it's pretty much the same average result, just with a smoother distribution and higher highs and lower lows, which checks out since the EV for a d100 is 50.5 and you're trading 2*(50.5)+100 for 3*(50.5)+50, so you only gain 0.5 in EV overall.
honestly, the only column that stands out is the one that goes from 1d50+100 to 1d100+100, since it's the only one that actually gains an appreciable amount.
How would the immunity change affect secondary typing resistances? Originally it just replaces but if its a multiplier that changes the dynamics for some pokemon whose immunities cover a weakness
How would the immunity change affect secondary typing resistances? Originally it just replaces but if its a multiplier that changes the dynamics for some pokemon whose immunities cover a weakness
[X] Plan Establishing One's Self
-[X] The World in a City (1/10) (2 Times)
-[X] To Train Them is Your Cause
-[X] Ostia and Argy
-[X] Erika
After Orientation, Leaf leads your class to what was going to be your classroom. It was on the second floor of Rodrigo Hall, the same place as all the other First Year Classrooms.
She told your class to pick a seat and release a Pokemon each, while she goes and gets something from the Faculty Office. So you release Roland, Ostia sends out Argy and Erika releases Cornelia.
Your other classmates release their own Pokemon. Nemona has a Chimchar, Jacinto has a Swablu, and Atticus sent out a Spinarak. As for the nobles in the class, Theodora sent out a Fennekin, Manuel has a Horsea and the girl who you now know as Elise releases a Honedge.
Roland seemed ecstatic seeing Ostia and Argy again, you do give a questioning look to Argy.
"O̴s̷t̵i̷a̴ ̶i̵s̵ ̵f̶u̵n̵c̸t̷i̵o̵n̴a̶l̵.̴ ̵T̸h̷e̵y̵ ̴w̸e̸r̴e̴ ̶t̶r̸a̵i̶n̴i̷n̵g̵ ̵f̶o̵r̴ ̷t̴h̴e̴ ̶p̶a̸s̸t̷ ̴t̶w̸o̵ ̸d̵a̶y̷s̶.̷" What the hell does functional mean?
Erika looks between you and Argy, suspecting something. You mouth 'Later' to stop her from pushing for now.
While Ostia played with Roland, Cornelia and Argy seem to introduce themselves to one another. They seem to get along well with one another. Which reminds you…
"Ostia, let me introduce you to a friend. Ostia meet Erika. Erika meet Ostia." You step out of the way for the two to properly meet each other.
"Greetings, Ostia, it is nice to meet you." Erika curtsies politely, even pulling on their skirt. If you hadn't spent the past two days with Erika, it might seem like a sarcastic gesture. But no, she is simply just Like This.
It's almost endearing, if not for the fact that Ostia seems entirely unamused by it.
"Hello." Ostia finally responds after spending a few seconds staring at Erika. You hold back a sigh, this is gonna be a work in progress.
Leaf slammed the door open while entering the room. "Alright, Duckletts, back to your seats. I've got gifts for you since it's your first day!" Wiggly followed after her carrying a sizable box. Your entire class went back to your chairs.
Putting the box at the teacher's table, she takes out one of its contents and shows it to the class. It's been awhile but you remember what it looked like. It's an ARCUS.
"Hmmm…" Leaf has a finger to her chin and looks around at the class. "Elise, you're my new favorite, sorry Mariana, catch!" She then threw the ARCUS she was holding at Elise like a frisbee. Elise for her part managed to catch it precisely. Wiggly claps at the display.
"Since you're in this class, you probably saw that baby back during your entrance exams. Consider this the finished version." Leaf took out another ARCUS from the box and opened it. "The All-Round Communication & Unison System or ARCUS for short, is going to be your Pokedex, your Tera Orb and your phone, all in one. Look, it can even float!" At that, she let go of the ARCUS she was holding and it did indeed start floating on its own.
Elise meanwhile was using the Pokedex feature to scan Wiggly and whatever she saw caused her eyes to widen. Wiggly, smiling, waves back at her in response.
"I need you Duckletts to get one each then link them to your Trainer Cards. It's to officially begin your time as students of Class VII!" As you stand up to get an ARCUS, you're interrupted by Jacinto raising their voice.
"With all due respect Ma'am, we still haven't been briefed on what Class VII exactly is. Why do we have our own dorms, why is it a class of both Nobles and Commoners and now this? I believe we're due for at least some explanation." You don't exactly disagree with what Jacinto is saying.
"And don't give us that canned line of 'Social Experiment,' I believe we've all heard it by now." It was Manuel who spoke up this time. If not for how Jacinto glared at him, you might've mistaken them coordinating to do this.
There's an awkwardness in the class after the outbursts of the two students. The only ones who seemed to be enjoying themselves was Theodora, who looked amused at what was going on. And Leaf, who still has her trademark smile on her face.
"I'm so glad you asked, Mr. Laureano." Manuel, Theodora and Erika all raised an eyebrow at Leaf's mention of Jacinto's last name.
"I apologize for the canned line, Mr. de Cascaraffa, but social experiment is the best way to describe Class VII. Both the Academy and League wants to see if Classes with both nobles and commoners are a viable step forward. You guys just happen to be skilled enough to be our case study." Leaf explained in a sweetly saccharine tone. Jacinto doesn't look happy but seems mollified enough at the answer to sit down.
"So we're guinea pigs?" Erika outright saying the words most of the class were thinking.
"Closer to lab Rattatas." Theodora quips.
"Enough commentary from the peanut gallery, come get your ARCUS already." The device itself is rather compact, only slightly larger than your hand. It kind of resembles some of the older Pokedexes you've seen online. The Imperial Pyroar and Rapidash alongside the Academy's full name is on the ARCUS' faceplate cover. Flipping it open, there's a screen up top and a Tera Orb on the bottom half of the device.
You sync your Trainer Card to the ARCUS and it turns on, briefly what seems to be two blue ovals in the guise of eyes appear on screen before quickly disappearing. What was that? Is this like a Porygon Phone?
"Mariana, there's a Pokemon in the ARCUS!" Ostia whispers to you. So that was a Pokemon after all. You take a second look at the ARCUS' screen, shaking it a little at the same time. Maybe the Pokemon will react if you do that? For some reason Erika is looking at you in disbelief.
"How could you tell?" You quietly ask them.
"…Argy told me…" Ostia seems shy all of a sudden when explaining it to you. You look at the Beldum, who nods up and down, confirming what Ostia said. You'll tell Erika about the Pokemon in the ARCUS later. As for your own ARCUS, worse comes worse, you still have your phone.
"If everyone's settled down now and set up their ARCUS, I've gotta bounce. You kids have other classes in a few minutes and I have work to do. See you all during homeroom on Wednesday! Tah-tah!" With that, Leaf left the room, Wiggly carrying the now empty box behind her, pantomiming her own goodbye to the class. You wave goodbye to the Wigglytuff in response.
With Leaf gone the class devolved back to the miniature "friend groups" that have been slowly forming over the past few days. Your tentative trio with Ostia and Erika centered around you. Your two friends occasionally argue about Pokemon. Nemona serving as an almost unknowing intermediary between Manuel and Jacinto. Nemona herself is eager to discuss battling with her two new friends while the latter two are pointedly ignoring each other's existence. Theodora was in a conversation with Elise, the latter having dragged Atticus to join them. You couldn't really hear what they were discussing.
These little divisions would continue on throughout the rest of the day. With only Elise making the effort of talking to everyone in the class. Speaking of.
"Hey Elise." You greet her as she approaches you now that your Math class just ended."
You two idly make small talk as Class VII heads to the last class of the day: Natural Sciences. You introduce her to Ostia, who still reacts in that reluctant and shy way they do when interacting with people who aren't you or Erika. Well for Erika, Ostia is just bratty with her.
Your teacher for Natural Sciences is someone you actually recognize. Miss Gregoria or more professionally, Ms. Nemo. Despite your sometimes adversarial relationship with Math and Sciences, you'd say that Ms. Nemo does a pretty good job of teaching. Something about her teaching method and way of speaking keeps your attention throughout the entire class.
Faster than you'd realize, the bell rings and classes for the day are over. Erika excuses herself saying that she'll be checking the "world famous" libraries of Mesagoza Academy. The air quotes are hers, not yours.
So it's just you and Ostia leaving the Academy Grounds for the day. They've invited you to join them in going to the various eateries Which is convenient since you were already planning to spend after classes with them.
Your journey starts with the food stands and concessions outside the Academy Town. Kanto Crepes, Chic Kebab, Smoochurros, and Sugar-N-Ice. By the fifth vending cart both you and Roland were already feeling full. Ostia however hasn't slowed down at all.
"Thish wone hash a schpishiness to ith!" Ostia says through a mouth filled with your most recent meal, a Holon Taco. You wipe some of the hot sauce that got all over their mouth with a tissue. At least Ostia seems to be enjoying themself.
They're kind of a foodie, doing a critique of all the meals you've both eaten this far. They also leave pretty hefty tips to the concessionaires alongside the payments.
"You really enjoy eating, don't you? Finish what's in your mouth first before you answer." You say while eating the rest of Roland's taco. Little guy doesn't like spicy food. Watching the two of you was Argy who hasn't responded to your attempts to communicate with them.
Ostia nods while finishing their taco. "I love the flavor a lot! C'mon, Mary, let's get some more food!"
"Mary?" You ask, unable to stop yourself from smiling. Did Ostia give you a nickname?
Ostia suddenly gets all shy, looking down at their fidgeting hands. "I wanted to give you a nickname. I'm sorry…"
"It's a lovely nickname. Of course you can call me Mary." At your response, Ostia relaxes and their expression brightens up.
You two continue visiting food stands for another hour or so. By the end of it, you feel lethargic and bloated. You are definitely not eating dinner tonight. Outstandingly, Ostia is still eating and has kept the same pace despite the fact that you're pretty sure they've ingested nearly their own body weight in food.
"What Pokemon is in the ARCUS anyways?" You ask while sitting down on a bench. You feel like you're gonna explode. Roland isn't looking any better and has decided to rest themselves on your head.
"I dunno." Ostia nonchalantly shrugs while eating a froyo. "Argy says the Pokemon isn't that smart yet and it'd be rude to try and poke them." You look at the Beldum for clarification and they of course offer none. Oh shit, before you forgot.
"Wanna swap numbers?" This should help you keep in contact with them. Ostia however looks down on the ground.
"I wanna but the phone Miss Raifort gave me only takes calls from her." You're gonna punch her teeth in one day. You're interrupted, however, by Argy making a loud humming noise that causes Ostia to smile.
"The ARCUS! You're right, Argy! Miss Leaf did say it could act like a phone!" You both hurriedly pull out your respective ARCUS and swap numbers. Giving Ostia's number a call and relaxing when it manages to go through. Ostia themselves look incredibly happy and are already goofing off with the voice distortion caused by the phone call.
Your celebration was interrupted by Ostia's other phone ringing. You both go silent as the kid picks up.
"...Miss Raifort. I'm in Mesagoza, yeah… Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Oh…okay." Ostia doesn't seem as despondent at the end of this call as they were last time. "Miss Raifort is busy this week so they can't pick me up personally." Oh thank fuck. "It's just going to be Mr. Grumpig and I still have my curfew." Ostia explains after their call.
"You know what that means, Argy! I don't have to do Training!" There's genuine relief in their eyes. You turn to the Beldum for an explanation and they still refuse to offer one. Fine.
"Training?" You ask Ostia innocently. Argy glares at you for asking the kid directly. Maybe they should've given that explanation when they had the chance.
"Uhhhh…It's Training to make me stronger…" Ostia awkwardly attempts to explain.
"I̸t̸ ̵u̶s̵ ̵p̶h̷y̷s̵i̶c̶a̴l̸ ̷a̶n̸d̵ ̶m̶e̶n̴t̴a̵l̶ ̴c̶o̸n̶d̵i̶t̶i̶o̶n̶i̸n̷g̸.̷ ̷A̵n̴y̸ ̸f̴u̴r̸t̶h̸e̸r̸ ̴w̸i̶l̴l̶ ̴e̵n̸d̴a̵n̵g̷e̵r̶ ̴y̷o̵u̸.̷" Argy finally relents and answers you telepathically. The mental sting remains but isn't as painful as it used to be.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Ostia." You back off having finally an answer from the Beldum. You don't like the sound of the word 'conditioning,' especially when it comes to a kid. You hope Leaf finds something soon. Ostia slumps in relief, you feel slightly guilty for pushing the topic.
Out of nowhere, a Grumpig appears in front of you and Ostia. Ignoring you, the Pokemon gestures for Ostia to come with them. Ostia finishes their froyo and tries to throw the cup towards the trashcan like a basketball. Impressively they manage to get it in the bin.
"Bye, Mary! See you tomorrow!" Ostia waves goodbye as they, Argy and the Grumpig teleport away. Leaving you alone with Roland who's fallen asleep. You hope Ostia will be okay.
You return to the Class VII dorms for the night, quickly greeting Leaf and your classmates in the dining hall before heading straight to bed. What a first day this was.
You see Ostia the next day during classes no worse for wear. They wave at you and you ruffle their hair once you get close. They giggle and tell you to quit it, which you do. They suddenly frown and they grab your hand putting it back on their head. You sigh and continue ruffling until class starts.
Classes for the day pass you by with the only major occurrence being you finding out that your proctor during the practical exam, Mr. Iosef, is also your Arts Professor. You really didn't expect that from someone of his stature. The sight of an earthen brickhouse of a man, even taller than you, holding a small book discussing Johtoan Calligraphy is bizarre. Thankfully, you and Erika manage to keep any commentary to yourselves.
"So what do you wanna do today?" You ask Ostia after class. They look sad in response.
"Sorry… Miss Raifort says I have a curfew while they're busy for the week. So I have to go home early. Mr Grumpig will pick me up…Sorry, I can't continue our food adventure…" They look down at the ground with a sad expression.
"Oh no worries, it's fine, we can go hang out next week wherever you want. Just stay safe, alright?" You quickly reassure them that it's fine and try your best to keep them from getting sad. Ostia eventually leaves and says goodbye with a pretty weak smile on their face. Argy trails after them as they leave the Academy Grounds.
"So how's the single mother life treating you?" Erika remarks having just arrived. You roll her eyes at her teasing. "What's up with them, anyways?"
"It's…not my place to tell. But they're from a not-so-great domestic situation." You reply, not willing to drag her into what you know about Raifort or the general weirdness surrounding Ostia.
"I was kidding about the single mother thing! Don't actually try to adopt the kid." That's an idea, though you don't have the means for that yet. You're too powerless and weak.
"Ughh, you're actually contemplating it, aren't you. C'mon, join me in the library to take your mind off this, you kinda look miserable." You're not brooding that much over this. But fine, it's good to distract yourself from this before you spiral.
Erika explains on the way to the library in Rodrigo Hall that she found a number of books about the Post Dark Ages in Andosin and its older variant. You do remember idly mentioning interest in learning more Old Andosin back in your study session. Mostly because the Training Manual Jenkins and his monk friend gave you is in Old Andosin. Is she still trying to make it up to you for what happened during Sunday?
"What's the difference between old and current Andosin?" Erika asks as you enter the library.
The Rodigo Hall Library is one of the oldest in Paldea. Established by Emperor Rodrigo during his final years, most of the books that initially made up the library belonged to his personal collection. This started a tradition where the Nobility and the Imperial Family in specific would donate portions of their collections to the Academy as part of their wills. So in comparison to the Artazon Grand Bibliotheque and the Maria Hall, the Rodrigo Library is a lot more eclectic in its selection.
"From what my teachers told me, Old Andosin is the language and writing system our people used when we came to the highlands during the late Neolithic around 3000 years ago. While modern Andosin has a lot more influence from Paldean and Kalosian." You answer her while checking in to the Library, handing in your Trainer Card to the receptionist.
You take a seat while Erika gets the books she found yesterday from a Librarian. You take this opportunity to send out Roland for the day, lazy bum is still filled from yesterday's meals and they refused to come out earlier that morning.
They take one look at their surroundings and they immediately demand to go back to their ball. You refuse and try to wrest the Pokeball away from their reach.
"C'mon, you bum, I need to teach you how to read eventually!" You say struggling to keep the ball out of the Dreepy's reach. A scolding from Librarian distracts you long enough that he manages to get back into his ball. Ugh, fine, have it your way. You can already feel the smug radiating from within the Pokeball.
"It'll be fine, Erika, they're just a brat." Erika says in an impression of your voice, returning books in hand and Cornelia trailing after her, balancing a couple more books on her head. You roll your eyes at her, you don't need this from Miss Fairy Type.
You both spend the next hour or so just reading your respective books. Yours is a historical ballad in Old Andosin, with a modern reprinting in modern Andosin next to it. While Erika's is something about Dark Age Myths and Legends. You both just read and keep each other company for what feels like an hour.
Your mind eventually wanders to the Stakes and where they might've come from. You doubt structures like those would've survived the Great Collapse, especially if they're all over Paldea.
You notice that Erika seems so engrossed with what they're reading that her hair has draped her head and her book completely. Well, that's no good. You're seated pretty close to one another so you can prolly fix that. You decide to lean over where you're sitting from so as to move her hair out of the way and back behind her head. Erika looks up from what she was reading and sees you. Her face grows red and she makes a wheezing noise. Now you're worried.
"Are you alright, you look flushed?" You say, worrying for her health.
"I-I'm fine just, uh, you're— I mean it's pretty hot in here, huh?!" You did choose the part of the library far from any air conditioning.
"Do you wanna move elsewhere?" You offer, if it'll make Erika feel better.
"N-No it's fine, we can just stay here." With that, you both return to reading until the library closes for the night.
The next day comes and it's homeroom with Leaf once again. This time she has what seems to be a ballot box with her. Wiggly is holding a cup with nine strips of paper inside of it.
"That stick-in-the-mud Henry told me that your class doesn't have a Class President yet. So I'm gonna fix that via a fair and democratic election. The first of its kind in Paldea. I'm such an innovator." It's kinda weird how you've gotten used to her antics by now. "Each of you will write-in a name on the paper Wiggly is gonna hand out. You're then gonna give it back and I'm gonna announce the results on Friday cause I wanna make that old coot squirm. Don't worry, you can vote for yourselves if you want to."
As Wiggly goes around the room handing out paper and collecting votes, you write down your own vote, thinking nothing of it. Unbeknownst to you, that vote just broke a 4-way tie. So who is the Class President of the First Class VII?:
[] Jacinto: Strangely enthusiastic about becoming Class President, He even had a speech and everything. Something tells you he'll be a stickler for the rules. Setting aside the smug look he was giving Manuel the entire time.
Jacinto will be Class President
Who else Voted for him?: Nemona and Jacinto himself
Will bring Jacinto and Manuel brewing rivalry to the forefront.
Improve Bond with Jacinto. 0/2 to Bond 1
[] Theodora: Gracefully bowing and thanking her classmate who voted for her, she looked at Leaf with a smug expression on her face which your teacher had a grimaced reaction to. Elise congratulates her and says it'll be a lot of responsibility. Theodora looks away saying that it'll be nothing for the likes of her.
Theodora will be Class President
Who else Voted for her? Manuel and Elise
???
Improve Bond with Theodora. 0/2 to Bond 1
[] Elise: Dumbfounded that she both won and that people voted for her, she gives a shaky promise to do her best to not disappoint the class. Theodora assures her that she'll do an excellent job. Leaf wraps an arm around Elise's neck declaring Elise her minion from now on.
Elise will be Class President
Who else Voted for her? Atticus and Theodora
Is the most neutral option
Improve Bond with Elise. 0/2 to Bond 1
[] …You?: You wrote your own name down as a bit of a lark. Thinking surely no one would vote for you. You only realized the gravity of your error when Erika and Ostia congratulated you and when Leaf wrapped her arm around you and declared you her minion for the foreseeable future.
You will be Class President. -1 AP once every three weeks not including Field Exercise Weeks.
Gain 5000 League Points every Month
Who else Betrayed Voted for you? Erika and Ostia
You will be the face of Class VII to the rest of the campus for good or ill
Improve Bond with Leaf. 0/2 to Bond 1
With the democratic process over, Leaf wraps up homeroom with one last announcement.
"Since I'm also your Battle Studies teacher, we'll be having class on Friday. I'm gonna be hosting a Round Robin Tournament between all of Class VII to see where you're at right now. Don't bother bringing healing items, I brought some for you kids to use. We're gonna be doing these Round Robins every first Battle Studies class of the month to measure your progress. So make sure to always be present, alright!" With an affirmative response from your class, Leaf bids farewell and leaves.
Hm… A thought occurs to you. This round robin will probably be the first time you actually command Roland in battle. That's… not optimal.
Shit, that's really not good.
What if people finally find out just how weak you are. Just how much of a fraud you are and how much you don't belong in the academy. What if Roland doesn't listen to you because of course he wont he has no reason to listen to someone like you and you fuck up completely and utterly disappointing everyone who has ever held expectation for you taking care of ostiawhatajoke youcanteventakecareofyourselfyourecompletelyfucked—
"Mary, are you alright?" You're shaken out of your trance by a worried looking Ostia. Next to you on a chair is also a worried looking Erika. You blink taking in your surroundings. This is… your last class of the day? Did you just zone out for hours on end?
"Mariana, we've been trying to snap you out of it the entire day. What happened?" It's Erika's turn to fuss over you now. You can't have them worry about something as minor as this.
"It's fine you two, I just zoned out is all." You try to reassure them but they're having none of it.
"You were muttering under your breath, Mariana, it absolutely was not nothing." You feel shame and guilt at the genuinely worried looks the two of them are giving you. Now you've gone and done it. You need to say something.
"I was just…worried about Friday, it's gonna be my first battle with Roland. I don't wanna embarrass myself." It's not even a lie. Both of them raise eyebrows at that, but thankfully neither of them question or push further.
"Okay, Mary…" The look of worry on Ostia's makes you feel worse. But you don't want to add more on both of their plates, you're the one that decided to help them. Burdening them with your own issues is absurd.
You manage to excuse yourself by saying that you wanted to do some training with Roland. It's not even a lie. Erika's questioning stare as you left the room told you that she knows you're hiding something.
Making your way over to the school's Training Field, you finally release Roland for the day. He's been lazy lately but you suspect he's gonna enjoy what you're gonna say.
"Roland, we're gonna have our first Battle together on Friday." And Roland immediately snaps into attention, all lethargy gone from their body. "We're gonna spend today and tomorrow training and getting used to fighting with one another. Are you ready for that?" Roland nods enthusiastically, which brings a smile to your face. Maybe you have this.
You pull out the ARCUS and check Roland on the Pokedex
Roland the Dreepy
Ability: Infiltrator
Moves: Astonish, Infestation, Quick Attack, Bite, Double Team, Shadow Sneak
Tera-Types: Dragon, Ghost, Steel
A pretty limited selection of moves, all things considered. You've heard that Dreepys are kind of difficult to train and use effectively prior to their evolution and you have a guess as to why. Their movepool is shallow enough that there's only really two ways a Dreepy could fight. A fast hit and run attacker using their speed to launch attacks of opportunity and get out before the enemy can retaliate. Or as a ranged attacker, using their mobility to maneuver and keep their distance while constantly peppering the enemy with attacks.
You have enough time to at least get Roland used to his moves but you know eventually you'll have to specialize Roland one way or another. Maybe more options might open once he evolves? Issues for later.
For the next two days you and Roland get used to each other in battle. You barely pay attention in class during Thursday going through the motions as you think up of techniques and ways for Roland to improve their moves. You're suddenly taken out of your trance this time by Erika pushing a notebook at you. It's…notes? Notes for today and yesterday's lessons. Erika wrote that all down for you? You're now noticing just how pretty Erika writes in cursive. Elegant but still readable.
"Uh… thank you, Erika? I don't know what to say—" She interrupts you by putting a finger up to your mouth. She looks entirely unamused with you. It's a weird sight since she's a head shorter than you. With her other hand she gestures at you to keep turning the pages of the notebook. Ah.
There written and underlined was "EXPLANATION TOMORROW. AFTER CLASS." Yea, you doubted she believed you yesterday. This just confirms it. You…think you should be able to explain it, without revealing just how utterly pathetic you are as a person. You nod and accept her terms.
Her gaze softens. "The kid's really worried about you, y'know?" You look away, feeling ashamed.
You throw yourself further into training with Roland later that day. You have to make sure you don't humiliate yourself tomorrow. If you can manage that then…
For what feels like the second time this day, you're interrupted out of your thoughts by someone. This time it's Roland. He looks expectantly at you. Right, you two should probably take a break. You've found out that Roland really likes you releasing an entire water bottle on him. Thank god for the academy's water fountains letting you refill your water bottle. Hmm…maybe you should try and get him to play outside once it rains in the city. He'll prolly like that.
"Do you think we've got this, Roland?" You ask during a break. They respond in that cute little chirp they always do, full of bravado that's infectious. He even managed to get becoming incorporeal down. At least for a few seconds before getting tired. Eventually the Training Field closes and you go back to the dorms.
Friday arrives and you are absolutely not ready.
You haven't been this nervous since the entrance exam. You're so nervous that even your other classmates who you've barely talked to are noticing.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Asks Elise for a second time during that morning on your way to academy grounds.
"Yes of course, I'm just, uh, nervous for later." Once again, you're thankful for Erika's tendency to sleep in. Had to knock on her door again to wake her up.
"Yea, I can get that. I don't wanna embarrass myself in front of the class." Finally, someone who gets it. You make small talk with Elise as you head to class. It calms your nerves a bit.
"ALRIGHT, DUCKLETTS, IT'S TIME!" Leaf shouts at the top of her lungs. At the start of class, your teacher led you to one of the Battle Arenas in Rodrigo Hall. It's empty aside from your class. Seems she reserved this for the whole 3 Hours of Battle Studies and then some.
"It's gonna be a Round Robin 1v1 with 10 minutes per fight. I'll cycle through all of you Duckletts so you can rest in between matches. On that table there are a bunch of Super Potions for injuries, all expenses paid by moi." She points to a table guarded by both Wiggly and Missy. The former waves at your class that you return.
"But that's enough chit chat! Get ready to battle!" Our first match of the day ~is…" Missy floats over to her with a cup filled with scraps of paper. Is that how she's gonna decide—
"Mariana!"
It's over. First match of the day?! You're fucked.
Your face pales, something that's definitely noticed by Erika and Ostia.
"Versus…"
[] "Nemona!": The girl squeals in excitement. A genuine skill for all things battle. A stride that exudes confidence in herself and her Pokemon. Everything you lack. You grimace. You're not winning are you.
Your first real battle is against Nemona. Her Pokemon is a Chimchar nicknamed Sunny
This will color your interactions going forward. Improve Bond with Nemona. 0/2 to Bond 1
She will be the measuring stick with which you judge your progress
No matter how absurd that gets
No better way to reveal your shortcomings as a Trainer than getting utterly trashed. (Gain extra SKLL XP)
This will be a MAJOR Battle
Chance of Victory is Slim.
[] "Ostia!": Your first friend looks at you with determination. "I know you're sad, Mary, battling always makes me feel better! I hope you'll feel better after this." Their genuine care for you warms your heart.
Your first real battle is against Ostia. Her Pokemon is a Beldum nicknamed Argy
This will color your interactions going forward. Greatly Improve Bond with Ostia and Argy. 1/3 to Bond 2
They will be the measuring stick with which you judge your progress
Man, it'd be kinda embarrassing to lose to a kid
Argy might try to trip you up mid-fight without Ostia's knowing. Because he's a jerk.
This will be a MAJOR Battle
Chance of Victory is Unlikely.
[] "Erika!": Her gaze is not quite cold but it is calculating. Only your experience with her myriad expressions reveals to you the worry in them. No words need to be said. She will have her explanation one or another.
Your first real battle is against Erika. Her Pokemon is a Carbink named Cornelia
This will color your interactions going forward. Greatly Improve Bond with Erika. 1/3 to Bond 2
She will be the measuring stick with which you judge your progress
You will be Rivals.
Her staring is typically cute, but during battle it's… unnerving. Like she's trying to dissect you.
You won't have to explain yourself after class anymore, at least.
This will be a MAJOR Battle
Chance of Victory is Even.
How does Mariana approach the fight?: [] OFFENSE: Roland is likely faster than every Pokemon that they could face today. Use that to launch Quick Attacks and rapidly pierce through enemy defenses with Bites and Shadow Sneaks. Occasionally use Double Team to disentangle themselves from a melee. Prioritize Ghost Tera Type to make Shadow Sneaks stronger. [] ATTRITION: Roland is likely faster than every Pokemon that they could face today. Double Team and Infestation allows for him to keep his distance and his mobility can prevent enemies from closing the distance. Simply outlast your opponent, occasionally using Shadow Sneak in moments of opportunity. Prioritize Dragon or Steel Tera Type for resistances and defense.
Stat Gains stored until end of Turn:
+200 SKLL XP
+200 CHRM XP
+330 KNOW XP
Actions Remaining:
The World in a City 1
The World in a City 2
Both actions will be held next update during the weekend
You will Receive Pokemon XP, SKLL XP and MXP from the Round Robin Fights, win or lose, no matter what. Outcome of the rest of the round robin is decided via current SKLL. Rest of the Round Robin fights other than your first one are gonna be offscreen'd, don't worry.
Vote for Class President and first Battle must be separate:
Example Plan
[]Elise
[]Rival Battle
- []Erika
- []Offense
You have no idea how funny I found it that you guys hadn't had a battle yet
Massive thanks to Nemastraea for proofreading this update
[X] …You?: You wrote your own name down as a bit of a lark. Thinking surely no one would vote for you. You only realized the gravity of your error when Erika and Ostia congratulated you and when Leaf wrapped her arm around you and declared you her minion for the foreseeable future.
[X]Rival Battle
- [X]Erika
- [X]Offense
I refuse to have the jet ghost dragon not go maximum offense overdrive.
Use that deep-set sense of worthlessness to propel yourself to glory, Mariana! Be the only person in the class who doesn't have a healthy amount of respect for you.
"The All-Round Communication & Unison System or ARCUS for short, is going to be your Pokedex, your Tera Orb and your phone, all in one. Look, it can even float!" At that, she let go of the ARCUS she was holding and it did indeed start floating on its own.
Elise meanwhile was using the Pokedex feature to scan Wiggly and whatever she saw caused her eyes to widen. Wiggly, smiling, waves back at her in response.
"I was kidding about the single mother thing! Don't actually try to adopt the kid." That's an idea, though you don't have the means for that yet. You're too powerless and weak.
"From what my teachers told me, Old Andosin is the language and writing system our people used when we came to the highlands during the late Neolithic around 3000 years ago. While modern Andosin has a lot more influence from Paldean and Kalosian." You answer her while checking in to the Library, handing in your Trainer Card to the receptionist.
Jesus but we've got swag (and no sense of personal space). The most Rean gets in this kind of situation (that doesn't result in a beating) is an accidental hand touch.
"I was just…worried about Friday, it's gonna be my first battle with Roland. I don't wanna embarrass myself." It's not even a lie. Both of them raise eyebrows at that, but thankfully neither of them question or push further.
Copypaste fail on the Ostia block, unless they're she/they now.
Votes are tricky. I don't know if Mariana is in a good headspace to start up a Friendly Rivalry with Erika, a genius with negative tact. Nemona is going to give us a complex, and Ostia...might be the best option. Even if we need to teach that asshole Beldum about consent to having our brain poked. Gonna have to think on this.
[X] …You?: You wrote your own name down as a bit of a lark. Thinking surely no one would vote for you. You only realized the gravity of your error when Erika and Ostia congratulated you and when Leaf wrapped her arm around you and declared you her minion for the foreseeable future.
Jacinto because I don't really want the pressure for our character and that action could be used elsewhere for our character's development.
Nemona because battle heavy and should be good for us in the long term hopefully, and attrition since I believe it does give Roland a nice chance at winning against the Chimchar by becoming infuriating to fight against.
[X] …You?: You wrote your own name down as a bit of a lark. Thinking surely no one would vote for you. You only realized the gravity of your error when Erika and Ostia congratulated you and when Leaf wrapped her arm around you and declared you her minion for the foreseeable future.
Surely throwing our nervous wreck of a PC with negative self-esteem into the limelight as the face and leader of a brand-new experimental class can't go wrong. Surely.
[X] Rival Battle
- [X] Nemona
- [X] Attrition
Well, if we're gonna take a long-shot might as well shoot for the stars with Nemona, even if trying to keep up with her will either make us one of the greatest trainers on the continent or break us utterly. And for battle strategy - I've always preferred more defensive strategies. Make keep away the name of the game and become the most annoying little shit on the field and hopefully we can bait Nemona into making a mistake in frustration. Plus, from the following quote:
Their movepool is shallow enough that there's only really two ways a Dreepy could fight. A fast hit and run attacker using their speed to launch attacks of opportunity and get out before the enemy can retaliate. Or as a ranged attacker, using their mobility to maneuver and keep their distance while constantly peppering the enemy with attacks.
I think the 'Attrition' option is about moving to specialize Roland in ranged attacks. You know what that means - eventual specialization as a Dragapult in the firing of ballistic Dreepy missiles. Become the (un)living artillery, firing your (un)living ammunition across the horizon! Going up and hitting stuff directly is for chumps who won't eventually have ballistic Dreepy launchers built into their heads.
Other random thoughts - Drakolak is the Caretaker Pokemon, they're all about caring for other smaller pokemon to the point that if they don't have a Dreepy to dote on they'll find a random pokemon as a substitute. But this also means once Roland evolves he's gonna be so ride or die for our nascent plans to adopt Ostia.
Nemona
Roland has a major defensive type advantage over Chimchar, which probably upgraded our prognosis from "Instant Death" to "Slim". Since Immunity doesn't exist, though, Nemona's advantage on Effect rolls - being probably the only student who outright beats us in SKLL - will probably let her roll us anyway.
Ostia
Roland has a major offensive type advantage over Argy, which dovetails nicely with the Offense option - spamming Double STAB Shadow Sneak could overwhelm the slower Beldum before it has a chance to do anything nasty. Argy's definitely hopped up on some expensive vitamins, though, and might reasonably be 1-badge instead of 0-badge because we're dealing with one of Trails's tykebombs here.
Erika
Unless she's done some TM or egg move shenanigans, we don't have to worry about Fairy moves wrecking our shit...but that's not a sure thing. Cornelia is also resistant to most of Roland's moves and is an actual tank of a Pokémon generally. Either strat could still work, either banking on it not resisting Shadow Sneak or Infestation not caring about Resistance, but the type matchup definitely works in the Rival's favor here.
Overall, I'd recommend Attrition against Nemona, Offense against Ostia, and either against Erika, if you were wondering.
"Hmmm…" Leaf has a finger to her chin and looks around at the class. "Elise, you're my new favorite, sorry Mariana, catch!" She then threw the ARCUS she was holding at Elise like a frisbee. Elise for her part managed to catch it precisely. Wiggly claps at the display.
"I was kidding about the single mother thing! Don't actually try to adopt the kid." That's an idea, though you don't have the means for that yet. You're too powerless and weak.
You notice that Erika seems so engrossed with what they're reading that her hair has draped her head and her book completely. Well, that's no good. You're seated pretty close to one another so you can prolly fix that. You decide to lean over where you're sitting from so as to move her hair out of the way and back behind her head. Erika looks up from what she was reading and sees you. Her face grows red and she makes a wheezing noise. Now you're worried.
"Are you alright, you look flushed?" You say, worrying for her health.
"I-I'm fine just, uh, you're— I mean it's pretty hot in here, huh?!" You did choose the part of the library far from any air conditioning.
[] Elise: Dumbfounded that she both won and that people voted for her, she gives a shaky promise to do her best to not disappoint the class. Theodora assures her that she'll do an excellent job. Leaf wraps an arm around Elise's neck declaring Elise her minion from now on.
What if people finally find out just how weak you are. Just how much of a fraud you are and how much you don't belong in the academy. What if Roland doesn't listen to you because of course he wont he has no reason to listen to someone like you and you fuck up completely and utterly disappointing everyone who has ever held expectation for you taking care of ostiawhatajoke youcanteventakecareofyourselfyourecompletelyfucked—
Girl. Jesus Christ. Someone get Mary a therapist please.
Y'know I mentioned that Elise should be class prez but I change my mind after reading the rest of this chapter, we're gonna get this girl an ego of some sort even if it kills her.
[X] …You?
Also, I refuse to fight Erika in this one instance, because while Rival can be a good thing, it feels sinister in this context for some reason. I don't have a reason for not fighting Ostia in this case, but since people love Nemona I'm simply leveraging her fan support to avoid battling Erika.
[X] Rival Battle
- [X] Nemona
- [X] Attrition
[X] Theodora: Gracefully bowing and thanking her classmate who voted for her, she looked at Leaf with a smug expression on her face which your teacher had a grimaced reaction to. Elise congratulates her and says it'll be a lot of responsibility. Theodora looks away saying that it'll be nothing for the likes of her.
I'm just repping the Umineko faceclaim honestly.
[X] Rival Battle
-[X] Ostia
-[X] Offense
I'm voting for what I think is best here, but if the eventual vote comes down to either Nemona plan, I'll change to Nemona Attrition.
I don't think Attrition is the right plan against Neomna's Chimchar
Infestation is a Bug-type move so no STAB, so Chimchar is resistant to it, so ×0.75 damage dealt. To get the chip damage effect in play, we have to beat Nemona in a opposed effect roll by 6 on a d20 - when she is the trainer with the higher SKL (probably +2 on us). That means if she rolls a 10, we need to roll 18 to set up Infestation. Those aren't favorable numbers for us.
Meanwhile, Offense focuses on a STAB Shadow Sneak with 1.25x dice on our end Chimchar does not resist, with secondary effects tied to initiative (a mechanic that seems random without Nemona's skill mattering, but Roland is Fast might). If we do trigger a secondary effect, it's a auto-dodge.
Given both attacks are 1d50+50, (avg: 75), This means Infestation does 56 damage on average and Shadow Sneak 96 damage, almost double.
If we want to do our best against Nemona we need to take the fight to her.
Hm. I hadn't considered that Infestation's DoT effect is technically a secondary effect, since it normally happens automatically (i.e. not the 10% or 30% chance of things like Flinch on Bite or Paralyze on Thunder Shock). I think this is a valid question for the QM, but by a plain reading of the rules listed so far you are correct.
