And the Seed Blooms (Semi-finals/Round 2 versus Tanya)

[Adolfina von Brauer]

Adolfina had been seeded during the tournament. It was both a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because she did not have to waste her energy or time beating down her opponent. It also helped that she didn't have to reveal her strategies earlier. Of course, at the same time, she didn't get the chance to shine as long as the commonplace trainers during the first round. If there was anything she regretted about being seeded, that was it. Of course, being seeded did have another benefit- she was able to watch the match between her potential opponents while up in the stands. One, a male, seemed faintly familiar. Couldn't remember why, though. Must've been unimportant. The other, whose name escaped her, was that annoying girl during their mission.

The girl managed to win. Her battle put an emphasis on that Lopunny. Whether it was a dependence or a cornerstone was uncertain, though. The boy hadn't managed to do very well, so. . . there wasn't much to go on. Still, the Lopunny had utilized a stall move, a stat-changer, and generally seemed to be there for the sole purpose of ruining things. Considering that it happened to be on a list of “problematic” Pokemon for one of her plans, it was worth contemplating the options her opponent would have available. As for the Musharna that had appeared, it utilized a Fairy-type move. This suggested that it was given some degree of coverage to act as an offensive base, as opposed to a simple support agent.

Thoughts like those had been swarming through the blonde's head, but she knew better than to count on any of it- those were only two of her opponent's six possible Pokemon. Dismissing those thoughts, the girl stepped onto the field, readying one ball and lobbing it forward. Out came Diablo, her Whimsicott. The ball of fluff looked about, curious as to what she was doing out, then realized there was a battle soon to come. Bouncing from her left to her right, then jumping straight up, the fluffball clearly showed she was eager. Meanwhile, Adolfina had a straight face. She was confident, yes, but she knew better than to get ahead of herself before the battle started. Once she had more information, though? It would show.

”Let's go.” She stated plainly, though loud enough to be heard. No form of niceties or formalities- just straight to the point.

Action: Sent out Diablo, the Whimsicott

[Tanya Christianson]

Tanya's heart was pumping as she entered the arena. While she had managed to make it to the second round, part of the reason was due to Oleg making some questionable choices she had to admit. However, she couldn't dwell on that for too long and hence, as she walked her way to the battlefield, the tension in her body was increasing with each step she took.

Her next opponent was Adolfina. She was with her for a mission. In that mission she used a bunch of not fully evolved pokemon alongside a Flygon and a Goodra. She also managed to catch that Salamence. Thinking about it, she had a lot of Dragon type pokemon and she couldn't feel a sense of irony about being in Nature Dorm, where the fairy type pokemon thrived. In any case though, Tanya didn't want to make too much assumptions as she entered the battlefield.

Seeing the Whimsicott come out, Tanya thought for a second. While it was extremely tempting to just send out Dani, Whimsicotts had the annoying tendency to have the Ability Prankster. She needed to deal with that ability sooner rather than later. She didn't want to be swept by a cotton ball. Knowing what she had to do, Tanya got out one of her pokeballs and released Daniel, her Lopunny.

"Let's have a good match." Tanya responded, looking back at Adolfina with a determined look. The time for the battle was here, now all she had to do was see how Adolfina responded.

Action: Tanya has sent out Daniel the Lopunny!

[Adolfina von Brauer]

The girl gave out some good-natured crap. It didn't shock her too much, really. Adolfina wasn't there to make friends, though. No, she was there to prove herself as superior, gain a name for herself and fame, and return home with pride. That was why she did not give a response to that empty suggestion. Her opponent sent out the Lopunny, as expected. There were three different major routes she saw this whole ordeal playing out in. The easiest way to go about things, presently, was mitigating the potential damage, playing it safe, and seeing exactly how the opponent reacted. It was like poking a wild beast with a stick- one had to play it safe until the claws were revealed.

”Diablo, use Cotton Guard.” With an eager little hop, the Whimsicott twirled about on her feet before her cottony mane fluffed out further, greatly enhancing her physical defense. It was a precautionary measure, yes, but it was also utilized to see what the opponent would do when faced with uncertainties.

Action: Whimsicott used Cotton Guard

Notes: Cotton Guard boosted defense by +3 (2.5x modifier)

[Tanya Christianson]

Tanya crossed her arms, watching as the Whimsicott bolstered up her defenses. Just getting through that with Daniel was going to be a pain. Basically, it wasn't going to happen. Having that knowledge though, Tanya decided to start out like she usually did, see what her opponent would do and then adjust her strategies to match what her opponent had to offer.

"Start out with Fake Out!" Tanya called out, knowing that the attack was basically going to do nothing. Daniel jumped into action, propelling himself into the air using his legs and darted towards the Whimsicott. Once he got up close, he closed his arms with the opponent in between, squashing the pokemon's cheeks harshly.

Tanya kept her eyes on Adolfina, seeing how she reacted to the battle.

Action: Daniel used Fake Out! Whimsicott flinches next turn!

[Adolfina von Brauer]

”Diablo, use Protect!” Adolfina didn't miss a beat in delivering that order. With a flash of energy, the Whimsicott negated the Fake Out! One could have argued that this was pointless, given that it meant no chance of attacking, and, yet, had it not been used, they still would have been unable to attack. In using Protect over taking the blow, though, they had negated the once-per-out Fake Out, as well as limiting damage-intake to zero. Sure, it couldn't be fired off a second time consecutively, but that was irrelevant. This was just another step in determining exactly how far the opponent would go and where.

Once she had that down-pact? It was smooth sailing.

Action: Whimsicott used Protect

Notes: Protect negated the effects of Fake Out, reducing damage to 0

[Tanya Christianson]

Tanya didn't seem too bothered when the Whimsicott used Protect. It gave her more information to run off and it also meant that she was able to prevent the Whimsicott from taking an offensive action this turn. She clenched her fist as she made an effort to calm down, thinking about how to progress in the battle. While sadly the pokemon didn't take any damage, she needed to deal with the main source of the Whimsicott problem.

"Daniel, use Entrainment!" Tanya commanded, trying to keep her face impassive. Hearing his orders, Daniel began to dance on the battlefield. The odd rhythm and the swaying of the Lopunny's hips compelled the Whimsicott to follow his dance, her mindset changing as she lost her Prankster ability in exchange for Daniel's ability, Klutz. Curious to see how Adolfina would react, Tanya watched her, her brows furrowed.

Action: Daniel used Entrainment! Changed Diablo's ability from Prankster to Klutz!

[Adolfina von Brauer]

While Adolfina could not exactly express surprise at the usage of Entrainment, she had not expected that particular move. This just further solidified her theory that the Lopunny was intended at a general problem-causer. She had expected other moves, but this just drove the issue home. That said, anything that relied on Prankster would either need to be put off until measures could be taken. That was fine, though. Diablo wasn't just some one-trick pony. The blonde had devised a number of ways that the Whimsicott could act in any given situation.

”Diablo, use Moonblast.” A somewhat clumsy nod, followed by a bounce, was given in response. Then? The Whimsicott's body began glowing- it was a very pretty, pink glowing, as well. Really oozed that whole “fairy power” deal. The faenergy (yes, Fae energy) concentrated in front of the puffball before firing at the Lopunny!

Action: Whimsicott used Moonblast

Notes: 95 BP Fairy-type boosted by STAB; 100% accuracy, so no roll; 30% chance of lowering target's Special Attack by 1, roll below

rOO83S4E”1-10”

If 1-3, -1 Sp Atk to victim.”1-10”

[Tanya Christianson]

When Adolfina ordered an attack, Tanya knew that she had done something correct. She didn't order Daniel to retreat, letting him take the attack. While he was knocked back by the intensity of the attack, he was able to push through the damage and stay relatively healthy. While she was tempted to switch out to something that could damage the Whimsicott, she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity presented to her.

"Use Thunder Wave!" Tanya ordered, hoping to debilitate the Whimsicott before it could become too much of a problem. Rubbing his hands together, Daniel generated weak static electricity, which he then shot out towards the pokemon, hoping to paralyze the Whimsicott. The battle was only starting, but she could feel the nervousness bubbling through her.

Action: Daniel used Thunder Wave! Paralyzes the pokemon that takes it!

[Adolfina von Brauer]

The blonde didn't even really have a full second to consider the circumstances. If she were to keep in Whimsicott, then there'd be a one-in-four chance of the Paralysis kicking in at a later point in the fight (even if she nullified that effects of Entrainment later), and that in and of itself was a variable she neither wanted to consider or account for. No, she wanted absolutes. On the other hand, if she were to send in Limos, the Thunderwave would be entirely nullified, and, on top of that, it'd be a safe switch-in, allowing her to get the effects of Entrainment off of Diablo without sacrificing the endurance of her Pokemon. Finally, if it forced the opponent to switch out, then she'd learn of whatever else the opponent would be using in the fight. Really, this was a gift from the opponent- a gift on a golden platter.

”Return, Diablo! Go, Limos!” She returned the Whimsicott to her ball, instead sending out her Flygon. The Thunderwave slammed into the Flygon, doing. . . absolutely nothing! That was one of the benefits of a Ground-typing. While she might not have been able to attack yet, she had already de-clawed the Lopunny of its Fake Out. On top of that, Thunderwave would be useless. Considering that it had already taken the Whimsicott's Moonblast, the Lopunny was, no doubt, already slightly winded. Considering that Flygon was an offensive powerhouse? This was looking fairly nice, even if she did need to reveal a second Pokemon.

Action: Returned Whimsicott. Sent out Flygon.

Notes: Thunderwave was ineffective on Flygon due to Ground-typing. Paralysis has been avoided.

[Tanya Christianson]

Tanya let out a sigh as she saw the Flygon get sent out. She had hoped to do more to the Whimscott, but it seemed like fate had other plans. In any case, Tanya didn't get too discouraged. She could find a way to make this work out as an advantage. After all, she had confidence in her abilities. At the same time though, Tanya knew that Adoflina wasn't going to mess around, giving her behavior on the mission.

"Use Charm on the Flygon!" Tanya commanded, trying to take into account all the variables that were on offer. Daniel put an arm up to his mouth, looking towards the Flygon and opening his eyes wide, attempting to disuade the pokemon from attacking and by doing so, harshly lowering his attack. She could only hope her plan worked, since right now Daniel couldn't do much to her opponent.

Action: Daniel used Charm! Harshly lowers the opponent's attack!

[Adolfina von Brauer]

There were three ways it could have played out when she sent out her Flygon. One was the case that the opponent had gone through- utilizing Charm to reduce the effectiveness of the blaring threat that the Flygon posed simply by being there. Flygon was known for its power- it was also well-rounded, though, and that was a fact that many failed to take into consideration. She knew her opponent had the option to utilize Charm due to watching that prior fight. Was it bothersome? Of course! But, did it obstruct her plans? Not particularly. After all, she was prepared for enemies that would try to neutralize the physical threat her Flygon possessed.

”Limos, it's time. Use Earth Power!” If their physical power was reduced, then they simply needed to use their special power! The Flygon buzzed before focusing her attention on the ground underneath the Lopunny. The power of the earth began to pulsate violently!

Action: Flygon used Earth Power

Notes: 90 BP Ground-type, boosted by STAB; base Sp Atk of 80; 100% accuracy; 10% chance of reducing the target's Sp Def by 1, roll below

eDWe2P0q”1-10”

If 1, -1 to victim's Special Defense.”1-10”

[Tanya Christianson]

"Get out of here Daniel, take his place Gundamu!" Tanya shouted, returning Daniel to his pokeball and sending out her Golurk, Gundamu. She probably should've been expecting the pokemon to know a variety of moves, but at least Daniel was able to hold back some of the Flygon's offensive prowess. Ideally, the pokemon would've only attacked with physical moves, but she knew that Adolfina was better than that.

When Gundamu came onto the field, Gundamu comfortably took the attack, only stepping backwards to indicate that the attack did any damage at all. Tanya was curious to see what else Adolfina would bring to the table. Gundamu stood strong, his body looming over the opposition as he waited for the next set of orders.

Action: Daniel returned! Gundamu sent out!

[Adolfina von Brauer]

The girl had sent in a Golurk. That was the second of three potential bothers that had appeared. The first was Lopunny, lightly injured and able to use those bothersome moves again after coming back out. The second was the Golurk before her, which was also lightly injured. Well, lightly was probably putting it, well, lightly. But it was certainly not enough. To perform the sudden switch-in, though, either the Lopunny was centric to the girl's plans, or she was desperate to take out the Flygon. In either case, the Golurk was a potential threat. It was a Pokemon that learned a number of punching Moves. She would know, given that she planned on getting one eventually. While the plan she drafted was risky, she would be much worse off trying to switch something else in to safely take that giant's attacks. Plus, Limos had served her purpose, either way. If it failed, then it failed. If it worked, though? She had a prolonged avenue with the dragon.

”Limos, use Heat Wave.” The blonde clearly dictated before the dragon fluttered and spit a wave of super-heated air at the giant.

Action: Flygon used Heat Wave

Notes: 95 BP Fire-type, base Sp Atk of 80; 90% accuracy; 10% chance of reducing the target's Sp Def by 1, rolls below

PlwN5X8O”1-10”

If 1-9, Heatwave connects; if 10, miss

”1-10”

If 1, victim is burned.”1-10”·”1-10”

[Tanya Christianson]

Gundamu stood strong, allowing the attack to hit him, the air causing damage to occur, but not too much. He still stood strong afterwards, having not moved throughout the entire attack. Tanya smiled confidently, finding it lucky that she had captured the pokemon some time ago. It filled a great niche in her team and the pokemon was an invaluable member to the team.

"Attack with Ice Punch!" Tanya commanded, pulling her fist in towards her chest. Gundamu retreated his legs, jets replacing them as he launched towards the Flygon, pulling back his fist and charging it with a freezing energy. As the Golurk flew towards his opponent, Tanya waited for a moment. When Gundamu punched the opponent, Tanya punched the air at the same time. Some habits were hard for her to shake off, even in such a tense situation. Tanya felt increasingly nervous about the battle and acting like an idiot helped her get through the toughest times.

Action: Gundamu used Ice Punch! Boosted by Iron Fist ability!

Roll for Freeze: pz9Fuqna1-10 1 Freeze1-10

[Adolfina von Brauer]

And there it was- exactly the move the girl had been anticipating. It seemed that the Heat Wave, though connecting, was unable to burn the target. For that reason, despite the Flygon being in “perfect” shape, prior to the attack, she sank to the floor with barely a buzz. Ice Punch was a double-weakness on the Ground-Dragon. She was aware of that, and she chose to keep the dragon in despite knowing that. It was a sacrifice, but the Flygon had served plenty well. Returning her, Adolfina then grabbed a ball from earlier, releasing Diablo once again. It was time to issue some much-delayed punishment.

”Diablo, use Grass Whistle.” Those were the words that were meant to come from her mouth since the match began. Only now were they truly able to be uttered, though. The Whimsicott produced a bundle of grass, seemingly from nowhere, before folding it over and placing it to her lips. Blowing, she produced a melodic tune that spread over the battleground!

Action: Flygon fainted. Whimsicott sent out. Used Grass Whistle

Notes: Flygon took 4x effective Ice Punch and fainted; guaranteed OHKO. Whimsicott used Grass Whistle. Prankster activated on delivery. Guaranteed 100% accuracy. Recipient will sleep. Longevity determined below.

x1TkxpUY”1-3”

Roll determines number of turns lost by sleeping. Counter goes down at the end of the sleeper's turn.”1-3”