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[X] Look at the Time
Full Stall, and Look at the Time are bait given to us I have to imagine because Violet is a novice trainer. As Ghost types are immune to normal type moves so even with Daemon's softer typing system Self Destruct and Echoed Voice won't really do anything unless these Gastly are fodder plus Bug type moves such as Bug Bite do massively reduced damage as well.
 
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Full Stall, and Look at the Time are bait given to use I have to imagine because Violet is a novice trainer. As Ghost types are immune to normal type moves so even with Daemon's softer typing system Self Destruct and Echoed Voice won't really do anything unless these Gastly are fodder.

Pretty much this. This is one of those situations where Violet's inexperience as a trainer is coming into play. Mostly due to ghosts being rather rare in Kanto outside of the tower resulting in her not knowing as much about them as normal.

Edit: That being said, the Tower is a very hard challenge as you are now. Hence why I was willing to have options that aren't good overall. Just due to the fact that reaching the top of the tower is very, very unlikely as your Pokemon are now.
 
[X] A Special Beatdown
Send Out: Dratini, Magnemite
Dratini: Thunder Wave followed by Twister
Magnemite: Electro Ball Gastly #1 until it faints
Conditional: Replace whoever is cursed once they are about to faint or if Gastly #1 has been knocked out with Chansey who will use Life Dew repeatedly

Repeat Heals is also a bait as it leaves Dratini to fight a 2 v 1 under what amounts of normal conditions meaning if we won that fight it'd be purely based on stack checking our opponents well using poor tactics. Instead, we should aim to slow the high-Speed Gastlies down so that we can hit them with our moves reliably before attempting to remove the Curse user from the table as they'll immediately bring themselves down to half HP making them an easy target to get blasted at which point we can swap our Cursed Pokemon out in favor of Chansey who is practically immune to any damage from the Gastlies, and can heal our surviving Pokemon turning this into an effective 1 v 1 with super leftovers.
 
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I swapped Magnemite to Electro Ball as it has the same amount of damage as Thunder Shock to begin with but once Dratini paralyzes the opposing Gastlies it'll do fifty percent more damage than Thunder Shock due to Magnemite at that point outspeeding the Gastlies slightly. This is relevant even within the first turn as Dratini outspeeds Magnemite so it should go first meaning both Gastlies will be paralyzed before Magnemite launches his first Electro Ball.
 
Voted Closed + Battle Log
Alright, I'll be calling the vote here. As it is, the fight started off very well thanks to a crit from Magnemite. Although Dratini missing Thunder Wave hurt. That and sadly due to Mean Look, it meant that sadly Dratini was stuck and fainted. Although immediately afterwards Magnemite took out the second Gastly.

But you did do quite a bit better than Willow., who saw both of her Pokemon faint due to Eevee being overspecialized into Normal type attacks which did not work out for her.

Round 1 Dratini: Dratini used Thunder Wave on the Gastlies (DC25/30: 2). Both Gastlies avoided the attack!
Round 1 Gastly 2: Gastly used Mean Look on Dratini (DC25: 49). Dratini cannot switch out!
Round 1 Gastly 1: Gastly used Curse on Dratini (DC1: 24). Dratini was cursed! Gastly loses 50% of its HP (50%)
Round 1 Magnemite: Magnemite used Electro Ball on Gastly 1 (DC25: 96). A Critical Hit! Gastly 1 loses 50% of its HP (0%)

Round 2 Dratini: Dratini used Twister on Gastly 2 (DC20: 56). Gastly 2 loses 30% of its HP (70%). Dratini loses 25% of its HP from Curse (25%). Dratini shed its skin!
Round 2 Gastly 2: Gastly used Payback on Dratini (DC25: 40). Dratini loses 8% of its HP (17%).
Round 2 Magnemite: Magnemite used Electro Ball on Gastly 2 (DC30: 29). Gastly 2 avoided the attack!

Round 2: Dratini is switched out!

Round 3 Gastly 2: Gastly used Payback on Magnemite (DC1: 58). Magnemite loses 5% of its HP (95%).
Round 3 Magnemite: Magnemite used Electro Ball on Gastly 2 (DC30: 51). Gastly 2 loses 40% of its HP (30%).

Round 4 Gastly 2: Gastly used Payback on Magnemite (DC1: 58). Magnemite loses 5% of its HP (95%).
Round 4 Magnemite: Magnemite used Electro Ball on Gastly 2 (DC30: 75). Gastly 2 loses 40% of its HP (0%). Gastly 2 fainted!

Scheduled vote count started by Daemon Hunter on May 24, 2024 at 7:54 PM, finished with 8 posts and 5 votes.
 
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Mean Look is a status condition Daemon Hunter so Dratini's Shed Skin should have cleansed it as it was the first status to hit Dratini in the match. Unless Dratini held it until the end of the turn to also cleanse Curse at the same time intentionally I guess since Curse is also a status condition.
 
Mean Look is a status condition Daemon Hunter so Dratini's Shed Skin should have cleansed it as it was the first status to hit Dratini in the match. Unless Dratini held it until the end of the turn to also cleanse Curse at the same time intentionally I guess since Curse is also a status condition.

...oops, I didn't realize Mean Look was a status condition like that. I've just edited the battle log to reflect Dratini using Shed Skin for that. And it looks like you'll be able to continue climbing.
 
Leaping to her feet with a shout of, "Of course!" Willow immediately posed, with Dratini coming out of his Pokeball just to pose with her. "This is going to be so much fun! Violet and Willow, the second-best and best trainers respectively!"

"Y-you got that backward," Violet forced out, certain that her nerves were showing. She wasn't used to playful banter, having to see beneath the obvious was something she was good at.

kmlweakmllwkme well, Willow sure is Willow

Spending the night in Lavender Town, the two trainers began to think of what they would do before heading to Vermillion City.

Eeee, I'm glad we didn't skip over Lavender Town, and eheheheh spooky scary skeleTower

[-] Train with Willow's Pokemon - While it would be nontraditional to train with your rival, both of you have unique skill sets that could complement each other. Unfortunately, Willow is busy this week.

Yeah but only so few trainers travel alongside their rival, so it works out. At least in theory, I guess the games only show us Solo Trainers.
[] Climb the Tower - Filled with Ghost Pokemon, this graveyard is a challenge for trainers seeking a fight. Willow has made it known she'll be climbing it and has invited Violet along if she's free.

I'm glad this one was picked, it's another challenge to Violet's skills and the readership's abilities to strategize

[] See the Sights Outside the City - The Kanto Battle Dome is located nearby. While it won't have a battle tournament for another 11 weeks, it may be interesting to visit it and notable vista points in the area.

Eeeee, I like the battle frontier being canon, and canonizing the different regional branches.
I guess this means we can look forward to events at over battle tower facilities along our journey, or at the least trying to make a name for ourselves.
After finishing the Indigo Plateau challenge, we could stick around Kanto for a Gym Season to challenge the battle frontier facilities I suppose.

[] Call Tetsuya - An old childhood friend of yours, the two of you drifted off recently. He surprisingly just managed to obtain his second badge from Celadon City.

Congratulations to Tetsuya! Good chance we'll meet up with him and could swap off from traveling with Willow.

Willow was quiet on the first floor, the air filled with a somber mood. Around them lay the graves of old Pokemon, a testament to death itself. May the souls of Pokemon rest easy, the words were carved into the walls around them, ensuring that every trainer that chose to challenge the tower understood this was a place for respect, not just for battle.
The second floor was similar to the first, with more burial sites for Pokemon. But there was also an area for trainers to register and battle provided they understood not to disturb any of the ghosts that avoided their presence. Both Willow and Violet agreed, after which they had to wait a few minutes before being able to proceed to the third floor.
"Have you heard about Drifloom before?" Willow asked as they waited, her introspection coming to a close. Violet shook her head, she'd been focused on Pokemon in Kanto and Johto, and Drifloom wasn't in either region. "The Pokedex said it was formed by the spirits of people and Pokemon. Do you think that's true?"
Willow was scared, Violet realized. The signs were subtle, but there. A slight tremor in her hands, a few drops of sweat staining her shirt, and slightly heavier breathing than normal.
"No, no it's not." Came Willow's reply. "I've just never had to think about death before."
"I-it's scary." Violet agreed a moment before Willow made a show of false bravado.

"Nah, I can handle it." She gave a wide smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Just follow my lead."
"A-a smile should reach your eyes."
It was indirect, easily brushed off and ignored. Willow appeared confused at her response, and this was usually when the person Violet was talking with ignored what she said and shifted the topic. "I thought I hid that better," Willow muttered, choosing an option Violet rarely saw people take. Listening to what she said and realizing what she was actually saying. "It's just not cool for a trainer to be scared. You don't see trainers on TV being scared, do you?"
"A lot of trainers on TV are scared," Violet said softly, not bothering to elaborate on how she could tell. "I-I get scared a lot."
Violet felt her voice crack as she admitted that. Whenever she talked to people she felt nervous and fearful. It would ebb and flow between conversations, but it never truly went away. When she participated in the Contest Battle in Silver Town, Dratini had to break her out of paralyzing fear. Yet, that fear hadn't just vanished. Instead, it was merely reduced, content to simmer in her mind and linger. It would never truly go away, all that could be done was avoid being influenced by it.

I think the writing throughout this update was very nicely done!
Willow facing difficult emotions that clash with her personality, and Violet being able to see this and engage with it as compassionately as she can while managing her own stress, I think it worked really well!

I feel like I really felt for both Violet and willow, and also felt immersed within the setting with how Willow looked at how to be a trainer based on how she engaged with in-universe media, and how Violet had a different perspective from likely watching the same stuff.

On Drifloon, huh, could've sworn I remembered Drifloon, well Drifblim, being encounterable on the route before Mt Silver, but apparently... not that's not a thing. huh.

"I…" Willow began, the least confident Violet had ever seen her. "Can I give you a hug?"

The shy girl felt her own arms tighten around her, noticing tension in Willow that she hadn't noticed a few seconds ago. Giving a shaky nod, Violet felt her friend's arms wrap around her, slightly tighter than she expected. "I-I can't hug you like this."

IM GLAD THEY HUG. It's a really good tender moment for them.. and also it's adorable.

Marching through the third floor, Violet and Willow almost immediately felt their confidence take a blow. Three Ghastlys stepped up to challenge them, with Violet noticing the hidden presence of several Channelers behind them. Willow took point, choosing to face two of them, leaving Violet with the third. It was here where the Ghastlys proved to be a dangerous foe able to wear down Pokemon with a combination of Curse, Payback, Mean Look, and Confuse Ray. When the battle ended, Eevee, Staryu, and Magnemite had taken a beating, even if they emerged victorious.

Then they marched to the fourth floor, and the process repeated. This time Violet was forced into a double battle, while Willow faced the more experienced trainer in a 2 vs 2. This time Pineco and Dratini were sent out, taking a significant beating in what would end in their victory eventually. Bronzor, however, had a harder fight, their typing proving both a blessing and a curse. While they won the fight eventually, it ended in a mutual knockout, leaving Willow down to two Pokemon.

I like this summary of things rather than making us go through a gauntlet

They marched to the fifth floor, where their journey upwards would likely end. There, they were immediately challenged by 4 Channelers and placed into simultaneous double battles.

Well fuck

Gastly 1 will use Curse on the strongest Pokemon before using a combination of Confuse Ray and Hypnosis. If a Pokemon closes range with them, they'll use Lick.

Gastly 2 will use Mean Look to ensure the fight stays as is, followed by utilizing a combination of Payback if hit and Confuse Ray.

Certainly a competent strategy for the mons being used, this works well!

Goodness! It's been a while now hasn't it?
Looking forward to the next update!
 
Kanto Week 16 Part 2 - The 5th Floor
[X] A Special Beatdown
Send Out: Dratini, Magnemite
Dratini: Thunder Wave followed by Twister
Magnemite: Electro Ball Gastly #1 until it faints
Conditional: Replace whoever is cursed once they are about to faint or if Gastly #1 has been knocked out with Chansey who will use Life Dew repeatedly

"Dratini, Thunder Wave!" Violet yelled as Dratini let out a wave of electricity. The sparks illuminated the ghostly atmosphere, adding to the ethereal atmosphere.

There was no corresponding order from the Channelers before her. Instead, there was a sense of purpose, before both Gastlies acted in unison. Rising in the air, the two Ghost-types threaded through gaps within the wave of Thunder before both Pokemon targeted Dratini.

One Gastly used Mean Look, a massive, intimidating display of sight that would have made any Pokemon certain they must fight until they either fainted or won. And then the second Gastly used Curse, visibly wobbling at the toll it took on them, yet Violet could see ethereal energies dance across Dratini's form, visibly sapping his vitality.

Then came Violet's second Pokemon, with a surge of energy she hadn't expected from Magnemite, the Magnet Pokemon spun, coating itself in electricity. Using Electro Ball, they slammed into the weakened Gastly that just cast Curse, forcing it downwards into the ground where the Gas Pokemon fainted.

"Magnemite, again!" Violet called out, as the remaining Gastly turned towards what was assumed to be the bigger threat, giving Dratini an opportunity to strike.

A Twister struck the Gastly from behind, causing it to cry out in pain and frustration. Just before it could decide on which Pokemon to attack, Dratini made the choice for them. Shaking loose his skin, the Mirage Pokemon threw aside the ethereal Curse and Mean Look, bringing him back to full form. Locked into a 2 vs 1, the fight was now all but settled. Even with Violet's next order.

"Dratini," Violet said softly, looking at Gastly and Magnemite who were staring each other down. "Return."

Replying with a neutral chirp, Dratini acquiesced, moving to Violet's side as Magnemite and Gastly continued their duel. Unfortunately for the Gas Pokemon, it ended as expected. Despite managing to avoid the first of Magnemite's Electro Balls, Gastly simply lacked a move that could get through the Magnet Pokemon's steel frame. The next exchange sealed their fate, with Magnemite accepting the Payback and replying with an Electro Ball that could not be dodged.

Declared the victor, Violet sighed in relief. Turning towards Willow's fight, the shy girl was surprised to see her rival was facing a Gastly and Haunter pair. At which point the first Gastly evolved, sealing Willow's fate as Eevee and Staryu fainted after a few more exchanges. After a brief conversation, where Violet initially planned to join Willow on a trip to the Pokecenter, the shy girl was convinced to try and climb the tower some more.

"Besides," Willow said, "You have a Chansey."

A few applications of Life Dew proved that she did have a Chansey. At which point Violet climbed to the sixth floor. Facing a brutal gauntlet of four Gastlies back to back, each of whom used Curse, Mean Look, then Hypnosis, she managed to defeat two with Dratini before recalling him when the third Gastly emerged. At which point Pineco managed to take down the third using Bug Bite, leaving the last one to Magnemite who managed it admirably.

Now on the seventh and last floor, Violet stared down the Marowak that the Channeler opened with. "This doesn't look good.*

*Dratini learned Agility at D++*
*Dratini learned Slam at D++*
*Dratini improves Speed to C+*
*Dratini improves Twister to B--*
*Magnemite learned Gyro Ball at D++*
*Magnemite learned Spark at D++*
*Pineco learned Take Down at D++*
*Pineco learned Rapid Spin at C-*
*Pineco improved Protect to B--*
*Pineco improved Bug Bite to C*

Health: B
Stamina: B+
Attack: B++
Defense: B+
Special Attack: E++
Special Defense: C+
Speed: D--
Evasion: D--

Moves

False Swipe: D++
Growl: D++
Mud-Slap: D++
Tail Whip: D++
Headbutt: B
Retaliate: C+
Fling: D++
Stomping Tantrum: C+
Bone Rush: D++
Perish Song: C++
Protect: C+

Violet's Thoughts: …The strongest Pokemon you've faced, Marowak is undoubtedly the strongest Pokemon the Channeller has. Extremely tanky with the combination of Perish Song and Protect he is able to sweep teams with ease. And there are three Pokemon after him.
Violet's Perceptive Trait Kicks in!

Marowak will start with Perish Song then use a combination of Protect and Headbutt as needed. If he sees an opportunity for Stomping Tantrum, he will use it.

[]
Send out: Pineco
Pineco: Self Destruct
[]
Send out: Dratini
Dratini: Dragon Tail then use whatever Thunder Wave and Twister on the Haunter that emerges.
[]
Send out: Dratini
Dratini: Water Gun Repeatedly, Switch with Pineco when about to faint then send him back out again
[] Write-in

Round 1 Dratini: Dratini used Thunder Wave on the Gastlies (DC25/30: 2). Both Gastlies avoided the attack!
Round 1 Gastly 2: Gastly used Mean Look on Dratini (DC25: 49). Dratini cannot switch out!
Round 1 Gastly 1: Gastly used Curse on Dratini (DC1: 24). Dratini was cursed! Gastly loses 50% of its HP (50%)
Round 1 Magnemite: Magnemite used Electro Ball on Gastly 1 (DC25: 96). A Critical Hit! Gastly 1 loses 50% of its HP (0%)

Round 2 Dratini: Dratini used Twister on Gastly 2 (DC20: 56). Gastly 2 loses 30% of its HP (70%). Dratini loses 25% of its HP from Curse (25%). Dratini shed its skin!
Round 2 Gastly 2: Gastly used Payback on Dratini (DC25: 40). Dratini loses 8% of its HP (17%).
Round 2 Magnemite: Magnemite used Electro Ball on Gastly 2 (DC30: 29). Gastly 2 avoided the attack!

Round 2: Dratini is switched out!

Round 3 Gastly 2: Gastly used Payback on Magnemite (DC1: 58). Magnemite loses 5% of its HP (95%).
Round 3 Magnemite: Magnemite used Electro Ball on Gastly 2 (DC30: 51). Gastly 2 loses 40% of its HP (30%).
Round 4 Gastly 2: Gastly used Payback on Magnemite (DC1: 58). Magnemite loses 10% of its HP (85%).
Round 4 Magnemite: Magnemite used Electro Ball on Gastly 2 (DC30: 75). Gastly 2 loses 40% of its HP (0%). Gastly 2 fainted!
 
[x] I'd Rather Not

I want to risk it, because I believe we can time it to happen during the Perish Song, so hopefully that means they won't have the time for a Protect.
 
Marowak is a rather strong Pokemon so I'd agree with this overall. But Protect does throw a wrench into play.
We don't have to use self destruct immediately. We could try to bait Protect, and then use self destruct. Maybe we could do that thing where we say the first part of self destruct and then give out an entirely different order, something like "self bug bite."

[X] Bait and Switch
Send out: Pineco
Pineco: Bug Bite
Pineco: Pretend to order Pineco to use self destruct, but then switch to Bug Bite
Pineco: Self destruct
Pineco: Self destruct if Marowak protected the previous turn, if not then use Bug Bite
Switch bug bite for tackle, because I think it does more damage if I interpret Pineco stats correctly. Edit: Added another self destruct at the end if Marowak does protect the first self destruct Edit2: Changed the wording so that the self destruct is only used the second time if Marowak protects the first protect, since if Marowak does survive the first protect, tackle should probably be enough to finish job, and it would be ince if Pineco managed to get out of the fight having not fainted. Anyways, this is a minor point since Marowak is faster than Pineco. Feel free to make an alternate plan if you disagree with this point.
 
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Can we pull that off without actually going boom?
Not sure, but even if it goes boom I think it's worth a shot. The thing I'm concerned with I'd Rather Not is that if the Channeler sees us lead with Pineco, then they might preemptively protect on the first turn. For my plan there is also always the chance that the second or third and so on protect in a row will succeed or they see through the bait, but there is not much we can do about that former and for the latter, that's a risk for any trap and I think that risk is preferable to the risk of a first turn protect.
 
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I meant the fake order. If we never trained for that we very well might just selfdestruct immediately

E: alright!

[X] Bait and Switch
 
Switch bug bite for tackle, because I think it does more damage if I interpret Pineco stats correctly. Edit: Added another self destruct at the end if Marowak does protect the first self destruct Edit2: Changed the wording so that the self destruct is only used the second time if Marowak protects the first protect, since if Marowak does survive the first protect, tackle should probably be enough to finish job, and it would be ince if Pineco managed to get out of the fight having not fainted. Anyways, this is a minor point since Marowak is faster than Pineco. Feel free to make an alternate plan if you disagree with this point.
Bug Bite is a physical move so it scales off the same stat as Tackle plus it has a higher base power, and gets a STAB boost so it's always going to do more damage. Also, I'd point out that one Marowak is faster than Pineco, and the former doesn't have any negative priority moves so you're not getting any moves off after the first self-destruct because Marowak will just knock Pineco out. And, two you can mitigate the damage of Self Destruct severely with this system with its dodging and deflections which when combined with Marowak's high physical bulk I'd bet actually gives it a high chance of surviving your plan as it is just in a notably wounded state.

Therefore I'd highly suggest instead that we lead with Chansey rather than Pineco as Chansey is nigh useless against the Haunter that will come after this so we might as well get some use out of it this fight. And, that use can come in the form of Charm spam to start the fight off with as Marowak has solely physical moves so if we can get it down to -4 or -6 attack it's pretty much useless outside of using Perish Song to force swaps.

With its natural bulk even if it has a low defense stat Chansey should be able to tank at least two hits to do this, and if it can tank more than that without fainting to the damage or Perish Song she can use Tail Whip or Sweet Kiss before swapping out to hamper the Marowak even further. After that, either Dratini or Pineco should be able to win the fight but considering Dratini will be useful in the fight against the upcoming Haunter well Pineco should not we should be using Pineco.

And, well Perish Song would be annoying in this situation I'd note that all it's doing at this point is forcing us to swap our Pokemon to dodge its effect into a Marowak that's dealing next to no damage anyway, especially with how physically bulky our team is. So, we can easily perform a rotation using Pineco, and Magnemite at that point to avoid losing Dratini's Shed Skin to Perish Song where Pineco will just spam Bug Bite until Perish Song is about to knock it out at which point it swaps to Magnemite to dispel the effects of Perish Song who will only take like 1% health chip damage, and then swaps right back to Pineco spamming Bug Bite.

You know it's a damn shame that Dratini doesn't know any setup moves in this situation because if it did it could set up on this Marowak before one-shotting the rest of the opposing team.

TLDR: Chansey can debuff this thing until Pineco can beat it normally with relative ease without requiring anyone to faint, and Perish Song can be dispelled with swaps to allow for this.

[X] Chipping Away
Send Out: Chansey
Chansey: Use Charm, then Sweet Kiss, and lastly three Tail Whips until she's about to faint or has finished stacking all of them. Using Life Dew as necessary if it'll keep her in the fight longer to apply more debuffs. She is to swap with Pineco, and then come back out if she still has the HP as well as stamina to apply more debuffs but would faint to Perish Song.
Send Out: Pineco
Pineco: Use Bug Bite unless she would faint to Perish Song at which point she should swap with Chansey if the latter can still take hits from Marowak or if Chansey can not take a hit she should swap with Magnemite. Regardless, of who she swaps with Pineco should come back out to continue using Bug Bite against Marowak, and should repeat this process unless she would faint.
Send Out: Dratini
Dratini: If Pineco would faint Dratini should be sent out to use Water Gun, and should swap with Magnemite as needed to avoid Perish Song before returning to the field.

I thought about stacking Thunder Wave as well on top of all this but -6 Attack, -6 Defense, and Confused seem like enough status effects to ruin Marowak's day as is. Now let's just hope that Daemon Hunter gives us an interrupt to use to change our plans if Marowak is swapped out for Haunter at some point, and Haunter stays in rather than just being used to avoid Marowak fainting to Perish Song because if he doesn't we auto-lose pretty much no matter what plan wins.
 
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