Huntin' for items, doin' some training...

 

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

Hey now! My verdva is level 8! So this means evolution, right? Right????

...No. No, it doesn't. Bah. Let's just keep looking for items, I guess.

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

Whoa! Looks like there is one more wild to be found in the forest! I recognize hunber here from the reveals, so I know that it's a normal-type... and probably not gonna make the team cut, either. The early game's a little heavy on normal- and bug-types given the available dex size in the demo, feels like. Still, it's kinda cute, and I am curious to know what it evolves into so I'll probably try and raise it up later. For now, to the box with you!

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

First you break out of one of my poké balls, now this? Oh hell no. You're definitely parking your butt in the box.

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

...you used up literally all of my poké balls. All of them. Poké balls that I have to replace with my TV money. All I have left is the premier ball, and I know you would've been happy to waste that, too, if you'd had half a chance. Rot in the box, Hunber.

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

That might've been adorable if I could've read it before you wasted all my money. (And even then, who the hell do you think you are, stealing from my precious fatbees?)

I'm almost tempted to reset to my last save and try to find another one, but given how long it took this one to show up I'm not optimistic about my chances. What on earth is this thing's catch rate?

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

You get to be Pierre, because Pierre is useless.

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

ROT IN THE BOX, PIERRE.

I... I just really hate wasting poké balls, okay? ;-;

Meanwhile, looks like the only "good item" that's easily accessible is a single sitrus berry on the ground, so I think we're done with the south part of the forest for now. Let's heal up, buy more poké balls (grumble grumble), then head west and get the heck out of here.

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

You see this, Pierre? You see what you did? I can't even afford a full set of ten to get a free premier ball, let alone have much left over to save for my expensive TV. Do you understand the suffering you have caused me?

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

Back in the forest and trying to get through as quickly as possible, we run into these ninja-looking people. I smell plot. I also smell money.

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

Look for what, I wonder?

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

Namedrop! Uh, I mean, how intriguing. What are these "Ethereal Gates", and what might these shadowy someones intend to do with them? Maybe I can punch the answer out of them, along with money.

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

Huh. Do they mean the "south" and "west" parts? Was there a gate hidden back where I wasted all those precious poké balls on Pierre? Or is this bloody forest even bigger than it already looks? ;-;

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

Well, whatever. I've been spotted. Time to cave this guy's face in and fatten up my wallet again!

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

Opaby? That's another new one. It's got what look like stitches on it... I wonder if it's a similar concept to my faintrick and fraudkill? Also, another awesome track that's not on SoundCloud right now. Boo.

(Opaby's sprite isn't animated, unfortunately, and as you can see its tail is cut off. Apparently some sprites were added without animation so the team could meet the demo's release deadline. The tail is some kind of actual error, though, and from what I hear they already know about it and are working on a fix.)

Tierog's defense is not so great, granted, but based on the amount of damage it did to him with bite I'm going to assume that was STAB and that opaby here is a dark-type. This deduction doesn't help me much because I don't have any moves that are SE on dark... or anything that resists dark... bah. Let's just have Ragno blow it away.

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That was all the guy had, so it's time for his lady friend to hand over her money. Whatcha got, Masked Stranger #2?

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

It's not a zubat, it's not a woobat, it's a frubat! (A frubat that got a particularly bad washing-out by the screenshot program, sorry. Why does it keep doing that?)

Durvas makes pretty short work of it, anyway, even with it spamming leech life.

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

Just a girl tryin' to make a buck, lady. Thank you both for your kind donations to my New TV fund, by the way.

The masked strangers say they need to check this mysterious "other part" of Avocet Forest, then add that it's several towns away and walk off through the grass to the south. So I guess I wasn't near an Ethereal Gate after all. Ah, well. Better keep moving and get out of here.

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

But of course I find the ball with the better multiplier after the Pierre fiasco.

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

Oh, good. More money and I'm almost out of this place! Best news I've heard all day, kid.

Ethereal Gates Demo 1.0 Screenshot

It's the light at the end of the tunnel! And a ledge with some stairs beyond it, hm... nah. That probably just leads back toward the south part of the forest. I'll take it if I ever need to pass back through here, but for now I am out. Next post: into the city!