Meursault vs. Keldeo

Meursault vs. Keldeo: Round 7


Ringi’s unconscious body disappears back into her Pokéball. Without a moment’s hesitation, Meursault selects another from the belt, releasing… Berlin, the Larvitar! Ah, he looks tough. I can tell this is going to be a close match. Last sendout, too, so I guess this is it: the final showdown! Best of luck to you both!


Audience Status:
Cheering for the newcomer. He seems to have won them over already! Audiences always like being acknowledged, I guess.

Arena Status:
Rain is pouring down (4 more actions). The tunnel is partly filled with water. Three 大 have been scorched into the grass near each other. An item pouch containing a Lucky Egg lies on the ground.


Kiel locks eyes with his new opponent, who is grinning menacingly at him from the other side of the arena. “Na, was haben wir denn hier?” says Berlin, cracking his knuckles.

“I – I think he’s Dutch, boss!” Kiel turns to his trainer. “What do I do?”

“To defeat Larvitar, you must become Larvitar,” Keldeo replies, stroking her chin sagely.

Berlin’s grin twists into a seething frown. “I am not Dutch, Schweinhund!”

“Then I’m not Dutch either!” Kiel mimics his frown. “And you’re a Schweinhund!”

With a mighty battle cry, Berlin charges, fists clenched and glowing with energy. Kiel immediately raises his bladed arms as a shield in front of him; undeterred, Berlin throws a barrage of punches at the blades, each hit forming a fresh layer of solid rock on his knuckles. “You think those kitchen knives are going to stop me?” he snarls, punctuating his words with more punches. “Pain only makes me stronger!”

Kiel grits his teeth and absorbs the blows as best he can, taking the opportunity to study his opponent’s technique. Low stance, strong and direct strikes, aggressive… very unlike his own style, but it should be possible to imitate. “In that case”, he retorts, “pain only makes me stronger too!” Before the next punch can connect, he intercepts it with his left blade – ignoring the aching burn – and pushes Berlin away. “Ich bin ein Berliner!” he screams, then pounces head first, slamming his crest blade hard into Berlin’s chest. The tackle sends them both tumbling into a puddle of dirty rainwater.

Kiel barely manages to clamber to his feet before Berlin leaps at him again, swinging his fists in a flurry. Kiel deflects blow after blow, but the Larvitar’s sheer muscle is beginning to overwhelm him – thin cracks are already forming on his arms, deepening with each jab. Fortunately, Berlin seems to be tiring too; at last, he backs off, panting heavily. “Not bad”, he says, rubbing his hardened knuckles. “But let’s see how you deal with an Earthq – “

“Gewesen in der Wasser wisse!” Kiel roars, charging at full speed with his head lowered. Berlin is caught off guard by the bull rush – this time the blade strikes him right in the face and cuts an ugly gash across his cheek, and the impact slams him into the mud, knocking the wind out of him.

“Örgh…” he groans.

“Örgh”, says Kiel. “Ööörgh. I think I’ve got his accent down, boss!”

Keldeo gives a thumbs-up.


Audience Status:
Many oohs and aahs this round! Nothing beats a good old-fashioned smackdown. Berlin’s chain punching seems quite popular – it’s a visually impressive technique, though perhaps not too deadly in practice. And those headbutts? Priceless.

Arena Status:
Rain is pouring down (1 more action). The bottom of the tunnel is filled with water. Three 大 have been scorched into the grass near each other. An item pouch containing a Lucky Egg lies on the ground.

Calculations:

Other Notes:

• Whew! I was able to squeeze in some reffing time in-between exams, so here you go. The next one will probably be in two weeks at least. Feel free to get an e-ref if you don’t feel like waiting around for me.
• I don’t speak German either, but I’ve never let that stop me before and I sure as hell ain’t gonna let it stop me now! Gewesen!
• Role Play is actually not blocked by Protect/Detect. It ended up not being relevant this time, but it can be good to know.
• Meursault commands first next round.

... oooooh, that is inconvenient. Salvageable, though. open with a Taunt, unless you've already been Taunted (in which case, Earthquake). If Kiel protects this action, use Rock Polish. Second action, if Kiel is levitating, use Brick Break, or dig down if you used Earthquake last action. Otherwise, Earthquake. End by Digging back up if you're underground, Earthquaking if you didn't last action or there's a Sub up, and Kiel isn't levitating, or with a Brick Break otherwise.

Taunt/Earthquake/Rock Polish ~ Earthquake/Brick Break/Dig (down) ~ Earthquake/Brick Break/Dig (up)

Okay! Don't let this go to your head, Kiel, and I'm certainly not trying to bite your head off about it, but if you had failed to make that timely flinch we'd have our heads in much deeper water right now. As it is, off the top of my head, we can head on without too much head-to-head conflict, which is fine by me. We're heading to the head of the battle now and they're slightly ahead in numbers, so it's more important than ever to keep a level head, alright? Get it into that poser's head that there's no head to be had with a few Iron Heads - but it's on your head to first make a small substitute to head off their attacks, minimizing the chance we'll head into a fall and lose our heads next round.

In any case: this round, I bet heads will roll.

Substitute (10) ~ Iron Head ~ Iron Head

Meursault vs. Keldeo: Round 8


“Come on, MD! What’s taking you so long?” Keldeo taps her foot impatiently.

“Just a minute, guys”, I say, not looking up from my binoculars. “You might wanna take a look at this.”

“What is it?”

“Here, look.” I point towards the stands and hand the binoculars over to Meursault and Keldeo, who peek into one telescope each.

Up there, a small group of people dressed in ominous black robes enter the stadium, shoving people aside as they make their way towards the seats. They wave large signs with letters painted in green and blue; one has the letters ‘B.O.F.A.’ crudely drawn on it, while another reads ‘YOU’LL MCFREAKIN LOSE IT’.

“Hmm.” Meursault scowls. “Looks like the Order of the Undying Meme.”

“You know them?” Keldeo asks.

“… You could say that. They keep to themselves. I haven’t seen them around in a long while – not since that time they were recruiting for the Skeleton War.”

I rub my chin in contemplation. “Maybe they’re up to something. What’s ‘B.O.F.A.’ stand for?”

“Well, it’s…” Meursault clears her throat. “We can talk about this later. Focus on the battle for now.”

“You got it!” I ring the bell excitedly. “Round 8, begin!”


Audience Status:
The mysterious robed figures have squeezed themselves into the back of the stands, waving their big signs around. Everyone near them seems uncomfortable, but fortunately, most of the spectators are too busy watching the battle to even notice.

Arena Status:
Rain is pouring down (1 more action). The bottom of the tunnel is filled with water. Three 大 have been scorched into the grass near each other. An item pouch containing a Lucky Egg lies on the ground.


Kiel digs his hands deep into the rain-soaked turf, pulling up clumps of grass and gobs of wet earth and gathering them into a pile. Soon he has collected a sizeable mound of clay; he sets to work giving it shape, meticulously patting and cutting it into a vaguely humanoid form. Meanwhile, the dark rainclouds hanging overhead dissipate and float away, one by one.

Berlin watches Kiel toil away from his side of the arena, a sneer on his face. “That’s the shittiest Substitute I’ve ever seen!” he scoffs.

“Whatever. I’ve only got one good hand”, Kiel replies without looking up.

“You’ve got no good hands, from the looks of it.”

Kiel mutters something under his breath and continues working. Just as the last raindrops fall, he finishes his sculpture: a hideous mockery of a Pawniard, with grotesque lumps instead of blades and a molten mess of a face. He puts his hand to it and imbues it with some of his energy. At first, nothing happens; but then the Substitute suddenly quivers to life and takes its first wobbly steps forward. It cranes its misshapen head, taking in its surroundings.

“Ha! I guess it does look kind of like you, Kartoffelkopf!” Berlin chuckles.

”That’s enough!” Kiel screams. “I’ve just about had it with you!”

“Go on then, junior. I’m right here.”

The Substitute, noticing its opponent, twists awkwardly to face him. “Why…?” it croaks. “Why am I alive…?”

“Uh…” Berlin hesitates. “That’s tough, man. I don’t – “

Before he can finish, Kiel pounces at him, blades glinting in the sun. The sudden attack catches Berlin off-guard. He tries to duck, but is too late; the head blade strikes him right in the forehead, slicing a bleeding gash into his rocky hide. He stumbles backwards, clutching his wound and struggling to regain his balance. Stars burst before his eyes and his ears ring – the blow must have concussed him badly. He makes a desperate attempt to stamp out an Earthquake in retaliation, but he can barely orient himself, let alone find his footing. Just as he is about to fall over, something grabs him. He comes face to face with Kiel, who is lifting him up by the shoulders.

“Call me that thing again,” Kiel says. “I dare you.”

“You…” Berlin coughs. “You don’t even know what Kartoffelkopf means…”

Without missing a beat, Kiel slams his head blade hard into Berlin’s wound, making him howl with pain.

“I know what that means.” He hurls Berlin away. “Your move, kerfufflecup.”

Berlin wipes the blood from his forehead and takes a deep breath. His head is pounding, but he knows he has to strike back now, or he might not get another opportunity. He plants his feet firmly in the ground, then stomps down as hard as he can. Instantly, a large crack opens beneath his foot, rapidly spreading across the arena. The earth begins to tremble violently, throwing Kiel off his feet – the Substitute reacts immediately, leaping with surprising speed to catch its master as he falls and hoisting him up on its shoulders. The entire stadium is quaking now, tossing about hapless spectators and trainers alike. The Substitute’s legs crumble away underneath it, but its soft body cushions Kiel from the worst of the tremors.

By the time the earthquake finally dies down, the Substitute has been reduced to a barely recognizable hunk of dirt. What’s left of its body finally falls apart, leaving Kiel sitting in a pile of rubble – unharmed. From across the arena, Berlin glares at him, massaging his injured head...


Audience Status:
Oh boy! An honest-to-goodness Earthquake! How exciting! And that was some seriously impressive headbutting, too – it’s not every day you get to see a critical flinch! No wonder people are excited. It looks like this battle can only end one way… or can it?

Arena Status:
Utterly ruined. The tunnel has caved in, and the rest of the arena is all cracked and upturned. An item pouch containing a Lucky Egg lies on the ground, somehow unscathed.

Calculations:

Other Notes:

• I’m really sorry about the late reffing! First I had exams and then I’ve been busy hosting ultraviolet, so I haven’t really had much time to sit down and write…
• Keldeo commands first next round.

Probably one of the best outcomes we could have hoped for! Iron Head away. If you can't do that for any reason, one-action Dig (don't dodge and attack, just do it as quickly as possible) and use Grass Knot if you can't do either of those. If he protects, detects, endures, or has a substitute, just use the strongest move you can (Iron Head > Dig > Grass Knot in this respect.) If he somehow digs down before you can move, follow him into the hole.

Iron Head / Dig (one action) / Grass Knot x3

I know that Meursault has posted in the Absence Sheet, so this is just a gentle reminder: it's your turn to post!

It's been two days, and Meursault's Absence Sheet post is in fact expired, so here's a final DQ warning: you have 24 hours to post commands! (I feel weird about disqualifying my mentoring referee, but I don't want to hog one of Keldeo's battle slots, so...)

Meursault vs. Keldeo: End


The robed strangers continue to wave signs and chant incomprehensible slogans, their shouting growing increasingly loud and bothersome. "Something's not right", Meursault mutters from behind the binoculars. "I need to go up there and check."

"Now?" I raise an eyebrow. "You haven't given your orders yet, you know!" I glance at my watch. "I realize these people are troublemakers, but - "

"I'll be quick." Meursault shoves the binoculars into my hands. "Just give me a minute."

Keldeo and I watch her leave through the nearest exit, disappearing up the stairs inside the stadium. Minutes pass. Nothing seems to happen. Finally, the boisterous strangers quieten down, a handful of them discreetly sneaking out through the upper exit. Yet no sign of Meursault.

"We should follow", says Keldeo, tugging on my sleeve. "I don't know what's going on here, but maybe something bad has happened."

"Hmm." I shift uncomfortably. "Perhaps, but we've got to do something about, you know, this." I gesture towards the center of the arena, where Kiel is eagerly honing his blades and Berlin is rubbing his bleeding forehead, both of them staring expectantly at us. "Shall I...?"

"Yeah." Keldeo nods. "Just do it. We'll sort out the details later."

"If you're sure." I shrug and ring the boxing bell. "Meursault is disqualified! Keldeo wins!"


Meursault is disqualified, leaving Keldeo as the winner and signifying the end of my first day on the job! As specified, Keldeo gets $20, Meursault gets $10, and I myself earn a whopping $15. Enough for dinner and a cab ride home, I suppose. As far as I know, the Database calculates reward money manually, so you might have to poke someone to get the correct amount. Now let's go find out what's really happening here...

Oh, that's a shame. Thank you for a great game, though, Meursault, and congratulations again on becoming a ref, MD!