Prodigy challenges Pokemaster Ash.

[Don't Run With Scizors]

Round Eight:
Mystra the Chansey (64%, slightly fatigued, berserked) vs. an Alakazam (63%, badly poisoned, paralyzed, slightly fatigued)

Mystra is about ready to tear her antagonist's head off... but before she does that, she's curious to know what goes on inside an Alakazam mind. She scans through his synaptic pathways, finding and embracing the cold reservedness of pure, unadulterated logic... The Alakazam, unaware of this invasive probing, channels raw energy into a slowly growing sphere of plasma, which suddenly explodes outward in a massive flash... Mystra shrieks and collapses as it slams into her bulky and now-sparking frame. She is clearly in agony, though her oppressor seems to be struggling to regain his composure as well - a tiring effort, apparently.

As the last of the sparks die down, Mystra conjures up her twin, identical in appearance down to the fingerprints. The Alakazam, not noticing the presence of what appears to be a second Chansey, waits in anticipation for the coming of a series of several egg-shaped explosives, but instead meets none - just the metaphorical screaming of his white blood cells as they fight a losing battle against the vile toxin in his system...

The Alakazam continues to stare at Mystra's lookalike in anticipation for SOME sort of attack, but it simply continues to sway back and forth happily... out of the blue, the real Mystra strikes with her hammering electrical assault. The Alakazam flinches and recoils, then ponders about just how Mystra could have attacked without warning... his mind briefly touches on the possibility of a Substitute, but dismisses it quickly as an impossiblity as Mystra's doppelgänger sweeps it from his mind.

End of Round Eight Status:
Mystra the Chansey: 25%, slighly mildly fatigued, calm, 16% Substitute active
an Alakazam: 50%, badly poisoned, paralyzed, moderately fatigued

[Cyrus]

How does Mystra take no damage for taking a hit and creating a substitue?

[Pokemaster Ash]

Okay, Alakazam. We're getting there.

Use Dig first. That should confuse Chansey (after all, Dig isn't a move you see an Alakazam pull very often). Then use Future Sight. Lastly use Psychic.

[Prodigy]

Perhaps there's a reason Alakazams don't employ their Dig technique very often, PMA. My guess is that Mystra will find Alakazam's feeble efforts to dig a servicable hole using his spoons more amusing than alarming or confusing. And once she Swaggers your Alakazam into a battle frenzy, her Substitute providing the visuals while she does the dubbing, she can enjoy the equally comical sight of your Alakazam flailling weakly at her body double. In the meantime, she'll bombard your Alakazam with Shadow Balls, and if her decoy breaks and Alakazam comes after her with a physical attack, she'll blast him off his feet with a Counter attack.

Swagger, Shadow Ball, Shadow Ball
if Alakazam attacks the real Mystra with a physical attack: Counter

[Don't Run With Scizors]

Round Nine:
Mystra the Chansey (25%, slighly mildly fatigued, calm, 16% Substitute active) vs. an Alakazam (50%, badly poisoned, paralyzed, moderately fatigued)

The Alakazam reaches out with a spoon to carve away at the soil, but at that unfortunate moment his muscles choose to lock up and spasm uncontrollably. As he stumbles and falls, he's forced to endure the infuriating sight of Mystra's Substitute waving a pair of pink polka-dotted underwear at him. His face falls on his intended digging spot, only then he realizes that on that very spot Mystra left a nasty pile of...

What an embarrassment. The Alakazam's muscles refuse to stop twitching, so he can only lie facedown in the pile of feces while Mystra bombards him with bombs of negative energy...

When he finally does manage to regain control of his muscles, the Alakazam scrapes some of the remaining Chansey waste off his face with a spoon and flings it at Mystra's lookalike, which doesn't appear to notice. Another sphere of ghostly ætherial energy eats away at the Alakazam, but rage overpowers pain as he tears into the Chansey-mannequin with a heightened boiling fury... It squeals and shrieks, but survives.

End of Round Nine Status:
Mystra the Chansey: 25%, 2% Substitute active, moderately fatigued
an Alakazam: 13%, berserked, badly poisoned, paralyzed, mildly-heavily fatigued

[Prodigy]

Good going, Mystra. Alakazam will have to break your Substitute before he can come after you, so charge up a Shadow Ball and blow him away. Follow up with Thunderbolts if the first hit doesn't quite take him out.

Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Thunderbolt

[Prodigy]

Since PMA is around, I thought I'd grab his attention..

[Pokemaster Ash]

Okay, Alakazam. Use a Psychic to take care of that Substitute and maybe do damage to Chansey. Then blast it with Hyper Beam. Lastly attack with DynamicPunch!

[Don't Run With Scizors]

Round Ten:
Mystra the Chansey (25%, 2% Substitute active, moderately fatigued) vs. an Alakazam (13%, berserked, badly poisoned, paralyzed, mildly-heavily fatigued)

Arrr! Uncontrollable rage has the Alakazam stumbling forward, finally falling when twitching muscles fail him. An explosion of ghostly pain sends him spiraling into the bliss of unconsciousness... perhaps he was better off there. It feels so much better than feeling pain while awake...

The Alakazam has fainted! This battle is coming to a close... will Pokemaster Ash's next Pokemon be able to gain back some ground?

Wait, the battle isn't a 3-on-3? Gaaaaah!

End of Round Ten Status:
Mystra the Chansey: 25%, 2% Substitute active, mildly-heavily fatigued
the Alakazam: fainted

[Pokemaster Ash]

Um, this is a 6-on-6. There's still plenty to do.

You did well, Alakazam. Return! [recalls the fallen Pokémon] Time to show Chansey a lesson. I know a good Pokémon for that, too. [pulls out a Pokéball] Hit it, Machop!

Okay, Machop. Start off with a nice Earthquake. That should do some damage and knock out that Substitute. Follow that up with a DynamicPunch. Lastly use Cross Chop.

[Prodigy]

Mystra! Approach from behind and attack Machop with Gravijaa Slam!

DRWS is, of course, familiar with this move, as, most likely, are the majority of the audience, but I don't think you've seen this one before, PMA. Gravijaa Slam is a combo attack using Seismic Toss and Teleport. When Mystra executes this move, she seizes Machop with the beginnings of a Seismic Toss, but rather than throwing her foe immediately, she Teleports both combatants to a dizzying height above the arena before completing the combo, throwing the startled and confused Machop straight down and back towards the ground. Here's a rough idea of what'll be going through your Machop's mind as he hurtles through the air:

(The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, page 135)

And wow! Hey! What's this thing suddenly coming toward me very fast? Very, very fast. So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide-sounding name like... ow... ound... round... ground! That's it! That's a good name - ground!

I wonder if it will be friends with me?

Fortunately, Mystra herself can use Psychic to float gently back down to ground level.

Gravijaa Slam, Psychic

[Don't Run With Scizors]

Round Eleven:
Mystra the Chansey (25%, 2% Substitute active, mildly-heavily fatigued) vs. Pokemaster Ash's nameless Machop with gender-confusion problems

This Machop wastes no time. Immediately upon materializing, he leaps up wildly, seismic tremors radiating from where he lands... Suddenly, Mystra shatters and disintegrates into wisps of ectoplasm, and with a horrible realization he discovers that the real Mystra has been waddling toward him all this time... Though she loses her balance and falls over, she manages to grab onto his leg for support.

With Mystra within easy reach, slamming her with a supernaturally glowing fist is a piece of cake, but when his fist makes contact, Machop discovers his feet no longer have solid ground beneath them to support them - in fact, the ground's waaaayy below them. Mystra and Machop wildly spin away from each other in opposite directions, the former not having the focus to stabilize her descent with mental energy... Fortunately for her, her quick-witted trainer recalls her into her Pokéball before she hits - a luxury the Machop wishes it had as he comes crashing into the floor of the stadium, leaving a small depression marking its impact.

Mystra has been recalled! Who will Prodigy send out next to replace her?

End of Round Eleven Status:
Mystra the Chansey: 6%, recalled
a gender-confused Machop: 60% (damage caps)

[Prodigy]

Great work, Mystra. 140% damage is quite an accomplishment, and you've made things a lot easier for your teammates. My third Pokemon is a male Scyther and another first time battler. I choose you, Machiavelli! Go!

Mystra did quite a number on that Machop, Mach, and it's up to you to finish it off. Fly up out of melee range and spin yourself into a ki-enhancing Swords Dance before attacking Machop with a blast of Razor Wind. If flying out of Machop's reach wasn't significant enough movement to cost you an action, make it two Razor Winds.

(fly away), Swords Dance, Razor Wind, (Razor Wind)

Oh.. PMA. I get the feeling DRWS wants you to specify your Pokemon's gender whenever you send one out. It may be a trivial detail to you, but it actually can have an impact on gameplay, and it's always nice if the referee has an appropriate pronoun to use.

[Pokemaster Ash]

Machop's male, like most of my ASB Pokémon.

Okay, Machop. Bring down the house with a Rock Slide! (Remembering that both game and anime physics permit this attack to work). Then use Sunny Day to shed some light on this battle. Lastly use Fire Blast!

[Don't Run With Scizors]

At the referee's request, Pokemaster Ash checks between his Machop's legs (it proves to be male) in an embarrassing incident which the Machop intends to smash his trainer's face in for later.

Round Twelve:
Prodigy's Machiavelli the Scyther vs. some Machop (60%, embarrassed)

The shaken Machop searches the field in vain for a suitable rock or two to hurl at his wingéd foe, but as he sees Machiavelli retreating to the skies, he desperately turns to tearing out chunks of dirt out of the ground to make do... unfortunately, the soil is still a bit too moist from having been drenched in Dragonair Surfs. It starts to crumble almost immediately; a few tiny clods of dirt manage to reach the fleeing Machiavelli, but here in this arena fractional damage is rounded down.

Now safely out of the Machop's melee range, Machiavelli begins to twist and swoop about in an intricate dance, calming himself into a zen-like state. It's tricky to perform this dance and keep yourself flying at the same time, but he manages to perform well without losing too much altitude... Sweat beads and rolls down both his and the Machop's heads as the clouds overhead roll away, taking much of the air's moisture with them and letting the sun shine in full glory - and heat.

Fire erupts from the Machop's jaws... as it travels skyward toward Machiavelli, it coalesces into a kanji-shaped flame. With little moisture in the air, it too burns intensely. Machiavelli tries desperately to cut through the flames with a focused blade of air, but it does little to help...

End of Round Twelve Status:
Machiavelli the Scyther: 79%, zen-like state, airborne
some Machop: 44%, embarrassed, slightly fatigued
Arena effects: Clear Skies active

Hm. Forgot to mention that Machiavelli was airborne. But you could figure that out by yourself without me telling you... right?

[Pokemaster Ash]

DRWS, why must you be such a pain in my a**?

Machop, time to strike now. Start off with a Toxic attack. Then get in there and nail Scyther with a quick Fire Punch. Then let him have it with another Fire Blast.

[EngiMatikul]

PMA, as a friend and a person who actually tries to support you, I highly advise you do not insult the ref.

[Prodigy]

Mach, create a fairly light Substitute and leave it up there to bear the brunt of Machop's attacks. You need to make it strong enough to take a Toxic before Machop shatters it with Fire Blast, since he won't be able to reach it up there with Fire Punch.

Once your decoy's up, move off to the side where splash damage from Toxic and the wide range of Fire Blast can't hurt you before beginning an aerial Razor Wind assault.

Substitute, Razor Wind, Razor Wind

[Prodigy]

Unreffed battles make Pikachu sad.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Don't Run With Scizors]

EngiMatikul: Nah, don't mind PMA. He's simply expressing his annoyance for what I've had happen because of his forgetting to give his Pokémon identifying marks like name and gender.

Of course, the best way to avoid situations like those is to never do such things in the first place.

Round Thirteen:
Machiavelli the Scyther (79%, zen-like state, airborne) vs. some Machop (44%, embarassed, slightly fatigued)
Arena effects: Clear Skies active for three more actions

Landing a spitwad on a target high above is an extremely difficult task to pull off, but nevertheless the Machop is ready to demonstrate his refined precision loogie-hawking skills with a carefully aimed quivering mass of Toxic foulness and corruption. Unfortunately for the Machop, the presence of Machiavelli's Substitute throws off his aim, harmlessly splattering off.

The Machop is at a loss for what to do next... Machiavelli is clearly too far out of the range of melee attacks to be reached with Fire Punch. He'll have to do something about that soon... he's under fire from Machiavelli's cutting blades of air, which leave shallow gashes running across his shoulders...

PMA shouts out his third order, and now the Machop has something in mind to work off of... but as his burning kanji reduces Machiavelli's short lived body double to ash, he realizes he's clearly been tricked, something he suffers for with another slash of burning wind across his flank.

End of Round Thirteen Status:
Machiavelli the Scyther: 74%, zen-like state, slightly mildly fatigued, airborne
some Machop: 10%, mildly fatigued, bruised

[Prodigy]

Let's finish this now, Machivavelli - go, Razor Wind attack!

Razor Wind, Razor Wind, Razor Wind

[Pokemaster Ash]

This will take some cunning...

Machop, use Dig and hide from the Razor Winds underground. When you get to the surface, nail Scyther with Flamethrower and Fire Blast!

[Pokemaster Ash]

*taps foot on the ground while waiting patiently for the ref...*

[Don't Run With Scizors]

Round Fourteen:
Machiavelli the Scyther (74%, zen-like state, slightly mildly fatigued, airborne) vs. some Machop (10%, mildly fatigued, bruised)

As Machiavelli sends another razor-burning stream of wind the Machop's way, the Machop furiously tears into the dirt... by the time it reaches him, he's already supernaturally torn out massive clods of dirt, jumped in the subsequent hole, and pulled another clod over the edge of the whole to shield himself. The Razor Wind passes harmlessly overhead, where the Machop used to be three seconds ago.

The Machop quickly springs out of his sheltering ditch to shower Machiavelli in raging flames, though he's not so quick to dodge his windy blade. Pain overwhelms him, as he collapses into darkness...

Pokemaster Ash's Machop has fallen! Who will he replace him with next?

End of Round Fourteen Status:
Machiavelli the Scyther: 56%, zen-like state wearing off, mildly fatigued, airborne
the Machop: 0%, fainted

[Pokemaster Ash]

3 down, 3 to go...

Machop, you did well. Return! [recalls the fallen Fighting-Type] Now to do some serious damage. I'm calling out a heavy hitter for this. Go, Steelix! [the massive male steel snake appears]

We've got to hit Scyther hard. First try to hit him with Toxic. Then send a Hyper Beam at him. Lastly try to Bind him.

[Prodigy]

Don't be daunted, Machiavelli. It's a tough matchup, but I have confidence in you. Safeguard will block the Toxic, and a Reflect will bounce back the Hyper Beam.

Keep away from Steelix's tail with your leet Scyther evasion skillz, but blast the steel snake back with Counter if he grabs you.

Safeguard, Reflect, leet Scyther evasion skillz/Counter

[Prodigy]

*nudge*

[Don't Run With Scizors]

Alas! I am not worthy of my 120¥ reffing paycheck.

As a red beam of energy collapses the Machop back into a myriad of bits and bytes in his Pokéball's memory bank, a massive beast of steel materializes onto the field... The towering Steelix draws out to an intimidating height, growling menacingly. Machiavelli, however, remains undaunted.

Round Fifteen:
Machiavelli the Scyther (56%, zen-like state wearing off, mildly fatigued, airborne) vs. Pokemaster Ash's Steelix

Despite the Steelix's impressive height, Machiavelli is still far away... before he manages to splatter him with a violet spray of venomous fluid, a glistening veil coalesces into being around Machiavelli, on which the poison's molecular structure breaks down into something far less toxic.

Machiavelli may have scored one small victory, but the Steelix unleashes hell upon him in the form of a blazing beam of plasma! But the ever-crafty Machiavelli, not wanting to meet hell just yet, shields himself with a hastily-conjured reflective wall, off which the Hyper Beam rebounds onto the Steelix. Fortunately for him, his ablative steel armor absorbs much of the energy, though Hyper Beams are still painful.

The Steelix's patience is beginning to run out... with his snaky steel body (or, if you prefer, steely snake body) he makes a grab for Machiavelli, but before the Steelix manages to get a good hold of him, he kicks his way out of of his grip.

But Machiavelli can't hold off like this forever... right?

End of Round Fifteen Status:
Machiavelli the Scyther: 52%, airborne, mildly heavily fatigued
the Steelix: 90%

[Prodigy]

Nice going, Machiavelli. Let's see if we can't crack up that steel carapace a bit. Use Agility to dodge Steelix's attacks while you dart up his snaky body. Position yourself right behind his head and pound relentlessly at his skull with Rock Smash. If he shakes you off, use your wings to stay airborne and keep hitting him.

Agility, Rock Smash, Rock Smash

[Pokemaster Ash]

Now's the time to do some damage.

Steelix, kick up a Sandstorm to annoy Scyther. Then fire another Hyper Beam at him to really do some damage. Lastly, when he comes at you for Rock Smash, nail him with Rollout!

[Pokemaster Ash]

Is there a ref in the building?

[Prodigy]

Come, now, DRWS, it's been almost a month since PMA issued his attack commands.. I can get someone to sub-ref this match if you're busy.

[Don't Run With Scizors]

I did have a lot to do in the past few weeks, including finals, AP tests, and the occasional break of WarCraft III, but now that most of my finals are already over, and the rest are too easy to bother studying for, I don't have much of an excuse, do I?

Round Sixteen (adjusted stats):
Machiavelli the Scyther (52%, airborne, mildly heavily fatigued) vs. a Steelix (90%, mildly fatigued)

Though Machiavelli speeds himself into a blurry green streak, he cannot outrun the burning grains of sand scoring his insectoid skin... it doesn't look like they're going to be finishing them off, though. The sweat-soaked Machiavelli pants even more heavily as he struggles to force himself to fly faster and faster, finally hovering over the rugged Steelix's head.

Machivelli takes a whack at the Steelix with the side of one of his blades, but he barely notices... that sort of smash is best used for breaking through loose rock, not crushing steel. The Steelix turns to meet him with blazing plasma hell... and this time, the tiring Machiavelli is not quick enough to dodge.

He's not out yet, though. He futilely smashes at the Steelix one more time before it curls up shrimp-style and rolls in very slow pursuit of Machiavelli, who even in his extremely tiring state effortlessly dodges. Though if the rolling Steelix gains speed...

End of Round Sixteen Status:
Machiavelli the Scyther: 32%, airborne, psionically enhanced speed, critically fatigued
a Steelix: 86%, slightly heavily fatigued, rolling (Class 1 Rollout)
Arena effects: Sandstorm active for three more actions

[Pokemaster Ash]

Alright, Steelix, keep Rollin'! I know you'll run him over. If he takes to the air, however, first try a Dragonbreath. Then give him more plasma Hell.

Rollout, Rollout/Dragonbreath, Rollout/Hyper Beam.

[Prodigy]

Quite the predicament you're in, Mach. Down 54% and exhausted against a massive steel snake. Give yourself a moment to catch yourself while the Steelix bears down on you and turn the tables with a deadly Reversal. Then rest, and know that your successor shall vanquish your foe.

Reversal, return to PokeBall

[Don't Run With Scizors]

Don't know if you've realized it yet, but Rollout is merely spending an action working on rolling... if you want to use the extra momentum to your advantage, you'll have to order attacks that make use of it, like Double-Edge.

Round Seventeen:
Machiavelli the Scyther (32%, airborne, psionically enhanced speed, critically fatigued) vs. a Steelix (86%, slightly heavily fatigued, Class 1 Rollout)

Machiavelli slowly descends as he lets his wings beat slower and slower to conserve his energy for one final blow... as the rolling steel juggernaut prepares to crush him under his weight, Machiavelli unleashes a spin-kick of extraordinary power! Where his clawed foot impacts, a massive dent in the Steelix's ablative steel armor forms, crushing some internal organ... though it doesn't seem to be a vital one, it's still VERY painful. Machiavelli drained the last of his energy reserves with that one, however. Fortunately for him, his trainer recalls him a few feet before he hits the ground.

Machiavelli has magnificently fallen! Prodigy has led the match so far... will he continue with this streak? Will PMA manage to make a comeback?

End of Round Seventeen Status:
Machiavelli the Scyther: fainted
a Steelix: 38%, slightly heavily fatigued, Class 2 Rollout)
Arena effects: Sandstorm active for two more actions

[Prodigy]

Brilliantly done, Machiavelli.

Now, Gammel (male Aerodactyl), destroy the Steelix with your powerful tremors, and blast him with searing fire if he stops rolling and uncurls.

Earthquakes/Fire Blasts

[Pokemaster Ash]

Heh heh. You're forgetting that Steel-Types have the upper hand against Rocks.

Steelix, nail Skarmory with an Iron Tail! Then Crunch it while it's a bit disoriented (Iron Tail out of a Rollout is going to be something like nailing Aerodactyl with a massive, mega-heavy, metal fly-swatter or something like that). Lastly Toxic!

[Don't Run With Scizors]

I just remembered that I forgot to factor in damage caps last round, so PMA's Steelix has 46% health left, not 38%. Big difference it makes.

Round Eighteen:
Prodigy's Gammel the Aerodactyl vs. a Steelix (46%, slightly heavily fatigued, Class 2 Rollout)
Arena effects: Sandstorm active for two more actions

The sandstorm's blowing, but neither seems to notice... PMA's Steelix, on the other hand is a bit confused... what Skarmory? He doesn't see one, but on the other hand, there is that Aerodactyl... maybe he meant to refer to him?

Anyway, he barrels toward Gammel, but seismic disturbances throw off his rolling, and his steely tail comes crashing down onto Gammel, pinning the poor Aerodactyl down on the ground.

Aerodactyls have a rocky texture to their skin, as the Steelix soon discovers as he chomps down, letting dark energy crackle through... But Gammel isn't going to lie down and take it! He spits a brilliantly flaming display directly into the Steelix's face, and the Steelix reels back, screeching in pain.

The Steelix retaliates by dousing Gammel with a venomous spitwad, but that's the last he's going to be seeing for a while. Another kanji-shaped flare and the Steelix falls over, toasted and spent. Gammel is freed as the tail pinning him down is recalled, as is the Steelix it belongs to.

PMA's Steelix has fallen, but not before putting up a good fight. He's managed to catch PMA up quite a bit.

End of Round Eighteen Status:
Gammel the Aerodactyl: 63%, slightly fatigued, badly poisoned
the Steelix: fainted

[Pokemaster Ash]

Yeah, my error. I meant to say Aerodactyl. I have a Skarmory on my Sapphire team and I was talking about my team on IRC at the same time I was typing that up. But I was right about the Rollout/Iron Tail...

Okay, Steelix. You did very well. Return! [recalls the rock snake] And now... [pulls out a Great Ball] Prepare to face yet another of my powerhouses. Go, Blastoise! [the large male turtle appears] Now this will be fun...

Blastoise, use Icy Wind to slow Aerodactyl down. Then nail him with Hydro Pump. Lastly, get him with Blizzard!