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"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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POSTED ON Jul 8, 2022 1:06:24 GMT

"TKO!!" The referee's voice, alongside loud bells, blared through TV speakers as the challenger's Luxray met the cage floor and was unable to stand. The slow motion replay showed the brutality of the Cross Chop that dispatched the electric feline and sent it packing. It was clearly an intimidation tactic the Leader had set up to get into other challenger's heads. Josh wasn't going to let that happen. He was at a significant disadvantage compared to the wide-open Johto gyms; with his Pokémon being in an enclosed space instead of an open stadium, he could not rely on superior mobility to win this one. Luckily, he had a nasty tactic to employ against this Leader. If everything went right, Josh's Pokémon would be able to use the very cage against his foe.

Minutes after the arena had been cleared, Josh's name was called. Breathing a deep sigh, he released both his Pokémon, Saber and Resheph. The loyal electric-type walked on his right, almost in lockstep with his trainer, the Dragonair floating on his left. Cue a mild crowd cheer when he emerged from the challenger's tunnel. "Now you two remember our plan, right?" Josh coached both his Pokémon. "Resheph, you gotta keep both Pokémon away from the center of the cage. That way, Saber will be able to give them a shock they won't be able to avoid! Right, Saber?" The yellow and blue quadruped barked in approval. While these two had never been able to defeat the Leader of Olivine Gym back home, they wouldn't let history repeat itself with this Leader, and they certainly wouldn't disappoint Josh in helping him qualify for the League!

noah faber

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Resheph Dragonair Good
Saber Manectric Good

{WC: 281}
{PC: 1}

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shiv

the machampion

he/him

July 17

Kanto

pansexual

gym leader

5'7" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @noah

POSTED ON Jul 15, 2022 8:31:21 GMT

today is a busy day. one battle after the other; a slot in the week dedicated solely for gym challenges.

thus a referee is needed. one that simultaneously acts as record keeper and schedule overseer so that noah can keep track.

as he wipes sweat off his brow, the stage lights do not soften their intense glare. but noah is no stranger to the gauntlet.

compared to the ultra beast war, this is a trivial tribulation.

"aiiight, josh, my man!" noah shouts. "show me you can handle close quarters combat, and you'll earn the knockout badge. got it?"

he throws his pokeballs. they crack like walnuts against the caged fencing of the ring and from their open mouths, red bolts dart onto the canvas. a medicham and hariyama appear, poised for battle.

the referee commences the battle.

and noah's pokemon are quick to rush toward saber and resheph.

tl;dr and notes

\o/ let's go

Josh Devlin
☉

hariyama - thick fat - rock tomb / whirlwind / knock off / force palm / heavy slam / surf

medicham - telepathy - bullet punch / detect / ice punch / psycho cut / drain punch / brick break

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Jul 15, 2022 16:08:29 GMT

Close-quarters combat was one hundred percent not Josh's expertise; if anything, it was the opposite. His Pokémon were almost all apex predators that needed room to run. It wasn't that his Pokémon couldn't battle in confined spaces; it just wasn't something they were used to. They had discussed their plans before the battle. "Remember our plan, and get out there and execute!" Josh rallied his two Pokémon as the officials led his Pokémon into the cage. Resheph looked a little nervous, but Saber was eager to get out there. Perhaps it was because the Manectric was the cornerstone of his trainer's route to victory.

"You got it, Noah!" Josh shouted back, his eves shifting between the Leader and the official leading his Pokémon into the cage. "This shouldn't take long at all!" He looked confident he would come out on top; perhaps, even overconfident. Once the Dragonair and Manectric were inside, at their assigned positions, the official shut the door.

Noah's Poké Balls impacted the cage with a loud impact. That was some arm he had! From them emerged a Medicham and a Hariyama, the latter of which was so large it would almost certainly restrict Saber's movement. He had to act fast - the one thing he was good at. The referee raised his right hand, ready to kick the match off.

"Ready? FIGHT!"

While Saber was far faster than Noah's Hariyama was, there was no way the electric-type would be able to hold his ground against something so large. If Noah caught onto their plan, he was going to be in big trouble. "Execute phase one! Soften them up with your Thunder Wave! Both of you!" Josh commanded both his Pokémon to loose large bolts of static in an effort to make Noah's Pokémon's muscles lock up.

Nodding, Saber repositioned himself so that the his attack would pass through the center of the cage; even if Hariyama was nimble enough to get out of the way, it would lure the foe away from the center. Resheph twirled and tumbled around the edges of the small battleground while discharging her Thunder Wave toward the Medicham, trying to keep as much distance as possible between her and her opponent. She would need as much distance as she could get for the next phase of Josh's plan to work, and distance was at a premium.

noah faber

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Resheph Dragonair Good
Saber Manectric Good

{WC: 400}
{PC: 2}

Saber's Thunder Wave: gtFjt4Ls

Resheph's Thunder Wave:

tl;dr:
Manectric uses Thunder Wave to try to paralyze Harimaya and lure it away from the center of the cage.
Dragonalr uses Thunder Wave to try to paralyze Medicham, circling close to the cage's edge in preparation for its next move.·

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shiv

the machampion

he/him

July 17

Kanto

pansexual

gym leader

5'7" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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POSTED ON Jul 19, 2022 6:30:18 GMT

"defend against the wave. fight back with a wave of your own!"

the THUNDER WAVE arcs toward them like vermillion whips. leaping forth, the medicham uses its PSYCHIC ENERGY (DETECT) divert the waves.

from behind, noah's hariyama thrusts both palms out to each side. a swirl of sea surges from its body. the SURF expands in a circle, hoping to push both manectric and dragonair against the rails.

the TELEPATHIC medicham focuses within the waters, readying its next move.

tl;dr and notes

MEDICHAM - DETECT on a THUNDER WAVE(S)
HARIYAMA - SURFS

Josh Devlin
☉

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Jul 19, 2022 8:07:54 GMT

That didn't go according to plan at all; not only did Saber's Thunder Wave arc well wide of Noah's Hariyama, it didn't even force the towering Pokémon away from the center one meter! Medicham put itself between Resheph and Hariyama, deflecting her Thunder Wave out of the cage, as well. So much for having a mobility advantage! It looked like Josh was going to have to fight on Noah's terms after all, and he had all the advantage in close combat.

Josh gasped when he heard the sound of rushing water come from the Hariyama with its hands outstretched. The giant water wave flooded the entire cage, the same force that deflected the Thunder Wave also keeping Noah's second Pokémon safe. Normally, attacks like Surf were no difficulty for Saber; he was an incredible jumper. This wave, though, exceeded the height of the cage's bars. Josh flinched when the water impacted the bases of the Trainers' platforms, holding onto the rail tightly to avoid being knocked on his rump and missing a critical moment.

Resheph was used to traveling against powerful currents; she was able to swim through the Hariyama waves of water with relative ease. Her initial impact with the cage left more of a mark than the waves themselves; she even used her superior aquatic mobility to swim to the cage's ceiling and hang from it before the water drained.

Saber, on the other hand, was not so lucky. He was instantly swept up by the waves and pinned against the side of the cage, a section of his electric fur pressed down where the continuous impact with the rail took place. The wave itself was almost harmless to the Manectric; while this Hariyama had an odd ability to use Surf like a Water-type Pokémon could, they were extremely inept at causing direct harm with it. The impact with the cage gave the gambit most of its oomph.

By the time the wave cleared, Resheph already had her horn pointed toward Hariyama. Josh had a sly smile on his face. "That's the last mistake you will make against me!" he retorted, his smile growing into a grin by the moment. The cage's surface and every single intersecting rail comprising the cage was sopping wet. "You're not the only one with unavoidable attacks, and mine is going to hurt a lot more than yours, thanks to what you just did! Resheph, use your Dragon Rush to push Hariyama out of the way! Saber, stand as close to the center as you can and fry both of them with your Discharge!"

Resheph let go of the cage's ceiling and dove toward Hariyama with reckless abandon, doing everything she could to set the stage for Saber to give Josh's team a huge advantage. The only wrinkle was she would be subject to a little friendly fire; if this worked, Saber was going to engulf the entire cage in a dome of electricity...and she was wet, too. It would almost certainly mitigate the electric current-resisting properties of her soft yet tough scales. She trusted Josh's judgment and braced for the electric explosion...

noah faber

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Resheph Dragonair Good
Saber Manectric Fair

{WC: 524}
{PC: 3}

Resheph's Dragon Rush vs. Hariyama: Bf7smQSC

Saber's Discharge vs. Hariyama:

Saber's Discharge vs. Medicham:

Saber's Discharge vs. Resheph (FRIENDLY FIRE):

ROUND 1 COMBAT LOG

Medicham used Detect!
Medicham covered for Hariyama!
Saber used Thunder Wave!
Medicham avoided the attack!
Resheph used Thunder Wave!
Medicham covered for Hariyama!
Hariyama used Surf!
Medicham protected itself!
It's not very effective on Resheph.
A critical hit on Saber!

tl;dr:
- Medicham successfully deflects Dragonair's Thunder Wave, and Manectric's Thunder Wave sails wide.
- Dragonair, in the middle of Hariyama's Surf attack, repositions herself at the top of the cage.
- Manectric is slammed against the cage by Hariyama's Surf attack, taking a critical hit from the impact.
- Dragonair uses Dragon Rush to try to shove Hariyama away from the center of the cage far enough for Manectric to fill the entire cage with a Discharge attack, striking all other combatants friend or foe.···

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shiv

the machampion

he/him

July 17

Kanto

pansexual

gym leader

5'7" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @noah

POSTED ON Jul 26, 2022 7:04:17 GMT

"hah, i like your spark!" noah shouts, raised hand in a tight fist.

the dragonair descends quick, smashing into the hariyama squarely. however, the staunch constitution of this fighter keeps it from budging.

large hands grasp the dragonair and as the DISCHARGE is loosed, noah's MEDICHAM attempts to nullify as much as it can with precise PSYCHO CUTS.

the DISCHARGE strikes everyone. crackles against the wet canvas. yet, it is the nature of electrification to force the muscles to contract.

the hariyama's grip on the dragonair tightens as it spins. a WHIRLWIND soars around it and the hariyama, the two in the cyclone's eye, as the winds carry jolted waters toward the manectric.

tl;dr and notes

EVERYONE HIT BY DISCHARGE
HARIYAMA GRAPPLES DRAGONAIR, WHIRLWINDS.

Josh Devlin
☉

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Jul 28, 2022 2:55:25 GMT

Josh wasn't expecting Resheph's attack to budge Hariyama much; the Pokémon's very presence was heavily restricting his team's movement in the already small space. The Discharge after Hariyama's Surf, though, was a brilliant move; he could tell that the reaction times of every Pokémon but Saber were dropping.

Hariyama took full advantage of that by grabbing Resheph's tail. Josh wanted to call for her to use her Agility to avoid being grappled, but Saber's Discharge had wrought her body limp with paralysis. "Resheph, no!" Josh cried, reaching toward the Dragonair. "Well, that backfired," he mumbled. He knew the Dragonair would not be long for the battle; with the sheer length of her body exceeding the cage's radius, her head came closer and closer to the outer perimeter as the Whirlwind increased in intensity. At least the Medicham was busy trying to mitigate Saber's Discharge attack.

If Josh didn't do something right now, Resheph's ears, and eventually her head, were going to start grinding against the beams comprising the cage itself. He had to make his stand here. "Resheph, Hyper Beam!" Josh commanded. With a heroic effort, the Dragonair shrieked a war cry and loosed an orange, high speed beam of pure energy that might cause some damage to the cage itself. With how fast Resheph was circling Hariyama, Saber and the Medicham may have been at risk, too. If her body didn't fall limp before the Hyper Beam, then it certainly would when the exhaustion hit the blue serpent.

While the electrified part of the electrified water didn't bother Saber, the force of the water swirling around the fighting-type was a problem. Furthermore, the whirlwind's suction was growing by the moment. That gave Josh a wonderful idea; he never thought he would be able to take advantage of the Manectric's overland speed in such a confined space. "Saber, you can outrun this!" he cheered.

The electric canine's gallop grew faster and faster, keeping pace with the increasing suction. When the water was concentrated around Hariyama, the challenger cried, "Now, Spark!" The Manectric, a nails-on-chalkboard sound coming from his claws as he pulled a sharp turn, charged into Hariyama with not only his own speed, but the added speed of the Whirlwind. The typhoon very quickly sent Saber flying into the cage afterward, but to Josh it was tempo gained in the battle.

noah faber

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Resheph Dragonair Poor
Saber Manectric Poor

{WC: 392}
{PC: 4}

ROUND 2 COMBAT LOG

Resheph is paralyzed! She may be unable to move!
Medicham used Psycho Cut!
Hariyama used Whirlwind!
It's not very effective on Saber.
A critical hit on Resheph!
Resheph used Hyper Beam!
Manectric used Spark!

tl;dr:
- Manectric's Discharge from the previous round leaves Dragonair paralyzed, dropping her reaction time substantially and making Hariyama's grapple successful.
- Dragonair's body is swung about by Hariyama's Whirlwind like a centrifuge, causing all her blood to rush to her head and making the threat of impact with the cage battle-ending for her.
- In an act of desperation, Dragonair looses a Hyper Beam toward the Hariyama. She is moving so fast that Manectric and Medicham might get caught in the attack, too.
- Manectric at first tries to outrun the Hariyama's Whirlwind as to not go flying into the typhoon, then Josh commands a Spark attack using not only its own speed, but the added speed from the Whirlwind's suction.
- Both of Josh's Pokémon do not look great. One more solid hit will take them out.

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played by

shiv

the machampion

he/him

July 17

Kanto

pansexual

gym leader

5'7" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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1,643 posts

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TAG WITH @noah

POSTED ON Aug 8, 2022 8:41:48 GMT

as the winds howl and claw against the metal link fencing, noah's hariyama's hold on the dragonair intensifies- but such a grip is a greedy commitment.

shriller than the conjured gale, a HYPER BEAM manages to emerge from the dragonair's mouth. noah shouts a warning like a red flare.

however, to dodge, the hariyama has to let go. it releases the dragonair, but the time it takes to think. to ask the brain to loosen the fingers and palms. it's altogether too much.

the hariyama is struck by the HYPER BEAM and then flanked by a SPARK, hurling the wrestler against the chainlinks with a frightening rattle.

"ah!" noah is quick to recall his partner and with his fainting, the WHIRLWIND subsides. "recover some while you can! DRAIN PUNCH!"

noah's medicham lunges forth as the winds fade. an empowered fist swings toward the DRAGONAIR, hoping to siphon the last of its health.

tl;dr and notes

HARIYAMA FAINTS
MEDICHAM DRAIN PUNCH -> DRAGONAIR

Josh Devlin
☉

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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TAG WITH @joshdevlin

POSTED ON Aug 12, 2022 6:37:36 GMT

After downing Noah's Hariyama with her HYPER BEAM, Resheph was covered in sweat and hyperventilating. She could not move a muscle as the Leader's Medicham threw a DRAIN PUNCH toward the Dragonair's snout, smashing her schnoz with smashing success. "Thank you, Resheph," Josh sighed. "You did amazing. Return." He recalled the fallen Dragonair, his Manectric also drenched in sweat.

Both trainers' boxes on the live scoreboard turned red to indicate the competitors were down to their final Pokémon. If this match was being broadcast, he imagined viewership had to have just gone way up. It was a one-on-one battle now; while Noah did have a stamina advantage, Josh could use more of his Pokémon's speed now that the Hariyama wasn't taking up a large portion of the cage. He was going to use that speed to his advantage. "It seems we are an even match, Noah. I feel the next big hit is going to determine our battle's outcome. And don't you think for ONE SECOND IT WILL BE YOURS!" the racer yelled, his electric personality on full display.

Just after the Medicham had finished absorbing the last of Resheph's stamina, Josh commanded another SPARK from his Manectric. The yellow quadruped generated a sphere of electricity around himself before lunging at Noah's final Pokémon with the speed he typically charged off the starting blocks at a Pokémon race. He wanted to use the more powerful Discharge, but felt that would give the fighting-type too much of an opening. He needed to make a move now. If the electric tackle wasn't strong enough to take the Medicham down, so be it; Josh would take the L and refine his strategy for his next encounter with Noah.

noah faber

{WC: 289}
{PC: 5}

NAME SPECIES STATUS
Resheph Dragonair KO
Saber Manectric Poor

ROUND 3 COMBAT LOG

Hariyama fainted!
Resheph must recharge!
Medicham used Drain Punch!
Resheph had her energy drained!
Resheph fainted!
Saber used Spark!

tl;dr:
- Dragonair is too exhausted to move after her HYPER BEAM, and is easily picked off by Medicham's DRAIN PUNCH.
- Josh feels the next exchange is going to decide the battle, and instructs his Manectric to SPARK across the cage as fast as he reasonably could.

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played by

shiv

the machampion

he/him

July 17

Kanto

pansexual

gym leader

5'7" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @noah

POSTED ON Aug 13, 2022 1:21:11 GMT

noah's frenzied face glows under the inferno of the stage lights. with hands balled into fists, he throws his voice into the fray like a flare.

"hah! dish out whatever you can. i can take it!" noah howls. he thrusts his hand out, bestowing order upon his medicham. "BULLET PUNCH!"

as the MEDICHAM complies, its lithe body launches into action. the MANECTRIC clashes with the MEDICHAM'S BARRAGE OF FISTS and as the thunderous ball of electricity cackles and snarls into roots of smoke, the ring is shrouded in the collision's stormy aftermath.

the smoke leaves. sneaks through the gaps of metal link and off the flat canvas. noah's medicham is downed.

noah sighs, but through a smile. a thick forearm wipes sweat off his brow, hand clawed over a pokeball as the medicham is returned.

as the ring bell dings, noah attaches his pokeball to his holster.

"you got me!" noah says. "congratulations, josh devlin! you've earned yourself the knockout badge!"

tl;dr and notes

MEDICHAM FAINTS

Josh Devlin
☉

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raikourider

Master of Faster

He/Him

December 12

Goldenrod, Johto

Straight

Mauville Gym Leader

Champion

6'1" height

"With great speed comes great responsibility."

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TAG WITH @joshdevlin