

Before you begin this battle -- while you are standing in front of the pair -- save your game!  Chances are you are going to be re-fighting this until you find the right combination of your team members and moves to actually win it, and in between you will be a bit on the frustrated side.  This is, hands down, the toughest Gym Leader Battle in the game so far!

The battle starts with their Level 41 Claydol, and Level 41 Xatu, worth 829XP each and 750 XP each respectively, followed by their Level 42 Lunatone, and Level 42 Solrock, worth 675XP each and 675XP each respectively.

Your reward for winning this battle is $8400 (double with a held item), the Mind Badge (your 7th) that will enhance your Special Attack and Defend stats and allows the use of the HM Dive outside of battle -- an HM you are going to need soon!

Their gift to you -- as is the tradition -- is TM04, Calm Mind, and the satisfaction of winning one of the toughest Doubles Battles in the game!

Stopping Team Aqua from getting the Rocket Fuel!

-- The Rocket Fuel Dilemma --

After you defeat the Mossdeep Gym Leaders head to the Poke Center to heal and save, and then head towards the eastern-side of the island, and you will notice a large group of Team Magma Grunts surrounding their Leader as they head north towards the Rocket Launching Facility.  This cannot be a good thing!

Following them up the stairs you arrive at the entrance to the Mossdeep Space Center to find a tranquil and normal scene outside, but when you step through the doors to the building you discover that inside it is anything but peaceful!

The staff at the Center are all grouped at one end of the room, being held prisoner by elements of the elite Team Magma Grunt Brigade!  This cannot be allowed to stand! 

Before you engage the Grunts in combat, step over to the scientists to learn what has happened -- as you know, a little information can often make all the difference!  The first bloke you chat up fills you in on the situation, and then unexpectedly hands you a very rare, very valuable stone-based evolution item, a Sun Stone.  I hope you thanked the man -- these things are hard to find and very useful for the evolution of Pokemon that otherwise cannot evolve!  It will certainly come in handy later!

After you chat up the other prisoners it soon becomes obvious that you need to defeat the Grunts and make your way upstairs to stop the Magma Leader from stealing the Rocket Fuel.  While you have no idea what he wants it for, you know two things for certain sure: it is not to launch a rocket, and no matter what the reason actually is, it will not be a good thing for humanity or the Pokemon of the world!

-- First Floor Battles --

The Grunts here are pretty predictable when it comes to fighting, and strategically there is only one you really need to battle -- the one blocking the stairs to the next level of the Center.  Once you get past him, you will be able to reach the Magma Leader and, with any luck, stop him before it is too late.

Now having said that, these guys represent a nice chunk of XP -- and assuming that you still need to level your alternates (or your main team if you cut short your batch-leveling in the Desert earlier) you can use that XP.  That being the case, it would be an idea to battle all of the Grunts in the room before you battle the one blocking the stairs.

With the three Grunts defeated, head over to the one by the stairs and take him on, easily defeating him and clearing the final impediment to progress towards the Leader -- or so you thought!

-- The Space Center Second Floor --

When you step through the doors at the top of the stairs you find yourself surrounded by a trio of Magma Grunts, each seriously meaning to stop you.  Fortunately they are willing to fight you one-on-one instead of all at the same time, so you quickly beat them down.  Over in the far corner you can see the Leader and someone who looks familiar to you but you cannot hear what is being said.

After battling the trio, check with the scientists to be sure that they are OK and then move down to the corner to discover that the familiar face you glimpsed is that of Steven -- past World Champion Pokemon Trainer, Master Breeder, member of the Elite 4, President of the League, and perhaps one of the most gifted Pokemon Researchers alive today!

Steven wants your help in dealing with the Leader, who it becomes clear is refusing to listen to reason, leaving you no option but to help Steven beat some sense into him!

This is a unique battle you are about to fight -- with the Leader having a full team of six Pokemon, while Steven and you must choose the three Pokemon from each of your teams that you think will best aid you in the fight to come.  Once you have selected your three -- and he his -- the six together make up the opposing team that will face-off against Team Magma's Leader.

Between the last time we battled him and now Maxie has come a long way with his team, and he is a bit better at strategy, but between you and the greatest living Pokemon Trainer/Researcher in the world, well, it really is not a very fair battle, and the outcome is clear almost from the start.

Once he has been defeated, as unlikely as it seems, reason finally works its way into the situation, and the seed of doubt that has been planted germinates into growing concern about what Team Aqua has planned.  This is where we leave off with Magma, and Steven asks you to visit him at his home, which is here, on the island, and then he leaves as well.

You make your way to his house, a spartan almost monk-like cottage on the far western side of the island north of the Poke Center, and there he gives you the gift of HM08, Dive, an HM that will allow you to dive to the bottom of the sea and move around there -- which is exactly what you need to be able to visit the next city on our adventure!  Wow that worked out well!  It is almost as if he knew what we needed and was ready to give it to us!

-- After Action Report: Team Magma --

As you are aware, Emerald has two main plots and a number of sub-plots in the game.  The first Main Plot is you -- your desire to become a Master Trainer, work your way up the ranks, obtain all 8 GYm Badges, and then challenge the Elite 4!  That is the basic plot for all of the games in the series regardless of the generation, so it should be a well-known legend to you.

The other Main Plot is the struggle between Team Magma and Team Aqua, and the dangers that this struggle presents to the world of humans and Pokemon in the Hoenn Region.  The events that you have just completed in this part of the game bring to a close half of that story line, with the other half, Team Aqua, remaining for us to solve.

At this point in the game you should have seven (7) Gym Badges, you should be able to control Pokemon up to Level 70 including those traded to you, and you should have all of the HM's except HM07.

Your team should be very well developed and familiar to you, and should consist of a core group of 6 Pokemon that are your "A-Team" and a handful of additional Pokemon of different Types that you rotate in and out of the A-Team as needed that are classified as Alternate Team Members (as opposed to B-Team Members, who they are not, as your B-Team is the one you build to battle human Trainers in real life).

Both your Main Team and Alternates should be very close to Level 45, as that is the target Level for your Team at the moment.  If they are not, or there are some that are lower, now is a very good time to revisit the areas where you may have missed Trainer Battles, and to make use of the Match Call device that is installed in your PokeNav Unit.

Spend the time now to level your team and alternates so that you are ready for what is coming, because very quickly the level of opponents you will face will start to climb, and failing to put in the work and get your team to the target level will cause this game to grow exponentially more difficult for you!

Spend some time now training and leveling, and then return to the Guide when you feel you are ready to continue our adventures in Hoenn!