02: Exploring Nuvema Town

02: Exploring Nuvema Town

Having torn up your room right proper it is time to head downstairs and face the music -- but your mates are ahead of you there, and like any good mates, they are willing to fall upon their own swords to deflect the blame off of you!

It turns out though that this is not really necessary -- your Mum and Da were both young Pokemon Trainers once, and your Mum remembers what that was like.  It turns out that she pretty much was expecting you to trash your room and have your first battle right there, inside, like clockwork.  Why it would not surprise me to learn that she did the very same thing when she was your age!

Your mates apologize and leave, telling you they'll meet you outside of the Lab, and you are left alone to chat with your Mum, and after sharing her pride in you your Mum heals your Pokemon, and then reminds you to bring your 'cross-transceiver' -- or Xtransceiver -- with you before you leave.  We will call it your XT for short from here on -- and your XT is a wristwatch-like device whose function we have yet to learn.  In fact this is the first we have heard of the tiny device!

-- The XT --

If you thought this was the in-game phone, well, you are close on, because it IS an in-game phone of sorts, but it is not a phone your character uses to call other characters like the Professor or their Mum -- it is a phone that you use to call your real life mates who play the games! 

Using it and the DSi's mic (the XT requires you to be using a DSi not a DS) you can have a conference call of up to four local Trainers, or a single call with one remote Trainer via the Internet.  Now how cool is that?!

-- Back to the Game --

After we drop the XT into the Key Items pocket of our bag, Mum reminds you that you need to thank Professor Juniper for her generous gift of a Pokemon. 

Before you take off look around this level of your home -- see the glowing TV?  If you check it you will discover that today's episode of Koukan Talk is showing!  This show teaches you basic phrases so why not broaden your language ability and learn some Japanese?

Today's phrase is 'Ichiban suki na Pokemon wa?' -- Ii-chee-ban su-kee nah po-kay-mo-n wah? -- and how about that?  You can now ask a question in Japanese!

-- Before You Leave --

Before you leave there are a few minor things we should do, starting with pulling up the Main Menu by hitting the X-Button now!

You have five selections available to you -- Pokemon, Your Name, Options, Bag, and Save. 

Start with Save -- you will be prompted to confirm that yes, indeed, you want to save -- and shown information about your current game state including your current location (Nuvema Town), the number of Gym Badges you have (Zero), The date and time, and icons representing your current team members.  Go ahead and save now!

Pokemon -- takes you to the Party Menu, at which you can select the members of your party to read their stats and condition, change their order in the party,  give and take Items, and via the Summery Screen alter the position of their moves.  At the moment you only have the one Pokemon,  and no changes are required, but have a look at the different screens anyway!

Your Name -- Selecting this first shows you a graphical screen that depicts the Gym Leaders you have fought, and the Gym badges you have won!  Hit the A-Button to view your Pokemon Trainer Card -- literally your license to be a Pokemon Trainer!

There are actually two sides to this card -- front and back -- and you change between them by pressing left or right on the D-Pad.  On the front of the card is your Name and Nature, wallet balance, and your Greeting Phrase.  To change the phrase simply tap it on the touch screen and you will be shown the different words and phrases that you can pick from. 

Hitting left and right on the D-Pad loads sample phrases that you can then complete the details for to make this easier for you -- check some out, maybe one of these is more appropriate for you than the bog-standard greeting that is there now?

The back of the card contains your Trainer ID Number, The elapsed time that you have been playing, and the date that your Adventure began!  The large white box is there for you to sign your name to the ID using your DS stylus -- if you do not like your signature, tapping the pencil icon will change it to the eraser icon, and you can delete what you wrote and try again!

Options -- Allows you to alter the game settings.  The only thing that I needed to change was the Text Speed, which by default was set to MID but I wanted it set to FAST -- so I changed it.  You can also turn battle animations on and off, set the battle style, change the sound fidelity, and the IR save setting but I suggest you leave that last one alone.

Bag -- The last option on the menu, and though there is nothing much to see there, go ahead and choose it anyway.  The main (Items) pocket of the bag is empty, as are the Medicine, TM & HM, and Berries pockets, but the Key Items pocket has the XT in it! 

One last matter -- if the date is between March 6th and April 10th 2011 go to Appendix A now!

-- Out and About --

You should notice that as the game loads you are told what the season is -- there are seasons!  That is a new feature!  In fact the land looks different and you often see different effects depending upon the season -- also very spiffy!

You step outside of your house and see the large sign below and to the right...  It is the official Welcome Sign.  After you read that go ahead and chat up the people that you meet as you walk around.  The building to the northwest (the one Cheren is standing in front of) is Professor Juniper's Lab -- why not go and have a chat with him now?

It seems Bianca has not arrived, and Cheren suggests that you head over to her house to see what is keeping her?  Why not?

Bianca lives in the house on the southwest end of town -- Cheren lives in the house on the southeast side -- so head over to Bianca's and go inside.  She is having an argument with her Da that clearly you are not meant to witness, but there you have it.  He does not want her going on this Pokemon Adventure with you and Cheren it seems -- but when you chat up Bianca's Mum you get a different story...

As you have finished all that you need to do here, go ahead and walk back to the Lab, where you find that both of your mates are now waiting for you.  When you talk to Bianca she asks you to keep what happened at her house a secret.  Clearly her Dad is frequently abusive in that fashion, and equally clear we were not supposed to know about it.  Cheren probably does not, so let's keep it that way.

The Official Mission  Assignment Ceremony

-- Juniper Pokemon Labs --

We enter the Lab together and find Professor Juniper waiting for us in the back.  As we approach she launches into a very formal speech about herself and this very important event.  She tells you her name again -- confusing Bianca for a moment -- and then tells you what it is she does, which is the study of how, when, and why Pokemon exist. 

Next she asks you if you would like to give your new Pokemon a name -- and of course you do!  After you decide on the name and enter it, Cheren guesses that the next thing that the Professor wants to tell us about is the Pokedex.  This surprises the Professor -- but if she really knew Cheren, she would not be all that surprised now, would she?

Professor Juniper explains in some detail the situation with Pokemon and the Pokedex, and your part in all of it, and then asks the big question: will you three endeavor to adventure throughout the region, and in the process, each complete your Pokedex?

Of course the answer is yes!  Even if Bianca's Dad is being a total knob, you have to go  -- it is a rite of passage after all for all young kids in the lands of Pokemon!  If you did not go your friends and neighbors would forever point at you in the street when you passed by, saying 'Weirdo!'  Just kidding...

With your agreement, a very happy Professor passes out brand new Pokedex units to each of you, and then requests that you meet her at Route 1, where she will show you how to capture a Pokemon properly!