[11] Meowth vs Lucas755

[Negrek]

1 vs 1
DQ Time: 3 Days
Damage Cap: 35%
Banned Moves: OHKO's, chills, direct healers
Terrain: Castelia City Square

Castelia City is the gateway to Unova, its port welcoming trainers from around the world. Today those trainers include a fair number from Asber, turned out to compete or spectate on the first round of the League Championship. The city square at the center of Castelia has been reserved for the first round of battle, its broad cobbled expanse providing plenty of room to fight and the central fountain offering a refuge for pokémon that would rather swim than stand. Skyscrapers rise on all sides, framing the scene with the imposing prosperity of Castelia City.

More than just Asber's own trainers have turned out for the battles, though; plenty of curious Castelia residents and tourists mill about the rim of the arena, hoping to catch a few exciting battles. To ensure that they don't go unsatisfied, the regional authorities have generously--and forcefully--provided some of Unova's most powerful pokémon for the trainers to test-drive and show off for the crowd. Unfortunately, with the number of battles that need to be run through before the TCoD League's lease on the square expires, some of the fights might have to be truncated a bit.

For this battle, you will be using a pokémon on loan from the Unova League. Your choices are below. The first player will get first pick of pokémon, and the second will make their pick and then attack as usual. This match will be capped at five rounds. If both pokémon are still standing at the end of round five, the pokémon's health and energy will be added together and the one with the most will be declared the winner.

The pokémon:

Escavalier (F) <Shell Armor>
Ferrothorn (M) <Iron Barbs>
Gigalith (F) <Sturdy>
Audino (F) <Healer>

1. Meowth chooses a pokémon
2. Lucas755 chooses a pokémon and attacks
3. Meowth attacks

 

[Not Meowth]

I'll take that Audino, please and thank you. :3

 

[Lucas₇₅₅]

Well, I guess Gigalith is my only choice, since Audino learns all the moves.

Swagger ~ Curse ~ Curse

 

[Not Meowth]

Right, Darwin (that's your name now, Audino), let's ruin everything. Set up a substitute to stop him confusing you but still reap the benefit of a big Attack boost. Then Encore him to keep them coming, and on the last action, wait for him to Swagger a third time, then Dig. If you can't dig through the ground, go for Wild Charge instead.

Substitute (10%) ~ Encore ~ Dig (wait)/Wild Charge (wait)

 

[Negrek]

Scattered applause greets the trainers as they step up to the makeshift arena, turning their borrowed pokéballs over in their hands but not looking the slightest bit nervous. There is further excitement as the start of the match is announced and the trainers toss their pokéballs to the pavement, revealing their choices. The two could hardly be more different, with a small, rather soft audino appearing on Meowth's side of the field in direct opposition to the mountainous, craggy gigalith that takes form before Lucas755. Darwin the audino hardly seems intimidated, though, humming to herself as she listens for her trainer's orders. Gigalith is inscrutable, standing statue-still as, at the referee's signal, the battle begins.

Round One​

Meowth (O)

Darwin (F) <Healer>
Health: 100%
Energy: 100%
Commands: Substitute (10%) ~ Encore ~ Dig (wait)/Wild Charge (wait)
- Calm and unconcerned.

Lucas755 (O)

Gigalith (M) <Sturdy>
Health: 100%
Energy: 100%
Commands: Swagger ~ Curse ~ Curse
- Eerily still and silent.

Darwin is still blithely humming to herself as the battle begins, but her song is far from innocent. A clap of her paws summons a twisting blob of water out of the fountain, and the audino directs it to float gently down to the pavement in front of her with brisk twitches of her fingers. Upon splashing to earth, it swirls up into the form of another audino, roughly Darwin's size and shot through with lines of silver energy, which hold it in its shape.

Gigalith eyes the substitute with distaste--water, of all things--then sets out on his own attack. The rocky pokémon's voice is deep and booming, ringing with confidence as he informs Darwin of just how unlucky she is to be facing such a terrible, mighty, resplendent pokémon such as himself. Meanwhile, the gigalith prances around in an absurd kind of high step, footsteps thudding heavily on the cobblestones as it stalks around in front of Darwin.

The audino is paying him no attention, however, apparently deep in conversation with her substitute. The audino chirp at one another and share a few giggles. Darwin is utterly oblivious to even Gigalith's most outrageous displays, all her attention on her substitute. Nevertheless, as soon as Gigalith gives up stomping around in a huff, the audino leans out from around her substitute and gives him an enthusiastic round of applause. No, really, that was excellent. She would just love to see another display of Gigalith's wit and ego. Her substitute was distracting her--perhaps he can do it again so she can get a better look?

Gigalith grumbles to itself, a little suspicious but secretly flattered that a cute pokémon like Darwin paid him a compliment. Ignoring his commands, the rock type starts swaggering again, even more exuberantly than before. When he glances over at Darwin to see what she thinks, though, he is infuriated to see that that pushy substitute's gotten ahold of her again, and they are once more deep in conversation.

Gigalith's swagger goes on, the rock type working his way closer to the two audino and being even more loud in his proclamations, but the pair act like he isn't even there. Gigalith tips dangerously back and forth, so high is he lifting his feet, and he is positively booming. But when he next looks down, Darwin isn't there at all--just her substitute, regarding him with polite interest, and behind it a dark hole surrounded by a scattering of earth and broken cobblestones.

Gigalith is incensed. He stomps all four feet down solidly, rumbling dangerously with rage. Trick him, will she? She never cared about his swagger at all! The gigalith is going to teach that little pink elephant-thing a lesson when next she dares show her face.

Meowth (O)

Darwin (F) <Healer>
Health: 90%
Energy: 88%
Used: Substitute (10%) ~ Encore ~ Dig (wait)
- Out of sight underground. Has a substitute with 10% health.

Lucas755 (O)

Gigalith (M) <Sturdy>
Health: 100%
Energy: 91%
Used: Swagger x3
- Absolutely enraged.

Terrain Notes
There is a small hole near the fountain, the opening of a long underground tunnel.

Final Notes
- Substitute blocks swagger entirely. If you want to prevent the confusion but get the attack boost, you want safeguard (or a pokémon with own tempo, or a confusion-healing berry, etc.).
- Meowth attacks first next round.

 

[Not Meowth]

I knew I should have double-checked that. Or, you know, noticed the downfalls of wasting precious health and energy on a substitute.

Well, that sort of failed. Start up by coming up out of the ground and attacking. Then give him a Yawn and use Grass Knot. If he protects or otherwise can't be hit, do nothing to conserve energy.

Dig/nothing ~ Yawn/nothing ~ Grass Knot/nothing

 

[Lucas₇₅₅]

We sure dodged a bullet there... Rocky! Yeeaah, Rocky. That's you. Alright, let's do some stuff. Start off by surrounding yourself with Rock Tomb, making it impossible to reach you. After that, set up a Sandstorm and then use Curse.

Rock Tomb ~ Sandstorm ~ Curse

 

[Negrek]

Round Two​

Meowth (O)

Darwin (F) <Healer>
Health: 90%
Energy: 88%
Commands: Dig/nothing ~ Yawn/nothing ~ Grass Knot/nothing
- Out of sight underground. Has a substitute with 10% health.

Lucas755 (O)

Gigalith (M) <Sturdy>
Health: 100%
Energy: 91%
Commands: Rock Tomb ~ Sandstorm ~ Curse
- Absolutely enraged.

While Gigalith is preoccupied with thoughts of revenge, peering into the depths of Darwin's tunnel, the audino is hard at work. She digs up now, angling towards the surface and gaining momentum as she goes. Gigalith is completely unprepared as she bursts out from the ground beneath him, slamming a fist charged with ground energy into his underbelly and opening noticeable cracks thereon.

Gigalith shuffles back wildly to get Darwin in view, while the Audino scrambles over to stand by her substitute, hoping it will protect her from Gigalith's revenge. The rock type regards the two audino with murderous dislike, then plants all four feet firmly, calling to the rocks in the earth below. They rise to the surface, pushing up from beneath the cobblestones with a mighty grinding noise. Rather than hurling themselves at Darwin, however, they form a ring around Gigalith, mounding up into a low wall of stone that completely separates the two battlers.

As the dust settles, Darwin works up the courage to move in close to the wall, giving it a good looking-over. The audino makes a quick circuit of the rock tomb, and finds it solid the whole way 'round. She stands and thinks: can Gigalith see her from in there? Is there some way she could get an attack through? Over the top? She knows more or less where Gigalith is, but... what should she do? It's certainly a perplexing turn of events.

Inside his stone fortress, Gigalith kicks dirt and grit into the air, commanding the wind to blow as fiercely as it can and to carry with it as much sand as it can hold. Darwin squints as the wind picks up and the air darkens, raising an arm in a pointless bid to shield herself from the stinging barrage of the sandstorm. Beside her, her substitute also suffers the storm's abrasive effects, dripping steadily onto the pavement as the energy that gives it form and life is worn away.

Gigalith, on the other hand, quite enjoys the gentle brush of the sandstorm against his craggy body. It's a pity he can't feel that much of it, holed up in the rock tomb as he is. Still, the peace and quiet is the perfect atmosphere to practice the dark rites necessary to sacrifice ever so little of his mobility for a boost in physical strength. Outside, Darwin remains idle and oblivious to her opponent's actions as she waits for a better opening to present itself.

Meowth (O)

Darwin (F) <Healer>
Health: 88%
Energy: 84%
Used: Dig ~ Nothing x2
- A bit frustrated Has a substitute with 8% health.

Lucas755 (O)

Gigalith (M) <Sturdy>
Health: 91%
Energy: 82%
Used: Rock Tomb ~ Sandstorm ~ Curse
- Feeling secure inside his rock tomb. +1 Attack, +1 Defense, -1 Speed

Terrain Notes
A sandstorm is raging around the arena (7 more actions). A wall made up of rocks, dirt, and broken pieces of pavement about four feet high surrounds Gigalith. Within its boundaries are two small holes leading down to the same underground tunnel.

Final Notes
- Lucas755 attacks first next round.

 

[Lucas₇₅₅]

Do nothing to conserve energy. However, if they change the weather, just change it right back with Sandstorm. If your walls somehow come down, start using Heavy Slam (but still reset with weather if need be). If you're stuck with a major status affliction, use Facade instead of Heavy Slam.

Nothing/Sandstorm/Heavy Slam/Facade x3

 

[Not Meowth]

Hm.

Try using Telekinesis to lift it above the rocks, then Yawn at it and fire off a Charge Beam. If you can't do that, try to Dig under the rocks and get over to Gigalith's side; try to do that it one action. If you manage to, follow the same commands as if you'd used Telekinesis; otherwise, shift Yawn to the third action.

Telekinesis/Dig ~ Yawn/Dig ~ Charge Beam/Yawn

 

[Negrek]

Round Three​

Meowth (O)

Darwin (F) <Healer>
Health: 88%
Energy: 84%
Commands: Telekinesis/Dig ~ Yawn/Dig ~ Charge Beam/Yawn
- A bit frustrated. Has a substitute with 8% health.

Lucas755 (O)

Gigalith (M) <Sturdy>
Health: 91%
Energy: 82%
Commands: Nothing/Sandstorm/Heavy Slam/Facade x3
- Feeling secure inside his rock tomb. +1 Attack, +1 Defense, -1 Speed

Darwin stares up at the wall of rock that hides her opponent from view. It's plenty solid, and if not impervious to her attacks, at least able to weather a few of them before collapse. There is one asset of hers against which it is no defense, though--her mind. Darwin frowns and pulls at one of the curly tips of her ears as she considers what she has to do next. Psychic attacks aren't exactly her forte, but she'll do her best.

Closing her eyes, Darwin reaches out towards her opponent, easily locating him--he's right in front of her, after all; only the rock tomb separates them. Darwin grits her teeth as she lifts; Gigalith is heavy, after all. The rock type lets out a grumble of surprise as his feet gently leave the ground and he begins to float. He rises up, up, until he hovers a couple of feet above the square and hangs there.

Gigalith's feet pedal frantically in the air; if he reaches all the way down with one of his short legs, he can scrape the bottom of one of his feet across the ground, but that's all--he's stuck in place, able to do no more than flail and bob a half an inch or so in any given direction.

Darwin, on the other side of the rock tomb, opens her eyes and squints into the sandstorm. The rock tomb is quite tall, at least in relation to her, and lifting Gigalith up only managed to bring his head a little ways over its edge. She can hardly see through the sandstorm, and she can only hope that the rock-type is watching as she opens her mouth and gives a spectacular yawn.

Gigalith does indeed have his eyes trained on Darwin, trying to figure out how she's managed to suspend him up here. He is surprised by the yawn, and then again by the sudden rush of drowsiness that washes over him after he witnesses it. He tries to shove the feeling aside and concentrate on what he's going to do now--how he's going to strike back against his opponent.

None of his orders really seem to fit here, though. His walls haven't come down--he's come up. The weather hasn't changed. He hasn't been inflicted with any status effects... none that have actually taken effect anyway. And all that leaves him the option of... doing nothing. Not the most satisfying option, but what can he do? Not much, hanging in the air the way he is.

Meanwhile, Darwin is preparing her next attack. It's going to be a tricky shot--only a little bit of her opponent is visible, after all--but at least she doesn't have to worry about Gigalith moving out of the way. The audino points a finger at her target and sights down it, then releases a thin thread of electricity at her opponent. The charge beam isn't terribly powerful to begin with, and the blowing sandstorm has reinforced Gigalith's resistance to energy attacks. He feels little more than a slight jolt as the charge beam connects, and to Darwin's disappoitment, none of the attack's juice seems to have stuck around with her, either.

On the plus side, though, Gigalith is giving in to his drowsiness. His legs kick fitfully now and again as he snaps back to full wakefulness, but he is sinking inexorably towards full sleep. At last his head slumps sideways and he goes limp, the power of Darwin's yawn finally having won him over.

Meowth (O)

Darwin (F) <Healer>
Health: 85%
Energy: 73%
Commands: Telekinesis ~ Yawn ~ Charge Beam
- Feeling pretty good. Has a substitute with 5% health.

Lucas755 (O)

Gigalith (M) <Sturdy>
Health: 88%
Energy: 80%
Commands: Nothing x3
- Deeply asleep. Floating above the ground (1 more action). +1 Attack, +1 Defense, -1 Speed

Terrain Notes
A sandstorm is raging around the arena (4 more actions). A wall made up of rocks, dirt, and broken pieces of pavement about four feet high surrounds Gigalith. Within its boundaries are two small holes leading down to the same underground tunnel.

Final Notes
- Meowth attacks first next round.

 

[Not Meowth]

...ah. I'd forgotten about Sandstorm increasing Rock-types' Special Defense. Dream Eater's probably not going to break even on energy with that, let alone make a profit.

Okay, first off make it sunny so we don't have to wait for the sandstorm to wear off. Then, if you think you can dislodge or remove any of the rocks with Psychic, do so; otherwise pick Gigalith back up. Last turn, blast him with Solarbeam. Spamming damaging moves is probably going to do more for us than trying to recuperate at this point.

Sunny Day ~ Psychic/Telekinesis ~ Solarbeam

 

[Lucas₇₅₅]

If you wake up at any time, use these attacks, cutting off whatever you don't have room for: Sandstorm, Earthquake, Rock Slide. If you're asleep, do nothing.

Nothing/Sandstorm ~ Nothing/Sandstorm/Earthquake ~ Nothing/Sandstorm/Earthquake/Rock Slide

 

[Negrek]

Round Four​

Meowth (O)

Darwin (F) <Healer>
Health: 85%
Energy: 73%
Commands: Sunny Day ~ Psychic/Telekinesis ~ Solarbeam
- Feeling pretty good. Has a substitute with 5% health.

Lucas755 (O)

Gigalith (M) <Sturdy>
Health: 88%
Energy: 80%
Commands: Nothing/Sandstorm ~ Nothing/Sandstorm/Earthquake ~ Nothing/Sandstorm/Earthquake/Rock Slide
- Deeply asleep. Floating above the ground (1 more action). +1 Attack, +1 Defense, -1 Speed

With Gigalith out of commission, floating gently and sleeping soundly, Darwin can take a moment to, finally, change the weather to something a little more pleasant. The audino cups her hands in front of her and kindles a tiny spark, then releases it into the air.

It is immediately torn away by the fierce, sandy wind, but Darwin isn't worried. It is buffeted ever higher, rising steadily, until it breaks out into the air above the sandstorm and bursts, sending a fiery shockwave across the entire arena. Darwin shields her face from the blinding light, and when she opens her eyes again, it is to find the air clear and still, and the sun almost oppressively bright.

Gigalith doesn't appear to have noticed anything out of the ordinary; he makes a subtle grating noise and one leg twitches, but that's it. Shortly thereafter, Darwin's telekinesis wears off, and Gigalith gradually loses altitude, vanishing from Darwin's view as he sinks gently back down to street level.

Confident that she won't be interrupted, Darwin puts her fingers to her temples and closes her eyes, concentrating. A rock at the front of the ring surrounding Gigalith shudders, rises a little off the ground, then is flung to the side by something invisible. Not a great deal needs to be done to the rocks protecting Gigalith--they just need to be shifted a little bit out of the way--and Darwin is able to clear a narrow hole in the front of the rock tomb, one nevertheless wide enough for her to walk through.

In fact, when she opens her eyes, she can see Gigalith quite clearly. Thus, she has an excellent view of the terrifying sight of the rock type giving a great shudder, then opening his eyes. Gigalith seems quite disoriented, blinking and shaking his head, but he's not so disoriented that he misses out on a chance to kick more dirt into the air and summon another sandstorm.

Darwin groans inwardly as she ducks her head, trying to avoid the worst of the gritty wind's buffeting. It's going to be a real chore to summon up a solarbeam with the sun blocked out by great clouds of sand, but she's going to have to try. She raises her hands in front of her face, brilliant green and gold light slowly gathering between them.

While Darwin is slowly charging, Gigalith gives an awkward hop and brings all four feet down on the ground at once. It's a heavy landing, thanks to the rock type's weight, and it sends a tremor into the earth that causes a fault far below to slip by the tiniest amount.

Darwin's substitute, shedding water rapidly as the sandstorm eats away at its body, rushes over and seizes her around the waist. Darwin is a bit miffed, though she can't spare a great deal of attention for the substitute, working on the solarbeam as she is. The substitute's intuition proves correct, and an earthquake shortly comes shuddering up through the earth. The substitute absorbs the shockwaves with its body, but in the process expends the last of its energy. Darwin drops back to the ground with a splash, landing in the shallow puddle that is all that remains of her loyal avatar.

There isn't time to mourn. At last the solarbeam has grown to the size where Darwin must release it. She does, sending a column of solar energy rocketing across the arena at Gigalith. Unfortunatley, she misses the narrow cleft in his rock tomb that she had cleared; although the solarbeam vaporizes the rocks that it actually strikes, further demolishing Gigalith's defense, the pokémon himself is unharmed, save for getting hit by a light spray of rock chips were once one of the boulders in his rock tomb wall.

Meowth (O)

Darwin (F) <Healer>
Health: 83%
Energy: 56%
Commands: Sunny Day ~ Psychic @ Rock Tomb ~ Solarbeam
- Terribly disappointed in herself and getting tired to boot.

Lucas755 (O)

Gigalith (M) <Sturdy>
Health: 88%
Energy: 70%
Commands: Asleep ~ Sandstorm ~ Earthquake
- Not amused, but still in good shape. +1 Attack, +1 Defense, -1 Speed

Terrain Notes
After a brief lull, the sandstorm has returned with a vengeance (7 more actions). A three-quarter ring of rocks surrounds Gigalith's back and flanks, but the front of the rock tomb has been demolished.

Final Notes
- Lucas755 attacks first next round.

 

[Lucas₇₅₅]

Alright Rocky, you have one round to keep this narrow lead. Let's not lose! Whenever they change the weather, use Sandstorm to change it back. If they use an action to dig underground, hit them with a powered-up Earthquake. If these conditionals are not activated, just use Heavy Slam. Finally, if you are somehow prevented from using your attacks (protect, etc), just do nothing. We can do this!

Heavy Slam/Sandstorm/Earthquake/Nothing x3

 

[Negrek]

DQ warning for Meowth. Twenty-four hours.

 

[Negrek]

Meowth is disqualified. Lucas755 gets a pass to the next round and $10; I get $15.