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

[LordVishnu]

Does he have a goal ? like apart from getting stronger to survive a death world ?
get rich ?
deal with idiots trying to wake legendries ?
have a relationship with lorelei ?

Click to shrink...

At the moment he's just living his life. Doing what any old bloke might do if suddenly finding themselves on Poke Earth. Pursuing this Ground energy thing, traveling around, training up, abusing a bit of that meta knowledge.

He's not currently filled with any Grand Ambition. Aim to be the Champion? Bah, too much hassle. Paperwork alone would probably be a nightmare. Go search for Palkia or Hoopa or access to Ultra-space or whatever to try and find a way home? Seems like a longshot. Besides, he was isekai'd, didn't fall through a portal or anything. That path only leads to dead ends, uncertainties, and disappointment.

I prefer to write characters where ambition finds them, not the other way around.

 

[Silent Knight]

At the moment he's just living his life. Doing what any old bloke might do if suddenly finding themselves on Poke Earth. Pursuing this Ground energy thing, traveling around, training up, abusing a bit of that meta knowledge.

He's not currently filled with any Grand Ambition. Aim to be the Champion? Bah, too much hassle. Paperwork alone would probably be a nightmare. Go search for Palkia or Hoopa or access to Ultra-space or whatever to try and find a way home? Seems like a longshot. Besides, he was isekai'd, didn't fall through a portal or anything. That path only leads to dead ends, uncertainties, and disappointment.

I prefer to write characters where ambition finds them, not the other way around.

Click to shrink...

i can appreciate that. Much better story then most catch em all !!.
Still his circumstances are dangerous enough that he needs a goal or a way to set himself apart and make himself been somewhat untouchable by those in power,
because he IS going to step on some toes .Team rocket , Scientist or Mind reader (does he have protection for that ).
The few things he has are his meta knowledge ( which could be wrong ) and his aura.
I LOVED the line that ground aura well GROUNDS you to reality . Maybe improve that ?
Go from tophs seismic sense to Spidey sense to somewhat of a domain that lets him ground reality and see through illusion and even lies and deceit ?
thoughts ?

 

[LordVishnu]

Chapter 13

~A Tale of Two Trainers~
-A Children's Story, Part: 3

Weeks turned to months turned to seasons turned to years.

Eric and Ashley went beyond their hundred battles. Every time they got close to figuring out a winner the tables would turn and the other one would start to stand on top.

The local Gym Leader encouraged Eric and Ashley to each go on a journey. To fight other trainers, to visit other places and catch other Pokémon! Why, Quagsire and Weepinbell were already each tough enough to fight the Gym's strongest battlers! And they would win too!

The Gym Leader said that they were both already 'the best'.

Eric and Ashley disagreed.

'There can only be one best'. Said both Eric and Ashley.

Besides, Ashley and Eric didn't want to compete against other trainers. They didn't want to bother with Badges or journeys or training other Pokémon.

Eric only had eyes for beating Ashley.

And Ashley only had eyes for beating Eric.

One night, there was a new person in the crowd watching their fight. Someone neither Ashley nor Eric recognized as being from Violet City.

He introduced himself as Bradley.

---

Lake of Rage, Semifinal Round

I am become error.

No seriously, I think I've goofed up.

I should have pulled Bubbles out of the reserve for a few days to give me one more viable team member for this tournament.

Yeah, the big boy's gotten fat and lazy. He's definitely out of shape. But he still would've been a Mamoswine. I could've used him.

Because if this keeps up then I'm gonna be straight cooked in regards to options going into the finals.

"Bullet Punch! / Brick Break!" Ma Ma and the Lv. 52 Scizor clash again, smashing into each other and both refusing to give an inch. To make matters worse the Steel/Bug Pokémon has both a beneficial Nature and I'm pretty certain the Ability Technician.

Ma Ma will not be getting out of this unscathed.

From across the field, Ace Trainer Alton -the same individual who convinced me to draw in round five- stands there cool as a cucumber. Not a worry in the world or a drip of sweat on his brow.

"Scizor! Break off and go into U-Turn!"

'Damn! If only the Ursaring family could learn Pursuit!' "Use the opening to Bulk Up!"

A speeding ball of Bug-energy smashes into Ma Ma even as her muscles swell, boosting both offense and defense. The Scizor disappears back into its cage and a new Pokémon dances onto the field, hopping back and forth, keeping itself loose.

Hitmontop: Lv. 46
Nature: Careful
Potential: B+

I work at my jaw. Fuck. Another contender we have to take seriously. Luckily Intimidate doesn't trigger but that doesn't tell me much. That Ability has a limitation in this world where it doesn't seem to work on opponents at least 10 levels higher. Of course, the absence of anything happening could also just mean this Fighting-type has Technician too which could be really bad.

"Triple Kick!"

"Ma Ma, Play Rough!"

Hitmontop flips over onto its head and begins accelerating across the field like a whirlwind, its form disappearing into just a spinning brown & blue vortex. Meanwhile Ma Ma preps another move she's been working on with…middling results.

Fairy-energy is ephemeral. It's nebulous. It's dreams and sparkles and fugitive fancy. Very different from working with Ground whose main characteristic is being firm. Ma Ma's tried her best to get the technique under her command but it's been slow baby steps to success rather than leaps.

The end result right now is claws shining in Normal energy with perhaps a few bits of Fairy mixed in.

She gives as good as she's got, accepting multiple blows to strike back with what she can but it's clear she's no longer fresh from duking it out with Scizor.

"Take a breather Ma Ma!" I snap up her ball to return her. 'I need to force an opening for her to Rest! But I can't do it against a Hitmontop! Even with Chesto, we might end up taking a Close Combat to the face!' "Vlad, move in!"

"Gligar!" he announces, swooping into the field.

I sweep my arm out. "Acrobatics! Take him down in one shot!"

"Hitmontop, play defensive with Ice Spinner!"

"Hit! Hitmon!" The Fighting-type spins up again, turning into a wintery tornado that throws off ice crystals as it spirals.

"Vlad! Abort! Pull up high!" 'Ice Spinner? Fuck, I don't know that one either! How many times am I going to be punished for only having cursory knowledge of the Generations past VII? We can't get hit by a 4x effective move of unknown power! "Start setting up! Agility!"

"Baton Pass!" Alton orders. He's got no bonuses to gift but using BP is technically a little faster than just doing a normal switch out. 'This would've been a good fight to set up some entry hazards.'

Alton's third Pokémon enters play and immediately sticks its tongue out while raising its little yellow hands high. Storm clouds begin to gather overhead and I curse under my breath.

'Of fucking course. A Politoed with Drizzle. Where in the fuck did he get that?'

Politoed: Lv. 46
Nature: Quirky
Potential: B-

'And it's just as tough as the Hitmontop! There's no opening to use K.Rool in this fight! If I can't get it done with Vlad and Ma Ma then we're finished!'

Also, bonus points in the bad news category. There's a certain hierarchy to weather effects. I can't just call up a Sandstorm and make the rain go away. In this scenario, Wet beats Dry.

"Hydro Pump!" Alton practically roars and his frog wastes no time. With a deep breath its cheek sacs begin bloating up. Stretching to comical proportions.

Vlad signals he's done boosting. "Evade! Get Toxic when you can!"

"Quick Bursts Politoed!" Alton steps forward. "Shoot it down!"

Rather than one massive blast of blue, Politoed manages his water inventory in a way I've never encountered before. Spraying out smaller sniper shots, trying to clip one of Gligar's wings like a turret gunner against a plane.

Vlad is nothing if not an expert though. Completely unbothered by the rain he swerves and swishes. Even throwing in a Double-Team of his own accord after a near miss. "Gli!" Nasty purple sludge ejects from his tail as he flies by -and though Politoed intercepts it with a shot of Water- some of the malignant gunk still manages to splash Alton's Pokémon along it's upper torso.

"Hyper Voice!" Vlad's too close to do anything about this one. With a cacophonous croak, sound waves from Politoed slam into Gligar, sending him spinning out. "Follow with Weather Ball!"

A swirling blue orb shoots into the sky away from view and the hairs stick up on my neck. 'A delayed attack? That's not how Weath- Shit, he's gonna pincer us!' "Protect!"

"Hydro Pump! Full blast!" From within its gut a positively prodigious amount of Water sprays forth from Politoed, slamming into Gligar's protective dome and actually carting it away with Vlad trapped inside. The back of Vlad's barrier grinds against the safety field emanating from the League's equipment and I can feel my main man dig deep to hold the Protect firm.

Both moves die away, with Politoed actually breathing a little heavy from the effort put in and Gligar with sweat on his face. '!' I try to warn him but there's no time. The Super-effective Weather Ball slams down into the top of Vlad's head on its return trip and the scorpion-bat gets hammered into the mud.

'Their mistake.' I bolster Vlad with what aura I can through the link. 'Gligar can KO lesser opponents with Earthquake without ever leaving the sky. Now see what happens when you force him to the ground!'

"FISSURE!"

A lesson in Ground-type energy for the crowd at home. Magnitude, Earthquake, and Fissure are all really variations of the same move, just at different levels of skill. Magnitude is a move that Ground-types learn first. It's wild. It's a bit uncontrolled. Young Pokémon aren't the best at regulating their internal energy. When they send out a Magnitude sometimes they send out too much…or sometimes really not enough at all.

As they get better at it, those extremes on the end of the bell curve disappear. You stop seeing Magnitude 4 and 10. Then you stop seeing Magnitude 5 followed by 9. Eventually the move just 'evolves' you see. Magnitude becomes Earthquake. Consistent power, consistent range, consistent spread.

At least, this is what I've managed to observe in how young Ground-types develop. I can't speak on the subject of other 'mons who naturally get access to TM26.

Fissure is one more step forward. Maybe two. Take away the spread, take away some of the range. Take aaaaall that power and send it to One Spot.

It's harder to do than you're imagining.

It's probably why the accuracy is so shit in-game. Hell, Vlad's a god's damned prodigy and even he misses with it half the time.

Unless.

Unless he's got line of sight and those two pincers stuck straight in the ground.

"OH!" The announcer registers in my ears again. "IT'S A ONE-HIT KO!"

"Politoed is unable to battle! The score is 1-0!" The blue flag goes up. "Trainer Alton, please release your next Pokémon!"

I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding. 'Holy jeezus. One down.' There's a dull roar of the crowd cheering but honestly I can barely hear it over the heartbeat thundering in my ears.

Scizor reenters play and his owner doesn't dawdle. "It's low! Finish with Metal Claw!"

Without Politoed present, the rain is already starting to taper off. A note I'll have to remember about the real life differences between Drizzle and a proper Rain Dance. "Fire Fang! Hottest you got!"

I know it's pretty universally agreed upon that Scizor is better than Scyther. But in this moment I am thanking god that the evolution loses about forty points in Speed.

An exhausted Vlad springs himself at Scizor right as the metal bug gets in range. Glowing red fangs sink into his opponent near the same time the Technician Metal Claw gets him in the gut.

I have every faith in the world in Vlad…but I know that that's going to be his parting shot. Summoning up a Fissure after the direct hit he was struck with? I can't ask him for anything more.

This time it's the red flag raising high. "Gligar is unable to battle! The score is tied at 1-1! Trainer Bradley, please release your next Pokémon!"

'You did good buddy.' I do my best to tell the fallen warrior, returning him to the ball he rarely lives in. 'You did great.' Off on the field Scizor is cradling one of his arms where the metal is still sizzling. 'And you even got the Burn.'

Of course, Scizor has to go and ruin that by revealing a Lum Berry was hidden in the right claw, but at least we can say the one Held Item is out of the way.

"Ma Ma!" I deliberately throw the ball as far from the Scizor as possible. "This is our chance!" The tower of light manifests the queen grizzly onto the scene absent her usual characteristic roar. She's so quick about moving into Rest that to the untrained eye it looks like she came out already asleep.

"It's asleep! Use this chance to Swords Dance!"

"Ma Ma, use Yawn!"

Alton gets genuinely taken aback for the first time in the fight. "What?!" A wispy cloud of energy sweeps into Scizor's face right as its boosting move ends. "How did- Shit! They're using a Lum Berry too!"

'Well, no. But he's got the right idea.' "Stall tactics Ma Ma! Scary Face!"

"Close that distance NOW! Bullet Punch!"

Scizor explodes across the field, a stream of white power trailing at his back…and then he falls to half-speed as he crosses the center chalk line.

You know what comes next. It's obvious. We all know its name. One of the most popular competitive moves of all time. Say it with me. "Protect!"

Scizor's Bullet Punch is stopped cold by the barrier and Alton looks a bit panicked. "Hit it again! X-Scissor!"

"Catch its claws at the wrist!" Normally one wouldn't be able to pull that off. Only a viable option at a collision of coincidences such as this. 'Two Pokémon already in close quarters. The attacker at half-speed and its eyes starting to droop as Yawn finally does its job. You have to be ready for anything.'

The Bug-energy fades from Scizor's pincers as it loses the fight to stay awake and I grin. "Now piledrive it with Seismic Toss!"

"Ursa!" Brown arms circle the Steel-type at its waist. "RING!" And with an impressive twist Ma Ma embeds her enemy upside-down into the dirt, getting its legs to stick straight out of the ground like something from a cartoon.

Legs that begin to flail as that definitely woke it the fuck up.

"Finish with Bulldoze!" Ma Ma angrily stomps at the earth, pummeling the half-submerged Scizor again and again and again and again until Alton signals he's withdrawing the 'mon.

'Two down. Which only leaves-'

Hitmontop spins into the field and Alton steps forward angrily. "Close Combat! Hit it until it goes down!"

He's not the only one who can break out the big moves. "Thrash, Ma Ma! We need the STAB!"

Both Pokémon crash into each other and it's clear all strategy has been thrown out the window. There's no clever tricks or traps or anything hidden about what's going on.

This is just a straight up slugfest of two powerhouses beating the shit out of each other.

"We've beaten plenty of other Ursaring before." Alton speaks, sweat sliding down his brow, a manic grin in place.

I push what aura I can towards Ma Ma, not that it does much when she's not using a Ground move. A minor boost to Defense. 5% maybe. "Ma Ma's not other Ursaring."

Alton chuckles once at that. "Guess it's a good thing we did that draw after all."

A burst of displaced air sees Ma Ma ejected from the scuffle, getting thrown back to land on all fours like an actual bear. The scuffed and scraped Hitmontop drops to its hands and knees, panting like its just run a marathon.

The Thrash is still going.

Ursaring roars and charges in again, switching from four legs to two mid-stride. Absolutely refusing to give in.

"Reversal!"

I wish it were different. I wish I could say we had the grit and the stamina to take Super-effective move after Super-effective move and just push through it. We've got him beat by 12 levels. There's lots of wiggle room we have to work with.

But everyone has their breaking point. And Reversal gets stronger the lower the user's HP is.

"Ursaring is unable to battle! The score is 2-2! Trainer Bradley, release your final Pokémon!"

For all the heart pumping panic this match brought, with its fast-paced decisions, multiple switch outs, all the mistakes and successes from both parties, one might expect it to have a satisfactory ending. A climax appropriate for its significance. The first time ever that I've lost both Vlad and Ma Ma to a knockout.

But you'd be wrong.

The Hitmontop was so exhausted, so unbelievably done, that Krokorok cleaned him up easy. Dig into Hone Claws. Same as we've done so many times before. The difference in levels didn't matter. Alton's Pokémon could barely stand, let alone dodge.

Ma Ma lost the battle but she won us the war.

'But seriously…what the fuck am I supposed to do in the finals?'

At Bradley's belt, a Moon Ball rumbles lightly.

 

[Arkon]

At Bradley's belt, a Moon Ball rumbles lightly

Click to shrink...

For a second I thought that's the net ball having Quagsire not the moon ball having his Alpha Nido.

Guess my mind was still at the tale of two trainers.

 

[Moran]

Bradley's Pokémon (as of Chapter 17) Some content contain spoilers. Read at your own risk​

On hand

VLAD / Gligar, Lv. 54

Gligar
Gender: Male
Ability: ????
Nature: Adamant
Potential: A
Met: Mountain range near Blackthorn City, JOHTO
Debut: Chapter 1
Known moves:

• Taunt
• Agility
• Swords Dance
• Mud-Slap
• Sandstorm
• Crabhammer
• Metal Claw
• Sand Attack
• Protect
• Thunder Fang
• Fire Fang
• Acrobatics
• Baton Pass
• Toxic
• Fissure
• (TM) Sunny Day

MA MA / Ursaring, Lv. 58

Ursaring
Gender: Female
Ability: Guts
Nature: Serious
Potential: A
Met: Dark Cave, JOHTO
Debut: Chapter 2
Known moves:

• Scary Face
• Rest
• High Horsepower
• Bulldoze
• Dig
• Smack Down
• Stone Edge
• (TM) Facade
• (TM) Brick Break
• (TM) Bulk Up
• Play Rough
• Yawn
• Protect
• Seismic Toss
• Thrash
• (TM) Trailblaze

GRUNDY / Alpha Nidoking, Lv. 70

Nidoran > Nidorino > Nidoking
Gender: Male
Ability: Sheer Force
Nature: Bold
Potential: C > ?? > B
Met: ????
Debut: Chapter 7
Known moves:

• (TM) Ice Beam
• (TM) Thunderbolt
• (TM) Flamethrower
• Sludge Wave
• (TM) Focus Blast
• (TM) Shadow Ball
• (TM) Brick Break
• Earth Power
• (TM) Iron Tail
• (TM) Roar
• Hyper Beam

K. ROOL / Krokorok, Lv. 34

Sandile > Krokorok
Gender: Male
Ability: Moxie
Nature: Impish
Potential: B+ > A-
Met: Desert Resort, UNOVA
Debut: Chapter 1
Known moves:

• Hone Claws
• Sandstorm
• Dig
• Crunch
• Protect
• Scary Face
• (TM) Dark Pulse
• Toxic
• Payback
• Sand Tomb
• Foul Play
• Power Trip
• Assurance
• Snarl
• Swagger
• Earthquake

SIMON / Golett, Lv. 36

Golett
Gender: Genderless (referred as male)
Ability: Iron Fist
Nature: Timid > Docile
Potential: S
Met: ???, UNOVA
Debut: Chapter 3
Known moves:

• Iron Defence
• Shadow Punch
• Night Shade
• Magnitude
• Thunder Punch
• Ice Punch
• Ice Hammer
• Dig
• Mega Punch
• Rollout
• Astonish
• Dynamic Punch

Quagsire, Lv. ??

Gender: Male
Ability: ????
Nature: ????
Potential: ????
Met: Violet City, JOHTO
Debut: Chapter 9 (flashback)
Known moves:

• Amnesia

BUBBLES JUNIOR / Swinub, Lv. 14

Swinub
Gender: Male
Ability: ????
Nature: Jolly
Potential: A-
Met: Given; Mahogany Town Breeding Reserve, JOHTO
Debut: Chapter 8
Known moves:

• Mud Slap
• Powdered Snow
• (TM) Dig

At Mahogany Town Breeding Reserve

BUBBLES / Mamoswine, Lv. 58 (Retired)

Swinub > Poliswine > Mamoswine
Gender: Male
Ability: ????
Nature: ????
Potential: D- > D? > C-
Met: Given; Mahogany Town, JOHTO
Debut: Chapter 8
Known moves:

• Ancient Power

 

[Goldenrah]

Yeah, should have used the Mamoswine for the tournament at some point, a shame Krokorok and Golett are still a bit underleveled. Still, Nidoking will sweep whoever is left if needed.

 

[LordVishnu]

Bradley's Pokemon (by Chapter 13)

Mamoswine, Lv. 58

BUBBLES [Swinub > Poliswine > Mamoswine]
Gender: Male
Type: Ice/Ground
Ability: ????
Nature: ????
Potential: ?? > ?? > C-
Met: Given
Known moves:

• Ancient Power

Gligar, Lv. 53

VLAD [Gligar]
Gender: Male
Type: Ground/Flying
Ability: ????
Nature: Adamant
Potential: A
Met: ????
Known moves:

• Taunt
• Agility
• Swords Dance
• Mud-Slap
• Sandstorm
• Crabhammer
• Metal Claw
• Sand Attack
• Protect
• Thunder Fang
• Fire Fang
• Acrobatics
• Baton Pass
• Fissure

Nidoking, Lv 70

GRUNDY [ALPHA; Nidoran > Nidorino > Nidoking]
Gender: Male
Type: Poison/Ground
Ability: Sheer Force
Nature: Bold
Potential: ?? > ?? > B
Met: ????
Known moves:

• Ice Beam
• Thunderbolt

Ursaring, Lv. 58

MA MA [Ursaring]
Gender: Female
Type: Normal
Ability: Guts
Nature: Serious
Potential: A
Met: Dark Cave, Johto
Known moves:

• Scary Face
• Rest
• High Horsepower
• Bulldoze
• Dig
• Smack Down
• Stone Edge
• Facade (TM)
• Play Rough
• Yawn
• Protect
• Seismic Toss
• Thrash

Krokorok, Lv. 27

K. ROOL [Sandile > Krokorok]
Gender: Male
Type: Ground/Dark
Ability: Moxie
Nature: Impish
Potential: B+ > A-
Met: Desert Resort, Unova
Known moves:

• Hone Claws
• Sandstorm
• Dig
• Crunch
• Protect
• Scary Face
• Dark Pulse
• Toxic
• Payback
• Sand Tomb
• Foul Play
• Power Trip
• Assurance
• Snarl
• Swagger
• Earthquake

Golett, Lv. 34

SIMON [Golett]
Gender: Male
Type: Ground/Ghost
Ability: Iron Fist
Nature: Timid > Docile
Potential: S
Met: Unova
Known moves:

• Iron Defence
• Shadow Punch
• Night Shade
• Magnitude
• Thunder Punch
• Ice Punch
• Ice Hammer
• Dig
• Mega Punch
• Rollout
• Astonish

Quagsire, Lv. ??

Quagsire
Gender: ????
Type: Water/Ground
Ability: ????
Nature: ????
Potential: ????
Met: ????
Known moves: ????

Click to shrink...

Well damn. I guess I should take that as a not-so-subtle note to put something like that together.

Pretty impressive though. Would you be offended if I borrow what you've already built?

(Also, am obligated to point out, Krokorok was Lv. 32 at last appearance.)

 

[Moran]

Well damn. I guess I should take that as a not-so-subtle note to put something like that together.

Pretty impressive though. Would you be offended if I borrow what you already built?

(Also, am obligated to point out, Krokorok was Lv. 32 at last appearance.)

Click to shrink...

Please, by all means. Though, I was hoping you 'Index' it, and leave the changes to me.

Krokorok level fixed. They level up so fast…

 

[Artful Lounger]

Quagsire Lv.??

At this point I'm just thinking of it like that Gardevoir from Pokemon Rubyer.

Nature: Homicidal.

And yeah Brad's kinda screwed. He's got, what, two or three hours max before the finals? Vlad and Mama will get back on their feet sure but they aren't going to be fighting their best. Simon got beaten already and K.Rool is going to be around 10-15 levels lower than whatever his Finals opponent tosses out.

At this point its either Unleash The Grundy or accept second place.

 

[T4ndoris]

TFTC! I'm confused tho, why won't he use Nidoking in the first place? Or is it some kind of register your team before the fight then you can't change the member?
Also i wonder what level the new Swinub currently is? And how much time is there before the conference?
Can't wait for the final!

 

[Johndoe012]

Holy shit i didnt realize it was a gligar, once he evolves hell be even more of a beast

 

[Goldenrah]

why won't he use Nidoking in the first place?

Click to shrink...

Overkill and probably wants the rest to get stronger.

 

[Artful Lounger]

TFTC! I'm confused tho, why won't he use Nidoking in the first place? Or is it some kind of register your team before the fight then you can't change the member?
Also i wonder what level the new Swinub currently is? And how much time is there before the conference?
Can't wait for the final!

Click to shrink...

He got Junior literally three days ago so its still probably level 8. Maybe 9 at most.

As for Nidoking, he doesn't want to use it because the guy is too violent. Its a pokemon that LIKES hurting things. He can control it, to a certain degree, but if he puts out a level 70 Grundy against a level 40-50 ANYTHING there's a serious risk that he's going to hurt the other pokemon worse than a Nurse Joy can fix.

 

[T4ndoris]

He got Junior literally three days ago so its still probably level 8. Maybe 9 at most.

As for Nidoking, he doesn't want to use it because the guy is too violent. Its a pokemon that LIKES hurting things. He can control it, to a certain degree, but if he puts out a level 70 Grundy against a level 40-50 ANYTHING there's a serious risk that he's going to hurt the other pokemon worse than a Nurse Joy can fix.

Click to shrink...

Overkill and probably wants the rest to get stronger.

Click to shrink...

Uh true, had forgotten that Nidoking was a nasty sadist Alpha, he will need to find a way to control him sooner or later tho, can't keep tiptoeing around him forever :/
Maybe once Simon beat him in level he will be able to humble him a little?

 

[LordVishnu]

Please, by all means. Though, I was hoping you 'Index' it, and leave the changes to me.

Krokorok level fixed. They level up so fast…

Click to shrink...

Sure. I can do that. I appreciate the help.

TFTC! I'm confused tho, why won't he use Nidoking in the first place? Or is it some kind of register your team before the fight then you can't change the member?
Also i wonder what level the new Swinub currently is? And how much time is there before the conference?
Can't wait for the final!

Click to shrink...

He feels that if he brute forces a win with Grundy then he doesn't really 'deserve' the win.

There's a register for some events but not this one.

Junior the Swinub has not received any training yet and as such is still Lv. 8

The Silver Conference is in 6 months.

 

[Artful Lounger]

So it all comes down to the question of how bad Brad wants first pick of the prizes as opposed to second choice.

That, and who his opponent in the Finals is, and if the guy might deserve or require a Grundy to the face to win anyway.

Otherwise, from the looks of it, he'll probably just drop unless the other guy's team is just as wiped out as his own.

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

Man sucks this isnt a double chappy update. And I hope we see Grundy make an appearance. Its the perfect opportunity to. Grundy will get a fight thats worth it and his opponents will be strong enough to survive his onslaught. Plus he wouldn't field him at all if he couldnt work with him.

 

[Foxxxy]

keep in mind 70s are legendary tier and since intimidate doesn't work on mons 10 lvls higher i bet the reverse is somewhat true after lvl 70 where their mere aura can make fighting against them even harder

 

[Artful Lounger]

Eh, that's the thing. This probably ISN'T a fight that's worthy of Grundy. Throughout this whole event we saw ONE pokemon higher than level 50. And that was this Ace Trainer's Ace Scizor. Who was level 52.

Highly likely that whoever he faces in the finals isn't going to have anything much better than that. That's not a fight worthy of Grundy, that's an after dinner toothpick to him.

More likely Brad just concedes or comes to an agreement with his finals opponent. He doesn't think he deserves the win if he's forced to use Grundy, and the stakes aren't that high. In his mind, its the difference between a mystery box of TMs, most of which are probably useless, or an extra thirty grand and a bigger slice of prize money.

 

[Oglymogly]

Eric only had eyes for beating Ashley.

And Ashley only had eyes for beating Eric.

One night, there was a new person in the crowd watching their fight. Someone neither Ashley nor Eric recognized as being from Violet City.

He introduced himself as Bradley.

Click to shrink...

Man, how did you sneak in a cliffhanger in at the start of a chapter?

Dude, inserting yourself into a Ace's romance will only end in tears. Of course, we already know that's how it ended, just not why.

Yeah, the big boy's gotten fat and lazy. He's definitely out of shape. But he still would've been a Mamoswine. I could've used him.

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I disagree, I think relying on a rusty 'mon is a bad idea. If he had a week to bring him up to speed, maybe. But using a Mon you can't 100% rely on seems to be setting yourself up for failure.

Honestly, I think Bradley has been coasting by on over leveled Mon a bit, and a hard challenge is exactly what he needs.

Fairy-energy is ephemeral. It's nebulous. It's dreams and sparkles and fugitive fancy. Very different from working with Ground whose main characteristic is being firm. Ma Ma's tried her best to get the technique under her command but it's been slow baby steps to success rather than leaps.

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I wonder if she will have more success after evolution? The moon has a lot of connections to fairy typing, after all.

'Ice Spinner? Fuck, I don't know that one either! How many times am I going to be punished for only having cursory knowledge of the Generations past VII?

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This would've been a good fight to set up some entry hazards

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Heh, you really don't know what Ice Spinner does, nor why this trainer has trained it. As a Volt Turn aficionado, I loved the introduction of Ice Spinner.

A Politoed with Drizzle. Where in the fuck did he get that

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Probably won a Kings Rock in another tourney, and sought out a Mon to use it on. He's obv well versed in tournaments, after suggesting the draw.

Politoed: Lv. 46
Nature: Quirky
Potential: B-

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I just realized, his "gift" only tells him things that can change. Now that we know natures can change, nothing he learns could be true in a month due to a evolution or life changing encounter.

There's a certain hierarchy to weather effects. I can't just call up a Sandstorm and make the rain go away. In this scenario, Wet beats Dry.

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Huh, I wonder what weather condition is on top, Hail? Actually, I wonder if Hail even exists in this world, or if it's only Snow? Maybe Hail only can be summoned by the strongest pokemon?

Rather than one massive blast of blue, Politoed manages his water inventory in a way I've never encountered before. Spraying out smaller sniper shots, trying to clip one of Gligar's wings like a turret gunner against a plane.

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Huh, that must put a lot of stress on the Politoed's mouth. Actually, that kinda sounds like Snipe Shot? I wonder if it has the other abilities of Snipe Shot.

A swirling blue orb shoots into the sky away from view and the hairs stick up on my neck. 'A delayed attack? That's not how Weath- Shit, he's gonna pincer us!'

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I wonder if dodging was correct here, it seems like the W-Ball was on a set trajectory, and they counted on the Protect, or at least them not moving.

A lesson in Ground-type energy for the crowd at home. Magnitude, Earthquake, and Fissure are all really variations of the same move, just at different levels of skill

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Love the logic and world building. It reminds me of the Tackle> Double Edge> Giga Impact logic from Hard Enough.

How did- Shit! They're using a Lum Berry too!"

'Well, no. But he's got the right idea

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Huh, he's still using the Chesto Berry strat. Did he not expect to need to use the Life Orb, or is he saving it as a surprise for the end of circuit?

Also, I wonder what the ruling is on unknown, never before seem items? If they never seen a Toxic Orb, would they allow it, or even count it as a held item?
In that vein, I assume pre-poisioning or burning your pokemon is illegal in a tournament. I'm wondering because I really want Vlad to have Immunity, because having both Poision Heal and Guts on a team is bullshit.

Thanks for the chapter!

 

[Artful Lounger]

It was explained earlier, but in this story the Held Item is pre-set

ONE Pokemon can hold ONE item, and thats registered beforehand. So he's got his Ursaring a Chesto Berry and that's set in stone until the end. He never intended to use Grundy in this.

 

[Oglymogly]

It was explained earlier, but in this story the Held Item is pre-set

ONE Pokemon can hold ONE item, and thats registered beforehand. So he's got his Ursaring a Chesto Berry and that's set in stone until the end. He never intended to use Grundy in this.

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I knew about the one item limit, but forgot it was in this tourney that he revealed the Berry Strat. His opponent should have tried to do more research then.

 

[Greatazuredragon]

At Bradley's belt, a Moon Ball rumbles lightly.

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[DiAlbatross]

Okay, I think I'm confused now. Why are Eric and Ashley important?

…wait. E"ric". "Ashley".

Ric Ashley.

Rick Astley.

ARE THEY JUST A RICKROLL REFERENCE THIS WHOLE TIME

 

[Oglymogly]

Okay, I think I'm confused now. Why are Eric and Ashley important?

…wait. E"ric". "Ashley".

Ric Ashley.

Rick Astley.

ARE THEY JUST A RICKROLL REFERENCE THIS WHOLE TIME

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Maybe that's why he still has the Quagsire. The kind of guy he is, he's never going to give him up.

 

[PsylentFox]

I stand corrected, I am blind. lmao. My eyes hurt. I'm going to bed. Now. The real question is is there is a Nidoqueen. Because what King is a King without a Queen?

 

[Artful Lounger]

You know, on second thought, reading over the prizes makes me wonder just how much certain things might or might not cost.

I mean, for example, the King's Rock is noted to be the rarest thing on the table. And TMs have a varying price with Earthquake being noted as 'sell a kidney' expensive.

If Bradley wants to go for the TMS or, failing that, the thirty thousand, that would imply that he likely wouldn't be able to take the other items, such as the King's Rock or the Thunderstone and sell them for more than thirty thousand. Same goes for every other item on the table. Doing something like that, or using them for trade, would give those items a value beyond their immediate use.

Kinda makes me wonder how expensive Earthquake really is if Brad's first thought isn't 'take the thirty thousand and go buy and Earthquake TM with it'. They must be ridiculous.

 

[ApiLol123123]

Are we going to see a Grundy stomp next time? Thanks for the chapter!!

 

[FTR2017]

I've got to admit, I'm intrigued by Quagsire's backstory.

And the fight was very good for Bradley--it showed him that a participant who's interested in 'drawing' with him is seeking to preserve their strength and element of surprise for a future fight.

It also showed him that he needs some more variety in the health hazard infliction department--especially the highly accurate kind that bypasses regular hazards by spinning them away to clear the field ... .

 

[Artful Lounger]

Honestly if anything it showed that he needed to get K Rool, Simon, and Junior up to snuff. As things stand, for serious battles, its only Vlad and Mama holding up the group with Grundy as an ace in the hole he doesn't normally want to use and Quagsire as an OH SHIT!!! button where lives are on the line and he doesn't need to worry about cameras or an audience.

The real issue that Bradley faced against Alton isn't that his pokemon are unskilled, or that his pokemon lacked move variety, or power, or speed, or efficiency, or any of that. The issue was that it was a 2v3 from the start and Alton kept bouncing them back and forth to tire out the two Pokemon who, one on one, probably would have beaten any of his individual pokemon. That and good old fashioned type Advantage.

It was only when Vlad landed a Fissure and knocked out the Politoad that Alton's system broke and he was forced to stand and fight. Then he turned a battle where he was getting soundly beaten into a win.