[11] Wargle vs Kusarigamaitachi

1 vs 1
DQ Time: 7 Days
Damage Cap: 40%
Banned Moves: OHKO's, direct healers limited to 1/pokémon, chills to 3/pokémon
Terrain: Tree of Dreams

Many of the TCoD League's trainers are taking a protracted vacation to Unova, traveling around the region and dropping into different cities to watch or battle in the ongoing league championship. There's one group that's been taking a vacation of a different sort, though--a select few who elected to venture into Unova's Dream World rather than take the normal route around the Unova region, with the promise of a battle at the end of their excursion and a place in the league championship if they should emerge victorious.

There are many paths through the Dream World, but they all end at the same location: the Tree of Dreams, an incrediblly ancient plant whose boughs are draped with the dreams of pokémon from all around the world. It is thought that those who bring an offering to the tree's base may be able to change their dreams into reality, but there will be none of that today. No, today there will be only battling, the opportunity to change dreams of glory into reality for those who were unlucky enough to miss the earlier championship registration period.

The area around the base of the Tree of Dreams is a simple grassy field, offering nothing in particular to help or hinder any battler. However, since this is, after all, the Dream World, pokémon will have no trouble accomplishing astonishing feats like conjuring tidal waves from nowhere or dropping spectral rocks on their foe. There are no restrictions on the kinds of attacks that can be used here, save those imposed by the league.

While the battle is fairly simple, there has been one complication--the machine that brought the trainers and their pokémon to the Dream World have somehow separated the two, leaving the humans without the protection and, most importantly, battle prowess of their partners.

Fortunately, the league has generously provided each of the trainers with a full complement of berries with which to attract the wild pokémon inhabiting the Dream World in order to make up for this deficit. Initially, each trainer will be issued one of each of the following:

Oran, Cheri, Chesto, Pecha, Rawst, Aspear, Oran, Persim, Lum, and Sitrus berries.

In addition, each player will be issued one type-resist berry of their choice.

How many berries are required to attract a pokémon depends on its rarity, as per the following list:

R1: Sitrus
R2: Sitrus, Chesto, Pecha, Cheri
R3: Sitrus, Lum
R4: Cheri, Chesto, Pecha, Rawst, Aspear, Persim, Lum
R5: Oran, Lum, Cheri, Chesto, Pecha
R6: Oran, Sitrus, Lum, type-resist
R7: Oran, Sitrus, Lum, type-resist, Chesto, Pecha
R8: All berries

An evolved pokémon costs the rarity of its base stage + 1 for each evolution it has undergone, up to a maximum of eight. A base-stage pokémon that cannot evolve costs its normal rarity plus two, again up to the cap of r8. The pokémon that appears will have its Dream World ability, if any, and its sex will be randomized. Only pokémon appearing on this list may be chosen.

However, these berries are useful for more than simply calling forth a battling partner! Any berry not spent on attracting a pokémon can either be attached to that pokémon as its held item or kept in reserve. Any berries in reserve can be used, at the cost of an action, at any point during the battle. The effects of all berries are the same as usual and detailed on Sunnenrain Berry Mart's Complete Berry Information Sheet, a copy of which has been helpfully included in each trainer's resource pack in addition to the berries of themselves.

The league will reclaim any berries not used either to pay for pokémon or during the battle, so there's no point in hoarding them--yes, I'm talking to you, suspicious guy in the hoodie don't make me ask you to turn out your pockets after the battle.

The battle will proceed as follows:

1. Wargle chooses a pokémon, chooses a berry to attach to that pokémon if desired (if any remain), and chooses their type resist berry (if it was not spent)
2. Kusarigamaitachi does the same and also posts attacks
3. Wargle attacks

DQ warning for Wargle.

Woah woah. How did I get in the tourney? I had no idea I was in! I'll use Sunkern and the Fire resist berry.

I'll take a houndour named Minus Green holding a chilan berry. And in my pockets - oh, it's you.

Anyhow, taunt, followed by sludge bombs. Sludge bomb any substitutes that manage to somehow appear.

Nasty plot if your attacks would be blocked from succeeding, not including substitute but including protect, or if bide is in effect. If this means taunt is prevented, then taunt the next action where there isn't a superseding conditional.

Taunt / Nasty Plot ~ Sludge Bomb / Taunt / Nasty Plot ~ Sludge Bomb / Taunt / Nasty Plot

Chilan berry? Odd choice... But I like you picking something that won't help.

Unnerve won't help me out here, but we'll have to work around it.

If for some reason taunt fails, Worry Seed, Until it works, then Grasswhistle. If it hits, EARTH POWER!!

Worry Seed/Earth Power ~ Worry Seed/Grasswhistle/Earth Power x2

The leaves on the Tree of Dreams rustle despite the still air, stirred by the dreams of pokémon that constantly flow through this, the nexus of the Dream World. A constant shower of glinting sparks drift down from its boughs, fleeting snippets drawn from the nighttime wanderings of pokémon the world over. Being struck by one is enough to yield a momentary burst of insight, an instant of perfect inspiration, but this close to the base of the tree, where the thoughts float thick and fast, the constant invasion of foreign ideas can be as much a nuisance as a blessing. At least Kusarigamaitachi seems annoyed by it, tucked as deep its hoodie as it can manage and scowling out at the too-bright fantasy landscape around it. By its side stands a houndour, licking the remains of a pecha berry from her snout. The Dream World is by and large a peaceful place, and the pokémon here rarely see the chance to battle alongside a trainer. For the novelty if nothing else, Minus Green is ready for a fight.

The referee is already leaning up against the tree's base, scribbling something on a clipboard as she awaits the arrival of the other trainer. At last Wargle comes rushing in from Pleasant Forest, a sunkern cradled in her arms. The seed pokémon looks up in wonder on the Tree of Dreams, for the moment oblivious to the other humans and the houndour smirking at the sight of her opponent.

The pokémon's moment of awe doesn't last long, however. Wargle barely steps up to the base of the great tree before Kusarigamaitachi is urging its houndour forward, and the referee looks up from her note-taking long enough to declare the battle on. Wargle sets Sunkern down in the grass in front of her, then backs up a couple of steps, wishing the little grass type luck.


Kusarigamaitachi (O)

Minus Green (F) <Unnerve> @ Chilan Berry
Health: 100%
Energy: 100%
Commands: Taunt / Nasty Plot ~ Sludge Bomb / Taunt / Nasty Plot ~ Sludge Bomb / Taunt / Nasty Plot
- Mighty confident.

Wargle (O)

Sunkern (M) <Early Bird> @ Occa Berry
Health: 100%
Energy: 100%
Commands: Worry Seed/Earth Power ~ Worry Seed/Grasswhistle/Earth Power x2
- Wide-eyed with excitement.

Minus Green flashes Sunkern a toothy grin. The houndour is sure the sunkern's going to need that luck--because honestly, what chance does he have against a houndour like Minus Green? They might as well call this battle over with right this moment--it's obvious who's going to win. Even if Sunkern had even a shred of a chance of winning in a normal battle, which he doesn't, because seriously, sunkern, against a houndour he's just utterly screwed. Why, she bets that--

The houndour's mocking is cut short with a yelp as a flare of golden energy bursts from the earth under her feet, searing her belly and causing her to stagger back a step, confused and disoriented. Sunkern gives the most serene smile he can muster, trying to mask both his simmering rage at the houndour's comments and his satisfaction at seeing his opponent caught off guard.

Because, after all, Sunkern isn't a run-of-the-mill sunkern; born in the land of dreams, he has power most members of his species can only, well, dream of.

Minus Green isn't off balance for long. It's her turn to be roused to fury--so that little seed-thing thinks he can make her look a fool, does he? There's no way the houndour's about to let him get away with it, that's for sure. Poisonous hatred takes physical form as the houndour gathers toxins at the back of his throat, then hacks up a hunk of gelatinous poison.

The sludge bomb spatters Sunkern with burning venom, and he cries out, rocking side to side in an attempt to shake off as much of the slime as he can. His efforts are largely unsuccesful, and he soon begins to feel sick as the poison seeps into his body. That's not enough to deter him, though; once more he focuses on the dream land around him, and the ground beneath Minus Green cracks open to release another searing burst of pure earth power.

The houndour retaliates with another sludge bomb, which increases Sunkern's discomfort but does nothing to worsen the poison already eating at his body from the inside out. The grass type sets his mouth and summons up another earth power; after Minus Green weathers the third searing blast of ground-type energy, the two pokémon are on more or less equal footing, and Sunkern feels vindicated. If nothing else, he managed to wipe the smug smirk off the mutt's snout.

Kusarigamaitachi (O)

Minus Green (F) <Unnerve> @ Chilan Berry
Health: 61%
Energy: 87%
Used: Taunt ~ Sludge Bomb x2
- A little scorched, but more surprised than anything.

Wargle (O)

Sunkern (M) <Early Bird> @ Occa Berry
Health: 68%
Energy: 85%
Used: Earth Power x3
- Slimed with toxins. Poisoned (3%/round).

Final Notes
- Sunkern was poisoned by the first sludge bomb.
- Wargle attacks first next round.

DQ warning for Wargle.

I could have sworn it said Kusari went first. Honestly. I don't know anymore.

Earth Powers! Fun times! Spam, unless you can't for any reason excluding a Subs, then Chill, preferably with a creeps smile for the heck of it if it wouldn't affect the chill whatsoever.

Earth Power/Chill X3

Knew I should've gone with ledyba. Oh, unnerve, why did you tempt me so?

... I wasn't muttering anything negative about you, Minus Green. Because I called you to win, etc, etc, I have faith in you and such.

Begin with torment; at this stage, chilling's not going to help overmuch, I think, and it's more beneficial to avoid an earth power than anything.

Since that sunkern won't be going anywhere fast, get up close so you won't miss, and fire blast. It should not only do some pretty decent damage, but also set that sludge on fire. Try creepily smiling then, son of a ... oh, hi, Minus Green.

Follow up with a flamethrower to get us right to the cap.

If you can't get up close to reliably hit with fire blast, just use flamethrower instead.

Torment ~ Fire Blast / Flamethrower ~ Flamethrower

Kusarigamaitachi (O)

Minus Green (F) <Unnerve> @ Chilan Berry
Health: 61%
Energy: 87%
Commands: Torment ~ Fire Blast / Flamethrower ~ Flamethrower
- A little scorched, but more surprised than anything.

Wargle (O)

Sunkern (M) <Early Bird> @ Occa Berry
Health: 68%
Energy: 85%
Commands: Earth Power / Chill X3
- Slimed with toxins. Poisoned (3%/round).

Minus Green grimaces, shifting on her paws as the energy burns on her stomach tingle. She has to keep signs of her discomfort to a minimum, though, unless she wants to get hit with more earth powers. Turning her frown into a sneer, the houndour lays into Sunkern with everything she's got. She's never seen a more pathetic excuse for an attack in her life! Those earth powers barely tickled; Sunkern may have the rare dream-granted ability to conjure them, but it's hardly an advantage, given how much he sucks at executing them. Honestly, why bother even trying? It's obvious Sunkern's going to lose; might as well not make a fool of himself while doing it.

Despite abundant evidence that Minus Green is only bluffing, Sunkern wilts as the houndour's tirade goes on. He's feeling bad enough as it is; having his opponent take time out of the battle to mock his attacks is just so over-the-top terrible that he can't help but feel a bit ashamed. Maybe he really is that bad. One thing is for sure; he's much too distraught to try another earth power just now, or do much of anything, really.

While tormenting her opponent, Minus Green has been slipping ever closer, until she looms over her diminutive opponent, her scathing words are replaced by real flame as she gathers fire to dispatch her cowering opponent. Sunkern sees fire lick at the houndour's teeth, but though he turns to hop away, he's far too slow to escape Minus Green's attack. The houndour blows out an impressive fire blast, its blazing arms extending wider than he is tall, that plows straight into Sunkern, setting both him and the grass around him alight. The poison covering the grass type's body burns especially well, and he does quite a bit of hopping around and shrieking before the flames finally dissipate, leaving behind a charred and miserable Sunkern and a very satisfied Minus Green.

The houndour's satisfaction is to be short-lived, though. Sunkern may have taken a heavy blow from the fire blast, but the little seed pokémon is more resilient than he looks. Sunkern forces back his pain and uncertainty, gathering energy to unleash another earth power on his opponent. The ground below Minus Green's feet groans and tears, golden light spewing from the opening crack. Though the houndour tries to leap aside to avoid it, he still catches most of the blast on his flank and lands clumsily.

Nevertheless, Minus Green doesn't need to do too much playacting to brush the earth power off as being of no consequence. He knows Sunkern can't take much more punishment, and that's enough to pull him through his own discomfort. The houndour calls forth fire again, this time in a wide cone that strikes with less explosive force than fire blast, but nevertheless more than enough to make Sunkern miserable. The blackened grass type, dispirited and in pain, finds he just can't muster up the energy for another earth power. Burrowing into the cool earth as much as he can, the seed pokémon instead tries to relax and forget his cares for a few moments. It's far from easy--his concerns are numerous and immediate--but Sunkern manages to find some measure of inner peace nonetheless.

Kusarigamaitachi (O)

Minus Green (F) <Unnerve> @ Chilan Berry
Health: 48%
Energy: 76%
Used: Torment ~ Fire Blast ~ Flamethrower
- Confident.

Wargle (O)

Sunkern (M) <Early Bird> @ Occa Berry
Health: 28% (capped)
Energy: 88%
Used: Nothing ~ Earth Power ~ Chill
- Utterly miserable. Poisoned (3%/round).

Final Notes
- On the first action, Sunkern was too worked up to chill.
- The poison on Sunkern's body increased the damage dealt by fire blast slightly, not that it made a difference.
- Kusarigamaitachi attacks first next round.

I'd sorta hoped that Sunkern would just be on fire for, you know, a prolonged period of time, but I guess it is not necessary to be cruel here.

Anyway, good work, Minus Green. This is more or less the best place we can be right now. After this, I'll let you have the rest of the berries - clearly, you're as good as any R8 pokémon. And I can't keep them anyway.

The next three actions should all follow a similar formula.

Your primary move for the first action is taunt. You will also do this if, on a previous action, taunt was blocked with protect. Taunt through endure as well.

If you have already successfully used taunt, or if he is using bide, use flamethrower; if you flamethrower on the same action during which he starts it, you'll defeat him before he can unleash it, and if not, you can't faint this round anyway.

If he successfully uses protect, use nasty plot.

You shouldn't have to wait for him to act - all of these would result in him acting first - so err on the side of caution. Nasty plot should not be necessary to defeat him, so if you can't tell what he's going to do quickly enough to ensure that you move before him, go with taunt, unless he's already taunted, in which case flamethrower.

Taunt / Flamethrower / Nasty Plot ~ Flamethrower / Taunt / Nasty Plot ~ Flamethrower / Taunt / Nasty Plot

I'm going to try something that probably won't Work.

If She's about to go first and Taunt you, Protect it off. If you can, try to Woo her with a nice Attract. If you have sucessfully Attracted, use Rest. If not, and you aren't taunted, Protect against a Taunt. You are Taunted, fume

Protect/Attract ~ Protect/Attract/Morning Sun X2

Kusarigamaitachi (O)

Minus Green (F) <Unnerve> @ Chilan Berry
Health: 48%
Energy: 76%
Used: Torment ~ Fire Blast ~ Flamethrower
- Confident.

Wargle (O)

Sunkern (M) <Early Bird> @ Occa Berry
Health: 28%
Energy: 88%
Used: Nothing ~ Earth Power ~ Chill
- Slimed with toxins. Poisoned (3%/round).

The two pokémon start off by staring one another down, Sunkern blinking back tears as he does his best to look tough and determined in the face of his opponent, and Minus Green watching closely for any sign of an action on the sunkern's part. Finally, the houndour loses patience and snarls out a few choice words on Sunkern's obvious cowardice--what, you just going to sit there and cry, you good-for-nothing grass type? But Sunkern throws up a powerful energy shield before the first word has even rolled off the houndour's tongue, and though he can perhaps guess what the dark type might be saying, he chooses not to dwell on it.

Unfortunately, in a contest between Sunkern's endurance and Minus Green's ability to sling insults, there is simply no hope for the grass type. The houndour prowls the edge of Sunkern's protect, murmuring sly denigrations all the while. Sunkern, already pushed to the edge of his endurance and distracted by his injuries, struggles to keep his protect in place. Despite himself, he finds himself imagining what Minus Green might be saying; that he's a worthless pokémon who's only trying to prolong the inevitable, and failing at that, too: just look at how his shield's flickering! The more the grass type frets, the more trouble he has holding up his protect, and the more it wavers, the more he frets. At last he can't keep it in place any longer, and Minus Green gives a triumphant laugh and lays into the exposed sunkern with all her most vicious insults.

Bereft of commands and too depressed to think of putting up a resistance, Sunkern can only sit where he is and take Minus Green's insults, doing his best to keep in mind that this is only one battle after all, and any sunkern would have trouble against a houndour--he's not useless, really, he's not! But whatever his merits may be, they can't save him from Minus Green's flamethrower, which chars him to within in an inch of unconsciousness. While the houndour gloats, Sunkern can only really hope that the fight will be over soon.

Kusarigamaitachi (O)

Minus Green (F) <Unnerve> @ Chilan Berry
Health: 48%
Energy: 66%
Used: Taunt ~ Taunt ~ Flamethrower
- Come on, just faint already!

Wargle (O)

Sunkern (M) <Early Bird> @ Occa Berry
Health: 6%
Energy: 80%
Used: Protect ~ Protect ~ Nothing
- Waiting for the end. Poisoned (3%/round).

Final Notes
- Not proofread, sorry.
- Wargle attacks first next round.

did flamethrower really do 59% damage? O.o

19 damage - sunkern started at 28 health.

Is sunkern still taunted?

Okay, I see it now. Thew beginning stats list 68 health, so I was worried.

Rest is the Priority. At all costs. If you're taunted, unleash an Earth power. If you used Rest already, and are asleep, sleep. If you wake up, use Earth Power.

Rest/Earth Power/Sleep X3

End it.

Flamethrower ~ Flamethrower ~ Flamethrower

Kusarigamaitachi (O)

Minus Green (F) <Unnerve> @ Chilan Berry
Health: 48%
Energy: 72%
Used: Torment ~ Fire Blast ~ Flamethrower
- Confident.

Wargle (O)

Sunkern (M) <Early Bird> @ Occa Berry
Health: 6%
Energy: 85%
Used: Nothing ~ Earth Power ~ Chill
- Slimed with toxins. Poisoned (3%/round).

Sunkern's wish is readily granted. The little grass type tries to make himself comfortable on the charred earth, preparing to summon a healing trance, but there's no beating Minus Green to the punch. The houndour breathes out a withering cone of flame, and Sunkern simply can't cling to consciousness no matter how hard he tries. As the flamethrower dies back, it reveals a sunkern barely recognizable as the same bouncy fellow who entered the battle, his skin blackened and cracked, seeping yellowish liquid, and his occa berry, sadly unused, like a wizened raisin where it lies on the ground beside him. Minus Green grins, ashen tendrils of steam curling out from between her teeth, then throws her head back and howls her victory to the preternatural blue of the Dream World's skies.

Kusarigamaitachi (O)

Minus Green (F) <Unnerve> @ Chilan Berry
Health: 48%
Energy: 76%
Used: Flamethrower
Victorious!

Wargle (X)

Sunkern (M) <Early Bird> @ Occa Berry
Health: 0%
Energy: 85%
Used: Nothing
Knocked Out!

Wargle hovers uncertainly over Sunkern, looking anxious and uncertain of what she should do about the state of her temporary pokémon. Minus Green hasn't the faintest care for her opponent's welfare; as soon as she's done celebrating, she whirls around and bounds over to Kusarigamaitachi, her whole hind end waggling as the trainer pulls its wad of unused berries out of a pocket and scatters them over the grass for the houndour to gobble up. The referee passes Kusarigamaitachi its $10 for winning, and it stands flipping through the bills while Minus Green noisily devours a pecha berry near its feet. To Wargle, the referee gives $5 and a max revive for Sunkern, then leands idly against the Tree of Dreams' trunk, staring up into the maze of dreams hanging from its branches, until the trainers have said their goodbyes. The two pokémon watch as the humans dissolve into sparkling dreamstuff and rise up through the branches of the great tree, headed back to whatever strange and magical land they came from. Once they're out of sight, Minus Green turns to Sunkern, smugly licking lum berry off her snout. The sunkern pretends not to see her and offers a curt farewell before hopping off into the business. The houndour sits where she is for a little longer, reflecting on what it was like to battle under a human's command, then finally gets up and wanders off herself.