Subject: [PW!] [WC] [R2] The Slow, The Cruel, And The Horsea Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 02:46:51 GMT From: Rob <robfrompw@yahoo.com> Organization: AT&T Worldnet Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon "The next Round Two match on this, the third day of the Whirl Cup Competition, is between Robert the Diversity Gym Leader of Lavender Town and Travis of Valencia Island!" The voice of the announcer in the Scarlet City Coliseum booms out of every speaker in the building, "Trainers, approach the field!" Robert, dressed in his usual black long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans, walks out onto the western stone platform in the Arena of the Coliseum. However, he left his laptop case in his room at the Scarlet City Pokemon Center, in case he accidentally falls into the pool again. The black-haired brown-eyed man waves to people in the audience, scanning the crowd as he does to make sure there aren't any snipers in the area, remembering what happened to a parka-clad woman in an earlier match today. He then turns his attention to the Coliseum's eastern stone platform and sees that nobody is standing there, "...uhm, referee, Travis doesn't have the power of invisibility by any chance, does he?" "I don't think so..." The referee replies, covering the microphone pinned on his shirt. He then speaks into his microphone, saying, "Travis is not present for the match. Following the regulation for this occurrence set forth in the Whirl Cup rules and regulations book, we will wait five minutes starting now. If Travis does not arrive in time, the match will go to..." "I'm here! I'm here." Travis races out onto his platform, short of breath from having run all the way from the Scarlet City Pokemon Center to the Coliseum in about ten minutes. He adjusts his dark blue windbreaker and combs his purple hair. Travis puts his hands on his knees and says to himself, "I've gotten too used to riding on Hoofer. I need to get more exercise." The teenager then calls out to Robert, "Sorry I'm a little late, Robert, I just got here and I was finding out from a Guard what happened to Karen - give me a moment to catch my breath." "Okay, Travis!" Robert calls back then grabs the Pokeball attached to the sixth slot of his belt, "I'll just send out one of my Pokemon. By the time you're totally refreshed, he should be ready to start. Slowbro, I choose you!" He hurls the Pokeball onto one of the white platforms floating in the giant pool before him. The Pokeball hops back to Robert's platform, but not before releasing, in a flash of white light, a fat pink Slowbro that has an oddly-shaped oversized blue Shellder latched onto his tail. Looking down to see that he's not drowning in the pool like the last time he was released, Robert's Slowbro smiles widely and exclaims, "Ahhh, Slowbro! Slowbro, slow!" He then waddles over to the edge of the white platform and dips his tail, including the attached Shellder, into the water to make sure the parasite he considers his buddy doesn't dry out. "Starting out with your heavy hitter, huh?" Travis asks softly, his voice and facial expression lacking concern although he's secretly worried that Robert's next Pokemon will be more powerful than the Slowbro who defeated a Kingdra in Round One. He speaks in a louder voice when he says, "Rapid, I know you don't like to battle, but I need your help..." Travis pulls out a Pokeball and points it at one of the other platforms floating in the pool. A small pink Slowpoke appears on the white platform in a flash of white light and looks up at the Slowbro staring off into the distance before her, "Slow... poke?" The announcer heralds, "Travis is fighting slow with slow! He's chosen to send out his Slowpoke to battle Robert's Slowbro!" "What a cute Slowpoke!" Robert smiles almost as widely as his Slowbro did upon emerging from his Pokeball, before crying out, "Are you a fan of slow Pokemon too? Slow Pokemon are my favorite kind of Pokemon - so much so that I started a Slow Pokemon Appreciation Society! Would you like to join? You get your very own Slowpoke-shaped golden lapel pin to wear and you-" "Shhhh." Travis interrupts, "I'm trying to hear my Slowpoke's voice in my head. It's very faint, so please be quiet." Robert sweatdrops, now not so sure he wants the person who's apparently schizophrenic to join his club. Travis shakes his head, "No, Rapid, I don't want you to evolve to defeat this Slowbro. I know you don't want to, and I would never force you to do something against your will. I just want you to try your best." He then addresses his opponent, who's looking at him strangely, "You can go first, Robert - your Slowbro's probably faster than my Slowpoke, anyway." "Slowbro, Amnesia!" Robert instinctively shouts out, having gotten used to doing so each time he released Slowbro to battle for him at the Diversity Gym. Suddenly, he remembers that in Johto the move is much less powerful. As Slowbro blinks his eyes, Robert shrugs, "Well, it may not raise his special attack power, but at least his defense is now through the roof!" Travis points out, "Correction - his SPECIAL defense is through the roof. Rapid, attack Slowbro with Headbutt." Rapid dives into the water and swims up to Slowbro's platform, where she slams her head onto his belly. Since Slowbro has such a big belly, the Slowpoke bounces backwards from her own attack and makes a splash when she crashes into the water. Seconds later, her head pokes out of the water and she sighs since she's not particularly enjoying this battle and wants it to end soon. Just then, the Slowbro grabs his stomach with a grimace on his face and he complains, "Bro! Slow bro..." Robert scratches his black goatee, thinking about his next move, "My Slowbro might be open to physical attacks, but if your Slowpoke's confused, she might not be able to attack him. Slowbro, use Confusion!" Travis grins, "That's just what I was hoping you'd do. Rapid, try dodging the Confusion then Disable the attack." The two Trainers watch patiently as their slow Pokemon stare at each other without moving because they haven't processed the commands they've been given yet. After about ten seconds, Robert's Slowbro shoots psychic Confusion waves in his opponent's direction! Rapid tries to swim away from the circular bursts of psychic energy, but she's too slow and she's hit by one of them. The Confusion attack hurts her but it doesn't confuse her. Soon after being hit, the Slowpoke uses Disable on Robert's Slowbro and he glows blue as his only psychic attack is Disabled, much to Robert's dismay and Travis' satisfaction. "Thank you, Rapid, that'll do." Travis pulls Rapid back into her spherical home and looks at the Pokeball in his hand as he says, "I may need you again later, but if all goes well, maybe not." He puts away Rapid's Pokeball and withdraws another Pokeball, "Now that your Slowbro's Confusion is Disabled, my Tentacruel stands a chance. Tendril, your turn." He drops the Pokeball into the pool and a huge Tentacruel floats up to the surface of the water. "Start with a Sludge Bomb, Tendril!" The announcer exclaims, "Apparently Travis' strategy all along was to have his Slowpoke Disable Robert's Slowbro's psychic attack in order to give his Tentacruel a fighting chance! It's an excellent strategy, if I do say so myself." "GAH!" Robert pulls on his black hair at the sight of the giant Water Pokemon as he shouts, "Slowbro, Surf out of the way of the Tentacruel's attack!" "Cruel!" Tendril the Tentacruel points her ink sac upwards and launches a huge blob of Sludge at Robert's Slowbro. The Sludge Bomb hits the motionless Slowbro's body very hard, powered up by the Poison Barb on Tendril's shell, and the slow Pokemon gets knocked backwards into the pool covered in a thick layer of sludge. Tentacruel raises a few of her tentacles and waves them to the crowd in celebration as they cheer for her when all of a sudden a tidal wave shoots up out of the pool. Robert's Slowbro, now wearing a thinner layer of poisonous sludge, Surfs on the wave, which crashes directly into Tendril! "You're not the only one here whose Pokemon can confuse their opponents, Robert." Travis calls out, not fazed by the Slowbro's attack since his Tentacruel is still strong after being hit, "Tendril, Supersonic." "Slowbro, Swift! Attack now in case you get confused!" After issuing the command, Robert covers his ears in anticipation of Supersonic, familiar with the horrible sound produced by the attack since he's heard so many Zubat use it in the past. Travis wonders if he should have had Tendril set up a Reflective barrier as he watches Slowbro's Shellder shoot tiny stars at his Tentacruel. Then, as Tendril lets out a really loud screech, he calmly notes to himself, "Hmm, Swift's a pretty weak attack, but if used repeatedly, it can start to sting. That's what did in Christopher's Kingdra, after all." Travis makes up his mind when he sees Robert's Slowbro bobbing up and down in confusion and calls out, "Tendril, Reflect!" "Slowbro, use..." Robert's about to order Slowbro to use Swift again, but he notices that his Slowbro is no longer glowing blue, an oversight Travis soon realizes he made when Robert pauses in mid-order. Robert finishes his command, "Confusion!" Tendril erects a transparent Reflective barrier around herself using her tentacles moments before Robert's confused, poisoned Slowbro bobs in front of the barrier and manages to unleash his Confusion attack! Being part Poison, the psychic waves hurt the Tentacruel so much, both mentally and physically, that she uses many of her tentacles to grab her head in pain. She manages to endure the attack without becoming confused or fainting, but she's now struggling to stay afloat. Travis frowns when he sees the condition Tendril's in due to his oversight. He's more careful to examine both his Pokemon and Robert's before making his next move. He notices that Slowbro's eyelids are drooping since the poison from the earlier Sludge Bomb attack has been wearing him down. He figures Robert will have Slowbro attempt to use Swift next, to get the first hit, so he asks, "Tendril, do you think you could endure another Swift attack?" Tendril nods, raising one of her tentacles, "Tent... ta!" Travis smiles, proud of his Pokemon's determination, hoping she's right in the event that Robert's Slowbro overcomes his confusion, "In that case, use Sludge Bomb again!" Knowing that his Slowbro will faint if hit with such a powerful attack a second time, Robert cries, "Slowbro, Swift, now!" Slowbro's blue Shellder surfaces to spit Swift stars at Tendril, but the Pokemon he's attached to, in his confusion, puts both of his paws over the parasite's mouth. Since Slowbro's paws are obstructing the path of the speedy stars, the Swift attack literally backfires, hitting Slowbro in the face. Right after Slowbro hurts himself in his confusion, Tendril launches a Sludge Bomb at the Pokemon floating next to her, which sends the confused, poisoned, weak pink Pokemon into the water... When Slowbro surfaces a few seconds later, he's covered in a thick layer of sludge and he's unconscious. "Slowbro is unable to battle!" The referee declares, "Robert must send out another Water Pokemon." Robert quickly recalls his Slowbro, puts the Pokeball back on the empty slot on his belt, grabs Horsea's Pokeball, and throws the Pokeball into the pool. Knowing that he has to act fast since Travis' Tentacruel could probably defeat his Horsea by hurling one Sludge Bomb at her, the second the small blue Horsea appears in the pool, Robert orders, "Horsea, use Twister!" "Tendril, Sludge Bomb!" Travis shouts, hoping Tendril will down Horsea in just one hit as Robert fears she will. "Horseaaa!" Robert's Horsea, slightly faster than the giant squid Pokemon she's up against, quickly dives into the pool and releases a Twister attack from her snout. The Twister turns into a water spout on the surface of the water and it engulfs Tendril. The Twister spins Tendril around in circles on the pool then pulls her large body off the surface for a moment just before it launches her into one of the walls of the Coliseum! The moment Travis' Tentacruel hits the wall, she's out cold. After looking at the fainted Tentacruel for a moment, the referee announces, "Tentacruel is unable to battle! Travis must send out his Slowpoke." Travis pulls Tendril back into her Pokeball and talks to it, "You did an excellent job, Tendril - not too many Poison Pokemon can defeat a high-level Psychic Pokemon like that. Enjoy your rest, you deserve it." He puts away that Pokeball and pulls out his Slowpoke's Pokeball. Travis once again releases his Slowpoke onto the same platform he released her onto last time. He coaches her the moment she appears, "Rapid, your opponent's a Horsea now. Watch out for her Twister - it's quite powerful." The announcer states, "And now each Trainer is down to his last Pokemon! Will Horsea's speed give her the advantage or will slow but steady win the match?" "I hate to hurt such a cute Slowpoke..." Robert sighs when he sees Travis' cuddly pink Slowpoke again, "But I've got to put my personal feelings aside to win this match. Horsea, knock that Slowpoke into the water with your Water Gun attack!" Travis calls out, "Rapid, use Psychic!" "Sea!" Horsea's head pops out of the water and she spits a Water Gun stream at Rapid, who is knocked into the water just as Robert hoped she would be. The submerged Slowpoke aims her eyes towards Horsea's head. They glow red for a moment and she unleashes a powerful Psychic blast that sends Horsea flying straight up out of the pool! When a rather weakened Horsea splashes back into the pool, she's a little dizzy and she wishes she could reach her head with one of her fins to rub it. Robert rubs his hands together, "Alright, Horsea - now that the Slowpoke's in the water, use Twister!" "Rapid, hurry - use Headbutt to finish Horsea off!" Travis shouts, now truly appreciating the reason Robert taught his slow Pokemon Swift. If Rapid knew Swift, she could hit the weakened Horsea with almost perfect accuracy before the Horsea could attack. But now all Travis can do is watch the Jumbotron display, where he sees his Slowpoke slowly swim over towards Horsea, who spits a Twister from her snout at Rapid before the Slowpoke's head comes anywhere near her. The underwater tornado spins Rapid around, sending her up to the surface of the water, where a water spout forms... The Twister spins the poor Slowpoke around a few times before spitting her back out into the water. Both Robert and Travis look concerned for the pink Pokemon until she emerges from the water - fainted, but not seriously hurt. "Slowpoke is unable to battle." The referee proclaims from the sidelines, "Robert is the winner!" "YEAH! WOOOO!" Robert is about to jump up in glee like he did last time he won, but remembering how he slipped and fell into the pool, he decides to be less showy about his victory. Travis recalls Rapid and talks into the Pokeball, "I know how much you don't like battling, so I'm glad you tried your best for me. You did really well." He then calls out to Robert, "Congratulations, Robert! That was a great match." After pulling his Horsea back into her Pokeball and putting it on his belt, Robert addresses Travis, "Yes, I agree - that WAS a great match! I'd love to learn more about your Slowpoke. If I see you tonight at the Cafeteria, I'll be sure to say hi." That said, Robert starts heading towards the Gym Leader Section of the Coliseum to watch today's remaining matches. -Robert