The Media Man Plays: Pokémon Legends ZA (Day 3)

Read Day 2 here.

Hi guys! We're back for another day of Legends ZA fun, so let's get to it!

Slow Start Before Ranking Up To Rank V

This day started out pretty slow, but still productive for me. What do I mean? I was spending a good chunk of the morning just exploring the city and catching Pokemon. Some handy YouTube videos even helped me find some rare spawns such as Riolu, Larvitar, Hawlucha and Dratini. The latter two were significant to me as I actually want to use them during my playthrough and use their new Megas, so I was happy to get my hands on them. I replaced my Heracross with Hawlucha since I don't want too many Fighting-types.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Dratini is a hard catch. It's very skittish and will run away if it sees you. As the guide I followed suggested, save your game the moment you find the Dratini and lob a Pokéball at it. You get two tries at this and if you fail both times it'll run away. Once it does, turn the game off and start back up again, continuing from your save point and you can try again with the Dratini. Eventually, you'll catch it first time. Trust me, it works. ;)

I also learned a handy tip for getting Pokémon to evolve that require high friendship. You just go to a café and have a coffee with your Pokémon four times in a row and that makes them friendly enough to evolve, thus making it very convenient for those who may want an Espeon, Umbreon, Sylveon, Lucario or Roselia for their teams. Those who are playing, keep that in mind as it saves a lot of precious time. Just make sure you have plenty of money of course as those coffees don't come for free!

After I was done with that, I got down to my Rank V battle after beating enough trainers to win a Challenger's Ticket. My next opponent was a waiter named Rintaro. Unlike the previous opponents, his wish is actually pretty reasonable. He wants his one star restaurant to be a three star restaurant. Wouldn't a five star restaurant be more of a real wish though?

Anyhow, he too was a complete cakewalk. I mean, he uses all three of the Elemental Monkeys, Simisage, Simisear and Simipour. Nobody is EVER going to be a challenge using those three. I had Charmeleon deal with Simisage, Raichu take out Simipour and Gyarados wash away Simisear.

With that done, I've now ranked up once again to Rank V! Yay! :D

Oh and before I continue, take a good look at this environment my character is in. Contrary to what some idiots on the internet have been saying about this game, yes, you CAN go in buildings in this game. I don't know how they've convinced themselves otherwise, but to say you can't go in buildings is objectively false! As you saw in Day 2 previously, I got to explore a museum for crying out loud! Then there's Hotel Z and now this restaurant and later in the game, I'll get to go in the sewers, go in Quarastico Inc's headquarters and go in Corbeau's lair! So why people are saying something so obviously wrong, I'll never understand. The things people say just so they can hate on something I swear...

The First Rouge Mega Evolution Battle

After exiting Rintaro's restaurant, I suddenly ran into a Pokémon that Emma was looking for. Said Pokémon is Zygarde in its 10% form and Emma wants to know what its deal is. She asks me to chase after it and I so, I go after it. I run after Zygarde until it approaches a building and then suddenly, it takes me up to the top of the building. It's there I end up encountering...

...an Absol that somehow manages to Mega Evolve despite there being no trainer to do so. This is what the game refers to as "Rogue Mega Evolution" and it seems this problem's been going on for a while. Emma and AZ arrive on the scene and AZ sends a Lucario to my aid because GameFreak needs very little excuse to shill Lucario for the millionth time. =P

The Rogue Mega Evolution battle begins and with Lucario having a type-advantage, I have a fighting chance. But I have to stay on my toes since the Rogue Mega Pokémon attacks me instead of my Pokémon. Seriously, why are Pokémon in this game so damn bloodthirsty? Even the wild mons I face throughout the game always go for me instead of my Pokémon! At first, my attacks don't do much, even if I'm using super-effective ones, but they cause chunks of Mega Energy to fall from Absol. Once I collect enough of them, it is finally time...

...TO MEGA EVOLVE!

With Lucario as Mega Lucario, I have the power to defeat Absol. It was still a close battle though as Lucario's health came down pretty low. But in the end, I triumphed.

And I got an Absolite as a reward. For some Mega Evolutions, this is the only way to get their stones, by beating the Rogue Mega Pokémon. I wonder what'll be next for me...

And as an extra reward, I even get to keep the Absol I beat! Talk about generous. ;)

AZ and Emma explain how this Rogue Mega Evolution thing has been going on and they still have no idea about it. Urbain also explains how this is what Team MZ is all about, protecting Lumiose City from this phenomenon. Needless to say, my curiosity is piqued. What's all this about...?

Another Bout With Urbain And My First Shiny Capture

The next morning, Urbain offers to take me to Quasartico Inc. since Vinnie the Secretary has asked to see me. But first, he challenges me to another battle and specifically requests I use the Mega Absol I just got. The battle proves to be very straight forward thanks to Mega Absol's power being too much for Pignite and Bayleef. However...

Urbain has a Mega too. I love how cleverly they pulled off the reveal too. Urbain's coat sleeves are big enough and long enough that we never see his Mega Ring until the moment he unveils it during his Mega Evolution animation. His Mega being a Manectric's a cool feature too. Manectric's always a cool mon. ^^ His Manectric is able to take down Absol as he didn't have enough health left to take the hits, but I had plenty of other Pokémon to finish the job, so I won anyway.

With that done, I follow Urbain to Quasartico Inc., but not before I explored the new Wild Zones that have opened up and getting more rewards from Mable's research. Wild Zones 7, 8, 9 and 10 are unlocked at this stage in the game and in Wild Zone 10, I caught a Tynamo, which I'm planning to use later since Eelektross got a new Mega to play with. I also managed to evolve more of my Pokémon, including my Kirlia. The Ralts I got as a free Mystery Gift is now a Gardevoir that can Mega Evolve at last. I also had enough money to buy a Jaw Fossil, Sail Fossil and Old Amber so I can revive them into Tyrunt, Aurous and Aerodactyl later in the game.

While I was in Wild Zone 7, I explored at night to look for Shuppet since they only show up at night. I did find a Shuppet...but I also found a shiny Shuppet at the same time, marking my first shiny encounter in the game. Gotta love unexpected shiny finds, eh? ;)

Eventually, I arrive at Quasartico Inc. to meet Vinnie. Me and Urbain fight a pair of Dedenne guards who clearly take their jobs way too seriously and after that, I meet Vinnie. He's impressed with me taking down the Rogue Mega Absol and taking it under my wing of course and he explains how AZ and Quasartico Inc. are hosting the whole Z-A Battle Royale in the first place to recruit the strongest Mega Evolution trainers in order to quell the Rogue Mega Evolution phenomenon before it gets out of hand. He then offers to challenge me and if I'm able to beat him, he'll promote me all the way up to Rank F. Wow, for real? I get to skip several letters and go straight up to F?

I see why the game does this though. Let's be real, the game would've gotten VERY repetitive if we had to beat 26 people in a row in order to get to Rank A, so I don't mind Vinnie pulling strings for me like that.

After getting my challenger's ticket, Vinnie battles me using a Houndoom, a Buneary and a Sharpedo, which I breezed through with ease due to having all the right counters for them. I find it funny how he has a Buneary on the team because his hair accessory had people theorizing his ace was going to be Mega Lopunny. But instead...

...it's Mega Drampa. Yep, for the first time in the game, we get to see one of the new Megas introduced in Legends ZA. Certainly glad they picked Mega Drampa for our first impression since Mega Drampa is one of the coolest looking new Mega Evolutions. If you were to tell me DRAMPA of all Pokémon would have such an awesome looking Mega, I'd have laughed at you. But the joke would've been on me in this case because this thing looks BADASS! Drampa got the glow up he sorely needed. However...

...I came prepared with Mega Gardevoir. Thank you Mystery Gift! XD

And so after that victory, Vinnie promotes me all the way to Rank F. I love how the player character watches the letters go up and up as if she can't believe this is happening. XD But the battles will only get more challenging going forward as I'm now in the upper ranks...

After beating Vinnie, he tells the whole story of Rogue Mega Evolution with AZ coming to Quasartico Inc. two years ago, saying Lumiose City was "crying in pain" and it was only six months ago when they witnessed it occurring for the first time. I'm impressed they've kept it quiet for this long honestly. I also get to meet Jett in person for the first time in the game too, as brief a moment as it is and I finished off the game by buying some Mega Stones.

Oh and before I conclude, I evolved my Croconaw into Feraligator. Gotta love it when your starter finishes evolving at last, eh? ^^

And that's the end of Day 3. Come back tomorrow as the adventure continues...

Current roster: Feraligator, Raichu, Dragonair, Gardevoir, Charmeleon and Hawlucha

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