Format: 3v3 Single
Style: Switch
DQ: 7 Days
Damage Cap: 35%
Banned/Restricted Moves: Fissure, Guillotine, Horn Drill, Weather Moves
Arena Description: Somewhere in Siberia
One of the coldest places on the planet, and right in the middle of winter, too. Even a "warm" day here is barely more than -10°. The battleground is relatively flat, with a couple of hills on either side. The ground is also covered with thick snow - this impairs movement for all terrestrial pokémon equivalent to a stat drop of -1 Speed, though if it's gotten rid of somehow this speed impairment will vanish. It's constantly snowing here, though not hailing - this snow will act like hail except without the residual damage.
The bitter cold makes it difficult to concentrate, and you have to keep your body temperature up. If a pokémon does not physically move while using their action, they will take 3% Ice-type damage from the cold and lose 2% Energy, with the exception of Fire-types, Ice-types, and pokémon with the abilities Thick Fat, Ice Body or Snow Cloak. This damage can also be avoided by using or being hit by an attack that generates heat - most Fire-type attacks, or Scald, even if the user doesn't move around while using or getting hit by the attack. Finally, Sheer Cold is useable in this battle, but its effect changes - instead of being a one-hit KO move, it now has a 100% chance of Freezing the opponent completely, and it maintains an unconditional 30% accuracy.
There is no water source unless one is to melt the snow first. Any water on the ground will freeze into ice three actions after it appears there, and any snow scraped off of the ground somehow will reappear in three actions.
Round 5
Superbird OOO
Health:
61%
Energy:
61%
(Firestrike) Combusken [M] <Blaze>
Commands: Bounce ~ Bounce/Dynamic Punch/Rock Tomb ~ Dynamic Punch/Crush Claw/Rock Tomb
Status: Coming to appreciate his bulky physique. Speed +1, Attack +2, Defense +2, Special Attack -2
ultraviolet oOO
Health :
70%
Energy :
85%
(Seven) Rapidash [M] <Flash Fire>
Commands: Substitute ~ Toxic/Overheat ~ Reflect/Body Slam
Status: Done with the barrel rolls.
Health: 84%
Energy: 78%
(Tilda Swinton) Snorunt [F] <Ice Body> @Dawn Stone
Status: Speed -1, Infatuated (moderate)
Seven, having heard the commands from his trainer, spun around to face the battlefield and was instantly presented with quite an issue. Like his lovesick teammate from rounds past, he was supposed to construct a lookalike to halt Firestrike in his tracks. The problem was what Seven could use. There was very little snow left on the ground to shovel together, and even if there was, Seven would not have been able to easily make anything with his flaming limbs. Instead, he had to turn to the frozen ground. Using the aforementioned burning hooves he started to melt through the earth, kicking the resulting mud into a pile for him to shape. When he was finally graced with enough dirt, he quickly sculpted something quadrupedal. Seven was no artist like Tilda, so his finished product looked more like a Bouffalant than a Rapidash, but it got the job done.
As Seven finished pouring a healthy dose of lifeforce into his new plaything, the horse jumped back in surprise as immediately the doll rocketed skyward. Like an anti-aircraft missile, the substitute intercepted Firestrike, who squawked and tumbled to the ground, not letting go of the faux Seven. Firestrike’s plan to leap onto Seven’s back had barely been foiled, the Rapidash just able to finish the Substitute before the Combusken homed in. Grumbling about his failures, Firestrike held on to Seven’s Bouffalant with all of his limbs, ementating some sense of stubbornness that Seven merely scoffed at
Happy to hide behind his new barrier, Seven prepared his next move with arrogance. Holding his head high, he trotted over in the direction of Firestrike and the strangled sub. Refusing to let go, Firestrike was prepared to take whatever Seven had for him with pride. As it turned out, he didn’t need to. Seven was so overconfident in his abilities that when he vomited his purple toxic mass in the direction of Firestrike, he did not even open his eyes to check the direction. Firestrike watched in bewilderment as Seven spat his nasty looking glob to the right of Firestrike, missing him entirely. Seven opened his eyes and engaged in an awkward staring contest with Firestrike, who continued to be quite confused. His face turning red, Seven whisked around and trotted backwards, leaving the inferior Firestrike to continue manhandling the sculpture.
For the second time in the round, Seven was startled when the attack of Firestrike was barely held back in time. This time, Firestrike had jumped down from his muddy perch and slammed his inflated legs into the ground, causing a mash of stones, rock, and ice to pop into the air, hovering ominously just behind the embarrassed Seven. With un-Bouffalant like speed, the substitute whizzed back to Firestrike’s backside, blocking the Rapidash from all of the earth. The mound tumbled to the ground, burying the substitute. Seven turned around to see his substitute disintegrate, the jumble of soil proving to be too much for the poor defender. Seven paused to mourn his short-lived companion.
The dead cannot be wept over forever, however, and Seven knew it. Fully aware of the damage caused by that rocky tumble, he backed off and began to generate a shimmering, golden dome. The enclosure put him in what appeared to be his own personal bubble, though the snow falling from the sky was unimpeded. It fell through the barrier to the ground, where it was promptly melted by the heat coming off of Seven. Firestrike, happy that he didn’t have to run through that physical barrier, smashed the ground again with his hind talons. More rocks sprang up out of the ground, fighting their way through the snow. They hovered above Seven’s dome for a moment before falling. They all made it through the barrier, just like the snow, but from Firestrike’s point of view they seemed to fall in slow motion. To Seven, the rocks definitely still hurt when they fell against his coat, but they felt almost as if they had been mildly thrust against his back, rather than dropped. He shook himself once inside his shield, the last remnants of dust falling to the ground.
End of Round 5
Superbird OOO
Health:
61%
Energy:
45%
(Firestrike) Combusken [M] <Blaze>
Status: Still yearning to be a cowboy as his trainer commanded. Attack +2, Defense +2, Special Attack -2
ultraviolet oOO
Health :
44%
Energy :
67%
(Seven) Rapidash [M] <Flash Fire>
Status: No longer underestimating Firestrike. Reflect active (4 more actions)
Health: 84%
Energy: 78%
(Tilda Swinton) Snorunt [F] <Ice Body> @Dawn Stone
Status: Speed -1, Infatuated (moderate)
Arena Notes:
-The arena is covered in snow again, except around Seven
-A fair amount of soil has been displaced, though it is quickly being covered up by snow
Ref Notes:
-Happy to be back, folks
-As the snow is present once more, Firestrike’s speed was reduced again
-As a Rapidash can’t manipulate snow, Seven had to use extra energy to melt earth for his Substitute
-Bounce can be used in one action, it just costs more energy
-I increased Toxic’s accuracy based on Firestrike’s position, and yet it still missed. That was fun to write about
-Firestrike could clearly tell he wasn’t on Seven’s back, so he used Rock Tomb
-The first Rock Tomb broke Seven’s substitute
-According to the DB, Reflect decreases the momentum of physical attacks. I wasn’t sure how that would look with falling rocks, but I just went with it
-As a result, Rock Tomb did not lower speed when it hit Seven
-ultraviolet commands next