Borne of Caution (Pokemon Isekai)

[veekie]

...Yikes.

I love that Hyper Beam is being compared with Convergence. And I presume that she can use the latter a lot more...

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Hyper Beam is 150 Power(most moves of this power usually have some severe drawback equivalent to a one turn charge/recharge time) Same Type Attack Bonus is 1.5x damage, so Convergence is 100 Power, putting it in the same neighborhood as a no-drawback signature move of a Legendary pokemon(but as I understand it Convergence needs set up so its similar to Dream Eater where it hits that hard but you need to prepare it with a previous stage)

 

[Silveraith]

Hyper Beam is 150 Power(most moves of this power usually have some severe drawback equivalent to a one turn charge/recharge time) Same Type Attack Bonus is 1.5x damage, so Convergence is 100 Power, putting it in the same neighborhood as a no-drawback signature move of a Legendary pokemon(but as I understand it Convergence needs set up so its similar to Dream Eater where it hits that hard but you need to prepare it with a previous stage)

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Convergence needed setup as a Vulpix; Ninetales hasn't used it "on-screen" since evolving and Lee has noted that Nine's power and control have increased dramatically since evolving.

 

[Skywolf99]

I was due for a change. What do you think?"

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i was gonna comment in the image being broken, but it seems others are a year ahead of me

…And why Giratina as well?

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and with that i am finally caught up after marathoning this fic for the past couple of days. keep up the good work!

 

[veekie]

Convergence needed setup as a Vulpix; Ninetales hasn't used it "on-screen" since evolving and Lee has noted that Nine's power and control have increased dramatically since evolving.

Click to shrink...

I mean, assuming it sticks to the move's basic structure it'd keep the setup and just get a lot more potent. If you want a quickshot version of Convergence it'd be a new move wouldn't it?

 

[Silveraith]

I mean, assuming it sticks to the move's basic structure it'd keep the setup and just get a lot more potent. If you want a quickshot version of Convergence it'd be a new move wouldn't it?

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The setup difficulty of Convergence was because Nine as a Vulpix had a difficult time generating and powering the fire to surround a target before they escape. As a Ninetales Nine doesn't have that issue.

Custom Techniques - Vulpix

#1

Name: Convergence

-Fire-type

Description: Fireballs spontaneously manifest around target and converge, exploding for Fire damage.

+Leaves little room to dodge.

+Strikes all points of foe, negating need to aim for weakpoints

-Slower than Protect. Current speed can be dodged by faster foes that aren't surprised.

Notes:

Requires pyrokinesis. (See - Vulpix bio notes)

Power good. Need to work on explosion sync, projectile speed, and energy consumption. Don't use in serious battles.

#2

Name: Fox Fire (Name not final)

-Fire-type

STILL IN CONCEPTUAL PHASE

Description: Fox-shaped flame clone runs down and engages foe as a separate combatant. Explodes for Fire damage when defeated.

Notes: Vulpix's pyrokinesis has a long way to go before she can exert this level of control midbattle. Very cool, but very impractical (for now)

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"Use Convergence."

The vixen leaps away, not needing to be told twice. She lands a dozen yards away, her eyes glowing a baleful orange as the ring begins to heat up.

All around Shelgon and Absol, great, rolling balls of fire spawn from nothing, each one rapidly growing and driving the heat in the ring up even further. A few of the awestruck spectators back-up as the heat bleeds through the barrier.

"Absol, get out of there now!" Andre orders, looking worried for the first time in the entire match.

His pokemon struggles harder as the orbs of fire around him and Shelgon grow past the size of soccer balls and begin to creep up on the size of beach balls.

Vulpix pants, her stamina beginning to falter the larger the fireballs under her control become.

'C'mon, love! You can end it right here!' Lee wraps her psyche in a layer of adoration just like she always does to him. 'I know you can!'

The fireballs surge and grow larger than ever.

Absol sees the countless fireballs morph into miniature suns and growls. With a grunt, he slowly begins to overpower Shelgon, who is at his limit. Then with a shrill, haunting cry, Absol lifts Shelgon's entire three-hundred-pound bulk, still stuck to his horn, over his head.

"Fire!" Lee orders.

As one, all the fireballs converge on Absol, exploding like a...

LUNGS BLISTERING

SKIN BU-

Lee growls and forces the bout of vertigo away.

The entire dome shakes from the force of the overcharged Convergence, prompting screams from onlookers. Cracks even spider web along the dome before Speakmen's sweating Hypno repairs the damage.

"H-Holy moly! What in the world was that move, Brawly?!... Brawly?"

The bewildered Gym Leader in the lifeguard tower raises his microphone slowly. "I...am not sure, Josh. It was the first time I've ever seen something like that."

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[Karnac01]

…And why Giratina as well?

---

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"I don't believe in the devil." - Angela Dodson
"You should. He believes in you.". - John Constantine

 

[fireball77]

Despite having expected a speech beforehand, there is a weight to the word of the elders that leaves Lee the slightest bit unsettled. 'Yeah, mega-evos are still real hush-hush, aren't they? If we use it publicly, there are going to be a lot of eyes on us.'

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I'd probably have to reread but isn't it a big thing in Kalos? Or is this one of those fics where the regions are disconnected for one reason or another

 

[Ryumancer]

I'd probably have to reread but isn't it a big thing in Kalos? Or is this one of those fics where the regions are disconnected for one reason or another

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Kalos is the place that has a big 'ol tower dedicated to teaching it... but even in the maingames, they don't teach everyone, and they give Mega Stones to even fewer students.

 

[fireball77]

Kalos is the place that has a big 'ol tower dedicated to teaching it... but even in the maingames, they don't teach everyone, and they give Mega Stones to even fewer students.

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Gurkinn hands out like 18 key stones to his students or something
I'm willing to bet that some people use mega evolutions in official battles and such in Kalos
Even if it's rare, doesn't mean it's secret

 

[CMDR Dantae]

I'd probably have to reread but isn't it a big thing in Kalos? Or is this one of those fics where the regions are disconnected for one reason or another

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Pretty much.

There was a chapter that mentioned Paldea opening it's borders.

Presumably, Kalos hasn't.

That, or they are keeping Mega-evolution secret here for some reason.

 

[Fuggmann]

Sorry this one took so long. I got a gripped by some other ideas that refused to let go until I had like 80k words put to paper. It's called Three Strikes & Black Skies, an Ace Combat 7 x Star Fox crossover. You can find here if that sounds interesting.

---

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---

The big day is finally here: their first Gym match after all the toil down in Meteor Falls. Taking a deep breath and settling his nerves, Lee pushes open the doors to the Petalburg Gym.

Stepping into the lobby, the front desk is filled with a long line of people looking to get seats for the upcoming match. Brendan and Zinnia are notably absent from the line, having left the hotel before Lee to get their spots. For a moment, he allows his mind to go back to all his prep-work for today.

These last few days before the match have been spent carefully preparing and making rush mail-orders to get some held-items for the team, leaving a sizable dent in Lee's wallet, but in his opinion, it was worth it.

Sceptile's Megastone was swapped out for a Big Root, which boosts Siphon Blade's self-healing to a disgusting level. Corvi managed a deep wound on Sceptile's thigh during a spar a few days back, and two cuts from Siphon Blade closed it in a hurry. The resin-preserved root is hidden away in a little green pouch tied around Sceptile's tail, disguising it quite nicely.

'With any luck, we can find someplace private and practice mega evolution before we head for Fortree,' Lee thinks to himself.

Corvi was a bit harder to shop for with how well-rounded he is, but Lee eventually stumbled over a little item called a Covert Cloak, something he was totally unfamiliar with. Upon reading how the cloak sharply reduces the likelihood of move side effects manifesting, like instinctual flinches or status effects, he knew he had to have it, both for its battle use and research value. Unfortunately, the only one he could find was on Battlenet's auction house, and he had to out-bid a persistent collector. The black cloth, now fashioned into a scarf and hidden in Corvi's chest feathers, set Lee back an unfortunate thirty-thousand credits.

Octillery was the easiest. A Scope Lens complemented Octillery's ability, Sniper, like butter does bread. Before Lee could think of a clever way for Octillery to hide the item, he stuck it in his conical mouth and swallowed it, waving off any concern about health risks. Lee, however, pestered the octopus until he sighed and demonstrated the impressive (and somewhat disgusting) ability to regurgitate it on command.

Trying to pick something for Ninetales was the hardest by a long shot. With how diverse her skills are, finding something worthwhile that isn't purely situational was tough. Lee, however, had a lucky break and stumbled on an auction for a Clear Amulet with no bids, as the seller accidentally misspelled the name of the item and dropped their auction's visibility to almost zero. The amulet was one of the many, many items Lee had never seen in a game, and upon researching it, he found himself astounded.

The little necklace negates stat loss. Not reduces, not halves, negates. It's like the Clear Body ability in item form, and Lee sniped the auction eagerly. Now the necklace is around Nine's neck, and from how taken she's become with the beautiful item, Lee knows she'll groan and grumble when he stores it away after the coming battle.

Shinx and Sylveon were left out this time, since they likely won't be fighting in this match, and because Lee wants to keep some funds in reserve. Both were a little put-out, but some promised pampering made them all square.

In the lobby, one of the receptionists manning the front desk spots him and beckons him over. "Lee Henson?" she calls, gesturing to a set of double doors labeled ARENA STAGING. "Go right in! Your match starts in a few minutes!"

Her words cause a stir with the people trying to get seats for the coming fight, but before anyone can say much, Lee slips by and makes sure to shut the doors behind him. Once that's done, he turns around and blinks in surprise, which is mirrored by Ninetales in her ball. "Brendan?"

In the little sub-room between the lobby and the arena proper, Lee finds Brendan leaning on the wall with his arms crossed and eyes on the floor, deep in thought. When Lee speaks, the boy raises his head and frowns just a little.

"So they didn't move my match up a day…" Brendan says, pushing off the wall and standing straight. "Did they explain anything to you?"

Lee shakes his head, his own frown forming. "No. What are you doing back here?"

"When me and Zinnia got here to get seats, the receptionist told me to go here instead," Brendan begins, reaching up and adjusting his hat. "I thought, 'Oh cool, my match got moved up,' but I've been here for like an hour and haven't heard anything. I went back out to ask and just got told to come back in here."

Humming in thought, Lee turns inward. 'Any ideas, love?'

'I'm not certain…' Ninetales answers, her down-turned lips clear in Lee's head. 'This is likely some sort of clerical error. Perhaps the receptionist read a date wrong?'

When Lee relays Nine's words to Brendan, the younger trainer groans. "They better give me a good seat once this is sorted out!"

"I'm sure they will," Lee assures, patting the boy's shoulder.

One of the doors to the arena cracks open, and a young trainer with an ID badge around his neck on a lanyard pokes his head inside. "Great! You're both here!" he cheers. "Are you ready? Leader Norman is making his final preparations, then it's show time."

"We're both here?" Brendan questions, eyebrow raised. "This isn't some kind of error?"

"Erm, no, it's not." The gym trainer looks away shiftily. "I can't really say more because it's related to the challenge, but-"

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Petalburg Gym for another blood-pumping match!" The announcer's voice is loud, even with a wall between them and the arena speakers. "Today, a special challenge is taking place for your viewing pleasure!"

"Crap, they're starting!" The gym trainer pushes his way in with a panic, clipping lapel mics to Brendan and Lee's shirt's before either one can protest. Then he's behind them, pushing them towards the doors. "Just go out! Both of you! Step up to the trainer box when you get called!"

"Hey, hands off, pal!"

"Can't you explain what's going-"

Both trainers are pushed out and the doors are shut behind them, leaving them out on the challenger side of the arena.

"What the heck is going on?!" Brendan turns and glares at the doors like his stare might force them to fess up.

Lee frowns, looking around as the sensation of scrutiny makes his spine itch.

The stadium bleachers are totally packed; overfilled, in fact. People are sitting shoulder to shoulder with cameras and cellphones at the ready. Along the sidelines, a pair of camera crews are checking their equipment, and one team is busy hooking a camera harness to a Bronzor. Once the harness is secure, the disk-shaped pokemon rises into the air, camera fixed on the arena.

Besides them, there are quite a few gym trainers standing around, along with a referee already in his place at the side of the field. The most alarming, though, is a weathered-looking Alakazam wearing a League armband decorated with a red and white pokeball. The psychic doesn't look like a pushover, with narrow eyes and an old, faded scar dangerously close to his jugular.

'Is he going to be our barrier keeper?' Lee wonders with only Ninetales to hear. 'What does Norman have planned here?'

He scans the crowd, zeroing in on a bewildered Zinnia almost instantly front and center. "What's going on?" she mouths.

Lee can only shrug, then rakes his eyes over the crowd, still experiencing the odd feeling of being watched far more intently than expected, which, considering where he is, is saying something.

Then he locks eyes with a woman up in the nosebleed section, and knows who is causing it.

Up on the highest set of seats, a young, dark-haired woman in an immaculate kimono stares down at him with intense, narrow eyes.

Lee stares right back, a bead of sweat on his face. 'Where have I seen that woman before?'

"Everyone!" The announcer breaks his train of thought. "Please welcome our challenger! Lee Henson… and Brendan Birch?" the announcer continues, sounding confused with his script.

The crowd bursts into cheers and clapping tinged with befuddlement as Lee and Brendan step up to the challenger box as one, both walking stiffly and unsurely.

"They're both on here…" the announcer continues more quietly, then he clears his throat and resumes. "And accepting his—sorry, their challenge today is none other than Gym Leader Norman!"

Norman, the infamous wall of the Hoenn League, emerges from the side of the arena opposite of Lee and Brendan.

The man stands tall, a bit higher than Lee, and his face is already set into a stern frown. On his belt hang a full six pokeballs, already enlarged and ready to go.

Norman steps up to his side of the battlefield and holds up a hand, gradually bringing the din of the crowd down to a manageable murmur, then he clears his throat. "Thank you, everyone, for coming," he says, his voice projected over the loudspeakers. "Before we get into today's match, I must come clean to you all about something, something I cannot let continue. I've not been doing my due diligence as Petalburg's Gym Leader."

Whispers break out amongst all the gathered people, and Brendan and Lee share a look. "Do you know what he's talking about?" Brendan asks.

Lee shakes his head.

"A Gym Leader is many things," Norman says, scanning the crowd with a hard gaze. "A guardian for their city, a steward of trainers and pokemon, a benchmark for the League, a wall for trainers to climb over, not walk around."

He pauses, and his eyes close for a moment, the tension in his shoulders settling lower.

"I've failed at that last part."

A quiet gasp ripples through the stands, quickly silenced by Norman raising his voice again.

"Too many challengers walk out of this Gym with an easy win. I've allowed myself and my pokemon to part with our badges too readily, without really testing the mettle of the trainers who make the journey to our doorstep. The Ever Grande Conference is a grinder, one that chews many trainers up and spits them out, spirits broken. I've allowed too many unready for that to slip past."

His voice hardens.

"A wall doesn't bend. It stands firm, or it gets replaced."

The air in the arena grows still.

"That ends today. Starting now, Petalburg Gym becomes the crucible it was always meant to be."

He points a commanding finger at both Lee and Brendan.

"You two," he declares. "You're both strong, expert trainers with pokemon to match, that's obvious. But real strength is more than power. It's adaptability. Clarity under pressure. The ability to balance might with strategy, even when a curveball is sent your way."

Lee's brows rise.

Brendan frowns. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Norman raises two pokeballs in one hand.

"This match will be a two-on-one double battle. You both will fight me, together, two pokemon on two pokemon."

An uproar of shock spreads through the audience. Even the announcer stumbles over his words.

"Did Leader Norman say that right?! He's taking on both Brendan Birch and Lee Henson at once?!"

Norman nods, his face hardening. "Yes. It's high time the Petalburg Gym throws down a real challenge. I want to see what two of Hoenn's rising stars can do with their plans dashed on the ground."

Lee blinks, stunned.

Brendan outright gapes. "Wait, what?! Are you being serious?"

"This is my Gym, and my challenge can be whatever I wish," Norman interrupts calmly. "I even cleared this with the League to cross my Ts and dot my Is. This is a sanctioned challenge, boys."

A flicker of challenge passes across his weathered face.

"So show me what you've got. You have thirty seconds to pick your pokemon."

Lee's heart sinks.

"Forget a curveball, this one is screaming in from a blind spot! Leader Norman has thrown down the gauntlet! How will Brendan and Lee answer?"

To Lee, it's clear what Norman is banking on. He wants to turn this into a clash of Aces, to pit his Slaking against Brendan's Latias and Nine at her fiercest. It's a logical assumption. Any trainer with half a brain would lead with their best when they can only take one pokemon into the fight.

But Norman knows them. He has to know about Brendan's Latias. He's seen Nine. He's counting on them taking the bait.

Lee's eyes narrow.

He rolls a pokeball in his palm, one that doesn't contain a beautiful fox.

'You're not seriously reaching for Sceptile.' Ninetales' voice in his head is sharp. 'He'll expect me, not—'

'Exactly.'

'Lee.' Her tone drops, colder now. 'I've trained harder than anyone for this. You know that. You've given me all the tools I need, all earned with blood, sweat, and tears. No matter what plan he may have, I can overcome it! We can overcome it!'

Lee doesn't respond right away, instead watching Norman across the field. The Gym Leader stands as still as stone, waiting. Measuring.

'We're in a difficult spot, love,' Lee thinks gently. 'If I send you out, we play into his expectations. He has to have some sort of countermeasure ready if he's forcing this match. But if we send in Sceptile, we buy unpredictability. No one has seen him in action yet, and he's no pushover. We'll be throwing Norman's plan off like he did for us.'

There's a pause.

'So I sit on the sidelines?' she asks, and beneath the chill of her voice is a sudden wounded sensation that claws at him. 'After everything?'

Lee winces.

'I promise, Nine. You'll have your time in the spotlight. Everyone will see us at the top of the world together. This is only one step that you have to miss.'

From her ball, he can feel her emotions roiling. Anger, bruised pride, and beneath that, something tangled and sharp. But after a moment, she exhales, mental voice going quiet.

'Fine. Sceptile had better win, or I'll be displeased with you both.'

Lee wraps her in the mental equivalent of a hug, ignoring the little telepathic barbs that prickle him, and enlarges Sceptile's ball.

"Let's turn the tables," he mutters to himself. "Brendan, who is going in for you?"

Brendan glances to the side, and Lee can already see that mind of his turning. "Marshtomp," he decides. "I bet Norman is expecting Latias, but she…" His face colors. "She still freezes up in battles sometimes. Besides, Marshtomp is so close to evolving. I think this might be just what he needs."

"You came to the same conclusion I did, then." Lee nods. "Sceptile is going in. You know his movepool?"

He gets a grin in reply. "Yeah. You got Marshtomp's?"

"I've seen him uproot the ground enough times that I keep his moves in mind when he's out," Lee dryly replies, making Brendan's grin grow.

"Gentlemen!" Norman calls across the arena. "Are you ready?"

'As I'll ever be,' Lee thinks with a nod.

Brendan shoots the Gym Leader a thumbs up.

Norman's hard face cracks with a little smile, but it's gone a second later as he signals to the referee at the side of the arena.

The man steps up, taking a moment to adjust the microphone clipped to his black and white shirt before speaking. "This will be a two-versus-one double battle!" he booms. "Challengers Lee and Brendan will have one pokemon each, while Leader Norman will have two! The battle will end when one side has no more pokemon capable of fighting!"

Lee bring's Sceptile's ball close to his mouth. "Ready?" he whispers.

The ball shakes once in his grip.

"Trainers! Send in your pokemon!"

Lee hurls Sceptile's ball, with Brendan following suit a half-second later.

Across the way, Norman takes the first two balls from his belt and tosses them with a single hand.

All four balls hang in the air, time almost seeming to slow, then all of them pop open at once.

Sceptile lands in a silent crouch, then he rises to his full height and crosses his arms, chewing placidly on his twig. His yellow eyes are narrowed and sharp.

By contrast, Marshtomp falls like a stone and rumbles the floor as he lands, owing to his un-Marshtomp-like size with his evolution a hair away. With an eager cry, he pounds his own chest with his fists.

On Norman's side, two large shapes take form, one round and pink, and another darker one flat on its back.

On the right, Norman's Slaking is laid out spread-eagle on the ground. With a grumble, he slowly works his way to his feet, seeming to grow taller and taller with every second, until he's standing upright. Even with the pronounced slouch in his stance, his presence makes the battleground feel cramped, as he stands head and shoulders over Sceptile. His eyes regard his green and blue foes grumpily.

Lee's eyes fall to Slaking's neck, and he winces.

Around the ace's neck and held in place with a thick chain is a Life Orb. As if sensing his dread, the orb glitters with a purple light.

Life Orbs are hard to come by, and with good reason, as the jitter-inducing energy of the orb dials back a pokemon's physical inhibitions, making them hit much harder in a fight. There is the downside of users often overworking themselves, leading to injury, but the power gains cannot be denied.

As the light fades from Norman's other pokemon, it becomes clear why Slaking is kitted out with a Life Orb.

At Slaking's side stands a frowning Blissey, the final form of Chansey.

Chansey, a favorite pokemon of Pokemon Centers everywhere, are born healers. Blissey takes Chansey's healing prowess and dials it up to eleven. Hell, there are a few Pokemon Centers around the world that make do with just one Blissey in place of a whole team of other healing pokemon. While not the most offensive 'mon, underestimating a Blissey in a fight is still a serious tactical error.

'Using Blissey to offset the Life Orb's strain is a damn good idea.' Lee clicks his tongue.

In the games, Blissey also has an unreal HP stat, and Lee isn't looking forward to seeing if they're as bulky in real life as they are in the game. Being the pokemon of an Elite like Norman means Blissey has to have other nasty surprises held in reserve as well.

The raw threat that Slaking represents goes without saying. The huge pokemon has limbs as thick as tree trunks, and more than a few scars on his knuckles. They were utter powerhouses in the games, balanced by their special ability, Truant, which forced them to give up every other turn. In real life, it's nearly as debilitating, but a Slaking can overcome it with enough effort. Something tells Lee that an Elite Slaking like Norman's isn't going to let Truant drag him down much.

Looking between the pair of pokemon, Lee can already piece together what Norman plans on doing. 'Slaking at the front, hitting hard and defending Blissey, who is going to run interference and buff Slaking. Blissey has to go down ASAP or this will get dragged out too long.'

"We'll keep Slaking occupied for a bit. Circle around and take out Blissey," Lee murmurs to Brendan. "We'll trade if need be, but we can't let Blissey linger. Sound good?"

"Did Ninetales teach you how to read minds? Because you read mine." Brendan grins. "Leave it to us. Marshtomp's Brick Break will crack Blissey wide open."

On the other side of the field, Norman's brow furrows as he takes in the unexpected choices from Brendan and Lee, but nonetheless, he raises a hand and signals for the referee to take his place.

"This will be an asymmetrical double-battle, with Leader Norman's two pokemon versus Challenger Henson and Challenger Birch's team of one each!" the ref begins, quieting the crowd down to almost nothing. "The battle will conclude when one side has no more pokemon standing! Are both sides ready?"

"Ready!" Brendan calls for their side.

"Ready." Norman's face hardens further.

The Alakazam off to the side of the arena raises his arms, his species' signature spoons shining with a pink light. All around the arena, a solid wall of shining psychic energy flares to life, obscuring the pokemon within. A few seconds later, the wall turns translucent, then finally clear as glass. With his arms still raised, Alakazam gives the referee a nod.

The ref's hand rises, then chops down. "Begin!"

"Sceptile, Siphon Blade on Slaking!" Lee is first to move.

"Brick Break!" Brendan orders next, not bothering to call a target.

Sceptile tenses, an aura of white flaring to life around him as his wrist leaf extends into its full length. Marshtomp, meanwhile, charges forward with stomping steps.

Norman, however, doesn't call out an attack. Blissey hops behind Slaking, then glows a sickly purple with an expression of reluctance on her cutesy face. A band of purple TE shoots out and connects her to Slaking, then with a short flash, does something Lee can't figure out right away.

Sceptile blurs forward, his leafy sword swinging in an arc aimed to split Slaking open around the middle. He passes Marshtomp, and strikes like a Seviper.

…Only for Slaking's hand to shoot out impossibly quick, stopping Siphon Blade with a thick hand that barely even bleeds from the strike. He then closes his fingers around the attack, leaving a wide-eyed Sceptile locked in place.

Marshtomp croaks and leaps, flipping forward and shooting a Water Gun behind him, rocketing him over Slaking and Sceptile to get at Blissey as fast as he can. The maneuver almost works, but again, Slaking moves too fast, his free arm rising and a hand the size of a cast-iron skillet swatting Marshtomp like a bug.

The mudfish's eyes bulge, then he's spiked off of the ground so hard that the packed dirt craters under him. He bounces once, then flies back and smashes into the barrier in front of Lee and Brendan with a loud BANG, making both trainers jump.

"Marshtomp!" Brendan cries. "C'mon, buddy, get up!"

"What the fuck?" Lee scowls. "What just happened? Truant should have slowed Slaking way down!"

"Skill Swap…" Brendan suddenly breathes as Marshtomp struggles to his feet. "Lee, that move that Blissey used without an order is Skill Swap! Look at Blissey!" he exclaims, drawing gasps from the watching crowd.

The older of the two trainers follows Brendan's pointed finger.

Behind Slaking, the egg-shaped Blissey is sagging, struggling just to stay upright, which should be impossible this early in the match. She blinks her eyes slowly and blearily, as if just being awake is a chore.

Lee's stomach sinks to his toes. "Shit."

Slaking with Truant was already a problem. Slaking without it is a nightmare come to life.

"Puzzled it out already? I expected as much from Nigel's son. Still, it doesn't matter. How will you boys counter? Fire Punch!" Norman damningly orders from his side.

Back in the arena, Slaking's eyes are bulging as he glares down at Sceptile. He pulls his fist back, which bursts into flames, then roars and launches the flaming appendage at Sceptile like a rocket.

At the same time, Blissey lethargically steps out from behind Slaking, spreading her arms slowly as she begins to glow with a psychic hue again. She's aimed not at Sceptile, but behind him, already leading her shot.

"Up!" Lee barks at the last moment.

"Slaking, help Blissey aim!" Norman orders a millisecond later.

Sceptile powers down Siphon Blade and yanks, tearing his wrist leaf free and leaving Slaking with just a limp bit of green, then he leaps straight up, flipping and landing on the ceiling in a crouch as he bleeds off his inertia. Then he tenses up, grimacing as a tendril of purple lashes itself to him.

'What?!' Lee's eyes bug out, then he looks at Slaking.

The great ape pokemon has Blissey in his hands like a beach ball, lifting and ad-hoc aiming her at Sceptile, ensuring that Skill Swap could hit its mark.

'No no no! Fuck!' Lee grits his teeth as everything rapidly goes wrong.

Sceptile tenses to leap away, but it's too la-

"Bulldoze! Brick Break low!"

The arena suddenly rumbles violently, as if a miniature earthquake hit, and Slaking stumbles, stepping back to regain his footing and breaking Skill Swap's tether before Blissey can pass off Truant to Sceptile.

Marshtomp rushes in, seemingly uncaring of how his entire front is a giant bruise. He comes in and slides between Slaking's legs, but not before he sends a fist crackling red right into the back of Slaking's knee. Despite the blow, the behemoth doesn't fall and merely stumbles a bit more, putting Blissey back down before he can drop her.

"Brendan you're a lifesaver," Lee tells the grinning boy, a grin of his own coming to his face. "Sceptile, Focus Energy into Swords Dance!"

"Marshtomp, Brick Break!" Brendan calls once more.

Sceptile digs the claws of his legs into the top of the psychic barrier, remaining suspended as he takes a deep breath. Around him, arcs of TE crackle and snap as he focuses, and Lee can see the edges of his leaves take on a gleam.

Meanwhile, Marshtomp circles around and flies towards Blissey, who blinks slowly, barely seeming to recognize the danger speeding towards her.

Norman grimaces, caught between a rock and hard place. "Taunt!" he orders, eventually deciding letting Sceptile power up is the worse of the two choices he has.

Slaking points a thick finger up at Sceptile, letting out a deep guffaw that is so irritating on the ears that Lee's hands clench into fists.

High above, Sceptile scowls deeply, his concentration wavering and failing just as the ephemeral blades of Swords Dance begin to form around him. He is far too in control of himself to fly into a rage, but he glances towards Lee, clearly wanting an order to strike.

"Extreme Speed! Give him hell, Sceptile!"

The Grass-type adjusts his chewing twig, extends another humming Siphon Blade…

…And vanishes without a sound.

At the same time, Slaking moves to try and intercept Marshtomp and keep him off Blissey with an Ice Punch primed, but is stopped when a dozen cuts open across his extended arm, sending misted blood flying.

The Ace grunts and swings his Ice Punch at a green smear in his peripherals, only for this attack to phase right through the afterimage. For his trouble, another slash flashes across his arm, and Lee spies one of Slaking's fingers go limp.

Covering his head with his arms, Slaking can only groan and growl as he's barraged by countless cuts from a foe so screaming fast that he can't be seen. Each wound isn't deep, but the sheer number of them piling up is dyeing his brown hair red at an alarming rate. The onlookers are rapidly thrown into a frenzy at the sudden turn, many standing up to try and puzzle out what's happening.

Norman grits his teeth. "Slaking, Protect! Blissey, Substitute!"

With a deep, guttural roar, Norman's strongest pokemon thrusts his arms out, a green shield erupting around him and finally stopping the cavalcade of wounds. Two dozen more slashes skitter off of Protect in the span of a second, until Sceptile re-materializes in-front of him, leaf-bladed sword held ready.

With Blissey and Marshtomp, Blissey is able to muster up just enough effort to screw her eyes shut and focus. Her body flickers and seemingly pulls apart in two directions, then with a crackle, there is another Blissey between Marshtomp and the original.

The clone's eyes are clear and determined, and her stubby arms reach out, catching Marshtomp's Brick Break with a pained grimace. The grab isn't perfect, and Marshtomp's fist still hits the clone with a deep THUD that makes the arena barrier shudder, but the fake Blissey remains in one piece.

With her arms around Marshtomp's wrist, the clone whirls around on her toes like a ballerina, spinning Marshtomp in a circle and smashing him on the ground hard, hard enough to discombobulate him for a second. Then she turns and holds the mudfish out to the original Blissey.

Blissey glows with Skill Swap once more, her eyes locked on with a dazed Marshtomp in her clone's grip.

'Oh no you don't!' Lee frowns. "Sceptile! Stop Blissey!"

"Slaking, Body Press, don't let him go!"

Norman's Slaking drops Protect and lunges towards Sceptile with speed a creature the size of an SUV shouldn't have, posed for a body slam. It's too bad for him that Sceptile is so much faster, as the Grass-type is gone in a flash. Slaking hits the ground, rumbling the entire building and cracking the floor with his miss.

Before Blissey can fire off Skill Swap, she's thrown off her feet by a thick green tail slamming into her and sending her into the barrier wall like a baseball. The Happiness pokemon lets out a pained squeal as a split opens on her pink head from the impact, sending red rivulets running down her velvety hide. The crowd on that side of the arena all wince and let out Ohhhhs.

Blissey's bewildered clone can only blink once before a blue fist smashes into her face, sending her stumbling back. A second later, the clone bursts in a puff of white, smokey Normal TE.

"Back to the plan, Brendan." Lee smiles at the turn-around. "Keep hammering Blissey and we'll keep Slaking busy. Once she's down, we can clean up."

"Right!" Brendan nods. "Marshtomp! Mud Slap and move in for melee!"

Blissey takes a shot of mud thrown with cannon-like force to the eyes and stumbles backward, helpless as Marshtomp comes in with his fists cocked back.

On Norman's side of the field, Lee can finally see frustration beginning to bubble up on the leader's face. Clearly, this match is not going the way he expected. What outcome he was planning for, Lee can't say, but the Gym Leader certainly didn't expect to be on the defensive like this. "Slaking, get in there and help Blissey!"

"Sceptile, go!"

The mighty ape grunts and charges in, his stance low and his shoulder out to crush Marshtomp, but he's once again interrupted, this time by a super-sonic dropkick to the face that rattles his jaw and snaps his head backwards. Glaring hatefully between a pair of clawed toes, Slaking seizes one of Sceptile's ankles with everything he has.

SNAP!

Both Lee and his pokemon cringe at once as the ape's grip powders Sceptile's bones.

Then with a deep, frustrated yell, Slaking slams Sceptile on the ground, spins in a Circle Throw, and whips Sceptile at the wall like an angry child would a broken toy.

Sceptile tumbles once, then flares Quick Attack and stalls his momentum, landing with his good foot on the wall as Slaking keeps barreling towards Marshtomp and Blissey. Dropping to the ground, Lee can hear his pokemon wheeze past bruised ribs.

That won't do. "Synthesis!" Lee orders next.

Sceptile takes a deep breath, then shuts his eyes as his form takes on a sunny yellow shine. The sunlight streaming in from the windows seemingly bends, washing over Sceptile and making the great gecko sigh as the discoloration around his ankle rapidly begins to lessen.

'Siphon Blade and Synthesis on one pokemon is positively disgusting,' Lee thinks, making Ninetales' telepathic ear twitch. 'Having that much sustainability on a pokemon that fast and hard-hitting is just unfair.'

'...' Ninetales says nothing in reply, but her irritation with being left out of a gym match begins to ease.

"Damn it…" Norman curses under his breath as he watches Sceptile heal, the swear barely audible even over the loudspeaker. "Keep going, Slaking! Blissey, Life Dew!"

Blissey is barely able to respond due to the fists hitting her like sledge hammers, but finally gets a moment to herself as Marshtomp turns to face the charging Slaking.

"Water Gun!" Brendan whoops.

Marshtomp's throat swells. He gurgles, then blasts the dirt in front of Slaking at an unseen signal from Brendan, turning Slaking's path into slippery mud.

Slaking, still bleeding all over and visibly furious, stomps his last few steps, explosively banishing the mud and sending it everywhere, giving him solid ground to tread on. Not expecting the huge pokemon to just power through it, Marshtomp is batted aside with a Mega Punch, sending him flying all the way back to Lee and Brendan's side of the field.

Before he can hit the wall once more, Sceptile flashes in behind him, catching Marshtomp and setting him down.

Marshtomp rubs a goose-egg swelling on his head with a grimace and croaks out a thanks.

In the short, two-second lull, Blissey raises her stubby arms as a shining globe of water forms between them. The globe bubbles as if boiling, then bursts into mist that rolls over both herself and Slaking. The colorless vapor seeps into their wounds, with many, but not all of Slaking's cuts closing, and the bruises dotting Blissey's form losing their deep purple color.

Lee frowns. 'Just as I thought. Blissey has the capacity to drag this out, and if she tags someone with Skill Swap again, it'll be like a two on one-and-a-half. We can't let that happen, and she needs to go down in a hurry.' Despite the setback, he smiles. 'It's a good thing that two can play that game.'

"Sceptile, fix up Marshtomp, will you?" Lee asks.

Sceptile sighs, but closes his eyes and sets his attention inward. On his back, the yellow seeds running down his spine in pairs of two all flare with an internal light. All of them begin to shrink, with the exception of the one over his left shoulder, which grows until its shell begins to crack. Before the seed can burst, Sceptile takes it, twists it off, and hands it off to Marshtomp.

Without any delay, Marshtomp stuffs the glowing seed in his maw, crunching down on it. With every bite swallowed, the bruises on his body begin to lose their ugly color.

Across the arena, Norman's jaw drops open in disbelief as he watches his foes renew themselves just like his pokemon are, and Lee can't help but smile as a round of exclamations makes its way around the watching crowd.

The new, unnamed healing move dreamed up only a week ago is still in its infancy. Slow and wildly inefficient, it's still a tide-turner in a double battle like this.

'Too bad it's a one-use move.' Lee's eyes run up and down Sceptile's back, where the other five seeds are just little nubs now. 'With any luck, we can fix the inefficiency issue, or find a way to fuel the seeds with Synthesis or Siphon Blade. Sceptile is going to need double portions for a few days to replace all those stored nutrients.'

Gulping down his last bite, Marshtomp stands tall with just a hint of purple on his head from his goose-egg, and bellows out a challenge to Slaking and Blissey.

Slaking frowns mightily, and Blissey slumps in exhaustion.

For a moment, neither side orders an attack.

"I have to admit," Norman begins during the temporary lull, "this is not what I was expecting."

"We could say the same thing," Brendan says right back. "What with the surprise double battle and all. I was kinda mad at first, but this is actually really cool!"

Norman nods slowly, raising a hand to comb through his dark hair. "Yeah, I suppose it is. What was that move Sceptile used just then, Lee?"

"It doesn't have a name yet. It's still experimental," Lee says back, keeping a wary eye on Norman's pokemon, lest this be a trick. "We only workshopped it a week ago, with today being its first in-battle use."

The Gym Leader sighs. "A week, huh? It took us months to even get…" He stops himself. "I didn't want to bust out our last hurrah this early, but it looks like plan A isn't going to work. It's a good thing we came in with another one! Blissey!" Norman suddenly barks. "Golden Egg!"

'Golden Egg?' Lee doesn't recognize the name.

"A week, huh? It took us months to even get…"

Then Norman's words click. 'A new move?'

Blissey sighs, seemingly in relief, as she hears the order. She screws her eyes shut as the egg in her belly pouch suddenly lights up like the sun, blinding everyone around and drawing yelps from the crowd.

Through his narrowed eyes, Lee watches as the color quite literally drains from Blissey's complexion, turning her ashen white. The color flows towards her egg as if it were liquid drawn in by a drain. The shell of the egg steams, darkening from white to a brilliant, shining gold.

Whatever is happening, they can't let it finish.

"Sceptile! Stop them!"

"Marshtomp, interrupt!"

Both pokemon jump to attack, Sceptile blurring forward with his blue partner trailing behind.

Slaking, without an order from Norman, crosses his arms in a block and throws up Protect around himself and Blissey, flinching when Sceptile's blade makes a hideous, metal-on-metal shriek against the shield. The flinches get worse when Marshtomp begins pounding the spherical shield with Brick Break.

Blissey is shaking now, visibly flagging as she pours all her strength into whatever this Golden Egg move is. She almost topples forward, barely catching herself on Slaking's leg.

'Shit.' Lee frowns. "Swords Dance! Then pierce through!"

"Marshtomp, Water Cutter! Weaken Protect for Sceptile!" Brendan is quick to throw in his assistance with his own personal move.

Sceptile backs up, narrowing his eyes as translucent broadswords of blue coalesce from wisps of blue all around him. The swords spin around his body slowly, dissolving back into wisps that diffuse into his skin, making his muscles tense and stand up against his scales.

At the same time, he changes his stance, going from a slash-ready katana stance to one more suited for a fencer. His Siphon Blade groans like bending steel, straightening until it's a straight, pointed needle perfect for stabbing.

To Sceptile's right, Marshtomp's throat bulges, and he purses his lips. With a wet choke, he throws his head forward, spitting a pencil-thin stream of water filled with harsh, grinding sediment.

Water Cutter hits Slaking's Protect with the speed of a laser, throwing a shower of sparks and making Slaking's eyes bug out.

Sceptile lunges, the point of his leaf sword hitting exactly where Water Cutter is grinding. With a sound like glass breaking, Protect shatters, and Sceptile's attack lances straight through Slaking's shoulder and out the other side.

"Slaking, no!" Norman cries, his hard facade breaking in his alarm.

Norman's pokemon roars in agony from the savage wound. Globules of yellow TE are sucked right from Slaking's body and into the bloody needle goring him, and in a matter of seconds, Sceptile's few lingering wounds vanish.

"Slaking, now!" Norman orders. "Get the egg!"

Held in place by the sword through his shoulder, Slaking grits his teeth and gropes blindly behind himself, before his large hand finally lands on the glittering egg in Blissey's pouch. As soon as he takes the egg, Blissey falls to the floor in a dead faint.

The ref counting out Blissey and Norman recalling her is totally lost in the spectacle that follows.

Slaking shoves the large egg in his mouth, shell and all, and bites down, chewing and swallowing in one go. As soon as the lump in his throat hits bottom, he groans and shudders.

Then steam begins to roll off of him and through his fur in thick waves. All the half-healed cuts on his body sputter, spitting blood as his flesh forcefully fuses back together. His slightly crooked jaw courtesy of Sceptile cracks back into place, and he spits out a tooth.

As all his wounds close, Slaking's already dense muscle compacts down on itself, then bulges out, veins standing out in sharp relief on his body despite his fur. His eyes grow wide and bloodshot, and he looks down at the green rapier still jammed in his shoulder.

The ace growls, a gut wrenching sound, and clenches all the muscles in his left arm. After a second, there is a sharp SNAP as Sceptile's sword breaks, still in his shoulder.

Sceptile leaps back, looking at the broken end of his weapon with narrowed eyes.

The flesh in Slaking's shoulder twists, then ejects the broken end of Sceptile's Siphon Blade, where it clatters to the ground and goes limp without any TE to feed it.

Snorting, Slaking rears his head back and roars, pounding his fists on his chest like a gorilla ready to do or die.

Both Lee and Brendan's pokemon cover their faces and dig their heels into the dirt of the arena, thrown off balance when the roar alone produces a gale.

"Huh." Lee frowns. "A last resort buff. I should have seen something like this coming."

For the first time in the match, Norman smiles, real and true. "Slaking," he begins. "Let's win this. Mega Punch!"

Slaking pulls his fist back, eyes filled with violence. Then like a speeding train, he barrels forward.

As Lee feared, this fight is far from over.

---

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[Nolo]

Actual Dark Souls boss fight, second phase and all.

Though I have to say, Golden Egg seems like quite the controversial move, as it seems to necessitate Blissey fainting via giving up her life force or something similar. Considering that she would need to recuperate from the sacrificial move it makes sense that it took a month or more to train it up.

I'm exited for the next chapter, can't wait.

 

[chinlamp]

Wow, so Norman's just a bitch here huh? Need to blindside opponents with a double battle, makes a custom move that's only viable in doubles giving him an advantage, sets up with a team made for doubles.

He must be a joke as a gym leader in the singles.

 

[edk]

Though I have to say, Golden Egg seems like quite the controversial move, as it seems to necessitate Blissey fainting via giving up her life force or something similar. Considering that she would need to recuperate from the sacrificial move it makes sense that it took a month or more to train it up.

Click to shrink...

In all fairness, there's a lot of moves that seem far worse than this. I mean, how many explosion moves are there now? Two, three, maybe more? Those feel so much worse. Then there are the really messed up healing moves that are basically the pokemon version of Edo Tensei.

 

[Nolo]

In all fairness, there's a lot of moves that seem far worse than this. I mean, how many explosion moves are there now? Two, three, maybe more? Those feel so much worse. Then there are the really messed up healing moves that are basically the pokemon version of Edo Tensei.

Click to shrink...

True, true, fair point.

 

[Classist_Wierdo]

I do think that bringing in Sceptile was the wrong move here. With the avaliable information that Lee had, Ninetails was just the most optimal choice. With a two on two, where he's going all out, Norman was always going to bring his Slaking, and that alone means that his variability is limited to a single other pokemon.

And more importantly the element of surprise is basically worthless in this situation. Norman is apparently buns in singles but he was still an Elite 4 member. He isn't going to be panicking because his opponent didn't bring his ace. Sceptile is still a known variable(IIRC, its been a bit since I've reread this fic) and regardless isn't a rare or unknown pokemon. If anything he'll gain confidence because he'll be glad it isn't Lee's Ace.

So, without the surprise of advantage, Sceptile just straight up a worse option. Pure grass isn't any better against Normal than pure fire, he has much worse offensive stats, similar defensive stats, and much less experience, on top of lacking Ninetales' telepathy. As a matter of fact Slaking's special defense is much worse than its physical defense, so Ninetails has a better match up against Slaking specifically, in addition to just being a better choice for the general situation.

How much worse is Sceptile? I have no idea, Ninetales' training was off screen, so it all depends on how big the gap between them is, but I'd bet money that it's huge.

To be clear, I don't think this is an out of character choice. It makes perfect sense for Lee to do that because it would have worked on him. He has a pretty bad case of LBS, on top of just not being very good at the battling part of being a trainer, so he absolutely would fall apart from making a wrong prediction.

 

[Zendrelax]

If I understand the setting correctly, putting together a new move like Golden Egg on a time scale of months is still very impressive. But it's still one with precedent.

Memento is a move that debuffs an opponent, and Healing Wish fully heals an ally, both at the cost of making the user faint. Golden Egg, meanwhile, seems to heal and buff an ally for the same cost. The degree of the healing and buffs aren't clear, but just from what we see it's an incredibly powerful move.

Now, Norman has a non-Truant, Full(?) Health, buffed, Life Orb Slaking. And if I had to guess, his remaining two Pokémon are also intended to play support for this absolute unit.

So. Uh. Our Bois have their work cut out for them.

 

[eveakane]

Is the entire match just Sceptile and Marshstomp vs Slaking and Blissey? The wording is a bit vague on whether or not they're allowed to bring all their Pokemon or if it's just a 2v2 clash.

 

[MewtwoBlue]

I do think that bringing in Sceptile was the wrong move here. With the avaliable information that Lee had, Ninetails was just the most optimal choice. With a two on two, where he's going all out, Norman was always going to bring his Slaking, and that alone means that his variability is limited to a single other pokemon.

And more importantly the element of surprise is basically worthless in this situation. Norman is apparently buns in singles but he was still an Elite 4 member. He isn't going to be panicking because his opponent didn't bring his ace. Sceptile is still a known variable(IIRC, its been a bit since I've reread this fic) and regardless isn't a rare or unknown pokemon. If anything he'll gain confidence because he'll be glad it isn't Lee's Ace.

So, without the surprise of advantage, Sceptile just straight up a worse option. Pure grass isn't any better against Normal than pure fire, he has much worse offensive stats, similar defensive stats, and much less experience, on top of lacking Ninetales' telepathy. As a matter of fact Slaking's special defense is much worse than its physical defense, so Ninetails has a better match up against Slaking specifically, in addition to just being a better choice for the general situation.

How much worse is Sceptile? I have no idea, Ninetales' training was off screen, so it all depends on how big the gap between them is, but I'd bet money that it's huge.

To be clear, I don't think this is an out of character choice. It makes perfect sense for Lee to do that because it would have worked on him. He has a pretty bad case of LBS, on top of just not being very good at the battling part of being a trainer, so he absolutely would fall apart from making a wrong prediction.

Click to shrink...

I don't think Lee chose Sceptile as an "element of surprise" as much as he was worried that Norman was going to pull out some BS anti-Ninetales strategy. The entire set-up SCREAMED "I've got a game plan for taking down Latias and Sceptile." And I don't know whether he was right or wrong about that; since they didn't bring out those two Pokemon, we got a totally different battle.

I'd also lightly argue that Ninetales is the best on the team, but maybe not the best for a double battle with Brendan...Sceptile's healing move was a game-changer. (If Norman knew that the healing move wasn't endlessly spammable, I don't think he would've decided to simplify the gamestate by saccing Blissey like that, but he did.)

I agree with you, though, both that it probably wasn't the optimal decision and that this felt in-character for Lee.

 

[Artful Lounger]

If I understand the setting correctly, putting together a new move like Golden Egg on a time scale of months is still very impressive. But it's still one with precedent.

Memento is a move that debuffs an opponent, and Healing Wish fully heals an ally, both at the cost of making the user faint. Golden Egg, meanwhile, seems to heal and buff an ally for the same cost. The degree of the healing and buffs aren't clear, but just from what we see it's an incredibly powerful move.

Now, Norman has a non-Truant, Full(?) Health, buffed, Life Orb Slaking. And if I had to guess, his remaining two Pokémon are also intended to play support for this absolute unit.

So. Uh. Our Bois have their work cut out for them.

Click to shrink...

Based on the wording and how no pokemon was let out to replace Blissey, I don't think there's substitutes in this. This is just a two on one against Slaking

 

[Zendrelax]

Based on the wording and how no pokemon was let out to replace Blissey, I don't think there's substitutes in this. This is just a two on one against Slaking

Click to shrink...

You're right. At first I misread that part as saying Lee and Brendan would have two Pokémon each, and then assumed Norman would have the numbers to match.

Still, that Slaking is already a nightmare.

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

Damn this is gonna be an absolute bitch of a fight against a Slaking this buffed. But if it doesn't push Marshtomp over the edge for his evolution nothing will.

 

[Dradel]

Norman better hope he wins, because after that whole speech, rigging the game with the surprise unplanned double battle while he has a pre-prepared strategy, not even fighting his opponents' aces, if he still loses, if the higher ups weren't actually thinking that he was failing his duties as Gym Leader before they're certainly gonna think about it now.

 

[doomqwer]

'Using Blissey to offset the Life Orb's strain is a damn good idea.' Lee clicks his tongue.

Click to shrink...

It is interesting seeing strategies like that applied in actual pokemon rather then just the game and how brutal they can be.

"Skill Swap…" Brendan suddenly breathes as Marshtomp struggles to his feet. "Lee, that move that Blissey used without an order is Skill Swap! Look at Blissey!" he exclaims, drawing gasps from the watching crowd.

Click to shrink...

Norman grits his teeth. "Slaking, Protect! Blissey, Substitute!"

Click to shrink...

Ooo that skill swap is an evil and effective and made Slaking a force to be reckoned with but it also made Blissey a large sitting duck and while Norman protect her well it does make me wonder if it would have been easier to have both of them as active combatants.

As Lee feared, this fight is far from over.

Click to shrink...

That Golden Egg move was clever and not something I had thought about but it makes sense that could work with the Chansey line.

 

[Artful Lounger]

I'm wondering what ability Blissey gave to Slaking instead of Truant. Going by game data, it'd be either Natural Cure, Serene Grace, or Healer.

Natural Cure means nothing in this format, and Healer might have been relevant help keep Blissey up depending on how the fight went but does them no good now.

Serene Grace could be a problem though.

 

[HelioBM]

But if Blissey faint, Skill Swap cancels, no?