Round 2 - Arena 3

[Godai]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Chris Seenter}

Pokemon
Heracross Caught at Level 8 Nickname: Rein Gender: Male Type: Bug/Fighting Ability: Guts Height: 4’ 11” Weight: 119 lbs Health: Above Average EXP Rate: Slow EXP Gauge: (25/26) EXP Gained: 10 Level: 10 Division: D5 Total Stats: 140 Attack: 42 (30%) Defense: 24 Sp. Attack: 20 Sp. Defense: 24 Speed: 30 Vitamins Used: None	Moveset: 1. Bullet Seed 1. Arm Thrust 1. Endure 1. Horn Attack 1. Leer 1. Night Slash 1. Tackle 7. Feint 10. Aerial Ace Unique Moves: - - - - Item: Sitrus Berry

SPOILER: Click to show

{Bailey Hugo}

Declaration

Trapinch Gifted at Level 20 SPOILER: Click to show {Personality}This unusually small Trapinch is obsessed with dusty, dry dirt; unlike her friends who are obsessed with fighting. Why do a boring long battle when you can dig, kick dirt around, or stomp footprints into the dirt? Dirt is the BEST! SPOILER: Click to show {Strategy}WIP Nickname: Dusty Gender: Female Nature: Impish Type: Ground Ability: Hyper Cutter Height: 2’1” Weight: 33.1 lbs Health: Scrawny EXP Rate: Medium Slow EXP Gauge: (71/81) EXP Gained: 0 Level: 20 Division: D8 Total Stats: 220 Attack: 88 (40%) Defense: 35 Sp. Attack: 12 Sp. Defense: 35 Speed: 50 Vitamins Used: None

Moveset: 1. Bite 1. Sand Attack 1. Feint 1. Bide 5. Mud Slap 8. Bulldoze 12. Sand Tomb 15. Rock Slide 19. Dig Unique Moves: -Hidden Power [Flying] (TM) -Mimic (TM) - - Item: Soft Sand

[seenter]

”Chris Seenter? You’re up.” The announcement shocked Chris out of his numbed stupor, and he looked up to see the staff motioning for him to get up. With a nervous sigh the trainer rose to his feet and turned towards the doors the staff indicated. He had spent most of the time sitting and staring at his feet while other contestants had left for their battles. Samis was at his side for a good majority of the time, but one of the staff requested the grass Pokemon be returned in order to free up space within the waiting area. So Chris sat alone for a good part of 20 minutes as he wondered why the heck he was here.

Chris made his way out of the room and into the hallway that led to the four arenas that were going to be used. A staff member pointed him in the right direction and soon he found himself striding onto an open field with a lot of green. The spotlight illuminated him and the surrounding area, and he had to squint in order to let his eyes adjust to the sudden light. Once they did adjust, he just stood there stunned.

The green he saw was trees. Lots and lots of trees. It was like a small forest that had grown up within the arena. Chris spent some time examining the miniature forest before he heard the loud buzzing going on around him. It took him a moment to realize it was the steady cries of the crowd that had come to watch the battle. He stared in amazement at the crowd, which packed the seats as tightly as the one that watched the opening ceremony. A slight blush of shame crept to his face as he realized that he might not meet their expectations.

Shaking his head Chris calmed himself down and reached into his pocket. He had thought long and hard on which Pokemon he’d be using for this fight. Even though he was most familiar with his partner Samis; the grass Pokemon didn’t have much experience fighting. And Budew was such a small thing he was afraid of her getting hurt. That meant only one Pokemon he could use. ”Let’s give them a show. Come on out Rein!” He tossed the Pokeball that he pulled out of his pocket, and the Heracross appeared with a loud cry and a stretch of his arms and legs.

The bug/fighting Pokemon shook himself once before looking around at the crowd in confusion. Chris placed a hand comfortingly on Rein’s horn in order to calm the Adamant Pokemon. Rein seemed ready to fight, and Chris could see the Sitrus berry the bug/fighting Pokemon was carrying. He looked over to the other side of the field through the trees to see if he could catch a view of his opponent. With a sigh he removed his hand from Rein’s horn and made a sitting motion with his hand. ”Wait here until the battle starts.” It took a lot of training to get the Pokemon to recognize the motion, but the Heracross stayed where he was while Chris made his way to the box where trainers were supposed to stand. He waited nervously and hoped this would be a good battle.

[Word Count= 547]

[Deleted]

The eel curled around my shoulders and currently teething on my forearms weighed down heavily on my back. A little trail of drool dripped down my hand onto the tile floor below. I had selected the next pokemon almost randomly. The contestants would've known at this stage that I had a Flareon and a Huntail, so I couldn't go with any of those, and I wanted to keep Weavile as a trump card. I was a few minutes late- curing Lily of the poison took a little longer than expected- but I was told that it wouldn't weigh against me. Supposedly. I quickly walked through the winding hallways, finding a sign marked with a definite '3'. I scrambled through the door and was almost completely unprepared for the blinding light and deafening noise that accompanied my departure from the inside.

It was a vibrant green, dotted with trees, bushes, and undergrowth that made it difficult for me to see too far. I saw a blue-ish pokemon in the distance- was it a bug type or something? Fitting, because I'd be using a bug to fight as well. I tapped the ultra ball at my waist. Trapinch- well, Dusty- scrambled out onto the field. She was chirping excitedly at the attention the audience gave her, even tapping her feet rhythmically. I didn't understand that behavior yet, but she usually did it when she was excited, hungry, or eager. I suspected a mix of all three, to be honest.

The announcer called my name and my hometown, and with a deafening buzzer the battle began.

"Go get him, Dusty!"

The two of us had only really worked on a few moves, but her instinct usually told her to dig her way out of problems. I didn't know if it was because Trapinch liked to dig pits to live in or what. She was only a few feet away from me at this stage.

Another excited chitter. She began to turn around quickly, as if chasing an invisible tail, and a towering column of sand surrounded her. It was impossible to see through, but inside of it she was burrowing into the ground. I didn't know how far she could go as a result of all the tree roots, but hopefully Dusty would remember where the foe was...


Dusty used Sand Tomb around herself
Dusty used Dig

[seenter]

His opponent entered the arena, and Chris was surprised to see it was actually a girl he was facing. The trainer stood there stunned for a moment trying to process that new bit of information before his eyes fell onto the orange creature standing next to her. He squinted at the form for a moment before realizing it was a Trapinch. Another nervous sigh escaped his lips as the announcer called out both his and his opponent’s names and hometowns. Bailey huh? He made a mental note to meet the young woman afterwards to congratulate her on the battle.

As soon as the announcer finished speaking the young woman said something to her Pokemon. A sudden rush of wind and sand covered the entire arena, and both Chris and Rein had to bring their arms up to block the particles from flying into their eyes. Neither could see into the maelstrom of dust, but Chris felt that it was a cover for his opponent’s opening move. ”Rein, head into the trees and use them for cover!” The Pokemon’s wings opened from his back and he skimmed the ground into the foliage.

The whirling dust abated slightly and Chris lowered his arm to see if he could spot their opponent. He could barely make out the form of Bailey in the trees and sand, but the shadow standing next to her was gone. He gritted his teeth, and then spit out the sand that flew into his mouth. Where is it? He wracked his mind for what he knew of the ground Pokemon, and then mentally cursed himself for his own stupidity. Ground.

Chris looked at Heracross reaching the trees. ”Rein. Night Slash the branches!” The bug/fighting Pokemon looked at Chris in confusion. They could still see each other in the swirling sands. Chris raised his left arm and brought his right hand in a chop on the forearm. He then pointed at the trees. Rein looked at the trees, and then began using Night Slash to cut the branches and letting them fall to the ground. Chris hoped that the falling foliage would make it harder for his opponent to detect Heracross above ground.

Heracross used Night Slash on trees to cover ground in branches.

[Word Count= 364]

[Deleted]

After a few moments, and many fallen branches, Dusty poked her head out of the ground... on the complete wrong end of the field. She was only a few feet away from the opponent. She tilted her orange head curiously at the stranger before chittering and cooing in that strange way that I hadn't quite gotten used to yet. The antlion looked up, seeing Heracross in the distance, and pulled her way out of the softened earth. "Dusty!" I shouted. A blink. My throat stung from my attempt to yell over the crowd. "Get him with rocks!" I didn't know how much of that the Trapinch comprehended, but she seemed to hear 'get him' and 'rocks'. She stomped on the ground, which seemed to vibrate with every step. Instantaneously. the ground softened, and a hail of small sized pebbles all the way to dislodged chunks of earth sailed upwards, aimed directly at the flying bug.

Whether they hit or miss, they'd land on the ground with a crashing rumble, creating a rough terrain to navigate on foot. "Sand Tomb!" I called out. A column of razor sand would then rise below the foe, but with the Rock Slide already in effect, it would be hard to focus on maintaining its power. In fact, I was mainly doing it to keep the foe on the defensive. I could see that it was noticeably smaller than the other one, which was still slowly rotating close to me. I spit out a globule of sand that made its way into my mouth.

Dusty let loose a coo at the attack, eyes fixated on the foe in front of her in clear interest. It was plain as day- the Trapinch was enjoying the fight. I only hoped that she could stay focused for the duration of the scuffle.


Dusty resurfaced on the wrong end of the field
Dusty used Rock Slide
Dusty used Sand Tomb (1/2 effective power for this attack)

[seenter]

Chris jumped in surprise as the Trapinch surfaced right next to him. He looked down at the orange creature perplexed. It let out a strange chattering sound, and Chris could only assume it was as confused as he was. The Pokemon noticed Heracross farther in the forest and dug its way out of the ground. A faint call came from its trainer, and Chris could barely make out the words 'him' and 'rocks'.

Thankfully the ground Pokemon took it to mean to attack Rein with the rocks and not Chris, as the Trapinch stomped the ground and couple of rocks lifted off the ground; before being hurled at the Heracross. The young trainer from Kotoba thought quickly and called out to Heracross. "Rein, use Arm Thrust on the rocks." To suit his words Chris made punching motions in the air. The bug/fighting Pokemon turned to his trainer's voice and noticed the rocks heading for him. Catching sight of Chris's motions the Heracross tried to use Arm Thrust to shatter the stones aimed at him into many pieces. However the resulting fragments struck the hovering Pokemon and fell to the ground to make some rocky terrain.

Chris let out a cry of excitement at the success, but it quickly died as the Trapinch released another cloud of dust that filled the arena. Cursing under his breath Chris raised his arms in order to protect his face from the dust, and through half closed eyes he could see Rein doing the same. He thought furiously about what to do, and then an idea came to him. Ground type attacks couldn't hit flying enemies, but the reverse wasn't true.

Gritting his teeth Chris chanced calling out to the Pokemon. "Rein, Aerial Ace!" He couldn't use his arm motions to direct the Pokemon, but Heracross seemed to know what he meant. With his arms still raised to protect his face from the sand Rein flew straight at Trapinch; a white glow that surrounded his body even in the sand.

Heracross Health= 64%
Heracross tried to stop Rock Throw with Arm Thrust and failed.
Heracross used Aerial Ace on Trapinch

[Deleted]

I paused, watching with interest as the bug pokemon took the hit and was now veering at high speed towards Dusty. I doubted that she'd be able to get out of the way unless she used Dig again, but the ground type move in question took a lot out of her when used in quick succession. That left two options- one, use a move before the attack landed, or two, take the hit. I paused. Maybe I could do both?... "Dusty, use Bide!" I didn't know if she heard me or not until her exoskeleton seemed to leak light from her sides, eyes, and mouth. The attack collided nearly immediately afterwards, sending her rolling across the field.

She chittered nervously, shaking bits of grass and dirt off of herself as she stood up. The light brightened exponentially, and she began shuffling forwards slowly towards the blue opponent. The attack was taking all of her energy, I could tell- she wouldn't be much use attacking or dodging for a few moments. The antlion progressed nonetheless, each step likely feeling like she had the weight of the world on her back. I bit the inside of my cheek. Hopefully the gambit would pay off- if not, I might as well just throw in the towel right now. I didn't know if Dusty quite understood the function of a tournament, but she seemed to enjoy having a chance to go all out with her favorite moves- mostly Sand Tomb, if I was to be completely honest. I let loose a breath from my nose. I had made the decision. Bide might not've been the optimal choice, but its what I was stuck with now. Hopefully, the ground type would last long enough to see it through to the finish... For both of our sakes.


Dusty used bide

Aerial Ace hit Dusty. She still seems to be pretty healthy.

[seenter]

Chris watched as Heracross rushed at the ground type Pokemon. It was a solid hit, but right before impact the Trapinch glowed a white light. Afterwards the light increased in luminosity, and the trainer could only look in stunned silence. With the sand still flying around from the Sand Tomb he couldn’t clearly make out the other trainer’s words too well, but he did hear enough to know that Trapinch was ordered to use Bide. It was a risky move but looking at the orange Pokemon it was more than ready to go. The flying dust and debris continued to hit Heracross.

Thinking quickly Chris tried to remember what he learned in school about the move. It gathered excess energy from attacks directed at the Pokemon in question, and then unleashed that energy in a strong burst after a time. It was a strong attack but had two big flaws. The first was that said Pokemon would need to take damage in order for it to work. The second is that if the attack missed then said Pokemon would have taken the damage for nothing. So how do I defeat it? One method was to deal enough damage that it knocked the Pokemon out before it could release the pent-up energy. That was unlikely in this case. The other was to….

Glancing at the hole Trapinch made earlier Chris remembered something. It wasn’t big enough for Heracross, but then it didn’t need to be. It just had to be big enough for Trapinch. ”Rein! Use Tackle on Trapinch and throw it back in its hole. And then bury it with Arm Thrust.” This was a maneuver he and Heracross trained in when they first met. Instead of tackling an opponent head on with his horn Heracross would tackle with his shoulder. Then using the top of his horn Heracross would toss his opponent away. It was usually used to throw an opponent off balance, but if Trapinch actually landed in the hole then it might buy Heracross time.

The second part was an even bigger gamble. If Heracross could use Arm Thrust to push as much of the loose sand and gravel into the hole after Trapinch then it should dull the energy gathered by the smaller Pokemon. It was true that Trapinch could easily tunnel out of the hole to continue the fight, but if Chris remembered correctly it couldn’t do anything else until it released the pent up energy. That meant it was completely vulnerable to attack.

The bug/fighting Pokemon charged forward in a Tackle; his shoulder aimed for the slow moving Trapinch. If it succeeded then Heracross could keep fighting against the smaller, stronger opponent. If it didn’t then Heracross might end up taking the full brunt of the Bide energy and most likely faint. This was his own version of a ‘risky move’.

Heracross Health= 60%
Heracross took damage from Sand Tomb.
Heracross used Tackle to try and fling Trapinch into the hole.
Heracross would then try to bury Trapinch by pushing a lot of sand and dirt into the hole using Arm Thrust.