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Format: 3v3
Style: Single
DQ: One Week
Damage Cap: 30%
Banned/Restricted Moves: Attract, Healing moves, OHKO. Chills limited to 5.
Arena Description: Beach City Beach
On the shores of a resort town lies a long, beautiful and sandy beach. The boardwalk stretches out before some local businesses and is completed with a small, wooden pier leading into the crystallike blue waters. In the distance sits a mysterious temple, shaped like a giant woman with many arms. (no gimmicks, battle area only includes the beach, the pier and the boardwalk).
Additional Rules: None
Okay, not sure what to expect so let's tread lightly. Start up with a Safeguard, cos something tells me that Abra might have some nasty tricks up it's sleeves. Next, Confide a little secret in her ear...something truly distracting! If she protects use Light Screen instead to lessen the damage she can do to you. Finish up this round with Swagger and we'll be golden! Oh, and if at any point you get taunted, start throwing out some Embers.
aw man!! it hurts that he assumes our first move was gonna involve a status infliction. how distrustful! :c well that's not the kind of lowhanded tactics we use here. instead, we're gonna ~*~kill him with kindness~*~
so i know you're the fastest fox ever but i want you to wait until he uses Safeguard and then i want you to Encore that move! you know, butter him up, have him repeat that move for a while.
"but avery," you may be saying through the convenient psychic link you and i have, "isn't that just gonna stack? or at the very least, make sure we can't status on him for a while?"
haha i have no idea actually BUT you're not going to need to use anything like that, pythia, because we're gonna buff you up while we can! Calm Mind twice, so later rounds will go nice n' easy.
if somehow your first move goes awry just play into his trap for now and set up Protect and Taunt instead of the two calm minds because confusion and stat downers are g r o s s
Encore (wait) ~ Calm Mind/Protect ~ Calm Mind/Taunt
Beach city beach is calm and serene as the three trainers approach, with not a single attacking alien in sight. Now, if they'd arrived last Thursday, that would be a different matter, but thankfully everyone involved was savvy enough to keep an eye on the news to avoid such mishaps.
Eager to start their first battle in the Asber league, both challengers send out their Pokémon, with Howl the Fennekin appearing on Pixel Chinchill's side and Pythia the Abra on serpentjester's side. Howl wiggles his fluffy ears as he takes in the sprawling area of sand, obviously appreciating the fine day. Pythia, on the other hand, appears quite unreadable, her poker face as good as ever.
Pixel Chinchill [OOO]
[Howl] (M) <Blaze> Health: 100% Energy: 100% | Chills used 0/5 Status: Soaking up the sun.
serpentjester [OOO]
[Pythia] (F) <Synchronize> Health: 100% Energy: 100% | Chills used 0/5 Status: Relaxing on the sand.
Round one
Flicking his ears, Howl glances over at Pythia cautiously. His opponent appears pretty chill right now, just sitting there serenely on the sand, but she's definitely a tricky one, he just knows it. Not willing to take any risks, Howl concentrates on forming a protective forcefield around himself, and a soft green glow pulses around his fluffy coat. The glow encases his small form, shimmering eerily in the bright sunlight.
Feeling more at ease now, Howl breathes out a little puff of smoke and peeks over to see what Pythia is planning. To his surprise, the Abra is as chill as ever, and is actually applauding him. Though her closed-eye expression is difficult to read, she certainly appears enthusiastic as she praises him to the heavens for such an astounding use of safeguard. She's never seen such an amazing technique before! Howl actually finds himself feeling quite shy over her adoring compliments. Could it be? Could he actually have a hidden talent for this innocuous move? Wagging his tail, Howl eagerly repeats his earlier preformance, drawing upon the powers of safeguard to create another soothing green glow. He doesn't succeed in strengthening his shield already there, but he's more concerned with impressing Pythia again.
Pythia, for her part, simply nods sagely at Howl's efforts and suppresses a chuckle. Her opponent is completely unaware of the manipulative psychic suggestion behind her compliments, and now he's left repeating his pointless task. Meanwhile, she's just gonna zen out for a bit. She curls her tail around herself and hums softly as she meditates, blocking out all distractions and honing her mental fortitude.
Howl unfortunately interprets her increasingly relaxed state as a lack of interest, and he desperately renews his efforts, eager for more praise. The green glow of safeguard surrounds him again, making him look almost radioactive by this point, but Pythia's earlier enthusiasm appears to be absent. His ears drooping, Howl concludes that perhaps her praise was not as sincere as he thought...
End of round one
Pixel Chinchill [OOO]
[Howl] (M) <Blaze> Health: 100% Energy: 94% | Chills used 0/5 Status: Starting to feel a bit put out. Encored into Safeguard (One more action) | Protected by safeguard (Two more actions) Moves used: Safeguard x3
serpentjester [OOO]
[Pythia] (F) <Synchronize> Health: 100% Energy: 94% | Chills used 0/5 Status: Totally zen. + 2 spec. atk, + 2 spec. def Moves used: Encore ~ Calm mind x2
Encore = 4% energy
Calm mind x2 = 1% energy each
Safeguard = 2% initial cost, 1% energy per action
Safeguard x2 = 1% energy
Battle notes
- Howl expended a tiny bit of energy for the repeated use of safeguard, but not as much as it would cost when used properly.
- serpentjester attacks first.
okay, so he's got one final safeguard left, and he seems awful down! let's give him an audience - use Double Team for four clones, show off that glorious speed! this is still a battle, though, and there's a lot about howl (okay, mostly his trainer) that i don't trust! so Taunt him. it'll be letting him down pretty hard, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ then make use of that juiced up sp. atk and let loose a Psychic!
if he tries to protect/mirror coat that Taunt, use Reflect instead and seal up those defenses.
I'd be disappointed if there weren't some nasty surprises in this battle with you sib!
Okay, I know you're locked into that last Safeguard so eh. It is what it is. Use Heat Wave to reduce those clones to dust, and since Taunt will happen, let's up the heat with a Fire Spin! If that taunt somehow doesn't work, we've got more leeway...if so, let's us Psyche Up to nab those lovely stat boosts!
Safeguard (Locked) ~ Heat Wave ~ Fire Spin/Psych Up
Pixel Chinchill [OOO]
[Howl] (M) <Blaze> Health: 100% Energy: 94% | Chills used 0/5 Status: Starting to feel a bit put out. Encored into Safeguard (One more action) | Protected by safeguard (Two more actions)
Despite hs doubts, Howl just can't resist going for that one last safeguard. He's gotten strangely attached to the move by this point, and who knows, maybe he'll manage to gain Pythia's approval once more. As the green light surrounds him yet again, Pythia does seem to perk up, but her attention remains staunchly focused on her own affairs. She crosses her legs and levitates into the air, a purple aura of psychic energy shimmering eerily around her. As Howl watches in confusion, Pythia's form begins to twist and warp, and two illusionary copies split out on both sides of her.
Howl gives a startled yelp as Pythia and her clones surround him in a semi-circle, making him feel distinctly uneasy. The looks on their faces is far from pleasant; there's no sign of the earlier cheer and encouragement now, only cruel smirks. Their telepathic laughs reverberate in Howl's head, mocking his earlier efforts and chiding him for falling for such a cheap trick. As they go on and on, Howl's anger quickly builds until it reaches boiling point. He should have known all along she was just messing with him! He snarls in fury, and his fur coat bristles as it heats up, before he sends a blazing swathe of fire exploding all around him. Pythia's jibes are quickly cut off as the flames scorch her, causing her to beat a hasty retreat from the enraged Fennekin. Her clones are completely unable to take the heat, and she's dismayed to find they've been wiped out by the widespread attack.
Scowling over at her opponent, Pythia prepares to finally go on the offensive. She reaches out to Howl's mind, and sends a powerful blast of psychic shockwaves searing through his head. Howl grits his teeth in pain and shakes himself furiously in a futile attempt to fend off the telepathic attack, to no avail. When Pythia finally does relent, he's left with a pounding headache and in an even fouler mood than before. He takes a deep breath, then spits out a long tongue of fire at Pythia, which rages around her in a fiery tornado. Pythia winces as the seething heat washes over her, leaving her sweating and scorched. The swirling flames effectively box her in on both sides, giving her little room for movement.
End of round two
Pixel Chinchill [OOO]
[Howl] (M) <Blaze> Health: 87% Energy: 88% | Chills used 0/5 Status: Still feeling cheated. Taunted (One more action) Moves used: Safeguard ~ Heat Wave ~ Fire Spin
serpentjester [OOO]
[Pythia] (F) <Synchronize> Health: 90% Energy: 82% | Chills used 0/5 Status: Feeling the heat. + 2 spec. atk, + 2 spec. def | Trapped in Fire Spin (4 more actions) Moves used: Double Team ~ Taunt ~ Psychic
Safeguard = 1% energy
Heat wave = 9% damage / 4% energy
Fire spin = 1% initial damage / 1% energy
Double Team = 4% energy
Taunt = 4% energy
Psychic = 13% damage / 4% energy
Okay, we're not looking too bad. It's always tricky going first though...
I know you're still riled up, so lash out with a Frustration first! If we're not taunted again, go for that Psyche Up and show her some of your Swagger! If they throw out a protect to stop the Psyche Up then use Sunny Day instead. If another taunt happens, then let's just get offensive. Flame Charge and follow it up with Secret Power
Frustration ~ Psyche Up/Sunny Day/Flame Charge ~ Swagger/Secret Power
Slam Howl with another Psychic. Out of the two options presented, I'm gonna have to let you take that Psych Up! I know, he's stealing your hard earned gains. Why is why you'll be using Rain Dance to hopefully dampen the power Howl has on you (and maybe do something about that nasty Fire Spin, poor girl.) Then just straight up Protect against that gross swaggery confusion type move, but assuming it fails, just? Foul Play? If your attack's raised, we gotta work with it.
Pixel Chinchill [OOO]
[Howl] (M) <Blaze> Health: 87% Energy: 88% | Chills used 0/5 Status: Still feeling cheated. Taunted (One more action)
serpentjester [OOO]
[Pythia] (F) <Synchronize> Health: 90% Energy: 82% | Chills used 0/5 Status: Feeling the heat. + 2 spec. atk, + 2 spec. def | Trapped in Fire Spin (4 more actions)
Round three
Glowering, Howl crouches down, his tail swishing from side to side. He takes a moment to admire his blazing column of fire before charging straight at it, dashing harmlessly through the flames to reach the singed and sweltered Abra trapped within. Pythia curls up into a tight ball, wincing in pain as Howl vents the last dregs of his frustration on her, biting and clawing with wild abandon. With that accomplished, he gives one last angry snarl right in her face before making his retreat from the fiery cocoon.
Pythia rubs her bruises gingerly, looking a little taken aback by Howl's unbridled fury. She'd never have imagined such a tiny, fluffy little creature like that could have such a temper, and she knows he's not going to be too happy when he finds out what she's got next in store for him either. Smiling grimly, Pythia scans the area for Howl's mental signature, and sends out another pulse of psychic energy. Howl, who was just patting himself on the back for teaching his foe a lesson, is caught off guard once again by the mental invasion. He yelps and hops about in pain, his ears twitching in agitation as Pythia claws at his nerves with her psychic attack.
Although she can't get a view of her handiwork, Howl's pained cries are enough to let Pythia know the score. Pleased, she turns her attention to her fiery prison, hoping she can put a damper on this awful thing. Raising her arms skyward, she begins to hum quietly, her body glowing a faint blue. Her species certainly isn't known much for dancing, or any kind of physical activity really, but the legendary rain dance is a classic, and even Abras know the steps. As she jigs away cheerfully, the clouds begins to darken, and Howl glances up warily, his ears drooping. Soon enough, rain begins to pelt down, leaving Howl drenched and shivering. Smoke sizzles from the fire spin as he raindrops strike it, causing the flames to noticeably weaken.
Teeth chattering, Howl tries to ignore the nasty weather and concentrate on tapping into his own psychic powers. It's difficult for him to concentrate in the heavy downpour, but he eventually manages to reach out to Pythia and connect with her mind. The Abra is definitely one cool customer, and her peaceful demeanour travels across the mental link, imbuing Howl with a sense of tranquillity. Howl gives a sigh as he breaks the connection off, feeling considerably better despite the weather.
So much better, in fact, that he decides now is a good time to show off his swagger. Clearing his throat, Howl begins bragging loudly, puffing his chest out as he struts about arrogantly. He makes sure to position himself close to the flames so Pythia can hear every word, but unbeknown to him, Pythia is well prepared. She quickly summons up a translucent green barrier around herself, shielding her from his noisy banter and giving her a brief respite from the flames. Eventually, Howl runs out of accomplishments to exaggerate about, and he trails off, looking a little uncertain. He was hoping to hear a cry of rage come up from the flames, but Pythia remains awfully quiet, much to his chagrin.
serpentjester [OOO]
[Pythia] (F) <Synchronize> Health: 77% Energy: 71% | Chills used 0/5 Status: Feeling cooler in the rain. + 2 spec. atk, + 2 spec. def | Trapped in Fire Spin (1 more action)
Frustration = 10% damage / 5% energy
Psych up = 4% energy
Swagger = 4% energy
Psychic = 13% damage / 4% energy
Rain Dance = 5% energy
Protect = 2% energy
Fire Spin = 1% damage per action
Arena Notes
Rain is pouring down heavily, to last for seven more actions.
Battle notes
- Frustration had maximum base power.
- Sorry for the lack of timeliness, I've got a lot of coursework at the minute, so stuff might take a bit longer, but I will get to it!
- serpentjester attacks first.
great, you killed the fire spin! just hold out one more round okay?
so first off - i want you to set up a Light Screen, get some extra protection. then, use Psyshock twice, since a juiced up Sp. Def is pretty useless if you calculate off Howl's Defense. Pretty simple round!
Okay, we can work with this! While they throw up that Light Screen, use Swagger again. It's put a dampener on our special attacks and the rain will be cooling our fire...so let's get physical. Use Thief for the damage - they got nothing we want - and Foul Play to capitalise on that boosted attack from Swagger!
serpentjester [OOO]
[Pythia] (F) <Synchronize> Health: 77% Energy: 71% | Chills used 0/5 Status: Feeling cooler in the rain. + 2 spec. atk, + 2 spec. def | Trapped in Fire Spin (1 more action)
Round Four
As the rain continues to fall, the fire spin around Pythia begins to sputter and diminish, until it's reduced to a feeble shadow of its former self. Although the dying embers still sting, Pythia feels invigorated as she summons up a glimmering veil of psychic energy, which forms a protective wall around her. Howl squints as he eyes up the light screen, feeling a little dazzled by the brightness of the thing, but not particularly impressed. It isn't going to hinder his current orders, anyway. He can see Pythia quite a bit more clearly now that his fire spin is dying out, so now looks like a good time to try and rile her up. Clearing his throat, he begins bragging loudly once again, strutting about haughtily and sneering over at Pythia, even daring to criticize her screen and how useless it is. Even in her zen state, the pretentious display is enough to get Pythia's temper rising, and she quickly finds herself wishing she could put a muzzle on that stupid Fennekin.
However, with no muzzles on hand, Pythia has to settle for delivering a psychic slap to his face. Silently fuming, she clenches her fists and reaches out with her mind, slipping through Howl's mental barriers to batter his body with a powerful wave of psychic energy. Howl quickly shuts up as the pain strikes, leaving him pawing at his head and wriggling around on the damp sand. When Pythia relinquishes her attack, Howl is left staggering around in a daze, trying to gather his wits. It seems he's going to have to be a bit more careful when attracting her ire. Wincing, Howl gingerly darts forward, gradually building up speed. The fire spin around Pythia has fully petered out now, giving him a clear target. Inky strands of dark energy trail from him as he leaps at her, fangs bared and tail bristling. He effortlessly breaches her barrier to deliver a swift strike with his claws, and Pythia angrily retreats as the dark energy burns into her skin.
With his ears perked up and alert, Howl backs off to survey the damage. His sneak attack seems to have caused Pythia to really lose her cool, and her tail is lashing against the sand in agitation. Though a little wary about provoking her in her current mood, Howl takes his chance, and his fiery coat begins to blacken as he shrouds himself in another cloak of dark energy. He grins a little as he sees Pythia lash out at him in fury as he draws closer. The tables have certainly turned! Her rage-fuelled outburst is poorly timed, however, and she trips over her own feet in her haste to get at the fluffball running rings around her. When she tries to get up, Howl nimbly darts in her way, using the Abra's own momentum against her to give her a nasty fall. The end result leaves Pythia fuming with embarrassment and resentment, while Howl giggles.
Swagger = 4% energy
Thief = 9% damage / 3% energy
Foul Play = 15% damage / 5% energy
Light Screen = 1% initial energy + 1% energy per action
Psyshock = 12% damage / 3% energy
Confusion fail = 6% damage
Fire Spin = 1% damage
Arena Notes
Rain is pouring down heavily, to last for four more actions.
Battle notes
- I had Pythia's confusion rate start at lower than normal, thanks to the calm minds. She still failed on the last action, though.
- Pixel Chinchill attacks first.
Queen the female Minccino <Technician>
Howl the male Fennekin <Blaze>
Ryn the male Sandshrew <Sand Veil>
Aisling the female Cottonee <Prankster>
Waddles the male Tepig <Blaze>
Roach the male Wooper <Water Absorb>
Pythia the female Abra <Synchronize>
Seaborne the male Lillipup <Vital Spirit>
