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elcome Adventurer to EPOCH! A Pokemon Sandbox Rp set in the original region of Nue. Everything you need to know will be in the Guidebook and PokeDex 101!
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Sex; When you get under the clothes, fade to black.
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Post by Izumi Yamamura on Nov 30, 2013 1:56:11 GMT -5
Now that she was in Kanto, she then decided that it would be best to start exploring the general area, just in case she made the decision to start challenging Kanto’s Gym circuit as well. There was just one tiny little problem though: Izumi didn’t know how to fight. She had to squash that feeling of embarrassment as she lumbered through the streets of Saffron City, coming to a stop near what she presumed to be the Railway Station linking this area to Johto. She knew that the nearest port (in order to get back to Hoenn) was located in Olivine, and that was just a train ride away… but she came here for another reason. I never thought I’d need someone to help me out with this… this is really embarrassing… she thought as she looked around, before stopping a random passerby and then getting directions to the Fighting Dojo—she’d gathered that it was an abandoned place, and that she would be able to practice in peace over there.
What she was not expecting, though, was the sudden influx of people crowding and milling around the interior (and exterior) of the said Fighting dojo—had it always been this crowded? She then sighed, wondering if she would be able to get some time to actually get inside the area and be able to practice in peace. She then stood on tip-toe, as if trying to figure out what was causing the hold-up of people outside the small building—and blinked once more, just to see if she could figure out what the hell was going on. Unfortunately, her height disadvantage prevented her from peeking up above the shoulders of the taller people that were crowding around, and she couldn’t be too sure if they were cheering—or jeering—whoever was inside on.
What the heck is up… she thought, trying to see through the gaps in the crowd—and then she heard someone, who sounded like an official, call out, “And we have a winner, ladies and gentlemen! Who else is brave enough to stand up to the might, as well as the winning streak of our undefeated champion here?!” and then half the crowd went into hissing and booing—while the other half began jeering. Maybe I should watch and see if I could learn anything about battling… I’ve only gone up against other ‘mons, but not against other people with ‘mons under their command… she thought with a cringe. “Ugh.”
"Well, I've got a couple minutes to spare." Leon Jaeger stepped out from the crowd and into the open air around the Fighting Dojo, a nostalgic smile worn openly across his face - nostalgia felt, of course, toward the school where he once trained in the martial arts himself. The champion of the evening, a well-muscled brawler who towered over the common man, stood with his arms folded next to a slender Pokemon with an oval-shaped body. The warrior lacked a distinctive neck and had no mouth to speak of, his only facial features being a pair of white eyes surrounded by black rings. Much like a human, his limbs were segmented, though his legs coiled up into a shape not at all unlike that of a fully compressed spring. Each limb ended with a trio of clawed digits, be they fingers or toes, and by all appearances his body had been forged of solid muscle. Known to Leon as the Kicking Pokemon, Hitmonlee, the champion's partner demonstrated his martial prowess to the awestricken crowd by kicking rapidly at the empty space before him. His legs moved like heavy, mechanical pistons, extending and retracting faster than the eye could see. Leon, however, stood unafraid even as the hulking Goliath sized up his latest adversary.
Leon's selected Pokemon surprised the crowd, not least of all because many of them did not recognize the pudgy dragon which took to the field. The Gible parted his deceptively powerful jaws, unveiling a gaping maw full of razor sharp teeth of flawless white. Jetshark, as Leon called the creature, stretched his stubby limbs as the Hitmonlee observed with a twinge of confusion. Newly hatched from his egg and the latest addition to Leon's team, this battle marked his debut; he put in several bouts against Wild Pokemon, but never before had he faced another Trainer. Yet Leon felt confident in his success. Further, he thought it unsporting to use either his Alakazam or Jellicent against a Pokemon known solely for its Fighting techniques. After all, if he wished to show the true potential of his old Fighting Dojo, it would need to be through honorable combat on a level playing field. So, as the reigning champ of the district leered on with a mocking grin, Leon merely cocked an eyebrow and smirked in sarcastic defiance.
Hitmonlee opened their duel with a Hi Jump Kick in a furious bid to draw first blood from his more diminutive adversary. The brawler leaped several meters into the air, soaring above the heads of the crowd before rocketing back to the Earth with his right leg outstretched. "Dig!" Leon's command came in a short, one-word declaration, but it was received and carried out post-haste. Using his sharp claws and oversized jaw in equal measure, Jetshark burrowed rapidly underground just in time to avoid the crushing blow dealt by Hitmonlee. Pavement and gravel were strewn about as the fighter's leg plowed into the street, narrowly missing the Gible. Both Leon and his foe raised an arm to shield their faces from the small burst of debris, distracted yet undeterred. "Hitmonlee, Mind Reader!" Not to be outdone, of course, the keen martial artist had come prepared for a possible miss and reacted the very instant he noticed that Hitmonlee's first attack did not hit its mark.
The brown Fighting type closed his eyes, drew in a deep breath, and looked within to find his center. He became aware of Jetshark's movements even as he tunneled underground, and, when the infant dragon burst out from beneath the surface, he nimbly sidestepped his attempted blow. "Sand Attack!" "Double Kick!" Alas, Leon's order was issued just the barest half-second before the champion's, giving Jetshark just enough time to carry out his Trainer's plan of action. Scooping up some dirt loosened by the Dig attack, he flung it into Hitmonlee's eyes just before the brawler launched his counterattack. With his vision thoroughly blurred, both kicks struck out far from their intended point of contact and missed the Gible wildly. The first, Jetshark soared clear over, and he ducked swiftly underneath the second, landing fully prepared to strike back.
"Hit'em with Dragon Claw!" Jetshark obeyed and drew back his claw, which glowed with a mighty power born of his draconic heritage. While Hitmonlee recovered from his previous attack, the Gible struck out with one of the Dragon type's most devastating attacks. He hit his mark dead-on, hitting what was, by far, his weakest defensive score. Hitmonlee stumbled, staggered, and finally buckled under the crushing weight of Jetshark's Dragon Claw, officially naming Leon the victor. "Excellent work!" He said with a bright smile, kneeling down and petting the powerful fin atop his Pokemon's head. Jetshark grinned far broader than any human could manage, waving his tiny arms about excitedly. "Especially for your first battle. I see big things in your future, little guy."
Post by Izumi Yamamura on Nov 30, 2013 3:19:31 GMT -5
She’d finally managed to get a peek at what was going on—and saw bits and pieces of the battle—and a small ‘mon that looked very familiar took the scene, and was up against one of the humanoid-shaped ‘mons she’d only seen on the television back home took center stage. As she kept on struggling to see how the match would go, she could hear commands being called out—and on her last attempt to see just what was going on—she saw what apparently looked like a Hitmonlee… or was it a Hitmonchan?—fold under the weight of a surprisingly powerful attack coming from what she knew was a Gible, because Serenity had one. Realizing that she’d found someone she could turn to (at least for the basics) she then attempted to push her way through the crowd, which then let out a cheer—because the “champion” had been defeated, and then got to the front of the crowd in time to see that there was someone who looked not much older than herself crouch down and pet that same Gible who had brought down the other Trainer’s ‘mon in single combat.
Gathering her courage, she then strode forward, before looking at the dispersing crowd (now that the spectacle was over) and then came to a stop in front of the Trainer who was petting the little Gible, and then asked, but not without bowing in front of him, “Can… can you teach me how to battle?” she blurted out, and then heard some chuckling coming from the remaining stragglers—they were waiting around to see if there would be any more battles that would be taking place in the immediate vicinity. “I… I am ashamed to admit it but I don’t know how to battle at all,” she added, her voice getting just a bit edgy, but with undertones of pure embarrassment. She then cringed internally, hating to admit that she had a weakness—if there was something she was proud of, it was the fact that she could hold her own in any field she engaged in. The concept of battling, however, was entirely new to her, so she could only hope that this young man in front of her would humor her at the very least…
Leon rose nimbly and deliberately to his feet, then called Jetshark back to his Pokeball with the press of a button. The familiar ray of red light shot from the white mechanism between the device's northern and southern hemispheres, engulfing the tiny dragon and converting his body to light of a similar consistency. When a voice called out and asked for his assistance, the athletic young Trainer turned round to face its source. By all appearances, no great disparity in age existed between Leon and the woman seeking a tutor; to the best of his knowledge, she was either one year his senior or his junior, or else of twenty years herself. As she stated her terms, he first looked upon her with a measure of compassion behind his icy blue eyes. Though Leon took great pains to never show his hand, his heart went out to her, and he wore his good intentions on his sleeve. The chuckles from the crowd only further swayed him to come to her aid, and the tense, edgy tone she took in response to them sealed the deal. With a casual half-smile, Leon placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Of course I'll help you out." He said. Through deliberate effort, he kept his voice thoroughly under control and tempered, seeking to avoid any and all inclinations of patronizing or belittling her. To make such a request required a deal of maturity, Leon reflected, and the last thing he wanted was to embarrass her further. Of course, he hardly considered himself a master of battle, but his record thus far indicated a level of skill sufficient to pass along the basics of Battle Theory. "Leon Jaeger. Pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand to shake hers, nodding and maintaining a healthy eye contact. "C'mon, follow me." Leon kept his statements brief, for he knew she would want to leave the public eye as soon as possible. With a cock of the head, he bid her follow him deeper into the Fighting Dojo of Saffron. While they walked, he sought to establish a basis for her level of skill. "What were you hoping to learn, exactly? Do you know about type match-ups, status afflictions, all that stuff?"
In short order, they arrived at a closed sliding door made of traditional rice paper. Leon slid it open, took off his shoes and socks, and walked into the arena behind it. The room was quite spacious and, more importantly, entirely vacant. Though constructed from a durable material designed for Pokemon battles, it had been modeled after a traditional dojo of the martial arts. Light poured in from a series of tall windows to the far side. Leon felt more than comfortable in taking this room, for he knew the schedule of the Fighting Dojo well. "I trained here myself a few years ago," he began, cracking his knuckles and stretching his muscles out, "and I rose far enough in the ranks to hold some sparring sessions in here. So. Where would you like to begin, Miss...?"
Post by Izumi Yamamura on Nov 30, 2013 5:53:29 GMT -5
Was it that obvious that she was nervous? Her voice was the telltale giveaway, but since she had no idea about body language at the time, she could guess that the person she’d approached could tell that she was trembling like a leaf. She then breathed a sigh in relief as she heard his answer, and it was in the affirmative—and then followed him as he went inside the Fighting Dojo—the one she’d originally intended to go to and ask for training—and then answered each of the questions. “Ah, my apologies,” she began, before continuing with, “You can call me Izumi. Yamamura Izumi—as for how much I know… you could say I just know the basics, that Water beats Fire, Fire beats Grass, and Grass beats Water. Otherwise everything else is just one big pile of guesswork for me,” she admitted, looking around and feeling the floorboards creak beneath her feet.
She continued to follow him deeper inside—for she didn’t realize just exactly how large the entire Dojo was—but all she knew that dojos were places for people who wanted to learn some kind of self-defense art would gather and train their skills over and over. She then realized that it was beginning to look more and more familiar—the moment Leon slid the tatami door open, she automatically kicked off her sneakers, before stopping for a second and peeling her socks off and stuffing it inside her sneakers—they certainly did need some cleaning—and followed him inside, slightly smiling at the way that the room was decorated—it reminded her very much of home. Now that he’d taken his position in what she took to be the middle of the room, she then felt her cheeks flush out of embarrassment once more.
“Well, it wouldn’t hurt to have a refresher course on the basics. I know a bit of type match-ups, but the rest is just a gray area to me,” she added, her hands going into the pocket of her jeans, resting around one of five currently occupied Pokeballs; she didn’t know which one she held—but she could definitely feel the air of the place—where many matches, both human and ‘mon, had been held.
"Hmm..." Leon scratched his chin thoughtfully and, for just a moment, retreated to a session of silent thought. Izumi wished to be given an overview of proper type matchups, and his team certainly possessed the variety for such a lesson. However, he saw no point in reviewing the absolute basics, for, by her own admission, they could easily be reduced to common sense. Slowly, deliberately, Leon passed his hand over each of the six occupied Pokeballs fastened to his belt. He stopped this rudimentary roulette with his palm hovering a few centimeters above the Pokeball containing Stonewall, then offhandedly dislodged it and let it fall to the dojo's well-kept floor. In a burst of white light, the armor-plated sphere took form and spread out to reveal a red inner shell. The resolute Foretress looked about his surroundings from within his reinforced guard. Four spikes protruded from his exterior, tapering off to an open point from which all manner of hazards could be released.
"Okay, now I want you to send out whichever Pokemon you think would be best-suited to fighting this Foretress." He instructed, folding his arms casually and confidently across his chest. Stonewall, though Leon would not reveal it to his pupil from the get-go, had evolved a second affinity for Steel, where he held only Bug-type characteristics in the years prior. He knew it well that Steel Pokemon held great renown for their defensive properties, and, when paired with the traits of a Bug, possessed only one weakness: Fire. "There's hundreds of Pokemon out there, and it's entirely possible that you'll encounter one you don't immediately recognize. Being able to make a guess at a Pokemon's type is a very useful skill that could make or break you in a fast-paced battle." Leon advised. Of course, he spoke partially from the point-of-view of someone who regularly engaged the sorts of unscrupulous fellows who would now allow him a chance to carefully select his next champion. Still, it never hurt to be prepared.
"It's also entirely possible that you won't have a move or Pokemon that's especially effective against your opponent." He cautioned. Leon certainly acknowledged that Izumi may not possess a Fire-type technique, but he wished to give her a general lesson that could be applied to a variety of circumstances. "In those cases, try to infer the capabilities of your opponent's Pokemon. If it's slow, send out your fastest Pokemon. If it's incredibly well-defended, try to match that with indirect damage, like Poison or entry hazards, that'll eat away at it over the course of the battle."
Post by Izumi Yamamura on Dec 1, 2013 4:02:42 GMT -5
With the flash of red light, their “lesson” began. She watched as the light pouring out of Leon’s Pokeball turned into something that resembled a crab—but there were eyes staring from out of its depths. It did not look like one of the Shellder line—they had spikes, but this one had some similar vestige to it. At that moment, she felt her skin crawl, before mentally shivering. On the outside, however, she kept a straight face—and then realized that her “dream team” was missing something very important—something that could kill anything, something that she was inevitably born in… the answer came to her lips before she could stop herself. “Fire. I’d normally say to kill this thing with fire, but I have not a single shred of Fire with me… so I’ll shift with the next-best thing,” she continued, her hands quickly closing in on the Pokeball she’d been turning over and over in her pocket, and then said quite simply, “Sora, you can come out now…”
In a flash of red light, her Rufflet, nicknamed Sora, appeared, and it gave a flap of its wings—as if stretching out and getting the feel of the wind right under his wings. “Ruff, rufflet? Rufflet!” she heard him squawk, and then Izumi crouched down and then gave him a tickle on his lone prominent feather sticking out of the shock of feathers that made up the upper portion of his head. “I may not know how fast—or how slow—your ‘mon is, but it would be better to get the jump on the gun,” she trailed off, trying to size up his ‘mon against hers. Rufflet was definitely smaller, sure—but upon random sparring sessions (with mostly Asuka and Momo) she realized that Sora had an attack up his sleeve, one that allowed him, and her entire team, to go much faster—if but for a brief period of time. “Do your best, okay?” she said with another grin, giving Sora another reassuring pat, and a last tickle, before pushing herself up and off of the ground and then standing tall.
“You kind of gave me the hint there, and I know your ‘mon would take some time to bring down,” she continued, speaking directly to Leon now—she knew that anything with shells (or some semblance of it) would have some amount of defense stacked on them.
Leon paused for a moment and considered her choice of Pokemon. In the heat of combat, such luxuries were rarely afforded to even the most forward-thinking of Trainers; indeed, Leon knew this as the most vital aspect of his personal strategy, and he aimed to pass this habit along to Izummi if at all possible. However, for sake of her betterment as a Trainer, he observed the bird of red and blue as he stretched his wings and fluttered about her. Though dormant, nature had built him for great speed and considerable strength. "That's an excellent choice, from a defensive perspective." He remarked. "A Flying Pokemon doesn't have to worry about most entry hazards. For instance," Leon stopped for just a split-second, during which he turned his attention to Stonewall, "let's see a couple Spikes." At Leon's word, the Foretress spewed an abrupt and scattered burst of iron barbs from the frontmost protrusions on his inner shell. They lodged themselves in the ground near Izumi's feet, albeit comfortably short of putting her in any danger. At most, they might have left her startled for a moment.
"See what I mean? That little guy would have to actively try to get hit with any of these." He said, indicating the array of spiny hazards littering the arena floor. "And if I were to use Toxic, I'd have to score a direct hit for it to be of any threat. Always, always, always be prepared to deal with indirect damage." He raised his index finger in a rather scholarly manner, as though he were a professor lecturing his students on proper scientific theory. "Status afflictions and entry hazards will eat away at you, and it's the sorta thing a lot of Trainers don't really consider. If you're only gonna memorize two things, make it the list of type matchups and all the possible indirect hazards that could catch your Pokemon." Leon spoke from experience, for he had been on both ends of such devious tactics in his thus far-brief time as a battler. Despite his usual strategy of an aggressive blitzkrieg, he knew Stonewall as an invaluable member of his team solely for his ability to utilize those subversive methods.
"But the ultimate victory in this sorta situation is to make the environment work for you." In this, he recalled his narrowly won victory outside of Mount Moon - a battle fought with Stonewall prior to his evolution. Leon had it in his head that the tides of battle had turned permanently in his favor the second he got his Spikes and Toxic in play. However, his opponent adapted and nearly made the same hazards do favors for her. "Remember, just because your opponent put them there, doesn't mean you can't alter them. Everything on the battlefield is subject to the same laws of physics. Metal, for instance, is a great conductor; heat and electricity will travel through them quite well. You can use that to catch your opponent off-guard, to hide your next attack, whatever. A Pokemon battle is as much about the Trainer's mental fortitude as it is about the Pokemon's strength; otherwise, they just wouldn't need us."
Post by Izumi Yamamura on Dec 1, 2013 23:42:52 GMT -5
“Flying-types don’t have to worry about… whoa!” she almost shrieked, as a smattering of rough-ended barbs of metal suddenly made their presence known, littering the surrounding area in front of the two ‘mons. She was secretly thankful, because Rufflet could fly—or attempt to fly off the ground. She continued to listen on to Leon’s words, quickly noting down everything about “entry hazards” and “indirect damage”… she knew some of the indirect damage, due to Momo already possessing the move ‘Toxic’ in her current move pool. After his explanation, she then nodded, before confirming what he said—“So you can use the entire arena to your advantage, if you know where and how to look,” she ended with a nod, observing that the rough-edged spikes were seemingly made of metal—but where did it all come from, and how did it make an appearance in the first place, if the ‘mon in front of Leon couldn’t digest metal to call and shape it to its liking?
Pokemon are strange and wondrous beings, indeed… she thought as she examined the way the Spikes had been scattered. “But of course,” she began, finally realizing it, “if I am correct in assuming this, then there are some moves that can get rid of… of this, for instance?” she gestured towards the Spikes that had been scattered across the floor; because it was impossible to have all of them present for every turn in battle. “So, combination attacks are also the key to success… correct? As long as they go together, that is…” she added, remembering how things were done in the kitchen, and that she could co-relate how to make two dishes go together, with some changing, it was pretty much the same with Pokemon as well. “And, forgive me if I’m getting ahead of myself… but there are some attacks that are ineffective against their own kind, right? I remember reading about all of the ‘Spore’ family of attacks not working on Grass-types, from somewhere…” she trailed off, looking at him for confirmation—or if she’d read that wrong.
"That's correct." Leon said with a sage, taciturn nod. Given how seldom such things came up, he could not deny that he needed to think for a moment to consider the various status afflictions and which types had developed immunities to them. Of course, it ended up taking no more than that initial moment, given how intuitive they tended to be. "A Poison Pokemon can't be poisoned, a Fire type can't be burned, and an Ice type can't be frozen. However, an Electric Pokemon can most definitely be paralyzed." He continued. Leon knelt beside his Foretress and ran his hand softly along his exterior of twisted and refined metal. The implacable wall of steel and chitin relaxed and closed his eyes at his Trainer's kindly touch. "That threw me off when I first started out, too, now that I think about it." Indeed, given how many Electric moves paralyzed, Leon fell victim to that beginner's trap several times during the first months of his battling career. "If you get confused, just remember that you can't be burned without heat, you can't be frozen without it being cold, and you can't be poisoned without toxins or venoms. However, electricity is just the catalyst that can potentially paralyze you. The paralysis itself is just your muscles being forced to contract in such a way that it becomes difficult to impossible to move around."
"This brings me to another important point: I'm definitely not saying you have to be some science whiz, because very few Trainers have time for that. However, just like what I said earlier with metal spikes conducting electricity, it helps to have a basic idea of what's going on when you initiate an attack. For instance..." Leon returned Stonewall to his Pokeball. By the time the flash of red died down, he already held in his hand the spherical chamber of Esper, his most trusted and powerful companion. The Alakazam appeared in a flash and stretched his lean, slender arms. "When I tell Esper here to use Charge Beam, I at least can say that he's firing a blast of charged particles. It will affect inorganic metals, water, magnetic fields, and electrically inert polymers in radically different ways. Furthermore, depending on the battlefield, the environment may or may not conduct electricity. These are things you need to consider well in advance of even choosing your Pokemon - or, at least, it really helps."
Leon could not call himself a proper scholar, of course; his formal education was nonexistent, for he grew up on the streets or with the Rockets. However, he knew a thing or two about science and mathematics, and all this, he had taught to himself. In such matters, he was as wise as a student of equivalent age, and this served him well in his battles. "There are a lot of things that you can't predict with any amount of certainty. The actions of other people, their Pokemon, and, to a lesser extent, your own Pokemon. However, the laws of physics will always be there, and they'll always be the same. If you can work those to your advantage, it'll give you a nice little repertoire of strategies you can fall back on, pretty much no matter who your opponent is."
Post by Izumi Yamamura on Dec 2, 2013 21:47:10 GMT -5
Maybe it’s time I showed you just what I can do… she thought to herself as she quickly scanned the battlefield, before clicking her tongue in Sora’s direction, and then saying, “Okay, think you can clear the field up a bit?” to which Sora replied with a squawk. “Rufflet, Ruff!” she heard it chirrup, before he started flapping his wings in earnest—and then making the fallen spikes that had landed in their general area to be sent sailing across some distance—and she assessed the open space—was it wide enough for what she was about to ask? She then grinned and called Sora back into his temporary residence, before another flash of red light appeared and from out of it, Kuma appeared. “Choo?” she heard it growl, before it began sniffling like hell. “Like the way you can’t predict if something would freeze or not?” she ventured, hoping that it was a good guess as any—because as far as her memory was concerned, most of Kuma’s Ice-based attacks had a potential of freezing the opponent.
After a few moments of silent contemplation, she added, “So it’s true then? Not even status-changing attacks would automatically affect the opponent all the time? I’ve been trying time and time again to freeze something with Powder Snow and Icy Wind… but in all history of what I can remember, it only seemed to freeze the opponent once. Though I like some attacks that have a definite, set chance to lower another’s stat in one area…” she trailed off, watching as Kuma trundled across the “safe” ground, before stopping short—there were still some spikes scattered around the area. “Humor me this, but is it true that there are currently 17, or 18 known types of ‘mons to exist? I only know the basic few—and most of what my team is made of, give me a moment…” she trailed off, counting her fingers and then ending up reciting them aloud.
“Fire, Grass, Water, Ice, Psychic… hmm wait a second… Dragon, Flying, Fighting… I can wager a guess for Steel, and then I’m not sure if there is thunder… whoops, sorry Electric…” she muttered, concentrating and then remembering something. “Oh. I forgot to ask, what if a ‘mon has two-types, and it gets hit with, let’s say a Fire-type attack. The defending one has Grass and then let’s say Water…. So would Fire still hit as hard or not so?” she continued; having discovered some time ago that Flying was totally immune to what appeared to be Ground, or was it Rock…
"Hm...nah, that's not quite the same principle. I mean that you can't always anticipate what your opponent's planning. You don't know what commands they'll give, how fast their Pokemon will respond to them, what long-term strategies they might be setting up - that sorta thing. However, if you plan out a few reliable defensive and offensive gambits, you can buy yourself some time." Leon took a moment to think of a good example of such a strategy from his own repertoire. He thought so little of them and defaulted to them so often when in need of some room to breathe that they tended to fade into the background; they were more habits than anything else. Of course, when he noticed the spikes - now scattered slightly around the arena - in the edges of his peripheral vision, Leon's face lit up just faintly. "Let's take Spikes for instance. Under almost any circumstances, putting spikes on the field will force the opponent to react to that. Even if it's as simple as telling their Pokemon to evade or be careful, that's a few valuable seconds that you just freed up for yourself; that's good for one command with significantly reduced risks."
"All I'm saying, really, is that you should keep some fallback strategies in the wings, just in case your opponent pulls out a trick that you weren't expecting and aren't immediately prepared for." He concluded, hoping to sum up his point in as succinct a manner as possible. However, Leon mused, her question was not entirely invalid. He did not often dwell on the element of random chance inherent to so many attacks used in Pokemon battles; he found such unreliable tactics to be a waste of time and not at all worth planning one's strategies around. "Of course," he began in a tone of acknowledgement, "there's definitely an element of luck to some attacks. For example, about ten percent of the time you hit your opponent with Ice Beam, you'll freeze them. When that happens, that's excellent for you, but don't fall into the trap of planning your battles around those random effects. And yeah, you're correct in saying that not all Ice type techniques will freeze. As you just mentioned, some of'em, like Icy Wind, just don't reach low enough temperatures to have any appreciable effect." He shrugged his shoulders and gave a half-smile, as if to say "But hey, what are you gonna do?".
"Now, then, there's the matter of Pokemon with two types." He said with a contemplative sigh and scratched his chin. Leon knew this to be a somewhat complicated topic, as far as the basics of Battle Theory go, and he did not wish to present it in a manner too confusing for a new Trainer to digest. Once again, he concluded that his point would be best illustrated through examples. "If you've got a Pokemon classified as both Water and Grass - Ludicolo, for instance, then that Pokemon will take normal damage from a Fire type technique. The traits seem to cancel each other out in that regard. If they don't cancel out completely, then the difference is totally negligible. Of course, as I'm sure you know, Ground types just don't care about Electric attacks whatsoever - and there's other examples of that in the Pokemon kingdom. In this case, if a Pokemon has any sort of Ground type characteristics, then you just can't use Electric attacks on it." He continued matter-of-factly. "Sometimes, this is a huge help, like in the case of Quagsire. Most Water types faint if an Electric type looks at them funny, but Quagsire just shrugs it off altogether because he's a Water/Ground hybrid."
Post by Izumi Yamamura on Dec 4, 2013 23:53:12 GMT -5
“So it helps if you pay attention to the sub-typing as well, because you never know if you’re going to get served or not if you smack it with something you thought would help, but in the long run ends up working against you…” she muttered, taking out her notepad and quickly scribbling down some notes in her messy waitress’ shorthand. She then nodded and then whistled once, making sure Kuma didn’t approach the spikes too early and stepped on them by accident. “So it basically boils down to this: use your environment to your advantage, and watch out for any unexpected surprises…” she added, quickly writing that down as well. “I know how poison works, thankfully, the rest I can hazard a guess on figuring out how they actually latch on to the ‘mon in question, and that some of them are just simply immune to their own attacks… like how Earthquake could miss if one has a Flying-type in the party… or if it’s a Gyarados that actually used it,” she added, having seen some of the better trainers who passed through Lavaridge in action.
Now, it all came down to the final question she had on her mind. Wondering if it sounded silly, she then decided to toss it out there anyway, because what was the point of not asking questions in the first place. She knew that any unasked question was the most dangerous question, and she took a deep breath before asking… “How long does a match usually take, like, are there variations? I only know of the one-on-one match, but I’ve read somewhere that there are other styles that exist as well, is that true?” she ended, before secretly sighing, why did she start her own journey into the world so late? She then felt her face slightly turn pink, before her thoughts turned to Bunji, and then restrained herself from blowing up and getting mad at him—it was entirely his fault, yes, but apparently “he had his reasons”.
"Well," Leon began but stopped just short of a complete answer, for knowledge of seldom-used styles rushed back into his head even as he prepared his next sentence, "the standard style of battling is one-on-one, yeah. As far as I know, high profile matches are usually fought with six Pokemon each - y'know, like the finals in a regional championship or if someone challenges an Elite Four member. However, the majority of League sanctioned battles, like challenges against Gym Leaders, tend to be more like three versus three." Really, Leon had never battled in any format other than fair, single combat. Well, that is to say, never before had an honorable adversary heeding the laws of proper battling etiquette seen fit to deviate from the accepted norm. On the other hand, when fighting the criminal element, all manner of fair play is scattered to the four winds and replaced by ruthless brutality. The syndicates of the world cared not for the regulations set out by the League; to battle them is to battle for one's life. However, Leon strongly doubted that Izumi mixed with those crowds. By his estimate, she sought only to compete at the highest level she possibly could. No, Leon saw no need to teach her his less-than-honorable tactics unless, of course, she asked.
"But you're absolutely right. There're a few other formats that the League has come to accept. Double Battling, for instance, sprung up in Hoenn originally, but it's gained a pretty big following in other parts of the world. Like the name suggests, both Trainers in a Double Battle field two Pokemon each at any given time. From what I understand, a Double Battle tends to permit Trainers to use four of their six Pokemon at most; for that reason and a couple others, they tend to end a lot quicker." He explained in a very scholarly tone, taking on the air of a Professor of Battle Theory. "Recently, some people have gotten into the habit of holding Triple Battles, but that doesn't seem to have caught on. Personally? I think it's a bit too cluttered. However, an offshoot of Triple Battles, Rotation Battles, strikes me as far more interesting." Leon said with a bit of a shrug and a faint half-smile. He did not know much about them, nor did he particularly wish to see it implemented in the Pokemon Leagues, but Rotation Battles seemed a curious thing to him and worthy of investigation. "From what I understand, it works kinda like a tag match. You send out three Pokemon; one of them takes point, the other two wait off to the side. At any moment, you can tag in one of the other two. The ability to switch at a split-second's notice and still launch an attack makes prediction a much more complicated matter."
"So, is there anything else you'd like to cover, then? Maybe something else I can do for you?" He finished with a friendly, unassuming smile.
Post by Izumi Yamamura on Dec 7, 2013 5:17:11 GMT -5
“Not at the moment, at least,” he said after quickly scribbling down everything in her Waitress’ short-hand, for it was much easier to understand her notes rather than writing it all down and taking an eternity to just jot down. “Well, at least most of the things I’ve heard are confirmed, and that they’re very helpful… unless of course you know anything else about a certain organization that’s causing trouble, at least they’re rumored to be around these parts. But I’m not sure if you do; otherwise, I’d hate to keep you waiting here,” she added, giving him a deep bow, before recalling Kuma back into his own temporary residence. “It’s nice having to learn from someone else who’s been at this for much longer than I have; because you see, I grew up elsewhere, and I only recently started my own journey out into the world,” she offered by way of explanation—in that way she was speaking the truth; although she left out the messier parts of the explanation.
“If you have any information about this organization called ‘Rocket’, then that would be great… otherwise, I may be seeing you more often around these parts in the near future,” she added, hinting that something may be happening—and soon; because there was no way she was going to let that certain person have his way and recklessly charge into whatever he was planning—because it was madness; it was crazy. “I hope that we meet again; and by then we can have a proper battle,” she added, making her way over to where she’d left off her socks and sneakers, before sitting down on the edge of the platform and replacing them all on. She was now armed with more knowledge; but it still wasn’t enough, because she wanted to put these all into actual practice—and it was hard, considering that most of the people she came across were either younger than she was or just looking for trouble—she didn’t want to mix in with those kinds of people.
