[09] Grass King vs L'il Dwagie

With the raging sandstorm making it hard for Ectoplasm to see more than a couple of feet in front of his face and its turbulent winds shrieking in Twitch's ears, it's hard for either pokémon to get a sense of what's going on in the larger arena around them. This suits the croagunk rising from the marsh just fine; both battlers are caught completely off guard when the frogs pounce, unleashing a flurry of jabs and weak blows that, while they don't do a great deal of damage to either fighter, do leave them disoriented, having gotten only a brief glimpse of their assailants during the mild but swift and unexpected attack.


L'il Dwagie (OO)

Twitch (F) <Levitate>
Health: 61%
Energy: 53%
Chills: 1/3
Commands: Zen Headbutt / Substitute 15% / Chill x3
- Getting a little tired.

Grass King (OO)

Ectoplasm (M) <Insomnia> @ Lucky Egg
Health: 60%
Energy: 54%
Chills: 0/3
Commands: Phase (and Psychic if possible) ~ Psychic ~ Psychic
- Extremely unhappy in the sandstorm. Confused (moderate). Paralyzed (severe). Tormented (3 more actions). -2 Special Attack, -1 Special Defense

Twitch is the first to recover, baring her teeth against the painful buffets of the sandstorm and concentrating psychic energy in her skull once again. Ramming into Ectoplasm with a zen headbutt is an odd sensation, though it's more pleasant, at least, than it would be to slam headfirst into a more solid foe. As it is, though, sailing through the ghost, trailing psychic energy through his body, exposes her to the awful grave-cold of Ectoplasm's core, and Twitch is left stiff and shivering as she exits through the top of Ectoplasm's head.

Ectoplasm suffers more from the attack, of course. If there's one thing he's thankful for, however, it's that the zubat's onslaught has cleared his head a bit; strange lights still glimmer at the corners of his vision, but at least he no longer seems to be drowning in the hateful illusion. The haunter allows his essence to unravel, spreading himself out through the air as an indistinct mass of energy. The tearing wind continues to irritate him, but at least the blowing sand grains no longer rip through his assumed body.

Twich doesn't realize that her opponent has decided to take a pass on corporeality for the moment. Charging another zen headbutt, she dives confidently through the place where Ectoplasm should be--only to pull up, confused, when no wave of freezing air surrounds her. She keeps the zen headbutt prepared, its humming filling her ears, and flies around in a wide circle, trying to pick up on where her opponent has gone. It's no use, though, and at last she is forced to let her attack die out, the strain on her body growing too great for her to keep it at the ready any longer.

Meanwhile, Ectoplasm is gathering psychic energy of his own, projecting a questing line of force towards what he hopes is Twitch. His scan turns up nothing, however; undeterred, the haunter sends out another tracer of psychic power, only to have it come back ineffective as well. With some apprehension, the ghost tries again and then again to lock onto the zubat with his mind, but he remains unsuccessful. Whether because of the raging sandstorm or some lingering degree of confusion, Ectoplasm's psychic power scrabbles at nothing.

Twitch isn't having much luck getting an attack in, either. Flitting through the oppressive gale, the zubat tries not to panic as her search continues to prove futile. If she's managed to lose track of the ghost, then she's a sitting duck--he could pop up and strike from anywhere, and she would have little ability to retaliate. The ghost himself isn't up to attacking at all at the moment, though. The failure of his psychic attack has hit him hard, and rather than starting another he's wallowing in self-pity over the failure of the last one. It seems he hasn't been able to do anything right this battle, and the missed psychic is just the latest in a long litany of unsuccessful attacks. As the haunter runs back over the battle in his mind, though, he realizes that he's really not in such a bad position at the moment. Sure, he's messed things up a bit, but sitting around doing nothing isn't going to put him on the right track. There's still the chance to pull off a win if he stays focused--certainly his phasing seems to have thrown Twitch for a loop. The more he thinks about it, the better Ectoplasm feels. He's not going down without a fight!

L'il Dwagie (OO)

Twitch (F) <Levitate>
Health: 58%
Energy: 40%
Chills: 1/3
Used: Zen Headbutt x2 ~ Nothing
- Getting a little tired.

Grass King (OO)

Ectoplasm (M) <Insomnia> @ Lucky Egg
Health: 41%
Energy: 47%
Chills: 0/3
Used: Phase ~ Psychic ~ Emo Fail
- Facing the match with renewed determination. Phased out. Paralyzed (moderate). -2 Special Attack, -1 Special Defense

Terrain Notes
A sandstorm is raging around the arena, obscuring the pokémon behind a wall of flying grit. The Pike aide's status report remains the same: "There is a sense of restlessness about this place..."

Final Notes
- Ectoplasm's psychic missed.
- Although Ectoplasm's phasing prevents him from taking damage from the "sand" part of sandstorm, I'm continuing to add the usual amount of damage to account for how much harder it is for him to keep things together when the air he's phased into insists on moving at high speeds.
- Grass King attacks first next round.

Psychic x3

Huh.. starting to feel a bit bad. Maybe a bit -too- much pike karma there. s:

Ahem.. anyway though, tricksy invisible ghosts, right...
Well, let's draw him out with a Faint Attack to start, not going to do any good if we can't find him. Slam him with another Zeadbutt, unless of course he's still untraceable for some reason, in which case Faint him again. Then.. Just chill. It seems next round could wrap this matchup up in one way or another, and we'll hit the cap anyway, so may as well not drain ourselves.

Faint Attack ~ Zen Headbutt / Faint Attack ~ Chill

Once again, the roaring of the sandstorm serves to mask the splashing of croagunk leaving the arena's brackish water, though both Twitch and Ectoplasm are, one way or another, too preoccupied to pay much attention to what is going on in the arena at large anyway. The frog pokémon, privy to secret information about the condition of the arena, more unerringly towards their targets, undaunted by the obscuring sands and howling winds. Even Ectoplasm's insubstantial state is no match for their cunning: bursts of dark energy tear through the ghost's exposed essence, and it shivers with pain, Ectoplasm no longer having a mouth to give voice to his dicomfort. Twitch, on the other hand, is free to let out a squeak of surprise and distress as croagunk attack her from below, their blows relatively light but so unexpected as to throw the surprised zubat into a bit of a panic. Their mischief done, the frog pokémon vanish back into the marsh before either of the battlers can figure out what's going on and retaliate, chuckling to themselves all the way.


L'il Dwagie (OO)

Twitch (F) <Levitate>
Health: 58%
Energy: 40%
Chills: 1/3
Commands: Faint Attack ~ Zen Headbutt / Faint Attack ~ Chill
- Getting a little tired.

Grass King (OO)

Ectoplasm (M) <Insomnia> @ Lucky Egg
Health: 41%
Energy: 47%
Chills: 0/3
Commands: Psychic x3
- Facing the match with renewed determination. Phased out. Paralyzed (moderate). -2 Special Attack, -1 Special Defense

Twitch gets a grip on herself, sternly reminding herself that she has work to do here and has no time to go freaking out over some stupid prankster croagunk. Taking a deep breath, she plunges into the shadows, vanishing in a puff of dark energy. With her eyes open to the world of shadows, she can spot her opponent at last, the air here undisturbed by the fury of the sandstorm and Ectoplasm's essence visible as a kind of diffuse, glowing cloud. Of course, he's still incorporeal on the material plane, but at least Twitch knows how to aim. Flying straight into the center of the haunter's body, she shoots back to the material plane and the howling standstorm, wreathed in dark energy as she emerges from the shadows again.

Ectoplasm is a little stung by the residual dark energy, but the force of Twitch's lunge is entirely lost on the phased-out ghost. It's simply convenient for him that she put herself easily within his reach--this time he is successful as he reaches out with his mind to snare hers, blasting Twitch's brain with lances of psychic pain. The zubat reels, caught up by the raging wind and hurled unceremoniously across the arena. By the time Ectoplasm's psychic attack ends, the zubat must struggle to regain control of her flight, quite disoriented and unsure of where she's ended up. Ectoplasm remains invisible in any case, so she once again dives into a faint attack, homing in on her ghostly target.

Once again she reappears just where Ectoplasm would be floating, if he hadn't scattered his essence to the winds in order to protect himself from just such physical attacks. And as before, the ghost seeks to make a psychic link with his opponent in order to send more pain her way. This time, however, his paralysis intervenes--his essence seems to have a sudden desire to regroup, to clot together again in corporeal form. Ectoplasm is forced to split his attention between staying properly phased and attacking his opponent. As a result, his psychic is somewhat less potent than normal, though it's still enough to knock Twitch for a loop, however temporarily.

This time, the zubat doesn't even attempt to locate her ghostly opponent again. She simply rests her tired wings, letting the sandstorm carry her where it will and moving no more than is required simply to remain airborne. Ectoplasm, meanwhile, gets his act together again as his paralysis recedes once more. Unfortunately, Twitch has vanished, carried away by the sandstorm. In theory, this should pose no problem--nothing is hidden from his mind's eye, after all. As happened last round, however, the haunter sends out questing pulses of psychic energy, only to receive no response. He sweeps high and low, covering the whole arena, he thinks, and yet can find Twitch nowhere. Tired and out of sorts, he gives up at last, hoping that his luck might decide to turn around next round instead.

L'il Dwagie (OO)

Twitch (F) <Levitate>
Health: 30%
Energy: 40%
Chills: 2/3
Commands: Faint Attack x2 ~ Chill
- Drifting around the arena, temporarily without a care.

Grass King (OO)

Ectoplasm (M) <Insomnia> @ Lucky Egg
Health: 34%
Energy: 32%
Chills: 0/3
Commands: Psychic x3
- Grumpy and in rough shape. Phased out. Paralyzed (moderate). -2 Special Attack, -1 Special Defense

Terrain Notes
A sandstorm is raging around the arena, obscuring the pokémon behind a wall of flying grit. This time the Pike aide says: "A cold breeze is racing around the arena..."

Final Notes
- As a rule, physical attacks don't work against phased ghosts. Ectoplasm took a little damage from the excess dark energy in Twitch's faint attacks, but that was it.
- Ecoplasm was fully paralyzed on the second action, which reduced the effectiveness of his psychic, and his third psychic missed.
- L'il Dwagie attacks first next round.

By the order of Negrek, I present you with this.

DQ WARNING FOR L'IL DWAGIE.

Click to expand...

Oh uh... right.
Okay lesse what we can do then that last round was a bit of a bust (albeit I may well deserve it for all the hax) so... Firstly let's pull out some emergency medic manoeuvres... which is to say land, Roost awkwardly (Bats roosting in a sandstorm wat) and then chill the hell out because that's going to leave us in the energy red. Just.. don't do anything there, really.
Finally.. If you can find the bugger blast him with a Shadow Ball... if you can't.. Try using Faint Attack, but don't physically hit him, for all the good that did us - use it to track and slam him with Shadow Ball. Aaaand if our Chill for some reason didn't go through last turn, then Chill this one.

Roost ~ Chill ~ Shadow Ball / Faint Attack + Shadow Ball / Chill

Psychic ~ Chill ~ Psychic

Ectoplasm's luck shows no sign of turning. In fact, he finds himself beset by an entirely new foe. Another ghost braves the howling sandstorm for, apparently, no purpose other than tormenting Ectoplasm. A duskull labors against the high winds, perhaps feeling that Ectoplasm has encroached on its territory, perhaps interested in no more than being a nuisance, the interloper homes in on Ectoplasm's essence, its single lidless red eye identifying the ghost despite his attempts at concealment.

Waving its hands in front of itself, the duskull conjures an eerie blue flame that floats against the wind, passing straight through where Ectoplasm is lurking and searing even his diffuse essence. Without a mouth, the haunter cannot cry out, but he can still send a blast of ghostly energy back in the duskull's direction, hoping to drive it off. The duskull has already let itself be caught up by the wind and swirled out of Ectoplasm's reach, though, cackling to itself as the haunter's retort misses entirely.

Twitch, meanwhile, is oblivious to these events, as she is oblivious to the deadly powders released into the air by vileplume planted in the arena below. Fortunately for her, the high winds disperse most of the powders so that the amount that Twitch encounters isn't enough to harm her. She does fly through a particularly dense cloud of purple powder--but other than an unpleasant itching in her mouth and throat upon inhaling a bit of it, she suffers no ill effects.


L'il Dwagie (OO)

Twitch (F) <Levitate>
Health: 30%
Energy: 40%
Chills: 2/3
Commands: Roost ~ Chill ~ Shadow Ball / Faint Attack + Shadow Ball / Chill
- Drifting around the arena, temporarily without a care.

Grass King (OO)

Ectoplasm (M) <Insomnia> @ Lucky Egg
Health: 34%
Energy: 32%
Chills: 0/3
Commands: Psychic ~ Chill ~ Psychic
- Grumpy and in rough shape. Phased out. Paralyzed (moderate). -2 Special Attack, -1 Special Defense

Twitch dives, seeking out a windblown reed on which to perch. The tendrils that pass for her legs wrap around the plant, anchoring her tightly as she folds her wings and tucks her head down between them, resting quietly while her opponent still lurks somewhere above.

As before, Ectoplasm lashes out with his mind. This time, he succeeds in sending a psychic pulse through Twitch's brain, causing the zubat to shudder and whimper with pain. She doesn't let go of her perch, though, and only continues to rest, leaving Ectoplasm up to his own devices. The haunter isn't quick to follow up on his successful psychic attack, instead choosing to make like his opponent and simply relax for a little while, trying to ignore his new burn and think thoughts of victory rather than defeat.

Eventually, Twitch is moved by her usual restlessness and spreads her wings again, taking off into the blinding sandstorm with more resignation than anything else. She doesn't have it in her to pull off a combo right now, but a faint attack will at least get her close to Ectoplasm again. The zubat vanishes in a cloud of darkness, swooping into the shadows and once again homing in on Ectoplasm's glowing form. As she swoops back into reality right at the center of his cloudy form, the haunter feels the sting of darkness eating into his essence--but that doesn't stop him from pouncing with an attack of his own. Twitch yelps as the ghost clamps down on her with another psychic, inflaming synapses and afflicting Twitch with a full-body ache that fades only slowly, as the wind carries her away from Ectoplasm again.

L'il Dwagie (OO)

Twitch (F) <Levitate>
Health: 56%
Energy: 20%
Chills: 3/3
Used: Roost ~ Chill ~ Faint Attack
- Tired, but in better physical shape than before.

Grass King (OO)

Ectoplasm (M) <Insomnia> @ Lucky Egg
Health: 24%
Energy: 32%
Chills: 1/3
Used: Psychic ~ Chill ~ Psychic
- Essence slowly being worn away. Phased out. Paralyzed (moderate). Burned (3%/round). -2 Special Attack, -1 Special Defense


Terrain Notes
A sandstorm is raging around the arena, obscuring the pokémon behind a wall of flying grit. According to the Pike aide, "The distinct aroma of pokémon is wafting around the arena..."
Final Notes
- Twitch had already used roost and chill, so she couldn't use a combo on her last action. She just used faint attack instead.
- Grass King attacks first next round.

Okay, start off with Rest. Then, if you're still phased out then use Snore. Otherwise, use Sleep Talk. If you wake up, then use Psychic.

Rest ~ Snore/Sleep Talk/Psychic ~ Snore/Sleep Talk/Psychic

Huh...
Well now that Haunter can't keep this up like this, that Rest could KO him outright especially with the phasing. Just rest up, and do nothing, I know you can't chill any more but try to preserve and maybe knock back a little energy. The exception being, if he's still standing after two actions, hit him with a Giga Drain right to the Energy, it's NVE but he sure won't have much left.

Nothing ~ Nothing ~ Nothing / Giga Drain (Energy)

It is difficult to see anything in the depths of the sandstorm that roars through the arena; indeed, if it weren't for cameras following the pokémon inside and projecting their exploits up onto huge screens above the stands, there wouldn't be much for the audience to watch. The magikarp that leap clumsily from the water below Twitch and Ectoplasm therefore go unnoticed. Even the heavy plops that they make as they drop back to the safety of the water's embrace are swallowed entirely by the howling winds, preventing even Twitch's sensitive ears from detecting their presence.


L'il Dwagie (OO)

Twitch (F) <Levitate>
Health: 56%
Energy: 20%
Chills: 3/3
Commands: Nothing ~ Nothing ~ Nothing / Giga Drain (Energy)
- Tired, but in better physical shape than before.

Grass King (OO)

Ectoplasm (M) <Insomnia> @ Lucky Egg
Health: 24%
Energy: 32%
Chills: 1/3
Commands: Rest ~ Snore/Sleep Talk/Psychic ~ Snore/Sleep Talk/Psychic
- Essence slowly being worn away. Phased out. Paralyzed (moderate). Burned (3%/round). -2 Special Attack, -1 Special Defense

Ectoplasm is tired, but with his health deteriorating rapidly, he decides it's time to heal up. There's no physical manifestation of his choice, as he has no eyes to close and he's about as settled as can be, his essence floating in an amorphous, gassy state. As he releases a torrent of energy to repair his injuries, a few flickers of light dance through his essence, though they're difficult to see through the haze of the sandstorm.

Twitch doesn't even think of taking advantage of her opponent's temporarily helpless state. She simply fights to maintain her position against the fury of the sandstorm, by now more than tired of the inclement weather. As Ectoplasm's rest continues, he remains silent despite his orders; without a larynx, it's impossible for him to snore. Nothing seems to happen for some time, Ectoplasm quietly healing while Twitch remains more or less where she is, beating her wings frantically to stay in place.

After some time has passed she decides it's probably time for her to try a giga drain. The round hasn't been called, so Ectoplasm must still be out there somewhere. Without any indication of where he is, she can't really go for an attack, though. If the haunter had snored, the sound would allowed her to pinpoint his location, but his silence has inadvertently protected him. Twitch lets out a small, irritated sigh. She desperately wants some coffee.

Somewhere near the center of the arena, Ectoplasm is sinking farther and farther into darkness. His rest has almost entirely restored his essence, and he's managed to purge both burn and paralysis from it, but the cost in energy has been huge. The ghost is utterly exhausted, so much so that rather than waking up, he only slides further into unconsciousness, giving up the ghost at a subconcious level. The automatic recall on the ghost's pokéball pulls him to safety, much to Grass King's surprise. Twitch alone remains to brave the sandstorm, still unaware of her opponent's fate.

L'il Dwagie (OO)

Twitch (F) <Levitate>
Health: 53%
Energy: 18%
Chills: 3/3
Used: Nothing x 3
- Tired and rather annoyed.

Grass King (XO)

Ectoplasm (M) <Insomnia> @ Lucky Egg
Health: 98%
Energy: 0%
Chills: 1/3
Used: Rest ~ Nothing x 2
Knocked Out!

Terrain Notes
A sandstorm is raging around the arena, obscuring the pokémon behind a wall of flying grit. The Pike aide says, "There is a sense of restlessness about this place..."

Final Notes
- Ectoplasm remained phased out through his rest, so he had no way to snore or use sleep talk.
- Twitch wasn't able to locate him and therefore didn't use giga drain.
- Twitch used some energy to stay aloft in the sandstorm.
- Grass King sends out
- L'il Dwagie attacks
- Grass King attacks

Sending Out:


[Janus] Girafarig (M) <Early Bird>

DQ warning for L'il Dwagie.

hngk, sorry... again. How I miss this I do not know.

Okay twitchy, we've finally got an appropriately typed opponent, so let's lead off with our trademark Toxic~
Next up..... let's have some fun, I wish to give this a try and you need some coffee anyway. Let's give Coffee Break a go.
And lastly.. If I happen to have packed the Attack Stage boosting blend, then Bite the crapples out of him. Yum Neck. If you get anything else, throw a Confuse Ray at him.

Now then, if he protects the first action, swap Toxic to the second, and land and do nothing for the first if you can, conserve energy as much as you can, it's obviously best to not even try to stay aloft.
And if you used Toxic on action 2, then use Coffee Break on action 3 instead.

Toxic / Land - Do Nothing ~ Coffee Break / Toxic ~ Bite / Confuse Ray / Coffee Break

DQ warning for Grass King.

Confusion x3

Grass King takes a few moments to decide on his last pokémon, then pulls a pokéball off his belt and hurls it into the arena. The flash of light that the pokéball gives off shows only faintly in the middle of the raging sand, and Janus, released into the howling sandstorm, immediately ducks his head and braces himself against the fierce wind.

The girafarig has little chance to get his bearings before the arena reacts to his presence in the most violent way. The marauding croagunk return, swarming Janus while the girafarig rears and brays in surprise. A contingent goes after Twitch as well, of course, firing distance attacks up into the sandstorm to buffet the zubat winging above. When the croagunk retreat again, they leave Janus well and truly confused, not to mention a bit bruised, by their attentions.


L'il Dwagie (OO)

Twitch (F) <Levitate>
Health: 43%
Energy: 18%
Chills: 3/3
Commands: Toxic / Land - Do Nothing ~ Coffee Break / Toxic ~ Bite / Confuse Ray / Coffee Break
- Tired and rather annoyed.

Grass King (XO)

Janus (M) <Early Bird>
Health: 90%
Energy: 100%
Chills: 0/3
Commands: Confusion x3
- What on earth is going on here?

As the round opens, Twitch sets off in search of her new opponent. Fortunately, Janus is considerably more solid than Ectoplasm, and Twitch has no problem finding him through echolocation, though the sandstorm does interfere a bit. While the girafarig is still collecting himself, Twitch dives towards him, gathering poisonous liquid in her mouth. She levels off a couple of meters above the ground and spews the toxic fluid all over Janus' back as she shoots by just overhead.

Janus jumps, then hisses in pain as the toxic starts to burn its way through his skin. He only catches a glimpse of Twitch before she vanishes back into the darkness of the sandstorm, but he doesn't need to see her to attack. Closing his eyes, the girafarig concentrates, reaching out with his mind to make contact with Twitch. The confusion attack distorts Twitch's perceptions and gives her a brief, searing headache; the zubat loops erratically for a few seconds, unable to navigate, before Janus is forced to let her go.

Twitch gets back in control of her flight, but her head is still ringing, and she's feeling unusually tired and weak with her usual insomnia suppressed. It's definitely time for a coffee break. The zubat flies straight out of the sandstorm, zeroing in on her trainer and the thermos of coffee she always keeps close at hand. The zubat flies in circles around her trainer, squeaking insistently, until L'il Dwagie unscrews the top of the thermos and offers Twitch a sip. The zubat alights on the rim of the thermos and leans down into it, lapping at the fragrant brew within. A wonderful feeling of warmth comes over Twitch as she gulps down the strong coffee, and she begins to feel much more energetic. L'il Dwagie decides she's had enough and starts shaking the thermos, trying to dislodge the zubat; Twitch grabs a couple last sips before she takes flight again, diving back into the sandstorm before Li'l Dwagie finds out just how much of the coffee she left for her trainer and starts to consider retribution.

Janus, unaware of what his opponent is doing, also doesn't wait. Twitch is barely back in the arena before another wave of confusion passes over her, sent the zubat's way by Janus. Twitch rides it out, but is left feeling quite ragged; even her quick coffee break isn't enough to mask the fact that she's in rough shape. She's not done yet, though, and doesn't hesitate to swoop in on her opponent again. This time Twitch isn't going to pull a hit and run. She spreads her wings, gathernig a ball of shimmering light, and shoots a confuse ray at Janus.

The girafarig stares, dazzled, into the confuse ray as it weaves towards him. His vision is filled with spinning stars and blinking lights, obscuring his vision and inciting him to panic. The girafarig staggers, shaking his head and trying to get his bearings. As he stumbles around, he wanders too far towards the edge of the island, his hooves slipping in the mud and sending him toppling sideways into the water. Twitch flies out of sight again, confident that she had nothing to fear from the girafarig's quarter for a little while.

L'il Dwagie (OO)

Twitch (F) <Levitate>
Health: 16%
Energy: 22%
Chills: 3/3
Used: Toxic ~ Coffee Break (Strong Brew) ~ Confuse Ray
- Growing weaker.

Grass King (XO)

Janus (M) <Early Bird>
Health: 82%
Energy: 95%
Chills: 0/3
Used: Confusion x2 ~ Confused
- Floundering in shallow water. Badly poisoned (4% next round). Confused (severe).

Terrain Notes
A sandstorm is raging around the arena, obscuring the pokémon behind a wall of flying grit. The Pike aide's prediction remains, "There is a sense of restlessness about this place..."

Final Notes
- Grass King attacks first next round.
- No time to proofread, have fun with that.

Confusion ~ Chill ~ Swift

Wonderful job, my twitchbat~ You've done me proud my highly caffeinated friend. I think we've stretched you as far as we can, so no sense burning you out outright, so one more blaze of glory and we're off~

To start out, I can hear those bloody frogs again, and they're going to leave you hurting if they show themselves again, so considering they poke at you again, throw up your shields first action with a Protect and knock that Confusion out.
On the off chance they don't attack, however... Then it's lunch time, you have in in you for one more, don't you? So let him play mindgames while you gnaw on his neck a bit.

Second action, why don't we show him why not to chill out around you.. Gnaw on his neck... more, if applicable. Another Bite for him.

And finally, we'll finish with a U-Turn, and get you some well deserved rest. I'll be sending out Alya the Duskull, who I'm sure will have no problems taking on that swift, tehehe~

Protect / Bite ~ Bite ~ U-Turn (Alya)

By now, Twitch is little surprised to find that she has company in the midst of the roaring sandstorm. The croagunk are little more than shadows in the gloom, leaping up to smack the zubat with weak but persistent blows. Down below, Janus still hasn't gotten used to the surprises the Pike has in store. The girafarig kicks out at the croagunk creeping up on him from behind, the brain in his tail directing the blows with precision. Even so the croagunk somehow manages to evade Janus' best attempts to drive them away, gradually driving the girafarig back onto dry land with their attacks. They don't stay any longer than necessary to create a little havoc; in no time at all the croagunk are vanishing back into the marsh, taking advantage of the sandstorm to cover their retreat.


L'il Dwagie (OO)

Twitch (F) <Levitate>
Health: 6%
Energy: 22%
Chills: 3/3
Commands: Protect / Bite ~ Bite ~ U-Turn (Alya)
- Growing weaker.

Grass King (XO)

Janus (M) <Early Bird>
Health: 72%
Energy: 95%
Chills: 0/3
Commands: Confusion ~ Chill ~ Swift
- Floundering in shallow water. Badly poisoned (4% next round). Confused (severe).

Twitch is having some difficulty staying aloft after the croagunks' attack. She's tired and ragged, and without doubt another psychic type attack will finish her off. If Janus wants to try one, though, he's going to be out of luck. Twitch forces a bubble of energy out around her body, hanging motionless in the air as the sandstorm rages on around the calm spot inside her protect shield. When Janus recovers his composure and begins probing for the zubat with his mind, he runs smack into a mental wall.

When no amount of poking can find any weak point in Twitch's protect, Janus reluctantly gives up his attack and takes a moment to rest. The arena has him spooked, and he could use a bit of time to settle down and collect his thoughts. While the girafarig chills, however, Twitch is preparing to attack. She drops her protect and swoops down out of the sandstorm, needle-sharp teeth fizzing with blackness as she opens her mouth wide. Janus cries out and rears when the zubat comes shooting down from above and latches onto his neck, burying her teeth deep in the girafarig's flesh.

Janus shakes his head violently in an attempt to dislodge his opponent, and Twitch has no intention of sticking around in any case. Releasing her grip on the girafarig, she executes a neat backflip, smacking Janus' neck with a green-glowing wing in the process, and makes a beeline for her trainer. Janus wheels around, eyes wide with terror and blood dribbling from the wound in his neck, and fires a barrage of glowing stars into the sandstorm. He doesn't realize that his opponent is gone, withdrawn into the safety of her pokéball. The swift attack cuts harmlessly through the pokémon sent out to replace her. In fact, Alya the duskull is far less concerned by the swift than she is by the sandstorm, which begins to tug at her gaseous body as soon as she takes shape and shows no sign of letting up in the near future.

L'il Dwagie (OO)

Alya (F) <Levitate> @ Reaper Cloth
Health: 99%
Energy: 100%
Chills: 0/3
- Struggling to hold herself together in defiance of the sandstorm.

In Reserve:
Twitch (F) <Levitate>
Health: 4%
Energy: 8%
Chills: 3/3
Used: Protect ~ Bite ~ U-Turn

Grass King (XO)

Janus (M) <Early Bird>
Health: 55%
Energy: 98%
Chills: 1/3
Used: Confusion ~ Chill ~ Swift
- Already feeling under the weather. Badly poisoned (5% next round). Confused (very mild). -1 Attack

Terrain Notes
A sandstorm is raging around the arena, obscuring the pokémon behind a wall of flying grit. Yet again the Pike aide says, "There is a sense of restlessness about this place..."

Final Notes
- L'il Dwagie attacks first next round.