Episode 7: Cipher Shadow Realm

[Sunflora Azumarill]

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[---------------------------VALLEY OF LIGHT---------------------------]
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Okay now! The scenery layout and appearance for this stage is similar to that of Windy Valley from Sonic Adventure DX. Also, in this episode, shadow clouds being formed by Cipher’s shadow generators darken the entire stage, meaning it will be hard to see at first. You’ll start things off by running down a wide dirt road towards the valley. At the end, you’ll hit a long line of Jump Ramps and go right into the valley. You’ll land on a grassy plain with what looks like a sunflower garden. Wait a minute! Didn’t we see something like this back in Green Hill? Four of the sunflowers are actually Sunflora Sawblades (1), so just get past here. Keep to the dirt road here until you head down a hill. Grab a Potion at the start of the hill and head downward. You’ll reach a bridge going over the valley. Here, your first Cipher Peons for the stage will attack. There are four of them, and they carry weapons called Psychosis Guns, which do little damage, but disorient you, so take these guys out quickly. After the bridge, you’ll reach a strip of land with three Mecha Torkoals (1). Get past them and make a 45-degree left turn with the land. Eventually, you’ll reach another group of Cipher Peons. These ones carry typical guns called Falcons, so defeat them You’ll reach a spring that will bounce you to another spring on a land wall and from there, land on another lower strip of land.

You’ll reach the first checkpoint for this stage here as three Venomoth Drones (2) descend. Simply pass them and look towards the trees on both ends of the land strip here. The third one to the left holds an X Speed you can collect and the fourth one to the right holds an X Attack. At the end of the land strip, three more Cipher Peons drop down. These ones throw special boomerangs called Hawks, which come back towards you, so watch out. Take them out and keep going onto another bridge. The bridge will eventually become stairs and head downward. You’ll reach a part of the bridge that goes to the left. Here, you’ll contend with three Masquerain Drones (2) over the bridge. Get past them and you’ll come to another land strip going to the right. Here, there’s another sunflower garden hiding three Sunflora Sawblades (2) you should just pass. At the end of this path, you’ll find three Cipher Peons (FC) guarding a small glass dome. This is a Cipher Cage and by defeating all three of them the cage will open. There’s a spring inside, and the spring will boost you to a square strip of land with four Snapsparkers (1) to defeat. Once they’re done, another Cipher Cage holding a rocket pad and rocket will open, and you’ll be able to get yourself to a strip of land far left. On this strip, use the Dash Panels to boost past up to ten Lairon Rovers (1) and reach a set of springs to bounce over to another strip of land to the right.

On this land path, there’s another checkpoint and a wall to your left. Here, there’s four Exeggutor Totems (2) that come at you. Also, within the trees to the right, check the second one for an X Defense. Once you reach another bridge, cross it. There’s four Cipher Peons (PG) that you must take down along the way. You’ll reach another land strip going to the right. Here, there are more tress on both sides of the strip and a single Venomoth Drones (2). It comes with a scanner, which will bring in several Sunflora Sawblades (2) if it catches you. Get past it and reach a group of seven Cipher Peons (3 PG, 3 FC, 1 HW) to defeat. Once they’re out of the way, cross another bridge that becomes stairs leading upward. There are two Manectric Chargers (2) you’ll fight on the way up. After the stairs become a bridge again, 2 more Manetric Chargers (2) will attack. Eventually, you’ll reach a land strip going to the left. Along this path, there are five Cipher Peons (2 PG, 2 HW, 1 FC) to fight. Once they’re out of the way, keep to the path and you’ll reach an object that looks a lot like an Energy Siphoner, but this one has shadow energy flowing through it. It’s a Shadow Generator, and it’s one of the sources of the shadow cloud. Destroy it to weaken the shadow cloud and return some light to the area. You’ll now be able to see a little better in this stage.

Keep going along the path as there’s another sunflower garden, which contains four Sunflora Sawblades (1). Up ahead are three more Cipher guards (FC) to defeat and a spring to bounce to a side land strip to the right. Along this path, which is actually a depression in the strip, get ready as a Hover Houndoom (1) comes flying through the area. After that one, another one will come through, and then another. In fact, ten Hover Houndooms (1) fly through here, so be careful. The path makes a left curve later on and you’ll reach a group of four Exeggutor Totems (1) to watch out for. There’s also the first Hyper Potion in the game to collect here. Beyond it, the path will slowly rise out of the depression and go in between two rows of trees. Check the first tree to the left for an X Speed and the third to the right for an X Attack. Eventually, the path makes a right curve where four Sealeo Mechs (2) will ambush you, Keep along the path and you’ll reach the stage’s next checkpoint. After it, there’s a group of five Cipher Peons (3 FC, 2 HW) to defeat. After them, you’ll reach another bridge with Dash Panels on it. Get onto the bridge and Dash along the bridge as it goes straight, goes down as stairs, turns to the right, turns to the left, goes up as stairs, goes forward, goes down as stairs, and finally reaches another land strip with three Manectric Chargers (1).

Once past the robots, you’ll reach a series of cliffs that you’ll have to climb up. Jump up the first cliff, then the second, and watch out for two Snapsparkers (1) at the third, jump up the fourth, and jump up the fifth, and at the sixth, you’ll be on solid ground once again. Keep to the path here as it curves to the left and you watch out for a line of six Mecha Torkoals (2). After the curve, you’ll reach another line of trees and five Masquerain Drones (1) to watch out for. Once you’re past them, another group of four Cipher Peons (2 PG, 2 HW) will attack. Defeat them and keep down the path. You’ll soon reach another Jump Ramp to boost you far over the valley bottom. You’ll then fall down towards a strip of land far below. Along the way, you have your chance at either an X Attack or an X Defense, and then towards the bottom, an X Speed or a Super Potion. Once you land, head forward through another group of six Cipher Peons (2 PG, 2 FC, 2 HW) and you’ll reach a hill going downward. At the bottom, where it levels out, there happens to be two Exeggutor Totems to get by. Get past them and you’ll reach a spring to send you flying to the next land strip.

This one goes straight and upon landing, you’ll run into a scanner-equipped Venomoth Drone (2) that will bring in several Sunflora Sawblades (3) if it catches you. Run past it and the path will go down a deep depression. Along the way, six more Cipher guards (4 PG, 2 HW) must be defeated. Once the walls around you end, you’ll head down the path until you run into three Manectric Chargers (2) guarding a Cipher Cage. Defeat them to open the cage, which contains a rocket pad and rocket, and use the rocket to boost far over the valley and to another land strip. Here, follow the path, avoiding or defeating a total of ten Snapsparkers (1) along the way. Eventually, you’ll reach a large wall that you’ll need to get up, and three more Cipher Peons (PG) drop down in front of a Cipher Cage to attack. Defeat them and the cage will open to give you a spring to bounce up the wall. You’ll run into the next checkpoint here and after it, the path slopes downward. At the bottom of the slope, you’ll reach the second Shadow Generator. Like with the first, attack this one to dissipate the shadow cloud some more. Now more light has returned to the valley. However, suddenly, a helicopter will come down and Lovrina, one of the Cipher Admins, will come out of it. She’ll get mad at you for destroying two of the three Shadow Generators they set out here and that she’ll teach you a lesson. Once she goes back into the helicopter, a midboss battle begins.

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//Cipher Admin Lovrina//
Health: 160
Attack 1: Rotor Blade - Shoots a rotor blade from the helicopter’s rotors. The blade moves left and right as it comes for you, making it harder to dodge.
Attack 2: Timed Bomb – Drops a large bomb onto the field, which explodes after several seconds. The explosion, however, is massive and has a huge range.
Attack 3: Copter Crush – Retracts the side rails on the bottom, then attempts to crush you from above.
Strategy: This battle is similar to when you fought Annie & Oakley, except this time, even ranged attacks can be out of range during this battle. As Lovrina pilots the helicopter around, wait until it lowers near the ground to fire a rotor blade. That’s your chance to attack. When she drops a large bomb onto the field, get near one of the edges of the area, since the explosion is quite large. When half of Lovrina’s health is gone, she’ll also try crushing you with the helicopter. Get out of the way when the shadow starts to grow. If ever needed you can collect a single Hyper Potion in the arena’s center, but only use it if your health is almost gone. Once you’ve done enough damage to the helicopter, Lovrina will bail as the helicopter falls down towards the valley bottom and explodes.
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Once Lovrina is finished, she’ll tell you that you can’t stop Cipher’s latest plan and that others will stop you if she can’t. With that, she walks off in the opposite direction you’re headed in. Now head forward to reach a Jump Ramp that will boost you to the next land strip. From there, head to the left, where you’ll have to defeat a total of eight Cipher Peons (3 FC, 3 HW, 3 PG) along the way. Once you’re past them, a group of three Hover Houndooms (2) will come down. Just get past them and head up a hill. At the top of the hill, there’s a pair of Venomoth Drones (3) to watch out for. After them, you’ll come to a bridge to cross. This one is long, but goes straight. There are Dash Panels to make the trip faster. However, once you step onto the bridge, you’ll see what looks like a gyrocopter launch a missile at the bridge, which starts a chain of collapse. Basically, you’ll have to keep ahead of the falling bridge or else you’ll fall to your death! The bridge is falling very fast, so you’ll have to swerve left and right to hit the Dash Panels to keep up with the bridge. Eventually, you’ll reach another land strip before the bridge entirely falls. Also, for your relief, there’s a checkpoint here as well.

You’ll notice the path and ground here slope onto a wall. As you might suspect, you’ll have to use Dash Panels to speed up the wall and reach the top. Once at the top, you’ll land on a flat area of ground, but will then hit Dash Panels heading down a steep slope. At the slope’s bottom, you’ll hit a Jump Ramp and go flying through the valley to the next land strip. Here, three more Cipher Peons (1 PG, 2 HW) will attack. Defeat them and head to the right, where two Sunflora Sawblades (2) will attack. After them, the area will thin and you’ll hit Dash Panels and head down another slope. You’ll run through a loop and slope down some more before curving to the right. You’ll then hit another loop and after it, hit a Jump Ramp and go flying through the valley to a strip of land below. Along the way, you’ll be able to grab an X Speed, an X Defense, and a Super Potion. We’re not out of the valley yet, so get ready for a line of four Exeggutor Totems (2) as you run through a depression in the ground. The depression eventually goes to the right, where you’ll have to get ready for four Manectric Chargers (2). Once you’re past them a set of springs will get you out.

After another flight, you’ll hit a wall and drop down some to ground below. You’ll now head left along the side of the wall and have to take down six more Cipher Peons (2 PG, 2 FC, 2 HW) along the way. At the end of the path, you’ll find a Cipher Cage and three Masquerain Drones (3) to defeat. Once they’re gone, use the rocket pad and rocket in the cage to go zooming through the valley once more before landing on another land strip. Here, a group of four Cipher guards (3 PG, 1 HW) must be defeated. Once that’s done, head down the path past some more trees. The first tree to the left contains a Super Potion while the fourth tree to the right contains an X Speed. Also, to the right of the land strip, you’ll find a lone spire with a tree on it. Unless you’re using Liza or going through this stage in Jenny Mode, it’s too far to jump to. If you make it to it, inside the tree is the stage’s Full Restore. Back on the main path, you’ll be close to the last Shadow Generator. At the end of the land strip, defeat three Sunflora Sawblades (2) to open a Cipher Cage containing a spring to boost you to another land strip. Here, you’ll land a on a checkpoint and find the final Shadow Generator locked in a Cipher Cage. Here, eight Cipher Peons (3 PG, 3 FC, 3 HW) drop down for attack. Get rid of them all and the cage will open, thus allowing you to destroy the final Shadow Generator. With it gone, all the light in the valley will return, allowing you to see all the land formations and strips that make up the area above the valley floor.

Now all we have to do is reach the end of the valley and find the path to Cipher’s base. Head past where the Shadow Generator stood and hit another Jump Ramp to go flying to a grassy plain near the end of the valley. From there, you’ll find a cave entrance in the distance, but before you can go there, the same gyrocopter that tried to send you to your death on the valley bottom arrives. A door on the side opens up and Snattle comes out. From the door, he’ll tell you that you’ve taken down one of Cipher’s best, now he’ll want to see if you can take down another. With that now being said, the gyrocopter door closes and then another midboss battle commences.

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//Cipher Admin Snattle//
Health: 180
Attack 1: Gyro Bomber – Launches countless bombs all over the area. This attack is hard to dodge, especially since it creates explosions all over the entire place.
Attack 2: Homing Missile – Fires a large missile that locks-on and starts following you. Unless you destroy it or it hits you, it will never cease to stop.
Attack 3: Ring Encase – A large ring is launched from the gyrocopter and comes down to the ground, trapping you on ground level. It moves up and down, making jumping over it tricky.
Strategy: Snattle happens to a little tougher than Lovrina due to the fact that his gyrocopter moves faster and smoother than her helicopter. When he launches bombs all over the place, try running around the arena, since that will be the best way of dodging the attack. An even more dangerous threat is the homing missile he sends at you. The only way to avoid it entirely is to attack it so that it explodes. Also, it’s when he comes down towards the ground he will fire the missile at you. This is your chance to hit him. You can also attack the missile launcher to prevent it from firing. Once half of Snattle’s health is gone, he’ll also start making things tricky with large rings that can cut you. They function like “smart” lasers, moving up and down when you try to jump over or run under them. If you’re ever low on health, there’s two Super Potions both sides of the field you can use to gain health back. Once you’ve dealt enough damage to Snattle, he’ll be forced to abandon the gyrocopter as it spirals down to valley bottom, exploding on impact.
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Once Snattle’s been defeated, he’ll complain about possibly being fired, but that there are still more Shadow Generators that are active. With that, he’ll leave. Once he’s gone, all there is left to do is head towards the cave entrance, where you’ll notice a Goal Gate shortly after entering the cave. Head through the Goal Gate to complete the stage and move onto the next Shadow crisis.

[Sunflora Azumarill]

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[-----------------------------MYSTIC CAVE-----------------------------]
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Anyone who has played Sonic 2 on the Sega Genesis should remember this stage. However, you’ve never experienced it like this before. It’s also much darker in here then before, but you’ll find out why later. Anyway, start this stage by collecting the six rings ahead leading to some crumbling platforms. Jump onto the platforms, then jump onto the next ledge ahead. You’ll see a large crushing obstacle in front of you; if you’re under it when it comes down, you’ll be killed instantly. After it rises, run under it and you’ll run into a firefly-like robot called a Flasher. When it flashes, it generates a yellow shield around it. When it lowers the shield, you may attack it. However, since it gives off light, you might want to keep it around. After the Flasher, collect a Potion and you’ll go up half-loop and then another half-loop.

After the second half-loop, you’ll land on another path to the left where spikes from the nearby wall will start coming towards you. Jump onto the spike wall after it extends and jump across three crumbling platforms ahead of you. Here, 3 Venomoth Drones (2) will be fluttering around each platform (their attacks will illuminate the area), so be careful. Directly above the third platform to the right is a ledge with a checkpoint and a Potion. After “checking in”, jump back down to the path below and follow the ring path. Here, you’ll have to be careful of two Mechcargoes (Tier 1 colors, but Tier 2) that will drop down from the ceiling. Their lava bodies actually give off light, allowing you to see them. Past them, you’ll come to a spring and a gap. Drop down the gap to collect a trail of vertical rings and also an X Attack at the bottom, but two Corsola Cannons (2) will also attack you, so quickly jump back up using the spring here to get back up to the first spring and bounce to the right using that spring.

You’ll land on a platform with another Potion and an X Defense, but an enemy will also jump out at you. This one, similar to a Caterkiller from Sonic 1, is called a Crawltron, so hit it with an attack to defeat it. After doing so, drop back down below and head to the right. You’ll run into another Flasher. Another note; Flashers are hijackable by Duplica. If you jack one, you'll have a somewhat steady source of light (even brighter when holding the L button, but you can't move and hold L at the same time with this robot) as you go through the stage. You’ll also come to three rotating crates going to the right. Jump onto the top one, also minding two nearby Claydol Drones (2) (their attacks give off light), and reach the next ledge. On this ledge are three Gloom Mechs (2) that will attempt to disorient you with blue Sleep Powder. If they fire their laser fields, the lasers can be seen.

From then Gloom Mechs, jump over the spring and over the spikes ahead of it. You’ll notice a vine hanging above a bridge that spans the whole width of the tunnel. You’ll also start hearing a tune that happens to sound like something Miror B. listens to. Jump onto the vine to open the bridge and be lowered downward. On the ground here, you’ll find the source of the music; an MP3 player resembling an iPod and dock. Destroy it and collect two X Speeds to the right and spikes below that shoot up and down out of the ground. Head back to the left and jump on the crumbling platform and then the platform ahead. There’s a Claydol Drone (3) hovering in a circle around the platform equipped with a holo-scanner, which will bring is several Mechacargoes (2) and Lairon Rovers (3) onto the ground below, so be careful. On the upper route, there are two Snapsparker pairs (2) blocking your way and three spike walls will come out at once. Wait until the second is up, then quickly jump up and over onto the higher ledge.

On the path to the right, there are some rings and a Flasher. Past the Flasher are two Mechcargoes (2) and another crushing obstacle. Right to the left of the crushing wall is a large stone making up part of the wall that can be destroyed with a strong Water attack or Explosion. If you do so, you’ll find a secret room with 2 X Attacks, 2 X Speeds, a 1UP, and two Electrode Bombs (2). If they explode, more large stones will fall down onto the ground, so be careful. Back on the main path, past the crusher is a vine above a bridge. When lowered near a pair of Masquerain Drones (3) fluttering, jump to a path to the left where and go under a crushing obstacle. After the obstacle, defeat three Sunflora Sawblades (2 Tier 2, 1 Tier 3). The third one will send out Sunkern Probes with holo-scanners that teleport in several Gloom Mechs (3) if you get caught. You’ll then come to Dash Panels and half-loop followed by some spikes and another Flasher.

After getting past all that, run down the curve going to the right past a slew of seven Mechcargoes (5 Tier 2, 2 Tier 3), and then fall down to the lower level past a Claydol Drone (3). You’ll find a Super Potion, 4 Gloom Mechs (2) that release red Stun Spore, and some orbiting crates. Collect the Potion and jump over the crates. Watch out for two Flashers nearby and keep heading forward. Near a curve to the left, you’ll start hearing Miror B.’s theme once again. Make the left curve past a pair of Sunflora Sawblades (3) and you’ll reach the second MP3 player. Destroy it like you did the other and you’ll reach a spring. If you bounce up it, you’ll reach a hidden ledge to the right with a thin tunnel beyond it. Head into the tunnel and you’ll reach a short path with a Hyper Potion at the end of it. However, down the path, three Mechcargoes (1) will drop down from the ceiling, so be careful. Head back into the main area and head past the spring to find a group of five Lairon Rovers (2) that will attempt to run you over.

After the robots, you’ll reach a half-loop with Dash Panels. Go up it and you’ll notice a rising wall at the top. Land on it and take it up to a ledge with another checkpoint (which are scarce in this stage). Fall down from here to find four Corsola Cannons (2) and another half-loop with Dash Panels. Head down the left curve upon reaching here and watch out for two holo-scanner equipped Venomoth Drones (3) here to avoid an encounter with several Sleep Powder spraying Gloom Mechs (3) and Sunflora Sawblades (2). After the curve, look up at the ceiling for six Mechcargoes (2) on the ceiling and a Crawltron below them. Watch out for all the enemies there and run past them, collecting an X Speed along the way. Jump over the spikes ahead and drop down to the lower level below. Head to right here and past eight Corsola Cannons (1) that will drop down from the walls.

You’ll pass by more large stones along the way and eventually pass through a Super Potion and reach more Dash Panels and a half-loop. Hit a hidden spring to the left of it and you’ll be sprung upward to the right onto a moving platform near a group of three Masquerain Drones (2). Use it to reach a crumbling platform to the left of where you land and use the platform to jump to a vine and open a vertical bridge. Jump onto the bridge and keep heading forward. Collect 2 X Defenses near two Mechcargoes (1) and then head back and jump to a vine with a blue bar on it. It will open another bridge platform that you’ll then jump onto. Watch out for two Stun Spore-firing Gloom Mechs (3) near the vicinity of this bridge and then jump to yet another vine that you’ll rise to an upper level back to the left. Jump over more rising crushers here and defeat three Snapsparkers (3), then run down a half-loop, and Miror B.’s theme start coming back on. Jump over a pit with two crumbling platforms over it as you start to hear the music. If you don’t, you’ll fall down to a pit of spikes and to your death.

Keep down the path and you’ll reach a checkpoint and also the third and final MP3 player. Destroy it and suddenly, some shaking occurs within the tunnel. Large groups of stones will tumble downward from both ends to trap you and Miror B. and his eight Ludicolo will suddenly drop down from above. He’ll tell you that you really threw off his groove by destroying his MP3 players and that he’ll have to teach you a lesson, and to also steal your Pokémon. Another midboss battle commences.

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//Wanderer Miror B.//
Health: 200
Attack 1: Hydro Top – Each of Miror B.’s Ludicolo will spin around the area like a top, generating cyclones of water around them. They’ll also bounce off of walls and each other like pinballs.
Attack 2: Ice Spinner – Each of Miror B.’s Ludicolo will make a close circle around Miror B., then fire Ice Beams constantly while spinning around Miror B.
Attack 3: Hydro Blast – Each of Miror B.’s Ludicolo will move to the edge of the area, then fire large water streams your way one at a time. Getting hit knocks you back a bit.
Attack 4: Ice Arena – Each of Miror B.’s Ludicolo will make a circle within the area, then fire ice all over the place, turning the whole place into ice, including ice spikes and rocks. Getting enveloped by the rising ice before it ends freezes you.
Strategy: This is something. Miror B. relies on his Ludicolo to attack you, but they do so quite well. They’ll start things off by whirling around the place like tops. Your distance from each of them and aim for Miror B. Easier said than done, since they’ll direct themselves towards him. Once they stop, they’ll get close to Miror B. and begin firing Ice Beams while spinning in a circle. This freezes you, so watch out. To make matters worse, while they can be attacked, the Ludicolo can’t be defeated. Just try to get close to Miror B. and attack him before one of the Ludicolo can take the blow for him. After half of his health is gone, Miror B. will tell you to “Chill Out!”. When that happens, the Ludicolo will start turning to entire field to ice, causing a surge of ice to rise upward. Quickly jump onto one of the two piles of stones to avoid the rising ice. Once it recedes, you’ll notice the entire field has been turned to ice and now includes large ice spikes, rocks, and even snow. Adjust to the icy conditions and keep up the work against Miror B. The Ludicolo will now start firing blasts of water at you as well. Every minute, Miror B. will commence the Ludicolo to create another ice surge to freeze you. This ice surge will also rearrange the ice spikes and blocks every time it’s used, so finish this battle as quickly as possible. If you need a pick-me-up during the second half, break one of the ice blocks for a chance at a Potion and also the ice spikes for a rare chance at a Super Potion. Once Miror B. has fallen, all his Ludicolo will surrender as well.
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Once Miror B. has been defeated, he'll vow that he'll be back with reinforcements and leave. With that, he’ll have his Ludicolo blast away the pile of large stones blocking the way forward, the leave along with them. You’ll now be able to continue. Head down the path as it makes a curve to the right. As soon as you make the curve, a Metang Carrier (2) will be waiting to ambush you. If it catches you in its holo-scanners, it’ll teleport in several Electrode Bombs (3) to blow you up. Get past it and collect three rings leading to a group of three Cipher Peons (3 DW) (finally they show up in this stage). Get rid of them and use the Dash Panels to boost up the half loop. You should reach a blue bar vine that will lower a bridge blocking your way. Once that’s done, jump onto the moving platform to the left of the bridge near three more Metang Carriers (2) and ride it to a crumbling platform. From there, avoid the Crawltron and some spikes near the ceiling and jump again.

You should land on a swinging platform. Upon landing on it, it should swing forward and hit another one nearby, causing that one to rise and the other to stop. When that one comes back to hit yours, jump to the second one. When the first one hits the one you’re on, it should go up again, but jump back to the first one. Eventually, the second one should send the first one up to a ledge above. This sounds easy, but three Venomoth Drones (3) on the way up make things more difficult for you here. This ledge has seven more Cipher Peons (3 FC, 2 DW, 2 PG) that you’ll have to take down if front of a Cipher Cage holding the first Shadow Generator of this stage, which is also what’s blanketing the stage in darkness. Destroy it once the Peons are gone and it’s open. With the Shadow Generator out of the way, the stage should be a little easier to see in.

From there, jump onto the spring in front of you and bounce up it to another vine to lower a bridge to your left. On this ledge, there’s no wall to your right and you can see the Mystic Cave scenery in the distance. If you fall from here, you’ll fall to your death, so be careful. This path has three Gloom Mechs (3) that will spray Stun Spore all over the place, so pass them using the Dash Panels ahead to go up a half-loop. On this next path, five Mechcargoes (3) will drop down from high above (remember that when falling, they look like metallic shells in dripping blobs of lava). Use the spring amidst the center of the Mechcargoes to bounce up to a crumbling platform to the right. Then jump to the main ledge. You’ll notice that the area to the left of the crumbling platform also overlooks the scenery. On the main path, you have six more Cipher Peons (3 FC, 2 UGL, 1 CL) to deal with, and also a Metang Carrier (3) that will bring in several Snapsparkers (2) when and if it catches you.

From the Peons, bounce up a set of springs while dodging three more Metang Carriers (2), which send in two Electrode Bombs (2) apiece if one catches you. At another bridge blocking your way, head down it to find two X Speeds and three Sunflora Sawblades (2). Then go back and jump to the vine to lower the bridge. From where you’re lowered, defeat a group of five Lairon Rovers (3) and head left to where another vine rests. However, the next Shadow Generator is on the ledge on the other side. Jump past the vine and land on a checkpoint on the ledge. Six more Cipher Peons (2 FC, 2 SW, 2 CL) guard the second Shadow Generator. Defeat them and then take care of the Generator. With this one also destroyed, more light returns to the cavern. From there, jump back to the vine and lower yourself to an area of spikes. Jump back from them to fins a Hyper Potion, but since the item is right on a ledge that overlooks the scenery, don’t jump too far or you’ll fall down to your death. A Venomoth Drone (3) also flutters over the ledge.

Head back forward as a large group of up to ten Mechcargoes (1) drop down from the ceiling as the left wall ends and overlooks the expanse to the left. You’ll come to a right curve as you reach here as well. Right where six Corsola Cannons (2) reside, you’ll notice a Dash Ring to the left over the edge. It’s actually hinting at something. Jump off the ledge here and you’ll fall to a hidden path, but remember to guide yourself into it of you’ll fall to your death. This tunnel happens to be a treasure trove of items for you to collect. There are 2 Super Potions, 2 X Attacks, 2 X Defenses, and 2 X Speeds. There’s also a Cipher Cage at the edge of the tunnel that you’ll need to open. However, collect just one of these of items and a Claydol Drone (3), Masquerain Drone (3), Venomoth Drone (3), and a Metang Carrier (3) will all teleport into the area. All four of them carry holo-scanners that bring in several Mechcargoes (2), Corsola Cannons (2), Gloom Mechs (2), or Electrode Bombs (2) depending on the robot that catches you. The path makes a curve to the right after the items to also give you two 1UP’s and at the end of the path at the wall, the Stage’s Full Restore. There also happens to be a switch here as well. Press it and it’ll open the Cipher Cage for you. However, it also sends in three Sunflora Sawblades (3) to mess with you. The spring back at the start bounces you into the Dash Ring above and back onto the main path.

Back on the main path, you’ll reach a large area of spikes with a floating platform moving back and forth over them. Use it to cross the spikes and reach the higher ledge. Ahead of you here, there is a slow swinging maze and eight Cipher Peons (3 FC, 2 HW, 2 SW, 1 CL) to deal with. Here, you can attack the spiked mace with attacks and knock it into the Peons to get rid of them quickly. However, be careful not to get hit by the mace yourself as it takes away 40 of your health. You’ll now have to jump onto the platform it’s on, where three Metang Carriers (2) float nearby (all three send in Snapsparkers if they catch you). From that platform, jump to the path to the right of it and you’ll find the third Shadow Generator. Six more Cipher Peons (4 UGL, 2 CL) will jump down to protect their Generator, so get rid of them and then get rid of the Generator. With it destroyed, almost all the light that would normally be found in this dark cave will have returned. Now there is only one left to destroy.

Past the Shadow Generator is another Flasher you’ll have to watch out for. From there, head down a half-loop, but be weary of the lack of wall to the right of it. Here, you’ll encounter two Claydol Drones (3), two Lairon Rovers (3), two Mechcargoes (3) that drop down from the ceiling, and also two Flashers. Fortunately, there are also some rings to pick up here. Keep heading forward here as there’s a left curve coming up. Right at the turn, there are some crumbling platforms over a pit. If you fall here, you’ll fall onto a bed of spikes, but if this happens, you can also save yourself the trouble of a slow and painful death by jumping down the expanse to the right. After the curve, take down two more Metang Carriers (1) before they send in Electrode Bombs (3). There are some more rotating crates here as well, so jump onto the highest one and from there, jump onto the upper ledge. Here, watch out for more extending spike walls. If you look to the right, you’ll see a small opening you can get into before the spike walls close it off. If you make it into the small tunnel, you’ll reach a small ledge that overlooks the expanse. There’s a Hyper Potion here and a switch that will pull back the spikes so you can get out. The spikes will come back out once you come out of the tunnel, however.

Only a little left to go. Head down the path, defeating four more Gloom Mechs (2) before they spray Sleep Power. You’ll come to another drop, so drop down it. Defeat four more Cipher Peons (HW) before they attack and head left. You’ll come to a vine over another bridge you should take down, but not before heading forward a little more for the fourth and final Shadow Generator. It’s locked in a Cipher Cage, and eight Cipher Peons (2 FC, 2 DW, 2 SW, 2 CL) will fight valiantly to protect it, so get rid of them and destroy this Generator once and for all. With all four Shadow Generators destroyed, the shadow clouds cloaking the cave tunnels will be gone and the stage will be back to normal. Now there’s the matter of reaching the exit to this place. Go back to the vine and grab it to lower the bridge and reach a lower area. Collect an X Attack in front of you and then head backwards past four Mechcargoes (3) that drop from the ceiling and also a crushing obstacle. Once you’re past the obstacle. Drop down to the lower area, where the final checkpoint and a Hyper Potion reside.

Head down the path here until you reach a large, open chamber, with expanses on both the right and left sides of the area. There’s also an abandoned minecart leading out of the room. Start heading towards it and suddenly, intense shaking can be heard throughout the area. You’ll see an explosion towards where the minecart is and from the explosion, a large drill machine emerges from the left wall. Within the bubble thingypit on top is Gorigan, the third of the Cipher Admins you have to fight. He’ll tell you that you won’t be taking the minecart to Cipher’s base. With that in mind, he points his craft towards you and that means we got not a midboss battle, but a main boss!

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BOSS: CIPHER ADMIN GORIGAN
Health: 220
Attack 1: Drill Charge – Simply attempts you to charge into you using the large drill. Easy to dodge, but very damaging.
Attack 2: Giant Drill – Uses rocket thrusters to lift up and then drill into the ceiling, then moves around in the ground above. When under you, a massive drill quickly comes down on you. Similar to an attack used by Ground Man in Mega Man & Bass.
Attack 3: Drill Missile – The smaller drills are fired at you as homing missiles. The missiles break through any defenses, including Samantha’s ribbon defense.
Strategy: Get ready for a fight! Gorigan’s the second toughest boss at this point of the game! While the craft uses drills like Eggman’s mech that you fought here in Sonic 2, it’s more like the Sonic 2’s first boss, but with a little of Ground Man from Mega Man & Bass. When the craft starts to charge you, quickly get out of the way before Gorigan extends the giant drill into you. After he stops, either jump onto the small shelves on the sides of the craft or use ranged attacks to hit the thingypit and deal some damage. You can’t do this while he’s moving because of the drill spikes that come out of the sides when it’s in motion. Also, get ready when Gorigan activates rocket thrusters on the craft’s bottom, because that means he’s sending the craft upward. Once it takes flight, it goes vertical and burrows into the ceiling. From there, watch the column of falling debris be cause once it’s under you, a massive drill comes down on you. Quickly run out of the way to avoid damage. You’ll have to dodge this attack a number of times before the craft comes back down. Once Gorigan’s health is down by half, he’ll add another attack to his arsenal! Several smaller drills surrounding the main drill will shoot off of the craft and come towards you like homing missiles. You cannot defend against these missiles, do dodge them until they explode, then attack Gorigan some more. If you ever need to, there are two Super Potions near both ledges of the arena, but be careful not to have Gorigan knock you into the expanses. Once you damaged the craft enough, Gorigan will have nowhere else to go.
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Once Gorigan’s been defeated, he’ll jump out of the craft before it explodes. He’ll have a tantrum and say he’s had enough of you trying to take Cipher down, but he’ll run in the opposite end, leaving you to take the minecart out of the cave. Simply board the minecart and it’ll start moving automatically. It’ll move down the track ahead as the tunnel goes forward, slopes downward, makes a 45-degree left curve, passes through a large expanse over a bridge, make a 90-degree right curve, slope upward, make a 45-degree right curve, go forward on a bridge over an unreachable path below, slope far down, make a 90-degree left curve, cross under an unreachable path above, make a 45-degree left curve, slope upward, make a 45-degree right curve, head through another large expanse area, slope far up, and then where it levels off, you’ll eventually reach the Goal Gate at the end of the tunnel. Don’t worry about getting out here, as the minecart will go straight through it, clearing the stage once and for all.

[Sunflora Azumarill]

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[---------------------------CIPHER KEY LAIR---------------------------]
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Welcome to the Cipher Key Lair, the headquarters for Cipher’s latest plan! While you should remember this area from Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, the interior this time is quite different. This is a well-guarded facility and not easy to get through. You’ll start the stage by taking the mine cart from Mystic Cave through a wide corridor in the factory. Along the way, you’ll pass by three pairs of Snapsparkers (1), two pairs of Mecha Torkoals (2), and three pairs of Crawdaunt Troopers (1) before reaching the end of the line. You’ll disband the mine cart and begin on foot. Upon disbanding, four Cipher Peons (2 FC, 2 DW) will attack. Defeat all four of them and head down the corridor until you reach a set of doors to head through. Head through the doors to enter a wide hall with two raised conveyor belts, one on each side, carrying large steel crates forward and backward through the hall. Also in this hall are three Magneton Shields (2) to watch out for. Get past them and reach another set of doors. Head through to enter an upward-sloping hall with three more Cipher Peons (UGL) to defeat. At the top of the hall, the hall turns to the left and three Sunflora Sawblades (2) guard the next set of doors. Defeat them and head into the next room. You’ll enter a room with a bridge heading forward over a bottomless pit. Here, five more Cipher Peons (3 HW, 2 DW) will attack. Defeat them and cross the bridge. The doors here are locked and you must defeat three Hover Houndooms (2) to open it. In the next hall, there are three more Cipher Peons (PG) to defeat. After getting through with them, you’ll reach a shaft going down. Drop down it to reach a set of doors to head through. On the other side, you’ll find the stage’s first checkpoint.

In this hall, there are several violet lasers moving up and down that you’ll need to watch out for. At the end of the hall, defeat a scanner-equipped Venomoth Drone (3) before it has the chance to send in several Cacturne Sentries (2) to hinder you. Defeating every enemy opens the door into the next room. This room’s floor is a conveyor belt going forward with several boxes along it. Eventually, the floor goes into a gap and you must jump onto a pair of thinner belts, one going forward and one going backward. The speeds on the belts change randomly, so be careful not to fall to your death. After this set of belts, you’ll have to jump to another set. This time, it’s the direction that shifts and halfway down the belts, there are two Masquerain Drones (2) to avoid. At the end of this belt set, there’s another going to the right to jump to as the hall turns right as well. This time, boxes are dropped into the center of the belts and can hinder your progress. You’ll reach an upper level after this belt set. Here, there are five Cipher Peons (2 PG, 2 FG, 1 CL) will attack. Defeat them both and head through the next set of doors. You’ll enter a hall going to the right and laser grids to jump over and run under. At the end of this hall, you’ll reach another set of doors. Head through to enter a room that seems like a dead-end except for a Cipher Cage in the center. Here, six Snapsparkers (2) drop down from above. Defeat them all to open the cage and use the spring that’s inside to bounce to a conveyor belt above. Simply cross the belt to reach another set of doors.

You’ll enter a wide hall with a large arch and small stations to the sides. This is a Cipher checkpoint, and there are three checkpoint guards on each side. Usually, you’ll have to defeat all 6 guards (2 FC, 2 SW, 2 FG) to open the yellow-and-black bar gates to get through, but if you’re playing as Duplica, you’ll have to put on a disguise and then sneak past them instead (the gates are open for her). On the other side of the gates happens to be the first Shadow Generator for the stage. Destroy it to return some light to the stage. You’ll find another stage checkpoint after the Generator and doors leading into the next area. This hall has vertical violet lasers moving all over the place to make things trickier here. Get past them and you’ll reach the doors into the next area. In the next hall, there’s a Metang Carrier (3) waiting for you upon your entry. If you get caught in its scanners, it’ll send in several Magneton Shields (3) to avoid. Past the Metang Carrier are four more Cipher Peons (2 SW, 2 CL) to defeat. Once they’re done, you’ll head through another set of doors into a shaft going up. There’s a pulley in here to use to get up to the top. Watch out for more violet lasers along the way. There’s another set of doors to the left to jump to. Here, you’ll reach a storage room with several items to collect. A floating TV in the middle states “STORAGE ROOM A” and the items you can collect amongst the crates are 2 X Attacks, 2 X Defenses, 2 X Speeds, 2 Hyper Potions, and a Gravity Scope. Once you’ve gotten whatever items you needed, head through the next set of doors to enter another hall in the factory.

This hall has more violet lasers to watch out for and also four Magneton Shields (2). You must defeat all four to open the set of doors on the other end and progress. The next hall goes to the left and has hidden trap doors. If you fall into one, you’ll land a lower hall with several violet lasers, rows of spikes, and six Electrode Bombs (2) that make the hall treacherous. At the end of the hall is a spring to bounce you back to the upper hall. At the end of the upper hall, there are three Cipher Peons (FG) to defeat. They’ll open the doors behind them and you’ll reach another stage checkpoint. This is another conveyor hall with conveyor belts to the left and right sides. This time, though the boxes are actually laser emitters, creating laser fences that move towards you that you’ll have to constantly jump. Also in the room are three Snspsparkers (3) to get past. At the end of the hall, collect a Potion and head through the doors to enter another hall. This one has a conveyor floor that randomly changes both direction and speed, making getting through it no easy task. There are also laser fields you’ll have to jump and slide under along the way and four Metang Carriers (2) that each send in several Electrode Bombs (2) if one catches you. Once you reach the next set of doors, head through to reach a large room. You’ll notice that most of the floor here is missing and that there are conveyor belts over the gap. Once again, the direction of each of the conveyor belts changes direction randomly, so carefully make your way across them since there are also six Venomoth Drones (2) in here as well. On the other end of the room, defeat three Mecha Torkoals (3) to open the next set of doors.

We’ve reached another Cipher checkpoint with the same setup as before. This time, defeat or sneak past eight checkpoint guards (2 FC, 2 PG, 2 UGL, 2 CL) and destroy the next Shadow Generator behind them. Some more light returns to the stage, but it’s still pretty dark. Head to the doors ahead and head through to enter a room with no ceiling and the scenery of the Cipher Key Lair above. There are ten Cipher Peons (3 FC, 3 HW, 2 UGL, 2 CL) in the room you’ll have to defeat to drop a thick laser grid in a hole in the floor in the middle. Once they’re through, drop down the hole to enter a shaft with more violet lasers moving back and forth to dodge. At the bottom, you’ll land on a wide conveyor belt and head backwards past more laser grids and three Metang Carriers (2) (which send in several Electrode Bombs (3) if they catch you) until you reach a drop. The conveyor belt heads down the wall ahead and you’ll run down with it. Along the way, you’ll have to watch out for half-saw machines on the wall that will cut you for 30 damage if touched. Once you reach the bottom, head to the right and defeat 4 more Cipher Peons (2 HW, 2 w/shield) to open the next set of doors. You’ll enter another side conveyor room with more laser emitters traveling along the belts. This time, the belts change direction, making getting past the lasers more difficult. Also, you’ll have to contend with 5 Sunflora Sawblades (2) along the way to the next door.

Once you’ve passed through to another hall, cross the checkpoint and get ready for an assault. Endless Crawdaunt Troopers (2) make their way in your direction on flat carts zooming across the floor, heading into impassable chutes in the walls. Collect a Super Potion and an X Speed while in here and you’ll reach another set of doors. You’ll come to a wide conveyor room with large, long windows overlooking the conveyors. Here, more violet lasers move left and right and four Cipher Peons (2 CL, 2 w/shield) attack on them. If one of the lasers hits them, though, that Peon will suffer damage. After getting by the lasers, you’ll jump a short wall and land on another conveyor. This time, there are laser emitters being carried along the belt. Get ready to jump them as you contend with six Cipher Peons (2 FG, 2 UGL, 2 w/shield) that also jump the laser fields. You’ll have to defeat all six of them to drop a large laser wall blocking your way. Keep jumping the laser grids as they come towards you and reach the doors. You’ll reach a hall going to the right with no floor other than the part you enter on. Collect an X Defense on the Cipher crates to the left and you’ll notice a crane much like those seen in GUN Fortress in Shadow the Hedgehog. Jump onto it and you’ll ride the crane as it starts along its line. When on the crane, use left and right on the Control Pad to tile the crane left and right to collect items and dodge obstacles. The crane will travel to the right and you’ll notice large window-like stations on the walls with violet lasers being emitted from them. Tile the crane right or left to get above the first ones and then at the second set of lasers, don’t do anything. After these lasers, the hall will end and become a shaft that heads upward. Next up, tilt to the right to avoid lasers to the left and further up, tilt to the left to avoid lasers to the right. At the top of the shaft, the crane will move forward and drop you off over a balcony with a set of doors to head through.

On the other side of doors, it’s the next Cipher checkpoint. Here, there are now ten checkpoint guards (2 FC, 2 FG, 2 CL, 4 w/shield) that you must defeat or sneak by. On the other side of the gates, dispose of the next Shadow Generator and return more light to the stage. There’s a stage checkpoint behind the Shadow Generator and further ahead, the doors leading into another hall. Now the second you enter this hall, the Lair’s OS system will go off with this message, “INTRUDER IN HALL A7! INTRUDER IN HALL A7! ACTIVATING TRAP CEILING! ACTIVATING TRAP CEILING!” If you look up at the ceiling, you’ll see that there are large spikes in it, and if you don’t escape the hall in one minute, the ceiling will come down and crush you, costing you a life! Quickly head down the hall past four Sunflora Sawblades (2) and hang a right at the turn. While you can go left and then left again to reach a dead-end with a 1UP, be careful not to lose too much time. On the main path, watch out for some laser fences that you must jump or slide under and reach another right turn. Here, you may go left for a Super Potion, but keep right and reach the doors leading out of here. The problem is, they’re locked and the switch is in a Cipher Cage. You’ll have to take out eight Snapsparkers (2) gathered around the cage in time to open it, press the switch, and head through the doors before you’re crushed! The next hall goes to the left and consists of a checkerboard floor. This hall is similar to something you’ve seen in Mega Man & Bass, in the fact that some square tiles in the floor quickly rise up when you step on them and send you into the spikes above. In short, you’ll have to be careful and quickly get off of tiles that start to rise. There are three Magneton Shields (2) to also watch out for while you make your way through here. Reach the doors on the other side and head into the next room. You enter on the right side of the room and there’s no ceiling in here. In this room, there are short walls and large boxes with sun and moon symbols on them. There are also switches with sun and moon symbols on them you’ll have to push the boxes onto. Solve the puzzle with the four boxes here to open the doors on the left side of the room and head into another hall.

We’re in another side conveyor hall, except the floor here is also a conveyor. Once again, we’re dealing with laser emitters being moved through the hall and the fact that both the side and floor conveyors change direction at random. Also, there are four Crawdaunt Troopers (2) that you must get past and reach the next set of doors. In the next hall, you must take down a total of ten Cipher Peons (2 SW, 2 HW, 2 PG, 2 CL, 2 w/shields) while jumping and sliding under more laser grids. At the end of the hall, head through another set of doors to reach a shaft with a conveyor belt on the wall. Use Dash Panels on the floor to boost onto the wall and run up it. Along the way, more half-saw machines must be dodged along the way to the top. The conveyor belt flows onto the floor and a laser field must be jumped before you reach the next set of doors. You’ll enter a hall with no ceiling and a conveyor belt above. Along this belt, bombs sticking to it are brought into the hall. If you’re under one, it’ll drop and explode, hurting you for anywhere from 10-60 damage. Also in this hall are three Electrode Bombs (3), making this area a blast zone. There are two Super Potions in here you can use to heal yourself, but try to run to the doors at the other end and head into the next room. Here, you’ll have to ascend conveyor belts criss-crossing above you. Head to the right and use a spring to bounce to the first one. Cross it while avoiding a Hover Houndoom (2) and reach a spring on the wall behind the belt. This will bounce you to the start of another belt with another Hover Houndoom (2) to avoid. Jump off the belt at the end to hit another spring to land on a third belt with a Hover Houndoom (2) to avoid. At the end of this belt, jump to another set of doors and head through to the next area.

Welcome to the next Cipher checkpoint. This hall has no ceiling and has a whopping twelve checkpoint guards (2 SW, 2 FG, 2 PG, 2 UGL, 2 CL, 2 w/shields) to defeat or dodge. Destroy the Shadow Generator after the checkpoint to remove more of the shadow cloud in the stage and cross a stage checkpoint before moving into the next hall. This hall slopes downward through some more laser fields and four Cipher Peons (2 CL, 2 w/shield) and leads to a set of doors. You’ll enter another storage room with an X Attack, an X Defense, an X Speed, and a Super Potion. The floating TV here simply states “SOTRAGE ROOM B”, so just head out through the other set of doors to enter another hall. In this hall, you’ll contend with endless Sunflora Sawblades (2) on carts zooming along the floor. Get past them and reach the next set of doors to enter yet another hall. In this hall, there’s a spiked ceiling that slowly lowers towards the ground. From here, run forward past four Mecha Torkoals (3) and hang a left turn to jump a laser field. At the next turn, there’s a switch that resets the ceiling, giving you more time to get out. Head to the right, but you may also head to the left for a Super Potion, since you can reset the ceiling again. Head down the main path, where you’ll have to defeat five Snapsparkers (2) along the way to a Cipher Cage holding a switch to the doors out of here. While taking these guys out, you may use the other switch to keep the ceiling above you. Once all five robots are defeated, head through the doors to reach the next hall.

This hall goes right and slopes downward. Along the way are 3 Magneton Shields (3) to avoid and more violet lasers moving up and down. Reach some more doors and head through to enter another conveyor hall. This is one with a wide conveyor belt in the middle and two side ones on the walls, with gaps in between them. This is another laser emitter path, so get ready to jump, especially when you see two gaps along the way. Be careful, since the main conveyor belt can change speeds randomly and after the gaps, the belt moves in the opposite direction. You’ll reach three Hover Houndooms (2) at the next set of doors. Defeat them to head through. You’ll enter a room with another sun-and-moon box and switch puzzle to solve, this time with six boxes and switches. The room goes to the right and once you solve the puzzle, the doors to the right open and you can head into another hall. In this hall, you’ll have to make your way across a wide conveyor belt while another one that’s above you carries bombs to drop on you. Both belts change speeds and directions, making getting to the other side difficult. Once you reach the set of doors, head through to enter a large, octagonal room with a checkpoint upon entry and the final Shadow Generator in the center. Simply destroy it, and while it gets a little brighter, the stage is still quite dark. As you wonder this, one of Cipher’s upper Admins and bodyguard will suddenly drop from above. This is Ardos, and he’ll tell you that while you’ve been destroying all the Shadow Generators, his boss is almost ready to reveal his latest creation. However, Ardos will tell you that you won’t live to find out. Another midboss battle begins.

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//Cipher Admin Ardos//
Health: 220
Attack 1: Psychic Repel – Any attempt to hit Ardos while he has Alakazam active will result in it using Psychic to stop you in your tracks when you get too close, then thrusting you outward, possibly disorienting you.
Attack 2: Vacuum Twister – When Ardos brings Kingdra out, it’ll create a twister of water that will move around and suck you in similar to the electric cyclone Prof. Nanba used.
Attack 3: Megahorn Burst – When Ardos has Heracross attack, it’ll build up energy in its horn, then attempt to ram you with it. The attack also paralyzes you.
Strategy: Unlike most bosses, Ardos doesn’t use a mech or robot of any kind and instead relies on his Pokémon to attack you. While he’s not attacking, if you try to attack Ardos or even send a ranged attack his way, Alakazam will blast you with a Psychic attack after freezing you and blow you towards the outer edge. In order to hit Ardos, you’ll need to wait until he sends Kingdra to attack, then you’ll have about a few seconds to attack him. After doing so, get out of the way so you won’t get blasted by Alakazam again. Also, when half of Ardos’s health is gone, get ready for Heracross, who not only hits the hardest, but also paralyzes with its horn. When you see the attack coming, jump out of the way and quickly rush Ardos for more damage. If necessary, you have two Super Potions to use to heal yourself during the battle. Once Ardos is down, you’ll have finished this battle.
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[Sunflora Azumarill]

Once Ardos has been defeated, he’ll tell you that Cipher will not fall again before leaving. There’s another set of doors on the other side of the room that open. Head through to enter another hall with four Cipher Peons (2 UGL, 2 CL) to defeat. Once you’ve subdued them, head through another set of doors to reach a shaft going up. This one is tricky, as you’ll have to homing attack up four Masuqerain Drones (2) to reach the top and head through the doors to the right. You’ll enter yet another conveyor hall with laser emitters being transported along the two side belts. However, there’s no floor in this hall, and you’ll have to get to the other side by means on a thin bridge. If you fall, however, you’ll end up on a lower path with eight Snapsparkers (3) to get past and laser grids to jump over and slide under and a spring at the end of the path. The upper path has a Hyper Potion and X Speed to collect if you keep up there. At the end of the path, head through the doors and you’ll enter another hall with a checkpoint and six Cipher Peons (2 SW, 2 UGL, 2 w/shields) to defeat along the way. At the end of the hall, head through the next set of doors to enter a room with no ceiling, and you’ll have to take conveyor belts hanging over a spike pit below. The first one starts right at the doorway and randomly changes speed. There are two Venomoth Drones (3) over the belt to watch out for and you’ll have to jump to a belt going to the left next. This belt changes direction randomly and has a single Claydol Drone (3) over it. Once you reach the end of this one, use a pulley to reach one above it. Head back the other way on this belt and collect an X Speed along the way by a Metang Carrier (3) (which sends in several Magneton Shields (3) if it catches you) and you’ll reach another belt going to the left. Just dash across this one past two Masquerain Drones (3) and you’ll reach another conveyor going to the right. Watch out for three more Metang Carriers (3) here, as each of them will send in several Snapsparkers (3) along the belt if caught. At the end of this belt, you’ll reach another set of doors to head through.

You’ll enter a hall going to the right cluttered with five Cipher Peons (2 DW, 2 PG, 1 w/shield) and you’ll see a long window to your right looking into the room you were previously in. At the end of this hall, head through the next set of doors to enter a downward-sloping hall, with the floor a conveyor belt and laser fields to get past. The belt here changes direction randomly, so be careful. At the end of the hall, you’ll enter another storage room, with a floating TV in the middle stating “STORAGE ROOM C”. Amongst the crates in here happen to be two X Attacks, two X Defenses, and two X Speeds. Head through the doors to the left and you’ll enter another hall where endless Mecha Torkoals (2) travel along carts zooming along the floor. Get past them and reach the next set of doors. This hall goes to the right, and as soon as you enter, the base’s OS system will go off with this message, “INTRUDER IN HALL D4! INTRUDER IN HALL D4! ACTIVATING TRAP CEILING! ACTIVATING TRAP CEILING!” This time, there are several colored squares along the floor and the ceiling will come down right away once the trap activates. Get to the first of these squares and stand there. As the ceiling comes down, you’ll be above a hole and thus won’t be crushed. To open the doors on the other side of the hall, you’ll have to defeat five Sunflora Sawblades (2) on the other tiles. Time your attacks on them wisely so you can get on their tiles before you’re crushed. Once all five are defeated, wait until it’s okay to run through the doors, then run through them.

You’ll enter a hall with the floor being a conveyor belt and long windows on both walls. Laser emitters are being transported along the sides of the belts, so you’ll have to jump over and slide under them while taking down four more Cipher Peons (2 PG, 1 UGL, 1 CL) along the way. Once you reach the end of the hall, head through the next set of doors. You’ll emerge in a shaft where the floor is a conveyor belt and there spikes will come out of walls as soon as you enter. The floor will then start to rise and as the floor changes direction (not just up and down, but left and right as well), you’ll have to dodge several moving violet lasers. Once at the top, head through the doors in front to enter yet another hall (so many halls in this stage). In this hall, which goes to the right, collect a Super Potion and get ready to take down four more Cipher Peons (3 HW, 1 CL) along the way. At the end of this hall is a checkpoint and a set of doors to head through. On the other side, you’ll enter another large octagonal room, but this time, Eldes is in the center. He’ll tell you that Cipher has obtained the Pokémon they need and that you’re too late. After he’s done with what he has to say, another midboss battle commences.

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//Cipher Admin Eldes//
Health: 240
Attack 1: Speed Blitz – Eldes will have Ninjask constantly flying around the room at speeds so fast, it seems to vanish. It’ll constantly attempt to slam into you during the battle.
Attack 2: Dragon Rush – When Eldes brings Flygon out, it’ll charge up both its claws while keeping a bead on you, then come rushing at you at high speeds.
Attack 3: Shadow Fury – When Eldes brings out Gengar, get ready to dodge multiple Shadow Balls it launches at you while floating above Eldes.
Strategy: Now this is a tough battle, even tougher than when you fought Gorigan! Ninjask is a problem not just because it will try to ram you, but also because it uses Protect to block attempts again Eldes. It’s no use to track Ninjask since it flies around so fast, so instead try to reach Eldes and give him all you got. When he sends out Flygon, get to the edge of the arena and run around so that Flygon can’t rush you as easily. When half of Eldes’s health is gone, things get tougher when he starts using Gengar. Do the same to dodge its Shadow Balls and when the time is right, go for Eldes again. Remember that if needed, there are three Super Potions along the perimeter of the room to use if the need ever comes up. Once Eldes has taken enough damage, he’ll surrender.
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Once Eldes has been defeated, he’ll tell you that his defeat has not been in vain, as he’s held you up enough for his boss to proceed with the operation as planned. Once Eldes leaves, the entire Key Lair will be bathed in red emergency light as the OS system comes on once more with this message: “INTRUDER HAS BREACHED UPPER LEVELS! INTRUDER HAS BREACHED UPPER LEVELS! PROCEED TO CAPTURE INTRUDER! I REPEAT, PROCEED TO CAPTURE INTRUDER!” Every minute on the minute, this message will be repeated. Since things have just been made tougher, collect any Super Potions still in the room and head through the doors. To welcome you, there are eight Cipher Peons (2 PG, 2 HW, 1 UGL, 1 CL, 2 w/shields) ready to take you down. Defeat each of them and reach the next set of doors at the end of the hall.

There isn’t too much left to go, so keep pushing. The hall here goes to the right and happens to be a conveyor belt with laser emitters being carried in the center, forming a grid that moves along the floor. Since the conveyor changes direction and speed, getting through here will not be easy at all, since we also got four Metang Carriers (3) (which send in Spansparkers (3) (first), Magneton Shields (3) (second), Electrode Bombs (3) (third), and Manectric Chargers (3) (fourth). Simply reach the doors on the other side of this hall before things get too hectic and enter another room. You’ll enter a room with no ceiling and with a total of 12 Cipher Peons (2 FC, 2 HW, 2 PG, 2 SW, 2 CL, 2 w/shields) to defeat. They drop down three at a time and there’s an X Attack in the center of the room for you to collect. Once all twelve are down, head through the set of doors to the right to enter another hall. This is a side conveyor hall similar to the one you were in earlier, except the area below the bridge is a spike pit, so don’t fall in. Just get past the lasers here and reach the next set of doors. You’ll enter a hall sloping upward to the right, and the floor is a conveyor belt carrying more laser emitters in the center, making it like the laser grid hall from earlier. Just get up this hall through the lasers and past three Magneton Shields to reach another set of doors to head through. You’ll cross a checkpoint upon entering this room and will have to contend with six Crawdaunt Troopers (3) to open the Cipher Cage in the center containing a switch to open the doors to the right. Once you’re through the doors, you’ll enter a hall with no floor below and a bridge that’s a conveyor belt over a spike pit below. To make matters worse, there are laser fields and four Venomoth Drones (3) to watch out for along the way. Reach the next set of doors out of here.

Things are almost drawing to a close in this stage, but things are still quite heated up. You’ll enter another shaft with a conveyor belt floor that will rise up as soon as you enter. This time, though, four Cipher Peons (2 UGL, 2 CL) will drop down two at a time to defeat while you dodge more violet lasers. Once at the top, head through the doors to the right to enter yet another conveyor hall. This is a conveyor bridge with laser emitters traveling along it, making it another grid. Don’t fall into the spike pit below and make it past these lasers to reach the doors out of here. You’ll enter a hall with six Cipher Peons (2 HW, 2 UGL, 2 w/shields) to defeat. Where the hall makes a right turn and slopes upward is a set of doors leading into one last storage room. In this room, there is a floating TV that says “STORAGE ROOM D” and you can collect an X Attack, an X Defense, an X Speed, and a Hyper Potion around the crates in here. When you’re done, head back out and head up the sloping hall. You’ll come out on the roof of the factory, and the alarms and lights will stop. There’s a large structure in the center, but before you can enter, you’ll have to defeat a cadre of 16 Cipher Peons (3 PG, 3 FC, 3 HW, 3 UGL, 2 SW, 2 CL, 2 w/shields) around the building. There are also eight Metang Carriers (3) here as well, which bring in several Snapsparkers (3), Magneton Shields (3), Electrode Bombs (3), or Manectric Chargers (3) if one catches you. Once all Peons are defeated, the large doors on the front of the structure will open, and you’ll be able to enter. Upon entering, you’ll cross a checkpoint in a large room with pillars lining the perimeter of the room. What you see in the center of this large room happens to be a large cage made of six Shadow Generators, with Lugia trapped inside of it. Standing in front of the cage is Greevil, the leader of Cipher, who plans on making another XD Lugia. He’ll then tell you that you better be ready to see the glory of their labor as the floor he’s on sinks into the ground. Suddenly, the path leading to him becomes a conveyor belt and thrusts you back out of the building. Suddenly, from a set of panels on the other side, an airship resembling Shadow Lugia from Pokémon XD; Gale of Darkness comes flying out. At the helm is Greevil, who’ll tell you that the worst is yet to come! Your next boss battle now commences.

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BOSS: CIPHER BOSS GREEVIL
Health: 300
Attack 1: Shadow Launchers – Fires a large flurry of charges from the Cipher Launchers all over the place. Only by running around the arena can this attack be dodged.
Attack 2: Shadow Storm – Creates two shadow tornadoes that spin around the arena in a spiral, pulling you in when close to them, then spitting you out.
Attack 3: Shadow Neutralizers – Fires neutralizer blasts from the dishes on the carrier. The dishes also draw in ranged special attacks, then send them back at you at twice the power.
Attack 4: Shadow Blast – Charges up, then fires a pressurized vacuumed blast of shadow energy towards you. A large shadow explosion is caused when the blast impacts.
Strategy: Now this is some battle! Greevil is the toughest foe you’ve faced yet, and just being able to hit him can be difficult enough! The XD001 Carrier not only has a ton of firepower, but is also very agile and maneuverable. As the airship flies around the arena, which happens to be the roof of the Key Lair that you were just on before, it’ll fire countless blasts of shadow charges towards you. Keep running to dodge these blasts until the attack ceases. At this point, the XD001 Carrier will lower towards the ground and its tail will drop down. Run to it and you’ll notice a glowing, flowing orange rail on the back of its tail. Jump onto this rail and grind up onto the airship’s back. Once you’re on it, run forward as the Cipher Launchers lock onto you and open fire. Once you reach the head, start attacking Greevil for some major damage. Eventually, he’ll fling you off the craft and you’ll have to dodge his attacks some more. When ¼ of his health is gone, Greevil will also send out shadow tornadoes your way. These are hard to dodge and quite damaging, so remember to keep running. When half of the XD001 Carrier’s health is gone, Greevil will also add neutralizer dishes to his arsenal, which not only fire blasts towards you, but also will draw in any ranged attacks and send them right back. Not only that, but the airship will become more agile and never stop to rest. This time, when it comes down towards the ground, run to the tail and jump on it to grind up onto the top and repeat the process, but the dishes can draw ranged attacks away from the head, making doing damage harder. When the airship’s health is 3 quarters gone, get ready for its strongest attack, which is a vacuumed blast of shadow energy sent towards you. You’ll also have to watch out for the explosion afterwards. During the course of this battle, there are two Hyper Potion on the sides of the arena for you to collect, but you’ll have to use them wisely. Once you have dealt enough damage to Greevil, he’ll disband from the XD001 Carrier, but the airship will now come down towards you, and you’ll have to quickly run around the arena to avoid its crash radius. Once the craft has crashed, the battle is over.
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Once Greevil has been defeated, he’ll tell you that you’ll regret what you just did one day, and at this point, a Cipher helicopter and Cipher gyrocopter will come flying up the sides of the factory to pick up Greevil, then fly back down. At this point, you’ll be able to head back into the building and from there, destroy the six Shadow Generators to set Lugia free. Once you’ve done so, light will be completely restored to the area and the side of the room will slide open and Lugia will fly out of there. Head back outside and you’ll see Lugia fly down the side of the building, hear some shaking, and then see Lugia fly back up on the other side and out into the distance. At this point, the mysterious voice on the hand radio will tell you to come to the city that he’s at and that a teleporter that at the very top of the factory will be able to send you there. You’ll notice two elevator lifts on the left and right sides of the top structure that you can use to head up to the top, where there is a teleporter that is now active. Simply step onto it and you’ll teleport away from the scene. By doing so, you’ll have finally completed this long and frustrating stage! If possible, you’ll now be able to move onto the next episode!