Pretend I have some artistic merit and made an amazing banner here. :U
Heyo all and welcome to my first attempt at a Ruins of Alph playthrough! After being inspired by the great @Athena and a playthrough @NotJim did on another site, I've been wanting to do something similar for a while. I was thinking of stepping outside of my comfort zone and throwing myself in at the deep end, but then I decided that was dumb and chose one of my favourite games, second only to its prequel Pokémon Colosseum, which I'll probably do afterwards if people don't think this is horrible and/or somewhat enjoy it! Also just to be clear about this now, Thena spoils us with daily updates and I could never hope to match that. I'm going to aim for weekly updates, but let's be real, it'll probably be more like every other week. >~>
Game Introduction
If you're on this site I'm assuming you know a thing or two about Pokémon. However, I wouldn't blame you if you don't know much about Pokémon XD: Gales of Darkness, as this is a game that sort of slipped through the cracks when it was released, selling only just over 1 million copies -- over half the amount of its predecessor. I love the game because it takes the Pokémon formula we all know and love and applies it to a totally different setting. The plot's better and more meaningful (though naturally still nothing super special) and they're actually difficult to the point of cognitive processes being necessary... which can't be said for most of the handheld games. The level curve is generally balanced and the randomness of wild encounters is taken out, meaning you don't spend a long time searching for rare Pokémon. The most important difference, however, is that (almost) every fight is a double battle, which makes for much more interesting strategy.What's a Wedlocke?
You can find an explanation of what a wedlocke is in PokéBeach's Pokémon Playthrough Centre. However, because of a few differences in Pokémon XD: Gales of Darkness, there are a few changes to the rules:- In a regular wedlocke you can only capture one Pokémon per area. However, in Pokémon XD: Gales of Darkness there are no routes and only 15-20 locations in the entire game, so I'm just catching everything. There's about 70 Pokémon in the game, but a large proportion of these (probably a third) are found in the final area, so it balances out well.
- If a Pokémon of one gender dies in battle they have to be replaced by another Pokémon of that same gender in the battle until there are no Pokémon of that gender left. If a Pokémon of one gender dies and then the deceased Pokémon's partner dies, the Pokémon who originally replaced the first dead Pokémon's partner must switch in, if they have one.
- If my Pokémon's level exceeds that of the level of a boss or major fight, they cannot be used in that fight unless all other Pokémon in my party die in the fight. Oftentimes people straight up release Pokémon if they become overlevelled, but considering the amount of required trainers in this game and the fact that I'll be aiming to also fight all of the optional trainers, there will be a lot of EXP input to my team.
- No Bulbapedia or other research, either. I know this game inside out anyway, but sometimes it still manages to surprise me.
Audience Interaction
The title promises interaction with you guys, and this will happen in few ways.First of all, there are a few decisions to be made before the playthrough even starts. Two of these choices are mechanical and the other is purely flavour, which should (hopefully) enhance any enjoyment you might get out of this!
Choice 1: Pairing Sexualities
Traditionally, wedlockes use only hetero pairings. This isn't because the creator is a homophobe -- restricting who can be paired with who adds another element to the challenge and makes it more difficult. However, other players prefer to allow for gay couplings too, removing the restriction. I've never seen this version of the challenge done, but I've also done variations where only homo pairings are allowed, which keeps the restriction in place.
So, these are the three options you have for pairings:
1. Keep it traditional and only pair male Pokémon with female Pokémon.
2. Get rid of the restriction entirely and pair Pokémon with whoever they want to be paired with.
3. Go full on rainbow and only allow same-sex pairs.
4. (Courtesy of @Athena). The dice decides on sexuality! When a Pokémon is caught, a D6 is rolled. 1-2 means the Pokémon is straight, 3-4 means it's gay and 5-6 means it's bi/pan.
Choice 2: Eeveelution
This choice will have a much smaller effect, but it's still important. The starter in Pokémon XD: Gales of Darkness is an Eevee, and in the third location of the game after very few battles have taken place, we get giving the opportunity to evolve it. As this game is Generation III, only the first 5 Eeveelutions are available to us: Jolteon, Flareon, Vaporeon, Espeon and Umbreon. All of these are actually totally viable choices, though naturally Flareon's STAB attacks using its weaker offensive typing in this generation means it's a slightly weaker option than the other 4. I'm honestly fine with whoever you guys pick, though, so just go with your favourite!
Choice 3: Naming Other Notable NPCs
This option is definitely the most fun! All the notable NPCs in the game will be named after PokéBeach users! There aren't actually that many super notable characters, so I'm stretching the term a little bit and opening the floor to more minor characters too. There isn't a lot of good art on these characters either due to poor representation on the internet, so if you want to see what they look like I'm afraid you'll have to google them and check something like their Bulbapedia page
.Major Characters:
Character 1: Michael
A.K.A. generic silent Pokémon protagonist number 2 many. Oftentimes in these playthroughs the main character is named after the author, but I think it can also be super fun as a writer to write in the style of someone else. If y'all want to stick to the "avatar" character being the author of the series then you can vote me into the spot, but if you want to take the lime light yourself, go ahead!
As for the character himself, Michael is a little older than the traditional 10 year old protagonists; he's supposed to be an early adolescent. Passtimes involve riding around on scooters, playing hide and seek with the most annoying sister ever and training his battling prowess against holograms.
Character 2: Jovi
A.K.A. the most annoying sister ever, this chick was kawaii before it was cool. She refers to herself in the third person and pretends to cry when things don't go her way. She has an odd friendship with a mad professor and his assistant, but her Mum doesn't like her seeing him. Likes playing hide and seek and not looking where she's running, because she's dumb like that.
Character 3: Prof. Krane
A.K.A. compulsory generic professor, though Prof. Krane does play a slightly larger role than most professors. He runs the Pokémon HQ Lab, where Michael lives before setting out on his adventure. He plays a key role building a key machine during the adventure, which is a bit of a plot point. He can't do any wrong and has a habit of preaching to the evil team about how evil they are, just in case they happen to change their mind about being evil. When put in difficult situations he reacts with pacifism.
Character 4: Lily
A.K.A. actually likeable and role-relevant Mum; the only one in the series. Lily's another scientist at the Pokémon HQ Lab and she's the mother to both Michael and Jovi. Seems to only really care about Michael, as she lets Jovi have relationships with creepy old men who live in haunted houses, but gets protective over Michael when he has to go there. Lost her husband. Bit of a player in school, rejecting Prof. Krane before the happenings of the game. When in a difficult situation she gets stuff done.
Character 5: Mr. Verich
A nice old man who helps Michael and Jovi out when they get themselves in a jam near the start of the game. The writers of the game tried to make him enigmatic and mysterious before an interesting reveal at the end of the game... but they failed, and everyone I've talked to who've played the game also figured out what role he plays before the end of the game. Besides being poorly written, he has two aides, Ardos and Eldes.
Character 6: Ardos
Mr. Verich's blue aide. Super close to his Dad and kinda closed minded. He doesn't play a huge role until right at the end of the game and I don't want to spoil so this is all you get n_n".
Character 7: Eldes
Mr. Verich's red aide. Believes in giving the best to his Pokémon and cares about other trainers. Despite achieving a high status with Mr. Verich as his bodyguard, he questions his motives for doing so. Actually very likeable despite not appearing in the game that many times. Like Ardos, there are some spoilers here; his character's deeper than this.
Character 8: Chobin
Carrying on the aide theme, Chobin Dr. Kaminko's number 1 assistant, because Chobin Dr. Kaminko's only assistant! ^.^ Like Jovi, he's super kawaii and refers to himself in the third person (not to mention his permanent duck face). Hates robbers and likes to protect his master from them. Likes robots.
Character 9: Dr. Kaminko
Not a hugely important character in and of himself, but the relationship between Chobin and whoever we choose Dr. Kaminko to be could be cute. Kaminko sees practicality in the most obscure places and many of his inventions are hated throughout Orre, despite selling fairly well. The mad guy who actually has a good relationship with Jovi. Lives in a haunted house.
Character 10: Marcia
Marcia is a reporter for ONBS (Orre News Broadcasting Service). She's known for her rash personality and charges into awkward positions head first. There are three news reporters in the game (Ancha and Pofty are the other two) but because Marcia is more plot relevant, she gets to cover all the bases, so we'll pretend like the other two don't exist for this playthrough.
Character 11: Miror B.
The Michael Jackson of the Pokémon universe, if you haven't listened to his themes before then treat yourself to those links. I prefer his Colosseum theme myself. :U He's rocking a PokéBall 'fro and 80s style latex. He has a dream: to capture every Pokémon in the world. Though just him and his two cronies might have a tough job ahead of them accomplishing that. He was a Cipher Admin in Pokémon Colosseum, but because everyone loves him, he's the only one who got brought back.
Character 12: Zook
A thug who doesn't think before he acts, to the point where he would pummel little kids. Gullible and scared of punishment, the tough guy attitude is pretty much just a front, though his lack of empathy is authentic. Cares greatly about his appearance. I'm not sure why he's a recurring character or what he's supposed to represent TBH; he's just kinda there lol.
Character 13: Naps
The catalyst for Michael's journey and sister of Lovrina. Isn't against violence against other humans. Plays a somewhat small role in the game, but he appears a couple of times and is more plot relevant than a lot of other "major" characters so I'm including him.
Character 14: Lovrina
And now we're onto characters we know are part of the evil syndicate Cipher, who are the evil team in this game. Lovrina is like totally so fabulous and amaze gorge!! :3 She's the head researcher at Cipher but talks like a 15 year old girl and kind of acts like one too. She also kinda talks like I do, so I like her, myself :v. A lot of her Pokémon are about love and are just cute in general, like Luvdisc, Delcatty and Roselia.
Character 15: Snattle
A corrupt politician who kidnaps a city of people to help his campaign. He doesn't sound very good at his job to me personally, because that's a lot of votes he loses. He's promised the role of chancellor of the Orre region once Cipher takes over it by the leader of Cipher. Specialises in Water-Type Pokémon.
Character 16: Gorigan
A Cipher admin with huge brawn and good brains to match. He runs a Shadow Pokémon production factory for the criminal team. Has worked his front muscles so hard that his arms always hit the floor. Seems to be on fairly bad terms with the head of Cipher, but because he's such an efficient worker and has actual passion for the syndicate he retains his status.
Character 17: Gonzap
The head of Team Snagem. These guys are an evil team of Pokémon snaggers who side themselves with Michael because Cipher backstabbed them in Pokémon Colosseum, so their goals aligned. Gonzap's a big macho man with a killer moustache, and despite his bad boy exterior he's got a heart.
Character 18: Wakin
Gonzap's right hand man. Wakin is the best Pokémon villain because he actually has his Pokémon attack trainers, which is something fans still cry out for in the series, blissfully unaware that it happens in this game. Wakin's got two sidekicks -- Agrev and Biden -- but neither of them play a notable role besides being background characters and Michael fights each of them once, so Wakin will take over all their parts. The Pokémon he attacks trainers with is a Gloom using Sleep Powder.
A.K.A. generic silent Pokémon protagonist number 2 many. Oftentimes in these playthroughs the main character is named after the author, but I think it can also be super fun as a writer to write in the style of someone else. If y'all want to stick to the "avatar" character being the author of the series then you can vote me into the spot, but if you want to take the lime light yourself, go ahead!
As for the character himself, Michael is a little older than the traditional 10 year old protagonists; he's supposed to be an early adolescent. Passtimes involve riding around on scooters, playing hide and seek with the most annoying sister ever and training his battling prowess against holograms.
Character 2: Jovi
A.K.A. the most annoying sister ever, this chick was kawaii before it was cool. She refers to herself in the third person and pretends to cry when things don't go her way. She has an odd friendship with a mad professor and his assistant, but her Mum doesn't like her seeing him. Likes playing hide and seek and not looking where she's running, because she's dumb like that.
Character 3: Prof. Krane
A.K.A. compulsory generic professor, though Prof. Krane does play a slightly larger role than most professors. He runs the Pokémon HQ Lab, where Michael lives before setting out on his adventure. He plays a key role building a key machine during the adventure, which is a bit of a plot point. He can't do any wrong and has a habit of preaching to the evil team about how evil they are, just in case they happen to change their mind about being evil. When put in difficult situations he reacts with pacifism.
Character 4: Lily
A.K.A. actually likeable and role-relevant Mum; the only one in the series. Lily's another scientist at the Pokémon HQ Lab and she's the mother to both Michael and Jovi. Seems to only really care about Michael, as she lets Jovi have relationships with creepy old men who live in haunted houses, but gets protective over Michael when he has to go there. Lost her husband. Bit of a player in school, rejecting Prof. Krane before the happenings of the game. When in a difficult situation she gets stuff done.
Character 5: Mr. Verich
A nice old man who helps Michael and Jovi out when they get themselves in a jam near the start of the game. The writers of the game tried to make him enigmatic and mysterious before an interesting reveal at the end of the game... but they failed, and everyone I've talked to who've played the game also figured out what role he plays before the end of the game. Besides being poorly written, he has two aides, Ardos and Eldes.
Character 6: Ardos
Mr. Verich's blue aide. Super close to his Dad and kinda closed minded. He doesn't play a huge role until right at the end of the game and I don't want to spoil so this is all you get n_n".
Character 7: Eldes
Mr. Verich's red aide. Believes in giving the best to his Pokémon and cares about other trainers. Despite achieving a high status with Mr. Verich as his bodyguard, he questions his motives for doing so. Actually very likeable despite not appearing in the game that many times. Like Ardos, there are some spoilers here; his character's deeper than this.
Character 8: Chobin
Carrying on the aide theme, Chobin Dr. Kaminko's number 1 assistant, because Chobin Dr. Kaminko's only assistant! ^.^ Like Jovi, he's super kawaii and refers to himself in the third person (not to mention his permanent duck face). Hates robbers and likes to protect his master from them. Likes robots.
Character 9: Dr. Kaminko
Not a hugely important character in and of himself, but the relationship between Chobin and whoever we choose Dr. Kaminko to be could be cute. Kaminko sees practicality in the most obscure places and many of his inventions are hated throughout Orre, despite selling fairly well. The mad guy who actually has a good relationship with Jovi. Lives in a haunted house.
Character 10: Marcia
Marcia is a reporter for ONBS (Orre News Broadcasting Service). She's known for her rash personality and charges into awkward positions head first. There are three news reporters in the game (Ancha and Pofty are the other two) but because Marcia is more plot relevant, she gets to cover all the bases, so we'll pretend like the other two don't exist for this playthrough.
Character 11: Miror B.
The Michael Jackson of the Pokémon universe, if you haven't listened to his themes before then treat yourself to those links. I prefer his Colosseum theme myself. :U He's rocking a PokéBall 'fro and 80s style latex. He has a dream: to capture every Pokémon in the world. Though just him and his two cronies might have a tough job ahead of them accomplishing that. He was a Cipher Admin in Pokémon Colosseum, but because everyone loves him, he's the only one who got brought back.
Character 12: Zook
A thug who doesn't think before he acts, to the point where he would pummel little kids. Gullible and scared of punishment, the tough guy attitude is pretty much just a front, though his lack of empathy is authentic. Cares greatly about his appearance. I'm not sure why he's a recurring character or what he's supposed to represent TBH; he's just kinda there lol.
Character 13: Naps
The catalyst for Michael's journey and sister of Lovrina. Isn't against violence against other humans. Plays a somewhat small role in the game, but he appears a couple of times and is more plot relevant than a lot of other "major" characters so I'm including him.
Character 14: Lovrina
And now we're onto characters we know are part of the evil syndicate Cipher, who are the evil team in this game. Lovrina is like totally so fabulous and amaze gorge!! :3 She's the head researcher at Cipher but talks like a 15 year old girl and kind of acts like one too. She also kinda talks like I do, so I like her, myself :v. A lot of her Pokémon are about love and are just cute in general, like Luvdisc, Delcatty and Roselia.
Character 15: Snattle
A corrupt politician who kidnaps a city of people to help his campaign. He doesn't sound very good at his job to me personally, because that's a lot of votes he loses. He's promised the role of chancellor of the Orre region once Cipher takes over it by the leader of Cipher. Specialises in Water-Type Pokémon.
Character 16: Gorigan
A Cipher admin with huge brawn and good brains to match. He runs a Shadow Pokémon production factory for the criminal team. Has worked his front muscles so hard that his arms always hit the floor. Seems to be on fairly bad terms with the head of Cipher, but because he's such an efficient worker and has actual passion for the syndicate he retains his status.
Character 17: Gonzap
The head of Team Snagem. These guys are an evil team of Pokémon snaggers who side themselves with Michael because Cipher backstabbed them in Pokémon Colosseum, so their goals aligned. Gonzap's a big macho man with a killer moustache, and despite his bad boy exterior he's got a heart.
Character 18: Wakin
Gonzap's right hand man. Wakin is the best Pokémon villain because he actually has his Pokémon attack trainers, which is something fans still cry out for in the series, blissfully unaware that it happens in this game. Wakin's got two sidekicks -- Agrev and Biden -- but neither of them play a notable role besides being background characters and Michael fights each of them once, so Wakin will take over all their parts. The Pokémon he attacks trainers with is a Gloom using Sleep Powder.
Michael: Celever
Jovi: Camoclone
Prof. Krane: Vom
Lily: Athena
Mr. Verich: DNA
Ardos: professorlight
Eldes: Prof. Palutena
Chobin: scattered mind
Dr. Kaminko: Brave Vesperia
Marcia: Shining Raikou
Miror B.: Water Pokémon Master
Zook: PMJ
Naps: thegrovylekid
Lovrina: Miyami~~
Snattle: Empoleon_master
Gorigan: TwistedTurtwig
Gonzap: bbninjas
Wakin: Skyleaf2000
Jovi: Camoclone
Prof. Krane: Vom
Lily: Athena
Mr. Verich: DNA
Ardos: professorlight
Eldes: Prof. Palutena
Chobin: scattered mind
Dr. Kaminko: Brave Vesperia
Marcia: Shining Raikou
Miror B.: Water Pokémon Master
Zook: PMJ
Naps: thegrovylekid
Lovrina: Miyami~~
Snattle: Empoleon_master
Gorigan: TwistedTurtwig
Gonzap: bbninjas
Wakin: Skyleaf2000
Choice 4: Death Replacement
Inevitably, Pokémon are gonna die in this challenge. What Pokémon replace the dead, however, is up to you guys! At the end of every update I will have a recap of Pokémon in my PC, so whenever it's relevant we'll take a vote to sort out their replacement.
Choice 5: Nicknames!
This should be fun though; who doesn't love nicknaming their Pokémon? I'm actually really bad at it and oftentimes don't bother, but this is a wedlocke so it's always a nice thing to do.
If more than one nickname is suggested I'll pick my favourite one, so you might as well throw in a suggestion whenever you can!Chapters
Chapter 1Chapter 2
Last edited:
