Battle Tactics Class #2 - Instructor: Catherine Eisenberg

[Catherine Eisenberg]

Her students filed in with various expressions. A shame that some were so distraught. Still, she could understand it, and, outside of what needed to be addressed, she'd avoid the topic as much as possible. Unfortunately, a majority of the topic for the day revolved around that event, so. . . the mileage would vary. When one of the students- the first of two that forced their way onto Culaine's back and rode with her into battle- pet and called the Arcanine's name, the woman looked away from the class as a whole, lightly snorting. It'd be nice if they'd all manage to retain that innocence. Her previously straight face had cracked, and her lips were curled upwards very slightly.

”Good morning, everyone. I'm glad to see you all here today, and pleased to see you're all doing well. Before we get onto our topic for the day, I have something to say to those that took part in the operation to liberate the city. You did well. Against all odds, you all did prove victorious against a force willing to resort to violence to achieve their ends. It was difficult, wasn't it? It was scary, wasn't it? Still, you succeeded. The others may not say it, but, without your efforts, even the staff would have had difficulty facing the numbers we did. So, and I say this honestly, thank you for the effort and the suffering you went through to aid us. And thank you, still, for deciding to remain here, despite that.”

Her words were honest and her sentiments were pure. Those that faced that nightmare of humanity's darkness had done well. Whether it was because her feelings bled out, or because she was simply in a good mood after seeing what she had that morning, the woman's expression was pleasant. The smile she hosted was even warm. She wasn't really a teacher, but she was genuinely relieved to know that the bunch was safe. They might have been hurt, might have had deep emotional injuries, but, despite all that, they were alive. So long as they were alive, they could recover.

”Now, that said, while it had not been an issue I encountered, checking the reports other leaders made revealed to me that there had been some degree of difficulty during those battles. A majority of this difficulty extended from the methods of combat. So, for today's class, I'll be focusing on a specific avenue of combat and tactics- that is, battles involving more than one Pokemon on either side. Typical matches would include double and triple battles, but I'll be covering this topic on a few different levels. While you may never use this information, it could help protect you, should anything occur outside of the academy walls. And, if nothing else, it's a neat bit of variety to implement on battling, if you think singles is too simple or easy.” With that, the woman sat back in her chair.

”So, before we begin, what can you all tell me about sending out enough Pokemon to outnumber your opponent? What is good about this strategy? What is bad about it? We're not discussing whether or not it's 'fair' right now. In a situation where there are no rules, where your concern is simply to ensure the defeat of the opponent and to preserve your own well-being, what are the pros and the cons of outnumbering them?” Multi-battles would be the focus. Before they went on, though, she needed to test the overall student body's logic. Even if it didn't pop up during normal, rule-restricted battles, opening their eyes a bit could help protect them in the future.

[Sonia Strugatskaya]

Sonia's attention became completely focused on the teacher once the actual class had begun. The woman started off by thanking everyone that had participated in the fighting. Sonia couldn't help but smile a bit hearing the praise from this woman. But, it would seem that the woman did not just bring up that fight just for the sake of praising them. It would seem that it would be playing into today's lesson. Multi-battles.

Now, Sonia wasn't all too familiar with battling others already. But she had never been in battle like the one she had been in that day. Both her and the enemy were able to send out as many Pokemon as they wanted. There were no rules. It was a simple game of survival. As Sonia had recalled, she had chosen to only send out a few Pokemon at a time. She had originally used this to her advantage while she used Earthquake on the enemy. However, upon seeing glimpses of a few other battles on her team as well as the team whom her group saved, she also saw the other side of that logic. It was something she had prevented without even realizing it.

The girl raised her hand before giving a straight answer directly after. With more Pokemon, you can hit more things. Its simple logic. However, you can't just get them all out there and have them attack at once. You may have your entire offensive in play, but it also leaves your entire defensive wide open to be attacked all at once. Essentially, it's a big risk that may or may not pay off depending on what you're fighting and what your Pokemon are capable of. More Pokemon at once means high risk with high rewards along with a generally quicker battle. Less Pokemon leaves you the opportunity to minimize damage while maximizing who gets hit. Orsomethinglikethat. With her answer given, the girl leaned back in her chair and cupped her hands behind her head. She had essentially rambled on about what she had figured out that day. At the very least, she had learned something that day. That, and she got to ride the Arcanine. That was the best part, naturally.

[Astrid Sherinian]

Astrid wasn't surprised at all by the turn of subject the class took. The incident was still fresh on everyone's minds, and there was something they could all learn from it. Some of them had adapted fast, while others hadn't, and had struggled just to survive against their opponents. There were poor matchups on both sides. Astrid was fortunate enough to have had a fairly easy time -- a fact that she would not state out loud with Xanadu being the only one of her Pokemon out to hear it -- but had learned a lot from it as well.

Most of it from picking things up on the fly and not caring enough about showmanship to play fair.

The moment the teacher asked about what they had learned from the experience, specifically about outnumbering the opponent, a girl at the front answered before anyone had a chance to. From what Astrid could put together of her rambling, the girl had picked up much the same things that Astrid did. Once she finished, though, Astrid raised her hand and added her own thoughts to the answer. "Having more Pokemon out means that you can more freely cover your own weaknesses as well," she said. Her opponent had done that repeatedly, right up to the very end, and she'd gotten a bit of mileage out of it as well. "And it gives you more options when your opponent does the same. Even if a Pokemon resists most of the attacks thrown at it, it'll have a much harder time taking two or three than just one. That said, just like she said, having more Pokemon out means all of them are at risk of eating something like a Discharge. Or an Earthquake."

[Tanya Christianson]

Once again, students poured into the classroom and Tanya sat, ready to learn from Miss. Eisenberg. When the lesson began, it seemed that the sutdents weren't the only one who were affected by the Marvo City attack. Hearing the teacher compliment and thank her and the others that aided the city defense made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. She realized that the tone of the conversation was probably serious though.

When asked the question, Tanya took a moment to think. She wasn't one of the people who used all of her pokemon in a single attack like some of the others. This probably was going to be an important lesson. Listening to the other answer questions, Tanya spent her time trying to come up with a worthwhile answer. Honestly though, the others had really good points.

"As the others said, sending out all your pokemon is great for the offense since you have a wide variety of moves to choose from and with all the attacks coming in, it makes it harder for the opponent to guard against them all. It also allows for your pokemon to take other's attacks if the attack is single target and you can use moves such as Heal Pulse and Follow Me to your advantage." Tanya began, thinking about how the battles in her sector went. "The issue is though that once you attack, you can't really defend that well. Sure you can switch targets around, but you put your entire team on the front line to get pummeled and can't react to an opponent's tactics if they come up with something that you have trouble with. In addition, it makes using moves such as Surf much riskier since you're also hurting your own pokemon with the move and if the opponent uses those moves, it makes it so much harder to defend. Also, once your pokemon faint, you can't send out any more so if your opponent has a way to stave off your attacks and responds in kind, you basically lose."

Thinking she had said too much again, Tanya went back to her notebook, writing down some notes about what the others had said so far. It would be good for her to review this, if not for future reference.

[Seria Floria]

Seria said nothing when Miss Eisenberg began to speak - she didn't even smile, because Seria knew that she barely made it by the skin of her teeth, and it was because of a pure oversight that she suffered more damage than she should have. Though Eisenberg had good words to say about the students who were able to mount the defensive, she also explained the importance and gravity of the situation and how it was of utmost importance that the students were able to learn and mature from the experience. Astrid, Tanya, and a little kid Seria didn't recognize already presented their talking points in response to the discussion started by Eisenberg. Seria had little to add that wasn't already mentioned, but judging from how serious she looked, the Nature Dormer did have something to say.

She raised her hand promptly.

"In the same vein of thought that has already been mentioned," Seria began, in a tone of voice that betrayed the usual cheerful and perky image she projected towards her friends (and most importantly her girlfriend who was seated next to her, also in some state of despair). "Multiple Pokemon being sent out at once is a double-edged sword. As I have experienced, launching multiple Pokemon one-after-the-other leaves you incredibly open to strong attacks that can damage multiple targets. They don't necessarily have to come from your own Pokemon. In a fit of emotion, I sent out all five of my trusted combatants into the fray and was promptly punished by a powerful combination of Rock Slide and Earthquake, which was enough to send me to the brink of defeat..." Seria heaved, recounting her strategic mistake.

Though she may have been new to battling when she first entered, her experiences thus far had led her to reflect upon how she battled, in an attempt to match up her current state to how she could attain her own goals.

"It doesn't matter how many you've sent out. If they all get defeated or get close to fainting, then it's an exercise in futility. The key is moderation and balance..." Seria finally sighed. She seemed pretty bummed about the whole thing.

[Oleg Kirrlov]

Oleg smiled a bit as the teacher admitted they all had done good work back in the city. He was proud of himself, and of course, proud of the others as well. More proud about himself, but eh. He then listened as the teacher asked her question. And was then flooded with answers before he himself could even think of one. He then tapped his chin for a moment, opening his mouth... Only to close it. He had nothing to say that had not been said before. He simply decided to lean back on his chair, indicating he had nothing to say.

[Alice Geissler]

The teacher had started a lecture about the invasion and had asked a question about if sending more Pokemon would be a good thing during a multi-battle. Well, it did have its strong points and weak points, so why not have a go at this question? The ghost floated beside her trainer as she gave out her answer. "Specifically, sending out multiple Pokemon have its advantages and disadvantages. With more Pokemon sent out against an opponent, they are outnumbered and the Pokemon also have a wide coverage of attacks in case something goes wrong. Sending in more Pokemon has a risk where your team could be wiped out by a move that hits all opponents. And there is a chance that the opponent might have the other Pokemon intercept a super effective attack which could be proven annoying." With that answered, she hoped that this answer would satisfy the teacher at least, but there was probably no right or wrong answer. She had learned something from the invasion and that was knowing that other Pokemon can learn super effective moves which was somewhat of an error on her part. Sitting quietly in her chair, she listened to what the other classmates had to say about it.

Larvesta Egg +1

[James Wharton]

James pondered the question for a moment, tossing it around in his head.  What was is good about this Strategy?  Well, you can outnumber you opponent, but that only happens sometimes.  The bad thing about this strategy?  If they have a move like earthquake, or eruption, it can deal a large amount of damage to all of your team.  Having decided those would be solid ideas he simply waited for the other students in his class to talk.  When he heard them basically state his answer he decided that he didn't quite need to share it any more, since it had already been pointed out.  Well, it was to be expected when you waited for others to answer the question first.

[Crispin Yates]

Crispin nodded with agreements to what the other students said.  They all had very good points both ways, like that poor decision he made to bring out more of his team just for them to get hit by a rock slide.  Looking in hindsight he could pinpoint almost every error he made during the fight, and he was not happy with himself about it.  For instance, he didn't think using both of his more powerful teammates right off the bat was the wisest idea, although Valdis's sunny day is what saved their cans.  Still, getting Jove knocked out early on certainly didn't help in the slightest.  Other than that, which he didn't feel was a direct answer to his question, Crispin couldn't think of anything to add that wasn't already said by the other students.  He just sat back in his seat and listened carefully to the lecture, for now.

[Deleted]

Sapphira would slip into the Battle Tactics room quietly, the news about what had happened recently, some sort of terrorist attack, had everyone in a tizzy, and he was no exception. Of course anyone in their right mind was worried about the implications of a new criminal group suddenly popping up. Taking his seat at the back the boy listened in and caught the last bit of what Miss Eisenberg had to say, something about the pros and cons of outnumbering your opponents.

It seemed that a number of other students had the answer, if he had to choose a pro it’s be the fact you could probably combined moves to make it harder on an opponent and set up for your other Pokémon as for cons you lose good use of some stronger moves that can hurt your own team. Either way he was sure that the wheelchair bound woman would teach them just why. Sighing the boy would lean on his desk and prop up his cheek with a hand, looking more than a bit bored. He just wished she’d get to the point instead of wasting time like this, couldn’t they be learning how to fend off what are dangerous and violent criminals instead of playing twenty questions?

[Benji Aldaine]

Although Benji hadn't been a part of the attack on the city, he still felt proud of his fellow students. He knew the situation had been bad, yet part of him was sad that he hadn't been part of it. Not that he wanted it to happen at all, he just wished he could have been out there on the front lines helping out the Academy. It made him feel useless not being a part of it, and almost outcasted because he wasn't feeling what the others were.

Sighing he shrugged and listened to the teacher. She seemed friendlier than he had first thought and was glad of that fact. After addressing the students about the attack she then asked them a question about the pros and cons of multiple-Pokemon battles. Before the Mana student could even open his mouth the whole class erupted with their answers. Each time one would finish he would try to speak only to be cut off again. Everything they said was exactly what he had been thinking, but he still wanted to say at least something.

Finally the talking quieted for a moment and Benji spoke up before it started again. "My ideas were already mentioned on the most part and I agree with everyone. Having a lot of Pokemon out at once is good, in the means of being able to focus a ton of attacks on one Pokemon and easily getting them out quickly. Also your tankier Pokemon can defend the weaker, healers can help out as well. One huge con is attacks such as Earthquake, Rock Slide, Surf, ect. Attacks that can hit all your Pokemon at once. Sure some might not get hit as hard but for some it can be devastating."

"Plus having all your Pokemon out means you have nothing to fall back on, and I think some of your Pokemon won't get much experience which defeats the purpose. Having less Pokemon out can be risky, but if they succeed they get much more experience and in the long run profit from it." Benji finished in a rush, closing his mouth and looking around for a bit before leaning back in his chair. He hadn't expected to say that much, and knew he repeated what others had said. Yet he wasn't the type to just keep quiet, he had to speak his mind either way.

[Meili Jie]

Meili listened as the teacher began her lecture. Victorious? Well, yeah technically victorious but that was only in terms of pushing them back and their willingness to retreat. Meili thought about how much that ten year old was dominating the battle. Her hands clunched to a fist as she remembered but she tried her best to calm down. Class was not the time to get angry.

The teacher began to discuss the idea of sending out multiple pokemon. The students more or less spoke what she agreed with. The idea of sending out multiple pokemon leaving them all to be hit by various attacks. Discharge, Earthquake, and Rock Slide, and other attacks like those. However, Meili was surprised that they didn't point out one other tid bit of flawed information...and this was unfortunately the same as admitting a problem she is having herself.

"There is also the issue of issuing commands to your Pokemon. If a trainer is not skilled enough to command more than one or two Pokemon at a time, of course, he or she would have difficulties. Aside from the issuing of commands, there is also the issue of being aware of the condition of not just your Pokemon but you also have to keep track of the condition of the opponent. In a triple battle situation, that's six Pokemon you need to be aware of. I don't need to say the amount of chaos a six on six battle with all the participants out."

[Amanda Dupomme]

Burying her head in her arms, Amanda didn't much bother answering the question. Everyone seemed to more or less cover the all the ground that she herself would have paced.

The problems with a free for all battle were simple enough, even to a trainer like herself. If you brought out all your Pokemon, you made yourself vulnerable to sweeping attacks that could level your entire squad. The the higher the bet, the higher the risk, yet not always the reward. Ideally a trainer should know how to tag her Pokemon in and out with ease, paying attention to the flow of the battle and knowing how to swap them with ease.

With another sigh, Amanda tried to push away the memories of her own failure, prompting a cautious pat from her Hariyama: seeing the state his trainer was in.

[Adolfina von Brauer]

Adolfina grunted lightly when her business partner gave that odd greeting once more. Whatever, she figured. Instead, she paid attention to the instructor. And then, though it was spread out to all participants of that event, she received both gratitude and acknowledgment. Her lips curled into a pleasant smile. She was, by all means, pleased. As the woman went on, though, it became obvious that the event would serve as the inspiration as the day's lesson. Not a bad thing. While she understood the basics of multi-battles, and had easily triumphed over her opponent, she would not turn down knowledge- would not turn down a braindump. There was no telling what this woman could share, and the finer nuances typically proved to be the most important tid-bits.

All the students tried to save face by spewing out essentially the same message one after the other. The blonde didn't see the point in that. The overall picture was being drawn by the other students, so she could simply conjugate over the potential combinations of her current Pokemon for multi-oriented battles. Still smiling from the earlier praise, she remained silent.

[Catherine Eisenberg]

It seemed as though the majority of the students had an idea in regards to the benefits and drawbacks. Whether they genuinely knew these things or learned the hard way, through experience, seemed to be the biggest variable. Once the majority of the class had put in their two cents, and others acknowledged it, Catherine slowly nodded. That would speed things up, then. Shifting forward in her wheelchair, she took a moment to look the class over. Partially, it was her scanning over who remained from the previous class. At the same time, she was noting the new faces, ones that had been absent before. She must have been doing something right.

”Good, good. You all seem to have an idea, then. To sum it up, more Pokemon out to attack means you can unleash a greater degree of punishment on your opponents, yes. In retrospect, it leaves you open to much more. It's a simple tactic that can present huge rewards or huge losses depending on how prepared your opponent is. Against a group of wild Pokemon? This can even the odds. Against trainers specializing in this type of battling? You'll need to make it count. You'll also need to consider exactly how you are attacking, as well. Simply using mob-tactics, attacking without order or plans, is just a good way to get a number of your Pokemon injured. Can that tactic work? Certainly, if you have the numbers. Is it suggested, however? Not in the least. It's a good way to put a rift between yourself and your partners, though.” She let that sink in a moment before going on.

”Now, whether you plan to actively go into multi-battles, or if you simply plan to have the option prepared, should it come up, it's important to consider the synergy of your team. Some moves hit only enemies- they can be directed at will. Others are more indiscriminate, hitting everything within range. Rock Slide is an example of the former, and Earthquake is one of the latter. Both are fairly popular moves, and, from the sounds of things, moves that had been utilized by the Team Asshole agents we dealt with. A user of Rock Slide that's immune to Ground-type moves can safely pelt the enemy with rocks while a ground-based fighter can unleash Earthquake without endangering its ally. It's a simple tactic, yes, but very effective, considering the type combination. Earthquake is a powerful move, and Ground-type moves have a wide range of effectiveness. The things that can switch-in to safely take Earthquake are fairly likely to be injured by the Rock Slide. Literally and figuratively, the recipient is between a rock and a hard place.” Another pause. It had, after the fact, dawned on her that she let her nickname for Origin slip through her words. Oh well. She wasn't a professional.

”This is one example, though. If you aren't one to invest heavily in aerial Pokemon, there are other means of piecing together large-scale area-of-effect teams without endangering your allies. Now, for those with more controlled means of offense, or moves that can be used to target enemies only, it's a good idea to have a little variety among your team. Rock Slide is a powerful move, but you'll find it lacking impact on Fighting, Ground, and Steel-types, and especially on Pokemon that fall under two of those types. For that reason, a mixture of area-targeting moves is suggested. If you utilize Rock Slide, have another Pokemon use Heat Wave. Neither move has perfect accuracy, granted, but they're both powerful, both have additional effects, and both cover different types, ensuring that, in most cases, the enemy will be taking solid damage from something you throw their way.” The finer bits of team synergy for multi-battles, though, would be things that the students would have to research on their own. Catherine herself wasn't one for that type of battle, but if she could come up with a few strategies on the spot, she was sure that these kids could, too.

”Is everybody getting the general idea for offense? Any questions? Comments?” With a slight gesture of the hand, she motioned for the lot to give their thoughts. If nobody had anything, she could proceed on to defensive synergy. Though she imagined she would be mostly preaching to the choir by that point.