A Journey of Two, a Pokemon Story

[X] Plan Back to Basics


To an outside observer, the opening seconds of the battle were a blur as two incredibly fast Pokemon acted instantly. Both trainers had primed them for what to do the instant the battle started. Willow's orders were notably more detailed, listing out what to do based on which Pokemon Violet sent out. Violet's on the other hand were simpler but more widespread with Dragonite, Blissey, and Forretress all given their own set of instructions.

There were no less than three critical moments within the first second of the battle for an outside observer to track. A minute hesitation by Dragonite, choosing not to contest for the first to act. An immediate leap backward from Minun, the Minus Pokemon knowing that her job was not to do damage, it was to create the setup Willow sought. And lastly was Dragonite spreading his hands slightly while his face curled into a scowl. A decent trainer would notice the first, a good trainer would notice the second, but even great trainers could easily miss the third.

With almost frantic speed, Minun hurled herself into a series of evasive maneuvers while Nasty Plot was used. Keeping an eye on Dragonite's frame to avoid the expected Outrage, Minun was caught off guard by the Dragon Pokemon bolting upright in flight using his wings and body to slow himself in an attempt to Wrap Minun. Unfortunately for Violet, Minun was fast enough to react and small enough to slip between Dragonite's arms, kicking off of them to gain space.

Then two flashes of red light followed as Violet returned Dragonite and sent out Blissey while Minun used Baton Pass as planned to send out a now buffed Starmie. Only for Willow to groan and mutter, "I should have kept practicing Rapid Spin," under her breath.

Violet was about to explain that it wouldn't have helped because of Blissey's absurd ability to stall out battles only for her jaw to click shut as she noticed the vast majority of the trainers in the area had stopped their battles to observe Willow and her battle. Violet momentarily blushed crimson at the attention before shaking her head in an effort to clear it. Just focus on the battle, she told herself.


Violet's Perceptive Trait Kicks in!

Willow plans to switch in Tauros for Starmie in an effort to defeat Blissey. She'll be using a mixture of Giga Impacts and Raging Bulls to do so while using Work Up and Swagger where she can. If Blissey stays in, then she'll tell Tauros to use Work Up several times before beginning to attack.

The next time Violet switches, Willow will keep Tauros in for a round to see who Violet switched to before responding. During this switch, she'll have Tauros use Giga Impact or Raging Bull.

If Dragonite is sent out, she'll switch to Minun and repeat her earlier strategy. And if Forretress is sent out she'll switch to Starmie to clear out the expected hazards. Otherwise, she'll keep Tauros in and use what moves she needs in order to remove one of Violet's Pokemon.

Throughout this, Tauros will be in an Evasive stance.

[] Poison her Ace - Sending in Forretress will give her a single round to set up Toxic Spikes that'd poison Starmie when they enter. With Starmie using Rapid Spin afterward, you could then have her use Bug Bite for significant damage rather than switching as Willow would expect.
[] Night, Night Tauros - Sending out Slowbro and using Yawn would allow you to remove Tauros from play relatively safely. The incoming Giga Impact would hurt, however. As would the follow-up.
[] Damage for Knockout - Sending out Dragonite to break Minun's focus sash with Wrap then knocking her out with Outrage would mean accepting a Thunderbolt in response. However, it'd also secure you the knockout due to Minun focusing on a more aggressive approach.
[] Write-in

Alright, I'll be calling the vote here for Back to Basics. As it is, things get rather complicated rather quickly even with Magnezone landing the Flash Cannon bringing Minun down to a much more manageable HP. Unfortunately, however, Minun is able to get a Substitute up which complicates matters significantly when combined with her use of Endeavor.

While technically the plan called for this to continue until Minun withdraws, instead Willow elected to go for a sub-optimal engagement with Magnezone as she's realized trying to switch between Pokemon rapidly to get a favorable match-up isn't happening anytime soon. And due to Endeavor, keeping Blissey in would lead to her fainting eventually due to Soft Boiled not being certain to succeed which would mean that on average it'd take Minun around 10 rounds to breakthrough and knock her out which isn't great.

[X] Plan Free Damage


A set of Pokemon switches happened in the next few seconds. Tauros and Magnezone both entered the battle only for Willow to immediately switch once more. Violet ordered Magnezone to use Flash Cannon while she prepared another switch to Blissey.

True to form, the Magnet Pokemon used the second available to them to stabilize their body and prepare for the entrance of the next Pokemon. A red glow signaled Minun's entrance and Magnezone pivoted immediately, firing a Flash Cannon that tore the ground below it apart. The Minus Pokemon twisted in a desperate attempt to avoid it, but the Magnet Pokemon's aim was true as Minun was blasted backward.

A second later, Magnezone was replaced by Blissey while Minun created a Substitute in front of herself ready to absorb any blows. At this Violet smiled, there wasn't anything Minun could do to break through Blissey's healing.

"Endeavor!" Willow yelled, a wide grin crossing her face as several pieces fell into place in her rival's mind.

"Protect!" Violet ordered as Blissey managed to interpose a shimmering field preventing her from being brought down to Minun's health. For a moment, Violet's thoughts swam as she realized her previously prepared battle plan couldn't be followed safely. Eventually Soft-Boiled would fail leaving Blissey to faint. If only she had a healing move that always worked.

Wait a minute… she had Life Dew.

A second Endeavor was followed by just that, forcing Willow to shift tactics. Her initial idea of Endeavor followed by Thunderbolt to knock out Blissey was still possible, but it'd require preparations. Entering into a series of Nasty Plots behind her Substitute, Minun rapidly reached a new level of power while Blissey used Soft-Boiled to heal, set up a Light Screen to ensure she could out-heal the damage that would be incoming and tried to chip away at Minun's health with Echoed Voice only for Minun to dodge it with ease.

Less than a minute had passed since the battle started, with trainer and Pokemon moving as fast as possible. A crowd had formed around the arena as other trainers gathered to see what a high-level battle was like.

As they learned, a high level battle was filled with a series of rapid decisions from both trainers as they sought an advantage during the initial exchange. Blow and counterblow would be exchanged along with attempts to create setups that were advantageous. This was what the League relied on during higher level matches, imposing restrictions on the rules to ensure it would be the case.

The next phase of the battle would not be exciting. It would instead become a drawn-out exchange that occurs when both trainers accept the state of the battlefield and agree to an attritional struggle. Thunderbolt after Thunderbolt flowed from the empowered Minun. Weakened only by Blissey's Light Screen, the moves were powerful. Gouging scars into the arena below Blissey, Minun only interrupted her sequence of attacks with a single Endeavor after Blissey managed a much faster set of Life Dew at one point.

Thunderbolt, Life Dew, Thunderbolt, Life Dew, Thunderbolt, Life Dew, Thunderbolt, Life Dew, Life Dew again, Endeavor for variety, Life Dew, Thunderbolt, Life Dew, etc.

By now, the crowd had died down, something which caused Violet to relax. There were aspects of this plan that had been risky. If Minun's attacks were stronger or if she hadn't told Blissey to focus on mitigating damage, Violet would have lost one of her greatest assets. Instead, luck was on her side as bit by bit Minun was worn down until shortly before she hit the point of exhaustion, Willow prepared a Baton Pass to Starmie hoping that an Ice Beam could freeze Blissey.

Violet's Perceptive Trait Kicks in!

Willow will have Starmie use Psybeam, Thunderbolt, and Ice Beam interchangeably to try and get some status effect on Blissey. Whether it's confusion, paralysis, or freeze she doesn't care as long as it lands and she's able to break through and defeat Blissey.

Regardless of what Violet does, Willow is going to have Starmie stay in. While the Light Screen is problematic for her, the fact that Starmie is significantly empowered behind a Substitute means that she likes her chances as long as she can break through Blissey's defenses.

Throughout this, Starmie is going to be in the Steady Offense stance to do as much damage as possible.

[] Grind Them Down - Keeping Blissey in so that she can wear down Starmie does risk a freeze or paralysis causing problems down the line. But she can use Soft-Boiled now to get to full health then interspersed repeated Protects, Soft-Boiled, and Life Dew to stall further. You will have to include the occasional rest, however, to keep Blissey fighting. Eventually, Willow will have to switch back to Minun where the buffs will be reset and you can send out Umbreon to defeat them.
[] A Long-Term Switch - Keeping Blissey in for most of the fight this plan would differ in the timing where Umbreon enters. From what you can see, Umbreon can be sent at a moment when Starmie uses Psybeam. His immunity would let him enter and Detect to avoid the next Ice Beam. If Starmie tries to stay in to fight in a round where they are exhausted, a second Detect can be safely used. After this Willow will switch to Heracross during which Violet can switch to Dragonite who has a significant advantage in the fight.
[] Write-in

Well, after 51 rounds of combat, it seems that Willow has gotten extremely unlucky and was unable to get a status condition on Blissey as she wished. This did allow Blissey to just hang in there, although she's actually reaching the point of exhaustion herself now. So she's going to going to want to spend the next dozen rounds just resting as currently she's 2 more rounds from exhaustion so wouldn't have been able to last another cycle and continue healing.

Next up will be Willow's Heracross, and for this I'll likely be compressing the rest of the fight into a single vote as now that Minun is down, you have answers for the rest of her Pokemon.

There was really only one option available to Violet. With Willow's Starmie about to enter whilst behind a Substitute and boosted by three uses of Nasty Plot, only one Pokemon could stand up to the onslaught. "Blissey," Violet said softly. "How are you feeling?"

The Happiness Pokemon puffed up and smacked her chest. While there were some signs of tiredness such as faster breathing, it wasn't anything critical as of yet.

"Make sure to conserve energy," Violet ordered. "Just take it slow and outlast Starmie."

Blissey nodded before using the moment where Minun used Baton Pass to use Soft-Boiled herself, causing her various injuries to be significantly reduced. Then Starmie entered the battle, causing a few onlookers to look back and see if there would be a change.

The only difference was in the moves used against Blissey.

Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Psybeam became a constant mantra as Starmie attempted to break through Blissey's defenses. A continuous series of Life Dews flowed around Blissey healing her faster than Starmie could damage her. Now focused on extending how long she could keep fighting, the healing process grew more staggered as every minute or so Blissey would let the constant Life Dew stop in order to regain some physical stamina.

The minutes ticked by as the arena itself turned into a cratered pit with Blissey at the center. Chunks of ice surrounded her while rocks and debris were carved away from the floor. For a moment, Violet felt bad for the people who'd have to repair it.

Eventually, however, both Pokemon grew closer and closer to their breaking point. And unsurprisingly, it was Starmie that reached it first. By the time Willow was forced to switch from Starmie, Blissey herself was only a minute or two from exhaustion herself.

A moment later, both trainers threw a Pokeball toward the arena while simultaneously returning Blissey and Starmie. From them, Minun and Umbreon emerged before the latter's eyes hardened and he immediately dashed forward intent on finishing this phase of the battle as quickly as possible.

Minun remained light on her feet, using her superior speed to step back and use Endeavor bringing Umbreon to a much weaker state. Unluckily for her, the Moonlight Pokemon's tracking was on point as a Dark Pulse slammed into her causing the first fainting during their battle.

With Minun down, Violet let out a slow breath understanding that most of the danger had now been removed. On the other hand, Willow seemed to think much the same as she had prepared to send in Heracross for a direct engagement with Umbreon or whoever Violet had sent out next.

As for Violet, she was focused on how to counter Willow's upcoming Pokemon. Starmie and Tauros weren't exactly easy, but she had options for them in the form of Magnezone. And Heracross wasn't likely to last long against Dragonite. Willow's Umbreon and Bronzong were the only ones without counters at the moment.

Willow's Umbreon Strategy Pick 1
[] Umbreon - While it would require you to have Umbreon heal now and lead to Dragonite entering to a blow from Heracross, a mirror match would be useful for Umbreon's growth.
[] Forretress - With a type advantage over Umbreon, Forretress would be able to do excellent work while also setting up several hazards.
[] Dragonite - While he's not a typical counter to Umbreon, his raw physical ability would allow him to dominate any exchange.
[] Write-in

Bronzong Strategy Pick 1
[] Umbreon - Using his superior speed to use Moonlight, with the type advantage Umbreon is rather likely to win such a fight.
[] Magnezone - Relying on electric-type moves would lead to an extended range engagement between Magnezone and Bronzong which could go either way. Thankfully Bronzong doesn't know Body Press yet.
[] Gengar - Using the type advantage to win the battle, Gengar could use repeated Shadow Balls to win his fight.
[] Write-in

Alright, I'll be calling the vote here. Unsurprisingly, Violet does end up achieving a victory. While Heracross does better than expected they do get knocked out by Dragonite. And Starmie also does better than expected before coming to the same fate. However, their performance does mean that sending Magnezone against Tauros would be very dangerous and so Dragonite gets sent against them instead. Dragonite does win, but is rather hurt doing so. Additionally Forretress does beat Umbreon but has to rely on Sturdy to do so while Gengar beats Bronzong for the win.

All in all, a victory for Violet but one that's taught Willow a lot about what she has to do in the future.

Edit: Just realized that I forgot about Starmie's STAB for Hydro Pump. As it is, while that would likely affect the results, I'll just pretend that's not an issue.

While it may have been too early to truly decide a victor, Violet didn't really feel that way. With Minun down, every one of Willow's Pokemon had a counter that would force her into an uphill battle. The first such fight was between Dragonite and Heracross as Violet easily read Willow's intention to send out Heracross to face a Dark-type. What she hadn't expected was just how nimble Heracross was. Despite being slower, weaker, and less tough than Dragonite, he had done surprisingly well. Expertly avoiding one Outrage and countering with an Aerial Ace before dancing around a second and striking once more, if Dragonite wasn't as physically dominate it may even have worked. Unfortunately for Heracross, the third Outrage couldn't be dodged leaving Willow with another unconscious Pokemon.

Starmie was sent out next only for Violet to respond with Magnezone causing Willow to grow frustrated for a moment before schooling her expression into a more contemplative one. Both Pokemon entered into a test of accuracy with Starmie keeping their distance to try and abuse their speed advantage. However, Violet had expected this so ordered Magnezone to use Flash Cannon rather than one of the supereffective but less accurate Electric moves at their disposal.

Normally, Willow wouldn't have deviated from her plan, but this time Starmie did. Adjusting their focus from remaining fully defensive to merely being evasive, an action which finally allowed for a short but sharp exchange where both Pokemon were battered by the other. Sadly for her, Magnezone came out on top in large part thanks to their Flash Cannon hitting harder than Starmie's Hydro Pump.

Then came Willow's Umbreon who faced Forretress. Here the Bagworm Pokemon struggled for quite a while as Umbreon danced around her while landing several Dark Pulses in a row. Forced onto the defensive, she hid behind a Protect before barely hanging on as a fourth Dark Pulse rocked her with only Forretress' sturdiness allowing her to remain standing. This time, however, Forretress' Bug Bite didn't miss.

Now down to only two Pokemon, Willow appeared to have accepted the result of the battle but wasn't willing to simply give up. Instead, she sent on Tauros forcing Violet to briefly contemplate who to send out due to the unexpected damage Magnezone had taken. The answer was the strongest Pokemon on her team.

Dragonite and Tauros stared at each other before Willow ordered the latter to rocket forward telegraphing her intention to everyone around. Tauros would attack without abandon, hopefully before Dragonite could lift themselves into the sky. The Dragon Pokemon replied with an Outrage, twisting through the air to ensure it landed while sacrificing some maneuverability. With a quick adjustment, Tauros was able to track Dragonite's flight path causing Outrage and Giga Impact to collide with a thunderous boom that threw dirt and debris high into the sky.

What happened in that cloud of dust was missed by everyone besides the two Pokemon and Violet. Briefly closing her eyes to listen, the young trainer heard Dragonite roar while Tauros scrambled backwards, trying to avoid what was sure to be a knockout blow.

He failed and a heavily injured Dragonite was the victor.

The last engagement was the simplest of them all as Bronzong stared down Gengar. A set of Shadow Balls sealed Willow's fate, with Gyro Ball doing little to prevent her loss.

With all six of her Pokemon now unconscious, Violet's rival seemed to stare into nothing as she replayed the battle in her mind. Violet could see the frustration on her face which caused the young trainer to switch from her previously confident demeanor to one of intense nervousness. A feeling that wasn't helped by the crowd applauding. A feeling that only grew more intense as Willow began walking towards her, dragging the crowd's attention to Violet entirely.

Willow paused in front of her and extended a hand. "A good match," she stated, doing her best to show that she thought Violet had outplayed her at every turn rather than convey her frustrations at not having defeated a single one of Violet's Pokemon.

Violet took the hand gingerly, trying to avoid bringing up the fact that Willow didn't seem to agree. From her perspective, she'd made multiple mistakes starting from the very beginning. "Th-thank you." Violet eventually forced out. "D-do-do you know w-what to do?"

A momentary flicker of worry crossed Willow's face as she contemplated if she had directed some of the anger at herself at Violet. Followed by embarrassment as she realized Violet's nerves were caused by the crowd rather than her. "Yeah," Willow stated before adjusting her voice to show more confidence. "I think I do."

The 48th Week, Pick 2

Expert Trainer Actions
[] Explore New Stances - A few ideas have been coming to you in terms of positioning and reacting in battle. Try and explore them.
[] Create Prepared Battleplans - Tetsuya's impromptu stunts were unreliable but powerful. But with more experience under your belt, who knows what is possible?
[] Enter a Pokemon Contest - Both Dragonite and Blissey would enjoy a Pokemon Contest. It'd also help them develop their more unique attributes. At the cost of your nerves.
[] Teach Umbreon how to Command a Pokemon Battle - Umbreon's tactical skills surpass most trainers. Improving those skills via practical experience in commanding battles would do wonders.
[] Bring Magnezone to the Next Level - Magnezone is nearing a breakthrough in terms of elemental attacks. You just need to give them a little push …
[] Bring Dragonite to the Next Level - Dragonite learned a good bit in his battle with Willow. You just need to give him a push to bring him to the next level.
[] Train Combination Moves - You've seen videos of incredible combinations, trying to plan some out would be useful for team battles.

Pokemon Actions
[] Spend time with your Pokemon - It's been a while since you simply enjoyed the company of your Pokemon. It'd be good to spend time with them outside of battle or training.
[] Train with your Pokemon - While it may be early, you did just have a rather interesting battle with Willow that your Pokemon could learn from.
[] Teach your Pokemon TMs and HMs - You did recover a very large stash of TMs and HMs recently. Teaching your Pokemon would be worthwhile.
[] Buy Items - Now that you've earned eight badges, you should start looking into buying items for your Pokemon.
[-] Train with Willow- While it would be nontraditional to train with your rival, both of you have unique skill sets that could complement each other. Sadly she's busy with her preparations.

Battling Actions

[] Challenge an Experienced Trainer - There are at least a few experienced trainers around here that may be worth fighting.
[] Seek out a Powerful Trainer - There are several trainers who can likely make the Indigo Plateau. It may be worthwhile to try and face them.
[] Challenge the Dojo - An unofficial gym with skilled Fighting Type Pokemon, you may benefit from challenging the leader within.
[] Challenge Sabrina - You could try and challenge Sabrina to a full six-on-six duel with the team she plans to use at the Indigo Plateau. It … may be too much for you, however.

Exploration Actions

[] See the Sights Inside the City - Several interesting attractions in Saffron City would be worth exploring, even if you've already done so.
[] See the Sights Outside the City - With Diglett Cave nearby, it could be fun to spend a few days exploring the cave system and see what interesting locations and Pokemon are within.
[] Look for Trouble - Some of the news stories make you feel a little whimsical. See if you can find any problems in Saffron itself.

Traveling Actions (Will be taken either this week or next week)

[-] Leave Saffron City - Until Willow defeats Sabrina, you're going to remain in the city.

Social Actions (For socials, it's assumed you keep up a basic level of contact through text, choosing a social means I write it up)

[] Call Your Parents - Your parents appreciated your visit and would like to continue talking with you.
[] Call Tetsuya - Currently on Cinnabar Island, Tetsuya is getting rather frantic in his search for the gym. So far he's searched the entirety of the island besides the volcano and is searching that out of desperation. He'd really appreciate some advice on mountaineering.
[] Attend Willow's Battle - Willow is doing some last-minute training this week before she faces Sabrina. Considering this will be her one chance to attend the Indigo Plateau, it'd be nice of you to attend the battle.