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Feel The Ground Shake (Pokemon - Ground-type specialist)
- Thread starter LordVishnu
- Start date
Greatazuredragon
Connoisseur.
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2017
- Messages
- 12,141
- Likes received
- 70,271
So he got a "doomsday" option on his belt. Interesting.
Chapter 9
LordVishnu
Not too sore, are you?
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2020
- Messages
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- Likes received
- 34,479
Chapter 9
~A Tale of Two Trainers~
-A Children's Story, Part: 1
Once upon a time, there were two Pokémon Trainers who lived in Violet City, named Eric and Ashley.
They were Rivals.
Ever since they were little and in diapers, Eric and Ashley would compete with each other to see who was the best. In school, Ashley did a little bit better than Eric. But in sports, Eric did a little bit better than Ashley.
It was a fierce competition.
One day, they challenged each other to go out into the wild and catch the strongest Pokémon they could find. Then, they would come back into town tomorrow and have a battle to see which one was better.
Ashley found a magnificent Bellsprout. Its head was golden and its leaves vibrant and green.
It was a good Bellsprout. A credit to its kind.
But Eric had found a good Pokémon too. A bright eyed and eager little Wooper. Its skin was smooth and its smile as big as the sun.
He caught it with a Net Ball.
Lake of Rage, North of Mahogany Town.
Oh man Pryce is pissed.
Like really pissed.
Allow me to briefly recount the ways.
He's pissed about me finding the Swinub he didn't want to offer. He's pissed that I told him that that's the one I wanted or no deal. He's not happy to find out the secret was Ancient Power this whole time and that I had already given him everything he needed. He's positively fuming that this means some of the adult Piloswine he employs in the Gym may not be able to evolve at all.
And to top it all off? He's just been informed by the League that they expect him to lead a panel of moderators for this tournament that's just north of his town. Please note. I didn't say they asked him. I said they expect him. He's been 'voluntold' that he's doing it.
So that's what? Five? I did say I was counting.
A slight whine of electrical feedback buzzes along the air. 'Bogden and Viktor, please report to Battle Field No. 6.' A woman's voice echoes through the loudspeaker. 'I repeat. Bogden and Viktor, please report to Battle Field No. 6. Your match will begin in 10 minutes.'
It's barely past breakfast and already the place is swarming. I joked before about 'missing the memo' and not seeing the posted notices that this event was happening, but now I'm no longer joking. It really seems like everyone knew this was happening except me.
There's a fleet of food trucks, some League sponsored, some private business. There's Berry vendors, Item sellers, and a stand where you can try your hand at making Pokéblocks. A carnival barker is on a little soapbox shouting that he's looking to trade a Primeape for a Seadra and there's a score of construction workers setting up energy barricades in the place the Top 8 are eventually going to duke it out.
I've been to tournaments before, I've said that way too much, but this particular event almost feels more like a state fair from back home. 'Like god damn, there's even a petting zoo for the kids. Sentrets, Hoppips, Poliwags, Zigzagoons and the like. They even have a pair of Eevees in there.'
When the League sponsors something, they don't fuck around.
"Bradley! Bradley over here!" a female voice shouts over the crowd, her arm waving high up in the air.
"Bradley, my man." a chill masculine one joins her. "Whazz up my dude?" he speaks, offering me a fist bump as I approach.
Clarissa and Ronald. Two other Gym Trainers who worked in Mahogany under Pryce. Or I suppose in their case, still do. I spoke to them both briefly before setting out on my journey after first waking up, though with Bradley's memories in my head it really does feel like I've known the two of them for years.
Ronald's a bit of a classic 'stoner' personality. Very laid back and 'take it easy' kind of guy. The difference between him and the Bradley of before is that Ron here can actually afford to be that way. He was the best battler in the Gym besides the old man himself, and he gets his work done quickly and efficiently.
'Like bruh it's just good time management.' A memory of him speaking to Brad hangs in the mind. 'The sooner I get this squared away, the sooner I can go back to mad chillaxing ya feel me?' The figment points his finger up like some wizened philosopher. 'The true lazy man works hard, that way he can go back to being lazy as soon as possible.'
Clarissa on the other hand is a bubbly, busy busy bee. Always looking for some new work to do. She's also a bit of a know-it-all Hermione Granger style. But she means well! When she brutally dissects everything an opponent did wrong post-battle after beating them, it really is because she earnestly wants them to do better next time.
"Hey guys. Long time no see." I complete the fist bump. "You both get done with your first matches yet?"
"You know it my dude." Ronald confirms, gesturing with a hand to indicate smooth sailing. "Dewgong cleaned 'em up easy peasy. No worries."
Clarissa sighs. "I lost." she admits dejectedly. "Who even uses a Corsola with Hustle anyway?" she crosses her arms in a huff. "Natural Cure is obviously the better Ability. Or if you're lucky enough to find one with Regenerator? Even better. How was I supposed to know my opponent was using a sub-optimal build?"
'Lyle and Bradley, please report to Battle Field No. 3.' The fairgrounds loudspeakers ring again. 'I repeat. Lyle and Bradley, please report to Battle Field No. 3. Your match will begin in 10 minutes.'
"Well, that's my cue." I pop off a two-finger salute at my forehead. "Wish me luck guys. We'll catch up later."
Slicked up red hair. Hot rod flames on both his pants and jacket. Crimson tinted sunglasses and an arrogant 'bad boy' attitude that's just begging for a punch in the face.
'Maybe I'm not Ground at all? I must secretly be Psychic.' I muse to myself as a joke. 'Did I not just talk about hypothetically fighting a Fire-specialist yesterday?'
"Sup' lamewad." Firebreather Lyle starts off with, tossing his first Pokéball up and down in his palm with a cocky smirk. "How many Badges you got anyway?"
I raise an eyebrow. 'Lamewad? What is this 5th grade? Dude, you're an adult. Actually…no. Just no. Don't engage.' "Four." I answer simply.
"Hah!" he stops playing with his ball and snaps it into his grip. "This'll be easy then. I'm at six! After I win this tournament I'm gonna roast that old fart Pryce and then make it all the way to the Conference!"
The referee buts in. "Trainers! Are you ready? In three…two…one…begin!"
"Ma Ma."/"Melt him down, Flareon!"
Flareon: Lv. 40
Nature: Mild
Potential: C
Ursaring: Lv. 58
Nature: Serious
Potential: A
"Scary Face, Ma Ma!" A ferocious glint shines in Ursaring's eye as soon as she hits the field. One that travels outward and seems to strike the Eeveelution like a physical force. To the 'mon's credit though, it does recover almost instantly, showing that if nothing else it's well trained.
"Ha! A status move!" Lyle mocks. "You're never gonna win like that! Flareon! Let's start cooking with a Fire Spin!"
"Flareon!" With a small shake and a rustle of its fur, tiny embers of light launch themselves from Flareon's oversized tail to seed the ground around the Normal-type. In all of a blink, a wall of Fire erupts around her, seemingly penning the she-bear inside.
"Just makin' sure you can't run..." I mutter under my breath, starting to feed a little trickle of energy to Ma Ma through our bond. Just a couple drops. It wouldn't do to exhaust ourselves so early in the day. "High Horsepower!"
Ursaring roars. A savage primal bellow that announces how uncaring she is of this supposed obstacle. With claws shining in brown-orange energy she bursts through the flames at high speed, absolutely unconcerned about the injuries it puts on her feet.
Based on Lyle's expression, we apparently weren't supposed to do that. "Force it to back down! Lava Plume!"
"Flare!" Fire begins to slosh in the fire fox's tiny mouth. It's less gaseous, less airy than normal fire. This is an attack with some mass behind it. "Flare!"
The molten slushy strikes Ma Ma right in the sternum.
She doesn't care.
The charging mountain bear smashes into the Fire-type with a weight nearly six times its own and…there's really not much more to say about that.
"Flareon is unable to battle! Trainer Lyle, please select your next Pokémon!"
Ma Ma flinches a little and then glances down at the golden ring on her torso. A paw lifts up to irritably touch a large red spot left by the Lava Plume and her fur bristles angrily. 'Oh? They managed to land a Burn…that's pretty unlucky.' My grin turns a little too villain-like. 'For them.'
There were a number of bear safety rhymes back on non-Pokémon earth. Probably the most widespread and well-known of which was 'If it's brown, lay down. If it's black, fight back. If it's white, say goodnight'. Which, by the way, is not foolproof advice. For one quick example of something wrong with it, black bears -the species- are very capable of having brown or cinnamon colored fur, but I digress.
Here on Poké-earth we have sayings about bears too.
"It's like we're trying to status an Ursaring here."- Ranger Association phrase meant to describe feelings of disapproval for a plan or event that is considered daft, poorly thought out, foolhardy, or just generally all around ill-conceived.
Ursaring can have one of two Abilities. Well, three if we count the Hidden one like what Grundy has, but those popping up are normally mathematically negligible so we're not gonna talk about that here.
Anyway. Two Abilities. Guts and Quick Feet. Both trigger upon the user being inflicted with a status ailment. The first boosts Attack. The second Speed. They even negate the physical stat cutting effects of Burn and Paralysis respectively.
It's considered a poor idea to status an Ursaring in the wild because 1). You probably shouldn't be somewhere where there are wild Ursaring in the first place and 2). You have no idea which Ability it will end up being and you might get caught unexpectedly off guard. If off guard was spelled 'm-a-u-l-e-d'.
Just to go on record though if you don't recall my conversation with Morty, Ma Ma has the first one.
"Trainer Lyle!" The referee speaks again. "You must select your next Pokémon or I will issue an official warning for slow play."
The Firebreather snaps from his stupor. "Houndoom! You're up!"
Houndoom: Lv. 42
Nature: Modest
Potential: A-
'Oh wow.' Color me impressed! Not just an A-ranker but it's also got one of the best natures for that species. More Special Attack, less Physical. That's a good Houndoom!
It's a real shame that that's not gonna matter.
"Dark Pulse!/Facade!" Lyle's eyebrows shoot to his hairline at the simultaneous orders. 'Oh ho! So he does have an idea of what's about to happen! Looks like there is a brain between those ears!'
"PROTECT!" he pivots immediately.
Facade. Technical Machine move No. 42. Move: Physical. Type: Normal. Base Power: 70. Effect: This move's Base Power is doubled if the user is Paralyzed, Burned, or Poisoned.
70 x 2 = 140.
140 x 1.5 (Guts Ability) = 210.
210 x 1.5 (STAB) = 315.
Now obviously I don't know if all that math is exactly the same here. There's not enough public data on Ability buffs or Same Type Attack Bonuses for me to be sure.
But the fact does remain…
This shit's about to hit harder than Explosion.
Between the sixteen level difference and the last second order change not giving Houndoom enough time, Ma Ma rips through the Protect like it's made of paper mache.
And with Physical Defense as its worst stat, that very good A-ranked Houndoom has no choice but to fold like a cheap suit.
Lyle starts to panic as he withdraws his ace. "Ninetales! Get some distance!" he orders, throwing out his last hope.
Ninetales: Lv. 37
Nature: Naive
Potential: B
The elegant fox Pokémon lands on the field with both deftness and grace. And then she's off! Sprinting along the edges of our circular arena like a spirit of the wind.
Meanwhile Ma Ma irritably paws at her Burn again.
'Hmm. Options.' We don't have a way to boost our Speed to catch this Ninetales. And without direct eye contact Scary Face won't work. Earthquake would be good here but that's something Ma Ma's still working on. She does have Bulldoze figured out, though unfortunately that's much lower range. Its power falls off pretty hard at a distance. If our opponent's smart he'll try to play keep away and just let the Burn wear us down.
'Which I think this Pokémon could do despite the lower level.' We could switch to Vlad? His skill set could clean this up pretty quick, though I am planning on leading with him in Round two. I'd rather he be as fresh as can be.
"Ma Ma," I intone, deciding on a course of action. "Go take a nap."
The grizzly immediately bends down to start tearing into the earth with Dig. She's not as quick in the technique as the actual Ground-types on my team -with K.Rool in particular being scary fast- but you'd be hard pressed to find any other Normal-types out in the world as proficient about it as her.
"Extrasensory!" The Ninetales drops out of its sprint and swivels in Ma Ma's direction with hackles up and eyes glowing blue. The Psychic-type move travels faster than a Fire one would and succeeds in nailing my Ursaring in the back while she's still above ground.
Ma Ma roars lightly in annoyance but then successfully disappears. Once she's deeper she lets her eyelids go shut and begins to Rest.
Something Lyle is very aware of. Only heaven knows how he was able to decode my incredibly cryptic intentions behind the phrase 'go take a nap'. "Ninetales!" He takes a step forward and swings his arm out. "Flamethrower quick! Fill that hole with fire while it sleeps!"
'And thus he unknowingly makes the worst possible choice.'
Fun fact: Ma Ma does know Sleep Talk but that's not a plan I like to go with. Too uncertain. Too risky. It's a gamble you should only make when you really have no other options. Instead we're going a little more meta today.
Since I'm not planning on using Grundy in this tournament, -because if I can't win without him, then I don't deserve the trophy- that frees up my one Held Item slot that I'm allowed to use for each Round. Of course, I didn't know about this event until the last minute, so my Item choice is rather last minute too.
I needed something quick, cheap, and effective.
So I went with the tried and true, infamous, and really-should-be-used-more-here-on-Poké-earth strat…of Resto Chesto.
Ursaring's paw snaps out of the ground to catch Ninetales by the throat the second the fox is above her makeshift den. The Fire-type tries to cough out its Flamethrower but with a bear's hand on its windpipe, it's a weak anemic little thing.
A rejuvenated and no longer Burned Ma Ma emerges from the earth, hefting Ninetales up high in its grip. She pulls her other arm back...
"I concede!" Lyle blurts out, getting both Ma Ma and me to pause. "I- I concede." he says again, sagging as the life seems to drain out of him.
Huh. Well I guess that's Round 1 done.
How about that?
~A Tale of Two Trainers~
-A Children's Story, Part: 1
Once upon a time, there were two Pokémon Trainers who lived in Violet City, named Eric and Ashley.
They were Rivals.
Ever since they were little and in diapers, Eric and Ashley would compete with each other to see who was the best. In school, Ashley did a little bit better than Eric. But in sports, Eric did a little bit better than Ashley.
It was a fierce competition.
One day, they challenged each other to go out into the wild and catch the strongest Pokémon they could find. Then, they would come back into town tomorrow and have a battle to see which one was better.
Ashley found a magnificent Bellsprout. Its head was golden and its leaves vibrant and green.
It was a good Bellsprout. A credit to its kind.
But Eric had found a good Pokémon too. A bright eyed and eager little Wooper. Its skin was smooth and its smile as big as the sun.
He caught it with a Net Ball.
Lake of Rage, North of Mahogany Town.
Oh man Pryce is pissed.
Like really pissed.
Allow me to briefly recount the ways.
He's pissed about me finding the Swinub he didn't want to offer. He's pissed that I told him that that's the one I wanted or no deal. He's not happy to find out the secret was Ancient Power this whole time and that I had already given him everything he needed. He's positively fuming that this means some of the adult Piloswine he employs in the Gym may not be able to evolve at all.
And to top it all off? He's just been informed by the League that they expect him to lead a panel of moderators for this tournament that's just north of his town. Please note. I didn't say they asked him. I said they expect him. He's been 'voluntold' that he's doing it.
So that's what? Five? I did say I was counting.
A slight whine of electrical feedback buzzes along the air. 'Bogden and Viktor, please report to Battle Field No. 6.' A woman's voice echoes through the loudspeaker. 'I repeat. Bogden and Viktor, please report to Battle Field No. 6. Your match will begin in 10 minutes.'
It's barely past breakfast and already the place is swarming. I joked before about 'missing the memo' and not seeing the posted notices that this event was happening, but now I'm no longer joking. It really seems like everyone knew this was happening except me.
There's a fleet of food trucks, some League sponsored, some private business. There's Berry vendors, Item sellers, and a stand where you can try your hand at making Pokéblocks. A carnival barker is on a little soapbox shouting that he's looking to trade a Primeape for a Seadra and there's a score of construction workers setting up energy barricades in the place the Top 8 are eventually going to duke it out.
I've been to tournaments before, I've said that way too much, but this particular event almost feels more like a state fair from back home. 'Like god damn, there's even a petting zoo for the kids. Sentrets, Hoppips, Poliwags, Zigzagoons and the like. They even have a pair of Eevees in there.'
When the League sponsors something, they don't fuck around.
"Bradley! Bradley over here!" a female voice shouts over the crowd, her arm waving high up in the air.
"Bradley, my man." a chill masculine one joins her. "Whazz up my dude?" he speaks, offering me a fist bump as I approach.
Clarissa and Ronald. Two other Gym Trainers who worked in Mahogany under Pryce. Or I suppose in their case, still do. I spoke to them both briefly before setting out on my journey after first waking up, though with Bradley's memories in my head it really does feel like I've known the two of them for years.
Ronald's a bit of a classic 'stoner' personality. Very laid back and 'take it easy' kind of guy. The difference between him and the Bradley of before is that Ron here can actually afford to be that way. He was the best battler in the Gym besides the old man himself, and he gets his work done quickly and efficiently.
'Like bruh it's just good time management.' A memory of him speaking to Brad hangs in the mind. 'The sooner I get this squared away, the sooner I can go back to mad chillaxing ya feel me?' The figment points his finger up like some wizened philosopher. 'The true lazy man works hard, that way he can go back to being lazy as soon as possible.'
Clarissa on the other hand is a bubbly, busy busy bee. Always looking for some new work to do. She's also a bit of a know-it-all Hermione Granger style. But she means well! When she brutally dissects everything an opponent did wrong post-battle after beating them, it really is because she earnestly wants them to do better next time.
"Hey guys. Long time no see." I complete the fist bump. "You both get done with your first matches yet?"
"You know it my dude." Ronald confirms, gesturing with a hand to indicate smooth sailing. "Dewgong cleaned 'em up easy peasy. No worries."
Clarissa sighs. "I lost." she admits dejectedly. "Who even uses a Corsola with Hustle anyway?" she crosses her arms in a huff. "Natural Cure is obviously the better Ability. Or if you're lucky enough to find one with Regenerator? Even better. How was I supposed to know my opponent was using a sub-optimal build?"
'Lyle and Bradley, please report to Battle Field No. 3.' The fairgrounds loudspeakers ring again. 'I repeat. Lyle and Bradley, please report to Battle Field No. 3. Your match will begin in 10 minutes.'
"Well, that's my cue." I pop off a two-finger salute at my forehead. "Wish me luck guys. We'll catch up later."
Slicked up red hair. Hot rod flames on both his pants and jacket. Crimson tinted sunglasses and an arrogant 'bad boy' attitude that's just begging for a punch in the face.
'Maybe I'm not Ground at all? I must secretly be Psychic.' I muse to myself as a joke. 'Did I not just talk about hypothetically fighting a Fire-specialist yesterday?'
"Sup' lamewad." Firebreather Lyle starts off with, tossing his first Pokéball up and down in his palm with a cocky smirk. "How many Badges you got anyway?"
I raise an eyebrow. 'Lamewad? What is this 5th grade? Dude, you're an adult. Actually…no. Just no. Don't engage.' "Four." I answer simply.
"Hah!" he stops playing with his ball and snaps it into his grip. "This'll be easy then. I'm at six! After I win this tournament I'm gonna roast that old fart Pryce and then make it all the way to the Conference!"
The referee buts in. "Trainers! Are you ready? In three…two…one…begin!"
"Ma Ma."/"Melt him down, Flareon!"
Flareon: Lv. 40
Nature: Mild
Potential: C
Ursaring: Lv. 58
Nature: Serious
Potential: A
"Scary Face, Ma Ma!" A ferocious glint shines in Ursaring's eye as soon as she hits the field. One that travels outward and seems to strike the Eeveelution like a physical force. To the 'mon's credit though, it does recover almost instantly, showing that if nothing else it's well trained.
"Ha! A status move!" Lyle mocks. "You're never gonna win like that! Flareon! Let's start cooking with a Fire Spin!"
"Flareon!" With a small shake and a rustle of its fur, tiny embers of light launch themselves from Flareon's oversized tail to seed the ground around the Normal-type. In all of a blink, a wall of Fire erupts around her, seemingly penning the she-bear inside.
"Just makin' sure you can't run..." I mutter under my breath, starting to feed a little trickle of energy to Ma Ma through our bond. Just a couple drops. It wouldn't do to exhaust ourselves so early in the day. "High Horsepower!"
Ursaring roars. A savage primal bellow that announces how uncaring she is of this supposed obstacle. With claws shining in brown-orange energy she bursts through the flames at high speed, absolutely unconcerned about the injuries it puts on her feet.
Based on Lyle's expression, we apparently weren't supposed to do that. "Force it to back down! Lava Plume!"
"Flare!" Fire begins to slosh in the fire fox's tiny mouth. It's less gaseous, less airy than normal fire. This is an attack with some mass behind it. "Flare!"
The molten slushy strikes Ma Ma right in the sternum.
She doesn't care.
The charging mountain bear smashes into the Fire-type with a weight nearly six times its own and…there's really not much more to say about that.
"Flareon is unable to battle! Trainer Lyle, please select your next Pokémon!"
Ma Ma flinches a little and then glances down at the golden ring on her torso. A paw lifts up to irritably touch a large red spot left by the Lava Plume and her fur bristles angrily. 'Oh? They managed to land a Burn…that's pretty unlucky.' My grin turns a little too villain-like. 'For them.'
There were a number of bear safety rhymes back on non-Pokémon earth. Probably the most widespread and well-known of which was 'If it's brown, lay down. If it's black, fight back. If it's white, say goodnight'. Which, by the way, is not foolproof advice. For one quick example of something wrong with it, black bears -the species- are very capable of having brown or cinnamon colored fur, but I digress.
Here on Poké-earth we have sayings about bears too.
"It's like we're trying to status an Ursaring here."- Ranger Association phrase meant to describe feelings of disapproval for a plan or event that is considered daft, poorly thought out, foolhardy, or just generally all around ill-conceived.
Ursaring can have one of two Abilities. Well, three if we count the Hidden one like what Grundy has, but those popping up are normally mathematically negligible so we're not gonna talk about that here.
Anyway. Two Abilities. Guts and Quick Feet. Both trigger upon the user being inflicted with a status ailment. The first boosts Attack. The second Speed. They even negate the physical stat cutting effects of Burn and Paralysis respectively.
It's considered a poor idea to status an Ursaring in the wild because 1). You probably shouldn't be somewhere where there are wild Ursaring in the first place and 2). You have no idea which Ability it will end up being and you might get caught unexpectedly off guard. If off guard was spelled 'm-a-u-l-e-d'.
Just to go on record though if you don't recall my conversation with Morty, Ma Ma has the first one.
"Trainer Lyle!" The referee speaks again. "You must select your next Pokémon or I will issue an official warning for slow play."
The Firebreather snaps from his stupor. "Houndoom! You're up!"
Houndoom: Lv. 42
Nature: Modest
Potential: A-
'Oh wow.' Color me impressed! Not just an A-ranker but it's also got one of the best natures for that species. More Special Attack, less Physical. That's a good Houndoom!
It's a real shame that that's not gonna matter.
"Dark Pulse!/Facade!" Lyle's eyebrows shoot to his hairline at the simultaneous orders. 'Oh ho! So he does have an idea of what's about to happen! Looks like there is a brain between those ears!'
"PROTECT!" he pivots immediately.
Facade. Technical Machine move No. 42. Move: Physical. Type: Normal. Base Power: 70. Effect: This move's Base Power is doubled if the user is Paralyzed, Burned, or Poisoned.
70 x 2 = 140.
140 x 1.5 (Guts Ability) = 210.
210 x 1.5 (STAB) = 315.
Now obviously I don't know if all that math is exactly the same here. There's not enough public data on Ability buffs or Same Type Attack Bonuses for me to be sure.
But the fact does remain…
This shit's about to hit harder than Explosion.
Between the sixteen level difference and the last second order change not giving Houndoom enough time, Ma Ma rips through the Protect like it's made of paper mache.
And with Physical Defense as its worst stat, that very good A-ranked Houndoom has no choice but to fold like a cheap suit.
Lyle starts to panic as he withdraws his ace. "Ninetales! Get some distance!" he orders, throwing out his last hope.
Ninetales: Lv. 37
Nature: Naive
Potential: B
The elegant fox Pokémon lands on the field with both deftness and grace. And then she's off! Sprinting along the edges of our circular arena like a spirit of the wind.
Meanwhile Ma Ma irritably paws at her Burn again.
'Hmm. Options.' We don't have a way to boost our Speed to catch this Ninetales. And without direct eye contact Scary Face won't work. Earthquake would be good here but that's something Ma Ma's still working on. She does have Bulldoze figured out, though unfortunately that's much lower range. Its power falls off pretty hard at a distance. If our opponent's smart he'll try to play keep away and just let the Burn wear us down.
'Which I think this Pokémon could do despite the lower level.' We could switch to Vlad? His skill set could clean this up pretty quick, though I am planning on leading with him in Round two. I'd rather he be as fresh as can be.
"Ma Ma," I intone, deciding on a course of action. "Go take a nap."
The grizzly immediately bends down to start tearing into the earth with Dig. She's not as quick in the technique as the actual Ground-types on my team -with K.Rool in particular being scary fast- but you'd be hard pressed to find any other Normal-types out in the world as proficient about it as her.
"Extrasensory!" The Ninetales drops out of its sprint and swivels in Ma Ma's direction with hackles up and eyes glowing blue. The Psychic-type move travels faster than a Fire one would and succeeds in nailing my Ursaring in the back while she's still above ground.
Ma Ma roars lightly in annoyance but then successfully disappears. Once she's deeper she lets her eyelids go shut and begins to Rest.
Something Lyle is very aware of. Only heaven knows how he was able to decode my incredibly cryptic intentions behind the phrase 'go take a nap'. "Ninetales!" He takes a step forward and swings his arm out. "Flamethrower quick! Fill that hole with fire while it sleeps!"
'And thus he unknowingly makes the worst possible choice.'
Fun fact: Ma Ma does know Sleep Talk but that's not a plan I like to go with. Too uncertain. Too risky. It's a gamble you should only make when you really have no other options. Instead we're going a little more meta today.
Since I'm not planning on using Grundy in this tournament, -because if I can't win without him, then I don't deserve the trophy- that frees up my one Held Item slot that I'm allowed to use for each Round. Of course, I didn't know about this event until the last minute, so my Item choice is rather last minute too.
I needed something quick, cheap, and effective.
So I went with the tried and true, infamous, and really-should-be-used-more-here-on-Poké-earth strat…of Resto Chesto.
Ursaring's paw snaps out of the ground to catch Ninetales by the throat the second the fox is above her makeshift den. The Fire-type tries to cough out its Flamethrower but with a bear's hand on its windpipe, it's a weak anemic little thing.
A rejuvenated and no longer Burned Ma Ma emerges from the earth, hefting Ninetales up high in its grip. She pulls her other arm back...
"I concede!" Lyle blurts out, getting both Ma Ma and me to pause. "I- I concede." he says again, sagging as the life seems to drain out of him.
Huh. Well I guess that's Round 1 done.
How about that?
BravelyFlying
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Bradley: Until the day I die... I will trample on the weak!!"
Chapter 10
LordVishnu
Not too sore, are you?
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2020
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Chapter 10
Lake of Rage, North of Mahogany Town.
I bite into a hot dog as I watch a pair of trainers duke it out on screen. Beedrill vs. Qwilfish. The food area's equipped with several television feeds set up to watch the matches from a distance while spectators take time to shop or grab some lunch. Plus, since these preliminary bouts are being fought without the protective barriers like the ones you would expect from major arenas, it's probably just safer all around not to get too close anyway.
It helps the trainers focus too. Just you, your opponent, the referee, and maybe some family or close friends if they wanna spectate. No complete strangers making a raucous until Top 8 and the real action begins.
My eyes look up to the screen again. Both trainers have given up on using Poison moves to eke out an advantage and seem to be experimenting live on new strategies to try and close out the fight. I don't think either party has what it takes to go all the way but it's entertaining to watch nonetheless. 'I'd probably be able to predict the winner if I was there in person, but unfortunately my 'cheat' doesn't work through a camera feed. I have to see the Pokémon in person.'
I let my gaze flicker to the left where a different television displays Clarissa and her Jynx with things well in hand against a Golbat. She even seems a bit apologetic to her opponent about the blatant type advantages. Moving to the right I glimpse Ron who's in a rough situation. His Dewgong's looking like it's on its last legs -metaphorically- against a Meganium, which definitely signifies a trainer I'll need to watch out for. 'Seems both of them are about to be 1-1 records wise.'
I bite into the fairgrounds food again and turn my gaze up in thought. You know, despite the fact that Ma Ma swept him, Lyle was actually one of the better opponents that we've fought in a while. First impressions aside and all that. With Pokémon at or near the 40's I wouldn't be surprised if he does end up at the Conference in six months like he originally boasted. With both our teams a little stronger, it could make for a fun rematch.
An excited grin manages to sneak up on me. 'Signing up for this was definitely the right move.' I was doing my best not to appear overeager but now I'm getting a little bit of the jitters. Just sittin' around waiting for them to call my name again.
I hope my second round is as good as the first.
"Look…Sally right?" I try to keep my voice sympathetic. "Are you sure you want to keep doing this? It's alright if you want to…"
The young girl stomps her foot. "No! Wait, I mean- Yes! The rules say at least two Badges and I have two! I deserve to be here! Same as everyone else!"
"Wooo! Sally! Take him down!" A very supportive mother and father cheer from the sidelines. They've got custom pennants with their daughter's name emblazoned on it and are wearing shirts with a big photo of her and her team posing in victory. Oddish, Snubbull, Phanpy, and Chinchou. "You got this Sally!" Dad shouts between cupped hands. "Yeah! Kick his butt!" adds in Mom.
I feel Vlad's eyes glancing back at me from the field, awaiting instructions on how I want to play this. We already one-shotted the Oddish without really meaning to. I communicated silently with Vlad to make it a light hit…but apparently not light enough.
"Ginger, get in close and use Headbutt! We're gonna flinch him!"
"Snubbull! Snub!"
I put on my best face. Acting the part. "Vlad, use Metal Claw and deflect it! Protect yourself!" 'Gently please. Gently...' I do my best to silently urge through the bond. We can't share words or whole sentences. Just impressions. Emotions. Concepts of moves, things like that. That's usually enough to get the point across though.
The pink bullpup leaps up as it gets within range and Vlad gently slaps it away with a silver glowing limb. "Snubbull!" The dog Pokémon cries out as it goes sliding painfully through the dirt, clearly having been hit harder than we intended.
Even the unflappable Vlad seems confused.
'What in the- but why…Aw crap!' I wince, feeling the urge to slap myself upside the forehead. 'I forgot! Snubbull was one of the one's they revised into a Fairy-type. That was accidentally Super-effective!'
"Ginger, return!" Sally shouts, thrusting a Premier Ball forward. With an impressive bit of dexterity she pockets her second 'mon and switches out for a Lure Ball all in the same motion. "Current, it's all up to you!"
Chinchou: Lv. 23
Nature: Quirky
Potential: D
'Ohhhhh. 'Current'. Because it's both Water and Electric type. That's cute. I like that.' Vlad glances my way again, confused as to why little bits of affection leaked into the bond but I do my best to wave him off, indicating I'll explain later.
Sally's team composition here really isn't all that bad. She's even pretty talented for someone of her age.
But she's just not ready for events like this yet.
I hope her losses today won't discourage her too much. I'd really like to face her again in a few years.
'Uhhhh…what am I looking at here?'
I think my Round three opponent might be cosplaying.
Spiky anime hair? Check. Large cape at his back? Check. Tall leather boots? Check. The rest of his outfit a dark color aesthetic? Check check checkity check.
'Maybe it's a bit rude but I've got to ask…' "Kid, why are you dressed up like Lance?"
The fifteen year old stiffens before bristling up angrily. "I am not!"
My expression goes soft. "You…you really kind of are. I mean there's nothing wrong with it. Like, I admire the Champ too…"
Blood rushes to his face. "This is traditional Blackthorn Clan wear!" he asserts indignantly. "I'm Vince Blackthorn! Future Dragon master! Champion Lance is my cousin!"
My head tilts. "So you're Claire's younger brother?"
He growls. "No! She's my other cousin! The Blackthorn Clan isn't just a couple people you know! There's lots of us!"
"Okay okay," I show my hands in surrender. "Sheesh, my bad."
Our ref clears his throat. "Trainers, on my mark!" His hand goes up high…and then down ! "Fight!"
"Dratini!/K.Rool!"
Dratini: Lv. 28
Nature: Brave
Potential: B+
Krokorok: Lv. 32
Nature: Impish
Potential: A-
Relief washes over my system as I see the white & blue danger noodle manifest on the field. I was worried about starting with K.Rool and then running into someone else of Lyle's level, potentially forcing me into an immediate switch out. But a Dratini? He can handle a Dratini.
It's only if this 'Dragon master' in-training's next Pokémon is the evolved form that we might run into trouble.
"Start with Twister!"
"Sandstorm! Use their wind against them!"
A weak vortex of Dragon energy swirls around K.Rool, nicking his body in thin superficial cuts but my boy weathers them with only a slight tightening of the eyes. Meanwhile, having an opponent's move kick up dirt, dust, gravel and sand has allowed Krokorok to set up a roiling storm in record time.
An extra thick one too.
"Tch," Vince clicks his tongue. "Dratini, don't rely on sight! Target with Swift!"
'Looks like I'm not the only one who's loaded up on TM's.' "Move in and punish it with Payback!"
Confession time. I don't actually have a lot of experience dealing with Swift yet. It just hasn't come up. I don't know if it can still connect through Dig like it could in Generation I where it hit 100% absolutely always. 'Something to check on the Poké net later.' In the meantime, it shouldn't be too bad to accept a light hit in exchange for a heavy one.
"Wait for a chance and then use Chilling Water Dratini! Point blank!"
'Chilling Wa-? The hell? I don't think I know that one.'
Two cries come from within the storm. One distressed high pitched squeal of a baby Dragon and the grumbling pissed off curses of a crocodile.
Through our connection I feel a change in K.Rool. Between Moxie and Hone Claws we boost his Attack so often that I'm able to feel when the stat successfully goes up. Which means I can also feel when it goes down.
Now it's my turn to click the tongue. 'Oh. So it's like a Water version of Snarl? And it lowers Physical rather than Special? That's annoying. I'll need to add that one to the memory banks.'
But let it not be said that we don't have an answer to this. "Foul Play, K.Rool! Finish it off!" 'If our own Attack is lowered, we'll just use the opponents!'
"Slam! Don't go down without a fight!"
Spoiler alert. It went down without a fight.
Constant bits of chip damage from the weather and a double powered Payback was just too much for the little noodle. I'm sure as a Dragonair it'll be able to handle more punishment.
The Sandstorm starts to subside and Vince begrudgingly withdraws his 'mon once he can get eyes on it. A Great Ball is lobbed out with his second and I frown as it hits the field.
Charmeleon: Lv. 24
Nature: Hasty
Potential: C+
No, it's not the fact that this Pokémon is a bit lower level that upsets me. Nor the fact that it's not a Dragon. Nearly every Poké fan in existence is in agreement that the Charizard family gets a free pass on that one. What has my mouth turned down is that this Charmeleon is not at fighting full. He looks to be at a similar level of injury as Krokorok and my boy just took a previously unknown Water-move straight to his face. Actually, the Charmeleon might look a little bit worse.
After every round you get to make a trip to an aid station run by Nurse Joys in addition to having a few hours of recovery time. It just takes that long to cycle everyone through their matches, even with six of them going at a time. My second round fight against young Sally was just after lunch and this one here against Vince is actually one of the very last bouts of the day. It's nearly sundown.
'If this lizard's still lookin' like this even after the Nurse Joys were through with him then he must have had a rough fucking round two.'
More than that, it tells me Vince possibly doesn't have more than three Pokémon to use in this tournament. Yes, the matches are 3v3 but you're not limited to the same three round after round. I'd be perfectly allowed to send Simon out here despite employing both Ma Ma and Vlad earlier in the day.
"Respectfully," I look at my opponent. "Do you really want to send out a Pokémon in this condition?"
"Shut up!" the teenager snaps. "Charmeleon, Dragon Rage!"
Well geez. That's some real maturity right there. I'd sigh in exasperation if there was time for it. "Dig, K.Rool."
Blue and yellow flames eject from the red dinosaur's mouth and miss Krokorok by a mile. We've had some narrow dodges when using Dig in the past. Times where K.Rool barely makes it underground in time.
This wasn't one of those.
Typically when I have K.Rool go into Dig, we usually follow it up with Hone Claws or on the rare occasion Focus Energy. That's an Egg Move he happens to have that we don't often get to make use of. Right now though…I think I just want to go through with the attack.
"Charmeleon! Hide yourself in a Smokescreen!"
The Fire-type opens wide and begins belching acrid pitch black smoke over the battlefield. Something which gets me to raise an eyebrow.
'That…won't help you evade from Dig. Ground-types underground find you via vibration, not sight. Yeah, it obscures Charmeleon from me, but that's hardly good for much.'
This trainer was doing better with his Dratini. I think I may have overestimated him from that.
K.Rool bursts from the ground to Super-effectively nail Charmeleon in the stomach. "Chaaar!" the 'mon cries out, being forcibly ejected from his Smokescreen with a painful thump, landing belly down several yards away.
"Charmeleon!" Vince calls with gritted teeth. "I know it hurts but you can do this! You can! Get up and use Heat Wave!"
"Char… Char…" The lizard replies as it weakly tries to push its arms up.
I make eye contact with the ref, silently asking if he's really going to allow this.
Apparently he agrees with me. "I deem this Charmeleon unfit to continue battling!" he announces with a raised flag. "The score is 2-0 for Trainer Bradley. Mr. Blackthorn, please release your next Pokémon!"
'Oh ho? I'm just 'Trainer Bradley' but the kid gets 'Mr. Blackthorn'? Guess that Clan prestige really does count for something.'
Vince complies with the order and begrudgingly calls his 'mon back. "I'm sorry Charmeleon." he whispers to the ball. "It was wrong of me to push you." He takes a moment to calm himself. Breathing in deep and then following it with a long exhale.
When he finishes, his eyes snap open in a sharp gaze. Like those of a focused predator. 'I've seen Lance look the same way on TV. Is this a Blackthorn thing? Showing when you get serious?'
I ain't scared of you Dragon boy. Let's see what you got.
"Your Pokémon is strong." he compliments. "But my starter is stronger." he winds his arm back for a wide throw. "Let's go…Skarmory!"
A condor made of pure steel enters the arena with a high pitched screech. Its wings spread wide, revealing a series of aerodynamic red vanes sharper than any sword and a body where every part is a weapon. Tooth, talon, beak, and tail.
Skarmory: Lv. 47
Nature: Lonely
Potential: C-
'Woah, Nelly! That's certainly a level jump!' Inwardly I'm already running through options a mile a minute but on the outside I force a smirk out, playing it as though this newcomer isn't an issue. "Okay…I was willing to give you a pass on the future Charizard. But a Skarmory? Are you sure you're a Dragon trainer?"
Vince's face loses that sharp edge as that wasn't the reaction he was going for.
"Because it's alright if you aren't." I continue. "People say Lance is secretly a Flying-type trainer too. What with the Gyarados and Aerodactyl and all."
Knuckles pop as the teenager angrily balls his fist. "I! Am! Not! Lance!"
"K.Rool, return!" I snap up the Level Ball, having got the kid to successfully waste his first few seconds.
"Tch," he realized he's losing the initiative. "Skarmory! Take to the sky!"
"Vlad, the enemy's in the air!" I throw his Pokéball and like the true veteran he is, he tracks onto the threat immediately.
Gligar: Lv. 53
Nature: Adamant
Potential: A
The Steel-type hits his desired altitude and Vince sweeps his arm out. "Agility, Skarmory!"
I smile at the tactic. "Vlad. Same."
Vince glances at me, and then back to his ace. "Boost again!"
"Vlad." Gligar doesn't need me to complete the order. A second outline of Psychic power covers him, increasing the potency of the first.
"Tailwind!"
'Ooph. Can't do anything about that one.' "Swords Dance." That's enough of Speed. Let's boost other areas.
Vince growls. "Iron Defense!"
I almost burst out laughing. Is this really the game we're playing right now? Sure kid. I can do this all day. "Swords Dance again!" I reiterate, my hands spread wide in a 'what're you gonna do' fashion.
The young Blackthorn's apparently had enough. "Brave Bird!"
'Oh, that ain't good!' "Intercept it with Rock Tomb!"
Large rounded stones smash into the silver blur and they do manage to slow it.
Slightly.
But between the Tailwind and two uses of Agility, a single Speed drop just doesn't count for much.
Vlad hits the dirt hard as Skarmory pins him to the earth like a comet sent from space. A great dust cloud is kicked up and I have to raise an arm to shield my eyes.
'Damn. First time Vlad's been hit in a while outside of team training and it's a doozy. We're lucky that Defense is his best stat.'
Under other circumstances I might've tried to have him dodge with a Double Team like he did against Whitney. Against a Skarmory though that's a risky play. There's about a 50/50 shot that its Ability is Keen Eye and that doesn't just protect against Accuracy drops here like in the games. It also lets the user see through evasion tactics.
Still though, we can work with this. "Thunder Fang."
Vlad chomps down on the bird trying to keep him subdued, getting yellow sparks to angrily jump around his opponent's lower half. "Ground the electricity Skarmory! Then hammer him with Fury Attack!"
'Oh, so he knows that trick does he? I suppose it is getting more well known these days.' I think as I watch Skarmory dip its tail into the earth. 'No biggie. We can adapt.' "Switch to Fire Fang!"
The transition is almost seamless. Such is Vlad's expert level in type-energy manipulation that he doesn't even need to unlatch from Skarmory's foot. His fangs switch from shining yellow to blazing red in just a few blinks of the eye.
Skarmory screeches angrily as it strikes its beak repeatedly into Gligar's bony head, trying to get him to release the clamp on his leg. And although I can feel Vlad's health lowering, it just makes him latch on all the harder.
Vince gets nervous as his starter's leg begins to change color. The metal changing from a cool silver to angry and orange due to the prolonged contact with the heat. "Get him off Skarmory! Jump up and then use Drill Peck!"
"Swoop around it with Acrobatics!"
Following their orders to perfection, both Pokémon execute in record time. Skarmory getting off the ground and then bring his break down hard…and Vlad letting go to dodge around it with some fancy twists and turns.
"Metal Sound!" An ungodly piercing noise comes from the bird's throat, disorienting not just Vlad, but me and the ref as well. Thankfully, a silent message from me has Gligar smack the bird with a second -albeit hasty and half assed- Rock Tomb, effectively interrupting it.
"It's vulnerable!" Vince shouts. "Flash Cannon!"
White silvery energy builds in Skarmory's mouth as it rears back. With yet another screech the maelstrom of power unleashes itself upon the world….and does very little as Vlad gets up the Protect with time to spare.
My eyes dart between the two Pokémon. They're both moderately injured. And yet also both still have plenty of gas in the tank. I think Vlad will come out on top if we keep pushing this, but it might really mess him up for tomorrow.
'I need to do more than just win. I need to think about Day Two.'
With that in mind I should probably retire him for the night. Let someone else finish the Skarmory. Of course this Skarmory's still got a Defense and multiple Speed boosts up, which we're only countering due to our own use of two Agility and double Swords Dance.
Luckily, as I briefly alluded to during the scuffle with Dratini, when it comes to TM use I positively be fiendin'.
"Baton Pass."
"Shit! Pursuit!"
Vince tries to get one last bit of damage in but unfortunately it does really quite little. Pursuit's bonus damage may be triggered by moves like Volt Switch or U-Turn but Baton Pass gets around it. Vlad disappears in an orb of light and his replacement slams into the field in all her ferocious glory.
'As much as I would love to see what K.Rool or Simon could do with some Speed Boosts at their back, there's really only one smart choice here.'
"Ma Ma! Stone Edge!"
"Skarmory! Avoid!"
Great massive chunks of rock are lobbed in the air! Huge hulking things that Ma Ma would never be able to normally launch without a pair of Swords Dances in her system. The injured Steel/Flying type swerves around the first one, ducks beneath the second, veers to the left of the third, but the fourth nails it dead center!
The Pokémon begins to plummet and Vince lurches forward in a panic. "Roost!"
'Ohhh, you shouldn't have done that.'
Roost was a little bit better here than it was in the games. Which probably isn't balanced because it was already fairly competitive beforehand. It doesn't take away the protection of being Flying-type the turn it's used, nor does it make them land. It does however force the flier to be niiice and still though.
Perfect targets for a move that will pull them out of the sky."Smack Down!"
With all of Gligar's gifts empowering her, Ma Ma lands that bird. Returning it to the earth where all things should be.
Ground energy unconsciously suffuses through my system as I see the sight of a Flying-type -the natural antithesis of my aura- being brought low. Flying is representative of freedom. Of unburdenness. Of liberation even. Ground, however, is reality.
"Ma Ma. Bulldoze."
And that, as they say, is that.
Route 43, Between Lake of Rage and Mahogany
"So how'd you guys end up doing today?"
Clarissa sighs. "2-1. It's not bad but I'm thinking I might just drop. I wanted to put in a good showing for the Gym but some of these trainers are tough. My team and I are pooped. I don't know if we could handle a second day of this."
I hum thoughtfully. "It'll only be two fights instead of three though," I attempt to persuade her. "And if you win both, mathematically, you should still qualify for the quarter-finals."
"Yeah, I guess." she mutters. "But the matches in Day Two are always tougher. Everyone who ended today at 0-3 or 1-2 are usually gone, which just leaves trainers who've proven they aren't pushovers. The only way I think I can win is if I'm paired against teams as exhausted as I am."
"Hmm." I turn to Ron. "And you?"
He laughs. "Oh, I dropped out after lunch dude. That Meganium swept me my man. There was no coming back from that one. You'd think it had the ability Thick Fat or something by the way it brushed off my Ice."
"Ronald, Meganium can't have Thick Fat." Clarissa looks at him annoyed. "It's Ability is Overgrow or sometimes -very rarely- Leaf Guard."
Ron nods along, hands behind his head. "I know what the books say. I'm just talking."
A vibrating from my pocket gets my focus. It's not my cell phone, it's my other phone.
You know what I mean.
"You guys go on ahead," I stop walking and let the two of them get past me. "I've got to take a leak."
"Ugh, Bradley really?" Clarissa scrunches her face. "In the grass? There's a restroom at the Ranger station in just another mile or so. Can't you hold it?"
"Heyyy," Ron seems offended on my behalf. "When nature calls, nature calls. Ain't nothing a man can do about it." He gives me a nod. "Try to catch up when you're done my dude. We won't be far."
Moving off to the treeline, I give it a minute, maybe minute and a half, and then flip the phone open. A single button push dials the last number and I waste no time with greetings. "Yeah?"
"Ooo testy today aren't ya." Admin Petrel teases from the other side. "Well first, let me congratulate you on making Day Two. Watching you take down the young Blackthorn's Skarmory, well even I was inspired. Remind me never to try and fight you with Honchkrow."
I keep my tone light. "Hoh? So you're up here in Mahogany then? I noticed the souvenir shop seems to finally be up and running."
"Oh Bradley…Bradley Bradley Bradley." He says my name with a certain fondness. Ominous fondness but fondness all the same. "Do you not remember the day we met? I'm Rocket's Master of Disguise. I'm not just in the area, I was the referee in your last match. Now come to the souvenir shop. We've got some expansions we'd like your assistance on. In exchange for some of those foreign soil samples you requested of course.'
With a click the number goes dead and I slide the phone away with a sigh. "Yeah…because the last batch you guys got me from Sinnoh turned out to be such winners." I mutter a bit annoyed.
Well, sounds like I may not be getting a ton of sleep tonight.
At least tomorrow's matches don't start until 10.
Lake of Rage, North of Mahogany Town.
I bite into a hot dog as I watch a pair of trainers duke it out on screen. Beedrill vs. Qwilfish. The food area's equipped with several television feeds set up to watch the matches from a distance while spectators take time to shop or grab some lunch. Plus, since these preliminary bouts are being fought without the protective barriers like the ones you would expect from major arenas, it's probably just safer all around not to get too close anyway.
It helps the trainers focus too. Just you, your opponent, the referee, and maybe some family or close friends if they wanna spectate. No complete strangers making a raucous until Top 8 and the real action begins.
My eyes look up to the screen again. Both trainers have given up on using Poison moves to eke out an advantage and seem to be experimenting live on new strategies to try and close out the fight. I don't think either party has what it takes to go all the way but it's entertaining to watch nonetheless. 'I'd probably be able to predict the winner if I was there in person, but unfortunately my 'cheat' doesn't work through a camera feed. I have to see the Pokémon in person.'
I let my gaze flicker to the left where a different television displays Clarissa and her Jynx with things well in hand against a Golbat. She even seems a bit apologetic to her opponent about the blatant type advantages. Moving to the right I glimpse Ron who's in a rough situation. His Dewgong's looking like it's on its last legs -metaphorically- against a Meganium, which definitely signifies a trainer I'll need to watch out for. 'Seems both of them are about to be 1-1 records wise.'
I bite into the fairgrounds food again and turn my gaze up in thought. You know, despite the fact that Ma Ma swept him, Lyle was actually one of the better opponents that we've fought in a while. First impressions aside and all that. With Pokémon at or near the 40's I wouldn't be surprised if he does end up at the Conference in six months like he originally boasted. With both our teams a little stronger, it could make for a fun rematch.
An excited grin manages to sneak up on me. 'Signing up for this was definitely the right move.' I was doing my best not to appear overeager but now I'm getting a little bit of the jitters. Just sittin' around waiting for them to call my name again.
I hope my second round is as good as the first.
"Look…Sally right?" I try to keep my voice sympathetic. "Are you sure you want to keep doing this? It's alright if you want to…"
The young girl stomps her foot. "No! Wait, I mean- Yes! The rules say at least two Badges and I have two! I deserve to be here! Same as everyone else!"
"Wooo! Sally! Take him down!" A very supportive mother and father cheer from the sidelines. They've got custom pennants with their daughter's name emblazoned on it and are wearing shirts with a big photo of her and her team posing in victory. Oddish, Snubbull, Phanpy, and Chinchou. "You got this Sally!" Dad shouts between cupped hands. "Yeah! Kick his butt!" adds in Mom.
I feel Vlad's eyes glancing back at me from the field, awaiting instructions on how I want to play this. We already one-shotted the Oddish without really meaning to. I communicated silently with Vlad to make it a light hit…but apparently not light enough.
"Ginger, get in close and use Headbutt! We're gonna flinch him!"
"Snubbull! Snub!"
I put on my best face. Acting the part. "Vlad, use Metal Claw and deflect it! Protect yourself!" 'Gently please. Gently...' I do my best to silently urge through the bond. We can't share words or whole sentences. Just impressions. Emotions. Concepts of moves, things like that. That's usually enough to get the point across though.
The pink bullpup leaps up as it gets within range and Vlad gently slaps it away with a silver glowing limb. "Snubbull!" The dog Pokémon cries out as it goes sliding painfully through the dirt, clearly having been hit harder than we intended.
Even the unflappable Vlad seems confused.
'What in the- but why…Aw crap!' I wince, feeling the urge to slap myself upside the forehead. 'I forgot! Snubbull was one of the one's they revised into a Fairy-type. That was accidentally Super-effective!'
"Ginger, return!" Sally shouts, thrusting a Premier Ball forward. With an impressive bit of dexterity she pockets her second 'mon and switches out for a Lure Ball all in the same motion. "Current, it's all up to you!"
Chinchou: Lv. 23
Nature: Quirky
Potential: D
'Ohhhhh. 'Current'. Because it's both Water and Electric type. That's cute. I like that.' Vlad glances my way again, confused as to why little bits of affection leaked into the bond but I do my best to wave him off, indicating I'll explain later.
Sally's team composition here really isn't all that bad. She's even pretty talented for someone of her age.
But she's just not ready for events like this yet.
I hope her losses today won't discourage her too much. I'd really like to face her again in a few years.
'Uhhhh…what am I looking at here?'
I think my Round three opponent might be cosplaying.
Spiky anime hair? Check. Large cape at his back? Check. Tall leather boots? Check. The rest of his outfit a dark color aesthetic? Check check checkity check.
'Maybe it's a bit rude but I've got to ask…' "Kid, why are you dressed up like Lance?"
The fifteen year old stiffens before bristling up angrily. "I am not!"
My expression goes soft. "You…you really kind of are. I mean there's nothing wrong with it. Like, I admire the Champ too…"
Blood rushes to his face. "This is traditional Blackthorn Clan wear!" he asserts indignantly. "I'm Vince Blackthorn! Future Dragon master! Champion Lance is my cousin!"
My head tilts. "So you're Claire's younger brother?"
He growls. "No! She's my other cousin! The Blackthorn Clan isn't just a couple people you know! There's lots of us!"
"Okay okay," I show my hands in surrender. "Sheesh, my bad."
Our ref clears his throat. "Trainers, on my mark!" His hand goes up high…and then down ! "Fight!"
"Dratini!/K.Rool!"
Dratini: Lv. 28
Nature: Brave
Potential: B+
Krokorok: Lv. 32
Nature: Impish
Potential: A-
Relief washes over my system as I see the white & blue danger noodle manifest on the field. I was worried about starting with K.Rool and then running into someone else of Lyle's level, potentially forcing me into an immediate switch out. But a Dratini? He can handle a Dratini.
It's only if this 'Dragon master' in-training's next Pokémon is the evolved form that we might run into trouble.
"Start with Twister!"
"Sandstorm! Use their wind against them!"
A weak vortex of Dragon energy swirls around K.Rool, nicking his body in thin superficial cuts but my boy weathers them with only a slight tightening of the eyes. Meanwhile, having an opponent's move kick up dirt, dust, gravel and sand has allowed Krokorok to set up a roiling storm in record time.
An extra thick one too.
"Tch," Vince clicks his tongue. "Dratini, don't rely on sight! Target with Swift!"
'Looks like I'm not the only one who's loaded up on TM's.' "Move in and punish it with Payback!"
Confession time. I don't actually have a lot of experience dealing with Swift yet. It just hasn't come up. I don't know if it can still connect through Dig like it could in Generation I where it hit 100% absolutely always. 'Something to check on the Poké net later.' In the meantime, it shouldn't be too bad to accept a light hit in exchange for a heavy one.
"Wait for a chance and then use Chilling Water Dratini! Point blank!"
'Chilling Wa-? The hell? I don't think I know that one.'
Two cries come from within the storm. One distressed high pitched squeal of a baby Dragon and the grumbling pissed off curses of a crocodile.
Through our connection I feel a change in K.Rool. Between Moxie and Hone Claws we boost his Attack so often that I'm able to feel when the stat successfully goes up. Which means I can also feel when it goes down.
Now it's my turn to click the tongue. 'Oh. So it's like a Water version of Snarl? And it lowers Physical rather than Special? That's annoying. I'll need to add that one to the memory banks.'
But let it not be said that we don't have an answer to this. "Foul Play, K.Rool! Finish it off!" 'If our own Attack is lowered, we'll just use the opponents!'
"Slam! Don't go down without a fight!"
Spoiler alert. It went down without a fight.
Constant bits of chip damage from the weather and a double powered Payback was just too much for the little noodle. I'm sure as a Dragonair it'll be able to handle more punishment.
The Sandstorm starts to subside and Vince begrudgingly withdraws his 'mon once he can get eyes on it. A Great Ball is lobbed out with his second and I frown as it hits the field.
Charmeleon: Lv. 24
Nature: Hasty
Potential: C+
No, it's not the fact that this Pokémon is a bit lower level that upsets me. Nor the fact that it's not a Dragon. Nearly every Poké fan in existence is in agreement that the Charizard family gets a free pass on that one. What has my mouth turned down is that this Charmeleon is not at fighting full. He looks to be at a similar level of injury as Krokorok and my boy just took a previously unknown Water-move straight to his face. Actually, the Charmeleon might look a little bit worse.
After every round you get to make a trip to an aid station run by Nurse Joys in addition to having a few hours of recovery time. It just takes that long to cycle everyone through their matches, even with six of them going at a time. My second round fight against young Sally was just after lunch and this one here against Vince is actually one of the very last bouts of the day. It's nearly sundown.
'If this lizard's still lookin' like this even after the Nurse Joys were through with him then he must have had a rough fucking round two.'
More than that, it tells me Vince possibly doesn't have more than three Pokémon to use in this tournament. Yes, the matches are 3v3 but you're not limited to the same three round after round. I'd be perfectly allowed to send Simon out here despite employing both Ma Ma and Vlad earlier in the day.
"Respectfully," I look at my opponent. "Do you really want to send out a Pokémon in this condition?"
"Shut up!" the teenager snaps. "Charmeleon, Dragon Rage!"
Well geez. That's some real maturity right there. I'd sigh in exasperation if there was time for it. "Dig, K.Rool."
Blue and yellow flames eject from the red dinosaur's mouth and miss Krokorok by a mile. We've had some narrow dodges when using Dig in the past. Times where K.Rool barely makes it underground in time.
This wasn't one of those.
Typically when I have K.Rool go into Dig, we usually follow it up with Hone Claws or on the rare occasion Focus Energy. That's an Egg Move he happens to have that we don't often get to make use of. Right now though…I think I just want to go through with the attack.
"Charmeleon! Hide yourself in a Smokescreen!"
The Fire-type opens wide and begins belching acrid pitch black smoke over the battlefield. Something which gets me to raise an eyebrow.
'That…won't help you evade from Dig. Ground-types underground find you via vibration, not sight. Yeah, it obscures Charmeleon from me, but that's hardly good for much.'
This trainer was doing better with his Dratini. I think I may have overestimated him from that.
K.Rool bursts from the ground to Super-effectively nail Charmeleon in the stomach. "Chaaar!" the 'mon cries out, being forcibly ejected from his Smokescreen with a painful thump, landing belly down several yards away.
"Charmeleon!" Vince calls with gritted teeth. "I know it hurts but you can do this! You can! Get up and use Heat Wave!"
"Char… Char…" The lizard replies as it weakly tries to push its arms up.
I make eye contact with the ref, silently asking if he's really going to allow this.
Apparently he agrees with me. "I deem this Charmeleon unfit to continue battling!" he announces with a raised flag. "The score is 2-0 for Trainer Bradley. Mr. Blackthorn, please release your next Pokémon!"
'Oh ho? I'm just 'Trainer Bradley' but the kid gets 'Mr. Blackthorn'? Guess that Clan prestige really does count for something.'
Vince complies with the order and begrudgingly calls his 'mon back. "I'm sorry Charmeleon." he whispers to the ball. "It was wrong of me to push you." He takes a moment to calm himself. Breathing in deep and then following it with a long exhale.
When he finishes, his eyes snap open in a sharp gaze. Like those of a focused predator. 'I've seen Lance look the same way on TV. Is this a Blackthorn thing? Showing when you get serious?'
I ain't scared of you Dragon boy. Let's see what you got.
"Your Pokémon is strong." he compliments. "But my starter is stronger." he winds his arm back for a wide throw. "Let's go…Skarmory!"
A condor made of pure steel enters the arena with a high pitched screech. Its wings spread wide, revealing a series of aerodynamic red vanes sharper than any sword and a body where every part is a weapon. Tooth, talon, beak, and tail.
Skarmory: Lv. 47
Nature: Lonely
Potential: C-
'Woah, Nelly! That's certainly a level jump!' Inwardly I'm already running through options a mile a minute but on the outside I force a smirk out, playing it as though this newcomer isn't an issue. "Okay…I was willing to give you a pass on the future Charizard. But a Skarmory? Are you sure you're a Dragon trainer?"
Vince's face loses that sharp edge as that wasn't the reaction he was going for.
"Because it's alright if you aren't." I continue. "People say Lance is secretly a Flying-type trainer too. What with the Gyarados and Aerodactyl and all."
Knuckles pop as the teenager angrily balls his fist. "I! Am! Not! Lance!"
"K.Rool, return!" I snap up the Level Ball, having got the kid to successfully waste his first few seconds.
"Tch," he realized he's losing the initiative. "Skarmory! Take to the sky!"
"Vlad, the enemy's in the air!" I throw his Pokéball and like the true veteran he is, he tracks onto the threat immediately.
Gligar: Lv. 53
Nature: Adamant
Potential: A
The Steel-type hits his desired altitude and Vince sweeps his arm out. "Agility, Skarmory!"
I smile at the tactic. "Vlad. Same."
Vince glances at me, and then back to his ace. "Boost again!"
"Vlad." Gligar doesn't need me to complete the order. A second outline of Psychic power covers him, increasing the potency of the first.
"Tailwind!"
'Ooph. Can't do anything about that one.' "Swords Dance." That's enough of Speed. Let's boost other areas.
Vince growls. "Iron Defense!"
I almost burst out laughing. Is this really the game we're playing right now? Sure kid. I can do this all day. "Swords Dance again!" I reiterate, my hands spread wide in a 'what're you gonna do' fashion.
The young Blackthorn's apparently had enough. "Brave Bird!"
'Oh, that ain't good!' "Intercept it with Rock Tomb!"
Large rounded stones smash into the silver blur and they do manage to slow it.
Slightly.
But between the Tailwind and two uses of Agility, a single Speed drop just doesn't count for much.
Vlad hits the dirt hard as Skarmory pins him to the earth like a comet sent from space. A great dust cloud is kicked up and I have to raise an arm to shield my eyes.
'Damn. First time Vlad's been hit in a while outside of team training and it's a doozy. We're lucky that Defense is his best stat.'
Under other circumstances I might've tried to have him dodge with a Double Team like he did against Whitney. Against a Skarmory though that's a risky play. There's about a 50/50 shot that its Ability is Keen Eye and that doesn't just protect against Accuracy drops here like in the games. It also lets the user see through evasion tactics.
Still though, we can work with this. "Thunder Fang."
Vlad chomps down on the bird trying to keep him subdued, getting yellow sparks to angrily jump around his opponent's lower half. "Ground the electricity Skarmory! Then hammer him with Fury Attack!"
'Oh, so he knows that trick does he? I suppose it is getting more well known these days.' I think as I watch Skarmory dip its tail into the earth. 'No biggie. We can adapt.' "Switch to Fire Fang!"
The transition is almost seamless. Such is Vlad's expert level in type-energy manipulation that he doesn't even need to unlatch from Skarmory's foot. His fangs switch from shining yellow to blazing red in just a few blinks of the eye.
Skarmory screeches angrily as it strikes its beak repeatedly into Gligar's bony head, trying to get him to release the clamp on his leg. And although I can feel Vlad's health lowering, it just makes him latch on all the harder.
Vince gets nervous as his starter's leg begins to change color. The metal changing from a cool silver to angry and orange due to the prolonged contact with the heat. "Get him off Skarmory! Jump up and then use Drill Peck!"
"Swoop around it with Acrobatics!"
Following their orders to perfection, both Pokémon execute in record time. Skarmory getting off the ground and then bring his break down hard…and Vlad letting go to dodge around it with some fancy twists and turns.
"Metal Sound!" An ungodly piercing noise comes from the bird's throat, disorienting not just Vlad, but me and the ref as well. Thankfully, a silent message from me has Gligar smack the bird with a second -albeit hasty and half assed- Rock Tomb, effectively interrupting it.
"It's vulnerable!" Vince shouts. "Flash Cannon!"
White silvery energy builds in Skarmory's mouth as it rears back. With yet another screech the maelstrom of power unleashes itself upon the world….and does very little as Vlad gets up the Protect with time to spare.
My eyes dart between the two Pokémon. They're both moderately injured. And yet also both still have plenty of gas in the tank. I think Vlad will come out on top if we keep pushing this, but it might really mess him up for tomorrow.
'I need to do more than just win. I need to think about Day Two.'
With that in mind I should probably retire him for the night. Let someone else finish the Skarmory. Of course this Skarmory's still got a Defense and multiple Speed boosts up, which we're only countering due to our own use of two Agility and double Swords Dance.
Luckily, as I briefly alluded to during the scuffle with Dratini, when it comes to TM use I positively be fiendin'.
"Baton Pass."
"Shit! Pursuit!"
Vince tries to get one last bit of damage in but unfortunately it does really quite little. Pursuit's bonus damage may be triggered by moves like Volt Switch or U-Turn but Baton Pass gets around it. Vlad disappears in an orb of light and his replacement slams into the field in all her ferocious glory.
'As much as I would love to see what K.Rool or Simon could do with some Speed Boosts at their back, there's really only one smart choice here.'
"Ma Ma! Stone Edge!"
"Skarmory! Avoid!"
Great massive chunks of rock are lobbed in the air! Huge hulking things that Ma Ma would never be able to normally launch without a pair of Swords Dances in her system. The injured Steel/Flying type swerves around the first one, ducks beneath the second, veers to the left of the third, but the fourth nails it dead center!
The Pokémon begins to plummet and Vince lurches forward in a panic. "Roost!"
'Ohhh, you shouldn't have done that.'
Roost was a little bit better here than it was in the games. Which probably isn't balanced because it was already fairly competitive beforehand. It doesn't take away the protection of being Flying-type the turn it's used, nor does it make them land. It does however force the flier to be niiice and still though.
Perfect targets for a move that will pull them out of the sky."Smack Down!"
With all of Gligar's gifts empowering her, Ma Ma lands that bird. Returning it to the earth where all things should be.
Ground energy unconsciously suffuses through my system as I see the sight of a Flying-type -the natural antithesis of my aura- being brought low. Flying is representative of freedom. Of unburdenness. Of liberation even. Ground, however, is reality.
"Ma Ma. Bulldoze."
And that, as they say, is that.
Route 43, Between Lake of Rage and Mahogany
"So how'd you guys end up doing today?"
Clarissa sighs. "2-1. It's not bad but I'm thinking I might just drop. I wanted to put in a good showing for the Gym but some of these trainers are tough. My team and I are pooped. I don't know if we could handle a second day of this."
I hum thoughtfully. "It'll only be two fights instead of three though," I attempt to persuade her. "And if you win both, mathematically, you should still qualify for the quarter-finals."
"Yeah, I guess." she mutters. "But the matches in Day Two are always tougher. Everyone who ended today at 0-3 or 1-2 are usually gone, which just leaves trainers who've proven they aren't pushovers. The only way I think I can win is if I'm paired against teams as exhausted as I am."
"Hmm." I turn to Ron. "And you?"
He laughs. "Oh, I dropped out after lunch dude. That Meganium swept me my man. There was no coming back from that one. You'd think it had the ability Thick Fat or something by the way it brushed off my Ice."
"Ronald, Meganium can't have Thick Fat." Clarissa looks at him annoyed. "It's Ability is Overgrow or sometimes -very rarely- Leaf Guard."
Ron nods along, hands behind his head. "I know what the books say. I'm just talking."
A vibrating from my pocket gets my focus. It's not my cell phone, it's my other phone.
You know what I mean.
"You guys go on ahead," I stop walking and let the two of them get past me. "I've got to take a leak."
"Ugh, Bradley really?" Clarissa scrunches her face. "In the grass? There's a restroom at the Ranger station in just another mile or so. Can't you hold it?"
"Heyyy," Ron seems offended on my behalf. "When nature calls, nature calls. Ain't nothing a man can do about it." He gives me a nod. "Try to catch up when you're done my dude. We won't be far."
Moving off to the treeline, I give it a minute, maybe minute and a half, and then flip the phone open. A single button push dials the last number and I waste no time with greetings. "Yeah?"
"Ooo testy today aren't ya." Admin Petrel teases from the other side. "Well first, let me congratulate you on making Day Two. Watching you take down the young Blackthorn's Skarmory, well even I was inspired. Remind me never to try and fight you with Honchkrow."
I keep my tone light. "Hoh? So you're up here in Mahogany then? I noticed the souvenir shop seems to finally be up and running."
"Oh Bradley…Bradley Bradley Bradley." He says my name with a certain fondness. Ominous fondness but fondness all the same. "Do you not remember the day we met? I'm Rocket's Master of Disguise. I'm not just in the area, I was the referee in your last match. Now come to the souvenir shop. We've got some expansions we'd like your assistance on. In exchange for some of those foreign soil samples you requested of course.'
With a click the number goes dead and I slide the phone away with a sigh. "Yeah…because the last batch you guys got me from Sinnoh turned out to be such winners." I mutter a bit annoyed.
Well, sounds like I may not be getting a ton of sleep tonight.
At least tomorrow's matches don't start until 10.
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Oglymogly
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Absolutely brutal. I love it. Also, great showing off how berries other than Lum and Sitrus berries can be incredibly useful, they dont get used in stories enough.
Its a real shame he can only use one time per match.
Its a real shame he can only use one time per match.
Artful Lounger
Well worn.
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Oh shit, double update. I love it.
At least the Blackthorne kid put up a fight. The other two were a fantastic example of how you can get lucky in the draw sometimes.
At least the Blackthorne kid put up a fight. The other two were a fantastic example of how you can get lucky in the draw sometimes.
ThunderBasilisk
Well Worn Bastion
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An absolutely fantastic set of chapters. Just loving the strategies hes using. And heres hoping these Soil samples arnt a dud like the last ones he got were. Also any bets hes gonna be facing that Meganium?
ThunderBasilisk
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Honestly he could get one of the Garchomp line if he heads north to Kitakami since the lines native there. And given how the Sandygast line is created he could get one of those easily. Hell he could get a shiny one easily. Just go to a volcanic beach. Cinabar likely has at least one. And as for Swampert well theres one living in a sewer in Hoenn. Dont remember which city though. Or he could again head to Kitakami since Mudkip are also there.
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PanzerFrame
I'll never die, I am a freak
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Is there a plan on ever getting garchomp, love me a garchomp
Moran
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Here's a thought: so Simon started as Timid, now it's Docile. I wonder if it become Gentle when evolve into Golurk. Imagine an announcer's epithet for him, "The Gentle Giant." Like Pippin from Berserk.
What… "meat" is it made from…?
I'd be surprised, and It'll be a bit OP, if otherwise. Thanks for the confirmation on its limits.
Artful Lounger
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Well, its a hotdog so its clearly a 50:50 mix of Growlithe and Houndour.
Brian-88
Know what you're doing yet?
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Probably Tauros, like normal hot dogs are bull meat.
LordVishnu
Not too sore, are you?
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While every wiki I've looked at says Kitakami isn't part of Paldea, none of them can say anything more about where it is. So while there are a couple signs that maaaaybe its close to Johto, this is not a route I will be pursuing.
I did think about that!
And then I realized 'ehh..whatever' and just moved on.
ThunderBasilisk
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I mean im guesstimating its north of Johto based on the location of its IRL counterpart but you do you.
LordVishnu
Not too sore, are you?
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oscar e Sampedro Lopez
Versed in the lewd.
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Thank for the chapter. Great story
vongoladex
Getting out there.
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Writing about Pokemon is more free and open than One Piece. Now, Oda currently taking a break like 3 weeks after every chapter.
dragonboy08
King of the SandCastle
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Current is a cute as hell name and I hope that Sally goes on to become a Pokemon Master in her own right off screen.
I am really enjoying this Fic, keep up the good work!
I am really enjoying this Fic, keep up the good work!
FTR2017
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This one gave me big Lupin the 3rd vibes, from how amusing it came out when I read it.
Lovely double release, I gobbled up every word of them.
ThunderBasilisk
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Honestly think hes gonna be Adamant as a Golurk. Cause Lets be real that is absolutely what Simon is.
Alucard925
Hex
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'The true lazy man works hard, that way he can go back to being lazy as soon as possible
Absolutely true, if you have a tough job give it to a lazy person, they'll find the quickest, most effective way to do it so they can go back to being lazy.
Absolutely true, if you have a tough job give it to a lazy person, they'll find the quickest, most effective way to do it so they can go back to being lazy.
FTR2017
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I call it being efficient, for in efficiency one maximizes profit for the least effort.
Greatazuredragon
Connoisseur.
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Nice chapter, good work.