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Post by Q on Aug 3, 2008 20:12:08 GMT -5
Max stepped into one of the trainer's positions in Zone C. The Pokeball containing his chosen Pokemon for this tournament was already in his hand.
This is going to be interesting, he thought, bringing his pointer finger near to the Pokeball's release button. Purely in terms of type, I have the advantage. Delibird's going to be able to dodge Phanpy's attacks pretty easily, and Ground-types are weak to Ice. Something tells me, though, that it's not going to be that easy. I hope not. Max had never heard of Laksha before this, and therefore had no idea how skilled she would turn out to be, or what type of strategy she would use. Max hadn't had much opportunity to work with Delibird, either. He had some idea as to the bird's strengths and weaknesses, but not enough to get a true idea of how well Delibird would perform in battle. On top of that, he thought, Delibird and I don't have a strong enough connection for me to give it orders telepathically. I'll have to give them aloud.
Max's musings were interrupted by the voice of the match's referee. "Trainers, release your Pokemon!" Max pressed the button on Delibird's Pokeball. The ball popped open, and emitted a brilliant white flash. The light took shape, and as the glow faded, it gradually revealed a red bird, standing about three feet tall, looking as if it carried a white bag and sported a bushy white beard.
OOC: You can have the first attack, Pohatu. Good luck.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 4, 2008 20:01:33 GMT -5
OOC - God; I knew it would be you. No, don't worrry about it, this match will be that easy. I have no idea what I'm doing.
Laksha took the other trainer's ledge in Zone C with more worry than she hoped she was showing. An Ice/Flying Pokemon like Delibird was one of the worst conceivable matchups for her Ground-type Phanpy. Of course, if her opponent made the mistake of relying on Present too much -- But she knew he must have taught the Delibird other techniques by TM.
She delicately dropped her Pokeball over the railing and onto the arena floor, where it opened to release a small round shape before bouncing back into her palm. "There we go, then."
The light materialized into a blue-gray elephant about the size of a chair. No sooner had Ganesh formed than he stomped the asphalt enthusiastically, curled into a ball and began rolling around and around the perimeter of the arena, picking up speed with every second.
"Very good, Ganesh! Now attack with Rollout, please."
The Phanpy, still nothing more than a blue wheel-shaped blur, veered out of the circle and launched himself at the Delibird.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Aug 4, 2008 20:09:25 GMT -5
OOC- Don't sell yourself short yet, Pohatu! You can do it! I believe in you! Watch out for Double Team and Substitute though >.>
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Post by Q on Aug 5, 2008 17:20:51 GMT -5
OOC: Hush, you! How dare you give away the most obvious part of Max's strategy?! BIC: "Take flight!" Delibird chirped, and its wings unfolded to their utmost. Before Max could even blink, Delibird gave a large flap and shot upward with surprising speed. Max couldn't help but smile as Phanpy passed harmlessly underneath the airborne avian. I'll have to be careful, thought Max. Delibird's fast, but I can't underestimate that Phanpy. That little pachyderm's got a good amount of power, and it looks like Laksha's figured out how to deal with the type disadvantage.Meanwhile, Delibird was high up in the air, out of reach of any of its foe's attacks. Max watched as the bag-bearing Pokemon tracked its foe's movements. It would take some time, but before too long, Delibird would be ready to dive-bomb its opponent. This is gonna be interesting, thought Max. Now then, Laksha, what will you do next?
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Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 5, 2008 23:34:21 GMT -5
Ganesh hit the ground and wheeled back around to stare up at the Delibird as it circled around in the sky. Laksha followed his gaze, frowning.
"Well. There's not much you can do against it just now, is there? Perhaps you could use Defense Curl?"
Ganesh snorted in agreement and crouched into a ball, swinging his ears around heavily to cover his face. Laksha watched him roll forward idly, hoping the position would help him weather the Delibird's inevitable strike.
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Post by Q on Aug 9, 2008 13:20:36 GMT -5
OOC: Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.
BIC: Defense Curl. Good choice, thought Max. "Float like a Butterfree, sting like a Beedrill!" called Max. Delibird looked confused for a moment, then realization apparently dawned. By now, the red bird had confirmed its target. Delibird went into a steep dive. As it neared its waiting target, Delibird quickly pulled up. As Max had hoped, by the time Delibird neared Phanpy, it was already climbing; if all went well, Delibird would hit high, and its momentum would carry it past Phanpy and back into the air, the better to prepare for its next move.
Between Phanpy's natural defenses and the Defense Curl, it's probably not going to take too much damage, thought Max. However, as long as Delibird stays airborne, Phanpy should have a difficult time hitting it. Better be careful, though. Phanpy might still have a few tricks up its sleeve.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 9, 2008 18:34:37 GMT -5
OOC - No problem. But, heh... tricks up my sleeve... Well, maybe. We'll see.
The Delibird's impact knocked Ganesh back. Still curled into a ball, he was sent spinning toward Laksha's platform as Delibird swooped back up into the sky. Ganesh bumped against Laksha's platform and came to rest.
"Ganesh?"
For a moment she was alarmed. But then, trumpeting happily, Ganesh uncurled himself and got back to his feet. His shielded stance had served him well: there was barely a bruise on his tough skin from what should have been a substantially powerful attack. Laksha had trained Ganesh for two things: defense and mobility. He was proving himself in both so far. As for his strength and accuracy, however...
Laksha watched as Ganesh resumed rolling around the edges of the arena. She turned her eyes upward to see the Delibird circling similarly.
"This won't do," she called across the arena to Max Milen. "I don't think you'll find it easy to whittle Ganesh down with hit-and-run maneuvers like that... But if Ganesh can't get a single hit in..." Her voice dropped to a murmur. "I must keep the Delibird on the ground."
The little Phanpy rolled by, still picking up speed. "Ganesh!" she cried. "I feel literal-minded. Please make an attempt to use Take Down."
Without missing a beat, the blue-gray ball bounced into the air when the Delibird was flying low, but this time Ganesh uncurled in midair, prepared to strike with as much surface area as possible.
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Post by Q on Aug 9, 2008 19:32:59 GMT -5
Not bad, thought Max. But let's see what that little elephant thinks of this! "Delibird, Counter!" Delibird gave a quick flap and climbed upwards, just enough to ensure that Ganesh hit it from the front rather than from above.
Just before Ganesh made contact, Delibird took on a harsh blue glow. The unrolled pachyderm crashed into the low-flying avian. Delibird let out a sound that seemed to combine a chirp and a howl; the attack had not been a light hit.
Within a second, Delibird seemed to have mostly regained its composure. Ganesh was now slightly below Delibird; the bird let out a soft growl, used its wings to give itself a slight downward thrust, and extended its talons down at its falling foe.
This is getting interesting, thought Max. That Phanpy's more agile than I gave it credit for, and its defenses are every bit as good as I expected. But Delibird's still airborne, and we've still got a few moves Laksha might not be expecting.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 9, 2008 19:44:02 GMT -5
OOC - Since I'm trying to keep Ganesh's natural moves low-level, I think it's time to look into his TM potential.
"Iron Tail!"
Laksha cried out her order before she had even fully processed what was going on; Delibird had successfully turned Ganesh's attack power against him and damaged him with his talons; Ganesh was falling and visibly hurt; but this was the moment she had been hoping for. Delibird was within range of Ganesh's more formidable attacks.
Ganesh's tail glowed silver and he swung it in midair toward Delibird. Laksha watched without breathing, hoping he would be able to bounce safely when he hit the ground.
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Post by Q on Aug 9, 2008 19:56:31 GMT -5
OOC: I see. You do realize that you're always allowed to use any move your Pokemon is capable of learning, right? Regardless, keep it up -- this has been quite a battle thus far.
BIC: "Protect and climb!" Delibird chirped, and a fraction of a second before Ganesh's attack would have landed, Delibird was surrounded by a spherical blue field. Ganesh's metallic attack impacted Delibird's instant barrier, but Delibird itself was unharmed. Instead, the impact merely forced Delibird higher into the air.
A moment later, Delibird's protective field vanished. The crimson avian flapped its wings quickly, climbing higher into the air. While Delibird couldn't gain enough altitude to guarantee its safety from Ganesh's attacks, it would not be easy for the azure elephant to go on the offensive.
That was close, thought Max. If that Iron Tail had hit, Delibird would have been in real trouble. I can't just keep using defensive maneuvers; somehow, I have to get on the offensive. The hard part will be doing that without getting Delibird pounded by that Phanpy's attacks.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Aug 9, 2008 20:11:09 GMT -5
OOC- I feel like I shoulda warned about Protect too now.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 9, 2008 22:19:08 GMT -5
OOC - You mean a Phanpy can use, say, Double-edge without implying that he's necessarily at level 42? Sweet. I hadn't picked up on that particular freedom. (In retrospect, I like how I write that and then go on to have Ganesh use a technique he's known since birth.)
Ganesh hit the floor of the arena and, as Laksha had hoped, bounced harmlessly. He uncurled and gave a soft whine. His sides were clearly scratched from where Delibird had attacked him with Counter.
"I suppose I should have known you'd press this advantage, Mr. Milen," Laksha called out. "Perhaps I should be working smarter, not harder? Ganesh. Is your trunk telling you anything?"
Ganesh understood immediately; Laksha needed hardly point out that she was instructing him to use Odor Sleuth. Unable to smell Delibird at this distance even with his sensitive nostrils, the Phanpy instead took to sniffing at the scratches on his sides. The Delibird's talons had left their trace: he was growing acquainted with the bird's scent. Laksha hoped this would help him better trace his opponent's movements and land his attacks more reliably.
"It can be so hard to target something with your eyes alone when you're spinning at fifty miles an hour," she said to no one especially. "Or at least, I assume it must be."
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Post by Tout-Perd on Aug 10, 2008 1:15:22 GMT -5
OOC: This is a very impressive fight. Photu's got a knack, but he's against the master. (I'm good, but most of mine comes from the impressiveness of my descriptions. You know, Chinchou causing a city-wide cataclysm with FLASH.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 10, 2008 1:27:54 GMT -5
OOC - Yeah, I was despairing at first, but I've come to appreciate having my first fight be against no one less than Djkates.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Aug 10, 2008 1:48:23 GMT -5
OOC: Comparison presented for truthfulness: Pohatu: What ah we doin' today, daday? Lee: We're teaching you how to swim, little buddy. Pohatu: Does that mean I get to go wading? Bulbs: Nope, you get to do something even better. Come on, we'll show you. -------- Pohatu: YAY! This is the pool, wight? Lee: Ummm... Yeah. Something like that. Bulbs: Are you sure he's ready? I mean, it's a little bit deep. Lee: I'm sure he can handle it. Pohatu: Yaaay! I'm gonna learn howtoswim, I'mgonnalearnhowtoswim! Lee: You better believe it. *kicks Pohatu off of the Golden Gate Bridge* Pohatu: Yaaaaaayyyyyyy-*plop* Choobeh: Are you the guys that wanted me to chum for sharks this morning? Lee: Yeah. Just put the tab over there, I'll pay it in a moment. Bulbs: Come on, baby, we know you can do it! Lee: Stop wussing out, that's only two broken limbs!
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Post by Q on Aug 10, 2008 9:47:28 GMT -5
OOC: Lee ain't kidding about you having a knack, Pohatu. I'm having a blast with this one. On a side note, I will mention that in addition to always having access to every move your Pokemon can learn, Pokemon are not limited to knowing 4 moves at a time in PRP.
BIC: Odor Sleuth? thought Max. Interesting. Does make Double Team pretty much useless, but this looks like my opening. "Delibird, Blizzard!" Delibird chirped playfully, and reached into the "bag" formed by its tail. A moment later, the bird withdrew its wing, appearing to hold nothing at all, though the tip of that wing was glowing in a sky blue.
Suddenly, Delibird opened its wings with an aggressive chirp. Max shivered and covered his nose and mouth with his arm as the temperature in the arena dropped sharply. Ice crystals appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and harsh winds blew them all over the arena.
Now, let's see you get out of this! thought Max. Especially with the damage it's already taken, I'd be surprised if Phanpy could keep going after this one. Still, let's see what happens.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 10, 2008 12:28:23 GMT -5
OOC - YEAH over 100 page views! Take that, other tournament competitors -- our match is clearly the one to watch this round.
Ganesh buckled down, whimpering. The Ground-type was used to hot, dry environments, and his tough hide clearly wasn't enough to keep the cold out. As snow whipped around his body, Laksha shouted to him from the ledge, where she was gripping the railing with numb hands.
"Don't stand still, Ganesh. You have to keep your blood circulating. Go!"
Ganesh snorted in pain and curled once more into a blue ball, resuming his loop around the arena. But with many patches of the asphalt floor covered in ice, the Phanpy kept losing traction and weaving slightly out of the circle.
"That's good, Ganesh, exactly! Please use Rollout again. Find his scent, not his shape!"
Laksha coughed. She couldn't even see Delibird, somewhere in the middle of the snow and fog. She knew Ganesh would have an easier time tracking him down than she would. Sure enough, she saw the blue blur ricochet off a wall and launch into the white.
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Post by Q on Aug 11, 2008 12:35:14 GMT -5
"Aerial Ace! Dodge and strike!"
Max knew that he could not allow Ganesh's Rollout attack to connect if it could be avoided. Between the type alignments and the fact that Delibird's defenses were not exactly stellar, it was simply too much of a risk. With a sound that somehow resembled an owl's hoot, Delibird shot upward at a shocking speed, narrowly causing Ganesh to pass under it. Too narrowly, thought Max. Another fraction of a second, and Delibird would have taken heavy damage.
Now came Phase 2 of this maneuver. With an agility Max would have sworn Delibird shouldn't be capable of, the crimson Pokemon looped backwards, ending up in a shallow dive. The bird was streaking across the short distance, so quickly that Max could hardly keep track of it. Max could just make out that Delibird was preparing to strike Ganesh from above with its free wing.
That little Phanpy's got more stamina than I gave it credit for, thought Max. After the beating it had already taken, that Blizzard ought to have been more than enough to finish it off. I'm running out of defensive maneuvers. If I can't finish this battle soon, Delibird's not going to be able to weather Phanpy's offense for long.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 11, 2008 12:39:40 GMT -5
"Endure!"
Ganesh crouched low and squeezed his eyes shut as Delibird approached overhead. Although the little elephant took visible damage from the attack, he trumpeted triumphantly as Delibird passed. Laksha could see he wasn't out of the running yet.
"You have a powerful defensive game, I must say," she said. "Far better than mine. Perhaps I need to attend to that better."
Still, as she looked at Ganesh's bruises, she worried about how much fight he had left. The Phanpy had put up a good fight so far, but another powerful Ice attack like that Blizzard and he could be finished. Laksha had heard much of Max Milen; she knew she was facing a far superior opponent.
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Post by Q on Aug 11, 2008 19:16:14 GMT -5
"Almost, but no cigar," called Max. "Delibird, Aurora Beam!"
Delibird flapped its way back into the air, acquired its target, and opened its beak. At that moment, a small ball, shimmering in all of the colors of the rainbow, appeared in front of it. A short chirp, and the ball became a semicircle, then a streak speeding towards the weakened foe, covering an ever-larger area as it traveled.
Max folded his arms across his chest, and beamed. "That little guy's got a lot of spunk, Laksha," he said. "Just keep working on your defenses, and he should be able to come out a winner."
OOC: Geez, and you thought your last post was short!
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Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 12, 2008 0:18:58 GMT -5
Losing her composure completely, Laksha leaned forward over the railing. "No!"
Ganesh was still in a braced position from having used Endure before, and so he wasn't caught off-balance or taken by surprise by Aurora Beam. Still, the rapidly expanding cone radius of the glistening beam made it very difficult to dodge. Ganesh aptly threw himself sideways and rolled in a ball toward the edge of the arena, but not before the edge of the beam caught him.
Laksha winced. Like Blizzard, this Ice-type move must have caused aggravated damage to Ganesh. But he was steadfastly refusing to show his injuries: he had resumed his usual standing-by habit of rolling around and around the arena, even if his movement was a little slower and jerkier now than it had been at the battle's outset. She felt a great rush of pity and affection for her indomitable Phanpy, but she knew the battle must be moving towards its close. Delibird had dodged or shielded every attack Ganesh had thrown at it, except for the one it had Countered. Other than the damage from that one Take Down, the penguin looked completely unfazed.
She looked across the field to Max Milen. She appreciated his kind words, but she didn't seem to have anything to say in reply at the moment. Her eyes returned to following the blue wheel.
"My dear, please use Flail."
It was a sign of weakness, no crowd-pleaser, and she knew this perfectly well, but it was also a wise choice for the endgame of a match.
The blue wheel detached from the circle and catapulted toward Delibird. In midair, Ganesh once again uncurled as he had done while using Take Down, but this time he was thrashing his trunk, ears and limbs furiously.
OOC - Argh, I really don't want this to be the first match to end -- it's been so much fun!
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Post by Q on Aug 12, 2008 11:07:23 GMT -5
OOC: Sure has -- but we're both such quick writers that it looks like we'll be the first ones done anyway. And you said you had no idea what you were doing... you could have fooled me.
BIC: "Substitute!" Delibird raised a wing briefly, and began to breathe a little heavily as a small doll of itself suddenly flashed into existence, interposing itself between Delibird and the oncoming pachyderm.
A fraction of a second later, Ganesh crashed into the doll. Delibird appeared to have been driven backwards by the impact, but otherwise unfazed. Max squinted, attempting to get a closer look. Delibird's Substitute was still there, but it was already showing large cracks. It was unlikely at best that the Substitute would remain in place if Ganesh were to throw another powerful attack at it.
That was close, thought Max. If that Flail had connected directly, Delibird could have been in major trouble. As is, I've got a little room to work, but not much. But, I don't get it. How did Ganesh take that Aurora Beam and still have enough left in it to use Flail?
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Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 12, 2008 15:06:12 GMT -5
Ganesh, undeterred, bounded back to the edge and resumed his endless revolutions. Laksha frowned as she assessed the damage on the doll. She hadn't been counting on yet another trick from Milen, but she knew he must be running out of tactics. Now was the time to press the offensive.
"Ganesh, here, please!"
The Phanpy skidded to a halt in front of Laksha's platform. He sniffed questioningly. Laksha bent down and addressed him quietly through the railing.
"What about Rock Tomb? We've only used it in training, but do you think you could...?"
Ganesh stomped the ground in agreement. Laksha looked him over sadly. Up close, she could see where Aurora Beam had rubbed his hide raw, and his other scratches and bruises looked no less painful.
"You poor thing," she murmured.
But Ganesh was already turning back to face Delibird and its Substitute. He charged into the center of the arena, lifted his head, and trumpeted deeply. The ground beneath their feet trembled slightly, and then a large rock -- not a boulder, perhaps, as Rock Tomb was supposed to call up, but certainly a large enough rock -- burst up from underground and launched into the air. Immediately afterward, four more rocks at far ends of the arena unearthed themselves and flew in arcs toward the center. All five rocks plummeted down toward Delibird and the doll.
Laksha was overjoyed. Even though the rocks weren't as large as a Pokemon more experienced in Rock Tomb ought to be able to conjure, Ganesh had drawn up five for the first time. Even in training he hadn't been able to concentrate hard enough to get all five of them. Laksha hoped this would be enough to smash the Substitute and hopefully cause a substantial blow to Delibird as well.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 15, 2008 8:58:13 GMT -5
OOC - DJ, I was expecting a well-earned defeat, not an unearned victory by forfeit due to you not posting in a week. So maybe you could post sometime within the next four days?
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Post by Q on Aug 16, 2008 8:49:51 GMT -5
OOC: Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's get this show back on the road, shall we?
BIC: "Look out!" Delibird flapped furiously, attempting to dodge as much as it could of Ganesh's unexpected attack. The rocks were too large and too well-placed for Delibird to dodge completely, but it did manage to make sure that only one of the rocks connected. The Substitute, of course, took that hit. The little doll quickly shattered, emitting a harsh white light as it did.
"OK, Delibird, time to finish this! Blizzard!" Delibird chirped, flapped its way slightly higher, and reached into the ever-present "bag" its tail formed. Then, the bearded bird opened its wings, and ice crystals began to blow all over the arena. Max again covered his nose and mouth with an arm to deal with the flying ice and the sudden temperature drop.
No way Ganesh will keep going after this one, thought Max. But I gotta hand it to them. The little guy's got a lot of stamina and a lot of courage, and Laksha's pulled off some interesting offensive techniques, especially for a beginner. If her defense had been as effective as her offense, she might have won this one.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 16, 2008 11:12:18 GMT -5
Laksha didn't have to tell Ganesh this time. He immediately launched into his familiar circle around the arena, refusing to stand still under Blizzard's freezing siege. But Laksha knew, as much as she hated to admit it, that he was failing fast. The Phanpy was rolling more slowly and shakily than ever.
He moved out of sight. She couldn't see all the way to the other end of the arena amid the snow and ice. She tensed, worried that he might have collapsed out of her field of vision.
"Ganesh!"
No response.
Then she saw him, rolling back out of the white toward her. He uncurled into his standing position as he approached her platform. He was breathing heavily. His hide looked pale, more cyan than blue-gray.
"It's over, Ganesh."
She drew out his Pokeball, but Ganesh snorted and turned back toward the center of the arena. He sniffed the air a few times, took several tottering steps toward where she knew he must have sensed Delibird through the snow, trumpeted weakly, and fell to the icy ground.
Somewhere out in the stands, a bell rang. The audience cheered wildly. Laksha pressed the button on Ganesh's Pokeball and watched the Phanpy turn into a ball of red light and fly back to her.
She pressed the Pokeball to her chest, hoping to warm him up. "Thank you, my dear."
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