Alright, I'll be calling the vote here. Looks like you'll be watching Willow's fight. Additionally, the vote itself is tied between Training Umbreon and Reviewing past battles, so that'll be done via a d2. As for Willow's fight, I'll just be rolling that here.
Scheduled vote count started by Daemon Hunter on Aug 23, 2024 at 10:07 PM, finished with 20 posts and 9 votes.
[X] Watch Willow's Fight - Willow plans to fight Sabrina this week, it'd be useful to watch and see some of the tricks Sabrina uses. As well as to just provide some support for your friend.
[X] Review Past Battles - You were so close to beating Flynn, and some of the tricks he tried are giving you ideas. Going over your past battles may help with that.
[X] Train Umbreon - While he is experienced, he has had an informal training period and may benefit from special attention. And to set some expectations about what proper training is.
[x] 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. She did just get through the gauntlet and will be challenging Sabrina this week.
[X] Watch Willow's Fight - Willow plans to fight Sabrina this week, it'd be useful to watch and see some of the tricks Sabrina uses. As well as to just provide some support for your friend.
[X] Review Past Battles - You were so close to beating Flynn, and some of the tricks he tried are giving you ideas. Going over your past battles may help with that.
Violet shifted awkwardly in the stands as she waited for Willow's battle to begin. She wasn't sure if Willow understood that the chance of a win was low. Before heading over to the gym, Violet had thought about bringing that up, but one look at Willow made her remain silent. Her friend had her own determination and emotions to work off of and through, and getting in the way would have been mean.
Willow appeared to understand that she was a significant underdog in this fight. Going into a four-badge fight with only four Pokemon was a bold move (and likely foolish a part of Violet whispered), but Willow wasn't willing to wait before facing Sabrina. In truth, Violet wondered if she would be disappointed if she won. It would mean she wouldn't be able to see the gym leader going all out against her.
A part of Violet had been disconcerted by the faint hints of jealousy Willow had been masking. Ever since the incident with the Eevolutions, her rival appeared to understand that Sabrina approved of Violet to a degree. One that Willow deeply wanted to match. Thankfully she hadn't verbalized that to Violet. Having to respond to that would have been mortifying.
The 5-badge fight that preceded Willow's ended with a victory for the challenging trainer. Ignoring them, Violet's eyes flickered across the monitors, spotting Willow plotting with her Pokemon. Glancing over at Willow's parents sitting next to her, Violet braced herself as she indicated what was going on. "S-she seems to have a plan."
Willow's mother turned towards her, as Violet pointed towards Willow on the screen. Aunt Hazel stood up and both Violet and Willow's father leaned away when they realized what was about to happen. Clapping her hands once, Willow's mother leaned back, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Come on, Willow! You've got this!"
A notable portion of the crowd looked their way, as Violet tried to hide herself behind her bag. She briefly glanced at Willow's father who had the expression of an introvert that had spent too long next to an extrovert. Willow looked up towards the monitor that displayed them, waving with a confident grin on her face that only faintly showed her nervousness.
Striding forward, Willow arranged her Pokeballs in a specific order, seemingly in anticipation of the fight. Practically vibrating in excitement Violet's rival was excited and nervous in equal measure even as her mother cheered her on before the fight had even started.
Then it began, with Willow sending out her Umbreon and Sabrina sending out Espeon. As both trainers called out their initial orders, Violet spotted Sabrina's eyes begin to glow before a faint blush spread across her face. Distracted, it gave Umbreon the chance to avoid Dazzling Gleam and counter with Assurance. Switching out Espeon for Mr. Mime, the Barrier Pokemon was hit by an immediate Bite even as they used Calm Mind twice in a row giving Willow just enough time to switch Umbreon for Heracross. And the moment Alakazam entered the fight glowing with power, Heracross used Shadow Claw, causing the Psi Pokemon to faint.
Sabrina sent out Venemoth next who was immediately hit by an Aerial Ace before managing to poison Heracross with Poison Powder. With a smile on her face at her plan going so well, Willow ordered Heracross to use Aerial Ace once more. And just as it was about to land, a red glow caused Venemoth to switch out and for Slowbro to take their place.
Everything went a lot worse for Willow after this, with Sabrina reading the use of Shadow Claw before replying with Disable. Then Willow switched to Umbreon as the gym leader used Yawn and then Protect to handle Umbreon's last attack. Bronzor was next, but Sabrina used the opportunity to use Curse twice, once on the switch and once when Bronzor used Safeguard. For a moment, Willow thought Hypnosis would solve the problem, only for Slowbro to use Sleep Talk followed by Future Sight. After using Safeguard, Willow swapped to Umbreon who managed to both survive the powerful attack, but also simultaneously wake up with Slowbro.
Unfortunately, Umbreon had yet to learn Dark Pulse, which caused him to faint when Slowbro used a third Curse followed by Stored Power. However, Willow did manage to use Starmie to bring Slowbro down to a more manageable health followed by Heracross finishing the fight with an Arm Thrust.
Now in a two versus three, Willow rallied admirably, managing to switch to Bronzor and use Trick Room followed by Gyro Ball to defeat Mr. Mime. Unfortunately, this was followed by Espeon using Protect followed by Shadow Ball twice which led to Bronzor fainting. A poisoned Heracross then attempted to win, but Espeon followed their prior fight by using Protect, dodged the Shadow Claw, Protect a second time, and was hit by the second Shadow Claw, before chaining a Protect, Detect, Endure combination that caused both Pokemon to faint. And with Venemoth remaining, Sabrina became the victor.
Following the fight, Violet attempted to approach Willow only to find that her friend appeared to be in good spirits. While it had been a battle she could have won with proper preparation (catching a fifth Pokemon), Willow was somewhat relieved she could still face Sabrina for her 8th badge. As such, rather than attempt to cheer her friend up through platitudes, Violet decided to approach matters another way. "S-so, what's your plan next time?"
Willow blinked at the question, somewhat relieved not having another person trying to alleviate any perceived sadness from the loss. "Huh, well I've got a few ideas. Have a full team for one." Willow then proceeded to begin talking about a number of different strategies and tactics. Discussing the possibility of teaching new moves to all her Pokemon, trying a variety of new stances, preparing a variety of strategies, and more. Making a mental note of the ideas, it made Violet consider if she should invite someone when she starts reviewing her old battles.
[] Invite Willow - Having already given some thought to the problem, Willow does have unique perspectives on the matter.
[] Invite Tetsuya - You're not sure how helpful he'll be considering his approach to fighting. Nonetheless, he does have a perspective of Pokemon you don't.
[] Invite Both - Being able to double as an introduction between your two friends, it would allow for a broad range of perspectives.
[] Write-in - There may be others you've encountered that could provide some insight.
Alright, on that note the vote is now closed. Looks like both + Umbreon wins. As I work to write up the update and reveal what's been figured out, I thought I'd open it up to the thread to see what ideas there are. Currently, the main topics are going to be intermediate stances, feints themselves, and stunts. More may make it into the update based on what ideas people have.
Scheduled vote count started by Daemon Hunter on Aug 28, 2024 at 9:16 PM, finished with 15 posts and 7 votes.
[X] Invite Both plus Umbreon - There may be others you've encountered that could provide some insight.
[X] Invite Both plus Umbreon - There may be others you've encountered that could provide some insight.
There were times that Violet wondered why her friends were so different from her. These days she wondered if the meme about extroverts adopting introverts was accurate. Inviting both Tetsuya and Willow for a review of old battles was something she wouldn't have dared think of 6 months ago when she started her Pokemon journey. Umbreon also had a personalized invitation just for himself, although it was more along the lines of inviting him for his perspectives.
Walking over to the meeting place (a small cafe Willow recommended) with her rival and Umbreon, Violet realized she was being quiet even by her standards. She was just nervous about the introduction, what if she screwed it up and her friends hated each other? "So, how did you meet Tetsuya?"
Momentarily distracted from her worries, Violet reflexively answered. "O-our parents introduced us and we got along," she explained. A teasing glint entered Willow's eye, which caused Violet's eyes to widen. "Not like that!" She shrieked as Willow started laughing.
Her voice must have carried, because she saw several adults in the crowd give them knowing looks. Blushing furiously, Violet took off her hat and tried to hide behind it. Embarrassment flowed through her, but at least it wasn't the anxiety from before.
When they arrived, Tetsuya had already reserved a booth for them. "Violet!" He said with his arms spread out wide, "It's been so long."
Standing off to the side, parts of Violet's worries returned, although this time she was able to force herself past it. "I-it's been a week." She deadpanned, wincing at the initial stutter in her voice. "So, Willow, this is Tetsuya, my oldest friend." Willow smiled and waved, but let Violet finish the introductions. "Tetsuya, this is Willow, my self-declared rival."
"So you're Willow," Testuya immediately extended a hand towards her with a wide grin. "I've heard good things about you."
Shaking his hand firmly, Willow returned his smile with her own. "And you're her childhood friend, it's good to meet you." She paused for a moment. "I get to fight her first!"
"Wait, no. I was going to challenge her!" Tetsuya wailed in exaggerated shock, "Violet, can we battle after this?" He looked at her with pleading eyes.
"Uh…" she replied eloquently.
"There's only one way to settle this," Willow said in a faux serious tone.
Immediately catching on, Tetsuya narrowed his eyes. "A Pokemon battle."
"Next week at Saffron Park," Willow set the location.
"A four versus four individual battle." Tetsuya set the rules.
"Then we are agreed," Willow chirped, breaking out of character with a grin.
Besides them, Violet looked at Umbreon who was mentally recharacterizing both Willow and Tetsuya as particularly energetic Eevees. "Now that that's over with," Violet said, momentarily pausing to show Umbreon to his seat. "There's some fights I wanted to review."
The group of four then began watching old videos of battles they were a part of, with their battle styles becoming readily apparent. Violet was focused on seeing through an opponent's strategy before exploiting it completely, somewhat reactive by its nature, it did give her substantial advantages. In contrast, Willow's battling style was aggression personified with all her Pokemon focusing on speed (even Bronzor thanks to Trick Room). She wanted to keep her opponents off balance, allowing her to seize the initiative. Tetsuya, meanwhile, was all about unorthodox maneuvers and charging head first. Every now and then he'd pull off a move that was usually only seen in high-level battles. Even if it was inconsistent, he had been slowly improving.
They first chose to focus on developing a variety of stances based on old battles. Each of them came up with their own ideas, such as Violet coming up with a tactic to handle feints, Willow focusing on a steady drumbeat of constant attacks, Umbreon explaining ambush tactics to the trainers, and Tetsuya thinking up a method to put pressure on stalling Pokemon. All of them weren't easy to implement, but at this point, all three trainers had become experienced enough to implement them to some degree. Flowing naturally between multiple stances and tactics had also been something they were focusing on, although all but Violet had issues with trying to read the opponent well enough to predict what stance would be most useful at any given point.
The next topic was the matter of feints, which all three had begun to encounter. All of them had begun incorporating it, although it was hard to tell how effective it could be and what it may cost. It was here that Violet's battle with Flynn came in handy, with the trio figuring out that feints were notably more exhausting than they had initially expected, but using them sparingly could still be useful. Willow seemed rather interested in a few possibilities.
Then Tetsuya brought up how he approaches fights, and how he came up with unorthodox tactics on the fly and in training. Both Willow and Violet struggled to keep up with his leaps of logic that often seemed counterintuitive and inconsistent. Tetsuya himself sheepishly admitted that trying to have Onix block a Water Gun with Rock Throw led to the Rock Snake Pokemon being hit by both that Water Gun and the thrown rock. However, everyone involved could see the possibilities involved, with Umbreon adding that Leafeon was capable of some rather fascinating pre-planned tactics.
Lastly, Violet then brought up what trainers are expected to do when facing psychics, especially when considering Sabrina routinely reads the minds of her foes. From what she had read, it seemed to be a bit of a gray area, although the League did sanction using psychic moves in response. It notably forbids some of the more visible moves, likely to avoid making it a Pokemon versus human event.
"Wait, Sabrina reads minds in battle?!" Willow interrupted with a mortified look on her face. "Violet, please tell me she didn't see what I was thinking at the start!"
Violet paused, trying to figure out what was the right move, "I-I can lie to you?"
Willow's face turned red before she covered it with her hands. A high-pitched keening sound that was similar to the whistle of a pressure cooker came from Violet's rival.
"She … won't hold it against you?" Violet tried.
The keening sound continued.
The 28th Week, Pick 2
Pokemon Actions
[] Train with your Pokemon - All of your Pokemon are skilled in battle with unique skills, but they can see some improvements through practice.
[] Train Umbreon - While he is experienced, he has had an informal training period and may benefit from special attention. And to set some expectations about what proper training is.
[] Buy and Use TMs/HMs - You're a big enough trainer to afford TMs and HMs for your Pokemon. You should take advantage of it when you can.
[-] 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. She is sadly busy this week.
Battling Actions
[] Challenge New Trainers - Now that you and your Pokemon have developed, fighting a few trainers in rapid succession would be easy.
[] Challenge an Experienced Trainer - Some trainers in the area have two badges, beating them may be a good experience.
[] Challenge the Dojo - An unofficial gym with skilled Fighting Type Pokemon, you may benefit from challenging the leader within.
[] Check out the Odd Trainers - A group of three unusual trainers just arrived in the city and appear to be sanctioned by Sabrina. One of them has been going around conducting a variety of challenges such as taking 10 trainers on at once. Partake in one such challenge.
Exploration Actions
[] See the Sights Inside the City - There are several interesting attractions in Saffron City. You saw a fair few last time you were here, but far from all.
[] 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.
[] Explore Unorthodox Locations - Saffron City is a large metropolis with several rather unconventional places to explore. See what you can find.
GM Note: Some of the mechanical discoveries from review have been added to the Mechanics informational. The stances, feints, and stunt sections are likely the most relevant. Traveling Actions (Must be taken either this turn or the next)
[] Leave the City - It's about time you decided to head out. There are a few cities that you want to travel to. Not to mention quite a few adventures to have. Opens travel sub-vote.
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 did leave Saffron City a while back, it may be good to talk with them.
[] Watch your Friends Fight - Tetsuya and Willow did just challenge each other and are going to be fighting. While you expect Willow to win, Tetsuya may surprise you. And it'd be good to just hang out with them afterwards. Not to mention they need a ref.
Alright, time for me to close the vote. Looks like training Umbreon and reffing for Tetsuya and Willow wins.
Scheduled vote count started by Daemon Hunter on Aug 30, 2024 at 10:30 PM, finished with 9 posts and 5 votes.
[X] Train Umbreon - While he is experienced, he has had an informal training period and may benefit from special attention. And to set some expectations about what proper training is.
[X] Watch your Friends Fight - Tetsuya and Willow did just challenge each other and are going to be fighting. While you expect Willow to win, Tetsuya may surprise you. And it'd be good to just hang out with them afterwards. Not to mention they need a ref.
[X] Train Umbreon - While he is experienced, he has had an informal training period and may benefit from special attention. And to set some expectations about what proper training is.
[X] Watch your Friends Fight - Tetsuya and Willow did just challenge each other and are going to be fighting. While you expect Willow to win, Tetsuya may surprise you. And it'd be good to just hang out with them afterwards. Not to mention they need a ref.
In the two days before Willow and Tetsuya's battle, Violet was focused on a topic much closer to home. Understanding that the winner of the fight would want to fight her, Violet had decided that training Umbreon was necessary. While he was certainly experienced, she was concerned that his idea of a spar may be far too violent. Not to mention it seemed that Umbreon believed that was what training was.
Violet knew that some elite trainers did almost exclusively train via spars. But even they understood the limitations. Building muscle and evasive techniques was difficult when one had to perform maneuvers that were inconsistent at the best of times. Instead one needed to build a solid base outside of Pokemon battles that could be properly leveraged. Comparing Willow's Umbreon to her own, Violet could see the possibilities for improvement (even if Willow's Pokemon was far from normal).
The first day of practice with Umbreon was focused on simply teaching him a few exercises. Sprints, agility drills, elemental channeling, and more were the focus although Violet made sure to avoid anything too stressful. She wanted him to learn good technique for his exercises after all.
For his part, Umbreon appeared to disagree on how useful this would be. This in turn led to a brief discussion between Violet and him where they spent a few minutes arguing over the benefits and drawbacks of fully spar-based training. Eventually, she managed to convince him to at least try to practice her way for a little while. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to analytically determine if his method was better than the normal standard for trainers.
It did worry Violet that Umbreon seemed so used to constant battles. At one point she asked him to clarify what a spar was, at which point he explained it was fighting at full speed until someone fainted. Violet was quick to explain why that was frowned upon, and even if Umbreon didn't see the problems he was willing to accept her rules for sparring.
While she understood it would take more time before she managed to properly transition Umbreon from his military mindset, Violet was confident she could do so. Although first, she had another commitment to get to.
Standing on the edge of the battlefield in Saffron Park, Violet's eyes flickered between Willow and Tetsuya. Both of them contained their excitement poorly, with the former grinning with determination and the latter practically bouncing on his feet. Holding a Pokemon each, both trainers appeared to have already concocted a plan, which left Violet to do the honors and start the battle. "Let the battle begin," she declared.
Both trainers released their Pokemon before Willow's Umbreon darted forward instantly, beginning a steady chain of Quick Attacks, Dark Pulses, and Confuse Ray. On the other side, Onix towered over the battlefield, choosing to use a series of physical moves such as Rock Slide, Sand Tomb, and Rock Throw. Changing up her strategy, Willow ordered Umbreon to stand off and use Dark Pulse from a distance as the Moonlight Pokemon slowly wore down the Rock Snake Pokemon only taking a few hits before Onix fainted.
Krabby came next, managing to use Protect to absorb a Dark Pulse before absorbing a Confuse Ray and countering with Mud Shot. Snapping out of it immediately, Krabby was then faced with Starmie. Followed by both trainers switching out to Hypno and Heracross respectively. At that Willow frowned before switching back to Bronzong who easily ignored Hypno's Poison Gas. Following a Trick Room, Bronzong just barely won despite being notably stronger due to Hypno catching Willow off guard when Tetsuya ordered a feint with Pound before using Fire Punch.
Worn down and with Trick Room fading, Bronzong was then easily dispatched by Krabby leading to Willow sending out Heracross to avoid an unfavorable matchup with Pidgeotto. Closing in, Heracross was initially managing to dominate the fight before Krabby evolved into Kingler then caught the Single Horn Pokemon in a devastating Hammer Arm. Fighting back with Counter, Kingler replied with Protect before Heracross used Brick Break which missed. Fainting to a close-range Bubble Beam, Willow then sent out Starmie who would have to win the battle for her.
It started exceptionally, with Starmie using a series of Light Screens, Minimizes, and then Rapid Spins that defeated Kingler. Violet herself was having a hard time tracking Starmie's movements and for a moment she wrote off Tetsuya's Pidgeotto.
"IT'S NOT OVER YET!" Tetsuya roared as Pidgeotto was rocked by a Hydro Pump from Starmie. "Pidgeotto! Use Whirlwind! Cut off Starmie's movements!" Improvising with Whirlwind to try and corral the Water-type, Violet was surprised by it managing to work, leaving Starmie in a position where they could be hit. Despite using Confuse Ray to disorient Pidgeotto, the Bird Pokemon remained focused. "Pidgeotto!" Tetsuya followed up, "Agility!"
Violet's head whipped around, she was sure that before this battle that wasn't a move Pidgeotto knew. Looking up, the Bird Pokemon seemed to agree but still attempted to use it. And against all odds, it worked.
In a matter of seconds, Tetsuya had gone from a certain loss to an even fight, as both Starmie and Pidgeotto dueled across the arena among the gale-force winds. Darting back and forth at blistering speeds, every trainer struggled to know who would be the inevitable victor. It would be decided by whoever managed to hit the other first. And with so much momentum on his side, it was little wonder that Pidgeotto won the day with a Brave Bird.
Taking the loss like a good sport, Willow proudly declared, "Just you wait, next time we fight I'll be the victor!"
"I look forward to that," Tetsuya said with a smile. "But first! Violet, I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!"
Violet gave a pointed look at the exhausted Pidgeoto then quirked an eyebrow.
"...In a few days," he clarified sheepishly as Willow stifled a giggle.
[] Agree to a fight Week 29 - Fighting just before you leave Saffron City will allow the two of you to travel wherever you want. (Locks all actions Week 29 for the battle and traveling where you choose)
[] Agree to a fight Week 30 - Delaying the fight by a week will mean joining Tetsuya as he heads to Fuchsia City. Due to the distance, you would be fighting in the wilds. (Locks an action Week 29 for traveling to Fuchsia City. Locks an action Week 30 for the battle)
[] Write-in
Alright, it seems that a Week 29 fight against Tetsuya it is. For that fight, I'm debating if I should just cover it at a high level or if I should treat it like a step-by-step battle.
That being said, training with Umbreon goes well. While he does think some of the methods are weird, he's fine with trying them out for a while. Which in turn does mean he gets some neat stat gains.
Scheduled vote count started by Daemon Hunter on Sep 2, 2024 at 8:39 PM, finished with 6 posts and 6 votes.
[X] Agree to a fight Week 29 - Fighting just before you leave Saffron City will allow the two of you to travel wherever you want. (Locks all actions Week 29 for the battle and traveling where you choose)
[X] Agree to a fight Week 29 - Fighting just before you leave Saffron City will allow the two of you to travel wherever you want. (Locks all actions Week 29 for the battle and traveling where you choose)
After setting up a time three days from now to face Tetsuya and his team, Violet focused on Umbreon. While she had the basics already completed, she had to make sure he developed good habits early on. And the first step in that process was to ensure Umbreon knew how to pull his punches properly.
This was why Chansey was now serving as his sparring partner (although Violet did have to promise to take Chansey to a concert in the future in exchange). "Not at full strength!" Violet yelled as Umbreon prepared a Hyper Beam. Twitching at the interruption, the attack nonetheless weakened to a level appropriate for a spar.
During these bouts, Violet made sure to focus on elemental moves, which was an area she thought Umbreon would have the most success. Additionally, she also made sure to improve his speed and general defensibility. But perhaps most importantly, she made time to properly talk with him.
*Umbreon upgrades Defense to B-*
*Umbreon upgrades Special Attack to C-*
*Umbreon upgrades Special Defense to B+*
*Umbreon upgrades Speed to C-*
One day after a particularly tiring training session, Violet sat next to Umbreon and held out a bottle of water for him. "You're adapting quickly."
Umbreon lapped up the water before looking at her with an expression that practically screamed it was expected. He then stretched his limbs before glancing at the other Pokeballs on her hip wondering why her training schedule was far more lax than what he was used to. Surely a higher rate of intensity would be helpful?
"There are reasons for that," Violet began, understanding the need to alleviate his concerns. "Training till exhaustion is good for some things, but not everything."
Giving a dubious expression that slowly morphed into one of cautious acceptance, Umbreon let out a questioning hum. 'And what if it makes me weaker?'
"It won't," Violet explained. "And if it does, I'll change our training practices."
The Moonlight Pokemon gave a slight nod, although his expression remained thoughtful. He supposed that the training had shown results.
Violet nodded happily. "Yep, all my Pokemon trained in the same way."
From behind her, Chansey voiced her agreement. Umbreon's eyes shifted toward the Egg Pokemon, both jealous and impressed by her Stamina.
Looking at Violet, the Moonlight Pokemon gestured with his head towards Chansey.
Violet sighed, "Rest for five more minutes then you can spar again."
Umbreon gave a slight nod and his posture relaxed. He had a few ideas he wanted to use in the next round. A part of his mind recognized that the constant spars in the lab made it impossible for him to think and plan this much, but another part worried that the lack of adversity would prevent his growth. Looking at his trainer, he decided that she had earned the benefit of the doubt for now.
Planning the next step of their journey with Willow, Violet noticed a text from her parents who informed her of a warning south of Route 7. A localized state of emergency had been declared in the area as a group of trainers had stumbled across a Team Rocket supply depot that had been supplying their operations northeast of Kanto. While it was being packed up, it appeared that the organization had deployed several grunts to prevent its capture. The timing is also problematic as Gym Leader Sabrina is currently in a territory surveying the Eevolutions' land due to a lack of clarification on what borders they reside within. As a result, only the gym attendants are available along with special operatives from the Pokemon League. And even that is expected to be overkill.
Complicating the situation has been unconfirmed reports of Rocket personnel north of Route 7. Due to the lack of travelers in the area, this is a low-priority warning that will only be dealt with when local personnel are free. Rocket activity in general appears to be on an upswing, with the Viridian City Gym reporting a massive theft of equipment and funds. Gym leader Giovanni has begun to personally investigate the matter and has shut down the gym for the next three weeks. Additionally, the Vermillion City Gym was also subject to a significant break-in by four disguised individuals. This group struck after drawing out Lieutenant Surge by leaking a Rocket smuggling operation which allowed them to face only the attendants. Managing to defeat the trainers within, they are reported to have stolen 30 experienced Pokemon alongside attempting a transfer of funds to the Sinnoh League. Experts believe this to be a red herring, but that hasn't stopped conspiracy theorists from coming up with various ideas.
After reading up on events in Kanto, Willow and Violet eventually chose their destination for next week
[] Celadon City (Northern Route) - A rarely traveled route due to a mountainous ridge complicated by reports of Rocket activity. High chance of delays and encounters.
[] Celadon City (Route 7) - The safe, well-patrolled route between Celadon and Saffron. It will be nice to visit home once more.
[] Celadon City (Southern Route) - A route with known Rocket presence, gym attendants are headed over as well. It may nonetheless be fun to swing by and briefly help out.
[] Vermillion City - While you were here two months ago, it may be good to head back so you can catch a ferry to Cinnabar Island.
[] Cerulean City - A destination you have already visited, it may nonetheless be good to go caving once more.
[] Fuchsia City - A lengthy trip that'll take two weeks, it would allow you to travel with Tetsuya as well.
[] Write-in
Additionally, Violet also had her upcoming battle with Tetsuya for which she needed to choose which Pokemon she wouldn't be using. Musing to herself, she decided to set an additional challenge to not use any switches in the fight.
Alright, looks like you'll be heading to Celadon via the northern route and also sidelining Chansey for this battle. In hindsight, I probably should have checked on the stats of Tetsuya's team before and have had you choose who you wanted to use for this. Magneton was, uh, a bit too powerful for this.
Round 1 Onix: Onix used Sand Tomb (DC15: 44). It's supereffective! Magneton lost 3% of their HP (97%).
Round 1 Magneton: Magneton used Flash Cannon (DC1: 55). It's supereffective! Onix lost 100% of her HP (0%).
Tetsuya sent out Hypno
Round 2 Hypno: Hypno feints Hypnosis. Hypno used Fire Punch (DC1: 3). It's supereffective! Magneton lost 8% of their HP (89%).
Round 2 Magneton: Magneton used Flash Cannon (DC1: 75). Hypno lost 87% of his HP (13%).
Round 3 Hypno: Hypno used Poison Gas to hide his location (DC75: 84). Magneton struggles to locate Hypno.
Round 3 Magneton: Magneton used Flash Cannon (DC50: 48). Hypno avoided the attack. (DC50: 17). The poison cloud remains.
Round 4 Hypno: Hypno uses Psybeam (DC50: 67). Magneton loses 20% of their HP (69%).
Round 4 Magneton: Magneton used Flash Cannon (DC50: 16). Hypno avoided the attack. (DC50: 91). The poison cloud dissipates.
Round 5 Hypno: Hypno used Disable (DC50: 50). Magneton's Flash Cannon was disabled. (Till Round 13)
Round 5 Magneton: Magneton used Thunder Shock (DC15: 13). Hypno avoided the attack.
Round 6 Hypno: Hypno used Disable (DC50: 92). Magneton's Thunder Shock was disabled. (Till Round 13)
Round 6 Magneton: Magneton used Electro Ball (DC15: 7). Hypno avoided the attack.
Round 7 Hypno: Hypno used Disable (DC50: 33). Magneton avoided the attack.
Round 7 Magneton: Magneton used Electro Ball (DC15: 65). Hypno lost 13% of his HP (0%). Hypno fainted!
Tetsuya sent out Kingler
Round 8 Kingler: Kingler used Water Gun to accelerate Mud Shot (DC80: 26). Kingler failed to do so.
Round 8 Magneton: Magneton used Electro Ball (DC15: 22). Kingler lost 100% of his HP (0%). Kingler fainted!
Tetsuya sent out Pidgeotto
Round 9 Pidgeotto: Pidgeotto used Quick Attack to try and grab Magneton (DC80: 3). Pidgeotto hurt himself attempting to do so. Pidgeotto lost 16% of his HP (84%).
Round 9 Magneton: Magneton used Electro Ball (DC15: 96). A Critical Hit. Pidgeotto lost 84% of his HP (0%). Pidgeotto fainted!
Scheduled vote count started by Daemon Hunter on Sep 4, 2024 at 7:57 PM, finished with 8 posts and 6 votes.
[X] Celadon City (Northern Route) - A rarely traveled route due to a mountainous ridge complicated by reports of Rocket activity. High chance of delays and encounters.
[X] Celadon City (Southern Route) - A route with known Rocket presence, gym attendants are headed over as well. It may nonetheless be fun to swing by and briefly help out.
[X] Celadon City (Northern Route) - A rarely traveled route due to a mountainous ridge complicated by reports of Rocket activity. High chance of delays and encounters.
[X] Chansey
Before heading back home to Celadon City, Violet had another commitment to resolve. And so, in the late morning the day before she was headed out Willow, Tetsuya, and herself stood at an arena in Saffron Park. Standing on one end of the field with her oldest friend on the other, Violet could tell how excited Tetsuya was for the battle. While he hadn't practiced properly for this, he did apparently come up with a few ideas for how to surprise her. Although Violet thought as she frowned, he may be underestimating the effect of traditional training.
"Just you wait!" He shouted from across the arena, grabbing Onix's Pokeball as he posed. "I'll show you what I have prepared!"
Violet didn't respond, letting her hand drift to her waist and grab Magneton's Pokeball. Based on how her opponent was acting, she should be able to land a Flash Cannon which would be devastating to Onix.
Willow spoke up next, "Let the battle begin!"
Two Pokeballs were thrown out, with Onix emerging and immediately using Sand Tomb without any orders. Pinning Magneton in place, the Rock Snake Pokemon attempted to get behind the trapped Pokemon.
"Flash Cannon," Violet calmly ordered. A moment later, concentrated Steel-type energy slammed into Onix, immediately causing her to faint.
Tetsuya visibly paused as a faint hint of worry passed through his body before being drowned in determination. "Hypno, I'm going to have to use you early. Open up with Hypnosis." As he threw the Pokeball, his voice dropped to a whisper, forcing Violet to read his lips to understand what he was saying. "Fake Hypnosis, use Fire Punch instead."
"Don't fall for it Magneton," Violet ordered in an equally soft voice. "He's using Fire Punch, stay still and use Flash Cannon again."
Magneton's only indication that he heard her was a subtle shift in his stance as the Magnet Pokemon instinctively prepared to step into the blow and counter. Hypno seemingly stayed at range, as psychic energy pooled into their eyes. Then he dashed forward, fire coating his arm just as Magneton unleashed a burst of Steel-type energy into the Psychic Pokemon from point-blank range.
Both participants were blown back, although Hypno clearly came out of the exchange far worse for wear. "Hypno!" Tetsuya called out, "Use Poison Gas!"
Violet's head snapped towards Tetsuya, trying to figure out his plan. He clearly knew Magneton was a steel-type. Was he expecting her to switch?
The answer to what he was planning came in the few seconds she spent thinking, as the cloud of poison grew thick enough that Hypno was entirely obscured by it. Blindly using Flash Cannon, Magneton's three eyes darted around, trying to locate the Hypnosis Pokemon.
A Psybeam struck him in response, the attack causing Magneton to spin backward even as Violet ordered a second Flash Cannon in that general direction. While it missed, the attack did help disperse the cloud, just in time for Hypno to use Disable.
Fully on the defensive, Tetsuya managed to predict Violet's use of Thunder Shock allowing Hypno to avoid the attack and use Disable for a second time. Stepping backward, Hypno managed to dodge a follow-up Electro Ball from Magneton just as Violet began to worry that she would have to begin resorting to moves that hadn't been practiced in months. Only for the constant defensive work to distract Hypno from a third Disable, allowing Magneton to use a second Electro Ball which caused their opponent to faint.
Letting out a breath, Violet reflected on how that could have gone if Tetsuya had opened with Hypno using the Poison Gas cloud. If Flash Cannon had been disabled before Onix was sent out, things would have gone far worse for her.
The rest of the battle was almost an afterthought. Tetsuya attempted an interesting combination attack with Kingler, although it seems he wasn't able to use two moves in rapid succession. Magneton simply used an Electro Ball to win the fight. Few were. Pidgeotto similarly attempted an unorthodox strategy, trying to drag Magneton into the air before dropping them. Unfortunately, Violet managed to see it coming and simply ordered the Magneton Pokemon to drop to the ground. And over 100 pounds of steel was not something Pidgeotto could lift. And for the third time in a row, Electro Ball caused Tetsuya's Pokemon to faint.
Across the field, Tetsuya stared at the Pokeball in his hand, having returned Pidgeotto. Expressing a mixture of disappointment and contemplation as if he was processing the gap between expectation and reality. Eventually, he sighed and walked over the Violet, his voice carrying a forced lightness. "You really wiped the floor with me, huh?" He managed, a small smile but the way he avoided her eyes spoke volumes.
Violet shifted uncomfortably, not sure how to respond. Her mouth opened attempting to speak before it closed with a click. "Come on Tetsuya, that was way better than what you showed me," Willow interrupted with an easy grin on her lips. Having sensed Violet's discomfort, she had walked over while both had been distracted. "Seriously, that Poison Gas trick was clever."
"I-it was closer than it looked," Violet forced out, holding her hands by her chest. "Y-you did well," she added quietly.
Tetsuya's smile widened slightly before he quickly shook his head. "Yeah, but it wasn't enough." His hand closed into a fist as his smile morphed into a serious expression. "I should have stuck with what works for me."
"The-the tricks were unexpected," Violet commented, recalling how Tetsuya's usual approach to problems was to use out-stubborn them. "B-but while they help, th-they need a good foundation."
He looked over at Violet, determination in his eyes. "Next time we battle, I'll be ready."
Letting out a breath, Violet felt relieved that he didn't hold the loss against her. And she was glad he wasn't too discouraged by it.
Willow nudged her playfully. "Well, you have two rivals now, so you better be prepared."
Violet let out a short chuckle, a smile now on her face. "I look forward to it."
The next day, Willow and Violet were climbing a rocky outcropping as they headed towards Celadon City. The northern route was seldom traveled by trainers for good reason. Intersecting with the southern tip of a mountain range, the terrain forced trainers to either take a number of switchbacks or scale rocky outcrops. Not to mention the unconfirmed reports on Rocket presence meant that most trainers either took the normal route, or the southern one if they wanted to face a few Rockets themselves.
As Violet was clipping her climbing rope into a hook placed by the Pokemon League, she began to hear whispers from above. Straining her ears, Violet picked up a few words here and there. Looking down below, she spotted Willow climbing behind her. Waving to get her attention, she put a finger to her lips and her rival nodded with grim determination.
Slowly continuing to climb, Violet took care to remain silent as she began to hear more and more of the conversation before pausing completely as she heard two voices she hadn't heard in a while.
"Shut it," V growled. "We got what we wanted, don't get greedy."
"I'm just saying-" an unfamiliar voice replied before abruptly being cut off.
"You were just shutting up you mean," D interrupted. "V told you what to do. You wanna test me again?"
Violet could practically hear the Team Rocket grunt's teeth grinding. Slowly coming to the lip of the outcropping, Violet counted three Rockets being cowed by D and V. Observing the situation, she counted a total of 18 Pokemon actively deployed (5 for V, 4 for D, and another 9 split between the three grunts). Having to fight 2 vs 1 wasn't ideal, even if the grunts were less experienced than her. As Willow looked up at her for instructions, Violet realized she had a decision to make.
[] Deploy Forretress and Chansey - Of the trainers present, only D has the reaction times needed to properly respond to a sudden self-destruct. Having Chansey use Protect can help ensure it goes off properly.
[] Ambush - Having you and Willow deploy all 9 of your Pokemon and having them use their strongest moves will allow for a devastating ambush and will also leave you with options. You're confident you can remove all the grunts from play.
[] Send a Message - You do know how to contact the Saffron Gym. Sending them a message and waiting would be a valid option. However, they are busy this week so it may take a full day for someone to arrive. And Team Rocket appears to be preparing to leave.
[] Write-in
Round 1 Onix: Onix used Sand Tomb (DC15: 44). It's supereffective! Magneton lost 3% of their HP (97%).
Round 1 Magneton: Magneton used Flash Cannon (DC1: 55). It's supereffective! Onix lost 100% of her HP (0%).
Tetsuya sent out Hypno
Round 2 Hypno: Hypno feints Hypnosis. Hypno used Fire Punch (DC1: 3). It's supereffective! Magneton lost 8% of their HP (89%).
Round 2 Magneton: Magneton used Flash Cannon (DC1: 75). Hypno lost 87% of his HP (13%).
Round 3 Hypno: Hypno used Poison Gas to hide his location (DC75: 84). Magneton struggles to locate Hypno.
Round 3 Magneton: Magneton used Flash Cannon (DC50: 48). Hypno avoided the attack. (DC50: 17). The poison cloud remains.
Round 4 Hypno: Hypno uses Psybeam (DC50: 67). Magneton loses 20% of their HP (69%).
Round 4 Magneton: Magneton used Flash Cannon (DC50: 16). Hypno avoided the attack. (DC50: 91). The poison cloud dissipates.
Round 5 Hypno: Hypno used Disable (DC50: 50). Magneton's Flash Cannon was disabled. (Till Round 13)
Round 5 Magneton: Magneton used Thunder Shock (DC15: 13). Hypno avoided the attack.
Round 6 Hypno: Hypno used Disable (DC50: 92). Magneton's Thunder Shock was disabled. (Till Round 13)
Round 6 Magneton: Magneton used Electro Ball (DC15: 7). Hypno avoided the attack.
Round 7 Hypno: Hypno used Disable (DC50: 33). Magneton avoided the attack.
Round 7 Magneton: Magneton used Electro Ball (DC15: 65). Hypno lost 13% of his HP (0%). Hypno fainted!
Tetsuya sent out Kingler
Round 8 Kingler: Kingler used Water Gun to accelerate Mud Shot (DC80: 26). Kingler failed to do so.
Round 8 Magneton: Magneton used Electro Ball (DC15: 22). Kingler lost 100% of his HP (0%). Kingler fainted!
Tetsuya sent out Pidgeotto
Round 9 Pidgeotto: Pidgeotto used Quick Attack to try and grab Magneton (DC80: 3). Pidgeotto hurt himself attempting to do so. Pidgeotto lost 16% of his HP (84%).
Round 9 Magneton: Magneton used Electro Ball (DC15: 96). A Critical Hit. Pidgeotto lost 84% of his HP (0%). Pidgeotto fainted!
