Episode 11: Go-Rock's Central City

[Sunflora Azumarill]

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[----------------------------CAPITAL HIGHWAY--------------------------]
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You’ll start the stage in a vehicle sequence aboard one of four possible vehicles. You can be aboard a motorcycle, in a compact car, or on an ATV. There are two different compact cars in each version. Both versions have the Pikachu VW Beetle available. A Lugia touring car is in the DS version, while the Wii car (the one from the "Wii would like to play" American commercials) is in the Wii version. The setting for the stage here is a highway leading to Central City. You’ll be passing through rural area after rural area. Basically, the surrounding area is various buildings that you would find in a town. You can take damage by bumping into the walls or into other vehicles, and you fail the mission if your ride gets destroyed. Anyway, now onto the action.

The road starts off straight and heads forward. The cars seen here are the same ones seen in the first half of Capital City, including some new vehicles like a truck carrying several unmarked boxes and also a car with a sign on top of it saying “Farfetch’d Food Delivery”. Anyway, be careful of all these other vehicles and also keep your eyes on the road. About half a mile down the road is a Super Potion. Another half mile gives way to a right 45-degree right turn with three sets of flashing green arrows on the left wall pointing in that direction. If you get to the left wall, you can pick up an X Attack.

For this next stretch of road, you’ll now have to be careful of car-carrying trucks and also semis. About quarter of a mile down the road, where you’ll see two semis towards the left of the four-lane highway, get in between them for a 1UP. About halfway down the road, there, is a “rest strip” to the right. Head into there for two X Defenses. Upon reaching the next curve, which is another 45-degree right turn, try to get near the edge of the right curve for another Super Potion. After the curve, get ready for some more traffic. About a quarter-mile down the road, another “rest strip” is on the left side of the highway. If you get into this one, you can get 2 X Speeds.

Keep driving along the highway to collect an X Attack in the middle of the road half a mile after the 2 X Speeds. Next up is another curve, but going to the left. It’s here that you can get yourself another X Defense in the middle of the road. Half a mile down the highway from here is another X Speed you can grab at the right edge of the highway. A quarter-mile after that, you’ll find another “rest strip” to the right of the highway. This one has a Super Potion for you to collect. Another quarter mile and there’s another left curve. After this one, collect another X Speed a quarter mile down the highway to the left. Another quarter mile and you’ll come to a rest area on the right side of the highway. You’ll witness a vehicle marked with a Go-Rock Squad logo leaving. Pull into the rest area, brake, and use the exit function to get out of the vehicle, and will now go on foot.

Here, a large roadblock barrier prevents you from backtracking on foot before the rest area, so go forward on the highway. Here, you’ll reach the stage’s first checkpoint in the middle of the highway and will see that that the Go-Rock Squad has already started causing trouble along the highway, with empty, wrecked, and even destroyed vehicles along the way. Shortly after the checkpoint, you’ll come across two robots that resemble Sandslash. These are called Sandslash Wheels (1) and they go into a spiked wheel-like form and grind towards you at fast speeds. You can either dispatch them or just get by them. Keep heading along the highway and you’ll eventually come across three more Sandslash Wheels (1) along the way. After getting past them, you’ll notice several Go-Rock Posters on all the walls here. Deface all seven that are here and keep going. Further up the highway happen to be a total of five more Sandslash Wheels (1), but after them, you’ll notice a huge piece of the highway missing. Jump down into the hole here and you’ll come face to face with three Camerupt Tanks (1) standing in lava puddles. Simply get by them and use the spring on the other side to get out.

Back on the highway, keep going forward, but stop for three more Go-Rock Posters on the left wall. After the posters, you’ll now go dashing along the highway on Dash Panels, passing by a total of ten Sandslash Wheels (6 Tier 1, 4 Tier 2) until you reach another gap in the highway. This time, there’s a Jump Ramp to the left of the hole that you can use to boost over the gap and keep going. However, if you do fall in, get ready to contend with two Camerupt Tanks (1) and 4 Sandslash Wheels (2) to open the Go-Rock Cage here holding a spring to get back out. On the other side of the hole, you’ll soon reach a left curve in the road. On the right wall of the curve are five more Go-Rock Posters, so get rid of them. Also along the left curve are three Camerupt Tanks (2) (just a note, all Camerupt Tanks not in lava have a lava puddle that they’re standing in, touching the magma causes you to lose 10 of your health). Just get by them and continue pressing forward.

Get ready to go at high speed along the Dash Panels here. This time, they’re not in straight lines, so you’ll have to direct yourself left and right while boosting. Also, be careful of 6 Sandslash Wheels (1) and three Camerupt Tanks (1) along the way. For items, you’ll find a Super Potion on top of a flipped over car halfway through the robots and by destroying a fallen semi, you can grab the stage’s Full Restore. After the Dash Panels, you’ll come another hole in the highway, but this time, there’s a fallen overhead road sign display forming a bridge over the gap. However, you can drop down anyway for two X Defenses and a Super Potion amidst 4 Sandslash Wheels (2) and use a spring there to bounce back out and cross the bridge. After crossing the gap, there are more Dash Panels to make the trip through here easier. You’ll pass by eight Sandslash Wheels (6 Tier 1, 2 Tier 2) and four Camerupt Tanks (2) while also being able to collect two X Attacks and a Super Potion if you take it slow. Also, halfway down this stretch of highway is a Go-Rock Cage to the right holding a pulley. If you defeat the Sandslash Wheels here, the cage will open and you can use the pulley to get up to the top of an overhead road sign display and grab a 1UP there.

Eventually, you’ll reach a “rest strip” on the left side of the road and a large roadblock barrier. In the strip happens to be a vehicle of the same kind you used earlier plus a checkpoint right before it. Jump into the vehicle and start driving down the road. The only problem, however, is that all the other vehicles here are also wrecked and you must also watch out for holes in the road, since if you fall into one, you lose a life. Anyway, a quarter mile from where happens to be a Super Potion, but also three Sandslash Wheels (1). Further down the road happens to be a hole to the left, so keep to the right. You will come to a 45-degree left turn where a Camerupt Tank (2) resides in the middle of the road. Drive by it and keep going.

Next up on the road happen to be a few fallen semis, so be ready to dodge them. You also have to watch out for six more Sandslash Wheels (1) as well, but you can also collect an X Speed as well. However, a quarter-mile after the curve happens to be a hole to the right, so be careful. Another quarter mile afterwards, there’s a hole in the middle of the road, so take the left path around it since the right path has two Camerupt Tanks (1), but also a “rest strip” where a Super Potion resides. One more quarter mile brings you to a hole to the right and four Sandslash Wheels (2) to the left. Another quarter mile after that and you’ll come to a right curve. Stay on the left side here unless you want to fall into a hole to the right. A quarter mile after the turn happens to be a “rest strip” on the left, but don’t go into it, there are 4 Sandslash Wheels (1) and no items.

Another quarter mile and we’ve got a large hole on the right, so keep to the far left to avoid falling in. A quarter mile after the hole happens to be a large group of seven Sandslash Wheels (1), the center one a Tier 2. If you ram that one, you’ll destroy the whole squad. Another quarter mile and we’ve got another right turn, but keep to the right since there is a trio of Sandslash Wheels (3) to the left. A quarter mile after the turn happens to be a hole to the left, so drive to the right and collect a Super Potion. Another quarter mile and you’ll reach another “rest strip” on the right, but make sure you get into it since there is also a hole to the right after the entry into the strip. There happens to be three X Attacks here, the path to the left of the hole has two Camerupt Tanks (2) to avoid. Another quarter mile up ahead and you’ll notice a fallen overhead road sign display to the right, so keep left here and plow through five Sandslash Wheels (1) as well. Another quarter mile and you have another right curve.

After the curve, there happen to be holes alternating between left and right every tenth of a mile, so keep moving left and right here. Along this entire stretch of highway happens to be a total of 15 Sandslash Wheels (10 Tier 1, 5 Tier 2) and eight Camerupt Tanks (6 Tier 1, 2 Tier 2) to avoid. A quarter mile after the curve, there is a “rest strip” with a Super Potion and an X Speed to collect. Once you reach one more curve to the left, you’ll be near the outskirts of Central City and will notice the Go-Rock Squad vehicle and also a strange purple bike near a cliff. The leader of the group that comes out of the vehicle, Tiffany, will ask each of the others to take a ride on the bike. Each will board the weird bike, take off, and vanish! The bike will appear again, and each person will take their turn in vanishing. Before the last one can leave, though, she spots you. After you bring up how the Go-Rock Squad trashed the highway, Tiffany will explain that they needed a way to get to Central City, but that you’ll pay for trying to stop them. You’ll jump out of the vehicle and Tiffany will get back into her vehicle. Suddenly, the vehicle pulls a Transformer and changes into a large, standing mech, signaling a midboss battle.

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//Go Rock Quad Tiffany//
Health: 180
Attack 1: Violin Shock – Tiffany strums the mech’s violin with its large stick and creates a shockwave of sound that travels downward while spreading out.
Attack 2: Platform Cannon – The mech will fire out a platform with a propeller and four cannons underneath it. The cannons will fire streams of gunfire while spinning around.
Attack 3: Rocket Crusher – The mech will rise a little into the air using its rocket thrusters in the back and attempt to then drop down you.
Strategy: For the first midboss in this expansion, Tiffany can be pretty tough, especially since you need to get high enough in order to inflict damage. Surprisingly, this mech has a giant violin, but that just means Tiffany has a powerful attack at the ready. When she strums the violin, run towards her to avoid the falling shockwave. After the violin attack, the mech will fire out a platform from one of its arm cannons. When it comes down, get onto it before it fires and it will rise up to the head of the robot. From there, give it all you got on Tiffany before the platform falls. When half of Tiffany’s health is gone, get ready to dodge the mech’s physical strikes, since they’re hard to avoid and deal great damage. Just remember that whenever the platform is sent out, get onto it for another opportunity to damage Tiffany. After doing enough damage, it looks as though Tiffany cannot continue with this fight.
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Tiffany will eject her self from the Go-Rock Transformer before it explodes. She'll tell you that the bike is borrowed technology called a Timerunner. A person just has to board it and then press a pedal to a side to ride it through time. Silver-colored tracks send a person back into the past. Teal-colored tracks send a person forward into the future. Each groove on the track is equal to one year, and this one has a teal track consisting of 44 grooves. Tiffany will then tell you that the Go-Rock Squad is not finished yet and will say “Let’s see what the future brings”. Tiffany will then board the Timerunner herself and leave. Your character will then press the "recall" button, bringing the Timerunner back. Use the action button to board the Timerunner. A/2 will send you forward in time. B/1 will send you backward in time--well, it could if this Timerunner had a silver track. If you're using Aeris-K, the action button will allow you to take one of the motion-sickness pills to ensure you don't throw up on the bike. Go forward in time to head to the future and complete this stage.

[Sunflora Azumarill]

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[-----------------------------CENTRAL CITY----------------------------]
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As your character appears in the future, you'll find the Timerunner is now on a silver track. It gets recalled, and some more characters will now arrive. Liza, Sonrisa, Trixie, Casey, Morrison, Tyson-HL, Electra, Milane, Luka, Shingo, Eusine, Floreia, Drew, Harley, Robert, Harrison, Ritchie, Gary, Samantha, and Danny will appear. Sonrisa will tell your character that there's exploring this particular time period after having already been here in the present, and will disperse in multiple directions. As you look onto Central City, you'll find it's now bigger than it was before and also more advanced and futuristic as well. To make describing Central City easier, it now looks a lot like Larousse City, Grand Metropolis, or Metal City in terms of technology. To be more specific the technology of Central City in the future is almost on par with that of Star City. Even more on the description; the streets are glass and steel and all the vehicles that are on it are now hover-based, there are massive holographic billboards on the high points of some of the buildings, the buildings are taller and look mirrored, and later on in the stage, any large chasms seen in the stage will have broken and jagged glass and metallic sides. Note that the basic layout of the stage is exactly the same as it was in Shadow the Hedgehog (or the layout later on). It’s just that everything looks more futuristic now, so you shouldn’t get lost.

Anyway, you’ll get a call from Prof. Oak, who has managed to have a Timerunner shipped to his lab in the present day and is manning the hand radio for this stage, and will begin by telling you that, after looking over some sources, Prof. Oak can confirm that the Go-Rock Squad is indeed the organization Cloud mentioned upon setting foot into The Forgotten City. Your main objective right now is to defeat the guards without harming the pedestrians, including this timeframe’s President on his daily stroll. He’ll also bring up that it’s been discovered that the Black Arms were not entirely destroyed back in the present day and that a second Black Comet has come towards Earth after all these years. Anyway, you have a number of tasks at hand. You’ll also have to warn the public about the return of the Black Arms. It’s now time for you to get going on this stage.

From the beginning, head to the left to where you met Knuckles in the present. You’ll come across three Sandslash Wheels (1). Destroy or pass them and you’ll come to three pedestrians up ahead. Use the action button to shout warnings to them and they’ll disperse. From there, you will come to three Go-Rock guards (VB). Defeat all three of them and go straight and then down and use the springs up ahead to reach a rocket. After heading up again, be careful of two new robots here known as Fearow Jets (1) as you drop down to a Dash Panel. Near it happen to be two more pedestrians. After having them disperse, get ready to take down three more Sandslash Wheels (2) as you then reach a platform with a Fearow Jet (1) flying next to it and a Super Potion. Drop down and cross an orange disposal container, but turn around for 2 more Go-Rock guards (AG) to defeat. Go straight head down the pole to reach the next checkpoint for the stage.

After reaching the bottom, head straight and get ready to run past two Camerupt Tanks (2) after them are three pedestrians that you’ll need to get out of the city. You’ll come to a hovercar and two more Go-Rock Grunts (VB) in front of it. Defeat them and further down the road, what looks like a giant Slaking robot will drop down. This is known as a Slaking Soldier (1), and it packs a lot of power and health. You don’t have to defeat it, but if you do, a Go-Rock Cage behind it will open to reveal a 1UP. To the left of the Slaking Solider is an X Defense for you to pick up. Now head to the right and get ready to take on a squad of six Go-Rock guards (2 VB, 2 AG, 2 GR). After they’re done, you’ll run into this timeframe’s President for the first time. However, watch out for four Sandslash Wheels (2) that will attempt to take him down. If the President’s health is reduced to zero (he has 100), you’ll fail the stage. Head up the stairs and you’ll come face to face with two Fearow Jets (2). Head right after them and collect two X Attacks along the way. You’ll have to defeat 3 more Go-Rock Quads (2 AG, 1 CB) at the turn as well.

After defeating them, head through the tunnel and you’ll find four more pedestrians you’ll need to disperse. Keep down the tunnel, watching out for four Camerupt Tanks (1) along the way. You may also get into a car that’s in this tunnel is you wish, but either way, keep down the tunnel and you’ll come to another road with what looks like some sort of large energy-carrying truck. Head to the right here and you’ll have to watch out for three more Fearow Jets (1) that fly at you one after the other. After the Jets, you may see the President again, simply let him pass by and head forward. Along the road are three more pedestrians you’ll need to have leave the city. Further up happens to be another Camerupt Tank (3) you’ll have to watch out for. If you defeat it, a Go-Rock Cage that holds a spring leading to a platform will open. The platform holds a Hyper Potion you can collect. Keep heading forward and get ready for 5 more Go-Rock Grunts (3 VB, 2 GR). After they’re done, keep to the main road and you’ll find five more pedestrians to disperse.

Next up, you’ll find three more Sandslash Wheels (2) in front of a Go-Rock Cage near a wall. Once you defeat them, two Camerupt Tanks (2) will drop down. Get rid of them to open the cage, which holds a bomb. Detonate the bomb with a ranged attack (you’ll take severe damage otherwise) to open the wall and head up the pole ahead. You’ll reach the next checkpoint and have to take down 4 more Go-Rock guards (3 VB, 1 GR) up ahead happens to be the President once more, but three Fearow Jets (2) decide to fly around him. Destroy them and keep forward for another round of five Sandslash Wheels (1). However, after them, you’ll come to another Slaking Soldier (1). If you defeat this one, a Go-Rock Cage nearby will open and you can use the spring inside to bounce up to three X Speeds. Continue straight and behind a car happens to be a Camerupt Tank (2). Further up happens to be four more pedestrians that you’ll need to have leave the city.

You’ll come to a rocket next. Use it to head up to another road where another energy-carrying truck resides. Land on the truck so you can get an X Attack and a Super Potion and head down the road, watching out for two Fearow Jets (2) that try to ram you. Past them happens to be four pedestrians that you’ll need to get out of the city and also a car you may help yourself to. Further up happens to be two Camerupt Tanks (2) and beyond them is a large group of eight Go-Rock guards (2 VB, 2 AG, 2 GR, 2 CB) surrounding the President. Defeat them all and once the President leaves, head back to the start of the stage and suddenly, you will find another Go-Rock Quad, Billy. He comes onto the scene in a large tank and boasts he will “rock” you. He doesn’t say any more than that, so get ready for another midboss.

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//Go Rock Quad Billy//
Health: 200
Attack 1: Leg Crusher – Billy attempts to crush you with one of the tank’s legs, severely damaging you.
Attack 2: Mega Turret – Billy will point the tank’s turret in your direction and fires a large homing missile at you. The missile creates a massive explosion upon impact.
Attack 3: Guitar Bomb – An unusual attack, Billy will open the hatch and throws a guitar at you. The guitar explodes and also discharges a shock that paralyzes you.
Strategy: It’s already time for another midboss, and Billy is no slouch when it comes to attacking. The Go-Rock Tank has large walking legs instead of tank treads, making this a more unusual fight. As the tank walks around the area, Billy will point it towards you and attempt to trample you. Sometimes, he may even jump up and try to do so! Anyway, the only way to damage the tank is by attacking the hatch on top. You should be able to reach the hatch pretty easily with you jump. At some points in the battle, Billy will attempt to blow you up with a large missile. Keep ahead of it and attack it with a ranged attack to blow it up. When half of Billy’s health is gone, he’ll get more relentless and will jump around the place more often. To top it off, he’ll also open up the hatch from time to time and throw guitar-like bombs at you. The bombs paralyze you in addition to damage and three of them are thrown at a time, so be careful. Get ready for some dodging at this point and if needed (and you haven’t picked it up earlier), you can get a Super Potion behind where you started to help you out. Once Billy has taken enough damage, he knows the battle is over.
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After you’ve defeated Billy, he’ll tell you that the Black Arms are about to attack any minute and that if you value your life, to take shelter! After he leaves, you have just four minutes to find a safe spot to hide in. Once you do so, use the action button to enter and trigger the cutscene. The Black Arms will come and transform Central City into what you saw back in Shadow the Hedgehog (as in the same basic layout; the appearance of the city is still futuristic). If you haven't found a hiding spot before time runs out, you'll be caught up in the madness and become a Black Arms casualty, thus failing the mission. A few characters have a sequence before gameplay resumes, but we’ll get to those later on in the walkthrough.

By the time the cutscenes are over, five days have passed. Your rations have run out, but so have the Black Arms. Apparently, GUN used a weapon called the Cosmic Annihilation Missile to destroy their base. The Black Arms are gone (hopefully for good) but the Go-Rock Squad is not! Your health has returned to full during the five days in hiding, and the Explosion usage has reset for those that have it. If you lost a lift at any time after this point before reaching a checkpoint, you’ll start back here. Anyway, we’ll pick up this walkthrough from where you fought Billy. After starting on safe ground, go left to find some metal boxes on the road and you’ll already be greeted by four Go-Rock guards (2 AG, 2 CB). Defeat them and keep going. Near a breakable crate holding an X Speed happens to be a new enemy known as a Mecha Pinsir (1) that can be tough to defeat, so just pass it. Go straight from here, getting ready to dodge three more Fearow Jets (1) along the way and then head right, watching out for a bomb the Black Arms have left that will explode if you get near it. There also happens to be four more Go-Rock guards (3 VB, 1 DB) you’ll need to take out as well. Then go left to a checkpoint and then continue, but watch out for another bomb near 2 Mecha Pinsirs (1). At this point, you should be at the beginning of the stage. From here, continue for three Sandslash Wheels (3) to defeat to open a Go-Rock Cage holding a Super Potion. Go straight from here and you’ll be up against five go-Rock guards (2 VB, 2 GR, 1 DB) to defeat. Go down the hill afterwards, but watch out for another new enemy known as a Scizor Crusher (1). After it happens to be two more, so be careful of them and also a bomb near the bottom of the hill. If you blow up the bomb, it’ll create a hole in wall containing the stages Full Restore. Go straight from here, but you’ll then come to a lone Fearow Jet (1) equipped with a holo-scanner that if it catches you, it’ll send in several Sandslash Wheels (2) to fight. Jump up the platforms after them to reach a 1UP, but there’s also a bomb, so be careful. There’s nothing else here, it’s time to head back to the start of the stage.

From where you began, go to the right to find a bomb that you can detonate. Blow it up and use the springs that were hidden to bounce up to where five more Go-Rock guards (2 GR, 2 PS, 1 DB) will attack you. Defeat them and cross the checkpoint, but here, a Slaking Soldier (1) will drop down, and you’ll have to defeat it to open up a Go-Rock Cage that holds a spring to get you up to the next level. From here, you can homing attack two Fearow Jets (2) to reach a hidden area holding a 1UP and the stage’s Full Restore. If you fall down here, defeat the Mecha Pinsir (2) to open up another Go-Rock Cage with a spring to bounce back up. Once you’ve gotten your spoils, it’s time to head along the path leading back to the third checkpoint for the stage. Along the way are 4 Go-Rock guards (2 PS, 1 GR, 1 DB), three Camerupt Tanks (2), and two Scizor Crushers (1). From the checkpoint, go left past some four more Go-Rock guards (2 VB, 2 DB) and head up the stairs. Up here happens to be two Fearow Jets (2) and two Scizor Crushers (1) guarding a large Go-Rock Cage that for some reason is holding five Go-Rock guards (2 VB, 2 CB, 1 PS). Apparently, they’re in it to be protected from you, and you have to defeat the robots to open the cage and in turn, defeat them. Go straight-left from there to reach a tunnel with a car you can get into. Further in this tunnel happens to be two Camerupt Tanks (2), two Fearow Jets (2), and two Mecha Pinsirs (2). From where you saw an energy truck before the attack, it’s not tipped over and energy is now flooding the streets, but the car you’re using can cruise right over it. Go straight until you reach an area with three Scizor Crushers (2) over the energy and you’ll reach a wall with a bomb next to it. Attack the bomb to open the wall and head up the pole.

After going up the pole, get ready for three more Go-Rock guards (1 VB, 1 GR, 1 DB) to defeat. There is a rocket at the end guarded by a Go-Rock Cage. Defeat three Scizor Crushers (1) to open the cage and use the rocket to shoot upward. Here, drift over the energy flood below and land on one of the springs afterward. While in the air, be careful of three Fearow Jets (2) flying back and forth in the air. After using the spring, defeat the scanner-equipped Fearow Jet (3) before it teleports in several Mecha Pinsirs (2). Use the spring in the Go-Rock Cage that opens up afterward to reach a rocket and launch over some more energy and you’ll land on a plateau with a metallic bridge after it. On this platform is a large group of eight Go-Rock guards (2 VB, 2 GR, 2 CB, 2 DB) defeat them all and by this point, you should have defeated all of the guards in this stage. With that in mind, head across the bridge to reach an area of the city you’ve never visited. There’s a checkpoint here for you to use and shortly after going forward, you’ll notice a large, high-tech blimp in the air above you. In the blimp happens to be the next Go-Rock Quad you need to take down, Clyde. He’ll bring up how you thrashed his younger siblings and for that, he won’t let you leave the future alive. Another midboss battle commences.

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//Go Rock Quad Clyde//
Health: 220
Attack 1: Drum Bomb – Clyde will drop a large bomb shaped like a drum on the ground that will explode seconds later. It also acts as a spring before it detonates, but has a large radius.
Attack 2: Sky Laser - Clyde will fire up to six lasers from the sides of the blimp that move across the ground. The lasers can also move to trap you in a small radius.
Attack 3: Drop Missile – Clyde will launch a large missile from the blimp that comes down towards the ground. The blast radius of this is even greater than the drum bomb.
Strategy: Now we’ve got an interesting battle! Clyde won’t go down easy at all, that’s for sure. It’s also quite difficult to hit him due to the fact he’s all the way up in his Go-Rock Blimp. When he drops a drum bomb, you must use that to bounce all the way up to him and using the footholds near the windows, attack Clyde for all you got. Eventually, Clyde will pull in the footholds and you’ll go back down to the street. At times, Clyde will also fire up to six lasers from the blimp itself, so be ready to dodge them. Wait for another bomb to fall down and then repeat the process. When half of Clyde’s health is gone, the blimp will star moving faster and he’ll start launching missiles down at you. They can’t be destroyed and you’ll need to get as far back as you can when one comes down towards the ground. The drum bombs also have a shorter lifespan at this time, so use one when it drops. When the blimp has taken on enough damage, Clyde will bail, but the blimp will come down towards you, so run around the area to avoid it before it crashes.
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Once Clyde’s been defeated, he’ll curse you out for interfering with the Go-Rock Squad and that you can’t rock on when you’re dead! With that, he’ll tell you that across town from the Timerunner, is an area blocked by a metallic boulder. After Clyde leaves, head down the road and you’ll eventually find a large bomb. Despite its size, you can pick it up using X and then carry it down the road. You’ll eventually reach the boulder, which is blocking the entrance to a building. Place it in front of the boulder and detonate the bomb with a ranged attack (using a melee attack will kill you, failing the mission) and the entrance opens. Another Timerunner on a silver track with 44 grooves lies inside the entrance. Board it, then head backward in time back to the present to finally clear this stage. Once the mission is cleared, Prof. Oak will tell you that, through some miracle, Dr. Eggman is still alive 44 years from now, and hasn't changed much on top of that. Oak has talked to Dr. Eggman, and Prof. Oak will tell you that Eggman has agreed to man the hand radio on the future side should you have to go between the present and future at any time.

[Sunflora Azumarill]

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[-----------------------------GO ROCK CAVE----------------------------]
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Well, we’ve finally made it to the Go-Rock’s lair, but unlike previous stages, this one will have you traveling through both the present and future using Timerunners. To make navigating easier, I’ll divine this stage’s walkthrough into two parts, “Present”, and “Future”. Also, this stage happens to have a little motif resembling that of a factory or warehouse. Anyway, you’ll start this stage in the [Present], as it can be put. Star by heading down the first corridor, defeating three Go-Rock Grunts (2 VB, 1 DB) until you get to a door. Here, defeat 2 Mecha Pinsirs (1) to unlock the doors and they slide open. You’ll enter a large, bottomless room on a protrusion and will notice several large cranes moving along the ceiling here. A floating TV shortly after you enter here states “CAUTION WHEN USING CRANES. DO NOT GET ONTO.” Well, we should do the opposite of what it says for us to do and when a crane comes down to us, simply jump onto it, as its size allows you to stand on it. The crane will rise up, then move forward, stopping near another crane to the left moving right and left. Jump onto this crane and take it to the other side, but three Fearow Jets (2) will attempt to knock you off it, so be careful not to fall. You’ll come to a set of doors on a high protrusion, and you can beak the breakable GO-Rock crates nearby for a Super Potion and an X Speed. Head through the doors to enter another corridor with two Go-Rock Grunts (PS) and 3 Sandslash Wheels (2) behind them. However, this path will the end with a dead-end with a checkpoint and a deactivated Timerunner. The recall button is also the power button that turns them on. You have to turn on a Timerunner in the Present to ride it to the Future. Get onto the Timerunner after turning it on, which has a track with 44 grooves, and it’s time to set a course for what we’ll call the [Future].

[Future]: Now 44 years into the future, you’ll notice the hall is different, as now the dead-end is behind you and you can head forward to find a squad of four Go-Rock Grunts (3 CB) to attack. The lone female one carries a powerful weapon called Go-Rock Sights, which is a laser weapon that can shoot through walls. Take them all out and the hall with make a 45-degree right turn where you’ll have to move around two Camerupt Tanks (2) until you reach a set of doors. You’ll enter another large, octagonal-shaped room on a metallic life with sides. Go to the left computer panel and press X to make the lift go down. The right panel makes the lift go up. You’ll reach a steel bridge situated over the bottomless pit making up the whole of the room. Be careful on this bridge, as there are two Scizor Crushers (2) to watch out for. At the end of the bridge is a spring that will bounce you to a crane that moves up once you land on it, but it’s carrying an explosive crate that detonates after five seconds, as soon as it stops moving at another bridge at a 45-degree angle, JUMP AND RUN, as the explosion is large and will also cause the bridge to collapse! At the end of the bridge is a solid strip of land that will not fall. However, you have to contend with three more Go-Rock Grunts (2 VB, 1 GRS). At the end of the path is a set of doors to head through and reach another hall. In this hall, you’ll meet an enemy you haven’t seen before called a Sudowoodo Bonsai (1). It has high defense and is composed of three sections. Unlike Exeggutor Totems, Sudowoodo Bonsais don’t have a “main” part, meaning you have to destroy all three parts to bring it down altogether. Once you’re past it, you’ll notice some metallic walls on each of the sides on the hall. The other ends, however, have gigantic saws that quickly go through that side of the hall from above or below! If cut by one, you’ll lose 60 health! Quickly get past the saws to reach another set of doors and head through. You’ll enter another large, bottomless, room, but there’s nothing else other than the platform you begin on and a Timerunner. Any found in the Future don’t need to be activated first, so simply get onto it and ride it back to the Present.

[Present]: You’ll now notice several bridges forming a maze in the room. Also, you’re now on the other side on another platform. Simply turn around and jump onto the first bridge and take this route for fastest results; forward, left, right, right, left, left, left, right, right, left. Along the way are four Fearow Jets (2) to watch out for as well. You’ll reach another platform with a set of doors to head through into another hall. In this hall, be prepared to face three Go-Rock Grunts carrying weapons called Bass Launchers that you need to watch out for. Defeat them and reach a 45-degree left turn to notice some large, metallic-holed strips found in the walls. If you pass within the “sight” of these strips, giant drills above half of the width of the hall will pop out, drilling you for 50 damage if you touch them, so I think we should stay as far from these drill strips as possible. After the drill strips happen to be four Sandslash Wheels (3) you’ll need to get past. You’ll come to a set of doors to head through that leads to a large storage room. You can grab an X Attack, an X Defense, an X Speed, a Super Potion, and an item called a Reverse-Lightningrod Scope, which will allow you to use Electric attacks on Sandslash Wheels and Camerupt Tanks. However, for each item you take, a Scizor Crusher (2) will teleport into the room, and all (if any) must be defeated to open the doors on the right side of the room. The floating TV in the center of this room in fact states “STORAGE ROOM. ANTI-THEFT DEVICE ENABLED.” Once you’ve gotten what you needed, head through the doors to find a checkpoint. Important note; if you lose a life in this stage and restart at a checkpoint, you’ll restart in whatever time period you were last in regardless of when you touched that checkpoint. After the checkpoint, you’ll come face to face with five Go-Rock Grunts (2 DB, 2 BL, 1 GRS) in front of the next door. You’ll come to another large room on a platform you can move up and down, so move it up to find a series of cranes, only they’re not moving, and a platform to your left with a Timerunner on it. Turn it on and use it to head to the Future.

[Future]: In the future, the cranes are now active, but you’re on the other side of the room. From there, jump onto the first crane as it comes up and ride it down to a steel bridge with two Mecha Pinsirs (3) on it. Defeat them to open a Go-Rock Cage containing a spring and use it to bounce to a crane moving right and left to your left when it’s near you. Ride this crane to another crane to your left also moving right and left. Take this one to a steel spire with a spring on it and it’ll bounce you backwards to a high platform with a set of doors on it. You can also break to Go-Rock crates nearby for a Super Potion and two X Attacks. In this next hall, several long drill strips take up the entirety of the ceiling, discouraging you from jumping, which is even more imperative, since we got laser fences that need to be jumped. Two Sandslash Wheels (3) will appear in front of the first laser field, and defeating them will drop the lasers. In front of the second one is two Fearow Jets (2), in front of the third one is 2 Mecha Pinsirs (3), and in front of the fourth one is 2 Sudowoodo Bonsais (1). The hall will make a 45-degree left turn and will greet us with some moving red-orange lasers. There happen to be a bunch of them, so weave through them and you’ll reach another set of doors. Head through to enter a square room with stacks of crates in each corner and another door on each side of the room. There’s a metallic platform in the center of the room, but you need to find three switches to lower it. To open the doors to begin with, defeat five Sandslash Wheels (2) and head through one. All three rooms are the same, containing a large switch and a large plasma TV depicting the central room on the wall. Hit the switch and head back into the central gallery. Now you’ll have to fight a Slaking Soldier (1) that drops down to open the doors again. Head into a room and hit the switch again, the head back to face off with three Scizor Crushers (2). Defeat them, head into the next room, and hit the switch there, then head back into the main room. There is now a new, really powerful enemy that will drop down called a Tyranitar Titan (1) on the platform, so defeat it and take the platform down to a hall going to the right. However, up ahead, the floor ends and the other side is too far to jump, but we got a Timerunner we can use, so let’s set a course for the Present!

[Present]: Back in the Present, you’ll end up a dead-end hall, but if you head back, this part of the corridor now has a floor and also a path going to the right from where you turn, so head in that direction to come face to face with three Sudowoodo Bonsais (2) to get past before you reach a set of doors leading into a hall going to the right. Here, you’ll have to take on five Go-Rock Grunts (2 VB, 1 DB, 1 PS, 1 w/shield) before heading up the slope ahead. At the top, take down two Scizor Crushers (2) to open the doors and enter another large room. You’ll come into the area on an elevator platform, but this one has four control panels and you’ll have to guide it over the wall to the right. There’s a laser fence to the right, so start by moving it down, but be careful of two Fearow Jets (2) along the way. When you’re under the lasers, move the platform to the right and then up again. Watch out for two Scizor Crushers (3) as you move the platform to a walkway on the side if the room. Here, take the walkway to the next wall and the walkway will go in that direction. Be careful of two Mecha Pinsirs (2) here and you’ll reach a set of doors on the right you can enter. You’ll enter a corridor with drill strips found on both walls, so be careful making your way through here. At the end of the corridor, you’ll head through a set of doors and enter a room with a number of computer consoles on all walls of this room and a floating TV in the middle that states “DATABASE AREA”. You’ll need to access each of the terminals here to find out information of an organization called Team Galactic. You'll find out that they're the ones who created the Timerunners as well as a vehicle called the Spacerider you haven't heard of. Team Galactic created the Timerunner after much research on Dialga. They created the Spacerider after much research on Palkia. With that in mind, head through a set of doors on the other side to enter another corridor with some more metal walls and saws to get past. Head through a set of doors at the end of the corridor to enter a room that holds a Timerunner to the left that you can activate and then use to head back into the Future once again.

[Future]: Back in the Future, you’ll end up in another corridor with four Go-Rock guards (2 GRS, 2 w/shields) to defeat before you reach another set of doors. Head through to enter a corridor that makes a 45-degree left turn and has four more Go-Rock Grunts (2 CB, 1 DB, 1 w/shield) to defeat. Further down the hall happen to be 7 Sandslash Wheels (2) and three Mecha Pinsirs (3) to get by. The hall will go in a 45-degree right angle with some more drill strips before you end up in the large room from before. As soon as you enter, you’ll need to jump onto a crane as it comes towards you, then ride it to another crane to the right of where the first one stops. This crane will take you to a walkway with three Scizor Crushers (2) to get past before reaching a set of doors leading into another corridor with six more Go-Rock guards (2 VB, 2 GR, 1 GRS, 1 w/shield before you reach a checkpoint in front of a set of doors that lead to a large room with huge crates stacked on both sides of the room. Step into the center of the room and suddenly, a large, octagonal-shaped craft using a large fan on the bottom will come down. Within the thingypit in the front of the craft happens to be the last of the Go-Rock Quads, Garret. He’ll then curse you out for breaking into their base and tell you that he’s the strongest of his brothers and sister. We have a midboss on our hands.

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//Go Rock Quad Garret//
Health: 240
Attack 1: Power Turrets - Garret will activate each of the gun turrets that are around the pod and begin firing on you while the turrets spin around the pod.
Attack 2: Guitar Blast – Garret will open up a compartment on the pod and launch what looks like a large guitar at you. If the guitar lands on the ground it will explode.
Attack 3: Propel Blades – The propellers on the bottom of the pod will detach and come towards you one at a time before returning back to the Go-Rock Pod.
Strategy: Another interesting battle we got here. The Go-Rock Pod moves up and down while Garret attacks you. When it comes down is when you’ll have a change to move in for the kill. When Garret activates the guns, stay in between two of the streams of gunfire and attack the pod when possible. When Garret fires a guitar at you, run to avoid the explosion as it deals a lot of damage. When half of Garret’s health is gone, he will also send the craft’s propellers at you, which there are three of, so be careful not to get hit by them. Once you’ve done enough damage to Garret, he’ll be done for like his siblings.
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After the Go-Rock Pod explodes, Garret will tell you that not only will you never completely defeat the Go-Rock Squad, you’ll never defeat the rock! With that, he’ll leave and suddenly, Regigigas will appear, holding a sign asking you to take it back to the Present. There’s a cord in the room you can use to attach Regigigas to a Timerunner that’s in the left side of the room Use the action button to connect Regigigas to the Timerunner, then ride the Timerunner back to the Present.

[Present]: Back in the Present, you’ll notice that Regigigas is with you and that you’re now in a corridor going to the left. Regigigas will follow you from here on in, so head down the hall, defeating 3 Camerupt Tanks (3) along the way and taking on a Slaking Soldier (2) at the doors leading into another room. In here, there is a weak wall that you can use attacks to break so that Regigigas can escape safely. With that out of the way, the only thing you have to do is make your way to where Gordor is. However, as soon as Regigigas is free, 12 Go-Rock Grunts (2 VB, 2 GR, 2 DB, 2 BL, 2 GRS, 2 w/shields) will attack. Defeat them all to not only open a set of doors on the other side, but also open four Go-Rock Cages in the room, which contain two X Attacks, two X Defenses, two X Speeds, and a hidden one that contains the stage’s Full Restore. With everything in tow, head out of the room and into a hall with three Sudowoodo Bonsais (3) and a Timerunner you need to activate and go into the Future with.

[Future]: Now in the Future again, you’re in another hall with some drill strips on the floor, walls, and ceiling, making this quite a dangerous area. Adding to the danger are three Sandslash Wheels (3) and a Camerupt Tank (2). You’ll reach a set of doors leading into a large room with an elevator platform you’ll need to move along the wall past some laser fences. The fences are set up like a maze here, so start by going down, right, down, left, down, left, far up, left, up, right, up, and then left to reach a walkway with three Fearow Jets (3), the last of which has a holo-scanner that it will use to teleport in several Mecha Pinsirs (3) onto the walkway. At the end happens to be a crane moving up and down. Get onto it and ride it down to a crane moving left and right, but be careful of two Scizor Crushers (2) here. At the end of this crane’s run, jump onto one going left and right from where you are at and you’ll have to jump laser fences while moving along this crane. The last has a bomb crate on it and moves up and down, so when it reaches the top, jump off immediately. You’ll land on a walkway with three Mecha Pinsirs (3) to get by. At the end of the walkway is a solid piece of ground where a Tyranitar Titan (1) will drop down in front of a set of doors. Defeat it to open the doors and you’ll enter a corridor with five Sudowoodo Bonsais (2) and a Timerunner at the end to take you back to the Present.

[Present]: Back in the Present, you’ll immediately come face to face with eight Go-Rock Grunts (2 AG, 2 CB, 2 w/shields) to defeat before you reach a 45-degree right turn where you’ll have to get past three Fearow Jets (3) that come at you and also be careful of giant saws that shoot through the floor, ceiling, and walls. After this part, there is another 45-degree right turn where a set of doors resides and both a Slaking Soldier (2) and a Tyranitar Titan (2) will drop down. Defeat both of them to open the doors and head through into a wide, long room much like the ones with cranes in them. Use a spring where you enter to bounce onto a crane that moved left and right and ride it to the left to a platform you’ll need to move along the wall. The only problem is that there are moving laser fences that make it more difficult to do. Also, you have to be careful of three Fearow Jets (3), two of which have holo-scanners that bring in several Scizor Crushers (3) is you are spotted. At the end of the ride, use another spring to bounce onto a rail and grind past several cranes with bombs on them that explode when you get near them. Also be careful of five Scizor Crushers (3) along the way. At then end of the rail, a spring will bounce you to a solid piece of ground where a Tyranitar Titan (2) will drop down in front of a set of doors. Defeat it and head through to enter en empty hall with a checkpoint and a set of large doors with the Go-Rock symbol on them. There is also a Hyper Potion after the checkpoint for just in case. When you’re ready, head up to the doors and they’ll slowly open. Head through to enter a large room with an arena surrounded by a bottomless pit. Head onto the arena by using the bridge leading there and you’ll see what looks like a large, robotic wolf on a perch in the room. In the thingypit happens to be Gordor, the leader of the Go-Rock Squad. He will bring up that using the Timerunners they were able to get, they will bring rock and rule to all time! Gordor will bring up that you’re not getting out of here and we have a major boss battle.

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BOSS: GO-ROCK HEAD GORDOR
Health: 320
Attack 1: Flame Breath – The Go-Rock Cerberus will fire a huge stream of flames in your direction that in addition to damage, also leave burn trails on the ground and can burn you.
Attack 2: Shockwave Pulse – Gordor will have the Cerberus launch a stream of shockwaves from its mouth towards you, which knock you back if you get hit.
Attack 3: Jump Crush – Gordor will jump around the area, trying to crush you. He attempts this several times and getting hit will stun you for several seconds.
Attack 4: Thunder Rush – Electricity surrounds the Go-Rock Cerberus and it will lock onto you before charging at you at full force with a field of electricity around it.
Strategy: Now this is some battle! This boos resembles the Egg Cerberus from Sonic ’06, so similar tactics must be executed. Once the Go-Rock Cerberus lands in the arena, it’ll send out a shockwave to initiate the fight. When it stops, you need to go to the back and homing attack up a series of spike stumps in the back to reach the top and run up to the front. There, you can lay some damage on Gordor before shaking you off. Such attacks he’ll use include a flame breath attack, the shockwave that started the battle, and can even jump and try to crush you. When half of his health is gone, Gordor will add another attack to his arsenal, and that’s a charging attack that makes him invincible while he’s doing it. If you try to get onto the Cerberus, you’ll suffer damage instead. Wait for it to wear off, then make your assault on the back of the robot beast. However, it may be harder to do so since Gordor will anticipate your movements. If needed, pick up one of three Super Potions around the perimeter of the arena. Once Gordor has taken enough damage, he’s pretty much done for.
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Once the Go-Rock Cerberus explodes and Gordor escapes it, he will turn the self-destruct motion on, then use a Timerunner to get out of the room. The base’s OS system THEN comes on with this message; “WARNING! WARNING! SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE INITIATED! FOUR MINUTES UNTIL TOTAL DESTRUCTION! I REPEAT! WARNING! WARNING! SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE INITIATED! FOUR MINUTES UNTIL TOTAL DESTRUCTION!” It looks like we need to get out of here, so as the red emergency lighting begins, go up to the Timerunner track and press the recall button to bring it back and get on to head to the Future.

[Future]: In the Future, the countdown still happens, so take the bridge to the left and exit the room into another hall with more red-orange moving lasers. Get past them and at a 45-degree right turn, take down four Sandslash Wheels to open a set of doors leading into a large room with cranes. Get on the crane that’s in front of you and take it forward past four Fearow Jets (3) to the other side, where you can head through another set of doors. In another hall get by both red-orange moving lasers and also some drill stripes before you reach a Timerunner at the end to go back to the Present.

[Present]: Back in the Present, you reach a dead-end wall, so head back to the crane room and take an elevator platform down through a maze of lasers on the wall before you reach a set of doors on the left side at the bottom of the room. Head through to enter another hall with three Sudowoodo Bonsais (3) that you need to defeat to drop a laser fence to progress forward. At a 45-degree left turn, get ready for a few more red-orange moving lasers and also some of those giant saws you need to get past. There’s a Super Potion before them, so you can use that if needed. After the saws, you’ll need to defeat a Slaking Soldier (2) in front of the doors into another room. If you check some of the crates here, you can find a 1UP, but you should use the Timerunner to make it to the Future once more.

[Future]: Now in the future again, take a set of doors on the right side to enter yet another hall. Make it past three Camerupt Tanks (3) before reaching some more red-orange lasers and three Scizor Crushers (3) to also get past. Head through the set of doors to find a shaft with a Go-Rock Cage that’s guarded by three Mecha Pinsirs (3). Defeat them to open the cage and use a rocket inside to go up the shaft to a hall on the left. Here, get past three Fearow Jets (3) and some more of those red-orange lasers. At the end of the hall is a Tyranitar Titan (2) that you need to defeat to open the doors leading into one final room with the exit to the stage. Simply run through to exit the base and then blow up! Once the facility blows up, you'll have a run-in with the host of Sinnoh Now, Rhonda (not to be confused with a Team Plasma Admin), and her Sinnoh Now crew, complete with Rhonda getting hit with that boom mic. Of course, you're wondering just what Sinnoh Now's doing in Central City in the Future! Well, don’t worry about that, because you have now cleared this stage! If possible, you’ll be able to go to the next Episode!