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Welcome to The Cave of Dragonflies forums, where the smallest bugs live alongside the strongest dragons.
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Of course I'm not forcing you to do anything if you don't want to, but seriously, what have you got to lose? Five seconds of your life?
Oh, wow, I didn't think we'd even have the slightest chance of nabbing the Own Worst Enemy mastery...
I'd still like to at least break even on the Elementalist mastery, so your default commands this round are to go for toxic, flamethrower and draco meteor. If she attempts to use a damaging move on you on the first and second actions, we may as well go for detect, but only once. (Wow, one of the few times having detect and protect in your movepool isn't completely redundant.)
Don't try detecting on your last action, though, because I'd really like you to end on a nice, flashy note with that draco meteor. But if Gorouna is underground or otherwise out of range for your meteor shower, try aiming a dragon pulse at her instead, and shoot down her tunnel if needed. Do the same thing if necessary when aiming your flamethrower.
...We don't have a chance at winning that Elementalist while dealing enough damage to get ourselves on the board. So we need to deal enough damage to get ourselves on the board.
We're expecting a Detect first action. Use Brick Break if you think you'll be able to smash the Reflect shield despite the Detect. If you don't think you would be able to break Reflect with Brick Break if it's blocked by Detect, then try Double-Edge - You certainly won't be hitting Kevin successfully with that, but if you think that after he dodges out of the way you can hit something (the floor, the wall, etc.) and cause yourself some recoil, then do that. If you wouldn't be able to cause yourself recoil after missing with Double-Edge (that is, if neither of the above would work), use Earth Power to force Kevin to use as much energy as possible to Detect.
On action 2, if you didn't use it last action, use Brick Break. If you did use Brick Break last action, use Double-Edge.
On action 3, if the amount of recoil you've taken this round is at less than 4% damage (e.g. your Double-Edge dealt less than 12% damage, or you have not yet used Double-Edge), use Double-Edge. If you have taken at least 4% damage in recoil this round, use Earth Power.
Whatever you do on action 2 should leave you very close to Kevin, and thus on action three, if you're using double-edge, you should be able to get on top of him, if possible. And since you're faster than he is right now and Draco Meteor takes time and concentration to make happen, it shouldn't be impossible to, as part of your attack, trap Kevin with your attack and then roll over or turn around or upwards while holding Kevin in front of you, in the path of his own Draco Meteor attack, or at least within the attack's blast radius. If you are set to use Double-Edge on Action 3, do it this way. If you're set to use Earth Power on action 3 and it's possible for you to Fling Kevin at the Draco Meteor with a reasonable degree of accuracy before it hits you, then replace Earth Power with that.
Superbird (Ooo) Gorouna (f) <Sturdy> @ Eviolite
Status: 66% health / 78% energy / 144% total / 154% adjusted
Masteries: Own Worst Enemy 1, Elementalist 6 (Normal, Steel, Rock, Fire, Fighting, Electric)
Currently: Determined not to give up. +2 Defense.
Commands: Earth Power / Brick Break / Double-Edge ~ Brick Break / Double-Edge ~ Double Edge + Use Kevin as Meat Shield / Earth Power / Fling Kevin At Meteor
Byrus (Ooo) Kevin (m) <Shed Skin> @ Eviolite
Status: 86% health / 74% energy / 160% total / 190% adjusted
Masteries: Own Worst Enemy 4, Elementalist 6 (Ghost, Ice, Steel, Psychic, Normal, Water)
Currently: Not sure what to think yet. +1 Attack, +1 Defense, -2 Speed. Surrounded by a Reflect (3 more actions.)
Used: Toxic/Detect ~ Flamethrower / Detect ~ Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
Field Notes
-The sun Gorouna is shining brightly (6 more actions, it'll still persist after she's recalled.)
-Turn order: Gorouna (35) > Kevin (20).
-The ground is cracked so heavily that the incomprehensible runes and concentric rings of Kevin's ritual aren't discernible around his location any more.
-There is a vaguely U-shaped pile of rubble facing Byrus's side of the arena.
Round 3
The cheers grow ever louder beneath the trainers, and once their commands have been given, the Pokemon square off in the center of the balcony. Gorouna adopts a vaguely ridiculous expression and frowns at Kevin as if a long enough glare can convince him to forfeit the match, while the Dratini stares awkwardly back, fidgeting a little with the tip of his tail. He's clearly caught off guard when Gorouna charges at him, a white aura enhancing her blows, but he manages to gather his wits enough to dodge out of the way right before she can hit him. Not deterred in the least, the Graveler whips around to continue her assault, but Kevin's already leaping past her to the railing, eyes glowing amber, and her hit goes wide. She winces as her finger splays, jammed into a jagged piece of brick, but recovers quickly and changes direction, heading toward Kevin's new location.
The reddish light surrounding the Dratini brightens for a second, and he slithers confidently around the stone bars as his opponent approaches, using the ornamental caps on every other to block some of Gorouna's hits and letting his distance and speed do the rest. Soon, both Pokemon start to tire; Kevin's aura fades in intensity, but for every extra second he takes before wriggling away, Gorouna takes an extra second to recover from his tricks. The battlers' moves become sluggish, and neither makes many bold moves as they catch their breath and, eventually, back off. Gorouna thinks for a moment on her commands, keeping an eye on her opponent, before surveying her own wounds and seeming to decide on a course of action.
When the glow surrounding Kevin finally flickers out, she fakes a lunge towards his head. The Dratini isn't so worn out as to be completely unprepared for an attack, but he is unprepared for her to change direction to target his tail, where his light shield is weakest, and he cries out as the Graveler tackles him, slamming the full force of her weight into the barrier. Though the Reflect is meant to take attacks of this kind, the pressure is too much and it fades slowly with a quiet crackling. Kevin glances wildly around, as if something from the environment can help him reform the shield, but the cracked rocks scattered across the balcony don't seem to yield anything. Gorouna uses her opponent's sudden hesitation to punch him a few more times, but Kevin isn't caught unawares this time. Before his opponent can back away, he leaps forwards to leech heat from the faint greenish glow still surrounding her, taking on a red aura, before spewing a torrent of fire straight into her eyes, close-range. Too surprised by her opponent's temerity to avoid the attack in time, the panicking Graveler yells vaguely strung-together insults at her opponent, stumbling backwards over herself as she bats desperately at the flames. The audience alternates vehement boos and cautious calls of encouragement at Kevin's unconventional attack as he prepares another.
As Gorouna continues her doomed assault on the smoldering embers, her opponent slithers to coil again in the center of the balcony. Though he's surrounded by chaotic stacks of ruined brick, the Dratini still manages to look majestic, an impression bolstered by the swirls of floating sparks flickering into existence all around him. Gorouna's eyes widen in unhappy surprise, and she gives a small noise that might be a groan: not more fire… Kevin grins back at her, before turning to the dismal-looking sky above them and squeal-chanting a songlike something, blending together sharp, oddly melodic consonants and soft high-pitched vowels. The trainers and crowd alike strain to discern what exactly the Dratini's singing, but his voice is soon drowned out by the scream of objects traveling towards them at high velocity.
When Gorouna sees the falling ring of meteors, each surrounded by its own blue-green whirlwind, her first instinct is, strangely, to run over and grab her opponent. Kevin squirms and hisses, attempting to free himself, but Gorouna is much more powerful than he is, and he quickly goes limp, hoping she'll let up and give him a chance to slither away. The Graveler does no such thing, however, instead squeezing his midsection as tightly as she can. For a few moments, all they do is watch the sky and wait, until… there! As the soonest-approaching meteor hurtles downwards towards them, leaving a brilliant trail of dragonfire behind it, Gorouna hurls Kevin into the rock's path and dives for cover, landing hard on an outcropping of brick. The Dratini twists to and fro in midair and the Graveler clambers over the stone and rubble surrounding her, both wondering why they'd thought this was a good plan, but neither is quite fast enough to avoid the attack.
At the peak of his flight path, Kevin looks up and sees the meteor Gorouna targeted glowing larger than life, before he's driven into the ground faster than he would have thought possible, his vision blurring with the sheer force of the impact. He's dimly aware of the Dragon energy in the rock eating away at the conflicting power his scales are imbued with, of Gorouna shouting in consternation, having the breath driven out of her, and then not shouting at all as his other meteors hit their mark, and of the screams of the crowd turning from excited to terrified as some of the less-well-aimed meteors come crashing down to the sides of the balcony, some of the braver audience members having only been saved from a full-force Draco Meteor to the hat by a league-owned Abra's Protect shield. Soon, another Abra teleports away the crushing pressure against the back of his head, and the referee digs him out of the mess and rubble, being careful to avoid the remaining spots of dragon fire. Kevin and Gorouna approach each other for a hand-tailtip shake as their trainers do the same; the Dratini looks to be in better physical shape, but his attacks definitely seem to have taken more out of him. The referee furrows her brow before digging out a calculator and punching some numbers into it. After a few minutes of calculating, she raises one of her flags towards Kevin, declaring Byrus's victory in the first bout, and the audience applauds mildly as the trainers ready their Pokemon and Masteries for the second round.
Superbird (ooo) Gorouna (f) <Sturdy> @ Eviolite
Status: 49% health / 64% energy / 113% total / 113% adjusted
Masteries: Own Worst Enemy 5, Elementalist 7 (Normal x2, Steel, Rock, Fire, Fighting x2, Electric, Dark)
Currently: And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for that meddling snake and his trainer! +2 Defense.
Used: Double-Edge @ floor ~ Brick Break ~ Fling (Kevin, @ Draco Meteor)
Byrus (ooo) Kevin (m) <Shed Skin> @ Eviolite
Status: 77% health / 56% energy / 133% total / 153% adjusted
Masteries: Own Worst Enemy 11, Elementalist 9 (Ghost, Ice, Steel, Psychic, Normal, Water, Fighting, Fire, Dragon)
Currently: Jumping up and down excitedly. +1 Attack, +1 Defense, -2 Special Attack, -2 Speed.
Used: Detect ~ Flamethrower ~ Draco Meteor
Field Notes
-The sun Gorouna is shining brightly (3 more actions.)
-The balcony is in ruins. The ground is cracked heavily, and bits of rock still smoldering with dragonfire are scattered all around. In particular, there is a vaguely U-shaped pile of rubble facing Byrus's side of the arena.
Action Notes
-uuuurgh, sorry about the wait on this one! I won't have very much time for reffing next week either, so you can take your time with commands and stuff.
-Pokemon don't know their health or energy counts, so Gorouna guessed as to whether she'd taken 4% recoil (I gave this a 50/50 chance) and assumed, correctly, that she had.
-I think it's established that Reflect shields move with the Pokemon, or at least enough to intercept incoming attacks, and since Detect is more about dodging than using a physical shield, like Protect, Brick Break wouldn't be able to de-shield Kevin through it. Note that Brick Break deals damage after breaking the shield.
-Dratini weighs around 8 pounds, which is really light. I think Graveler is big enough (and it's 95 to 64 attack) for Gorouna to physically overpower Kevin, so she went with Fling. I assumed he was around the weight of the Damp Rock/Heat Rock/Macho Brace category (maybe a little lighter?) with 60 base power for Fling, so Gorouna expended 3% energy to throw him.
-Since Draco Meteor summons enough meteors to be described as a "swarm" of them, Kevin took the equivalent of a 4% base damage Dragon move, while Gorouna took the remaining 8%; the Fling did no damage because it was being used to toss him into the meteor's path. In addition, Eifie says that damage from being thrown into the path of one's own attack does in fact count for Own Worst Enemy, so he gained 7% from that.
Firestrike the male Combusken <Blaze> @ King's Rock (4 exp) Gorouna the female Graveler <Sturdy> @ Eviolite Dokon the male Toxicroak <Anticipation> @ Black Sludge (4 exp) Natalie the female Xatu <Synchronize> @ Prism Scale (4 exp) Koiquen the female Gyarados <Intimidate> @ Weakness Policy Llara the female Ferrothorn <Iron Barbs> @ Moon Stone (5 exp) Eldrach the male Galvantula <Compound Eyes> @ Metronome (6 exp) Quabbel the male Frillish <Cursed Body> @ Leftovers Meta the genderless Ditto <Limber> @ Metal Powder Limonde the female Stunfisk <Static>
Byrus
Christy the female Houndoom <Flash Fire> @ Electirizer (7 exp) Jonesy the male Skuntank <Stench> @ Black Sludge Fiver the male Buneary <Run Away> @ Normal Gem Arundel the male Taillow <Guts> @ Flying Gem Prospero the male Abra <Synchronize> @ Weakness Policy Sluagh the male Gastly <Levitate> @ Colbur Berry Cleasai the male Mr. Mime <Filter> @ Twisted Spoon (6 exp) The Strand the male Eelektrik <Levitate> @ Thunder Stone Ruya the female Sableye <Keen Eye> @ Reaper Cloth Kevin the male Dratini <Shed Skin> @ Eviolite
Byrus sends out, Superbird sends out, and I post Masteries.
uuuurgh, sorry about the wait on this one! I won't have very much time for reffing next week either, so you can take your time with commands and stuff.
The next two Masteries, which will also apply for the last bout:
Superbird: Obstinate Orders - Awarded to the trainer that used the least conditionals in their commands. Only the trainer who is issuing the first commands in the current bout can choose this Mastery. (note: I'll be counting each slashed move in the command string as a conditional, so Superbird's most recent commands would score 5, and Byrus's would score 3.)
Byrus: Skill Striker - Awarded to the Pokémon that used the most moves with 70 or less Base Power (after accounting for effects that change a move's Base Power). (Note that this is unique moves, not moves total, and doesn't count statuses.)
We'll be going all offense on this, Eldarach. Start by rushing your opponent, dropping your Metronome on the ground because we don't care about it right now, and using Thief to grab your opponent's Reaper Cloth. Continue with Struggle Bug to even out those drops, and finish with a Charge Beam.
Let's start with an incinerate to take advantage of the last round of sun. Follow that up with a thief of your own, because it's totally not cool for him to jack your style. End with fake out.
The audience's round of applause continues as Byrus recalls Kevin and chooses a new Poke Ball from his belt. Ruya the Sableye appears in a flash of white light, clutching her Reaper Cloth with one hand and a half-consumed jewel with the other. The tattered gray fabric flutters in the breeze like an abnormally short cape, but many of the spectators shiver a little as they realize that there isn't a breeze. Still glowing faintly, Gorouna looks back at her own trainer, wanting to be called back as well, but the referee motions with one flag to indicate that the Graveler should stay on the field while Superbird decides on his sendout. Sighing, Gorouna looks to the near-motionless Sableye on Byrus's side of the balcony, wondering what tricks her teammate's future opponent has up her sleeve. Upon seeing the Graveler, the Sableye cackles and pops the rest of the gem she's holding into her mouth, chewing and swallowing with visible relish. Small ticking Metronome in hand, Eldarach the Galvantula appears from Superbird's Poke Ball just in time to see Ruya snicker and let out a loud belch. Despite the cloth tied around her neck, Eldarach is fairly confident about his odds: he won in the previous round of the tournament and he definitely can't let his trainer down, so why be frightened now? With a nod to Gorouna, who's standing by at the edge of the balcony, the Galvantula moves to the center of the balcony and faces off against Ruya, ready to begin the next bout of the battle.
Superbird (oOo) Eldarach (m) <Compound Eyes> @ Metronome (6 exp)
Status: 100% health / 100% energy / 200% total / 220% adjusted
Masteries: Obstinate Orders 0, Skill Striker 0
Currently: Chittering smugly and waving his feelers as if to provoke his opponent.
Commands: Thief ~ Struggle Bug ~ Charge Beam
Byrus (oOo) Ruya (f) <Keen Eye, Intimidate> @ Reaper Cloth
Status: 100% health / 100% energy / 200% total / 220% adjusted
Masteries: Obstinate Orders 0, Skill Striker 0
Currently: Giggling incessantly at something, though it's anyone's guess as to what.
Commands: Incinerate ~ Thief ~ Fake Out
Field Notes
-The sun Gorouna is shining brightly (3 more actions.)
-The balcony is in ruins. The ground is cracked heavily, and bits of rock still smoldering with dragonfire are scattered all around. In particular, there is a vaguely U-shaped pile of rubble facing Byrus's side of the arena.
Round 4
Eldarach is by far the quicker of the two, and he leaps towards his opponent almost as soon as the referee's flags come down, one leg charged with flickering shadowy energy. Ruya appears to flinch backwards, but the movement is a feint, masking a downwards dodge. Eldarach pays her evasion no heed, instead zeroing in on his intended target: the Sableye's Reaper Cloth. She already seems to be preparing a counterattack, and his position is too precarious for him to undo the knot holding it in place; a little regretful about what he's about to do, Eldarach rips easily through the fabric, simultaneously bringing his stolen prize to his own neck, dropping his held Metronome, and blocking Ruya's counter with another leg.
As the Galvantula quickly backs away, wary of another attack but still pleased he managed to swipe the scarf, Ruya hisses a wordless warning/threat and prepares for revenge. There's no way he's just gonna… just, uh… As the Sableye recalls her trainer's surprisingly clear-cut orders, a phrase comes to mind: yeah, there's no way she'll let him jack her style! She begins a mystical dance, sashaying and leaping gracefully around the ruined balcony as her normally blue eyes slowly turn a deep red and a tiny fireball forms between her outstretched hands. Ruya's performance soon brings her to Gorouna, standing bored at the edge of the balcony. Upon exposure to the Graveler's Fire energy, the Sableye's flames expand to envelop her hands, and she gives a mocking bow before pirouetting showily into a battle stance. As the flames surrounding her claws burn as brightly as ever, she starts to fling thin streams of fire at Eldarach, timing her throws for the most devastating impacts.
The Galvantula is too surprised to dodge the first few hits, screeching in pain as the red-hot jets burn crisscrossing scars into his face and legs, but he quickly formulates a plan. Smirking, Eldarach whips around as quickly as he can and scuttles away, loosing streamers of silk to block the flames and cover his retreat—and if some of the bigger globs land on Gorouna, it's totally not his fault. Expecting a flashy conclusion to the first action, the spectators clap and cheer wildly, but the silk only shrivels upon contact. Seeing that further assault would be useless, Ruya grits her teeth and retreats herself.
Both Pokemon stay back for a while, catching their breath, but Eldarach soon skitters forwards again, the pilfered Reaper Cloth billowing at his back. Startled, Ruya cowers away and tries to run, curling up into a more defensible position when she finds she's already backed against the balcony. The Sableye is unprepared for her opponent to rear up onto his hind legs, smearing something sticky and gross onto the orb of olive energy building up in front of him, and she's too surprised to dodge or block it when Eldarach flings the sphere at her. Though small, it explodes on contact, sending sticky, gross sparks of Bug energy flying every which way—and drenching her in a smothering layer of sticky, gross oil. Warbling in unfeigned distress, the Sableye flails at her skin and even phases out of corporeality in a few places, but she's unable to remove the substance.
Once she realizes that her efforts are in vain, Ruya stops to frown menacingly at her opponent before concentrating energy again. She releases her built-up power in a swirling wash of darkness, forming a shadowy apparition that casts snakelike tendrils towards Eldarach. The Galvantula winces at each hit and tries to parry, but his limbs pass through the ghostly energy as if it's air and he falls flat on his face. As Eldarach recovers, Ruya's phantom snatches up her cloak, shredding it further but quickly returning the remaining scraps. As her apparition fades, the Sableye sees a chance to attack and begins to strike at her opponent with thin whips of Normal energy, not powerful enough to do much harm but easily able to keep Eldarach boxed in and unable to retaliate. For every step forwards the Galvantula takes, he's battered back by what seems like a thousand tiny strands, and he can't muster the focus necessary to counterattack before the referee lowers her flags again, ending the round. As Ruya lets up her attack, giggling some more at Eldarach's failure to move, the Galvantula gives an unimpressed scowl and makes a menacing motion with his feelers, more than ready to get his revenge next round.
Superbird (oOo) Eldarach (m) <Compound Eyes> (6 exp)
Status: 79% health / 94% energy / 173% total / 183% adjusted
Masteries: Obstinate Orders 0, Skill Striker 2 (Thief, Struggle Bug)
Currently: Glaring hard with all six eyes. -1 Attack.
Used: Thief ~ Struggle Bug ~ (flinched)
Byrus (oOo) Ruya (f) <Keen Eye, Intimidate> @ Reaper Cloth
Status: 86% health / 90% energy / 176% total / 206% adjusted
Masteries: Obstinate Orders 0, Skill Striker 3 (Incinerate, Thief, Fake Out)
Currently: Still a little grossed out. -1 Special Attack.
Used: Incinerate ~ Thief ~ Fake Out
Field Notes
-Movement order: Eldarach (108) > Ruya (50).
-The ground is cracked heavily, and bits of rock still smoldering with dragonfire are scattered all around. In particular, there is a vaguely U-shaped pile of rubble facing Byrus's side of the arena.
-A Metronome is lying on its side by Superbird's side of the arena, making a soft ticking noise that's hard to hear over the audience. It sounds lonely, somehow. Does it want someone to pick it up…?
Action Notes
-Ruya's Intimidate didn't activate when she was sent out because she was already on the field when Eldarach entered. However, when Eldarach gained Intimidate via Thief, Ruya received an Attack drop, as in the games. When she gained Intimidate by stealing the Reaper Cloth back, Eldarach received an Attack drop and Ruya's Attack drop faded because he was no longer intimidating to her.
Since sunny day gives a flat 1.25x boost, rather than changing the base power itself (like technician), I thought it would still count towards the mastery?
The description is vague on whether it changes base or final damage, and I've been applying it for base power, but this post in the old Attacks & Abilities Guide seems to imply it's final damage. I'll fix that; note that since the only factors affecting Incinerate were Sunny Day and super effectiveness, nothing changes but Ruya's Skill Striker count and the adjusted totals. Please correct me if you spot anything else that's wrong.
For changes to base power, only consider things like Brine's doubling when the opponent has less than half health, Knock Off's boost when knocking off an item, etc.
Phew, thought I'd missed my opportunity there. Okay, Ruya, let's go with snarl next, then trap him in nice and tightly with a rock tomb. Finish with secret power.
I see we have an opponent who plays dirty. And as a result, there's no way we're gonna be winning that Skill Striker. No matter, Eldarach, we can overcome this. By dealing as much damage as possible - if we can outpace our opponent by more than 20%, we'll win anyway. Start with Bug Buzz, and try to make enough noise to drown out your opponent's Snarl. Follow that up with a one-action Bounce, avoiding the Rock Tomb (which you really ought to be able to do, since you're by far the faster one here), and finish with a Discharge attack. And if you can paralyze your opponent with one of those last two, that would be great.
Superbird (oOo) Eldarach (m) <Compound Eyes> (6 exp)
Status: 79% health / 94% energy / 173% total / 183% adjusted
Masteries: Obstinate Orders 0, Skill Striker 2 (Thief, Struggle Bug)
Currently: Glaring hard with all six eyes. -1 Attack.
Commands: Thief ~ Struggle Bug ~ (flinched)
Byrus (oOo) Ruya (f) <Keen Eye, Intimidate> @ Reaper Cloth
Status: 86% health / 90% energy / 176% total / 206% adjusted
Masteries: Obstinate Orders 0, Skill Striker 3 (Incinerate, Thief, Fake Out)
Currently: Still a little grossed out. -1 Special Attack.
Commands: Bug Buzz ~ Bounce ~ Discharge
Field Notes
-Movement order: Eldarach (108) > Ruya (50).
-The ground is cracked heavily, and bits of rock still smoldering with dragonfire are scattered all around. In particular, there is a vaguely U-shaped pile of rubble facing Byrus's side of the arena.
-A Metronome is lying on its side by Superbird's side of the arena, making a soft, high-pitched whine that's hard to hear over the audience.
Round 5
The crowd falls silent as the next round begins. Feelers bobbing, Eldarach scuttles back into the open from behind an outcropping of rubble, where he'd been mulling over Superbird's commands, while Ruya dutifully hops down from her perch on the balcony rails and gives Byrus a mock salute. Grinning with undisguised glee at the new round, she glances over at her opponent, jewel-eyes glittering in the soft light. Tapping his legs on the ground, the Galvantula looks like he's waiting for her move, and Ruya decides she'd better take the opportunity while it lasts. She approaches him slowly, making menacing feints with her claws that he flinches back at, and starts to snarl at him, making a threatening sound in the back of her throat and leaning closer for maximum effect. At the sound, Eldarach's limbs suddenly shoot out and his drumming accelerates into yellow blurs. The disorientating thrum easily drowns out Ruya's growling, and she breaks off with a huff of annoyance.
Eldarach smirks and slows down enough for her to think she might have a shot at trying again, but the instant she moves his legs are back in motion, producing a somehow even louder humming sound that makes the balcony physically shake. Ruya can't even hear herself think—she has to stop and hold her head to guard against the vibration, and the Sableye gives up and makes a hasty retreat when that approach doesn't work. After what seems like an eternity, Eldarach stops, and Ruya manages to get the first few syllables of her favorite ancient curse in before the Galvantula is in motion again, rocketing upward with a burst of Flying energy. As soon as she realizes what's going on, Ruya leaps up herself in an attempt to bring Eldarach down via fur tufts or leg, but he's too high too soon for her to have a chance. Mumbling some more ancient curses to herself, she raises a hand to shield her eyes and squints upwards, trying to make him out and time her next attack.
After three passes all around the overcast sky and no results, Ruya figures she should give up on squinting. Tapping her foot to the time of Eldarach's abandoned Metronome, she waits. Murmuring to each other and glancing at their stylish watches, the members of the audience wait. Still zooming skyward, Eldarach waits and wonders why anyone would use jumping really high as an attack plan. Around when the Galvantula reaches the peak of his flight path, Ruya gets bored and stomps on the ground, forgetting that her foot's already been charged with Rock energy in preparation for a Rock Tomb attack. The members of the audience forego their stylish watches in favor of covering the ears of their children as the Sableye shouts a few inventive takes on probably-not-ancient curses and struggles to pull her foot out of the rubble she'd inadvertently trapped it in. She looks back up, hoping for the best, but is treated to a wondrous view of Eldarach's lavender underbelly as the Galvantula plummets screaming out of the sky.
The impact and resulting flurries of bluish energy drive the Sableye into the balcony, and both battlers shriek, most likely for different reasons. Once she's recovered from the attack, Ruya flails at Eldarach for all she's worth and eventually manages to force the larger Pokemon off. They both back away slowly and remain alert, watching every move. Eldarach is still quivering, surprised he survived the fall, but he quickly gathers his wits. It's a crucial moment—he can't let his trainer and teammates down now! Gathering electricity, he glows yellow for a split second, feelers waving frenetically, before loosing three shimmering waves of energy in quick succession, watching in satisfaction as they pulsate over the balcony in erratic jolts. Frustrated, Ruya exhales harshly and stands her ground against the waves, shivering as white-hot sparks crackle over her skin but managing to hold her position.
In retaliation, the Sableye raises her own arms and forms a glittering ball of energy that seems to draw power from the balcony itself, specks of light flowing from her surroundings into the orb in waves. Her attack cycles through the rainbow rapid-fire, each new particle from the balcony reflecting off the others and swirling the sphere's current color into the next. Eldarach can't help but gaze at the scene, mesmerized… before the ball settles on white and Ruya unleashes an energy blast that drives her backwards with its intensity, spearing across the arena to sear into Eldarach's skin. As Ruya giggles, seemingly satisfied, the Galvantula shouts and stumbles backwards, trying to drive off the waves of pure elemental force. His efforts do nothing to prevent Ruya's Secret Power, but the attack is thankfully short-lived. As the referee lowers her flags, the battlers stare each other down. The next round will determine the winner of the bout, and potentially the winner of the battle entirely…
Superbird (oOo) Eldarach (m) <Compound Eyes> (6 exp)
Status: 70% health / 78% energy / 148% total / 158% adjusted
Masteries: Obstinate Orders 0, Skill Striker 2 (Thief, Struggle Bug)
Currently: Satisfied with how the round went, and feeling confident about the next.
Used: Bug Buzz ~ Bounce (one action) ~ Discharge
Byrus (oOo) Ruya (f) <Keen Eye, Intimidate> @ Reaper Cloth
Status: 54% health / 78% energy / 132% total / 162% adjusted
Masteries: Obstinate Orders 0, Skill Striker 6 (Incinerate, Thief, Fake Out, Snarl, Rock Tomb, Secret Power)
Currently: Not as healthy as she'd like to be, but prepared to give her all. -1 Special Attack.
Used: Snarl (drowned out) ~ Rock Tomb (missed) ~ Secret Power
Field Notes
-Movement order: Eldarach (108) > Ruya (50).
-The ground is cracked heavily, and bits of rock still smoldering with dragonfire are scattered all around. In particular, there is a vaguely U-shaped pile of rubble facing Byrus's side of the arena.
-A dusty Metronome is lying on its side by Superbird's side of the arena, making a distinctly audible high-pitched whine.
Action Notes
-I figured Bug Buzz would be able to drown out Snarl fairly easily, because Eldarach is much faster, so damage from Snarl was calculated as if Eldarach had +3 Special Defense, and the Special Attack drop did not apply. The damage wasn't negated completely because Ruya is much slower than Eldarach and thus would be able to outwait the majority of the Bug Buzz, though. As a result of his successful interference, Eldarach was able to overcome his fear of Ruya and nullify the Attack drop from Intimidate.
-Secret Power's effect was the manmade terrain one, per this ruling, but 1) it didn't activate and 2) Eldarach can't be paralyzed anyway because he's an Electric type.
-Note that next round will be the last in the bout.
Wonderful, then this should work. Eldarach, Superb job. We're on our way to winning this thing - our opponent isn't going to be able to keep up with our damage output at all, hopefully. The only thing we should have to fear next round is some sort of incapacitation - confusion in particular - but we're not going to let that happen now, are we? Continue with the All-Out Attack, and let's make sure not to leave any openings for our opponent.
Action One, use Volt Switch, and rather than switching we're going to use the recoil from the attack to propel ourselves towards the side of the balcony - in particular, climb off the side of the thing a little to put yourself out of range of your opponent's attacks. Wait a little while there, until you're pretty sure your opponent has done something on Action 2, and then come back up and use a nice quick attack - how about Thunderbolt? Finish off with Thunder.
Firestrike the male Combusken <Blaze> @ King's Rock (4 exp)
Gorouna the female Graveler <Sturdy> @ Eviolite
Dokon the male Toxicroak <Anticipation> @ Black Sludge (4 exp)
Natalie the female Xatu <Synchronize> @ Prism Scale (4 exp)
Koiquen the female Gyarados <Intimidate> @ Weakness Policy
Llara the female Ferrothorn <Iron Barbs> @ Moon Stone (5 exp)
Eldrach the male Galvantula <Compound Eyes> @ Metronome (6 exp)
Quabbel the male Frillish <Cursed Body> @ Leftovers
Meta the genderless Ditto <Limber> @ Metal Powder
Limonde the female Stunfisk <Static>
Christy the female Houndoom <Flash Fire> @ Electirizer (7 exp)
Jonesy the male Skuntank <Stench> @ Black Sludge
Fiver the male Buneary <Run Away> @ Normal Gem
Arundel the male Taillow <Guts> @ Flying Gem
Prospero the male Abra <Synchronize> @ Weakness Policy
Sluagh the male Gastly <Levitate> @ Colbur Berry
Cleasai the male Mr. Mime <Filter> @ Twisted Spoon (6 exp)
The Strand the male Eelektrik <Levitate> @ Thunder Stone
Ruya the female Sableye <Keen Eye> @ Reaper Cloth
Kevin the male Dratini <Shed Skin> @ Eviolite
