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Feel The Ground Shake (Pokemon - Ground-type specialist)

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Chewy said:
The time for the filth that is poison heal Gliscor has arrived. Gliscor is going to be a menace to society
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Unfortunately, if you go all the way back to Chapter 2, you'll see Toxic Orb is one of the Held Items that doesn't seem to be around in this world. Along with other fan favorites from the games like Leftovers and Eviolite.

So it's a good thing I've set up a Rocket scientist who specializes in ethically questionable Poison energy research, isn't it?
 
Chewy said:
The time for the filth that is poison heal Gliscor has arrived. Gliscor is going to be a menace to society
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Poison Heal Gliscor with Acrobatics. Thats basically the Speed equivalent for a Guts boosted Ursaluna. Gliscor can learn Toxic right? Be hilarious to see him call out for Toxic during a tough match and the flabbergasted looks on everyones face when Gliscor upchucks it right onto himself.
 
LordVishnu said:
Unfortunately, if you go all the way back to Chapter 2, you'll see Toxic Orb is one of the Held Items that doesn't seem to be around in this world. Along with other fan favorites from the games like Leftovers and Eviolite.

So it's a good thing I've set up a Rocket scientist who specializes in ethically questionable Poison energy research, isn't it?
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Why would you give Vlad a Toxic Orb when he can just Poison himself with Toxic? Its frees him up from needing to hold an item and therefore Acrobatics does massive damage.
 
ThunderBasilisk said:
Why would you give Vlad a Toxic Orb when he can just Poison himself with Toxic? Its frees him up from needing to hold an item and therefore Acrobatics does massive damage.
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I'm of the mind that a Pokemon should not be able to simply inflict Toxic on themselves. It's their own internal energy that's powering the poison so why would it be corrosive and harmful to them? (There might be exceptions with things like Magic Bounce shenanigans but that's whole can of worms/energy talk that I don't really want to get into.)
 
LordVishnu said:
I'm of the mind that a Pokemon should not be able to simply inflict Toxic on themselves. It's their own internal energy that's powering the poison so why would it be corrosive and harmful to them? (There might be exceptions with things like Magic Bounce shenanigans but that's whole can of worms/energy talk that I don't really want to get into.)
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So what he hold Orb then tosses it once hes done poisoning himself? Or is acrobatics different here?
 
ThunderBasilisk said:
So what he hold Orb then tosses it once hes done poisoning himself? Or is acrobatics different here?
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A fair point. My initial thought is that the Orb need not be anything clunky. It doesn't have to be any larger than a big marble on a necklace.

We could go max unfair by doing a fake tooth thing or just having Gliscor swallow it,

But that drifts a little too far from 'cheese' I think. Bradley's cool with trolling his opponents but he's not a cheater.
 
Gliscor learning Fling feels relevant to the Toxic Orb discussion.
 
Phantom Blaster said:
Gligar is a good mon but Gliscor? Is a whole different beast who saves Nuzzlockes. That broken is a good Gliscor
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Especially when it has poison heal, you can just give it a Toxic Orb and stop any other status from affecting you and heal yourself, and they can't even pull off item switch shenanigans safely.
 
I'm really liking Vlad's energy here
 
ThunderBasilisk said:
This is Gliscor before he went off to train and after he came back. Dude got big.
v0fqqqglauna1.jpg
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Damn, that's a S ranked glow up
 
so no Onix/Steelix, but then again metal coat would be expensive, the only pseudo legend that is ground is garchomp.

golem, rhydon, duggtrio, Nidoqueen, Marowak, drillbur, and galarian Yamask
torterra, swampert are the only starter with ground typing

does he have a stable for housing his pokemon or no
 
a guy1013 said:
so no Onix/Steelix, but then again metal coat would be expensive, the only pseudo legend that is ground is garchomp.
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Honestly if its still there theres that massive as fuck Onix living in Mt. Hidaway. No way that suckers not S potential. Even if its not i give high odds of it having spawn that are that rank. And the Metal Coats probably not as expensive as you think it is considering only two Pokemon need it. Also if its location is the same as its IRL inspiration he can take Vlad and fly North to Kitakami. Gible can be found there. And if hes strong enough he might be able to catch the BM Ursaluna as a boyfriend for Ma Ma.
 
ThunderBasilisk said:
Honestly if its still there theres that massive as fuck Onix living in Mt. Hidaway. No way that suckers not S potential. Even if its not i give high odds of it having spawn that are that rank. And the Metal Coats probably not as expensive as you think it is considering only two Pokemon need it. Also if its location is the same as its IRL inspiration he can take Vlad and fly North to Kitakami. Gible can be found there. And if hes strong enough he might be able to catch the BM Ursaluna as a boyfriend for Ma Ma.
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true, but onix is kinda meh, but who knows how Gible exist there, unless its old news in-universe
 
Chapter 19
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 19

    Blackthorn City Gym

    Goddamn, who pissed in her cornflakes?

    "Hmph." Clair casts her eyes down at me from the raised platform, a not so subtle curl of disapproval on her lower lip. "So this is the trainer my little cousin lost to? The one who commands an Alpha, and yet now he comes to challenge the dragon's den at the sixth Badge level? Not the eighth, but the sixth?"

    "Oh, I'm sorry." I match her disdain with heavy sarcasm. "Is that okay? I wasn't aware battling Blackthorn last was a requirement."

    The Gym Leader thrusts her arm out, getting her cape to dramatically billow behind her. "It is tradition! It may not be a hardcoded rule, but we at Blackthorn pride ourselves as being the gatekeepers of the Pokémon League! The final barrier to seeing who is worthy and who is rabble! By choosing to come here before completing-"

    "Uuuggghhh," I audibly groan and contemptuously roll my eyes at the grandstanding. "I swear if you start saying I've tweaked your pride as a Dragon Master by coming here 'early' then I'm going to lose it. If it offends you so much then just come at me as though I've got another two Badges under the belt. Makes no difference to me. Now how many of your Gym Trainers do I have to knock down before you and I step into the ring? Because frankly," I narrow my eyes at the blue-haired woman. "I've already made dinner plans. And I don't plan on being late."

    Clair smirks approvingly for a half-second before she twists on her heel and begins to stalk off. "My subordinates need not waste their time with you." she calls over her shoulder. "Against an arrogant claim such as that, I shall be handling your challenge myself."

    "Oh hell no," My eyebrow twitches as she leaves. "I did not just get called arrogant by a dragon fangirl in a cape."

    Change of plans.

    I was gonna follow the usual formula for a Gym Leader Battle. You know the one. We both start off small, have a little bit of a challenge, some back and forth between our weaker 'mons, and then whoever is forced to use their big guns first usually ends up losing.

    After that it's 'smile for the camera', exchange a few words, and everyone moves on with their day.

    But if that's the reception I get just from walking in here?

    I'm going for the sweep.


    "This will be a 6 vs 6 match at the highest Badge level! All Held Items have been removed and as always a trainer may concede at any time!" The referee's hand goes towards his boss. "Gym Leader Clair, are you ready?" The grinning woman tightens down her glove and gives a silent nod, causing the ref to then swing his arm my way. "Challenger Bradley, are you ready?"

    The pre-battle jitters have me smirking. "Heh, ain't nothing to it but to do it."

    Just so everyone's clear on the subject. I'm aware that Clair being so confrontational may potentially have just been bait. Yes, she's a rather haughty and imperious sort, -no surprises there- but she could have just been playing it up to get a rise out of me. Based on my placing at the Lake of Rage tournament, a sixth Badge fight is 'challenge' in name only and we both know it.

    With that in mind, my throwing of the gauntlet here could be viewed by some as giving away a free and easy win. If Firebreather Lyle and Hiker Russel could each get a sixth Badge, I doubt I'd suffer any true difficulty.

    But you know what? Fuck it. Theatrical persona or not, her attitude was pissing me off and I want no room for aspersions that my team and I don't deserve this Rising Badge.

    The ref's flag swings down! "Begin!"

    "Seadra, you know what to do! / Ma Ma, strut your stuff."

    Seadra: Lv. 45
    Nature: Naughty
    Potential: C

    Ursaring: Lv. 59
    Nature: Serious
    Potential: A

    The blue seadragon Pokémon hits the field and immediately tenses up as a slight tinge of red and white steam builds around it. All telltale signs of the technique Focus Energy. A move which multiplies the chances of a Critical Hit occurring several times over. When used in tandem with the Pokémon Ability: Sniper, -which outside of as a rare Hidden Ability, is exclusive to the Horsea and Remoraid families here in Indigo- a trainer can create a Pokémon one-shot KO-ing machine that gets suped up bonus power Crits all day ev'ry day.

    There was even a time where the strategy appeared in the competitive scene back home. The 'all-critical Kingdra' or 'Crit-dra' who combined Focus Energy with the Held Item Scope Lens to have a 100% Crit chance on every move used.

    Ah…good memories.

    Ma Ma's new Grass-type move Trailblaze smashes into the Water dragon as a full-body shoulder-tackle and I watch her Speed stat jump a stage as it connects.

    We'll make today a good memory too.

    Despite the only 50 base power behind the move, the Seadra goes flailing backwards from the sheer difference in levels present on the field. Never mind the Super-effective factor. Still, a Pokémon at the final Badge level -even a middle of the pack specimen like this- isn't one that would get rattled so easily.

    Clair sweeps an arm out. "Seadra, focus up with Dragon Pulse!"

    "Drop to all fours! Evade!"

    A vortex of dark blue rings rips through the air onto Ma Ma's position and I'll admit that if not for the Speed boost, it might have managed to clip her. No such luck for the Dragon Master today though. I do my best to transmit the feeling of muscles swelling though the bond and Ma Ma throws back what feels like a grunt of acknowledgement.

    The Fighting-energy of Bulk Up begins to build in her stomach as she gallops around the edges of the field and I smile as the first step of the plan is complete.

    Yes, bears can gallop. Didn't you know that?

    "Dance, Seadra! We'll match its Speed!"

    "Now Ma Ma! Second verse!"

    The Ursaring pivots into a stop just as the Dragon Dance begins and uses the momentary stillness to complete her Bulk Up. Once it's done she charges full tilt at the enemy as a sheen of Grass-energy builds around her again.

    'Time to find out if she has the counter.' To the best of my knowledge, Seadra can't learn Haze. Well…there may have been a special event Horsea that had access to it in one generation but that's such an obscure corner case that I'm willing to dismiss it. It can get Clear Smog if you do some breeding shenanigans with a Gastrodon but considering how isolationist Sinnoh is here I think that's an even less likely card for Clair to pull out of her pocket.

    In other words, I'm not worried about her negating my setup.

    What I would do in her position is try to fire off a point-blank Toxic right as Ma Ma connects. The alternative Ability that Seadra can have besides Sniper is Poison Point so the virulent status move comes fairly easy to the sea dragon Pokémon as a species. If she does that, I'd either be forced into using Rest -leaving me vulnerable- or I'd have to forsake my boosts and switch Ma Ma out when she gets low after a few turns.

    Anyways, as I said. That's what I would do.

    Bet you 100 Poké Dollars that that isn't Clair's style though. If I had to guess, she seems more like the type to go for something like…

    "Seadra, Outrage!"

    I find myself mentally crossing fingers as the two Pokémon collide. Ma Ma's going to come out on top, I've no doubts about that, but it's a complete dice roll on how much of a parting gift Seadra's going to inflict before she goes down.

    Focus Energy's one of those moves that's changed a lot over the game series' development. In the Gen I cartridges, the move was glitched and didn't actually work. Amusingly enough it actually made your Pokémon worse at dealing the extra damage. In Gen II it doubled your Crit chance from 1/16 up to 1/8. In Generations III, IV, and V, it was doubled again to 25%. And in VI onward it was buffed a third time to get that number up to 50%. Hence why the math on the 'Critical Kingdra' strategy worked in the first place.

    From what I've witnessed in battles -and the small not-at-all comprehensive bit of testing K.Rool and I have done with the move-, here in this world it causes the Critical Hit chance to be somewhere between those Gen V and VI numbers. Less than half, more than a quarter.

    There's a break in the action. One body goes falling back.

    "Seadra is unable to battle!" The first flag of the match goes up and I see Ma Ma flex as the second use of Trailblaze gets her Speed up again. She took a bit of a hit but overall…it seems like we rolled favorably this time. Outrage is a powerful move but Seadra's far more of a Special Attacker than a Physical one. The Dragon Dance could have upped its threat level but our Bulk Up negated that rather nicely.

    Speaking of which,

    "Ma Ma, again!" I communicate the mental image of the Fighting-move the moment Clair's second 'mon starts to materialize and the she-bear begins to boost the instant the light dies away.

    Dragonair: Lv. 44
    Nature: Bashful
    Potential: B-

    "Dragon Rage!" A mix of blue and red flames stream out the mid-evolution's mouth while Ma Ma's still focused on boosting and I tilt my head at the move choice. Fixed damage moves aren't bad per se, especially not against someone who's +2 in Defense, but after a certain level point…they just don't feel super threatening anymore.

    "Play Rough!"

    Ma Ma roars her assent as she charges straight in with claws glowing a pale pink. Seemingly unbothered by the draconic fires splashing over her. Her mastery over Fairy-type energy hasn't improved a great deal since the tournament but it has improved some. Enough so that - between the 130 Base Attack stat, two Bulk Up's, and fifteen extra levels in the bank- this Dragon's about to have a 'Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day'.

    And Clair seems to know it too.

    She sweeps an arm. "Thunder Wave! Halt its charge!"

    'Too little, too late.' Dragonair cuts off its breath attack to emit a bright yellow ring from its horn -coincidentally one just slightly larger than the example on Ma Ma's fur- and then…well...I imagine that's just about the last conscious thought the blue danger noodle had for the day.

    Yellow sparks dance over Ursaring's form as she pummels the lesser 'mon into the dirt over and over. Her Speed's been normalized -the halving effect of Paralysis thoroughly slashing what we gained from Trailblaze-, but the triggering of Guts has shot her Attack through the roof, driving Clair to signal a recall just for her own 'mon's safety.

    'And that makes two.'

    Shouts from the crowd grab my attention. Both positive and negative. There's the usual sort all in attendance of course. Those spectator types who like to hang around Gyms and fill the stands. But I also notice a distinct group of local Blackthorn Trainers near the front who are booing. Decrying Ma Ma's use of 'excessive force'.

    The phrases 'no way', 'one hit', and 'cheating with Fairy moves' can also be heard, which all culminates in getting another eye roll from me.

    I thought this place was the 'Dragon's Den'. Not kindergarten baby pre-school time.

    At least my opponent herself seems unbothered by the violence. "I'll admit, you caught me a little surprised." She speaks offhandedly, a confident grin still in place. "I was sure you'd be leading with one of your Ground-types. Perhaps that little Ghost you showed off in the quarter-finals. Not your heaviest hitter besides the Alpha." Her eyes cast down towards Ma Ma for a second, smiling approvingly as the grizzly continues to ignore the golden sparks occasionally flashing over her.

    "Still," Clair pulls out a Dive Ball as her third pick. "I'd say it's about time for a change-up, wouldn't you say? The Rising Badge isn't about having just one or two strong Pokémon. Your entire team needs to be up to the challenge!"

    A mountain of white light announces Clair's next 'mon as it takes to the field with a world-shaking roar. A terrible angry thing that has me craning my neck up slightly to inspect the threat.

    Did I describe Claire's previous 'mon as a 'blue danger noodle'? I apologize. That was me jumping the gun a little. That Dragonair was only about a third the size and a sixth the weight of this next Pokémon.

    This is the actual danger noodle.

    Gyarados: Lv. 50
    Nature: Serious
    Potential: E-

    The Gym Leader punches forward. "Dragon Tail!"

    Mental alarm bells begin to scream as the sea wurm begins to turn! "Stone Edge! Full Power!"

    Despite the Paralysis slowing her, thick hefty boulders are ripped from the earth to go sailing towards Gyarados' crown. Were it another type of 'mon using the force switch-out move I might've tried dodging, even with the status effect in play. Against a tail of that size though, there's nowhere to dodge. Our only options are to either get underground -something Ma Ma is slower than the rest of my team at doing- or to put such a hurt on the beast that it gets knocked out of the move entirely.

    Stone Edge: Base Power 100. Doubled for two Bulk-Ups, doubled for Super-effective, no STAB, but we get the same level of bonus by having Guts in play. That's gotta be what? 600? It should be plenty. Overkill even.

    Gyarados roars as the rocks impact its face and neck but its momentum is simply too great to stop. The colossal fin slams into Ma Ma's side -getting the she-bear to grapple against it on instinct- but there's nothing she can do to stop its effects.

    Ursaring returns to her ball against her will -losing her grip over her various stat boosts in the process- and is forced into being an effective non-choice for the rest of the match.

    'Tch. We really are going to need to Rest immediately if I send her out again later. And without any Berry's to wake her, it would create the perfect chance for Clair to do some set up herself.'

    How…annoying.

    The thirty second timer for me to send out my replacement begins to click down and I shift my focus to the gargantuan sea snake before me. More specifically, I focus on its unusual 'Potential' rating and let my eyebrows knit together.

    'Hmn. Well, how about that?' It's not every day I get a new piece of data for how my ability works. Before this fight I would have sworn up, down, and sideways that 'E' rank Pokémon level cap somewhere in the high 40's. I believe I even mentioned that way back when I was battling Whitney. More to the point, I was speaking with 'E+' in mind, not the even worse 'E-'.

    Meaning that this can only be a Pokémon who has fought, scraped, and scrapped for every bit of strength it can get. Raging against its subpar genetics with fury, willpower and sheer fucking spite.

    Damn Clair. After this fight's over I kinda want to hear the story of where you found this thing.

    Twenty seconds left on the clock and I consider my options. Obviously Vlad is the best move. I can feel how eager he is to show off his new form. Or maybe that's just eagerness to get out of his ball again. He's agreed to be in there to not spoil the surprise, but once this fight's over he's going to be right there at my back as per usual.

    '...hopefully not hanging off my shoulder though.' I belatedly realize. I don't think my arm could survive the weight.

    Gyarados bellows in impatience as we hit fifteen seconds. His eyes are blazing and his breath heavy. Stuffed full of piss and vinegar or no, no one can take a Stone Edge like that to the dome and be completely fine.

    'The big bastard must be hurtin' something awful.'

    Which means this might be a unique opportunity to let someone else punch up. And I know exactly which member of the team loves a challenge like that.
     
    Last edited:
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    • I don't mind splitting the fight in two, but honestly, I think that last paragraph should have been the first paragraph of the next one. I guess that's just personal preference, though. Thanks for the update.
     
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