Negrek vs. Anomaly 54

Negrek said:

2vs2 Single
Damage Cap: 40%
Banned Moves: None
Terrain: ASB Central Stadium

Although designed to be a state-of-the-art battling facility and located at the very heart of ASB Central's battle district, ASB Central Stadium actually sees very little use. Most battlers prefer the infinite variety of the holodrome's simulated arenas to the basic, if impressive, stadium field, and official tournaments tend to feature tours of other regions rather than a homefield brawl. There is one advantage to the stadium, though--its proximity to the holodrome grants it access to a full range of simulation options, allowing trainers to trick out their team to whatever extent they like before battling.

There's nothing much to say about the battlefield: it's a large, rectangular arena covered in astroturf. A circular pool will open in its center if a pokémon requiring water to move around in is sent out. From here, pokémon can summon absolutely anything they need for their attacks: tidal waves, boulders, and so on are in ready supply.

Other: This battle takes place between a referee and one other member. The referee will use their own team of pokémon, but the other battler may choose either to use their own team OR choose any six nonlegendary pokémon with any items and abilities to use for this fight. In the former case, their pokémon gain experience as normal. In the latter case, they may choose to apply the experience earned by their rental pokémon, minus one point, to their team in any manner that they choose. If a player chooses to create team for the purpose of this battle, they must PM it to the candidate referee after accepting the challenge.

The prizes for this battle are $20 to the winner, $10 to the loser, and $15 to the referee. This battle does not fill a battle slot for either participant.

Click to expand...

Negrek's active squad:
Liberalis the female Espeon <Synchronize> @Enigma Berry (Move mod: Equilibriate)
Mudkip the male Mudkip <Torrent> @Eviolite (Move mod: Aqua Jet)
Sneakers the female Cubchoo <Rattled> @Dragon Scale
Antialiasis the female Joltik <Compoundeyes> @Lucky Egg
Havoc the male Treecko <Overgrow> @Big Root
Mandarb the female Absol <Pressure> @Reaper Cloth (Body mod: Armored, light + poisoned barb)
Yoshiya the male Clefairy <Magic Guard> @Moon Stone
Makuhita the male Makuhita <Guts> @Chesto Berry
Lockjaw the female Steelix <Sturdy> @Binding Band (Body mod: Rusty Rig)
Phlogiston the female Chimchar <Blaze> @Eviolite (Body mod: Fiery Spirit, Spirited Fire)

Anomaly 54's active squad:
Torchy the male Torchic <Blaze>
Zan the male Zangoose <Immunity>
Lomm the male Lotad <Swift Swim>
Vizor the female Weedle <Shield Dust>

Negrek sends out, then Anomaly 54 sends out and posts commands, then Negrek posts commands.

All right, Makuhita's up.

Good luck, Anomaly54 and Eifie!

Right, Torchy the Torchic's up first.

Start off with Sand Attack, that might be able to give us some breathing room. Then Fire Spin to try and get some constant damage. And finish off with Peck for super effective, because why not.

Sand Attack ~ Fire Spin ~ Peck

(( Ah, right, I don't think I answered your question about the arena. Stuff that requires rocks, plants, whatever can be used anywhere in the arena, not just in the pool. I'll edit that to make it more clear. ))

All right, Makuhita. It's your first battle--let's go!

No need to worry too much about the sand attack; just close your eyes so they stay clear, then use a dig attack (open your eyes for the attack part, of course; the sand attack should come while you're still digging down, when I hope you'll be able to find the ground without looking!).

Next, get in a quick bullet punch to push Torchy into one of the holes you just created with dig. He's much smaller than you, so I don't think you should have too much trouble. Your priority should be shoving him down a tunnel rather than dealing damage, since he won't be able to hit you with fire spin from down there.

Nor peck, for that matter. So just earthquake to collapse the tunnel on top of him and deal huge damage. If he's not underground on the last action, for whatever reason, trap him beneath a rock tomb instead.

Dig (close eyes; attack) ~ Bullet Punch (into hole) ~ Earthquake / Rock Tomb

Negrek (2/2 left)

Makuhita ♂ @Chesto Berry
Ability: Guts
Health: 100%
Energy: 100%
Status: Trying not to let his opponent spoil his mood.
Commands: Dig (close eyes; attack) ~ Bullet Punch (into hole) ~ Earthquake/Rock Tomb

Anomaly 54 (2/2 left)

Torchy ♂
Ability: Blaze
Health: 100%
Energy: 100%
Status: A little nervous. Or maybe a lot nervous. He can't decide.
Commands: Sand-Attack ~ Fire Spin ~ Peck


Oh, dear. Torchy claws nervously at the ground with a talon, flattening bits of weird almost-grass (It is not actual grass. He refuses to call it actual grass.) into a jumble of shaky scribbles that he imagines describe the state of his mind right now. Why did he let himself get into this mess? He's so not ready for this battle, he hasn't read enough books or watched enough fights or... practiced enough of his attacks, that part's probably important too, and now suddenly here he is, unprepared and facing off against some scary Pokémon that's so much bigger than him, and... and it's in a field that's not even made up of real grass! That Makuhita probably loves the almost-grass. At least, Torchy can see that it doesn't seem to be bothering him at all. He's probably had tons of practice battling in arenas with almost-grass! How could Torchy possibly be a match for an experienced opponent like that? Oh, this doesn't look good at all...

Makuhita, on the other hand, isn't worried about this battle one bit. He's busy flexing his muscles and punching at the air, showing off just a tiny bit as he imagines a crowd cheering him on when he emerges victorious from his first fight. How could he not, against an opponent like that? Torchy certainly doesn't seem very impressive just standing there, looking, in his opinion, far more nervous than any self-respecting winner ought to be. Though, to tell the truth, he is finding the Torchic's expression rather off-putting. Doesn't he know how much harder it is to adequately enjoy daydreaming about winning when your opponent's doing something like-- a-ha! He's got it! Torchy must be putting on a show to try and catch him off-guard! That must be it. Well, it's not going to work on him. Makuhita's got that Torchic alllllll figured out.

By the time the referee signals for the battle to start, Torchy has (to everyone's surprise) actually managed to calm himself down somewhat. He's carefully memorized his commands, he's pretty sure he knows how to use all those attacks... everything should be okay, right? Probably. Maybe. His first move seems pretty simple, anyway. A Sand-Attack! He can do that. There doesn't seem to be any dirt that he can see in this almost-grass, but to his great surprise, as he scratches at the ground again, he finds himself able to throw up a small heap of sand into the Makuhita's face. It's a little disappointing when Makuhita simply closes his eyes, blocking out some of the dirt, but that's not the important thing to Torchy right now. He's more concerned with the sand. It had appeared out of nowhere! But how? Is the almost-grass... magic? Maybe it could make anything that he needs appear! Momentarily forgetting all about the battle, Torchy thinks as hard as he can about his favourite pink Pokéblocks and looks down at the almost-grass expectantly... but nothing happens. No sign of a Pokéblock anywhere. Oh, well. Maybe he'll have to make amends with the almost-grass first, after being so rude to it earlier. He should probably be focusing on his opponent, anyway-- hey, what's he doing?

His eyes stinging a little (he hadn't managed to close them quickly enough to avoid all of the sand), Makuhita tears up some of the turf in front of him, punching at the thin layer of stone beneath to break it apart. This next move isn't really what he'd had in mind—an audience wouldn't be able to see what he's doing down there!—but he'll do his best. There'll be time for more spectacular attacks soon enough, he supposes, as he recalls the rest of his trainer's plan. It's not long before he's managed to make what seems like a sizeable hole for himself in the underlying soil and he dives into it headfirst, opening his eyes again once he's underground and tossing clumps of dirt behind him as he tunnels a short way across the field. Coming back up toward the surface, he readies himself for a split-second, envisioning how the crowd will cheer for him when he strikes, and then bursts straight up from the ground, slamming into Torchy and sending him tumbling a small distance away. Makuhita allows himself a grin. He'd like to take a moment to revel in his success, but Torchy's already getting to his feet and he knows he's got to be quick with his next attack. Drawing back his arm, he tenses and then hurtles toward his opponent, his fist hardening into steel as he goes. He holds back a bit so that he can aim properly, but it doesn't matter to him that the punch doesn't hit quite as hard as it could; when it lands, it shoves the wide-eyed Torchic straight into the hole from earlier, just as he'd wanted. Now that's more like it! Maybe now he can take some time to celebrate.

The small amount of confidence that Torchy's managed to build up is quickly fading away as he frantically glances around at his new surroundings. One moment he'd been up there, with nothing but the ominous, muffled sounds below to remind him that Makuhita was still around (much as he'd secretly hoped that his opponent was going to just dig his way out of the arena and leave him alone); the next, Makuhita had just exploded out of the ground and now he doesn't even get to be on a field of almost-grass anymore, he's stuck in this scary tunnel and maybe there's a monster down here and... Okay. Deep breaths. He's got commands to carry out and he really needs to stop losing his head! Calm down, he tells himself as sternly as he can manage. This tunnel's not that scary, it's not, there's light coming from the exits and if there was a monster he would see it and his trainer wouldn't let him get eaten by a monster, anyway, right? ... Right? Hopefully. Torchy takes a few unsteady steps closer to one of the exits, aiming for the light as best he can, and unleashes a spiraling stream of flame from his beak toward it. There! He fluffs up his wings a bit, drawing some comfort from the heat coming off of the attack. That should show that mean Makuhita.

But there are no sounds from above. Well, this is embarrassing. Now that he thinks about it, how could he have hoped to hit Makuhita with an attack from down here? He imagines his opponent holding back laughter at the sight of those useless flames bursting out of the tunnel. Now that is the last straw. Torchy's going to teach him a lesson, and luckily a good pecking is just what his trainer ordered. Running as fast as he can with his underdeveloped wings pinned at his sides, he makes for the hole he'd sent the Fire Spin out of and then hops the last of the way out of the tunnel, coming face-to-face with... an empty field. Huh. Where could the Makuhita have gone now? That puzzles him for a moment, before it occurs to him that maybe he'd gotten turned around in there. The Torchic spins around just in time to see Makuhita bringing his foot down on the ground, hard. The next moment the earth surrounding Torchy is buckling and then rising up in pillars of stone around him, scraping painfully at his sides. Torchy lets out a startled cry, pushing against the stones in a desperate bid to get away, but there's no way he can find through the rocks confining him and some of them are starting to collapse. But that's so not fair! He's already been suddenly attacked from below and shoved into a scary tunnel and now the sky is falling on him and this is just not a good day! When the shower of rubble seems to have ceased he tries to wriggle himself into a more comfortable position, his body responding more slowly from the injuries he's just received, and gives one of the rocks an indignant peck. Ow. Not trying that again. Well, hopefully his trainer will get him out of this scary rocky prison soon enough. Torchy's sure he'll know a way out!

Attacking from afar isn't Makuhita's favourite tactic, but he's got to admit that it sure seems to have served him well now. With Torchy enclosed by those rocks, it'll be way easier for everyone to focus on him! He can't help hoping that Torchy will get out of there soon, though; now that his eyes have stopped bothering him, he's ready for a real fight. This battle's only just gotten started, after all!


Negrek (2/2 left)

Makuhita ♂ @Chesto Berry
Ability: Guts
Health: 100%
Energy: 88%
Status: Hoping everyone's noticing how awesome he is.
Used: Dig (close eyes; attack) ~ Bullet Punch (into hole) ~ Rock Tomb

Anomaly 54 (2/2 left)

Torchy ♂
Ability: Blaze
Health: 79%
Energy: 94%
Status: Trying not to panic. Trapped by Rock Tomb. -1 Speed.
Used: Sand-Attack ~ Fire Spin (missed) ~ climb out of tunnel

Arena Status

• There's a large hole on Negrek's side of the field, connected to a similarly-sized hole on Anomaly 54's side of the field by a tunnel.
• Torchy is trapped in a rock tomb close to the hole on Negrek's side of the field.

Damage and Energy

• Makuhita's Health: 100%
• Makuhita's Energy: 100% - 5% (Dig) - 3% (Bullet Punch) - 4% (Rock Tomb) = 88%
• Torchy's Health: 100% - 12% (Dig) - 2% (Bullet Punch) - 7% (Rock Tomb) = 79%
• Torchy's Energy: 100% - 2% (Sand-Attack) - 2% (Fire Spin) - 2% (climb out of tunnel) = 94%

Notes

• I gave Makuhita a 50/50 chance of being able to close his eyes quickly enough to avoid all of the Sand-Attack; he couldn't, but since he was able to avoid some of it, the accuracy drop faded at the end of the third action.
• Bullet Punch did a little less because Torchy was already pretty close to the hole and might have overshot it if hit too hard.
• Since Makuhita dug down and resurfaced all in one action and wasn't specifically commanded to make the tunnel unusually steep or anything, it didn't seem too difficult for Torchy to get out of the hole when trying to use Peck. He'd just be sort of running at an upward angle instead of straight forward at his opponent like any other contact attack. He didn't have time to attack that action, though.
• Speed boosts/drops are ±10 to the Pokémon's base speed.
• Is the DQ time for this match seven days?
• Negrek posts first next round.

Yeah, DQ seven days.

Your description is good, but it's a bit meandering. The pokémon seem to have a lot of downtime between their attacks. Longer is not always better, here; you should be trying to convey the pokémon's personality through the way that they interact with one another on the field, not by fluffing things up much--the action should be staying front and center. Certainly readable, though.

Good call on letting Torchy out of the tunnel; I gave something of a gotcha command.

Damage and energy looks good, though I would've only taken one for the sand attack.

--

That's the way, Makuhita! Now, it's going to take some doing to get out of that tomb of yours, so let's take advantage and set up a sub unmolested. After that, focus punch if you think you can hit torchy with it and your sub is still around; otherwise, earthquake. We want to smash this stadium's floor up as much as possible.

Substitute (10%) ~ Focus Punch / Earthquake x2

Alright, Torchy. First we're gunna Dig our way out of that tomb. Once we're out, stand still, and launch Flamethrower at him, providing he tries to Focus Punch you. If he doesn't, Protect. Then, on action three, Flamethrower again or Aerial Ace if you just protected.

Dig (out of tomb) ~ Flamethrower/Protect ~ Flamethrower/Aerial Ace

Negrek (2/2 left)

Makuhita ♂ @Chesto Berry
Ability: Guts
Health: 100%
Energy: 88%
Status: Hoping everyone's noticing how awesome he is.
Commands: Substitute (10%) ~ Focus Punch/Earthquake ~ Focus Punch/Earthquake

Anomaly 54 (2/2 left)

Torchy ♂
Ability: Blaze
Health: 79%
Energy: 96%
Status: Trying not to panic. Trapped by Rock Tomb. -1 Speed.
Commands: Dig (out of tomb) ~ Flamethrower/Protect ~ Flamethrower/Aerial Ace


The last thing Torchy wants to do, having only just returned to the safety (well... sort of) of the almost-grass, is dig straight back under it, but then again, he would so love to get out of this scary Rock Tomb. It's a bit of a tight fit in here; with a little work, however, he maneuvers himself so that he can get at the ground with his beak and talons. He bets those rocks won't appreciate this (admittedly rather small) shower of dirt coming at them! Serves them right for being mean to him. Some scraping and pecking later, the Torchic hops reluctantly into the small hole he's made and continues his work underground, thankful that he's only got to burrow a short distance. He claws at the dirt, lengthening his tunnel until he thinks he's gone far enough, then begins to angle upwards, dislodging a couple of small rocks obstructing his path, until he can see a bit of light shining above him. Finally! It's only been a matter of seconds, but Torchy feels like he's been down here forever. Scrabbling more eagerly now for a foothold, he clambers the rest of the way out of the hole and is greeted by the sight of Makuhita apparently putting the finishing touches on some sort of... blob-thing, made up of bits of dirt and almost-grass. Torchy does not approve of the blob-thing. It's kind of creepy-looking, and he's had enough of creepy things today. Intent on his creation, Makuhita focuses some of his energy into a shining white orb that hovers in front of him for a second before being absorbed into the blob-thing, which turns pale and translucent and suddenly looks... a lot like Makuhita! Oh, no. Torchy digs his feet nervously into the ground. Now there are two of them!

Well, this is no good. This double of his, while not nearly as impressive-looking as himself, is sure to hog some of the attention that should be reserved for the real Makuhita! After all, he can't expect the fans to be well-acquainted enough with him to be able to tell the difference in his first battle. It does have its uses, though, he admits to himself as he concentrates his energy on his right fist, which begins to glow. Torchy won't be able to bother him for a while this way. Not that he's been doing much bothering, but it looks like he's going to give that a try now. The Torchic, glancing warily at his fist, grips the earth with his talons and takes a deep breath before unleashing a stream of searing orange-red flame toward him. Hah! Does he really expect it to be that easy to ruin his focus? Not worried in the slightest, Makuhita continues right on charging up his attack, and sure enough, his substitute faithfully leaps in front of him to take the Flamethrower in his place. Makuhita doesn't envy it at all—he can feel the intensity of the heat from where he is, and it proves to be too much for the substitute, which shudders and contorts briefly into a blackened, distorted likeness of himself before melting into an ashen puddle at his feet. It's rather unnerving, actually... But he doesn't have time to be dwelling on that. Averting his eyes from the charred remains, Makuhita springs forward at his opponent and slams his fist, driven by the energy he's been building up, powerfully into Torchy's side, sending the bird Pokémon flying back with a cry of pain. Smirking gleefully to himself, he replays that moment of impact again and again in his head, barely registering the Torchic's indignant squawks as he struggles to get back to his feet. Something about "mean" and "not fair". Doesn't the silly bird know he's in a battle, here?

Apparently Torchy remembers that pretty quickly, as he shoots Makuhita what he probably intends to be a fierce glare (the effect is rather ruined by the fact that he's trembling) and lets loose another blast of flame in his direction. This time there's nothing to take the hit for him, and Makuhita has just a moment to feel vaguely appreciative of his substitute's previous protection as he steps away instinctively from the heat before all his attention is taken up by his effort not to cry out as the flames surround him, scorching him and buffeting him backward. Thankfully they don't cause him any serious damage, and the pain soon mostly fades into a sense of accomplishment. This is the first time he's been hit in a real battle, and he weathered that attack like a pro! That's more than he can say about his opponent, that's for sure. It should be clear to everyone who the star of the show is. Just in case that isn't cemented in everybody's minds (though why that would be the case is beyond him), he decides that it'd be a good idea for him to show off a little more. So he stomps his foot hard on the ground, and it gives a satisfying shake.

Torchy can't repress a shudder as he sees Makuhita start to bring his foot down—bad things happened the last time he did that!—but there's nothing he can do before the earth beneath him begins to tremble and his opponent starts pounding it with his fists, sending out shockwaves that tear thin streaks through the immediately surrounding ground and cause the Rock Tomb he'd been trapped in earlier to collapse. The resulting tremors toss him up into the air, clawing in vain for something to hold on to, and the almost-grass doesn't do much to cushion the impact as he's battered against the unforgiving ground and it hurts and everything's still shaking and he's just thrown into the air again and ow, ow, he was so right to worry about this battle! It only lasts a few seconds, but again it feels like it's been ages and he wonders how he hasn't grown into an old Blaziken yet because hasn't this battle been long enough for that? It sure would be nice to be evolved right about now. Then he'd have arms to punch back with. Maybe he still needs to fight a bit harder for that to happen. He could do that! He could so, totally do that. If he can get up. Feeling newly inspired, Torchy concentrates on pushing himself into a standing position, stumbling a bit, and faces his opponent, preparing himself to unleash a mighty... ... ... oh. He doesn't know what he's supposed to be doing next, yet. Well, that's fine. He can be patient for a bit longer. He's already been here for hours and hours, after all.


Negrek (2/2 left)

Makuhita ♂ @Chesto Berry
Ability: Guts
Health: 79%
Energy: 69%
Status: Admiring the results of the Earthquake, quite pleased by his handiwork.
Used: Substitute (10%) ~ Focus Punch ~ Earthquake

Anomaly 54 (2/2 left)

Torchy ♂
Ability: Blaze
Health: 46%
Energy: 84%
Status: Eagerly awaiting his next commands, though he's starting to get tired. -1 Speed.
Used: Dig (out of tomb) ~ Flamethrower ~ Flamethrower

Arena Status

• There's a large hole on Negrek's side of the field, connected to a similarly-sized hole on Anomaly 54's side of the field by a tunnel. Part of the middle of the tunnel has fallen in.
• A smaller hole near the one on Negrek's side of the field leads to another tunnel that comes back to the surface a short distance away. The entrance on Negrek's side of the field is blocked by a caved-in Rock Tomb.
• The ground surrounding Makuhita and Torchy (near the center of the stadium) is covered in small cracks from the Earthquake.

Damage and Energy

• Makuhita's Health: 100% - 10% (Substitute) - 11% (Flamethrower) = 79%
• Makuhita's Energy: 88% - 5% (Substitute) - 8% (Focus Punch) - 6% (Earthquake) = 69%
• Makuhita's Substitute: 10% - 11% (Flamethrower) = 0%
• Torchy's Health: 79% - 18% (Focus Punch) - 15% (Earthquake) = 46%
• Torchy's Energy: 96% - 4% (Dig) - 4% (Flamethrower) - 4% (Flamethrower) = 84%

Notes

• The ground in the stadium doesn't seem like it'd be unusually hard or soft, so Earthquake just did the normal amount of damage.
• Dig took a little less energy because it was being used to escape the Rock Tomb without attacking.
• Anomaly 54 posts first next round.

Nice, Torchy. He's lost a bit of his health, and he doesn't have a substitute (thank the gods for Flamethrower)

Alright, here's what we're gunna do. First, we're going to use Flamethrower, unless he becomes unhitable (Substitute, Protect, Detect, ect), in which case use Sunny Day.

On the second turn, use Flamethrower again unless he's unhitable, in which case use Sunny Day if it hasn't been used or Agility if it has. (If he has a substitute, kill it).

For our third action, use Flamethrower if Sunny Day's up and Toxic if it isn't, unless he protects, in which case use Agility again.

Flamethrower/Sunny Day ~ Flamethrower/Sunny Day/Agility ~ Flamethrower/Toxic/Agility

Your description is still too wandering and repetitive for my taste, but all the important information is there. The numbers look fine; nail the next round, and you should be good to go.

And yeah, the DQ is seven days.

Okay, Makuhita, we're going to take this one nice and easy. Rain dance to put a damper on Torchy's flames, then get revenge for all those flamethrowers. That toxic won't be pleasant, but it'll do us a good turn in the long run. Once Torchy barfs it on you, express your gratitude with another earthquake.

Rain Dance ~ Revenge ~ Earthquake

Negrek (2/2 left)

Makuhita ♂ @Chesto Berry
Ability: Guts
Health: 79%
Energy: 69%
Status: Admiring the results of the Earthquake, quite pleased by his handiwork.
Commands: Rain Dance ~ Revenge ~ Earthquake

Anomaly 54 (2/2 left)

Torchy ♂
Ability: Blaze
Health: 46%
Energy: 84%
Status: Eagerly awaiting his next commands, though he's starting to get tired. -1 Speed.
Commands: Flamethrower/Sunny Day ~ Flamethrower/Sunny Day/Agility ~ Flamethrower/Toxic/Agility


Seeing that the coast is clear, Torchy hurries to stoke his internal flame, then waits until the smoke is spilling from the sides of his beak before breathing out another tongue of white-hot fire. The flames this time are particularly intense, so hot that the air a feather-length around them is visibly shimmering from the heat, and Torchy puffs out his chest with pride. He bets that if he wasn't built to withstand these kinds of temperatures, this attack would be burning his beak to ashes! The Makuhita, engulfed by the vicious, roaring flames, disappointingly does not burn to ashes, but he sure does seem to be having a hard time of it, hopping almost comically from foot to foot in what seems to be an effort to relieve the pain. Even after the last vestiges of fire have faded away he continues with odd, jerky movements that become less stiff and more... almost graceful as he goes, leaping and spinning back and forth across the field while Torchy just watches in bewilderment. He's been looking expectantly up at the sky, and now the Torchic follows suit, jumping back with a startled squawk as a fat raindrop lands on the tip of his beak from the ominous gray clouds that have been gathering overhead, blocking out the sun. A cool breeze ruffles his feathers uncomfortably, and he shudders. Makuhita just had to spoil his fun, didn't he?

Though his dance seems calm, Makuhita is seething on the inside, furious at Torchy for ruining the stoic image that he'd been working so hard on. He wonders if he could incorporate some sparring with an imaginary enemy into the dance to let off some of his frustration, maybe "accidentally" blunder into Torchy's path in the process, but the rain has already started falling cool and fast on his charred skin, so instead he slows to a stop, punctuating his last twirl with a punch at the air for good measure. Well, he can wait to give that Torchic a bit of what's coming to him. Revenge is a dish best served cold, his wise old karate master had once told him. Whatever that means. For now, he has a split-second to enjoy a bit of relief from the soothing rain on his wounds (it's a nice bonus that it doesn't seem to be making Torchy very happy, either) before his opponent sends yet another Flamethrower his way. Though the rain diminishes the size of the flames like he'd wanted, Makuhita quickly raises his hands to shield his face—he's not going to let that Torchic make him look so silly again!—and puts some extra effort into not letting his stoic expression waver even a tiny bit as the flames lick at his body for a short time before the rain puts them out. Hah! Torchy can't be nearly so happy about his flames now! Serves him right. Speaking of which... the rain has left Makuhita totally soaked by this point, and he can't help shivering a little bit—surely now it's cold enough for revenge? It's probably not going to be getting any colder, anyhow. The Makuhita gathers his energy and hurls himself forward at his opponent, bowling the surprised Torchic over with a forceful blow from one fist and then, because he just can't resist, sending him spinning away with the other.

Torchy winces as he faces his opponent again, his legs trembling and threatening to buckle beneath him until he gets them under control. Oh, he does so wish that these things would stop happening every time he starts to feel the tiniest bit confident about this battle! His inner reserve of extra fire energy has started coursing through him, and it seems a shame not to make use of it, but fire isn't serving him so well in this hateful rain; he should probably try a different tactic, though it's not going to be pleasant. The Torchic clacks his beak nervously, trying not to gag as a mixture of toxins and bile bubbles up at the back of his throat. Those red Pokéblocks he was once brave enough to try can't compare with this, not even close! Comforting himself with the knowledge that his opponent will like this even less than he does, he concentrates on infusing the substance with the vilest flavours he can imagine, and then coughs up the foul-smelling wad of vivid purple gunk in Makuhita's direction... he hopes. But the Toxic goes flying too far to the left, and instead lands on the almost-grass a few inches from Makuhita with a sickening splat. Gross. He'll have to make sure not to step in that.

Makuhita's not sure whether that Toxic missing him was to his advantage or Torchy's, but he can't be bothered to spare much thought for these things when major destruction's next on the menu. Training his eyes on Torchy, he slowly and deliberately lifts his foot—he's been noting his opponent's reactions when he does this, and they are all too amusing—and slams it into the ground, imagining the battlefield as a tiny city that he's been set to conquer (a tiny, empty city, of course). People go to watch those things at the movies, right? Now it's time for them to watch him! Stomp. The exhilarating shaking starts again all around him, and some of the previous cracks in the earth grow wider. And now the other foot. Stomp. And Torchy's helplessly slammed repeatedly against the ground again, his claws flailing about wildly in the air, and Makuhita can almost hear the dramatic music playing in the background... Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. He accompanies these with wide sweeping gestures of his arms, crushing dozens of imaginary Skitty-sized skyscrapers, as more jagged lines spread across the field. All too soon his foot starts to get tired and he comes to a stop, letting the tremors die down. The panting from the disheveled pile of feathers sitting across from him tells Makuhita that he hasn't finished dealing with the stubborn bird yet, but that's fine by him. He sure won't say no to another opportunity to show off!


Negrek (2/2 left)

Makuhita ♂ @Chesto Berry
Ability: Guts
Health: 53%
Energy: 52%
Status: Feeling like he could do this all day.
Used: Rain Dance ~ Revenge ~ Earthquake

Anomaly 54 (2/2 left)

Torchy ♂
Ability: Blaze
Health: 16%
Energy: 72%
Status: Slowly getting up again. Blaze activated. -1 Speed.
Used: Flamethrower ~ Flamethrower ~ Toxic (missed)

Arena Status

• There's a large hole on Negrek's side of the field, connected to a similarly-sized hole on Anomaly 54's side of the field by a tunnel. Part of the middle of the tunnel has fallen in.
• A smaller hole near the one on Negrek's side of the field leads to another, caved-in tunnel that comes back to the surface a short distance away. The entrance on Negrek's side of the field is blocked by a caved-in Rock Tomb.
• The ground surrounding Makuhita and Torchy is covered with cracks from the Earthquakes, some thin and some a bit wider now.
• The remains of a puddle of Toxic are lying not far from the battlers.
• It is raining, and will continue to do so for seven more actions.

Damage and Energy

• Makuhita's Health: 79% - 18% (Flamethrower) - 8% (Flamethrower) = 53%
• Makuhita's Energy: 69% - 5% (Rain Dance) - 6% (Revenge) - 6% (Earthquake) = 52%
• Torchy's Health: 46% - 15% (Revenge) - 15% (Earthquake) = 16%
• Torchy's Energy: 84% - 4% (Flamethrower) - 4% (Flamethrower) - 4% (Toxic) = 72%

Notes

• Torchy's first Flamethrower was a critical hit.
• Blaze came into effect after Torchy was hit by Revenge.
• Negrek posts first next round.

DQ warning for Negrek; 48 hours.

Looks good. You're approved.

It's a pity that toxic missed, Makuhita; it's going to take us a little longer to finish cleaning up. No big deal. Earthquake into feint; if Torchy protects or detects when you would have been 'quaking, take a catnap and push your orders back.

Earthquake / Rest ~ Feint / Earthquake / Rest x2

Ok, Torchy. First, Protect because Earthquakes hurt. Then, whilst he's sleeping, hit him with Aerial Ace. If he wakes up after Action 2, try to use Protect again. If he's still asleep, Flamethrower.

Protect - Aerial Ace - Flamethrower/Protect

Negrek (2/2 left)

Makuhita ♂ @Chesto Berry
Ability: Guts
Health: 53%
Energy: 52%
Status: Feeling like he could do this all day.
Commands: Earthquake/Rest ~ Feint/Earthquake/Rest ~ Feint/Earthquake/Rest

Anomaly 54 (2/2 left)

Torchy ♂
Ability: Blaze
Health: 16%
Energy: 72%
Status: Slowly getting up again. Blaze activated. -1 Speed.
Commands: Protect ~ Aerial Ace ~ Flamethrower/Protect


Ah, yes. This is just what Makuhita wanted. Can't make the audience wait too long for the sequel, after all, or they'll forget everything that's been going on! (The delicate intricacies of the plot in Makuhita's lastest—well, only—thriller are very, very important, of course.) Makuhita's all poised for another rampage through his imaginary city, but then he notices his opponent hastily throwing up some sort of see-through energy bubble and cowering inside it. Oh, come on. He was so, so ready for another round of shaking. Then again... it has been tiring him out somewhat, and he does want to be in peak condition so that he can put on his best show. The viewers could probably deal with a commercial break while he takes a little nap. Makuhita settles down on the grass, carefully placing his Chesto Berry in front of him, and closes his eyes, a faint blue light surrounding him as he focuses on speeding up his restorative processes. Letting the cool relief of the healing wash over him, he's tempted to just let himself fall into the trance completely so that there will be no interruptions to his performance later, but the smell of his Chesto Berry snaps him back to reality long enough for him to pick it up and pop it into his mouth. Ugh. It's too dry for his taste.

The berry has the desired effect, though, and he's soon alert and glancing around the battlefield again, noting that not much has changed in his brief absence except that Torchy has let down his transparent shield. Good. That means he'll be able to do some more quaking! It's strange that his little "rest" seems to have taken a lot out of him, but it's also healed up some of the burns on his skin, and he sure can't complain about that. As he's thinking this, his opponent rushes forward so abruptly that Makuhita can't even think about moving before Torchy's suddenly beside him, slashing up his side with a quick motion of his beak. Makuhita jumps back from the sharp pain, glaring at the Torchic for ruining his state of newfound calm. Oh, he's going to put some real fury into this next move...

Torchy nervously preens a feather into place, trembling. He doesn't like the look on that Makuhita's face one bit. Holding his breath, he hopes against hope that he's not going to make another Earthquake—he's not sure he has the strength left to survive another one of those—but that's exactly what happens; the Makuhita channels his force into the ground, pounding it alternately with his feet and fists. Abandoning his previous futile struggles, the Torchic resigns himself to just scrunching into a ball as best he can while being tossed again and again into the air, wondering with each painful thud to the ground if this time will be the last, but somehow, miraculously, he manages to hold on until the shaking finally ends. Lying bruised and battered on the grass, he can't muster the energy to pick himself up again, but simply summons up another protective shield to surround him where he is, too tired to feel anything except thankful that it creates a temporary barrier from the rain beating down on his feathers. The Makuhita darts toward him, making a move as if to strike his shield, and Torchy screws his eyes shut with dread in spite of his protective bubble... but nothing happens. Makuhita must have somehow missed. Well, there must be something wrong with his vision if he hadn't even noticed the shield. With a sigh of relief, Torchy releases his bubble, feeling vaguely grateful that he's managed to survive this round—and then Makuhita springs at him again, dealing a quick blow to his chest before jumping away. Now that was just... not fair... Weak as the attack is, it's too much for Torchy, and he's only dimly aware of the red light of the Poké Ball sent to recall him before his last efforts at clinging to wakefulness fail him.


Negrek (2/2 left)

Makuhita ♂
Ability: Guts
Health: 77%
Energy: 26%
Status: Victorious!
Used: Rest (eat Chesto Berry) ~ Earthquake ~ Feint

Anomaly 54 (1/2 left)

Torchy ♂
Ability: Blaze
Health: 0%
Energy: 64%
Status: Knocked out!
Used: Protect ~ Aerial Ace ~ Protect

Arena Status

• There are two tunnels near the middle of the field, both of which have fallen in enough to be rendered unusable.
• The ground around the middle of the stadium is covered with cracks from the Earthquakes.
• The remains of a puddle of Toxic are lying not far from the battlers.
• It is raining, and will continue to do so for four more actions.

Damage and Energy

• Makuhita's Health: 53% + 33% (Rest) - 9% (Aerial Ace) = 77%
• Makuhita's Energy: 52% - 17% (Rest) - 6% (Earthquake) - 3% (Feint) = 26%
• Torchy's Health: 16% - 15% (Earthquake) - 3% (Feint) = 0%
• Torchy's Energy: 72% - 2% (Protect) - 4% (Aerial Ace) - 2% (Protect) = 64%

Notes

• Torchy fainted at the end of the third action.
• Anomaly 54 sends out and post commands, then Negrek posts commands.

Damn, forgot he had the Chesto Berry :(

Alright, Lomm (Lotad), you're up.

And now we're going to avenge Torchy. First, Rain Dance, then Surf, then Surf again. If he protects/detects/is otherwise unhitable on the second or third turn, use Sword Dance instead.

Rain Dance - Surf/Swords Dance - Surf/Swords Dance

That's the way, Makuhita! Get ready for round two.

If that toxic puddle is still looking pretty goopy and nasty, I want you to scoop some of it up and fling it at Lomm. You get poisoned, Lomm gets poisoned--all upside, am I right? But if the rain's washed most of it out, wait until the lotad's done with his silly dance and banish the rain with sunny day.

Follow up with a double dose of revenge.

Fling (toxic) / Sunny Day ~ Revenge x2

Negrek (2/2 left)

Makuhita ♂
Ability: Guts
Health: 77%
Energy: 26%
Status: Victorious!
Commands: Fling (toxic)/Sunny Day ~ Revenge ~ Revenge

Anomaly 54 (1/2 left)

Lomm ♂
Ability: Swift Swim
Health: 100%
Energy: 100%
Status: Excited to have a new playmate. Swift Swim in effect.
Commands: Rain Dance ~ Surf/Swords Dance ~ Surf/Swords Dance


Makuhita surveys his new opponent as a circular pool opens up in the ground between them, pushing the cracks from his series of earthquakes outward. A Lotad, huh? Well, this could be difficult—it'll be a challenge for him to make pummeling that little leaf appear suitably impressive, but he'll do his best. The Lotad immediately begins hopping and twirling about in a style incredibly reminiscent of Makuhita's dance earlier, and Makuhita finds himself unable to do anything but stare in amazement, as a few extra rainclouds drift closer to join the ones that've already been gathered overhead. Could this be... his very first fan? He must've been watching him dance from inside his Poké Ball! Makuhita's so flattered, he nearly forgets to actually watch until the dance is almost over. Well, the Lotad's footwork is a bit off, certainly not up to his lofty standards. But Makuhita's generous. He'll give him another chance. So once his opponent comes to a stop he closes his eyes, picturing warm sunlight chasing away this cold and dreary (though wonderfully dramatic) rain, and soon enough the beating of raindrops on his skin slows and then stops altogether, to be replaced by the blazing heat of the sun. There! The stage is all set for a repeat performance. Maybe this time he'll even give Lomm a few pointers.

But the Lotad doesn't try to imitate Makuhita's dance again. Instead he fixes his gaze on the pool, his eyes glowing as he focuses on the surface to make a heap of water rise from it. The sun's unusual heat draws up some of the water suspended in the air, but there's still plenty left over that forms itself into a large wave, quickly approaching Makuhita and leaving him no hope of escape, though confusion and shock root him to the spot anyway. The wall of water crashes down on him, pulling him under and soaking his almost-dry skin once again, and he struggles to stay afloat until the water lessens its pull on him and starts to inch back towards the pool. Makuhita pushes himself back to his feet, coughing and spluttering. What was that for?! This is certainly not the way he expects to be treated by his fans! Breathing heavily, he sends his opponent a stern glare. Well, if that's how it is, he'll teach that rude little leaf a thing or two... Makuhita draws his arm back and leaps at the Lotad, knocking him over and striking him once with each fist as Lomm struggles to get away. He doesn't feel even the slightest bit of guilt over Lomm's cries of pain; you should treat your fans as they'd like you to be treated, after all. Or something like that. He can't remember the details.

Lomm tosses his opponent a resentful look as he squirms away from his reach. Gee, he didn't know Makuhita would get so angry over a simple wave... what is his problem? The Lotad shuffles around to get a better look. His opponent's seeming kind of tired, panting the way he is, and that's the excuse everybody uses when they don't want to play with him. This time Lomm's not going to stand for it. A load of water to the face ought to wake old Grouchy over there right up! The surface of the pool starts to stir again as he concentrates, building the water up into a massive wave, and then he sets his creation surging forth with his very best Lotad battlecry for extra effect. Makuhita's sucked right under, same as before, and Lomm can't help giggling at his opponent's pitiful efforts to keep his head above the water. When the water recedes, though, stuffy old Makuhita isn't looking any less uptight; with a cry of his own, he launches himself back at Lomm and punches him painfully to the ground, and then gives him a kick that sends him sprawling. Wow. Lomm whimpers to himself. Can Makuhita really not deal with a tiny bit of water? Well, if he's really not going to lighten up, Lomm's just going to have to step up his game a bit!


Negrek (2/2 left)

Makuhita ♂
Ability: Guts
Health: 61%
Energy: 9%
Status: Drenched and exhausted.
Used: Sunny Day ~ Revenge ~ Revenge

Anomaly 54 (1/2 left)

Lomm ♂
Ability: Swift Swim
Health: 70%
Energy: 88%
Status: A little disappointed. His opponent's such a bore.
Used: Rain Dance ~ Surf ~ Surf

Arena Status

• The ground around the pool is covered with cracks from the Earthquakes.
• The sun is shining brightly. (7 more actions)

Damage and Energy

• Makuhita's Health: 77% - 8% (Surf) - 8% (Surf) = 61%
• Makuhita's Energy: 26% - 5% (Sunny Day) - 6% (Revenge) - 6% (Revenge) = 9%
• Lomm's Health: 100% - 15% (Revenge) - 15% (Revenge) = 70%
• Lomm's Energy: 100% - 4% (Rain Dance) - 4% (Surf) - 4% (Surf) = 88%

Notes

• The Toxic puddle was indeed too dilute for Makuhita to use at this point.
• Negrek commands first.

Right on, Makuhita. Let's see how far we can take this.

You obviously need a break, so chill out for starters. After that, revenge if Lotad uses a damaging attack; chill if he doesn't. But if it starts raining, bring on the sun instead.

Chill ~ Revenge / Chill / Sunny Day x2

Ok, so, Lomm, we can't use rain and water moves seem pointless in the rain...

Swords Dance first, then Zen Headbutt, then SOLA BEEM because he did give us that sun :D

Sword Dance - Zen Headbutt - Solar Beam

GO!