[09] Negrek vs Grass King (Ref: Chiropter)

[Chiropter]

Round 5

Negrek

Griffe (F) <Inner Focus>
Health: 69%
Energy: 52%
Status: Oh yeah, I‘m good. -1 Accuracy

Grass King

Neuron (F) <Immunity>
Health: 26% (capped)
Energy: 55%
Status: Angry.​

Neuron grumbles a bit as she receives new commands. She doesn’t want to rest, she wants to keep pressing the attack! Her body, however, bruised and scratched and just plain beat up as it is, declares its wholehearted agreement with Grass King’s choice, so Neuron reluctantly sits cross-legged on the floor and closes her eyes, sending herself into a deep coma-like state. Her body takes on a faint blue glow as her natural healing processes speed up dramatically, swiftly fixing most of her body’s damages, but utilizing a great deal of energy to do so.

Griffe looks on, rather annoyed, as Neuron’s numerous wounds close up and vanish, until only smears of blood on otherwise spotless skin are left of all the progress she’d made. But she quickly shrugs and looks on the bright side: the alakazam is still down for the count for a few more minutes, and she plans to take full advantage of it. Gathering ghostly energy in one paw, Griffe takes careful aim - her vision is still a little off - then pitches a shadow ball at her slumbering opponent.

The force of the attack pushes Neuron back a few feet, though she somehow manages to stay in her sitting position. Her skin is no longer unmarred - the caustic ghost attack has left a painful-looking burn around her left shoulder. For a moment, it seems as though the attack had woken her; she begins mumbling something under her breath, too quiet for Griffe to hear. But her eyes do not open, and Griffe quickly realizes that she’s just talking in her sleep - something not entirely innocuous when it comes to pokemon, so Griffe keeps her guard up. She tenses at a sudden tingly feeling in the back of her mind, but it goes away after a few seconds, and Neuron’s mumbling ceases shortly afterwards.

Griffe frowns, noticing that the burn she’d just given her opponent appears to have inexplicably vanished. Nothing else seems to have been affected, however, so she throws her arms forward and unleashes several streams of what look like tiny stars from her claw-tips. The energy stars fly in all directions, several of them slamming into Neuron, their sharp edges giving the alakazam a new network of scratches to replace the ones she’d just healed.

Oblivious to this, Neuron again starts to mutter incomprehensively, and Griffe tenses again, hoping that whatever technique she dredges up this time will be just as harmless as the last… As before, Neuron doesn’t move at all from where she sits, and Griffe senses the attack only in her mind - this time, as a strong, creepy sensation of being watched. The zangoose shivers a little despite herself; nothing seems to be hurting her, but she feels as though she is being examined by a powerful, invisible eye, one that banishes any possibility of evading its gaze. The sensation dims after a moment, but lingers on in the back of Griffe’s mind, leaving her feeling extremely exposed and vulnerable.

These feelings quickly lead to anger, and Griffe moves to take it out on the one responsible. Amplifying and focusing the latent electricity in her body, the zangoose takes careful aim - she’s beginning to feel more comfortable adjusting to compensate for her vision problems - and projects a great bolt of lightning from her claws. Neuron’s eyes snap open as the electricity strikes, throwing her out of her sitting position as it flows painfully through her body. Once it has runs its course, Neuron sits up, her body smoking slightly, and examines her damages. Despite the attacks she was obviously subject to while asleep, she feels much better, and grudgingly admits to herself that maybe the brief rest was a good idea - though while her injuries have healed, she also feels incredibly drained. Plus, for some reason her vision seems a little off; everything looks rather blurry, and she feels slightly disoriented, as though she’d been subject to her own kinesis attack - but how could that have happened?

Negrek

Griffe (F) <Inner Focus>
Health: 69%
Energy: 39%
Status: A little angry, but still determined. Evasive moves blocked by Miracle Eye. -1 Accuracy.

Grass King

Neuron (F) <Immunity>
Health: 71%
Energy: 12%
Status: Exhausted and confused. -1 Accuracy​

Battle notes:
Shadow Ball lowered Neuron’s Sp. Defense.
Sleep Talk resulted in Psych Up (thus undoing said Sp. Defense drop) and Miracle Eye.

Next round:
Grass King attacks first.

 

[Chiropter]

DQ warning for Grass King.

 

[Grass King]

Chill ~ Chill ~ Drain Punch

 

[Negrek]

Let's have no rest for the weary, Griffe. Start off with a taunt to shut down Neuron's chills, then follow with natural gift. Since you don't have a signature move, it should be normal-type and guaranteed to hit (and let's hope that your accuracy goes back to normal soon, too). Round it all off with another counter.

Taunt ~ Natural Gift ~ Counter

 

[Chiropter]

Round 6

Negrek

Griffe (F) <Inner Focus>
Health: 69%
Energy: 39%
Status: A little angry, but still determined. Evasive moves blocked by Miracle Eye. -1 Accuracy.

Grass King

Neuron (F) <Immunity>
Health: 71%
Energy: 12%
Status: Exhausted and confused. -1 Accuracy
Direct healing: 1/1​

While what she really, really wants to do is beat the stuffing out of that annoying zangoose, Neuron reluctantly obeys her trainer - and her body’s own exhaustion - and sits down cross-legged again; not going into a trance this time, just breathing deeply and recovering her strength. She starts to feel a little better after a moment - even the disorientation from the unexplained vision problem begins to lessen… And then a mocking jeer comes from the other side of the field.

Neuron looks over at her opponent sharply. Griffe is looking at her with an incredibly obnoxious look of feigned realization on her face. “Oh, I get it!” she says loudly in pokemon speech. “You’re trying to avoid all action so as to stop accumulating negative karma, thereby making yourself one with the universe and winning by default when you achieve the enlightenment that this battle is simply a construction of our minds and doesn‘t really matter!” She laughs patronizingly. “Good strategy!”

Neuron scowls, and attempts to just ignore Griffe and keep relaxing, but her attempts to clear her mind have been interrupted by an extremely satisfying fantasy of a zangoose being slammed repeatedly against the arena floor.

“Whooooo, she’s coming to get me! Oh no!” Griffe continues, stepping closer to Neuron and wiggling her claws mockingly.

I will not give in…I will not give in… Neuron begins chanting to herself, trying to keep focused on her trainer’s orders and not respond to Griffe’s taunting… but that mental image is just so pleasant…

Griffe smirks and leans closer to her, so that they are now almost face to face. “Your mom.”

Screw it. With a cry of rage, Neuron’s fists lash out wildly, smacking Griffe in the face and causing her to quickly back up. Nevertheless, she looks quite pleased with herself as Neuron tries to stand up while still throwing her fists around; she sniggers as the alakazam unbalances and falls face-first to the floor.

Growling, Neuron quickly lifts herself straight to her feet telekinetically without using her arms; she glares at Griffe and prepares to attack again, completely unconcerned by the field of shimmering green energy that suddenly surrounds the zangoose… Before she can do much, said energy spreads outward from Griffe in every direction; part of the wave hits Neuron with surprising force and causes her to stumble back. She recovers almost instantly, however, and rushes the zangoose with her fist pulled back, caring about nothing but causing Griffe as much pain as she can.

Griffe hastily drops into a defensive stance as Neuron runs closer, her fist now shimmering with a familiar golden energy. As her punch connects with Griffe’s shoulder (though she’d been aiming for the face), she hears a satisfying grunt of pain, even as the pain from her own injuries lessens slightly… Suddenly, Griffe spins around and slams her arm into Neuron’s back, sending her flying forward to the other side of the field, skidding to a halt just short of the water-filled moat. Seething, Neuron again floats back to her feet and turns to face her opponent, her eyes blazing with rage.

Negrek

Griffe (F) <Inner Focus>
Health: 56%
Energy: 23%
Status: “Ah, that was fun.” Evasive moves blocked by Miracle Eye.

Grass King

Neuron (F) <Immunity>
Health: 45%
Energy: 15%
Status: “Going to kill you…” -1 Accuracy. Taunted (1 more action)
Chills: 1/3
Direct healing: 1/1​

Battle notes:
Neuron used Struggle on the second action.
Griffe’s accuracy went back to normal on the second action.

Next round:
Negrek attacks first.

I am very, very sorry this took so long. Chalk it up to a combination of laziness and a real life thing that I've been trying to get done. Now that I finally am done with it, however, my attention is no longer being monopolized and I should be more prompt with this, since I don't have that hanging over my head anymore.

 

[Sylph]

Commands from Negrek

(( No big deal; glad you're back. ))

Okay, Griffe, we're on a roll now. Start off by using counter if Neuron hits you with another drain punch; otherwise, pay back whatever she attacks you with. If she somehow manages to weasel out of doing something damaging, instead shadow ball.

Next action, if Neuron chills, you do, too. Otherwise, swift, or use payback against a damaging attack.

Finally, get in a chill if you've hit with two damaging attacks this round, and if you're able to, of course. Otherwise, pay back any offensive attacks, or blast Neuron with a shadow ball. If you can't do one or the other of your damaging attacks, switch to the alternate even if the other conditions for its use aren't met.

Counter / Payback / Shadow Ball ~ Chill / Swift / Payback ~ Shadow Ball / Payback / Chill

 

[Chiropter]

Darn it, I was going to post this yesterday... Late DQ warning for Grass King.

 

[Grass King]

Okay, let's go out in style.

Zap Cannon ~ Taunt ~ Chill

 

[Chiropter]

Round 7

Negrek

Griffe (F) <Inner Focus>
Health: 56%
Energy: 23%
Status: “Ah, that was fun.” Evasive moves blocked by Miracle Eye.

Grass King

Neuron (F) <Immunity>
Health: 45%
Energy: 15%
Status: “Going to kill you…” -1 Accuracy. Taunted (1 more action)
Chills: 1/3
Direct healing: 1/1​

Neuron begins focusing on her next attack almost before the command has left Grass King’s mouth. She holds her spoons up to eye level, and tiny bolts of electricity begin jumping between them, steadily increasing in size and intensity until a large, unstable ball of crackling white electricity has formed in the middle. Still glaring daggers at Griffe, the alakazam takes aim as best she can and releases her mental hold, sending the ball of lightning shooting erratically forward… a few feet to the side of its intended target, who just smiles without even attempting to dodge. The crackling sphere shoots to the other side of the field (just narrowly missing Grass King as well on its way there), where it impacts and dissipates harmlessly against the wall on the other side of the water trench.

Thinking that using such an inaccurate attack probably counts as weaseling out of hurting her, Griffe begins gathering ethereal energy into her hand, forming a purplish-black sphere of pulsing energy. She throws the shadow ball at Neuron, then sags a little - exhilarating as the battle has been, she’s starting to feel quite worn out by now.

This shadow ball is no different from the others Neuron had been hit with, and as soon as the burning ghostly energy has stopped assaulting her body and mind, she pulls herself back to her feet and looks at Griffe. The obsessive anger she felt only a moment ago has pretty much abated, but she is still quite eager for some payback.

Please, she thinks, and Griffe suddenly straightens, hearing Neuron’s scathing voice inside her head, that’s the best you can do? Pff. What second-rate training program do they have you on?

Griffe scowls, already feeling an irrational anger bubbling up, which becomes harder and harder to resist as Neuron continues. Hmm, I suppose they must have had a shortage of rentals for this battle. Probably just went out and caught a random zangoose in the wild… No doubt already incapacitated from a fight with a seviper, so she would have been easy to capture… Clearly had been outmatched by it, so they must have been pretty desperate…

With a bestial snarl, Griffe throws her claws forward and unleashes a flurry of tiny star-shaped energy projectiles. Neuron can’t avoid them, but she appears perfectly satisfied even as the stars slice into her skin, enjoying the effect of her taunting on the zangoose’s composure. She sits down cross-legged again, ignoring her many bleeding wounds, and closes her eyes, breathing deeply to help herself relax - though Griffe hears her mocking voice one more time in her head. Oh, and by the way… your mom.

Now utterly enraged, Griffe has absolutely no intention of relaxing like her trainer would prefer - all acknowledgement of her steadily increasing fatigue has been banished to the back of her mind by shear outrage. She quickly creates and throws another shadow ball, growling angrily as the explosion of ghostly energy throws Neuron back several feet, but doesn‘t seem to affect her composure at all - though her breathing does appear more labored than before. She bares her fangs in a savage grin, however, when she notices that her attack has left a large burn on Neuron’s chest, similar to the one the alakazam had healed earlier - a new weak spot that the zangoose is eager to exploit.

Negrek

Griffe (F) <Inner Focus>
Health: 56%
Energy: 10%
Status: In a feral state of mind, ignoring her exhaustion. Evasive moves blocked by Miracle Eye. Taunted (1 more action)

Grass King

Neuron (F) <Immunity>
Health: 13%
Energy: 14%
Status: Smug, but hurting and worn out. -1 Accuracy, -1 Sp. Defense
Chills: 2/3
Direct healing: 1/1​

Next round:
Grass King attacks first.

 

[Grass King]

Okay, we put up a good fight Neuron.

Double Team (4 or 5 clones if possible) ~ Chill ~ Drain Punch

Good luck Neuron!

 

[Negrek]

Right on, Griffe. Let's bring it home. Pound her into the ground with swift attacks; shouldn't take long.

Swift x 3

 

[Chiropter]

Round 8

Negrek

Griffe (F) <Inner Focus>
Health: 56%
Energy: 10%
Status: In a feral state of mind, ignoring her exhaustion. Evasive moves blocked by Miracle Eye. Taunted (1 more action)

Grass King

Neuron (F) <Immunity>
Health: 13%
Energy: 14%
Status: Smug, but hurting and worn out. -1 Accuracy, -1 Sp. Defense
Chills: 2/3
Direct healing: 1/1​

Not really feeling very refreshed, Neuron forces herself back to her feet, knowing that she needs to act fast if she wants to avoid her still-enraged opponent’s next attack. She closes her eyes, focusing, and her form begins to blur, pulled back and forth by her telekinesis at a dizzying pace, until there appear to be no less than five identical alakazam standing in a line facing Griffe.

Griffe only smirks - she thinks that’s going to protect her? The zangoose simply releases another flurry of Swift stars, which spread out in a wave, easily striking all five versions of Neuron. Four of them vanish instantly as the energy projectiles slice through them, while the one farthest to the left falls backward, grimacing in pain as the stars leave even more cuts over her body, particularly the sensitive burned area on her chest.

Lying prone on the ground, Neuron breathes deeply and attempts to relax, though she’s fairly certain that she won’t be able to stay conscious much longer. But maybe, just maybe, she thinks, she can gather enough energy for one last strike… Griffe, meanwhile, struggles to stay on her feet as her obsessive rage against Neuron finally abates, leaving in its place near-overwhelming fatigue. Almost forgetting about Neuron as the exhaustion hits her all at once, she wants nothing more than to just sit and rest for a while…

But she forces herself to stay standing, a look of determination in her eyes, and generates another Swift barrage. Neuron has barely pushed herself to back her feet when the stars hit, and after only a few strikes her eyes role back and she collapses, her body bloody and battered and completely unconscious. As the referee declares Neuron unable to continue, Griffe instantly collapses to the ground, not wanting to move again for at least a few days, but with a jubilant, if tired, expression of victory on her face.

Negrek

Griffe (F) <Inner Focus>
Health: 56%
Energy: 4%
Status: Victorious!

Grass King

Neuron (F) <Immunity>
Health: 0%
Energy: 20%
Status: Fainted.​

And there we go! Negrek receives $10, Grass King receives $5, and I receive $8. Good battle, everyone, and good luck in round 2, Negrek.

 

[Negrek]

Great match, Grass King, and thanks a ton for reffing, Chiropter! First time I've ever played an alakazam, heh. Those things are scary.