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Welcome to The Cave of Dragonflies forums, where the smallest bugs live alongside the strongest dragons.
Guests are not able to post messages or even read certain areas of the forums. Now, that's boring, don't you think? Registration, on the other hand, is simple, completely free of charge, and does not require you to give out any personal information at all. As soon as you register, you can take part in some of the happy fun things at the forums such as posting messages, voting in polls, sending private messages to people and being told that this is where we drink tea and eat cod.
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Some have chosen to believe that numbers lie at the center of the world. The essence that defines all reality, instead of the numbers being the human definition of reality. Deep down, everything is a number, a quantity. And every quantity is ordered, understood, has a place somewhere, somehow. This is where that happens.
A foreboding oak desk sits in the middle of a closed office. Creaking bookshelves line the beige walls, serving as stands for watching books, their sole purpose to gather dust. Until now. The owner of the room, the books, and the desk of knotted wood, seems to be missing. The carpet is a fine green felt, whose bristles are thick enough to cause a bit of light tickling on whoever sets foot on it. Stacks of unused papers rise up from the floor, beside empty trays discarded from their perch on the desk. The desk itself is covered by a mess of papers, each filled to the margins with scribbled numbers. A lamp sits drooping on a board of dark green, beside an unfinished paper and a dry quill lounging in an ink pot. The drawers are too heavy to pull, but a faint rustle suggests there is paper inside. There is a triangular name-holder facing the locked door. It reads:
The Number Keeper.
When the battle begins each trainer sends out one Pokemon in the normal fashion, but without giving orders. The referee then produces three sets of three random moves each for the Pokemon (from their respective movepools) and posts them in the thread. Note that each Pokemon must get three different moves in one set, but the sets may repeat moves in other sets. [hide=For example:] Frog the Croagunk:
Strength ~ Thunder Punch ~ Venoshock
Work Up ~ Sludge Wave ~ Thunder Punch
Spite ~ Drain Punch ~ Protect
[/hide]
The battlers then PM the referee which one of the three command sets they want their Pokemon to use for that round. While the move sets cannot be detracted from, the battlers may mention to the referee how they want the Pokemon to move about the battlefield or how they want a certain move executed.
For the purposes of this battle, there is no regard for the speed stat. For the first round the referee will do a coin flip on which Pokemon moves first (and this means they will move first on every action of that round), which then alternates every round.
At the end of every third round the Pokemon swap movepools.
Energy costs for all moves with fixed energy costs are halved, rounded up.
Gutterspout the male Gligar <Hyper Cutter> @ Razor Fang Madeline the female Skorupi <Battle Armor> @ Lucky Egg Coulomb the male Pikachu <Static> @ Light Ball Rathian the female Noibat <Infiltrator> @ Lucky Egg Littlefoot the male Amaura <Refrigerate> @ Never-Melt Ice Faraday the genderless Magnemite <Magnet Pull> @ Lucky Egg Frog the male Croagunk <Anticipation> Cutman the male Pawniard <Defiant> @ Lucky Egg Jerome the male Swablu <Natural Cure> @ Sachet Aries "The Ram" Ram the female Cottonee <Prankster> @ Sun Stone
Superbird's active squad
Firestrike the male Combusken <Blaze> @ King's Rock Gorouna the female Graveler <Sturdy> @ Eviolite Koiquen the female Gyarados <Intimidate> @ Weakness Policy Drilbud the female Ferroseed <Iron Barbs> @ Moon Stone Jonathan the male Togepi <Serene Grace> @ Soothe Bell Quabbel the male Frillish <Cursed Body> @ Leftovers Deru the female Houndour <Flash Fire> @ Sachet Megabird the male Rufflet <Sheer Force> @ Lucky Egg Bill the male Quilladin <Bulletproof> @ Shell Bell Effie the female Wailmer <Oblivious> @ Leftovers
Turn Order:
-TtC sends out
-Superbird sends out
-I post command sets (and possibly reveal who's going first, or do I coinflip at the beginning of the round?)
-You PM me your commands
-math?!
Yeah you should reveal who's going first when you post command sets. But if Birdy wants it at the beginning of the actual round, I don't mind since it could be cool and random and stuff.
I agree with the who's going first probably coming with the command sets, as that could influence how we use various moves.
Speaking of which, does priority override the "who's going first" command? As in, if Cutman were to go first, but ended up using a lower-priority move, would Effie end up moving first?
Alright, Cutman's up first this round! I'm guessing the answer to Superbird's question is no, based on "(and this means they will move first on every action of that round)", but TTC is free to contradict me. Also, since it might end up mattering this round, are two-turn moves forced into one action?
I agree with the who's going first probably coming with the command sets, as that could influence how we use various moves.
Speaking of which, does priority override the "who's going first" command? As in, if Cutman were to go first, but ended up using a lower-priority move, would Effie end up moving first?
EDIT: Also, while we're here. I guess you can order whether or not a semi-invulnerable move like Dive or Dig will last for one action or two, but no more than that.
It could be the start of a bad joke: two trainers and a ref walk into a bar. It isn't, though, because this dingy bar, in the gray-but-just-shy-of-illegal area of league-sanctioned businesses, contains not only various overpriced drinks but also an assortment of trainerless Abra and Zorua constantly teleporting in and out with flashes of blue light, some with people in ow. "Jake's" has so far managed to draw a sizable crowd from the users of Asber's holodrome by allowing for the Pokemon within each fragile illusive arena to access techniques they couldn't normally perform, as well as control certain aspects of the world around them—for a price, of course. The referee hails a pair of currently free Pokemon, who offer cheerful reassurances to the somewhat dubious battlers before linking arms with them and closing their eyes in concentration. Soon, the fabric of space seems to warp and twist, the rowdy bar transforming into a spacious, official-looking room decorated in drab shades of tan and oliveish green.
The trainers' mere arrival is enough to stir up billowing clouds of dust and send a few digit-filled sheets of parchment flying, and the vaguely ominous floor-to-ceiling bookshelves make the people and Pokemon seem minuscule by comparison. The Zorua snickers, cloaks himself in Dark energy, and exits the illusion, and the Abra floats over to a shelf in the corner of the room, pulling out and examining an ancient edition of some forgotten text that surely laid some foundation for modern discoveries and theories (or maybe she just likes looking at random old books, who knows?) At a wave of the referee's flags, the trainers release their Pokemon: Superbird decides on a sanguine Wailmer clutching a bag of apples, who flaps her fins enthusiastically and appears delighted to be in such a strange place, while TruetoCheese's Pawniard, Lucky Egg secured around his neck, appears with blades drawn, surveying the dusty books, papers, and carpet with a slight air of distaste before turning towards his opponent. The referee raises her flags, and pairs of glowing green numbers pop into existence over the Pokemon's heads as they prepare for battle. (Well, at least Cutman does. Effie leaps into the air in an attempt to do something to the numbers. They move with her, though, and she succeeds only in banging her head on the ceiling, sending flakes of ceiling-material fluttering down. Man, why aren't more places Wailmer-friendly?)
TruetoCheese (Ooo) Cutman (m) <Defiant> @ Lucky Egg
Health: 100%
Energy: 100%
Currently: A little daunted, but eager to get started.
Commands: Payback ~ Attract ~ Poison Jab
Superbird (Ooo) Effie (f) <Oblivious> @ Leftovers
Health: 100%
Energy: 100%
Currently: Has accidentally knocked down a few books already…
Commands: Blizzard ~ Water Spout ~ Bounce
Round 1
As soon as the round begins, Cutman is seized with a sudden pang of bitterness and rage. Before he has time to process the emotion, he feels the need to do something—are these the effects of the arena at work? Almost unconsciously, black energy begins sparking and dancing over his blades, and he takes a running leap, planning to swipe at Effie twice, but hesitates over his strange emotions for a split second. The Pawniard quickly resolves himself, but it's already almost too late and he only manages to deal a gashing blow to one of his opponent's fins as he begins to fall. Effie howls as the darkness eats away at her exposed skin, expanding fractally from Cutman's point of contact, but both of them know the attack isn't what it could have been. Already regretting his moment of uncertainty, Cutman grimaces, still instinctively landing in a defensive position fit for examining the scene. Interestingly, one of the numbers over her head has decreased slightly...
Effie chomps righteously on an apple, hissing through her teeth as the wound prickles a little. She is very miffed at this dreadful incursion. One, she's Effie the Stormbringer, Bringer of Storms, and two, that attack was really rude! The Wailmer quickly consults herself on this pressing matter. Say, Internal Voice #2, what type of storm should we summon today? she thinks, and replies, "Well, Internal Voice #1, I think a winter storm would surely be just desserts." I think so too, Internal Voice #2. "I'm glad we're in agreement, Internal Voice #2." And indeed, a sphere of whirling icy wind is already forming in front of Effie, ready to smite Cutman horribly with frost the off-white color of clouds and howling whirlwinds borne of stormy sleet-battered ocean froth on an overcast day, or something like that. With a great yell, she looses the frosty off-white cloudy howling whirlwinds borne of overcast stormy sleet-battered ocean froth in one magnificent blast, the chilling Ice energy she's built up backed by said howling whirlwinds. But her target leaps nimbly out of the focused beam's way, and the howling winds impact the Abra from Jake's instead, encrusting both her and the book she'd been reading in a solid layer of ice. Effie breathes slowly out, more frustrated that she (Effie the Stormbringer! Bringer of Storms!) missed than worried about the Abra.
Swiping a few stray crystals of ice off his shoulder, Cutman shudders at the thought of being hit full-on by an attack like that—he could feel the cold from here! How is a Pokemon that can do that even safe?!—before composing himself. If he can't out-damage Effie, maybe he'll be able to win her over. Forcing himself to adopt a more friendly affect, he walks up to the Wailmer, stares up at her, and waves his arms wildly in what he hopes is an appropriately enthusiastic and seductive manner, before remembering that he has sharp things for hands and the gesture might thus be mistaken for one of belligerence. He drops his arms to his side, but maybe that's too official?
Trying to relax, he yells, "Hey!" up at Effie. Okay, Cutman, you can do this. Stay calm, and compliment her personality and… and battle prowess. With friendly words that show her how friendly you are. "You're nice", it's only two words—well, two and a half—and you can do this. He glances back at the trainers. Are they judging me? "You're, uh," Wait, can she hear me? Do I need to say it louder? …Don't make her mad. Don't think about the Blizzard, don't think about the Blizzard, don't think about the Blizzard. "you're ice—I mean, your ice, er, that is to say, your eyes, um," Positive, friendly adjectives. "very nice." Oh man, they're definitely judging me. Alright, deep breath, you're okay, you can still salvage this. Suggest a shared activity to further the relationship and your bonding. "H-hey, after—" this battle? No, don't emphasize that we're opponents… "after this thing," Vague, but informal, so good. Maybe. Her eyes are narrower, is that a good thing? "d'you want to go out and—" cut up some grass together? Probably not. Infiltrate rival Pawniard gangs, I don't think so. Subsume metal through our claws, definitely no… What do Wailmer like? "get water together?" Good. Keep going, another compliment, don't mess it up this time. "I really like your, uh, characteristics." Amazing, Cutman. Absolutely splendid. No noticeable change in her numbers either, darn it. Effie turns down towards him as well as she can, looking unimpressed. Okay, mission failed, abort attempt, don't provoke the angry storm monster…
Cutman grins and waves a little goofily while painstakingly backing away, but he isn't fast enough to escape the fountain of water that sprays out of Effie's blowhole. The Pawniard tries to stand his ground, but the sheer force of the pressurized stream drives him back into the wall, pushing his blades into a pair of innocent books. Once Effie's attack finally finishes, Cutman gingerly yanks his claws out and sighs. How did I think that was in any way a good idea? …Either way, not gonna try that again. The Pawniard looks back at his trainer, who makes a very violent motion with one clenched fist. He furrows his figurative brow before realizing what TruetoCheese means. A status ailment, obviously! Spirits heightened a little, Cutman hawks up a comically large blob of bubbling poisonous goop before smearing it all over his blades… wait, where did that connection come from? Eeeh, that's creepy. Ignoring what he thinks is probably the arena again, he leaps onto Effie's fin and hacks at the scar his Payback left, making a few respectable new cuts and smothering the toxic liquid all over the Wailmer's skin before she manages to shake him off. The Pawniard hits the ground with an "oof," but he's still smiling when he stands—the poison's seeped into Effie's body, turning her numbers a dark purple.
Feeling suddenly dizzy, Effie groans and presses a fin to her stomach. First that Pawniard attacks her, then he offers for them to get drinks? And now he's attacked her again with some sort of poison! What with her luck, it's probably one of those exotic unknown-to-modern-science painless symptomless fast-acting neurotoxins you see in movies… Well, turnabout is fair play, as they say. Letting out a hiss of pain, the Wailmer surrounds herself with the Energy of the Storm and pushes herself off the carpet with her fins, aiming to arc over the frozen Abra and hit Cutman square on the face. The Pawniard sees the airborne Wailmer coming too late, and she's too large for him to dodge. Effie lands squarely on Cutman, releasing a flurry of Flying energy to boot, before rolling off the stunned Pawniard, satisfied with her results.
TruetoCheese (Ooo) Cutman (m) <Defiant> @ Lucky Egg
Health: 80%
Energy: 94%
Currently: Feeling more intimidated by the second, though unsure whether it's Effie or the arena causing that.
Commands: Payback ~ Attract (failed) ~ Poison Jab
Superbird (Ooo) Effie the Stormbringer, Bringer of Storms (f) <Oblivious> @ Leftovers
Health: 83%
Energy: 86%
Currently: Nauseous, but looking forward to another round like this one. Poisoned (moderate: 2% damage/action.)
Commands: Blizzard (missed) ~ Water Spout ~ Bounce (one action)
Field Notes
-Many books have been knocked down, loosing flurries of dust.
-A large pool of water around Cutman is soaking into the carpet, leaving the area wet to the touch.
-The Abra from Jake's and her book are encased in a solid layer of ice, which is slowly melting.
-There is a dent in the ceiling directly above Effie.
Action Notes
-Poison Jab was a critical hit and moderately poisoned Effie.
-Attract failed because of Effie's Oblivious.
-Water Spout's power was 14%.
-Bounce's final damage was reduced slightly because Wailmer is so large that Effie wouldn't be able to reach the height necessary for a full-powered attack.
-Effie will be moving first next round.
-Cutman and Effie will next swap movepools after round 3.
I'd forgotten about that, but I will in the future. Since Attract's cost could have been reduced by STAB, I didn't halve it (unless it counts under that rule?)
I'd forgotten about that, but I will in the future. Since Attract's cost could have been reduced by STAB, I didn't halve it (unless it counts under that rule?)
Ah I thought power meant the final damage, derp. And yeah everything with a fixed energy cost in the db counts (though things like Venoshock on a poisoned mon would halve it's poisoned energy cost). Basically anything that doesn't have the * on its energy cost in the db gets it halved, regardless of move.
Field Notes
-Many books have been knocked down, loosing flurries of dust.
-A large pool of water around Cutman is soaking into the carpet, leaving the area wet to the touch.
-The Abra from Jake's and her book are encased in a solid layer of ice, which is slowly melting.
-There is a dent in the ceiling directly above Effie.
Round 2
As the referee brings her flags down once more, Effie is seized with the desire to vent her frustrations, on both Cutman and the office. Seriously, how does whoever owns this place cope? Musty bookshelves and random math worksheets and whatnot all around the room—this Number Keeper character might have number sense but, in her opinion, lacks any sense of organization!—and it's so small! The Wailmer takes a deep breath and opens her mouth wide, about to unleash a Storm of Words, but then she sees her opponent staring up at her, a vaguely fearful expression on his face. Her first thought is that there might be an apple piece in her teeth (the horror!) but then the strange being fueling her righteous anger transforms this thought into some more righteous anger. Is Cutman judging her?! Effie takes an even deeper breath, ignoring how it sends a twinge of pain through her still-sore stomach, and wails to the heavens as loudly as she can. Supplemented with Normal energy, the shrill sound waves send Cutman and the various implements flying around the room like leaves in a windstorm, tossing them to and fro and even shredding some of the older, more fragile papers. The Pawniard's screams are drowned out by the sheer volume of Effie's shout, as well as the three or four flying papers covering his mouth—he feels as if his eardrums are rupturing, and he doesn't even have ears! (For their part, the trainers and referee have all put on league-standard noise-cancelling headphones, to avoid the chance of one of their eardrums rupturing, whereas the Abra from Jake's has managed to free one of her arms from the chunk of ice with a blast of elemental energy and seems to be reading her book one-handed while maintaining a Psychic dome to shield herself from the attack.)
The shout finally stops when Effie's opponent has been pinned to the far wall by the force of her shriek, papers whirling around him; he falls almost in slow motion to the ground, wincing, and the Wailmer smiles as the last few sheets flutter to the ground. Obviously, she should start an amusement park: Stormbringer Effie's Park of Storms! So many of her moves would be great as rides, and they even have themed names already, like the Hyper Voice, or the Aqua Ring, or the Fissure… okay, maybe not the Fissure. Effie is so absorbed in her entrepreneurial thoughts that she doesn't notice Cutman sneaking up on her, camouflaged with a drab beige energy. The tan morphs into a dark gray as Cutman leaps up and slashes at her fin again, causing Effie to jump backwards and hit her head on the ceiling, startled.
But as soon as she recovers her wits, the Wailmer surrounds herself in a grayish-purple aura that writhes and twists around her like it's made of snakes. Unsettled, Cutman slowly backs away from his opponent until he hits the bookshelf, raising his blades in hopes of guarding himself from whatever Effie might try. But he's not prepared for the Wailmer to leap forward at him with a maniacal grin, phantasmic serpents trailing behind her, and scream "BOOHOOFISH!" before backing off and breaking into a laughing fit. Cutman is so unnerved and confused by this display that he barely notices when one of the snakes lashes out, dealing a light blow to his forearm before dissipating with the rest of its brethren.
By the time he remembers that he's supposed to be battling, not puzzling out whatever "boohoofish" could mean, Effie is already in motion again. Overwide grin still plastered on her face, the Wailmer bounces up and down and from side to side so quickly that her form starts to blur before Cutman's eyes as she races through the room, going faster than anything the Pawniard has seen before. Settling into a defensive position, Cutman blinks a few times and glances away, trying not to strain his eyes tracking Effie's motions, but when he looks back, three identical Wailmer and sets of glowing numbers are squished into place between him and the far wall, trapping him against the oak desk and its blown-over piles of papers. The Effies swagger at him triumphantly in unison before taking out their apple pouches (in unison) and biting down on three identical apples (in unison.) Cutman shakes his head, trying to dispel the illusion, but the motion doesn't bring any new perspective to the table: he's going to have to use trial and error for this one… or is he?
After a minute's thought, Cutman grins and unsheathes his blades before moving into the small space between the two left Wailmer—might as well take a page from Effie's book, too, while he's at it. They squirm and try to back away but find themselves already wedged against the wall and desk. Meanwhile, Cutman positions himself for his next attack, both blades out and extended, and takes a running start before leaping up, giving a cry of "FOR BOOHOOCHESS!" and starting a midair spin. His foot and one claw pass through the leftmost Wailmer, revealing it as a clone, before his rotation takes those same limbs into the middle one, who's too surprised by the unconventional maneuver to dodge. Though his attack drives into solid flesh, Cutman's showmanship means the kick-slash only causes a shallow cut, but he's satisfied with his performance when he lands. As Effie's remaining clone dissipates, the real Wailmer backs off, looking irritated, Cutman smiles and retreats to his side of the office, and the referee lowers her flags, signifying the end of the round.
Superbird (Ooo) Effie (f) <Oblivious> @ Leftovers
Health: 70%
Energy: 78%
Currently: Thinking up some more foolproof plots. Poisoned (moderate: 2% damage/action.)
Used: Hyper Voice ~ Astonish ~ Double Team (2 clones)
Field Notes
-A great many books have been knocked down, loosing flurries of dust.
-Many of the digit-filled piles of paper, as well as the lamp and ink pot on the desk, have been upset or blown about and are now scattered around the room.
-There's a large damp patch in the carpet near the desk that has been stained a slightly translucent gray.
-The Abra from Jake's and her book are encased in a large chunk of ice, which is slowly melting.
-There are multiple dents and cracks in the ceiling near the door.
Action Notes
-Effie's orders to make Astonish as frightening as possible doubled its flinch chance and increased its final energy by 1%.
-While Effie was ordered to make as many clones as she could and theoretically would be able to make 5 clones based on her speed stat, Wailmer is really big, so she could just barely make two (see diagram, which uses the scale of 1 foot : 40 pixels - the configuration of the circles is probably nonoptimal and the sizes of the other attributes of the room were heavily approximated, but I think it's pretty clear that even with thinner bookshelves or a shorter desk, Effie wouldn't be able to make more than two clones, and 15' by 20' is on the large side for an office already. Let me know if you disagree with anything.)
-Along these lines, since Effie was in the middle between her clones (I randomized this), Cutman was guaranteed to hit Effie and a clone, as he was ordered to sweep his blade around (which also increased the move's energy cost slightly) and Effie's movements were severely restricted by her size.
-Cutman will be moving first next round, after which the battlers will swap movepools.
Superbird (Ooo) Effie (f) <Oblivious> @ Leftovers
Health: 70%
Energy: 78%
Currently: Thinking up some more foolproof plots. Poisoned (moderate: 2% damage/action.)
Commands: Earthquake ~ Aqua Ring ~ Bounce
Field Notes
-A great many books have been knocked down, loosing flurries of dust.
-Many of the digit-filled piles of paper, as well as the lamp and ink pot on the desk, have been upset or blown about and are now scattered around the room.
-There's a large damp patch in the carpet near the desk that has been stained a slightly translucent gray.
-The Abra from Jake's and her book are encased in a large chunk of ice, which is slowly melting.
-There are multiple dents and cracks in the ceiling, all around Effie's location.
Round 3
Immediately, Cutman begins to cough furiously again. Effie backs away as well as she can, wary of another toxic attack, but the Pawniard spits onto his left blade not a blob of poison but a shimmering pool of what looks like liquid steel. With expert precision, he rubs the metal all over his body, smoothing out the lumps everywhere but his head to leave a nearly transparent covering on his lower body and gaudy, shining protrusions right under his helmet. The newly armored Cutman tests his coat with one blade, smiling at the faint tink-tink it makes. He glances awkwardly up at his unimpressed opponent, who's slowly approaching as well as she can, and takes a battle stance, trying not to let the asymmetricality of his new quasi-earmuffs put him off balance.
He doesn't hold the position for long, though; a faint thrumming is all the warning he gets before the ground starts to buck and ripple uncontrollably, each rhythmic pulse accompanied by a roaring wave of Ground energy. Like a child in a bounce house, Effie seems to be enjoying the chaos, jumping up and down in time with the shaking and grinning openly. Cutman has no time to appreciate said grin before the quake sends him, some strips of carpet, and a few very large stacks of paper flying across the room to hit a bookshelf, which is itself looking fairly unstable. Soon, however, the last aftershocks of Effie's attack have rolled in, and the room is unnaturally quiet in comparison to the pandemonium earlier. The destruction the Wailmer's wreaked becomes apparent once everything settles: the office, once orderly, is in utter and disastrous chaos, with books and paper and ink spills scattered about, and though none of the larger structures have fallen, the desk and a few bookshelves seem about to. Cutman, lying prone by the desk, picks himself up and winces, chagrined—though his metal covering protected him from the worst of the shocks, stiffening in response to the abrupt blows, Effie's attack very definitely did a number on him.
The two battlers glare at each other, both seeming dissatisfied with their opponents' states, before Cutman takes a deep breath, one blade lengthening with a growth of hazy pale energy, and leaps into motion again. As the Pawniard makes contact with Effie's face, carving an arcing scar below her right eye, the white blade seems to clarify, growing sharper before suddenly dissipating in a concentrated burst. Already nauseated from the poison circulating inside her, the Wailmer howls, clutches her injured eye, and backs off to tend the wound, staring daggers at Cutman—if looks could KO, Effie fantasizes, he'd be fainted and then revived so she could knock him out again! Once she's certain that his assault is over, however, she doesn't attack back but seems to concentrate on something in her mind's eye, very far away… Cutman narrows his eyes and quickly takes a few steps away; is this the setup for an attack? Effie starts suddenly, and a fountain of water cascades from thin air to swirl slowly around her, shifting to follow her movements, rather than hit Cutman. Feeling newly refreshed, the Wailmer focuses again, and the water takes on a faint green light that slowly begins to mend her recent wound, washing away the blood and painstakingly knitting together parted flesh.
Cutman glowers at his opponent, whose numbers glow green and slowly tick upwards as the waves wash over her again. A healing move? As if he needed any more obstacles… The Pawniard paces around and scowls, working himself into a rage to power up the whirl of Normal energy takes shape around him. Once he feels as if he can't bring himself to feel more angry at Effie, he runs at her with a roar and batters her with every available limb, the storm of energy around him fueling his brutal attack and lashing out every so often to deal blows of its own. Effie flails her fins about, trying to bat the Pawniard off, but at a shout from her trainer she stops abruptly in an attempt to use the force of the hits to give her next attack more momentum. Unfortunately, Cutman is too relatively small for his attack to push her backwards any noticeable amount, and the Wailmer resumes flapping her fins until he's knocked away, landing hard but regaining his balance quickly.
Frustrated by this turn of events, Effie wastes no time in beginning her maneuver, angling herself so that she can push off the ground mostly horizontally instead of leaping up. Cutman watches in bemusement as the Wailmer goes flying past, hitting the bookshelf behind him—and then hurtles towards him with a sproing, wreathed in an aura of Flying energy. The Pawniard's eyes widen in surprise, and then she hits him. The impact from the collision stuns him, but he soon recovers and begins to fight back, to Effie's further frustration. The two roll about the room together, grappling as well as a seven-foot whale and a two-foot humanoid can, until Cutman manages to leap off, landing with a grunt. As the two Pokemon face off and the referee lowers her flags, a narrow strand of strange pink energy leaps between the battlers for just a few seconds, and each feels like they've lost something—and gained something similar, but very different…
Superbird (Ooo) Effie (f) <Oblivious> @ Leftovers
Health: 51%
Energy: 68%
Currently: Not very happy with the state of the battle. Poisoned (moderate: 2% damage/action.) Surrounded by an Aqua Ring (1% recovery/action.)
Used: Earthquake ~ Aqua Ring ~ Bounce
Field Notes
-A great many books have been knocked down, loosing flurries of dust.
-Pretty much all of the digit-filled piles of paper, as well as the lamp and ink pot on the desk, have been upset or blown about and are now scattered around the room.
-There's a large damp patch in the carpet near the desk that has been stained a slightly translucent gray. Said carpet is sporting some nasty tears, which expose the hardwood floor underneath.
-The Abra from Jake's and her book are encased in a large chunk of ice, which is slowly melting.
-There are multiple dents and cracks in the ceiling and floor, all around Effie's location.
Action Notes
-Cutman's orders to specifically block his ears with Iron Defense lowered its overall defense boost, but will reduce the effectiveness of sound-based or partially-sound-based attacks.
-Effie's orders to focus on attempting to paralyze Cutman with Bounce increased its final energy by 2%, but the roll was so high (89) that it didn't paralyze anyway. Its damage wasn't reduced this time either because she was ordered to do it horizontally. I don't think using the momentum from Facade to power up the attack would work, though, so that didn't impact anything.
-Effie will be moving first next round. The battlers swapped movepools after this round and will next do so after round 6.
TruetoCheese (Ooo) Cutman (m) <Defiant> @ Lucky Egg
Health: 54%
Energy: 86%
Currently: Still fairly hopeful. +1 Defense.
Commands: Heavy Slam ~ Brine ~ Curse
Superbird (Ooo) Effie (f) <Oblivious> @ Leftovers
Health: 51%
Energy: 68%
Currently: Not very happy with the state of the battle. Poisoned (moderate: 2% damage/action.) Surrounded by an Aqua Ring (1% recovery/action.)
Commands: Foul Play ~ Revenge ~ Swords Dance
Field Notes
-A great many books have been knocked down, loosing flurries of dust.
-Pretty much all of the digit-filled piles of paper, as well as the lamp and ink pot on the desk, have been upset or blown about and are now scattered around the room.
-There's a large damp patch in the carpet near the desk that has been stained a slightly translucent gray. Said carpet is sporting some nasty tears, which expose the hardwood floor underneath.
-The Abra from Jake's and her book are encased in a large chunk of ice, which is slowly melting.
-There are multiple dents and cracks in the ceiling and floor, all around Effie's location.
Round 4
Relaxing in her personal quasi-waterfall, Effie isn't really sure of what's going on or what she's going to do, besides of course shake her fist at the arena and wail to the heavens again… Yes, and then when Cutman approaches for an easy attack, she will shake her fist at him and play a trick of tricky trickery by tripping—no, tricking him over! Mua ha har hee ho hee hoo! Before she can wonder where that idea came from, the Wailmer is already doubling over, a fin to her mouth as she fakes a bout of nausea but continues to watch Cutman out of the corner of one eye. And indeed, the Pawniard wastes no time running up to her, a spherical sheen of Steel aura coating his entire body before he tackles her with the full force of his nearly twenty-three pounds. That's as many as two tens, and three extra! However, Effie weighs over twenty-three tens and thus barely flinches when the comparatively tiny burst of energy Cutman's built up ripples out from the point of impact. For his part, the Pawniard backs off with a hiss, feeling like he's only succeeded in giving himself the beginnings of a headache.
But when Cutman retreats to tend his injured noggin, Effie is already bounding forward with a yell of "Mua ha har hee ho hee hoo," using her opponent's already-built-up backwards momentum and momentary surprise at the strange battle-cry to make him lose his balance, stumble over himself in an impressive display of acrobatic skill, and fall headfirst with the heavy thunk of a blade being embedded in the carpet. The Wailmer cackles malevolently again and swipes at her downed opponent with a blade of pure darkness before fleeing as best she can to the other side of the arena—in other words, a few feet away, which is as far as she can get before the desk obstructs her movement.
Quite literally floored by Effie's attack, Cutman winces and rubs at his injuries, flexing his limbs to make sure his coat of metal is unharmed, before getting to his feet. Since when can Wailmer use Dark moves? Just what's going on here…? But then a surge of power rushes to his head, making him feel even dizzier than before. He looks down and is he glowing blue?! Disgusted, nauseated, and confused, Cutman feels the urge to spit out the salty thing suddenly lodged in his throat, and before he can think he's hacking up a stream of brackish, icky something, aimed straight at Effie's deepest wounds. Horrified, he coughs hard and wipes the saltwater off his mouth with one blade, then off that blade with the other, and so on until he's absolutely sure that the last traces of The Thing are purged from his body. …But wait, was that a Brine attack? Did the arena swap him and Effie or something? What if he turns into a Wailmer and starts wanting to eat… whatever Wailmer eat?! (Magikarp? Skrelp? Berries? He honestly doesn't know.)
No, it can't be. He must be dreaming, Effie's used Nightmare on him or something. Cutman closes his eyes and pokes himself a few times, trying to jolt himself awake, but nothing happens, and he opens his eyes just in time to see the enraged Wailmer stomping over. With a drawn-out, bitter growl, she leaps up as high as she can (in other words, not very) and lands right on him. A blaze of Fighting energy that he recognizes as his Revenge technique flickers over her form, piercing his armor with what seems like effortless ease and burning at his midsection. He tries to curl into a more comfortable position, or at least one where the carpet isn't tickling mercilessly at his back, but finds himself pinned completely underneath Effie. Starting to panic a little, he prods at his opponent's underside, and when that doesn't accomplish anything he starts to list off the legendaries he can sacrifice to while under a Wailmer. (He thinks he can hear her eating an apple. Being under a Wailmer is so weird.) Mew, Lugia maybe? No, he's a Dark type, it's bound to fail. Ho-oh, Zygarde, Manaphy… darn it, there must be some—ah, Dialga! Now to figure out how exactly to sacrifice to Dialga. O high and mighty Dialga, accept this sacrifice of, er, Wailmer sweat! Cutman thinks very forcefully, and to his immense surprise Effie actually rolls off him! Wow, maybe he should sacrifice something else.
O high and mighty Dialga, accept this sacrifice of, uh, some metal! You're a Steel type so you like metal, right? Again the Pawniard spits up a glob of shining silver liquid, spreading it over his body a little thinner than the previous time but giving blades an extra augmentation this time. He admires his handiwork with satisfaction—it's a little unwieldy, but it matches his earmuffs!—and tries out some of his pre-battle forms, before realizing that Effie is also trying out said pre-battle forms across the room. Cutman glares at his opponent, who seems gleefully oblivious to the irritation she's causing him and instead continues to psych herself up and bounce around, ignorant of or just ignoring the many dents in the ceiling her actions are causing. A glowing sword appears next to Effie's still-purple health number once she finishes her dance, and Cutman looks up to see a sword and shield already next to his. Frowning, he jabs at the floating digits, both of which are lower than he'd like them to be, before sighing, rubbing at his wounds, and assuming a battle stance once more.
TruetoCheese (Ooo) Cutman (m) <Defiant> @ Lucky Egg
Health: 27%
Energy: 81%
Currently: Aching and annoyed. +1 Attack, +2 Defense, -1 Speed.
Used: Heavy Slam ~ Brine ~ Curse
Superbird (Ooo) Effie (f) <Oblivious> @ Leftovers
Health: 40%
Energy: 61%
Currently: Taking it easy. (R-E-L-A-X. Would you like to have something to drink?) +2 Attack. Poisoned (moderate: 2% damage/action.) Surrounded by an Aqua Ring (1% recovery/action.)
Used: Foul Play ~ Revenge ~ Swords Dance
Field Notes
-A great many books have been knocked down, loosing flurries of dust.
-Pretty much all of the digit-filled piles of paper, as well as the lamp and ink pot on the desk, have been upset or blown about and are now scattered around the room.
-There's a large damp patch in the carpet near the desk that has been stained a slightly translucent gray. Said carpet is sporting some nasty tears, which expose the hardwood floor underneath.
-The Abra from Jake's and her book are encased in a large chunk of ice, which is slowly melting.
-There are multiple dents and cracks in the ceiling and floor, all around Effie's location.
Action Notes
-Whales don't actually have sweat glands, but maybe Wailmer do! You never know!
-Heavy Slam had 40 base power.
-Revenge is -4 priority and Effie was commanded to use it after Cutman if she could, so she used it after Cutman's Brine. Both moves' base damage and energy were doubled.
-Cutman will be moving first next round. The battlers will next swap movepools after round 6.
-Also, since it might matter next round, a question for TTC: would a move like Thrash lock the Pokemon in?
The Thrash thing is...a very good question...I'd like to say it wouldn't lock in? How about the person can order a normal Thrash that continues, locks in and confuses at the end, or order a controlled Thrash that lasts an action and provides some form of recoil (energy or health-wise, you can decide) and does not confuse?
If Superbird has another suggestion or is okay with this, then I'm down. I'll send in them orders once this is clarified, my bad.
Superbird (Ooo) Effie (f) <Oblivious> @ Leftovers
Health: 40%
Energy: 61%
Currently: Taking it easy. +2 Attack. Poisoned (moderate: 2% damage/action.) Surrounded by an Aqua Ring (1% recovery/action.)
Commands: Pursuit ~ X-Scissor ~ Toxic
Field Notes
-A great many books have been knocked down, loosing flurries of dust.
-Pretty much all of the digit-filled piles of paper, as well as the lamp and ink pot on the desk, have been upset or blown about and are now scattered around the room.
-There's a large damp patch in the carpet near the desk that has been stained a slightly translucent gray. Said carpet is sporting some nasty tears, which expose the hardwood floor underneath.
-The Abra from Jake's and her book are encased in a large chunk of ice, which is slowly melting.
-There are multiple dents and cracks in the ceiling and floor, all around Effie's location.
Round 5
When the flags come down, Cutman starts to pace around, growling and muttering to himself with an occasional frustrated head-shake, as a white aura begins to form around him. Effie just sits there, as if waiting for her opponent to do something, slowly taking on a barely perceptible shadowy tint. Seeming to finally give up on waiting further, she announces in a faux-deep voice, "Omicron Penguin Forty. This is Omicron Penguin Forty. Can you hear me? Over. Bronze Salmon Nine, copy that," she continues in a pitch so high and raspy it sounds like she wants to break her vocal cords. "Omicron Penguin Forty, target approaching. I repeat, target approaching. Bronze Salmon Nine, copy that. Omicron Penguin Forty, toomph!" Cutman crashes through the swirling curtain of water around her, and Effie flails backwards and forgets all about her code-names.
Inside, the trainers can barely make out the Pokemon's blurred forms apparently grappling behind Effie's personal fountain, Cutman hacking and slashing wildly at the Wailmer as she tries to bat him away with black tendrils of something. He seems to have found a precarious balance on one of her fins, and when she manages to buck him off he somersaults impossibly in midair and leaps back on. Growling, Effie endures a few more swipes before unleashing a shard of Dark energy straight into her opponent's left eye. The Pawniard blinks and flinches away, more in surprise than at the attack itself, but Effie uses his momentary letup to fling him away with a fin.
Cutman tries to maintain his grip as his feet are pushed into the rushing water surrounding them, sweeping his body up and around, but Effie's skin is slick and slippery from the water and it turns out blades aren't really good at this whole gripping thing. The Pawniard scrabbles for purchase but finds none, and the waterfall dashes him onto the floor drenched and dazed. He just lies there for a few seconds, gazing intently at a particularly bent thread of carpet fiber in a strange sort of concentration, before a faint whine in the background snaps him out of his trance. Scrambling up into a more defensible position, he whips towards Effie and sees oh my god are those bees—
Without a moment of hesitation the Pawniard's running, clambering over and through the scattered obstacles and hurtling towards the desk and screaming at the top of his lungs the entire time. He takes a running leap but gets his face smashed into the oak edge for his trouble, backs up, digs his claws into the wood to vault him over and away. Taking shelter behind the desk, Cutman shivers and chances a glance over at Effie's new… wait, what are those? "Scythes of Awesomeness!" announces the Wailmer, wielding what look like acid-green blades. Cutman eeps and ducks down again, at least a little vindicated to see that the Scythes of Awesomeness are covered indeed in a bumpy substance that does look somewhat like crawling bees, if you tilt your head just right and also close your eyes.
His thoughts are interrupted when Effie tries to charge but bumps into the desk after a few feet. Cutman cowers ever lower, and the fin-elongations, though flashy, aren't large enough for the bulky Wailmer to reach him. She takes a few experimental swipes, but soon huffs and backs off, the Scythes of Awesomeness fading away along with the buzz. Cutman stands up and mutters a derogatory comment about cucumber buns, possibly as an expletive, and Effie backs off even more. Cucumber buns? Cucumber buns are her favorite! How dare he insult the glory of the cucumber bun?! She hacks up a glob of slime and tosses it at him, but it just slides off his metal shell. In return, Cutman ducks under the desk again, wary of more bees, and thinks very hard about getting revenge. Suddenly, mathematical symbols begin to sketch themselves out in the air high above them, from which shards of ice rain down. Effie can't do anything but watch and frown as the hailstones pelt her, while Cutman unsuccessfully tries to wedge himself further under the desk in an attempt to avoid these new, cold bees.
TruetoCheese (Ooo) Cutman (m) <Defiant> @ Lucky Egg
Health: 24%
Energy: 69%
Currently: Glad he's evened the odds. +1 Attack, +1 Defense, -1 Speed.
Used: Thrash (one action) ~ Zen Headbutt (flee over desk) ~ Hail
Superbird (Ooo) Effie (f) <Oblivious> @ Leftovers
Health: 28%
Energy: 56%
Currently: Smarting. +2 Attack. Poisoned (moderate: 2% damage/action.) Surrounded by an Aqua Ring (1% recovery/action.)
Used: Pursuit ~ X-Scissor (missed) ~ Toxic (failed)
Field Notes
-It is hailing (8 more actions.)
-A great many books have been knocked down, loosing flurries of dust.
-Pretty much all of the digit-filled piles of paper, as well as the lamp and ink pot on the desk, have been upset or blown about and are now scattered around the room.
-There's a large damp patch in the carpet near the desk that has been stained a slightly translucent gray. Said carpet is sporting some nasty tears, which expose the hardwood floor underneath.
-The Abra from Jake's and her book are encased in a large chunk of ice, which is slowly melting.
-There are multiple dents and cracks in the ceiling and floor, all around Effie's location.
Action Notes
-I'm really sorry for the wait on this one! Fun fun fact: whales do in fact have vocal cords.
-Thrash is an inherently uncontrollable attack that relies on going all-out to be at full power, so the one-action penalties were 2% less damage for 2% more energy.
-Because Cutman used Zen Headbutt to flee over the desk, he wasn't able to damage Effie with it.
-X-Scissor couldn't hit Cutman once he was over the desk because Effie was too tall. Because the desk is still between Effie and Cutman, Effie will have difficulty landing contact moves and if Cutman lands a contact move he will give up his position.
-I don't think using Hail to disrupt/freeze Aqua Ring would work? Like, it's just magical swirly water, but the Aqua Ring isn't moving fast enough for the hailstones to get caught up in it and they would just fall through.
-Cutman's Iron Defense boost faded at the end of the round.
-Effie will be moving first next round, after which the battlers will swap movepools.
Superbird (Ooo) Effie (f) <Oblivious> @ Leftovers
Health: 28%
Energy: 56%
Currently: Smarting. +2 Attack. Poisoned (moderate: 2% damage/action.) Surrounded by an Aqua Ring (1% recovery/action.)
Commands: Sleep Talk ~ Brick Break ~ Iron Head
Field Notes
-It is hailing (8 more actions.)
-A great many books have been knocked down, loosing flurries of dust.
-Pretty much all of the digit-filled piles of paper, as well as the lamp and ink pot on the desk, have been upset or blown about and are now scattered around the room.
-There's a large damp patch in the carpet near the desk that has been stained a slightly translucent gray. Said carpet is sporting some nasty tears, which expose the hardwood floor underneath.
-There are multiple dents and cracks in the ceiling and floor, all around Effie's location.
Round 6
As the next round begins, Effie tries to shift into a sleepy, talking mindset, in which she'll mumble a wacky phrase and, if all goes according to plan, utterly baffle Cutman with it. The Wailmer's plan is so evil-genius-ish she tries to rub her fins together evil-genius-ish-ly, before remembering the mindset part and hastily screwing her eyes shut. Suddenly the heavenly chorus of a thousand heavenly angels visits upon her ears, and she's struck by a flash of inspiration. A balcony scene, but with an Eelektrik as Romeo serenading his star-crossed (Frogadier) lover. With a red moon in the background. And Cresselia and Darkrai fighting above them. As yet another chunk of ice bonks her on the head, Effie nods sagely; it's definitely going to work! But before she can start to mumble this most certainly engrossing tale, a metallic keening sound emerges from the other side of the room: Cutman, huddled under the desk, scraping his blades together to intimidate her via whale song, or… well, it made sense in his head, okay?
Irritated by the disturbance, Effie shakes herself vigorously and tries to glare in her opponent's direction (but ends up glaring at the desk.) She's trying to concentrate here, darnit! The Wailmer shuts her eyes again and channels the righteous anger of a thousand righteously angry people into her fins, which flicker with righteously angry energy. With a yell so tremendous it sends the papers in front of her fluttering all around the room, Effie bounds towards him and slams one fin down on the desk, sending spiraling bursts of amber sparks through the weakest parts. Though sturdily built, the oak desktop simply can't take the sheer force of the Wailmer's righteous anger and snaps, providing Cutman with no defense against her follow-through. The Pawniard has barely a few seconds of warning before Effie's fin comes crashing down on him, still charged with more than enough Fighting power to leave him reeling.
Cutman lurches away twitching and starts to flail around in an attempt to disperse the energy racking his body, but he doesn't manage to put much distance between himself and his opponent before he begins to cough. Bemused by the display, Effie settles for watching him while charging up her next move, and so doesn't manage to dodge the pitifully small cloud of gas that emerges from the cracks in the Pawniard's armor as his fit comes to an end. The Wailmer unwittingly inhales, and it's her turn this time to lurch backwards as the smoke disorients her. Under the fog's influence, she shouts a confused battle-cry and rockets forward to slash at a bookshelf with her other fin, loosing a flashy blast of white energy shaped like a knife. The X shape the attack sears into the wood seems to baffle her, and she bursts out laughing, before whipping around to bat away one of the falling hailstones with another concentrated burst of the knife-energy.
Once he's recovered from her earlier attack Cutman starts to chuckle at the Wailmer's antics, but the smoke soon clears and Effie realizes her mistake. She turns towards her opponent in anger, leaps forward again, and sends another dazzling wave of steely-gray aura in his direction, but most of the new attack fizzles out against Cutman's own metal plating and he manages to hold his ground. Both Pokemon are breathing heavily, but Cutman glances at his own health number—a bright red 6 much more pressing than Effie's orangeish 21. 21? 21?! He glowers and starts to work himself up. How did that whale thing manage to start beating him?! That's totally not fair! And… and he had a perfectly good shelter under that desk; why'd she have to go and break it? Snarling and growling with his own share of spontaneous righteous anger, the Pawniard leaps at Effie and thrashes at her with everything he's got, a nimbus of eggshell-white energy enhancing his every move. The Wailmer wails and rolls around wildly, traversing the office twice before she manages to fling him off. A hailstone clonks the prone Cutman on the arm, but he's still grinning stupidly at Effie's now-decidedly-orange 11: take that, 21.
Superbird (Ooo) Effie (f) <Oblivious> @ Leftovers
Health: 11%
Energy: 51%
Currently: In marginally less but still fairly critical conditional. Poisoned (moderate: 2% damage/action.) Surrounded by an Aqua Ring (1% recovery/action.)
Used: Sleep Talk (failed) ~ Brick Break ~ Iron Head
Field Notes
-It is hailing (5 more actions.)
-Many books have been knocked down, loosing flurries of dust. One bookshelf has a massive gash across it.
-Pretty much all of the digit-filled piles of paper, as well as the lamp and ink pot on the desk, have been upset or blown about and are now scattered around the room. The desktop has been smashed completely, leaving only the drawers on which it stood.
-There's a large damp patch in the carpet near the desk that has been stained a slightly translucent gray. Said carpet is sporting some nasty tears, which expose the hardwood floor underneath.
-The Abra from Jake's seems to have teleported away.
-There are multiple dents and cracks in the ceiling and floor, all around Effie's location.
Action Notes
-Apologies for the wait (again)! I'm… not really feeling it right now, so feel free to take your time with commands and such.
-Effie was commanded to use Brick Break to destroy the desk, so its damage was slightly reduced but she was successfully able to hit Cutman.
-Frustration had 80 power.
-The battlers swapped movepools back after this round. Cutman will be moving first next round.
Gutterspout the male Gligar <Hyper Cutter> @ Razor Fang
Madeline the female Skorupi <Battle Armor> @ Lucky Egg
Coulomb the male Pikachu <Static> @ Light Ball
Rathian the female Noibat <Infiltrator> @ Lucky Egg
Littlefoot the male Amaura <Refrigerate> @ Never-Melt Ice
Faraday the genderless Magnemite <Magnet Pull> @ Lucky Egg
Frog the male Croagunk <Anticipation>
Cutman the male Pawniard <Defiant> @ Lucky Egg
Jerome the male Swablu <Natural Cure> @ Sachet
Aries "The Ram" Ram the female Cottonee <Prankster> @ Sun Stone
Firestrike the male Combusken <Blaze> @ King's Rock
Gorouna the female Graveler <Sturdy> @ Eviolite
Koiquen the female Gyarados <Intimidate> @ Weakness Policy
Drilbud the female Ferroseed <Iron Barbs> @ Moon Stone
Jonathan the male Togepi <Serene Grace> @ Soothe Bell
Quabbel the male Frillish <Cursed Body> @ Leftovers
Deru the female Houndour <Flash Fire> @ Sachet
Megabird the male Rufflet <Sheer Force> @ Lucky Egg
Bill the male Quilladin <Bulletproof> @ Shell Bell
Effie the female Wailmer <Oblivious> @ Leftovers
