Phoenixsong vs. Negrek (ref: Saffire Persian)

[Phoenixsong]

Just reposting this little sucker after the switch...

Rules:

1 on 1

3-week DQ (I know it seems longer than normal, but I might need the extra time if I lapse into one of my lazy, apathetic moods again)

Banned Moves: All healing moves, including drain moves like Leech Life, OHKO's, Self-Destruct, Explosion, Destiny Bond, Memento, Perish Song, Substitute... in other words, I want this to be simple and straightforward, no fancy cheap stuff.

Restrictions: One Toxic per Pokémon, one chill per Pokémon

Pokémon Restrictions: No purely aquatic/swimming Pokémon (ie Goldeen), and no fully-evolved Pokémon (so Charmeleon is okay, but not Charizard; Poochyena is okay, but not Mightyena)

No damage caps

Arena-

Your standard, generic open field. There's grass. And dirt. And flowers. And a beautiful, open, sunny sky just waiting to be manipulated by someone. There's no water, though, so nothing that is forced to swim is allowed.

Hmm, anything else? Ah, yes... I know that many ASB battles often come down to Energy stalemates, even when chilling has been restricted/banned... all the same, it's been the deciding factor in every single match I've had. So if the battle seems too drawn out (and my opponent agrees), then perhaps a draw might be called or we'll continue for one more round and call it from there. We'll see how it plays out.

Uh, I guess that's about it... Oh, and even though I'm going to do my best to stay on top of this, I might slide a little bit. In the event that I have, say, a day before DQ, would the ref or perhaps my opponent please be kind enough to PM me a little reminder?


...Saffire had already decided that my Sandshrew and I would go first; my attacks were:

Sand-Attack ~ Swift ~ Defense Curl

Your move, Negrek.

[Negrek]

By Jove, it suddenly looks rather vBulletin-y around here!

But anyway, Datum, let's get things rolling! You've battled sandshrew before, so there's nothing new here.

When Sandshark kicks some sand at you, blow it right back in his face with an icy wind. Follow it up by setting up a reflect shield to protect yourself from most of Sandshark's attacks. And finally, while he's rolled up and helpless, use an ice beam to freeze him to the ground in a balled-up position.

Icy Wind @ Sand Attack ~ Reflect ~ Ice Beam

[Saffire Persian]

Phoenixsong: Could you please add me to the topic title as the Ref for this topic? It helps me keep track.

ROUND ONE
Phoenixsong vs. Negrek
O|O

Stats


Sandshark [M]// Phoenixsong
HP: 100%
EP: 100%
Chills: 0/1
Status: Eagar and ready to attack
Sand Attack | Swift | Defense Curl


Datum [Ø]// Negrek
HP: 100%
EP: 100%
Chills: 0/1
Status: Waiting Patiently for the round to begin
Icy Wind | Reflect | Ice Beam

Arena: Field -- Our standard, generic open field. There's grass. And dirt. And flowers. And a beautiful, open, sunny sky just waiting to be manipulated by someone. There's no water, though, so nothing that is forced to swim is allowed.

Arena Status: Normal

~Round 1 Begin!~

A gentle sun flows down onto an open, flowery field, with a barely noticeable breeze working its way through the air. At the present, two trainers are standing at either side of their arranged meeting place. Both girls looked determined and ready to battle, each clutching a pokéball in hand.

Without any show of hesitation, Phoenixsong releases her pokémon first: a vibrant and eager Sandshrew. The rodent thwaps his tail against the ground, showing his approval of the terrain – especially the lack of water and plentiful dirt to dig into Negrek, a long-time ASB veteran, responds in kind, pokéball clattering on the ground, releasing the creature within. This one is of a whole different breed of creature – a brilliant piece of man-made machinery known as a Porygon. The mechanical wonder shows no outside emotions, its internal mechanics and processors whirring soundly, evaluating the terrain before it, while awaiting battle orders.

Both Sandshrew and Porygon stare down each other for a few precious seconds, before the referee finally waves the contestants forward.

Sandshark, eager to get the first move in, half dashes, half rolls over to a nice patch of sod-like dirt. Snickering, he skids to a stop, quickly burying his paws into the soft earth. He gathers some up in his paws, turning sharply and flinging a wave of dirt at Datum. But a sudden, chilling snap of harsh wind stops the Sand Attack and sends the airborne particles right back at Sandshark.

Now, not only is the chilling northern wind accompanied by miniscule bits of ice, but dirt as well. It chills the sun-loving Sandshrew, who shivers at the sudden decrease in temperature, lifting his paws over his face, vainly to cover his eyes from the onslaught of ice and dirt tearing at his rough hide, making it hard to see while numbing his whole body.

The accursed breeze finally stops. Joints stiff, Sandshark grimaces as he tries to resurrect some feeling into his chilled limbs. He first tries to wipe his eyes free of the dirt, blinking to try and clear his hampered vision. He can see the Porygon before him – or so he thinks, as the picture is rather blurry -- and Sandshark notices, to his confusion, that Datum seems to be surrounding in something rather translucent and barely noticeable… a shield. Worried, but not at all put off from attacking, the mouse raises a paw, summoning forth a myriad of five-pointed stars.

The attack clatters against the Porygon’s shield, and it buffers most of the blow, but a few stray stars still strike Datum’s well-polished surface.

Not bothered in the least, Datum takes on a bluish hue as he gathers ice-elemental energy at the tip of his triangular nose – or where one would be anyway. It quickly gathers strength and power, and Sandshark, eyes widening – as he knows from experience what the ‘blue light’ means -- closes his eyes and curls into a very tight ball.

Tight packed as the mouse is, the Ice Beam rips through his defenses, sending a sudden cold chill rippling throughout his body. A thin coat of ice begins to coat the Sandshrew’s hide at the beam's touch, freezing him into a rather round ice-sculpture, sticking him fast to his patch of dirt. The layer is light, however, and quite possibly brittle.

Post-Round


Sandshark [M]// Phoenixsong
HP: 82%
EP: 94%
Chills: 0/1
Status: Frozen fast to the ground; chilled.
Acc -1, SPD -1
DEF + 1


Datum [Ø]// Negrek
HP: 97%
EP: 86%
Chills: 0/1
Status: Satisfied
Reflect: 3 more rounds
Notes:

~Negrek Attacks First

[Negrek]

(( Just a heads-up, Phoenixsong, but you're coming close to being DQ'd in your battle against Zironixx... early DQ warning for yah. ))

Great work, Datum! You pulled that off brilliantly. Now, let's keep ourselves in the advantage by sticking that sandshrew more firmly to the dirt! Ice Beam to reinforce what you've already laid on him, and if it looks like he might break out while you're trying to add more ice to his prison, use a psychic to hold him fast while you finish your work.

If you didn't have to combine psychic with ice beam, use your second action to instead subject Sandshark to a psywave attack--hopefully it will pass through the ice without damaging it but harm the sandshrew within--then follow up on your third action with a sharpen to prepare yourself for the next round. If, however, Sandshark has freed himself on the last action, instead punish him with a solarbeam--the flash freezing and then rapid heating of his armor should cause him extra pain and maybe crack open his defenses a bit.

If at any time he protects, just relax.

Ice Beam + Psychic (immobilize) ~ Psywave / Solarbeam / Relax

or

Ice Beam (possibly + psychic) / Relax ~ Psywave / Relax ~ Solarbeam / Sharpen / Relax

[Phoenixsong]

Rawr... sorry. I didn't notice this had been updated. Must remember to use that handy-dandy little search function next time, eh? Uh, and on the side, Saffire, Sandshark is female, not male.

Wow. That was, uh... bad. Gosh, what can a Sandshrew do to get out of ice? I wouldn't bother struggling too much, as Datum is only going to add another layer of ice; I suppose, though, that you should Flail a little bit to try and work off some of the ice. I wouldn't worry too much about the Psywave, either; Saffire can ref it as she sees fit, but according to the attack guide Psywave messes with the structure of anything it hits. It should help more than it hurts...

Your next action, Sandshark, will depend on what the Psywave does to you. If it frees you to the point where you can move freely, burrow underground (not the attack Dig). If you cannot move from the spot but are relatively free (ie, you can move your upper body but your legs are still frozen), use Safeguard. If you are still frozen, continue to Flail.

Finally, if you are underground for your third action, I want you to surface and hit Datum with Brick Break. If you are relatively free or have been freed but are not underground, Protect; if you are still frozen, I want you to try something. I'm not sure how Saffire would ref this and therefore don't know if it's possible or not, but try using Sandstorm. If that won't work because you're frozen, then keep Flailing instead.

So... Sandshark's commands, if they make any sense at all:

If Sandshark is completely unfrozen by the second action:
Small Flail ~ Burrow underground ~ Resurface with Brick Break

If Sandshark is partially unfrozen by the second action:
Small Flail ~ Safeguard ~ Protect

If Sandshark is still completely frozen by the second action:
Small Flail ~ Small Flail ~ Sandstorm/Flail

Sorry it took me a while to find this, and Happy December!

[Saffire Persian]

Ah, sorry, Phoenixsong. I lost the PMs in the move. XD So I guess I just assumed the gender to be male.

ROUND TWO
Phoenixsong vs. Negrek
O|O

Stats


Sandshark [F]// Phoenixsong
HP: 82%
EP: 94%
Chills: 0/1
Status: Frozen fast to the ground; chilled.
Acc -1, SPD -1
DEF + 1
Small Flail | Small Flail | Protect


Datum [Ø]// Negrek
HP: 97%
EP: 86%
Chills: 0/1
Status: Satisfied
Reflect: 3 more rounds
Ice Beam | Psywave | Relax

Arena: Field -- Our standard, generic open field. There's grass. And dirt. And flowers. And a beautiful, open, sunny sky just waiting to be manipulated by someone. There's no water, though, so nothing that is forced to swim is allowed.

Arena Status: Normal

~Round 2 Begin!~

Sandshark, at the current point and time, can't help but be severely agitated in her current condition.

Not only is she frozen, but the twat of a Porygon has every intention of continuing to subject her to its own icy torment. This does not make Sandshark happy in the least. Grunting, her vision dark from her curled position, she begins to do the only thing she can: flail. She thrashes about on the grassy terrain, rocking this way and that, not quite unlike an egg trying just as desperately to hatch and free itself of its shell. She can feel the ice begin to crack at the constant movement, and the sun shining above helps loosen the molecules keeping her in this icy prison. Heartened, her thrashing continues with an even greater fervor.

Then, she feels a blast of icy cold ram into her already frozen body. She can feel the ice stiffening and toughening at the attack. Sandshark can't help but give a muffled cry in both anger and dismay. Glaring at nothing in particular -- though her gaze would have been surely directed at the piece of man-made machinery if she could have possibly freed herself at that point and time -- Sandshark begins to thrash about once more. This time, she puts all the energy she can into it, downright determined to free herself out of her own "egg". Her flailing yields some results, cracking the ice a bit while freeing herself from the ground she's been frozen to. Body granted new movement, her thrashing becomes more violent --- even to point of "hopping" about to a small degree. Then, the air suddenly resonates with psionic waves, at a pitch only a far few keen ears could ever hope to detect. The psychic vibrations easily penetrate Sandshrew's icy casing, causing deep cracks to appear along the ice and spread like ivy, loosening it up considerably before assaulting the Sandshrew within, rattling her to some degree, however, that does not stop her from giving one final flail, and in a sudden burst of sparkling shards, the Sandshrew manages to burst apart her icy enclosure, breathing hard from her final exertion.

Relieved, though parts of her are still covered in bits of ice -- namely her feet and forepaws -- she then takes a moment to give Datum a very lethal glare, trying to work some life into her frozen and rather unresponsive limbs, as well as ridding the left-over sand particles from her eyes. Growling in a threatening manner, she takes a deep breath and summons a white ward around herself, ready to protect her cold form from any coming attack. Datum, however, does nothing of the short, a short of thrum as escaping the Porygon's body as its AI processes the current battle conditions, and thusly coming to the conclusion that the answer to this current battle equation would be to relax.

Post-Round


Sandshark [F]// Phoenixsong
HP: 69%
EP: 80%
Chills: 0/1
Status: Cold, but free from most of the ice, though still covered in a few places. Surrounded by ice shards.
SPD -1
DEF + 1


Datum [Ø]// Negrek
HP: 97%
EP: 82%
Chills: 1/1
Status: Relaxed
Reflect: 2 more rounds

Notes:
~Phoenixsong Attacks First
~Ice Beam did a little less damage than normal, due to the ice around the Sandshrew 'buffering' some of the blow.

[Phoenixsong]

Let the little lump of pixels relax, Sandshark. We'll start off with that Sandstorm I asked for earlier. Dig underground, but stay there; I don't think pointy, angular Datum will be able to follow you. Once you're safe underground, try that Defense Curl again.

Sandstorm ~ Dig and stay under ~ Defense Curl

[Negrek]

My bad on the last round, Datum, but you're doing great. Now, let's see what we've got ready to go this round...

Wait patiently for the sandstorm to come up, and let Sandshark think she's won for a moment--then override it with a nice rain dance.

After that, watch carefully as Sandshark digs her little hole--then hover over to it and use a mimic. Dig straight down the hole Sandshark's already made--you're a bit bigger than her, so you'll need to widen the tunnel a bit to go after her, but Sandshark has already done most of the work for you in terms of moving earth around. Follow her down and ram into her where she lurks beneath the earth.

And finally, defense curl. We know how to deal with those, don't we? Prepare to entrench yourself in Sandshark's underground hideaway, and unleash another icy wind.

Rain Dance (after sandstorm) ~ Mimic (Dig), follow Sandshark underground ~ Icy Wind

[Saffire Persian]

ROUND THREE
Phoenixsong vs. Negrek
O|O

Stats


Sandshark [F]// Phoenixsong
HP: 69%
EP: 80%
Chills: 0/1
Status: Cold, but free from most of the ice, though still covered in a few places. Surrounded by ice shards.
SPD -1
DEF + 1
Sandstorm | Dig | Defense Curl


Datum [Ø]// Negrek
HP: 97%
EP: 82%
Chills: 1/1
Status: Relaxed
Reflect: 2 more rounds
Rain Dance | Mimic | Icy Wind

Arena: Field -- Our standard, generic open field. There's grass. And dirt. And flowers. And a beautiful, open, sunny sky just waiting to be manipulated by someone. There's no water, though, so nothing that is forced to swim is allowed.

Arena Status: Normal

~Round 3 Begin!~

Cold, and feeling rather miserable, Sandshark takes a moment to shake off a few melting shards of ice that still cover her earthy body. She looks around, blinking at the harsh sunlight, feeling a bit unnerved that Datum has done nothing thus far other than watch her with no emotion whatsoever. Blinking back the odd feeling she has, Sandshark curls up into a ball, surrounding in a brown nimbus, and begins to twirl around like a corkscrew in her patch of dirt. Immediately, harsh, whipping wind and sand whirl through the air, becoming thicker by the second and obscuring vision.

Datum's Reflect buffers a bit of the sand, and though the Porygon has had only a few seconds of exposure, it can feel its armor chinking and scratching in protest from the grainy particles. Datum, however, shows no sign of irritation or anger; instead, he rises a few inches farther from the ground, his rear-leg polygons twirling rapidly while he takes a moment to call down the rain.

Instantly at his beckoning, rain begins to fall and the sandstorm becomes nothing more than a bad memory. The Rain Dance clears out the air almost instantaneously, and washes off much of the sand that had been coating the Porygon's shiny frame. Meanwhile, Sandshark glowers, her bad mood enhanced by a rather large percentage. The rain annoys her and 'burns' her skin, wetting it when it's supposed to be dry. Finally, after a few more thick droplets of rain hits her now wet skin, Sandshark begins to plow into the moistening earth with her claws, digging down at a rapid and galvanized pace. Furrows of wet earth splash upwards at Sandshark's relentless and professional digging, and it takes only a minute for her to finally clear enough of a path to dig a small tunnel underground.

Now out of the rain, Sandshark trills in pleasure and relief, shaking herself off like a dog, while waiting the rain out in her make-shift shelter. Suddenly though, a whirring and chinking sounds catches her attention, coming from above. Slowly, hesitation prominent, Sandshark creeps a few paces towards the entrance of the tunnel, not liking the strange whirring from above; it's unnatural.

Suddenly, a pink beak bursts through the hole above, startling Sandshark significantly, and making her scamper down the tunnel in surprise and fear. Only after she has scampered down to where the tunnel ends, does she look back over her shoulder. To her horror, she finds Datum digging and widening her tunnel so it can fit in the narrow space. It doesn't take long before Datum penetrates the burrow, his oddly shaped legs clawing away at the earth like a relentless plow. The Porygon lands with a thump on the earth, and precedes to follow the Sandshrew's path, widening it as it goes.

Sandshark arches her back like a cat, and screeches in fading terror and increasing fury at having her domain broken into, and not looking forward to any of the machine's fancy ice and rain tricks. Datum does not stop, its eyes blinking at her rather curiously before halting roughly two feet away from the Sandshrew, who immediately curls up into a tight ball, increasing her defense further.

Datum hums, perhaps in amusement if it can feel such, before allowing its engines to kick up into full throttle, building up speed and wind power, before sending forth a harsh breeze of icy wind at his ground-type opponent, sending chills down Sandshark's spine, doing nothing to help her souring mood as the rain continues to pelt the ground above.

Post-Round


Sandshark [F]// Phoenixsong
HP: 61%
EP: 71%
Chills: 0/1
Status: About as happy as a Growlithe left out in the rain.
SPD -2
DEF + 2


Datum [Ø]// Negrek
HP: 96%
EP: 69%
Chills: 1/1
Status: Underground, awaiting commands
Reflect: 1 more rounds
Knows Dig

Notes:
~Datum did take a small amount of damage from the few seconds the Sandstorm was in play.
~Negrek Attacks first

[Negrek]

All right, Datum, that's the way!

There's nowhere for Sandshark to run in a narrow little tunnel like this, so I doubt there'll be much avoiding a nice blizzard. Again, try to turn that sandshrew into a stiff little ice sculpture. Blizzard up to three times this round, but if your first two were successful, take the third action off and relax instead.

If Sandshark decides she wants to dig back to the surface, follow her with a dig of your own, just like before. If she protects, take a nice break to relax a spell.

Blizzard / Dig (resurface) / Relax x3

[Phoenixsong]

Well, Sandshark, I don't know about you, but I'm sick of being one-upped by a bunch of zeros and ones. Let's remedy that, shall we?

I thank you, Negrek, for giving me the brilliant idea of tunneling back upward. Please do so, Sandshark. Now, we already know that because of Datum's larger size and angular body, it takes longer to dig through the ground... even with your reduced speed you should be aboveground quite a bit before it is, I believe. A good, healthy Earthquake should do the trick, eh? If Datum manages to resurface anyway after the Earthquake, do me a favor and use Protect; if not, throw up a Safeguard.

If some miraculous happenstance occurs that allows Datum to tunnel out before you can hit it with Earthquake, I want you to use a combination Protect + Safeguard. That should keep the attack from hitting you at first and keep you from being frozen again for some time. I'm sorry, my dear, but you'll have to ignore the rain for now. It may also mean taking at least one Blizzard hit, but Datum's energy after this should be fun to see, eh? (Yours too, probably, but oh, well.)

In summary:

Dig (resurface) ~ Earthquake (if Datum is belowground)/Protect + Safeguard (if Datum is aboveground) ~ Protect (if Earthquake hits and Datum is aboveground)/Safeguard (if Earthquake hits and Datum is belowground)

EDIT: I just realized something... you can't relax/chill anymore, Negrek. It's one per Pokémon, and you've already used yours. Uh, Saffire? Course of action to be taken?

[Saffire Persian]

It's true that Negrek ordered a chill. Had I reffed it before you edited, I would have reffed the action with Datum doing nothing. In other words, he doesn't lose energy, he doesn't gain energy. If Negrek wants to go with that.... *shruggs* If she wants to change her commands, that's fine, too.

[Negrek]

Oh, eh, no, I'll go with a sharpen in place of relaxing, then, if that's all right.

[Saffire Persian]

That's fine. Phoenixsong, you have any changes you want to make before I ref, or are you all right with your orders as is?

[Phoenixsong]

No... whether Datum is relaxing or Sharpening, my commands were all contingent on whether or not Datum was actually attacking. Relax/Sharpen doesn't make much of a difference at this point... I mean, depending on how my moves work, Datum might not have gotten a chance to relax at all, right? I'm fine with it.

[Saffire Persian]

ROUND FOUR
Phoenixsong vs. Negrek
O|O

Stats


Sandshark [F]// Phoenixsong
HP: 61%
EP: 71%
Chills: 0/1
Status: About as happy as a Growlithe left out in the rain.
SPD -2
DEF + 2
Dig ~ Protect + Safeguard


Datum [Ø]// Negrek
HP: 96%
EP: 69%
Chills: 1/1
Status: Underground, awaiting commands
Reflect: 1 more rounds
Knows Dig
Dig ~ Sharpen ~ Blizzard

Arena: Field -- Our standard, generic open field. There's grass. And dirt. And flowers. And a beautiful, open, sunny sky just waiting to be manipulated by someone. There's no water, though, so nothing that is forced to swim is allowed.

Arena Status: Raining heavily.

~Round 4 Begin!~

Covered with a very light frost from Datum's Icy Wind attack, Sandshark uncurls from her defense position, hissing once before turning around and starting to rapidly dig through the earth towards the surface. Datum, showing no emotion whatsoever, follows close behind her, allowing her to do most of the work, while widening the tunnel to fit its strange polygonal figure through the earth.

Hearing the strange whirring coming from behind her, noticing, much to her distress, that the man-made thing is right behind her, Sandshark tries to put on more speed, some of the dirt she's scraping away hitting Datum's face as she finally reaches the surface.

Grunting, feeling the unwelcome presence of the rain as it drums against her hide, Sandshark pulls herself out of her self-made hole just in time to escape being hit by Datum as he bursts through the earth below, aboveground once more, covered in quite a bit of dirt. The rain is helping a bit in that respect, helping wash away the soil from his polished -- though now rather dirty -- surface.

Grimacing, the Sandshark closes her eyes, and summons up a protective shield around her entire body, blocking out any and all foreign attacks, including the pelting rain, much to Sandshark's pleasure and relief. She takes a moment to grin cheekily at the Porygon, who resigns himself to Sharpening his frame. The Porygon's body now gleams with a new, refurbished sheen, with each edge sharpened to a noticeable degree. Sandshark notices little of this, a bead of sweat rolling down her skin as she concentrates hard to hold her Protective shield up while calling up another one -- this one to guarantee that she won't be frozen again for a long while. Safeguard.

Though it takes a little extra effort, and a lot of strain on the mouse's part, she manages to erect a holy white nimbus around her body. With the Safeguard safely in place, Sandshark allows the Protect to fade away into oblivion, feeling rather tired, though proud at performing both moves at once. She can do nothing to stop the surge of ice and snow that the Porygon summons up mere seconds later, chilling her to the bone... but despite the harsh attack, she remains unfrozen, the bright white aura around her ensuring that. Datum's Reflect, meanwhile, finally fades away, utterly spent.

Post-Round


Sandshark [F]// Phoenixsong
HP: 46%
EP: 55%
Chills: 0/1
Status: Cold and feeling a bit strained from the Protect/Safeguard combo.
Safegaurd: 3 more rounds.
SPD -2
DEF + 2


Datum [Ø]// Negrek
HP: 96%
EP: 53%
Chills: 1/1
Status: Covered in a bit of dirt and mud, but it's washing off; body sharpened.
ATK +1
Knows Dig

Notes:
~Phoenixsong Attacks first
~Rain Dance for 1 more round.

[Phoenixsong]

I've gotta make this quick, as I have two reffings to write...

Relax, Defense Curl, Rollout.

*runs*

EDIT: You saw my PM, right, Saff? Just wondering.

[Negrek]

Keep the pressure on, Datum. Ice beam, ice beam, and then dodge the rollout. If necessary, use a small agility to boost out of the way.

Ice Beam x2 ~ Dodge / Agility (dodge)

[Saffire Persian]

Yep.

ROUND FIVE
Phoenixsong vs. Negrek
O|O

Stats


Sandshark [F]// Phoenixsong
HP: 46%
EP: 55%
Chills: 0/1
Status: Cold and feeling a bit strained from the Protect/Safeguard combo.
Safeguard: 3 more rounds.
SPD -2
DEF + 2
Relax ~ Defense Curl ~ Rollout


Datum [Ø]// Negrek
HP: 96%
EP: 53%
Chills: 1/1
Status: Covered in a bit of dirt and mud, but it's washing off; body sharpened.
ATK +1
Knows Dig
Ice Beam ~ Ice Beam ~ Dodge(Agility)

Arena: Field -- Our standard, generic open field. There's grass. And dirt. And flowers. And a beautiful, open, sunny sky just waiting to be manipulated by someone. There's no water, though, so nothing that is forced to swim is allowed.

Arena Status: Raining heavily.

~Round 5 Begin!~

The heavy rain continues to ominously pelt the ground, a lot of the earth becoming sloppy and muddier by the second. Neither opponent seems to care much about this, however, as they whether out the falling storm. Sandshark seems the most affected, cold and rather miserable despite her many attempts to protect herself from the elements, most of which were summoned up by the dratted piece of AI machinery. Grumbling to herself, Sandshark watches her opponent carefully, hulking down into the grass and mud, trying to think positive as she relaxes. Of course, happy thoughts are rather hard to come up with, since she's had nothing but troubles. She's been frozen solid, forced to hide away underground, continuously bombarded by rain drops and --

Wham!

Sandshark lets loose an unearthly shriek as a light blue beam strikes her in the face. The icy chill penetrates her skin, causing her soaked hide to suddenly shine with an icy sheen, before the Safeguard dispels the ailment before it can even start to take hold. Still, the Safeguard does nothing to protect her against the harsh chill, and Sandshark is relegated to shivering, sneezing a few times as the cold and wet sinks in.

Since her Trainer has ordered her not to retaliate, Sandshark continues to reinforce her defenses, curling up into a tight ball. Again, she is hit by another lethal strike of the ice-type beam, and is fated to suffer through it for a few more seconds.

Then, at the speed of newly shot bullet (with a few seconds start-up delay) the Sandshrew rockets forward from her already curled up position, slewing through the grass and mud like a hardy tire. Datum has only seconds to respond, his inside boosters kicking into high gear as his hovering form shoots upwards with a little assistance from an Agility attack, now quite immune to the Sandshrew's ground-type assault.

The sand mouse continues to roll around for a few more seconds, noticing that she has yet to hit into a certain plastic object, slowing down and uncurling until she finally spots the Porygon in the close distance. She curses, waving a disgruntled paw at it, frustrated that the Porygon doesn't even show a tinge of emotion. She is, however, rather relieved as the rain that was falling earlier comes to a complete and total halt while the dark rain clouds recede into the distance to make way for the sun.

Well, at least something's looking bright.

Post-Round


Sandshark [F]// Phoenixsong
HP: 22%
EP: 59%
Chills: 1/1
Status: Cold, but rejoicing over the fact that the rain's gone.
Safeguard: 2 more rounds.
SPD -2
DEF + 3


Datum [Ø]// Negrek
HP: 96%
EP: 36%
Chills: 1/1
Status: Covered in a bit of dirt and mud, but it's washing off; body sharpened.
ATK +1
SPD +2
Knows Dig

Notes:
~Negrek Attacks first

[Negrek]

This battle's winding down, Datum. Let's bring things to a close with a final ice beam assault. If Sandshark protects or detects to prevent damage, take no action. If she double teams or otherwise attempts to dodge the assault, instead use a widespread icy wind to give her nowhere to run. And if she attempts to escape underground, dig after her and ram into her with your sharpened body--or follow her back to the surface again if she returns there; no need to let yourself get trapped by an earthquake.

Ice beam no more than twice. If you get off two successful ice beams and are left with an action to spare, take no action.

Ice Beam / Icy Wind (widespread) / Dig / Do Nothing x2 ~ Do Nothing / Ice Beam / Icy Wind (widespread) / Dig

[Phoenixsong]

Well, my dear, it doesn't appear as though we'll be able to properly outmuscle Datum... what is there left to do but outlast it? Dig and resurface thrice, if you please--do it quickly enough to try and avoid getting rammed, but not so fast so that there's no point in Datum following you. As far as I can see, that sharpened, more angular body just means Datum is more susceptible to getting caught and having to work its way free; that should buy you extra time. Wear it down as it pointlessly chases you in circles.

This is going to come back to bite me, I just know it. Meh.

[Saffire Persian]

ROUND SIX
Phoenixsong vs. Negrek
O|O

Stats


Sandshark [F]// Phoenixsong
HP: 22%
EP: 59%
Chills: 1/1
Status: Cold, but rejoicing over the fact that the rain's gone.
Safeguard: 2 more rounds.
SPD -2
DEF + 3
Dig ~ Dig ~ Dig


Datum [Ø]// Negrek
HP: 96%
EP: 36%
Chills: 1/1
Status: Covered in a bit of dirt and mud, but it's washing off; body sharpened.
ATK +1
SPD +2
Knows Dig
Dig ~ Dig ~ Dig

Arena: Field -- Our standard, generic open field. There's grass. And dirt. And flowers. And a beautiful, open, sunny sky just waiting to be manipulated by someone. There's no water, though, so nothing that is forced to swim is allowed.

Arena Status: Raining heavily.

~Round 6 Begin!~

Normally, Sandshark would be all for beating the heck out of her opponent. Too her, there was nothing better than throwing a wad of sand in her opponent's face and watching said opponent squirm, but at the current moment, an all-out offense was not part of the game plan. Having seen the Porygon's unnatural prowess with the ice-element, while seemingly being able to call down the rain at will, the Sandshrew was, suffice to say, a little edgy, and wary of attacking the weird thing. She was still cold, though her body was slowly unstiffening from the numbing cold that had beset her for the past - oh - five rounds. So, in the end, she had no qualms for hightailing out of her current situation and into her element: the earth.

The mouse who fights and runs away lives to fight another day, as they say.

So with a frenzied squeal, Sandshark began to furiously attack the earth with her claws, scratching deep furrows into the ground, until the soil finally gave way to her claws, forming a big enough hole for her body to fit through. Datum, meanwhile, has taken notice of this, watching the mouse's digging progress, having explicit orders to "dig after her and ram her". So, Datum was quite prepared to do so.

As soon as Sandshark's tail disappeared underground, Datum's triangular "feet" began to whir at a fast, frenzied rate, and it took only seconds for Datum to follow after her - having a strange, unnatural, burst of speed. It didn't take the Porygon long to dig after her, his Sharpened body helping widen the tunnel the Sandshrew was digging with greater ease, while his speed allowed him to catch up to the Sandshrew, who was spending most of her time and energy digging the tunnel back up, with the Porygon right not far behind.

Finally, she broke free of the surface, Datum bursting through the ground behind her, managing to ram upon his exit. But Sandshark shrugged of the blow, repeating the same method as before: dig and resurface, and Datum did the same, following the Sandshrew as she dug, ramming her upon bursting through the surface with his superior speed.

The third action proved to be no different, save for the fact that Sandshark was getting quite irate over this whole "hit and run" thing they were doing. She was doing the running, and Datum was doing the hitting. That did not bode well with her, and she could feel her health running out, and her energy slowly being drained. As for the Porygon - well - his expression was unreadable. She could only hope her methods were tiring the stupid, stupid piece of human-created data would tire out and crumble into a heap of spare parts, and Sandshark grinned savagely at the thought of it, especially as she was rammed again, after barely escaping her new tunnel for the third - and perhaps final - time.

Post-Round


Sandshark [F]// Phoenixsong
HP: 10%
EP: 44%
Chills: 1/1
Status: Dizzy and winded.
Safeguard: 1 more round.
SPD -1
DEF + 3


Datum [Ø]// Negrek
HP: 96%
EP: 24%
Chills: 1/1
Status: Quite stoic.
ATK +1
SPD +2
Knows Dig

Notes:
~Sandshark might have avoided getting hit if Datum didn't have a +2 speed boost, while Sandshark has a speed decrease, though it's going away. XD... Not to mention she's digging the main hole, and Datum's just widening it. Still, Sandshark's high defense helped lessen the blows.

~Phoenixsong attacks first.

Arena Status: Lots and lots of holes. Ground still a little wet from the rain, but drying.

[Phoenixsong]

Aww, dammit... I really don't see a bunch of varied sharp points as increasing ease of digging, but whatever.

I'm very, very proud of you, Sandshark. This was your first battle and, just our luck, it was against a powerful and obscenely versatile foe. Nonetheless, you did the best you could, my darling. There's a lovely surprise in your immediate future.

Use Aerial Ace to get close to Datum and then Flail until you drop, my sweet. It would appear that you'll be going down, but damned if you don't give that wretched little lump of zeros and ones the very best thrashing you can manage before you do.

Aerial Ace ~ Flail ~ Flail

[Negrek]

Ice beam and go.

Ice Beam x3

[Saffire Persian]

Well, sharper claws = easier digging, doesn't it? So I figured the appendages/feet/whateveryouwanttocallthem that Datum uses to dig into the ground via mimic, would, sharpened, make it easier --well, and a tad slight bit faster -- to dig through things and widen it. It would make things a tad more difficult to go down the hole, but Datum was widening it anyways. And Sandshark was basically digging the main part of the hole, which would take longer. That was my logic anyway. o.o''

ROUND SEVEN
Phoenixsong vs. Negrek
O|O

Stats


Sandshark [F]// Phoenixsong
HP: 10%
EP: 44%
Chills: 1/1
Status: Dizzy and winded.
Safeguard: 1 more rounds.
SPD -1
DEF + 3
Aerial Ace - Flail - Flail


Datum [Ø]// Negrek
HP: 96%
EP: 24%
Chills: 1/1
Status: Quite stoic.
ATK +1
SPD +2
Knows Dig
Ice Beam - Ice Beam - Ice Beam

Arena: Field -- Our standard, generic open field. There's grass. And dirt. And flowers. And a beautiful, open, sunny sky just waiting to be manipulated by someone. There's no water, though, so nothing that is forced to swim is allowed.

Arena Status: Raining heavily.

~Round 7 Begin!~

Sandshark, about as sick of the 1 and 0 being as her trainer is, hisses at the Porygon as the terrain still continues to dry with the heat of the sun that's now shining down upon it. Feeling a bit dizzy, but never the less prepared, the sandmouse shakes her head a few times to try and clear away the dizziness, before dashing off in an incredible burst of speed.

Even as Sandshark flies across the ground with the ever-reliable Aerial Ace, Datum gathers a medium-amount of ice-elemental energy at his beak, allowing it to grow and take form. By a bit of luck, Sandshark manages to dodge the incoming Ice Beam, striking Datum's tough exterior with her ground-based body.

Growling as she skids across the ground after the Aerial Ace strike, Sandshark forward lunges again in an all-or-nothing attack method, flailing, scratching, and kicking desperately against the Porygon. Datum shows no pain at each hard strike, already gathering another bout of Ice Beam at his beak, ready to finish off his tired, though furious, opponent. Each new flail wears and slightly dents the Porygon's shiny coat, and Sandshark can't help but feel a bit vindicated at her chance of revenge, even as the second Ice Beam hits her skin, throwing her away from Datum and sending her easily into unconsciousness.

Post-Round


Sandshark [F]// Phoenixsong
HP: 0%
EP: 33%
Chills: 1/1
Status: KOED
Safeguard: GONE
SPD -1
DEF + 3


Datum [Ø]// Negrek
HP: 70%
EP: 10%
Chills: 1/1
Status: Victorious, though a little worse for the wear.
ATK +1
SPD +2
Knows Dig

Notes:

~Negrek and I get 2 points, Phoenixsong receives one. Nice job, guys. ^_^

[Phoenixsong]

o.O;; That was fast. Then again, I suppose there wasn't all that much to do.

Eh, well, I sort of disagree just a bit, but I don't feel like explaining and it doesn't really matter. Thanks, Saffire, and good game, Negrek.

[Negrek]

Good game to you, too. And sorry you didn't feel like things turned out properly.

[Phoenixsong]

Nah, like I said it doesn't matter. The speed boost, which I so stupidly ignored, would have negated it to a degree anyway. Aesthetics aren't a big deal as long as they don't affect the outcome too much.