Violet's initial idea was to use Forretress to clear out the Meowscarada and Blastoise before focusing on the Skeledirge. It would be quick and certain, an easy victory.
But it wasn't optimal.
Violet forced herself to take a breath and think. Blissey was a must due to the sheer value Life Dew provided, while Dragonair's knowledge of Fire Blast meant that he could remove the Meowscarda on his own. The last Pokemon would optimally be Umbreon due to his effectiveness against ghost types. But … Gengar had yet to battle …
She gripped the three Pokeballs in her hands and threw them underhanded. Flashes of red light led to the appearance of Blissey, Dragonair, and Gengar. This was then followed by Dragonair coiling around the other two, rising until his head touched the cave's ceiling. A pleased chirp echoed through the tunnel that was then followed by a cheer from Blissey.
"Let the battle begin," Willow said, notably quieter than she would normally be.
Violet felt her posture shift, her eyes studying her opponent even as her Pokemon leaped into action themselves. Dragonair shot forward with Meowscarada counter-charging, a faint hint of frost clinging to the Magician Pokemon. "Outrage on Blastoise," Violet called out, her plan swiftly changing as she spotted Blastoise withdrawing into his shell for a Shell Smash. "Blissey, intercept." Gengar didn't need any orders himself, already understanding his role to trade blows with Skeledirge.
A Triple Axel smashed into Blissey's Protect before Meowscarada cartwheeled off as a Fire Blast slammed into it next. Then Dragonair charged through the flames, Outrage causing Blastoise to roar in pain but remain barely standing. Then a Dark Pulse followed his movement, striking Skeledirge who briefly grunted at the blow.
Immediately, Aria issued a series of orders, which unfortunately for her, Violet had already preempted. "Hold the Protect up, Gengar, Sucker Punch."
A second Triple Axel slammed into Blissey's Protect, even as Gengar darted forward with incredible speed. His Sucker Punch preempted Blastoise's Wave Crash and caused the Shellfish Pokemon to faint. Dragonair launched himself passed Skeledirge's second Fire Blast to slam into Meowscarada, causing the Magician Pokemon to slide back but remain standing.
"Fire Blast," Violet ordered, a maw of flame darted towards Meowscarada who barely managed to backflip over it. A third triple axel lashed out, but Dragonair twisted in midair, avoiding all three blows by the barest of margins.
"Do it again!" Aria called out, excited to see her Meowscarada remove Dragonair from play.
"You're not looking at the right 'mon," Violet said louder than intended, causing Willow to glance at her and instantly realize the plan.
A second Fire Blast bloomed and struck Meowscarada causing the Magician Pokemon to faint. From the backlines, Blissey puffed herself up followed by Dragonair mimicking the sound of a clap with his tail.
The rest of the battle was rather straightforward with Blissey easily healing her Pokemon while Dragonair and Gengar constantly attacked Skeledirge until they fainted. After which Aria congratulated her on the win before notably avoiding a glaring Willow. Then the other trainer left for the Pokecenter.
*Dragonair improves Outrage from B– to B-*
*Dragonair is now very close to evolving*
*Blissey improves Fire Blast from C to C+*
Now Violet and Willow had to figure out a way to get through this door. The unknown script implied a puzzle where they would have to translate it then press the letters in the right order to spell out a four-letter word. Which gave them a few options on how to approach it.
[] Brute Force - Certain to work, but also certain to take a very long time. You estimate it would take a full week of trying various combinations of letters until it finally works.
[] Seek out the Language - Taking some pictures of the unknown script and returning to the Pokecenter will allow you to decode it somewhat easily. But it's possible that this leads to a riddle that's hard to solve.
[] Scale the Caldera - Circumventing the door and climbing through the caldera is a viable option. You would need special equipment for it, but Cinnabar Island has that. Willow is very enthusiastic about this option
[] Write-in
[X] Seek out the Language - Taking some pictures of the unknown script and returning to the Pokecenter will allow you to decode it somewhat easily. But it's possible that this leads to a riddle that's hard to solve.
[X] Seek out the Language - Taking some pictures of the unknown script and returning to the Pokecenter will allow you to decode it somewhat easily. But it's possible that this leads to a riddle that's hard to solve.
[X] Seek out the Language - Taking some pictures of the unknown script and returning to the Pokecenter will allow you to decode it somewhat easily. But it's possible that this leads to a riddle that's hard to solve.
You have to do your homework at some point Willow.
[X] Seek out the Language - Taking some pictures of the unknown script and returning to the Pokecenter will allow you to decode it somewhat easily. But it's possible that this leads to a riddle that's hard to solve.
I would rather work on this from the comfort of a Pokecenter rather in a Ruin.
@Daemon Hunter, Gengar has been shown to be able to phase through walls naturally due to being a ghost-type in anime, manga and games. So completely unrelated to the situation at hand can Gengar just phase through the door, and either unlock it from the other side or partially unphase his fingertips to trip the locking mechanism from inside the door/read the answers from inside the door as these types of doors clearly show the answers if you look inside the locking mechanism?
@Daemon Hunter, Gengar has been shown to be able to phase through walls naturally due to being a ghost-type in anime, manga and games. So completely unrelated to the situation at hand can Gengar just phase through the door, and either unlock it from the other side or partially unphase his fingertips to trip the locking mechanism from inside the door/read the answers from inside the door as these types of doors clearly show the answers if you look inside the locking mechanism?
An interesting idea, and I'll say that Gengar can do so for most doors. There's ways to work around it and lock out ghost Pokemon although this door doesn't have a design that does that so it would be a valid write in.
[X] Have Gengar phase through the door and unlock it from the other side. If this isn't possible have him phase into the door to either unlock it by manipulating the locking mechanism or read the answers to the locking mechanism from the inside.
[X] Have Gengar phase through the door and unlock it from the other side. If this isn't possible have him phase into the door to either unlock it by manipulating the locking mechanism or read the answers to the locking mechanism from the inside.
[X] Have Gengar phase through the door and unlock it from the other side. If this isn't possible have him phase into the door to either unlock it by manipulating the locking mechanism or read the answers to the locking mechanism from the inside.
if they did not want people with ghost pokemon to do this, they would have had a different test.
[X] Have Gengar phase through the door and unlock it from the other side. If this isn't possible have him phase into the door to either unlock it by manipulating the locking mechanism or read the answers to the locking mechanism from the inside.
[X] Have Gengar phase through the door and unlock it from the other side. If this isn't possible have him phase into the door to either unlock it by manipulating the locking mechanism or read the answers to the locking mechanism from the inside.
[X] Have Gengar phase through the door and unlock it from the other side. If this isn't possible have him phase into the door to either unlock it by manipulating the locking mechanism or read the answers to the locking mechanism from the inside.
Health: B+ (116)
Stamina: C+
Attack: C+
Defense: B+
Special Attack: B
Special Defense: A-
Speed: A-
Evasion: A-
Moves
Flamethrower: B--
Quick Attack: C+
Safeguard: B--
Will-O-Wisp: C++
Encore: C++
Weather Ball: B--
Baton pass: C++
Special Skills
Flash Fire
Item
Heat Rock
Alright, I'll be closing the vote here. Seems that using Gengar as a lockpick wins. Good news is that gets you through the door and into the gym, where you now have to face Blaine for the gym badge. And as for his first Pokemon, that's a Ninetails with these stats.
Scheduled vote count started by Daemon Hunter on Nov 25, 2024 at 9:21 PM, finished with 12 posts and 8 votes.
[X] Have Gengar phase through the door and unlock it from the other side. If this isn't possible have him phase into the door to either unlock it by manipulating the locking mechanism or read the answers to the locking mechanism from the inside.
[X] Seek out the Language - Taking some pictures of the unknown script and returning to the Pokecenter will allow you to decode it somewhat easily. But it's possible that this leads to a riddle that's hard to solve.
Dragonair can lead this battle since he resists Flamethrower, takes negligible damage from Quick and Weather Bell, due to Shed Skin most likely won't be burned by Will-O-Wisp well taking out Ninetales, and doesn't care about Encore since he's locked into using Outrage regardless.
Kanto Week 42 Part 1 - Breaking and Enterring (Legally)New
[X] Have Gengar phase through the door and unlock it from the other side. If this isn't possible have him phase into the door to either unlock it by manipulating the locking mechanism or read the answers to the locking mechanism from the inside.
Initially, Violet resigned herself to heading back to the main city and seeking out the language. Then she remembered that Gengar could phase through walls as a ghost type. "Gengar," she said quietly. "Can you open the door?"
Gengar looked at her, momentarily surprised before he gave a devious grin. He held out a hand expectantly.
Violet sighed, "Will I have to bribe you every time?"
She handed over a candy bar, while Gengar simply nodded without an ounce of remorse. Returning to the door, he began to phase his hand through the door, slowly discerning the locking mechanism so he could unlatch it.
"Well, that's one way to solve a puzzle," Willow said with a grin, draping an arm across Violet's shoulders. "It feels a bit like cheating though."
"If this wasn't an intended solution, they'd have had a different test," Violet replied.
"But I really wanted to climb the caldera," Willow whined. "It would have been so cool!"
Violet couldn't help but softly smile at Willow's expression. "We could climb it afterward if you want?"
Chewing on the inside of her lip, Willow mentally calculated how much time they had. "Two weeks for Fuchsia, two for Saffron, and extra in between…" She muttered. "With the training I'd need to do, I don't know if I have the time for it."
"We've had a busy few weeks," Violet commented. It seemed that traveling, the Cage Balls, and the gym battles had prevented her from seeing the sights or exploring as she wished. Willow herself had been focused on training and gyms, which left her in a similar boat where she lacked adventure.
"After the Plateau, I kind of want to just explore yanno?" Willow said, gesturing with her hand to emphasize her point. "There's so much I wanna see and do, so it'd be nice to not have to worry about badges for a bit."
"The Rock Tunnel was fun," Violet added, a nostalgic smile crossing her face as she remembered her adventures in caving. It would have been better if she didn't have to worry about Team Rocket, but the amount of traveling she got to do in that region of Kanto would forever remain a core memory for her. "We could explore the Cerulean tunnels maybe?"
Significantly more dangerous than the Rock Tunnel, the Cerulean Tunnels were home to incredibly powerful Pokemon. It was a regional mystery as to why strong Pokemon seemed to be drawn to it as well as why wild Pokemon saw significant growth rates in the area. "That'd be fun," Willow said with a grin. "We could also cross the mountains to Pasio, or swim the ocean to the Sevil islands! Just imagine the possibilities."
Gengar called out, adding a pleased sound at the idea of visiting other regions.
"Just imagine all the different food!" Willow gestured towards Gengar, getting a thumbs up from him in approval.
"Don't give him ideas," Violet muttered, trying to sound serious but unable to hide her laugh entirely.
A few seconds later, Gengar stepped back and bowed. The door swung freely on its hinges, and the two girls were hit with a wave of hot air as it opened. Within, they found a Pokemon arena suspended over a pit of magma. Looking up, they saw the open skies through the maw of the caldera, and across the arena was the gym leader.
To Violet's eyes, Blaine was pleased that a set of challengers had made it to him. However, he hid it well, to the point that an ordinary individual would think he was annoyed at the interruption. "Whose Gengar is that?" The gym leader asked.
Violet raised a hand and stepped forward, not bothering to reply. Without a word exchanged between them, Willow stepped back allowing Violet to take the first battle with Blaine.
"No banter?" The gym leader asked, tilting his head to emphasize the point.
Adjusting her shirt to try and account for the heat in the arena, Violet felt sweat on her skin begin to form streaks in the ash and soot that coated her frame. She looked at Blaine who appeared unruffled by the heat and ash in the air. "No banter," Violet replied, her voice calm but firm.
Blaine raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Straight to the point, I can respect that." He reached for a Pokeball from the pocket of his coat. "This will be a three-on-three, a limit of 4 switches for each trainer. Are you ready?"
Violet replied by grabbing a Pokeball and tossing it in the air, and a moment later, Blaine replied with a Pokemon of his own.
Health: B+ (116)
Stamina: C+
Attack: C+
Defense: B+
Special Attack: B
Special Defense: A-
Speed: A-
Evasion: A-
Moves
Flamethrower: B--
Quick Attack: C+
Safeguard: B--
Will-O-Wisp: C++
Encore: C++
Weather Ball: B--
Baton pass: C++
Special Skills
Flash Fire
Item
Heat Rock
Violet's Thoughts: A setup Pokemon intended to buff Pokemon that follow in their wake, Ninetales is nonetheless a capable fighter. Even if that isn't their specialty, the risk of burns can cause even powerful Pokemon to be set back.
Violet's Perceptive Trait Kicks in!
Blaine will open with Weather Ball unless he's able to knock out a Pokemon with a single hit from Flamethrower or Quick Attack. He'll then use Safeguard unless up against Dragonair where he'll use Will-O-Wisp. On round three he'll use Baton Pass to switch Magmortar in.
If Violet's Pokemon uses a non-damaging move, he'll have Ninetales use Encore.
There's an 81% chance that Dragonair knocks out Ninetales here and evolves as a result. He's also not at risk of being burned due to Shed Skin and is good into Magmortar so it's fine to leave him in.