#Lat's Orrean Tour

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I discovered recently that all four GBA Trainers in Pokemon Colosseum have “getting hit” animations for when they are attacked by Shadow Pokemon in Hyper Mode. These are all unused because the GBA Trainer roles are restricted to Battle Mode where Shadow Pokemon are banned from usage.

In the Battle Mode, you can see Red, Leaf, Brendan, or May based on the GBA Version you’ve connected with and for the protagonist you chose for your save file on said version.

#I had to prompt hyper Mode Shadow Pokemon over and over again to act out randomly #Wes was hit more times than any of the GBA trainers #always remember Orre #pokemon #pokemon colosseum #Lat's Orre Tour #Lat's Orrean Tour #I realized I could have replaced Wes's model to make this discovery easier... #red #leaf #green #brendan #may #wes

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In one sense it makes me think of Michael’s tendency to not hold grudges and befriend former enemies.

In another, it makes me teary eyed to think the Hexagon Brothers actually welcome Michael’s presence after their organization they served has been hollowed out and left to dry by him.

With nothing to do they’re a vagabond band of brothers without a goal. 

Maybe they made the abandoned lab their home? At least they have that.

#lat's orre tour #always remember Orre #hexagon brothers #Michael #lat's orrean tour #Pokemon #Orre Spoilers

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Duking is in charge of Pyrite Town’s Colosseum.

He has a daughter named Marcia and he is regarded as a strong man but he is easily manipulated by his need to keep those he cares about safe.

#Duking #always remember Orre #Lat's Orre tour #Lat's Orrean tour #pokemon #pokemon colosseum #Miror B would know how easy it was to keep him at bay #Orre Region

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This individual would like to remind you to please be nice to Jovi :(

#ellipsis is hard to interpret but I imagine she didn't like that #Lat's Orre Tour #Lat's Orrean Tour #Lat's Screenshots #Always Remember Orre #Pokemon XD #Gale of Darkness #Pokemon #sorry for being inactive #I've been going through my own trials over and over again this semester

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I have finally experienced the Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness demo version that was in kiosks way back in 2006 again. I have been waiting so long to see this game again and investigate every aspect of it. For years I have wanted to know what is happening here. I’ve always wanted to know why I remember a scenario involving Krane and Aidan standing in front of the Cipher Key Lair but knowing absolutely no context to it.

This demo tells a different story from the main game. There are three Shadow Pokemon to snag, the only spaces to move around in are the ramp into the Cipher Key Lair and the first floor of the factory. All ways outside the designated area are blocked my NPCs that work in the factory or Krane and Aidan telling you not to wander too far from the site.

I was primarily interested in its story. This demo always stuck in my mind as something haunting for its lack of music, but it turns out the Cipher Peon battle themes are still here.

It appears, prior to the events in this demo, Michael was outfitted with the Snag Machine long before any first contact with Cipher happened in Orre again. Krane has not been kidnapped, and it seems Michael is already an experienced trainer with his own Gardevoir and Parasect.

Zook makes his first appearance here as a guard to the Key Lair.

His Shadow Zangoose is not present here, but instead he has a Shadow Shellder as his first Shadow Pokemon.

Targ is the only other trainer to battle, with a Shadow Butterfree and Shadow Tangela to snag. After her battle is done, Krane will appear and ask if you snagged any Shadow Pokemon before the demo will end.

It appears the story in this demo is about Krane, Aidan, and Michael on a scouting mission more than anything. They were here to investigate a preemptive Shadow Pokemon crisis starting with the Key Lair that was apparently spotted earlier in this demo’s story timeline, thus prompting Krane and Aidan to call for Michael’s help. Michael having already been outfitted with the Snag Machine and Aura Reader in this timeline before any Cipher conflict is interesting for how one could envision this alternate timeline’s story.

My decades old questions have been answered. But now I can’t help but wonder if the rest of the game is hidden inside this demo. If I could, I’d hack this to see if there were any other hidden details outside of this event at the Cipher Key Lair.

#Pokemon #Pokemon XD #Gale of Darkness #Gamecube #Genius Sonority #Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness #Always Remember Orre #Cipher #Lat's Orre Tour #Lat's Orrean Tour #this counts as an official AU #to me anyway...

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Evidence of an ancient civilization that once existed in the Orre Region include Agate Village’s Relic Forest, small ruins in the passage to the Relic Forest, the stranded pillars in Pokemon Colosseum’s title screen, and the Orre Colosseum with its pillars matching the architecture of the stranded pillars.

Not much has been said about this lost civilization from either of the games. However, it is confirmed that Eagun’s family history spans many generations that protected the Small Tablet that describes the Relic Stone’s purpose.

The fact that the Relic existed in the past as a solution to something so specific leads one to question the events leading to its creation. There are several questions to be discussed and theorize about at the end of the day:

1. What was the ancient civilization? Where did its people go? How was it destroyed and why?

2. How deep does Rui’s family history run in Orre? Is it a coincidence that she could see the auras of Shadow Pokemon considering her family ancestry?

3. How did these ancient people know enough about the concept of Shadow Pokemon that they would write instructions on a stone tablet, let alone construct a Relic for Celebi’s purifying power of time travelling through a Pokemon’s happiest memories, centuries before the first Shadow Pokemon incident in Colosseum?

These are only a few of the Orre Regions deepest mysteries...

#Lat's Orre Tour #Lat's Orrean Tour #Orrean Spotlight #Orre's History #Orre Spoilers #Pokemon Colosseum #Pokemon XD #Gale of Darkness #Orre Region #Pokemon xd gale of darkness #/long post #Pokemon #lat's screenshots

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Did you know that there is a 1/8192 chance of seeing Chobin in a Shiny Robo Groudon mech in XD?

The odds are determined at the beginning of every playthrough, so hunting this elusive event is not advised as this encounter happens midway through the game’s story.

#lat shiny hunts #lat's orrean tour #lat's orre tour #always remember Orre #Orre Spoilers #pokemon xd #gale of darkness #Robo Groudon #Chobin #lat's screenshots #april 1st

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Fourteen half-buried wheels belonging to the derailed train mark the perimeter of the Outskirt Stand. The re-purposed train became a diner in a lonely corner of the region for travelers to arrive, eat, and have their vehicles refueled.

Within Orre’s history, early modern settlers may have used this train as a means of transportation between stations around the region. When the need for this train eventually dwindled, it was derailed and eventually made into the diner we know today.

#Lat's Orre Tour #Lat's Orrean Tour #Orrean Spotlight #Orre Spoilers #Orre Region #Pokemon XD #Gale of Darkness #Pokemon Colosseum #Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness #Pokemon

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As discovered by ConnorRentz on dA, remnants of Pokemon Colosseum’s data exist in XD’s data.

Of the pieces discovered, what I found most interesting was the sealed passage to the secret subway train to The Under. I had to explore for myself to see the bridge that had apparently been added in XD’s development.

As anyone who played Colosseum would know, Cipher Peons blew up the way to the Lab to keep Wes and Rui from proceeding further in their pursuit. They left an impassible chasm that has been left without repairs.

But as we see, a metal bridge was added to connect to the underground train with the desert lab in XD. Despite the addition it was ultimately cut along with any trace of this passage. Effort was put in to texture and model it by Genius Sonority yet it was never seen in the final product.

The point is that they added that bridge with the intent of the player reaching the Under Subway eventually, but scrapped the idea of returning to The Under midway through its production. By the looks of it, they may not even have made it halfway through production before dropping the idea all together, but remnants of their effort still remains.

This supports my theory that Genius Sonority had more story to tell in this game. Supporting my theory that The Under’s development was cut near the finalization of the game was the unused town description that would have been displayed in the world map like other town’s descriptions.

"An abandoned underground town." 

Source: Bulbapedia and TCRF

Questions to reflect on:

What did the writers have in mind when they started development on The Under? 

Would this have happened post-game or at some point during the main story?

Why in the world would Michael venture into an abandoned underground town alone if it’s supposed to be sealed away and emptied by the ONBS team?

Unfortunately the train does not work and there does not seem to be any remnant of The Under itself in XD’s data, so it may as well remain a mystery...

#Lat's Orre Tour #Lat's Orrean Tour #always remember Orre #Orre's cut content #Orre Spoilers #pokemon xd #gale of darkness #Pokemon Colosseum #Orre Region #I'd like to think a secret boss would have been down there #maybe Wes would be down there alone or with Rui #he would have made an awesome secret boss

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Rui has an HD model for battling and data for standing behind her own Pokemon. She also has trainer profile for Colosseum mode and her own losing animation upon defeat.

Despite this, she has no Poke Ball throwing animation or intro animation. It’s possible that she may have been an unfinished trainer that never made the cut.

Who knows how, when, where, or why Trainer Rui would make in appearance in Pokemon Colosseum. I’d like to believe at some point she might have been considered for post-game content, but clearly progress on her had not gone very far. She may also have been planned to be exclusive to Colosseum mode, but that is only another theory.

Rebin’s title and quotes belong to entirely different trainer npc under the same name from Colosseum mode, so don’t be confused by Rui’s apparent tone in her defeat in the screenshot above. 

This discovery was achieved via AR Codes on Dolphin

#Lat's Orre Tour #Lat's Orrean Tour #Rui #wes #Pokemon Colosseum #Orre Region #Always remember Orre #Pokemon #Genius Sonority

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Phenac City is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the Orre Region. With its cascading waters that flow from an underground oasis, it serves as a welcoming paradise in the arid Orrean desert.

According to locals, Mayor Es Cade’s grandfather founded the city when he drew water to the otherwise uninhabitable land. It is likely he was a part of the original corporation that brought modern settlers to Orre long ago.

#Lat's Orre Tour #Lat's Orrean Tour #Orrean Spotlight #Orre Spoilers #Orre Region #Pokemon XD #Gale of Darkness #Pokemon Colosseum #Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness #Pokemon #Phenac City

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I have also discovered Robo Kyogre also has the potential to be shiny with the odds at 1/8192.

Like Robo Groudon, Robo Kyogre’s odds are also determined at the beginning of every playthrough. It is not recommended that you hunt for this event either as this encounter happens near the end of the game. One would have to play the whole game over and over again to have a chance at finding this rare sight.

#lat's screenshots #lat's orre tour #lat's orrean tour #orre spoilers #pokemon xd #gale of darknes #robo kyogre #always remember Orre #april 1st

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The sea captain that would give Michael one of five evolutionary items that allow his Eevee’s evolutions has unique dialogue should the player choose to release his starting Pokemon. He will proceed to give away an evolutionary item even without an Eevee in the player’s party.

Since that Eevee is probably the last thing Michael’s father gave him before he passed, according to the in-game details and dialogue, doing this would probably be very out-of-character for Michael.

#and incredibly insensitive for the player ; ; #this was not an easy photoset #Lat's Orre Tour #Lat's Orrean Tour #Pokemon XD #Gale of Darkness #Eevee #Michael #Orre Region #Pokemon #I need to go into detail about Michael's hidden character #eventually... #Orre Spoilers #pokemon xd gale of darkness

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Pyrite Town is an old mining town located among canyons surrounded by badlands. Pokemon battling is the celebrated culture of this settlement. The Pyrite Colosseum is the town’s main attraction where knockout challenges are held and the people can spectate the intense battles between Pokemon trainers. Outside of the Colosseum, trainers battle in a marked portion of their main street called Duel Square.

The corporation that founded this town in Orre’s history mined coal from a cave dug into the side of the mesa. From the shafts, they likely hollowed out enough space to establish a water pumping system for the town in conjunction with their mining plan. The building that became the rundown Pyrite Building that stands as a gateway to the cave, along with the indoor elevator to The Under, may have been a job center of some sort in its history. The Pyrite Job Center would have been where miners would be rallied to their stations by their founding organization in the old days. In the time period set by Pokemon Colosseum, this operation has clearly ceased long ago.

#Lat's Orre Tour #Lat's Orrean Tour #Orre Spoilers #Always remember Orre #Orrean Spotlight #Pokemon XD #Gale of Darkness #Pokemon Colosseum #Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness #Orre Region #Pokemon #Pyrite Town #Orre's History

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After Jovi is brought back from Dr. Kaminko’s Manor near the beginning of the game, Jovi will make a beeline for Michael’s bed and hide under the covers.

Upon examination, she is not asleep but rather plotting how to steal Chobin’s swirly glasses.

It seems Michael’s room belongs more to his little sister than it does to him.

#Lat's Orre Tour #Lat's Orrean Tour #Pokemon XD #Gale of Darkness #Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness #Always remember Orre #Michael #Jovi #Orre Spoilers

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#pokemon xd #pokeani #Orre Region #always remember Orre #Dr. Kaminko #Clemont #Orrean Technology #Lat's Orre Tour #Lat's Orrean Tour #Lat's screenshots #gale of darkness #pokemon xd gale of darkness #pokemon