04: To Petalburg City

04: To Petalburg City

As we depart from Oldale Town via the west exit to Route 102 it is something of a false start, as we are not actually on our way to Petalburg City just yet!  In fact our destination is the Tall Grass patch to the north just after entering the Route, near the pond. 

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Route 102 Area Pokemon Report

-- #270 Lotad (R)
-- #261 Poochyena (U)
-- #280 Raltz (R)
-- #273 Seedot (R)
-- #265 Wurmple (C)
-- #263 Zigzagoon (U)

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As you can see from the Report above for this Route, there are three Pokemon we do not have (well, technically two as I suggested that you get a Ralts earlier).  Regardless of what you have or have not accomplished here, you need to obtain the following in total before we can move on:

1 Seedot
1 Lotad
2 Ralts

That is 1 each for your Dex and to store in your boxes for possible future use on your team and for leveling for the Dex forms, and an extra Ralts because ahead on our journey is a bloke who wants to trade you for that extra Ralts, which will give you the chance to complete the first of a handful of in-game trades.  While these are not always to your advantage, they are an element of the game, and so they are worth completing when doing so will not harm us.

The benefits of using your Pickup Team

-- Trolling for Ralts --

As you troll for Ralts and the others, I have a suggestion to make: combine this with leveling your team towards the Level 13 mark.

By doing that, you make it a lot less painful as a batch-leveling session.  There is another thing you can do to alleviate some of the pain -- prior to departing the Poke Center in Oldale Town for this troll run, place three or four of your team in the A-Team box, and replace them in your team with members from your Pickup Team.

Really all that you need is the Pokemon you are actively leveling, and your starter to be there in case of emergency, so it can bail you out.  That leaves four slots you can fill with Pickup Pokemon, which means four chances after every battle to get free stuff.

To put this in perspective for you, in addition to Potions and X-items, you can also expect to get berries, Repels, Escape Ropes, Great and Ultra Balls, and every now and then, a Rare Candy!  Now clearly that is worth doing as it requires practically no effort on our part!  Just a trip back to the Center every now and then to heal and, once you raise your active Pokemon a Level, a quick trip to swap in the next active one.

If you proceed in this fashion you should pick up items that you can sell, which will allow you to add items to your kit from the store that you actually want -- like more Poke Balls, and status fixers.  Obviously this is your call,  but we need to add those Pokemon to our Dex anyway so...

-- Off to Petalburg City --

OK we have obtained the Pokemon we need, picked up some levels and some free stuff, and added some good things to our kit.  All of the members of our team should now be at least Level 8 (higher is better), and we now have a full team with a good selection of Types, so it is time to actually head for Petalburg.

Leaving Oldale, go ahead and have a chat with the trainer in the grass to the north to learn that he plans to catch "a whole bunch of Pokemon" and the bloke to the south who will present you with your first official trainer battle that is not with May!

Youngster Calvin presents you with a Level 5 Poochyena, which ought to be a cake walk for you at this stage, playing off 58 XP and $80!

Bug Catcher Rick is a bit further along the path, and he has a pair of Level 4 Wurmple worth 45 XP each, and $64.

The short trainer in the Tall Grass is there for some light comic relief, but the trainer in the area above them is serious about wanting to battle.

Youngster Allen has a Level 4 Zigzagoon worth 51 XP, and a Level 3 Taillow worth 37 XP and $48.

The very useful Berry Trees

Petalburg CIty is to the left, while to the right are some berry trees.  If you do not know, Berries are used in the game to make competition items and also for their direct attributes.  They can be collected, and they can be planted in the soft soil in order to grow more.

Heading west towards town you encounter another trainer, Lass Tiana, who sports a Level 4 Zigzagoon worth 51 XP, and a Level 4 Shroomish worth 55 XP and $64.

From Tiana head directly south, jumping the ledge here to find a Treasure Ball with a Potion in it.  After grabbing that head back up to the main path and continue west to the entrance to Petalburg!

-- A look Around Town --

Head into the Poke Center to heal and save, then chat with the people inside for information purposes.  Next stop is the Mart to chat and re-supply any kit you used.  The bloke by the pond will tell you that as you have six Pokemon in your team, any newly caught ones will be sent right to your storage box in the PC -- but you knew that!

Talk to the people wandering around - and the ones in the two houses in the proper part of town - before you head west past the Gym, where a bloke will stop you and school you on what you are supposed to do whenever you enter a new town -- report in to the Gym!

Of course what he does not know is that this particular Gym happens to the one our Da is the leader of!

You may as well go into the Gym now, because that annoying little bugger is going to keep you from heading west or visiting the house north of him until you do.

The old man is very pleased that you are treading the path of the Pokemon Trainer, but before his happiness can truly manifest a kid comes into the Gym -- the Wally that that girl is looking for -- so now we know where Wally is! 

Your Da loans Wally a Pokemon and instructs you to help the boy catch one for his own -- and no, you cannot politely decline, saying you have an appointment at the dentist, or you left the sushi on the grill...

Wally leads you off to the east, where if you can believe this, he teaches you how to catch Pokemon!  As if we have not already caught like five?!  Blimey!  Then to add insult to injury he captures a Ralts.  He has ONE Poke Ball, ONE.  And he captures a Ralts.  Sheesh!

After you return to the Gym your Da tells you to head for the next town and battle the Gym Leader there, because you are not worthy to battle him yet.  Well fine, we wanted to do that anyway!

After leaving the Gym pop into the house we could not enter before to meet Wally's parents, and then take the western road out of town!  As you are about to step over the town line you are stopped by a stranger, who walks up to you and pretty much insults you.  Great, first your dad tells you you are not worthy to battle, and then this bloke tells you that you resemble nothing like a trainer!

Collect your bad mood and hit the road, mate!