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writingrenna · 2 years ago

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Grusha x GN!Reader

"Descent to Reality"

A story where you're a well-meaning, if not reckless student going down the Victory Road path who befriends Grusha along the way. As usual, you're a gender neutral reader

Also, for once, you have a named Pokémon; an overprotective Falinks! You also like steel Pokémon (not specifically steel type, but Pokémon with steel elements like armor or metallic bodies or whatever)

Your relationship with Grusha is full of banter and genuine care

Accidentally became a whole thing. You'll see

Tone/Ending: Angsty, Sweet, Hinting at a Budding Relationship

Warnings: You are both dealing with mental illnesses, but it is what it is. Grusha has a panic attack at one point, and you recognize some stuff in your own behavior

Word Count: A bit less than 5,000

--v-Vv-

You walk up to the mouth of Dalizapa Passage on your way to Glaseado Mountain. Your brief stop in Zapapico prepared you for this trek, getting some rest and gathering whatever you'd need up in the blistering summits.

You look down at your trusty sidekick Falinks with a smile.

"Ya'll ready for this?"

The six of them all stood in formation, letting out a short yet mighty battle cry. Your smile broadened into a bright grin at this.

"Good to hear! I know that blue-haired bully will be a BREEZE for you all!"

You were joking of course, but that still didn't stop you from freezing when you heard his voice.

"Blue-haired bully, eh? Heartbreaking, how could you be so cruel?"

You turn to see him, hands in his pockets with his Cetoddle by his side, a cane slung over its shoulder in a cross-body bag. He had one eyebrow raised despite his amusement, feigning offense.

"Oh, speaking of- hey, Grusha!"

He walks closer toward you.

"I take it you're ready to face my gym?"

He tuts under his scarf.

"Bold. You know I've only gotten harder to beat after that champion came through, right?"

You scoff at him, crossing your arms and tossing your head back, eyes closed.

"And so have I. That kid getting so strong so fast only raised the standards of the entire region!"

Grusha nods, looking down at the ground momentarily before continuing.

"Well, in any case, you're gonna need to give me a bit of time. Really don't feel like starting a battle the second I get back up there."

You nod at him, understanding completely.

"Yeah, don't worry, this benefits us both. You get some time to yourself, and I get to train some more on the way up. Might as well prepare for yet another defeat while you're up there waiting for me."

His faces briefly flashes with a strange emotion you couldn't quite pinpoint, but he shakes it off.

"Ah, that confidence will certainly be your downfall. But I must admit, I'd almost admire it if it wasn't so misplaced."

Your face contorted to one of genuine offense for a few seconds, mouth hanging open and eyebrows knitted together as your Falinks looked up at you in worry. Grusha didn't even give you time to respond before taking his leave, waving as he walked by.

"Well then, I guess I'll be seeing you, if you're not still frozen in place, that is. Be sure not to die on the way up, okay?"

They get a good ways up the path when you finally snap out of it. You turn towards him, yelling out a rebuttal that causes even a lurking Sneasel nearby to turn to you in shock.

"T-try me!"

Neither he nor his Cetoddle pay you any mind.

--v-Vv-

Falinks wrecked mayhem on Glaseado Mountain, taking down quite a few mons with ease. You excitedly registered a few new ones to your Pokédex, even deciding to add a Bronzong to the secondary team you were planning in boxes.

"Huh. Guess I like Pokémon with a lot of steel!" You muse to yourself, looking at Falinks and thinking about a Charcadet you planned on using for said team. Falinks responded, dancing a little together with happy little expressions on their faces.

No matter what, you'd always keep them on your team.

You hear a noise that snaps you out of your happy thoughts. A little cry coming from lower down the mountainside. You walk over towards the edge of the cliff you were on to see-

"A SNOM!?"

Snom had actually eluded you during your entire trip up the mountain. Heck, even some Greavard, with their little tricks to stay hidden, were found by you. Did you just... not notice the little thing? Were you going through so fast it blended in with it's surroundings?

You shook your head.

"Okay, Falinks! I'm going down."

The group of Pokémon by your side looked down the mountainside for a second, glanced at the nearby path, and then looked back up at you, completely silent save for the clinking of their shells.

Odd.

You simply pulled out their Pokéball and called them back inside. It was easier to simply slide down so you don't lose the Snom, but you didn't want them getting hurt or separated in the process.

You hype yourself up, being pulled back by your rotom phone the first try, before carefully planting your feet and sliding down. It was... steep, especially near the end (which was essentially just an abrupt drop), but you managed, landing right beside the tiny ice larvae.

You reach for the Pokéball of another member of the team, one who didn't have a huge type advantage over it.

"AH-huh?"

The familiar glow of a Pokémon emerging from its Pokéball came into view, but when it settled, you saw... Falinks?

You then realize your hand is simply hovering over your belt.

Strange.

Why did they come out on their own?

They look up at where you just slid from (which was certainly more than a story or two) before quickly looking back to you. You're still as a statue, taking in the obvious concern on their faces as they look up to you, chirping softly as if asking if you're Ok. Before you know it, Snom has run off, but you're far more concerned with your little army.

"I- Falinks?"

They keep staring at you when you feel someone's hands clamp down on your shoulders.

"You."

The voice is low yet forceful, dragging out the word slightly, causing you to jolt.

"Grusha?"

"What on earth was that?"

His voice. It was... authoritative.

"Gru... sha?"

You can't seem to understand what it is exactly he's trying to point out. He continues.

"I saw that. WHY would you risk it all for a- a SNOM of all things? It's like you've done this before! Have you??"

Risk... it all...

His arms are shaking as he forces himself to continue.

"And to think, I thought you hearing my story would make you less reckless. Was I a fool? A fool to hope you'd ever think past the moment? I wasn't even doing anything to- I wasn't supposed to be- but you just... y-you could've-"

He rips his hands away from you in an instant. You take this opportunity to turn around and look at him.

His chest had started heaving heavily as his breaths came out sharp, frequent. He abruptly pulled his scarf down, eyes unfocused and darting back and forth over a fixed point somewhere past you, trying to focus on something, anything. His body swayed slightly as he stumbled back to lean against a rock.

Cetoddle is already trying to gently redirect his attention from the situation, sitting him down and laying next to him, giving him time to steady his breathing while leaning against him, reaching over and rubbing the arm opposite it to ensure it holds him tight.

You don't know what to do. Cetoddle seems to already know what it's doing, and you aren't sure you'd be of much help.

"...are you okay...?

He let out one large breath before looking up at the sky, closing his eyes and mumbling something you can't quite hear to himself a few times.

You give him space, but you decide to stay put.

His breathing calms down a little after a while, right hand coming out of his pocket. His Cetoddle took this hand and sandwhiched it in its flippers, looking at him and trilling softly to see if he was Ok.

His breathing is shallow, but stable as he nods, glancing at you before gulping down a breath and standing up to follow the terra whale, letting Cetoddle lead him back up the path without another word, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

--v-Vv-

You're lying in bed at the Zapapico Inn. Your eyes are glued to your phone, although you aren't sure what you're expecting. The feeling of dread had your insides tangled in a death grip, a pang of guilt shooting through you whenever you remembered your carelessness, his disappointment...

The terror in his eyes.

And you felt even more guilty once you realized you didn't fully understand what he went through.

You sigh, looking at Falinks on the ground staring up at you. They seemed to sense something was off, so they kept watch. You couldn't help but think about their weird behavior yesterday, however. Sure, they were usually worried about your shenanigans, but why did they seem to be... distracting you, purposefully staring you down without making an effort to communicate so you wouldn't move?

"...you saw him coming, didn't you?"

They all, for once, stop their march, freezing in place at this question. That was all the answer you needed, but when they all looked to the floor in shame, a misplaced feeling of betrayal crept up and got thrown into the mix.

"Of course!"

You turn over, refusing to acknowledge the fact that your good friend Grusha, as well as your trusty companions all felt that you were too thoughtless this time around.

Falinks' concern is valid. They were right to basically call you out on it, to get you caught. In fact, if you didn't feel so... at fault, you'd appreciate this more, seeing that they cared for you as an individual, and not just as that person that caught them.

But no, you felt... dumb.

Curling up in bed a little, you felt a few tears fall. The sound of your Falinks jumping up and running around the bed to comfort you rang out in your ears, but you didn't pay them any mind. You didn't pay anything any mind, really. Was this just how you were? Ignoring everything and hoping things would turn out alright? Would Falinks grow tired of you? Did Grusha already give up on you?

You take a hesitant peek at them, feeling the brass reach out and gently rub your hand. They were in their tower formation, looking up at you in worry.

The sound of your phone vibrating caught your attention. You pick it up, looking at the latest notification.

Grusha

Come by tmrw, if u want

--v-Vv-

You walk into the arena. Very few people were here, but they all seemed excited. That's normal.

What isn't normal, however, is Grusha looking out onto the horizon on the other side of the battle court, the Great Crater of Paldea in full view. That isn't his usual spot...

"I see you decided to show up. Brave choice."

He said the things he'd usually say, but his tone was flat. Not forced, but devoid of energy.

You frowned. Did he... not want you to show up?

He turned, walking to his spot and looking at you.

"I'll be real here. I don't really know how to start this battle, so let's just get our Pokémon to do the talking, okay?"

And with that, he sent out his Frosmoth.

--v-Vv-

It was a tough battle. He wasn't kidding when he said he got stronger. But you and your Falinks, your last mon standing, were still in the running to victory.

"I'm impressed! You really seemed to learn a lot on your journey so far. You're quite a fighter."

That compliment felt... off. He continued, ignoring your visible confusion.

"But that doesn't matter. You may have escaped an icy doom before, but like a sudden hail storm in the summer, the avalanche of defeat may often... sneak up on you."

He charged up his Terra Orb before throwing it, engulfing Altaria in a crystal that shone like the stars. When she broke out, you shielded your eyes, only to prematurely pry them open again when you heard a gasp from the crowd.

Altaria has Terastallized into a pure- flying type?

"Wha- hey! Grusha!"

Your eyes are wide and panicked. His are just full of sadness.

"I-I thought... you always do stuff like that. I don't know if you bother to remember, but the mountain thing isn't the only needlessly dangerous stunt you've pulled during the time I've known you alone. I can't imagine what you did before we met to embolden you so much."

You're too stunned to speak.

"I thought, maybe, I could ignore it. I was always able to brush it off as you not putting yourself in any real danger. 'The other students do wild things all the time, it's normal!' But no, this is your life now. And if halting your journey for a bit... if making a show of this is what it takes to get through to you, then so be it."

"Grusha... but... is this allowed? I know- how wrong it is. I'll be nothing but careful from now on, I promise! Just don't lose your job over this, it's all you have left!"

And with this comment, he goes from stone cold and serious to- limp. His arms slump for a second, looking away from you, fighting back the urge to break down before he lowers his head, shaking it without responding.

Well... shaking his head 'no' is a response. Just not one you're emotionally ready to deal with right now.

You can barely make a noise. Even your mighty warriors flinch when you somehow manage to command them to use... something. What was it? Who knows. It didn't matter now.

He shouts his command, arm shooting up with gusto, head still hanging low.

"Altaria, Hurricane!"

And in an instant, your Falinks are blown back, knocked out in one violent flurry of wind and frost.

--v-Vv-

You're too dazed to do anything, arms feeling heavy as you look down at your little friends all strewn about on the battle court. You're on your knees. When did that happen? Your head is swimming with so many questions and concepts as you recall your Falinks.

You stare out in front of you, looking down at the icy ground below you.

Grusha is escorted away by his worried Cetoddle, ignoring the crowd's hushed whispers and bewildered stares.

You don't know what to do. You don't know what to think.

How the hell will you make up for this? Worrying him so much he put his whole career on the line to get you to see reason? To get you to take him seriously?

--v-Vv-

You sat across from the man, his expression never changing as he took in your tale. You somehow managed to catch him on his lunch break, a man very close to La Primera when it comes to public facing figures in the league. He knows who you are, so he decided to let you talk in a private corner of the Treasure Eatery.

"S-so, yeah. That's why he did it, from my perspective. He was tired of me getting in danger and decided to show me it was hurting others, too. For that, I am sorry. But PLEASE don't punish him because of me! Isn't that a good thing? The league looking out for the people of Paldea, no matter the risk?"

He slowly chewed the last bite in his mouth, swallowing it before responding.

"I'm afraid it isn't up to me. The chairwoman is already well aware of this incident. Whether he's let go or not depends on many factors outside of anyone's control."

You knew you'd most likely get an answer like that, but it didn't stop you from tearing up. He looks at you with pity in his eyes for a split second before adjusting his tie and speaking to you, expression back to its usual indifference.

"I know- it's disappointing. I've come to respect him quite a bit during his time in the league. He took what life could offer him and aimed as high as he could go. Despite not being able to chase his greatest ambitions and fearing any more loss, he never let his circumstances keep him down there when the accident happened..."

He paused.

"For him to risk it all, he must really love you. No matter the outcome, you're worth it, to him."

And with that, your loose tears become a full-fledged sob, leaning over the table and resting your head in your hands.

"But... but WHY!?"

He leaned in slightly.

"He once admitted to Ryme and me that he appreciates you sticking by and actually liking him despite his 'moodiness'. He also told some of us at a group event that he admires the fact that you can keep up with and match his sarcasm. Small, or odd as it may seem, things like that can make the heart grow fonder, can thaw even the coldest of hearts."

You look up at the man. His expression stayed static, but you swear you see a glimmer of some foreign light in his eyes.

'He must be a sucker for romance...' You idly thought.

Oh, seems like you're able to think your usual unhinged thoughts again.

Wait. Romance?

You decide to ignore this thought.

"But, wait... Larry, I..."

You didn't actually have anything to say, but...

"Is he... is he alright?"

He took a moment to respond.

"...last I heard, he said he did what he had to, but didn't elaborate on his feelings."

"Ah."

Sounds like him.

You simply hung your head.

"...I'm sorry."

He glanced at a watch under his sleeve, but he decided to offer one last word of advice.

"I'm not here to tell you off or warn you to be more careful, I'm sure you've had plenty of time to realize that yourself. But he never gave up on you. Even if you feel like what you did was unforgivable, he doesn't, so take charge and do what's best, because what's best for you is best for him, too."

"Bu-but, wh-what if that was his last a-act? What if he plans on abandoning me now that I'm at m-my w- or-orss-st?"

"Well, everyone has the right to call it quits, but I doubt that was his goal going in. Either way, offer him the chance to talk it out. What he decides to do then is up to him, but please, either way, don't punish yourself over this forever. The past can't be changed, but the future is meant to be built upon the lessons of today."

You take this answer in. He's right. He deserves the opportunity to say what he needs to, even if that thing might shatter your world. Because sometimes, you have to do something scary, like face someone you've hurt, intentionally or not.

You sigh before offering up a weak smile.

"Thanks, Larry. Really, you've helped a lot."

He stands up, adjusting his tie one more time before grabbing his suitcase.

"I only wish I could help more. I will bring this up with La Primera, but sadly, I cannot go into more details on internal affairs even if you're directly involved in it. You will have to wait for the outcome. I wish you and Grusha good luck, though."

He then nods and departs.

--v-Vv-

It has been three weeks since that fateful gym battle.

You walk up to the gilded doorplate. A neutral meeting spot was arranged for you and Grusha to talk. Ryme was kind enough to let him use her VIP pass to reserve some time in the private room of a restaurant she frequents. It's secluded, neither of you come here (at least, if he ever has, he doesn't come enough to talk about it), and you'd never stumble upon it by just existing in the world, thus not accidentally rousing bad feelings or memories in either of you.

You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding and gently knocked.

You hear the familiar sound of a Cetoddle's cry.

You grip the handle and look down at your own Pokémon, who were standing in a 'V' shaped formation.

You know they love you, but you can't help but look into their little eyes and feel the urge to apologize yet again for something they've already well and truly forgiven you for- out of fear that they resent you.

You shake off this feeling, opening the door.

This is it.

You walk through, letting them all in as well before closing the door.

You pause for a second, kind of afraid to look at him.

But you power through.

Your stomach flips when you spot him at a large floor-to-ceiling window, looking out onto the icy landscape and crashing ocean waves in the far off distance.

He looked so serene despite the circumstances. As if he belongs here, amongst all this beauty and prestige.

Standing here, you felt like a poser.

You can't help but smile, however, imagining Ryme booking him this reservation just to make a tough conversation a little easier. Just so he wouldn't stumble upon a place of bad memories. She always had a soft spot for him.

At least you know for sure he'll still have her, even if he's-

The sound of your name snaps you out of it.

"Wh-wha?"

"I was saying 'hi'." He replied. You immediately feel bad for spacing out at the greeting, of all things.

"I'm- I, s-sorry-"

"Chill out, this isn't easy for me either."

You heart sank. Was he going to...?

"I get it, if you don't have your head on straight right now. I didn't expect you to come in all cold and calculated or anything."

He was being far more considerate than you'd expect someone to be in this situation.

'What situation? Who else is going through this?'

You shook that thought off. Not helpful.

"Okay, so, um... wow, I uh..."

He took a moment to see if you'd add on to this.

"Hm, I see. Glad to hear."

You feel a quirk of the lip at that remark, but you refused to smile when someone you hurt needed to hear a proper apology.

At least his sarcasm is still intact.

"Sorry, lemme try again. I'm sorry I'm always so reckless. I knew you were worried about me, but I just thought I could... I thought everything would just be okay, that if I do crazy stuff but stay careful enough, I wouldn't get hurt. But, you're right. The risk isn't worth it. And for that, I apologize, for always toeing that line despite your warnings."

He takes your statement in.

"Okay. Thanks for that."

Your face scrunches up a bit. That's it?

"Wh-"

You can't believe it. He hasn't added onto this statement yet.

"...that's... that's all you have to say??"

His posture loosened all at once as he let out a drawn-out sigh. You didn't even realize he was tense.

With a shake of his head, he says "Gimme a second to think, will you?"

You tense up, waving your hands defensively despite the fact that he's still turned away.

"Ah! Sorry!"

He lets out a huff in response. You give him time to mull over what he wants to say.

"Alright, look. I don't want this to be a big... 'thing', alright?"

He does quotes with his fingers, which you can still tell despite his mittens.

"We don't need a big, emotional, blow-up argument to settle this. Trust me, I don't have the time for stuff like that."

He then hung his head momentarily before finally turning to you. He looked somewhat tired, although you refused to look him in the eyes right now.

"I just want to know why. Why are you always so reckless?"

You pause. You... truthfully never thought about it. You idly wondered what it was like being in his head, what it was in his mind that made him so worried about things you didn't give a second thought to. Why he looks back on things he experienced and feels so strongly about them when you usually just move on, or why you have to dig so deep down inside yourself to understand why your mind or actions react to things in the ways that they do when you don't even actively connect the dots. Why you-

That's when it hit you.

"I..."

Your eyes were wide, looking down at the ground.

"I guess I just don't process fear the way most people do. Like, I don't get alarmed by danger as badly as most people. Even now, I..."

You pause. You were definitely going to have to unpack this later. Were you less mentally sound than you thought you were? You got through life just fine, but something that's so inate in most people eluded you. But right now, we're talking about your recklessness.

You take a mental note to thank Grusha for this confrontation later, whether it's to him directly, or just as a part of the story on how you figured yourself out.

"...well, I know things are dangerous, but I guess it doesn't click with me to avoid them."

He... stared at you. You were worried he was put off by this epiphany.

"I see."

You didn't know what this meant, so you met his tired eyes again to get some clarification.

"Does... that mean you don't wanna be around me anymore...?"

He sighed heavily.

"No, of course not. I'm not dumping you over this. It's just... more context for your behavior."

You smile. Genuinely, and against your will. You've only just now realized there might be a reason why you're always so reckless and #unbothered, but it felt nice, having him accept you, when before people would just leave you to your own devices and not bother trying.

"Okay, cool."

You let out a sigh of relief. He took your expression in.

"You know, your health is important. I take my mental and physical health very seriously, as you can see here."

He gestures toward Cetoddle.

"Just having Falinks around seems to keep your spirits up. But that's your journey, and this is mine. I'd like to know ways to help you, though. Would you consider going to therapy to at least see if that suits you? It could be a great start for you in unpacking everything."

You considered this. Maybe therapy could help your transition into... understanding exactly what it is your brain did while being wired in the womb? You were strangely Ok with all this, despite having the realization of a lifetime. Man, more reason why you should get this checked out.

"Yeah, that sounds alright. I'd like that."

He nods.

"Cool cool. Glad to finally be getting somewhere with you."

You freeze.

Oh, right. The whole reason you were here.

Oh no!

"Your job!"

He flinched, closing one eye.

"Ah. Yes, that. Well, I still have it, but... I am currently in a sort of probationary period."

Your heart did something weird in your chest.

"I... see."

You looked down.

The uncertainty was the worst part to you.

"I'm sorry, Grusha. I'm sorry about your job. I'm sorry I pushed you so far. I'm sorry I didn't see how much my actions affected people, how much risk I was putting on myself..."

He waved a hand up a little.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Is all he could say.

--v-Vv-

You grabbed your order, thanking the lady that gave you the ice cream cones before turning back to him, the both of you sitting in a quiet spot of Porto Marinada with your Pokémon.

"Here ya go, Gru!"

He glared at you before accepting it.

"Thanks..." He slowly intoned, although you can tell he doesn't mean it.

You sat next to him before abruptly feeling a wave of sadness wash over you.

You still felt terrible, but you wished you could feel terrible in a way that made sense.

Ah well.

"I'm sorry, Grusha. For everything."

"We're cool."

"I-"

You lick your cone before deciding it's too much effort to really try and eat it right now.

"I'm sorry you... got me at my 'finna be my worst'..."

"..."

"...and also right before my 'oh my Gods I'm mentally ill' thing, gotta be rough dealing with all this at once, right?"

He doesn't say anything right away, deep in thought, before turning to you and responding.

"Look, you are who you are, and I liked you before, right? I never expected perfection. Knowing what's going on with you is only a positive."

He turns away from you.

"As long as you steer away from the self-destructive stuff when you're aware it's bad, we'll be good. And I know you're self-aware, even if you don't always understand or trust that awareness. You'll keep figuring things out, and I'll stick by you. Through thick and thin, alright?"

You smile. You know he means it. You know he'll always be there, despite how messy you are, because he loves you. Even without ever saying it, you know.

So you promise to be good to yourself every step of the way. And when you're good to yourself, you're good to him. Because you as you are is enough for him. And because he accepts you, no matter what you realize, no matter where your journey happens to take you, because you are you. Every little thing you've done made the you of today, and every little thing you do today will begin to shape the you of tomorrow. The good, the bad, the tragic, the triumphant, every zig-zag and straight line and wave, that's you. That is what he wants. He wants YOU, the full experience.

As weird as that thought was (maybe even being unable to articulate yourself was a symptom?), you know one thing for certain;

He wouldn't change a thing about you, because you're you.

A/N

Was originally gonna be a story where Falinks doesn't understand your relationship with Grusha and are protective when it comes to him, but then it went into a totally different direction...

Can you tell I can't articulate myself well? Can you also tell I'm #mentallyill? I won't say what it is exactly, but at least I can pull from my own experiences when writing. I apologize if every expy seems emotionally stunted, though, I don't know how a "normal" person thinks, but I'll try my best!

The mention of him having a cane at the beginning seemed random, but I'll get deeper into that later if I write for these two more

Also, if I write more for this expy, what if their Falinks are named Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum, Hum, and Drum, with Drum being the brass? Could be cute. They'd be going for a rhyme, not saying they're boring. Plus, drum, rhythm, keeping in time, military drum for the troopers, it works, Hum could be the one in the very back

PLEASE FORGIVE ANY MISTAKES I WAS WRITING THIS IN A M O O D BUT I LIKE THE STORY REGARDLESS LMAO

#gym leader grusha #gender neutral reader #pokemon scarlet and violet #grusha x reader #angst #positive ending #spoilers #forgot to tag with spoilers! im so sorry

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farshores · 2 years ago

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i have assignments but hey CVF pokemon teams (abilities added) bcus why not. These are kinda focused on my personal opinion + some suggestions i saw in my CVF trainer post. It's just folks who's teams i can think up of rn, sorry if i missed your fave 😔

Kaidan

Tinkaton (Own Tempo) / Dubwool (Fluffy) / Appletun (Thick Fat)

Mabosstiff (Guard Dog) / Talonflame (Flame Body) / Bastiodon (Sturdy)

Was going to go with a full steel team but then some1 suggested Dubwool & Appletun and I ended up going for a somewhat more mixed one. Was debating between Stoutland or Mabosstiff for the dog mon cus this man will get a dog mon. Mabo won lol - Would have a team of 6 imo

Khash

Cubone (Lightning Rod) / Comfey (Triage)

Nidorino (Poison Point) / Rowlet (Overgrow)

Just a team of four for her rn! Though she'd build up her team as she grows. Cubone because.... :) you know. Comfey & Rowlet due to her interests in flowers/flower crowns and archery respectively, and nidorino cus he has lil tusks & hey it'd be neat if this was a mon Marlok got her.

Xelzaz

Alcremie (Sweet Veil) / Tropius (Harvest) / Tatsugiri (Commander)

Greedent (Cheek Pouch) / Veluza (Sharpness) / Scovillain (Moody) OR Slowking (Regenerator)

I mean....How could I not give him a mostly food-based team. Added an optional Psychic type for variety tho.

Nebarra

Hisuian Samurott (Sharpness) / Falinks (Defiant)

Ceruledge (Flash Fire) / Corviknight (Unnerve)

idk the thought process here other than "okay what are soldier like pokemon." No full team, these 4 are the ones that stuck around.

Lucifer

Hatterene (Anticipation) / Purugly (Own Tempo) / Squawkabilly - Green (Guts)

Krokorok (Moxie) / Basculin-Red Stripe (Reckless) / Steenee (Oblivious)

I call this the Mean Girls team bcus Lucifer is a mean little fucker (loving) and I feel like this sorta of build fits his vibes

Inigo

Yanmega (Tinted Lens) / Volcarona (Swarm) / Scolipede (Speed Boost)

Galvantula (Unnerve) / Ariados (Sniper) / Spidops (Insomnia)

First monotype team because come on....dude's 100% a bug type trainer. Couldn't think of the final 3 of his full team so I went with spider-themed pokemon LOL

Lucien

Bonsly (Rattled) / Togetic (Super Luck) / Galarian Yamask (Wander Spirit)

Only 3 mons, tbh I don't see him having a full team! Let alone a fully evolved one lol. Bonsly was from a suggestion and the other two were again just vibes.

Auri

Sawsbuck (Serene Grace) / Torterra (Overgrow)

Gible (Rough Skin) / Octillery (Sniper)

Sawsbuck and Torterra are prob obvious, I feel like Auri would be a Gible stan, and hey a water pokemon is always handy in case of fires *quickly exits the stage*

#okay i really need to do my assignments now LMAO #skyrim custom followers #skyrim cvf #kaidan skyrim #khash the argonian #xelzaz the argonian #nebarra skyrim #lucifer the argonian #inigo the brave #lucien flavius #auri song of the green

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juleswolverton-hyde · 5 years ago

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The Sword and Shield (BC x Reader)

Genre: Fluff, Idol AU, Quarantine fiction

Pairing: Bangchan x Reader

Warnings: Innuendos, nerdy Pokémon talk.

Summary: Every warrior needs a sword and shield to defend themselves against enemies. However, two nerds take up weapons in a vastly different fight.

Masterlist

Credits for the banner art go to Satzzz Art.

Life between the sheets does not always have to be characterized by Sensuality because there is more to be found among the pillows and blankets. It is amiable comfort, dozing off together to the sunrays streaming in through the light bedroom curtains or listening to music while sharing earbuds to kill the boredom of quarantine by means of occupying oneself with whatever is at hand. After all, it is yet unknown for how long the global population is forbidden to leave their homes safe for retrieving necessities at the supermarket or drugstore.

A blessing in disguise, however, is being able to spend the period of restriction with a bunch of lively lads which includes the lover of little more than a year. The moment it became known countries were hauling in their own residents a foolhardy decision was made to remain in South-Korea and leave the life in the place of origin behind for a while. The choice did not sit well with Chan at first, not too subtly asking to reconsider it though soon finding a secret delight in finally being able to wake up every day in the same bed.

No thousands of kilometres distance.

No time to be taken away by management and time zone differences.

The pandemic has at least given us this.

A taste of life as a real couple.

Just before IKEA closed as well, the lovable human kangaroo insisted on going there for the last shopping spree so personal taste could be added to the bedroom that would be shared. The well-meant idea was rejected at first, saying it was not needed and that the interior was fine as it was. However, once bleached locks have set their mind to something, it is barely possible to change the focus of determination and thus the private shared space has been decorated with a few candles alongside a new bookcase to house whichever books were already taken from home as well as a few pieces of art and a collection of postcards that have been pinned on a metal grate.

Our perfect little nest.

A haven of comfort for songs and nerdy thoughts.

‘Hey, babygirl.’ The mattress dips as the human koala joins the small kingdom in the sheets of sweatpants and loose tops that are somehow still deemed charming. Even the surface beneath the minimal layer of makeup is apparently preferred by the strong arm wrapping around the waist as platinum locks rest on the head and watch the screen held between hands. ‘What’re you playing?’

‘Pokémon Sword. It’s really good thus far and- Oh my god, it’s so cute!’ In an instance, the screen is lifted to show the six adorable balls clad in armor, a new creature which is called a Falinks. ‘Look at these little buddies!’

A wide smile breaks out on plush lips, wavy locks shaking in closed-eyed amusement before looking up again with the wonder of a new discovery. ‘So that’s why you’ve been kicking the air or screaming something is cute. I didn’t know you were a Pokémon fan?’

‘I have been since I was little, but it’s not something I tell others about.’ The true meaning of the grin no longer passes under the radar, igniting an ember of shame for harbouring a geeky side when it comes to the Japanese creatures. ‘Yes, I know, I am a mega nerd. Bite me.’

The jaw clenched in timidity relaxes when slender fingers tickle the sides as a big nose presses into the side of the neck to nuzzle it. The comment was not meant to provoke although the lowered voice suggests otherwise as it speaks against skin, teeth even cheekily nibbling. ‘Watch your words, Y/N, or I just might.’

However, the sensuous attitude fades as fast as it appeared as irises the colour of pure chocolate wander back to the device. ‘Can I see your Pokémon?’

Because the girl in the sheets is not the only trainer beneath the roof.

‘Sure.’ With the same nonchalance that denies the suggestiveness from a second ago, the index of the creatures which are currently being trained is opened. The current team consists of a Corviknight, Obstagoon, Thievul, Drapion, Boltund and Cinderace. ‘I’m currently training these though I mostly specialize in Dark Types.’

‘Why doesn’t that surprise me?’ To get more comfortable, Chan slouches further down the bed to rest more properly on a beloved narrow shoulder. Nevertheless, the all-knowing grin from before remains plastered onto plush lips. ‘I suppose you’re also interested in training Ghost and Psychic types as well?’

‘I’m an open book, aren’t I?’

‘Just a little bit.’ The teasing is made up for with a chaste peck on the nose followed by one on the forehead. Just the way it is preferred and done whenever apologizing for something or to simply gain a smile. Withal, now, judging by the twinkle in mischievous eyes, it is definitely to say sorry in advance for what is to come. ‘Can you guess what my type is?’

‘Me?’

The witty response evokes the bubbly boyish laughter that has been loved ever since the first time it was heard. ‘You’re not wrong.’

‘Okay, okay, let me think.’ The scanning for clues on the face results in nothing except a brighter devilish glimmer in a loving look. Henceforth, the answer will have to based on personality and all the little things that have been discovered since being in a relationship and now prematurely living together. ‘Electric? Although, no, wait. Fire. Something tells me you at least have a Growlith or had but it has transformed into Arcanine. Then again, judging by that splendid performance of the theme song in your VLive, I’d also wager you have a Pikachu. However, you’re very sporty so maybe you specialize in Fighting types?’

‘You’re on the right track. The answer is somewhere in there.’ Instead of one mocking eyebrow, two rise in a failed attempt to exaggerate coyness while looking cool. ‘Or is it?’

‘Very helpful, Chris.’ Sarcastically disregarding the useless remark and lopsided smirk, the former ramble is composed into a somewhat solid answer. Anywhere close to the truth is better than nothing. ‘You’re a Fire trainer who is also interested in Fighting types.’

‘Almost. I’m a Dragon trainer who always starts out as a Fire trainer. I am, however, also interested in Fighting types too. I do have an Arcanine and Pikachu is an exception to the rule because it’s Pikachu. Every trainer should have one.’

‘I have one too, but it doesn’t have a name since it’s a female and I only name my male Pokémon.’

Focus shifts back to the screen, Chan reading the names of the amiable creatures that form the company on the journey to becoming the best. It started as a fun idea and the names matched fairly well. ‘So I’ve noticed. Are you associating everyone in the industry with a Pokémon?’

But nothing ever runs smoothly.

‘I’m trying, but it’s bloody hard at times. I made Jackson a Pidove. Don’t laugh! I don’t know why I did it, but his name was the first to pop up when I caught it. Baekhyun is an Applin. Wait, he’s transformed already so now he’s a Flapple. Han is a Greedent because, let’s be honest, he’s a squirrel. Changbin, well, Bin is a Corviknight. I gave his full name to a Rufflet. Minho is a Sneasel, Felix a Thievul and I have yet to decide on the rest of the boys.’

‘Which one would be me?’ Judging by the suggestive tone of curious eyes and barely noticeable pout, there is the clear hope of a comparison with an awesome creature. The tightened grip on the hips betrays it too, blatantly so. Almost forcing the unknown comparison to one’s personal preference.

‘Without a doubt, you are Zacian, the giant warrior wolf with a sword in its mouth.’ A deep sigh cannot be helped at the thought of the game’s challenge which does absolutely not allow for failure. ‘The legendary Pokémon of the Galar region. Dammit, Channie! Why do you have to be so elusive and exclusive?’

‘Because I’m an amazing catch.’ The cheek is turned by slender fingers, compelling lips to join in a playful giggly kiss which is broken up by a smug remark. ‘And warriors are not so easily bound to a master. You told me even Beowulf reluctantly helped a king, only to settle his father’s debt.

‘Although,’ the train of thought is easily altered by hooking a digit under the silver necklace that was given as a birthday present, pulling the tease in yet holding off from melting into another kiss by backing away to continue the battle of wits and enjoy the small adorable whine of disagreement, ‘with the right trainer, I suppose I could make a deal.’

‘I plan on winning all gym badges and make myself worthy of the wolf.’

‘You will still have to win in that final fight. Until then, think you can take me on?’ Brows furrow in a suddenly hard-fought battle for concentrated control. Funnily contradicting oneself, the domestic koala shifts positions to hover over the coy soul who was able to tame the beast beneath the roof, faces inches apart and the Switch tucked in the small space between bodies.

Which becomes noticeably narrower when transforming Innocence into Sensuality by creating the image of what might be given after testing out the waters of victory and win in a Pokémon battle. ‘I have more than enough times in this bed.’

To make up for the victory and erase any negative unspoken feelings.

Though the soft growling suggests impatience, unwilling to be kept on a leash any longer. ‘Don’t change the subject. You’re fighting unfairly.’

‘Am I?’ The device is put aside on the bedside table, ankles hooking behind the waist to coax a hard shape into the warmth between the thighs as hands rest on broad shoulders. A much-appreciated action evidently, breath taken away by the friction between two concealed forms of wanting and nails digging into the skin beneath the comfy black printed fleece vest.

And the chest now making escape entirely impossible, hearts racing in harmony. ‘Yes. You’re distracting me.’

‘Says the person who’s distracting me from gaining those badges.’ Enough coherency lingers to remain cheeky. Bashful enough to lean in and utter a final double-sided statement of defiance. ‘I bet I can easily best you.’

But two can play that game, apparently.

‘I think you’re wrong, babygirl. Or do I need to remind you of how good I am?’

‘Grab your Switch and bring it on.’ The challenge is accepted with a scoff which clearly started having different expectations in regards to the order of events. Fortunately, a sweet quick peck cures most of the shallow grumpiness as Chris is dismissed from the sheets. ‘And give me all you’ve got.’

‘Oh, I will. I always do.’

As became apparent in the few battles between teams.

The wolfish actions that followed unspoken hard feelings unhappy with the outcomes of the fights.

And a broken headboard in the morning.

#Bangchan fanfiction #Bangchan #Bang Chan #Chan #Channie #Stray Kids #SKZ

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snivychu · 5 years ago

Note

ohgod

Please show me Vergil and Kiah in a Pokemon Trainer AU :'D I really want to know what they would do and which Pokemon they would have!

Alright Pokemon AU 👏Let's go!

Vergil – Elite Four or Champion

Vergils Pokemon types would mainly be Ice and Dragon as a Elite Four member (Yes i Know two types are very uncommon) but I think it's the most fitting for him. I've choosen PKMN reflecting his personality for his Champion team.

Vergil would fight challengers either in a room full of blizzards or on a abandoned snowy mountain, similar to Red.

His signiture Pokemon is Alolan Sandslash.

Elite Four Team:

1. Alolan Sandslash

2. Aurorus

3. Glaceon

4. Goodra

5. Haxorus

6. Flygon

Champion Team:

1. Alolan Sandslash

2. Dragapult

3. Ampharos/Jolteon

4. (Mega-)Sceptile

5. Samurott

6. Absol

Kiah – Rival or Gym Leader/Elite Four

Since Kiah's Design was kinda inspired by some Fighting type Gym Leaders I can see her as such.

I think she would run one of the late-game gyms or could serve as an Elite Four member as well. I could also imagine her as the rival of the protagonist. A good friend who kicks your ass to get you stronger and never goes easy on you.

I based her rival team a little bit on the savanaclaw members and added some more fitting for her. Kiah's signature Pokemon would be Mienshao.

Gym Leader Team:

1. Mienshao

2. Blaziken

3. Breloom/Heracross

4. Pangoro

5. Falinks

6. Gallade

Rival Team:

1. Mienshao

2. Mightyena

3. Luxray

4. Lycanrock (Midnight)

5. Volcarona

6. Whimsicott/Togekiss

#ask #Vergil Frigus #Kiah Rise #Boi deciding the teams took a while #but I had fun nonetheless #it was hard to keep Lucario out of this tbh

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jarmes · 6 years ago

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Blind Shield Nuzlocke Notes 6

-Took a few days off because college, but I’m back. Current team: Echo the Obstagoon, Mondo the Copperajah, Chaos the Orbeetle, Freight the Coalossal, High Voltage the Toxtricity, Ophelia the Yamask

-Linoone only evolves at night, so I evolved Echo between sessions

-Speaking of evolutions, Yamask has the most bullshit evolution in the game. I learned this by accident and it is dumb. You need to walk through a specific part of the wild area when in has less that 49 HP. I deleted Ophelia’s moves, struggled down on route 1, and went back to the dusty bowl. Ophelia didn’t evolve. So I tried fighting a wild Pokémon to get Ophelia closer. Then Ophelia died. Oops

-Anyway that’s the reason Nosferatu the Dreadnaw was promoted to full party member

-Back to sunny ladder plaines, where I caught Ophelia (RIP)

-Oh, I’ll switch to Obstagoon to take out this trainer. What does she have? Oh, a Sawk? Well that isn’t good time for HV

-These people worship digglet what the hell

-Combining pokemon? What? Also fossils are in this game I didn’t know that

-That was a short route. Welcome to fairy cowboy town

-No bronzong, not the children!

-Hop, seriously. You aren’t a threat to me

-Oh looks he got a crammarot that doesn’t like having rocks thrown at it

-Hop, where are you’re corvisquire and wolloo? How did you lose your Pokémon, Hop? How are you this goddamn incompetent?

-Four pokemon, four moves. Eat your heart out kid

-JESUS CHRIST OPAL WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU COME FROM

-Wait this is the ghost gym why is Opal following me

-NGL, I chose Shield solely because of Allister

-Team skull sings Knick knack paddywhack I love them

-Oh look a big painting

-I DONT WANT YOUR HEAVY BALLS SATAN

-Btw who named this town stow on side?

-This is a cool gym puzzle

-Aw...Corsala looks so sad because global warming

-Took out the gym trainers with Nosferatu and HV so I could save Echo for the gym battle

-Allister’s adorable Im gonna feel bad for destroying his team

-Yamask with Echo, Mimikyu with Mondo, back to Echo to dynamax night slash Cursola and Gengar

-HE FEELS LONELY WHEN I TAKE OUT HIS TEAM

-Gengar wants to swallow me in darkness and also literally

-Whatever it’s dead

-Bede, no! Don’t smash the mural

-Bede doesn’t let you say no to a battle

-Four psychic types. Four goddamn psychic types. I just beat the ghost gym with a dark type, Bede, and you’re using four goddamn psychic types. Hop is better than you

-Eat shit Bede! Enjoy not being a challenger anymore!

-Yay it’s box art doggies thanks Bede

-Okay, impidimp is a fairy type, it resists poison, I’ll weaken it with venoshock.

-Wait, that’s the opposite of what I should have done

-Fairy forest is beautiful

-FAIRY TOWN IS MORE BEAUTIFUL

-“In all ways except physical, I am a Pokémon.”

-OH GOD THE CREEPY GIRL FROM DRAGON TOWN WAS A GHOST

-Yay, Eviolite! I can’t use it because my team are fully evolved, but that’s fine

-DONT GIVE ME TOUR LOVE BALL YOU ABOMINATION

-Two things: 1, yes I would like to be gym leader yes. 2: this is such a good idea for a fairy gym

-How should I know what you eat, old lady?

-Opal, meet Mondo

-I already knew about wheezing, but goddamn it is cool

-The gym puzzle questions show up in battle!

-Dynamax Copperajah used Heavy Slam! Togekiss fucking died!

-Allister vs Opal - Gengar eats an Alcremie

-Damn, this thing hits like a truck. Whatever, it’s dead now

-Aw man, I really wanted to be gym leader of the cool mushroom town

-Opal mauling Bede because PINK! is why I love this game

-Used by Olena why am I not surprised

-Popped into the wild area, caught Pluck the Corvisquire

-Pokemon dynamaxing in the middle of the city? Like a tyranitar, perhaps?

-Really Hop, again?

-He really changes his team up. The only one who did anything was Rilaboom, who almost took out Chaos, but I still won

-Caught Quincy the Thievul. Had to run from a Purrserker, like in the map, but I caught it

-Oh cool construction zone with gurdurr

-Cool, a centipede that is actually several minipedes

-No! It killed Mondo with reversal fuck!

-Welcome to the team, Riot the Falinks, you shitty sons of bitches

-In my defense, it looked like a bug type

-Finally, I am free of this hell route

-Oh shit there’s another route

-Caught Snowball the Snom

-Police officer Bobby

-Okay, there’s a town. I’m fine. That’s gonna be it for this session I think

#pokemon shield #pokemon nuzloke #pokemon sword and shield #nuzlocke

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ohthehypocrisy · 2 years ago

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Clawitzer for Pokemon Unite!

Season 1

Prev: Torterra - Scrafty - Starmie - Luvdisc - Boltund - Tinkaton - Rampardos - Bronzong - Delibird - Polteageist - Falinks - Hariyama

Hey so, what is it with Water Types and weapons? The Oshawott line utilizes blades made of seashells and Inteleon can shoot water bullets from its fingers. This even started all the way back in Gen 1 with Blastoise, sporting water cannons hidden in its shell. Even Greninja, one of the more popular Water Type pokemon, uses shurikens made of water, which would count as a water weapon as far as we’re concerned.

Subtlety goes out the window with Clawitzer, though, as it is based on the Pistol Shrimp and, very appropriately, is a pokemon with a massive bazooka for a claw. And boy howdy is it massive, that claw is bigger than the rest of its body. Going all in on the heavy weapon theme is a sure-fire way to stand out among all the weapon based Water Type pokemon out there.

But will that crazy claw help it stand out in Pokemon Unite? Let’s give it a shot.

With a big claw like that, you’d expect it to back it up with some impressive firepower, and Clawitzer delivers. A powerful 120 base Sp. Attack is nothing to sneeze at, but the rest of its stats are a bit underwhelming. It’s defenses are alright, but the low HP limits the amount of hits it can take. 73 base Attack is not that impressive when you’d rather use your Sp. Attack to punch holes in the enemy’s defenses. Not to mention, that low Speed does it no favors, greatly limiting its mobility and evasive options. It seems like Clawitzer is much more suited to holding its ground and firing off powerful shots, aiming to take out enemies before they have a chance to retaliate. For this reason, Clawitzer takes on the role of an...

Attacker

Basic Attack - Ranged/Sp. Attack

A shot of water launched from your claws. Gains power when not in use. On hit, reduces the cooldown of your moves relative to the amount of damage dealt. Deals pierce damage when fully charged.

At the weakest, the basic attack deals 0.5x damage equal to your Sp. Attack. This happens when you use the attack again immediately after firing without letting the move charge.

It takes 2.5 seconds of holding your fire for the basic attack to reach full power. At full power, the basic attack deals 4x your Sp. Attack in damage.

A fully powered shot reduces the cooldown of both of your moves by 2 seconds. This decreases if the shot is fired before being fully charged or if the target had a shield or a defense buff.

The basic attack boost meter slowly fills up when not in use which signifies the power level. A crab claw is displayed when the basic attack is at full power.

Modifiers to the basic attack speed increases the rate at which the meter fills up. X Attack will do this and power up the shot fired during the boost.

The first thing you are taught when training with firearms is trigger discipline. You have to know when to have your finger on the trigger and when to hold off on it. Clawitzer employs the same discipline in Pokemon Unite with its basic attack, as holding its fire causes the water to build up in pressure.

When fully charged, the basic attack fires a powerful water shot that pierces shields and reduces the cooldown of your moves by 2 whole seconds. Because of how little time it takes to fully charge the basic attack, it is usually the first attack thrown out in an ambush or in the rush to join the team fight. With a weak shot however, it deals a small amount of damage, but any damage dealt at all will reduce the cooldown of your moves. This may not seem like a big deal, but in long drawn out fire fights you will lose the battle of attrition since you can’t deal high damage constantly, like other Attackers.

Of course, the secret to this basic attack is how, regardless of how little damage you’re dealing, each hit is reducing the cooldown of your moves, even if it’s slightly for each shot. Being able to constantly lower the cooldown of your moves is Clawitzer’s secret weapon.

Actually, no. Its ability, Mega Launcher, is Clawitzer’s actual secret weapon.

Ability: Mega Launcher

Activate this ability and then select one of your moves. The move will deal increased damage to enemies as well as boost the effectiveness of hindrances and debuffs. This will increase the cooldown of the move afterwards.

Cannot be used at the start of the game before selecting a move to learn. Cannot be used on a move that is about to be forgotten or upgraded after leveling up. Also cannot be used on a move that is still on cooldown.

After powering up a move, the ability can be used again to power up the other move. In this way, the ability will automatically select the other move.

Mega Launcher increases the damage and effectiveness of any hindrances and debuffs the move inflicts by 50%. Cooldown will also be increased 50% after the move is used.

Mega Launcher can be reapplied immediately when a move comes off of cooldown.

I still find it a little weird that an ability can be ‘activated’ as if it were a move, like Hoopa’s Magician or Zoroark’s Illusion. I mean, these are supposed to be Passives, not...Actives. Or something like that.

Well whatever, it works out better for Clawitzer than those pokemon, I guess. With Mega Launcher, you lock and load and power up one of your moves greatly, sacrificing cooldown for power. It only boosts once for each move, but the extra power is worth it when you’re facing off against a Defender or bulky All-Rounder.

That said, mastering Mega Launcher requires knowing when to power up and when to hold off on the boost. See, if you hit an Attacker with a Mega Launcher boosted move, that’s great, but are you sure you needed that boost? You got the KO, but now you’re stuck with the extra cooldown afterwards, and their teammates are about to show up and get their revenge. Perhaps it’s better to hold on to Mega Launcher and save it for when the enemy team is gathered together, or you’ve got an enemy too strong to take on alone.

Trigger Discipline applies to Mega Launcher just as much as it does your basic attack. Of course, that also means mastering your normal moves, which come with their own nuances and learning difficulties as well.

At the start of the game, Clawitzer starts out as Clauncher. You can choose between Water Gun and Smack Down as your first move. By Level 3, you will have learned both.

Move 1: Water Gun

A straight shot of water that passes through multiple enemies. Reduces the cooldown of this move by 20% for each enemy from the opposing team damaged. 8s cooldown.

The move has far reach.

For each enemy hit, the cooldown is reduced by 20%, which is 1.6 seconds. With Mega Launcher, the move would go on 12 seconds of cooldown, but is reduced by 2.4 seconds for each enemy hit.

Damaging all enemies on the opposing team effectively resets the cooldown of this move, even if it were boosted by Mega Launcher.

As a basic starting move, Water Gun is on the intermediate level when it comes to mastering your abilities. At face value, it’s just a straight shot of water with a passable 8 seconds of cooldown, making it decent at farming EXP off of wild pokemon. But there’s more to it than just playing with water.

Damaging an enemy on the opposing team reduces the cooldown by 20%, or 1/5th, which effectively equals 1.6 seconds of cooldown. Now, if you are slightly good at math, you’ll know that there a 5 opposing pokemon on the other team, and managing to hit all 5 in a row grants this move completely reset cooldown for that skillful shot.

Of course, in the early game, that’ll never happen. Much less so, you can never fully reset the cooldown of this move in Quick Battles since you can’t have 5 team members on either side, but the high EXP gain circumvents that issue. Quite frankly, Clauncher players should get a gold medal for getting the cooldown reset completely...

The cooldown reduction effect is meant to be used against the opposition you face in the middle of the lane during the early game. As an Attacker, you’re capable of high burst damage, especially if you power up the move with Mega Launcher. That’s a lot of promising power...provided you don’t miss. If you fail to deal damage with a normal Water Gun, you can easily wait 8 seconds for it to come off of cooldown. But if that Water Gun was powered up by Mega Launcher, you’ll be stuck with 12 seconds before you can try to deal damage again.

However, it will also be worth it if the opposing Jungler happens to show up to tip the scales in their favor, making it harder for you and your lane partner to defend your Goal Zone. At this point, you would be expected to use Mega Launcher to power up Water Gun and fire away, as long as you have the move ready to go. This is what I meant when I said Mega Launcher requires Trigger Discipline, as your effectiveness in dealing damage is entirely situational and requires being prepared for an attack. Even if you manage to reduce the cooldown successfully with a Mega Launcher boosted Water Gun, it still takes a while for the move to come back online. Worst case scenario, 4 opposing pokemon show up, ready for Regieleki, and your Water Gun is still on cooldown.

I hope your aim is sharp, shrimpy.

Move 2: Smack Down

A sure hit attack that lowers the target’s movement speed and increases the damage received by your next move. 9s cooldown.

A rock is launched as a projectile and is a sure hit attack. A viable target must be selected for the move to be used.

Reduces Movement Speed by 30% for 5 seconds. Mega Launcher boosts this to 45% for 7.5 seconds.

Increases the damage the enemy receives from your next move by 50% for 5 seconds. With Mega Launcher, this becomes 75% for 7.5 seconds. The debuff goes away after damage is dealt. The enemy becomes marked with an aiming reticle while afflicted by this debuff.

Mega Launcher increases the damage dealt by this move and increases the cooldown to 13.5 seconds.

The closest thing to actual bullets in the game, Clauncher shoots a little pebble from its claw, causing great grievance to an enemy it hits. The hit reduces the enemy’s movement speed but also boosts the power of your other move by a great amount. The synergy is meant to single out a high profile target like a Defender and then followup with Water Gun, dealing great damage. Because of the reduced movement speed, it’s harder for the enemy to run away out of range of this attack. It’s also useful for making sure a weakened enemy can’t escape easily, allowing you to finish the job with either Water Gun or a boosted basic attack.

The trick is figuring out which move you boost with Mega Launcher. A powered up Smack Down increases the movement speed reduction effect and increases the damage they receive, allowing you to deal heavy damage to a Defender or KO a Speedster. You could boost Water Gun with Mega Launcher instead, knowing that it will be much easier to hit the weakened enemy. There’s also no problem with powering up both moves, provided there’s a team fight going on to justify the extra cooldown.

However, if Mega Launcher fails to achieve the desired results, failing to deal high damage to a Defender, or the opposing Speedsters and Attackers are too nimble for you to hit, that’s a sure sign that you’re behind on EXP. You’ll become a liability if you don’t evolve soon.

Time to bring out the big guns.

At Level 5, Clauncher evolves into Clawitzer. At the same time, Water Gun becomes either Water Pulse or Dragon Pulse.

Move 1a: Water Pulse

A water blast that explodes when the projectile damages an enemy or reaches its maximum distance. All enemies caught in the attack will be stunned and receive piercing damage. Also reduces the cooldown of this move by 20% for each enemy from the opposing team damaged. 10s cooldown.

At Level 11, Water Pulse becomes Water Pulse+.

Increases the size of the explosion and deals more damage.

Water Pulse stuns enemies for 0.5 seconds. Mega Launcher increases this to 0.75 seconds.

Damaging an enemy from the opposing team reduces the cooldown of this move by 20%, or 2 seconds. Mega Launcher increases the cooldown to 15 seconds and the cooldown reduction effect to 3 seconds. Damaging all enemies on the opposing team effectively resets the cooldown of the move in either case.

Cooldown will not be reduced if the move fails to deal damage to an enemy on the opposing team.

An apt comparison for Water Gun turning into Water Pulse would be if you upgraded from a regular pistol to a grenade launcher.

Because the range of Water Pulse is so great, you’ll find it hard not to have your cooldown reduced each time you use the move. Of course, you still would have to deal with, say, 6 to 8 seconds of cooldown each time you launch the attack, but Water Pulse will only be more effective when engaging multiple enemies.

Missing would be the worst thing imaginable, though, as the full cooldown of 10 seconds is too long to deal with and survive. Imagine missing a Mega Launcher boosted Water Pulse. Shudder inducing.

Speaking of which, Mega Launcher boosts the effects and damage of Water Pulse to insanely high levels. Not only does the move stun enemies briefly, it also deals piercing damage, limiting the enemies ability to take multiple hits. Hit the entire enemy team in one shot and you’ll fully reset the cooldown of the move, allowing you to shoot again. If you ever find yourself with such an opportunity, gleefully go ham on powering up with Mega Launcher.

Water Pulse+ racks up the damage potential of the move, increasing the size of the water wave and making it easier to hit multiple enemies in one shot. The extra damage isn’t too shabby either.

With how good Water Pulse is, how can the other option be any better?

Move 1b: Dragon Pulse

A draconic stream of energy shot from your claw. While shooting, the pokemon remains stationary while your aiming speed is reduced. The energy shot passes through multiple enemies and deals increasing damage. As the move deals damage to enemies from the opposing team, your cooldown is reduced at increased speed, reduced even further the more enemies you damage. 11s cooldown.

At Level 11, Dragon Pulse becomes Dragon Pulse+.

Extends the reach of the attack and the rate of damage increase.

Dragon Pulse deals increasing damage to enemies as long as they are receiving damage constantly from this move. Dragon Pulse+ doubles the rate of damage increased.

Mega Launcher boosted Dragon Pulse increases the starting rate of damage.

Dragon Pulse deals damage for 3.5 seconds and cannot be cancelled manually by the player. Receiving hindrances cancels the move.

The cooldown starts when the move begins. As the move deals damage to enemies on the opposing team, the cooldown decreases at an increased rate of 1.2x speed. Damaging all enemies on the opposing team reduces the cooldown at double speed.

Successfully maintaining damage on all opposing enemies reduces the cooldown to 4 seconds. With Mega Launcher, the cooldown increases to 16.5 seconds but the cooldown can only be reduced to a maximum of 9.5 seconds.

Imagine if Decidueye’s Unite Move, Nock Nock, was a normal move and actually good. That’s essentially what Dragon Pulse is when used by Clawitzer, turning it into a laser power turret.

With a nonstop stream of dragon energy, Clawitzer deals massive damage to any enemy it hits. The damage is impressive, but only if the enemy holds still for Clawitzer. That can be remedied with Smack Down, but in most situations, you’d rather have a teammate pin the opponent down in order to greatly rack up the damage together. It’s harder for the enemy team to evade Dragon Pulse if they’re all grouped together playing defense, making the move great for pushing forward in a lane.

However, compared to Decidueye’s Unite Move, there are some major flaws that make it a little worse off. Firstly, the move can be interrupted by a hindrance, making it a poor choice to use in the middle of battle. Your turning is also greatly reduced, making it hard for you to chase an enemy that maneuvered behind you. Decidueye also has this problem, so imagine having to keep a bead on a Speedster approaching you, ready to combo a stun into a KO on you. Not only that, the starting damage rate is very low whereas Nock Nock has a very high damage rate.

Mastering Dragon Pulse comes down to optimal positioning rather than finding the perfect opportunity with Water Pulse. While Water Pulse can be used liberally in the middle of a team fight, it doesn’t guarantee a KO each time, allowing the enemy team enough time to retaliate and KO you. Dragon Pulse is best used when fired from afar, done within the cover of a Goal Zone or backed up by an ally. It’s worth going through the learning pains of using Dragon Pulse as the damage rate increases to a crazy high degree, and that’s not even considering Mega Launcher boosting the damage even further.

For this reason, Dragon Pulse is ideal for handling a sturdy team full of Defenders, All-Rounders, and Supporters, given the best case scenario. If the enemy team has a problematic Speedster or Attacker that would be hard to pin down with Dragon Pulse, perhaps Water Pulse would be the better option.

Considering that evasive enemies are troublesome for Clawitzer, perhaps it’s time to invest in other speed reducing strategies.

At Level 8, Smack Down becomes either Aura Sphere or Dark Pulse.

Move 2a: Aura Sphere

A ball of fighting energy hones in on the target, exploding and reducing the movement speed and attack of all enemies nearby, as well as increasing the damage they receive from your other move. If an enemy is KOd as a result of your other move dealing increased damage, reduces the cooldown of this move by half. 13s cooldown.

At Level 13, Aura Sphere becomes Aura Sphere+.

Increases the size of the explosion. A successful KO from the move dealing increased damage resets the cooldown of this move.

Aura Sphere reduces the movement speed and attack of all enemies caught in the explosion by 50%. Boosted by Mega Launcher, this increases to 75%. This effect lasts for 4.5 seconds either way.

Aura Sphere increases the damage received by your next move by 80%. Boosted by Mega Launcher, this becomes 120%. This effect lasts for 4.5 seconds. The enemy becomes marked by a red aiming reticle while afflicted with this debuff.

Mega Launcher increases the cooldown of this move to 19.5 seconds. This can also be halved by successfully KO’ing an enemy afflicted by the increased damage debuff.

The halving effect of this move occurs with each KO on an enemy on the opposing team afflicted with the increased damage debuff.

It takes 0.75 seconds for Clawitzer to charge and launch the attack. During charging, however, Clawitzer can continue to move.

There are very few pokemon in Pokemon Unite that look at a group of enemies and see opportunity. Water Pulse Azumarill is one such pokemon, salivating at the thought of spreading damage freely to groups of enemies. ExtremeSpeed Lucario is another such pokemon, who only sees a group of enemies as a meal ticket to a 5 KO streak. With Aura Sphere, Clawitzer is another such pokemon, seeing a horde of enemies as pins in a bowling alley.

Aura Sphere has Clawitzer launch an orb of fighting energy at the target from its claw. The move is a sure-hit attack, so it requires a viable target to be visible and within range. But if you’ve got a bead on the enemy, you can be assured that the attack will land. On hit, the attack explodes in an eruption of energy, damaging the target and all nearby enemies and inflicting a variety of debuffs on them. In addition to reducing movement speed, it will also lower the attack power of all enemies hit by Aura Sphere as well as increasing the damage they receive from your other move, Water Pulse or Dragon Pulse. This not only makes it easier to KO them, but it improves your odds of surviving by reducing the total damage you receive during the crossfire.

Boosted by Mega Launcher, the attack inflicts a greater debuff that ensures no enemy will come out of the fight unscathed. It comes at the cost of a lot of cooldown, however. 13 seconds of cooldown is pretty bad, no matter what move it’s tied to, but increased to 19.5 seconds by Mega Launcher is an agonizingly long wait time. That’s almost a third of an entire minute, and there’s only 10 of those in a match. Aura Sphere by itself is good enough at weakening enemies, so you don’t really need to boost the power of the move unless you’ve got the entire enemy team within range.

Aura Sphere+ remedies the long cooldown by including its own cooldown manipulation bonus effect. If an enemy is KO’d by Water Pulse or Dragon Pulse while weakened by Aura Sphere, it will halve the cooldown of the move itself. It will do this again if you KO another enemy during this time, halving the cooldown even further. If you’re really good at securing KOs, you can afford to use Mega Launcher to boost Aura Sphere indiscriminately, breaking through the enemy’s defensive constitution.

Something to keep in mind, however, is that, since Aura Sphere is a sure-hit move, not only do you need to have a viable target in range, you’ll also have to be close enough to put the enemy in targeting range. You can run away while confirming the target and charging up the attack, but if the opposing team is savvy about avoiding Aura Sphere as much as possible, you’ll be left with very little recourse if the opposing team decides to rush in and cut your shooting spree short. By learning Aura Sphere, the only other method you have to inflict Stun is through Water Pulse. Speaking of hindrances, Aura Sphere inflicts a heavy debuff, which can be cleared by Full Heal or other hindrance protection. If that happens, you’ll be left with an upset enemy and over 13 seconds of cooldown, and you aren’t guaranteed to survive the time it takes for the cooldown to come down.

Each Attacker has a different approach to spreading damage. Clawitzer is an opportunist, capable of turning overwhelming opposition into a chance for a counterattack. But you’re still an Attacker, so be careful about taking too many hits yourself.

But what if you kept your distance instead?

Move 2b: Dark Pulse

A black haze of energy fired directly in front of you, damaging and stunning enemies briefly and sending you backwards. The enemy receives increased damage from your other move. This effect increases with each subsequent hit of Dark Pulse. 2s cooldown.

At Level 13, Dark Pulse becomes Dark Pulse+.

Increases the Stun duration. The pokemon is also launched further back.

Dark Pulse increases the damage an enemy receives from your other move by 40% for 6 seconds. Each subsequent attack increases the received damage modifier by an extra 20%, to a maximum of 200%. Mega Launcher increases this effect by 60% for 6 seconds and each subsequent increase by 30% if the attack was also boosted by Mega Launcher.

Reapplying Dark Pulse resets the duration of the debuff.

Dark Pulse Stuns enemies for 0.8 seconds. Boosted by Mega Launcher, this increases to 1.2 seconds of stun. Dark Pulse+ increases the stun to 1 second, 1.5 seconds when boosted by Mega Launcher.

A black aim reticle icon is displayed over enemies afflicted by Dark Pulse. The graphic fills in to convey the power of the debuff. When filled in completely, Dark Pulse is at maximum debuff.

By trading in a lot of range, Clawitzer gains the incredibly powerful Dark Pulse, a move with a very fast reload time optimized for keeping enemies at bay. The move feels a lot like firing a shotgun at point blank, damaging enemies at close range in a fan shape and sending you backwards from the recoil. Though it is extremely lacking in range, the very low cooldown and mobility granted by Dark Pulse makes it a much more useful move in the long run.

The idea behind Dark Pulse is to use it against an enemy that is rapidly approaching you, stunning them in place and creating some distance from the push back. If successful, Dark Pulse inflicts a damage increase debuff that makes the enemy much more susceptible to getting KO’d by either Water Pulse or Dragon Pulse. While it is a weak debuff compared to Aura Sphere, the debuff stacks with multiple hits of Dark Pulse. With the extremely low cooldown of 2 seconds, it is very easy to apply the boost repeatedly, especially as each hit stuns the enemy on contact.

But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. There’s a lot of risk vs reward in applying multiple hits with Dark Pulse. One on one, yeah, it’ll be easy to secure the KO on a lone enemy, but in Pokemon Unite, you can always expect the team to come to the rescue (in spite of EVERYTHING you’ve seen online...). Maybe there’s a chance you can hit multiple enemies with one Dark Pulse, but all it takes is one ranged stun attack to put you in your place.

At that point, you should use Dark Pulse to make your getaway. Aiming backwards and firing with the move allows you to retreat by covering your backside with volatile fire, preventing enemies from chasing you down. This makes you extremely mobile and improves your matchup against melee attackers, as there’s little they can do to stop you from running away by using this move. Of course, it doesn’t help defend your Goal Zones like Aura Sphere can, so you should pick which move to use depending on how the battle is going.

One last thing, going for the full increased damage debuff is going to be a rare feat in an actual battle and is meant to be a warning shot against frail but aggressive opponents. Enemy Attackers and Speedsters will be dissuaded by Dark Pulse and will often choose not to chase you down if there’s a chance you can retaliate much harder than they can hit you with their moves. That’s a good thing for you, as an Attacker should never overextend their vantages and go for unnecessary KO’s. Using a Mega Launcher boosted Dark Pulse followed by a regular Dark Pulse hits the enemy with the same strength debuff as Aura Sphere and for a lot less cooldown, but both moves have their advantages and disadvantages to work with. While Dark Pulse has a higher potential debuff cap, you’ll only ever get that against an overzealous Defender overstaying their welcome on your side of the map.

Use your weapons for their intended purpose and they will serve you well.

Unite Move: Jet Stream Brine Shot

Dash in the designated direction with a hydro powered tackle, damaging and throwing all enemies along the way as well as marking them. Afterwards, the pokemon turns around and fires a briny shot at all marked enemies. The Unite Move can be used again to fire a briny shot at all marked enemies in range, counting down with each hit. Damaging an enemy with a move or basic attack adds a mark to marked or unmarked enemies. While shooting, you can move freely at increased speed.

A lock-on mark is applied to all enemies damaged by the initial dash, even if they were immune to hindrances.

The mark is accompanied by the number 6, which equals the number of shots you can hit a marked enemy with before it disappears.

The pokemon fires a single shot at all marked enemies after dealing damage with the initial dash. Press the Unite Move button again to fire another shot for each marked enemy.

Your movement speed increases to 2.5x for the duration of the Unite Move, which lasts for 8.5 seconds.

Damaging enemies with your basic attack and other moves will increase the number of the mark. You can also apply a mark to unmarked enemies with these moves. If a mark disappears, you can reapply the mark in this way.

Mega Launcher cannot power up your Unite Move as it can only select one of your two learned moves. It will, however, apply 2 marks instead of one if you damage an enemy with a boosted move while the Unite Move is active.

While active, Clawitzer’s Unite Move will home in on all marked enemies. The shots don’t deal as much damage. No shot will be fired if no marked enemies are in range.

With Clawitzer’s propensity to deal high damage from a safe distance, it has trouble dealing with close quarter combat and enemies that insist upon it. It can deal just as much damage up close as it can from afar, but the problem is that Clawitzer cannot take it as much as it can dish it out. It relies on its teammates being in the front lines, holding the enemy at bay while it fires off powerful shots of water and energy. But if it doesn’t have proper backup, Clawitzer is more than likely to get cooked.

Jet Stream Brine Shot, your Unite Move, is your last ditch attempt at making a break for it, either getting those important KO’s or in a mad dash to safety. With a hydro powered tackle, Clawitzer shoots forward, throwing enemies caught in the attack. The hydro power continues to boost your movement speed and Clawitzer turns around and fires a water shot at all enemies hit by the attack. This attack doesn’t miss either, as enemies are marked by the water tackle, meaning that Clawitzer has a bead on their position. It will only fire one shot, but you can use the Unite Move again and repeatedly to fire off more brine shots at all marked enemies.

Because of your increased speed, you become a lot harder to catch and slow down. Your sharp shooting skills also emerge as your Unite Move allows you to launch a never miss brine shot at enemies marked by your dash attack. You only have a limited number of shots, but you can increase this by hitting the enemy with your other moves. Either tack on the marks on a Bulky Defender, or let a frail Attacker or Speedster join in on the fun, there’s enough salt water for everyone, apparently.

Of course, this Unite Move isn’t a Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card, you are still vulnerable to hindrances while sailing about, even with your increased speed. You’re harder to catch, sure, but any surprise attack will cut your surfing spree short, especially if the enemy team has their own Attackers and Speedsters hungry for a KO. If you’re facing off against enemies that like to throw down obstacles, like Crustle or Mr. Mime, you’ll be in a lot of trouble since, well, you can’t really dash through walls with any of your moves. There’s nothing worse than popping your Unite Move, only to get immediately stuffed and KO’d and having to wait all over for it to recharge.

It also requires you to be constantly engaging with your enemy as the brine shots aren’t particularly strong. They never miss, but they don’t deal a lot of damage. You would have to hit your opponents with a lot of moves and basic attacks, which add marks to enemies but it also costs you time to use the Unite Move either way. It’s a delicate balance to strike.

Regardless, with proper mastery, the enemy team will quickly learn not to underestimate you and your big meaty claws. It ain’t just for attracting mates, it’s for shooting sharp and powerful bullets of water.

Holowear

Because Clawitzer’s claw is bigger than its main body, Holowear options are a bit tricky for the shrimp. We would want to add to Clawitzer’s whole projectile theme, but also compliment it. For starters, there’s the obvious Western Style holowear, giving it a cowboy hat, an ascot, a sheriff’s star, and a large leather holster wrapped around the claw. Then there’s Janitor Style, giving it a plain cap, a set of worker’s overalls, and a utility belt wrapped around the claw. Going a bit out there, Superhero Style gives Clawitzer a hero mask and a stylish jumpsuit, with some extra pieces of flair decorating the claw. You can’t go wrong with Chef Style giving it a chef’s shirt and hat and neckerchief along with a belt full of cooking tools strapped to its claw. And finally, General Style puts Clawitzer in a green military uniform and an officer’s hat, decorating the claw with a sleeve and pinned with loads of badges, pokeball shaped ones specifically.

It’s kind of hard to accentuate a pokemon’s personality when that personality is ‘big gun go boom’.

Strategy

As a heavy artillery shrimp, Clawitzer favors battles where it can take on multiple enemies at once due to the nature of its moves reducing their own cooldown. However, this comes with the risk of being put down yourself should 1 or 2 enemies decide to prioritize targeting you over your teammates. In order to be most effective, you’ll need sufficient cover for when you engage groups of enemies. Either attacking from a safe distance or having a teammate employ disruption and distraction is the most reliable way of getting the most out of your damage potential.

Speaking of damage potential, utilizing Clawitzer’s ability, Mega Launcher, to the fullest requires knowing when to boost and when your normal damage output is enough. While it is effectively a built in X Attack that can be activated, doing so increases the cooldown of your moves. This isn’t that big of a deal though, as the extended cooldown of your moves are shorter than X Attack’s cooldown, they can stack with each other, and the moves have their own built in cooldown reduction effect that works even with Mega Launcher extending the timer.

But as stipulated before, Mega Launcher requires timely boosts and must be applied appropriately and in anticipation of a major team fight. Using Mega Launcher to boost a move and then launching it at enemies is a pretty great feeling, until the enemy recovers from the attack and starts honing in on you in retaliation. If you manage to hit multiple enemies with Water Pulse or Dragon Pulse, you can expect a great cooldown reduction as a reward, but against one enemy, the reduction is very weak and you’ll be left defenseless against the enemy’s counterattack.

This is where Clawitzer’s weakness comes into play. Due to how rare it is to engage the entire enemy team, Clawitzer’s moves aren’t all that useful against one or two enemies. This is made even worse if you boost with Mega Launcher indiscriminately, as powering up to damage 1 or 2 enemies inflicts great damage, but is never guaranteed to KO and will punish you with a hefty cooldown increase afterwards. This becomes difficult if you start to fall behind in Levels and EXP, as the cooldown reduction effect of your moves only applies to hitting enemies on the opposing team. Being properly leveled to engage in team fights is your primary goal and you should avoid overextending until then.

For this reason, Clawitzer should remain in either Top or Bottom Lane for most of the match, as that is the most likely place to engage the whole enemy team for that major fight. This requires map awareness and anticipating the opposing team’s next move by reading the flow of battle. If the Top Lane is mostly destroyed on either or both sides, the opposing team will prioritize Regieleki and try to secure it before your team does. If one side is behind on EXP, Bottom Lane will most likely become a war zone as both sides will try to keep that EXP lead by securing the Regi that spawns down there. In addition, if there is enough time to secure either Regieleki or one of the Regi Trio before Rayquaza spawns, you can bet that both teams will rush in to try and gain that all important advantage for the fight.

Speaking of Rayquaza, the last 2 minutes of the round are going to be where you’re most powerful, as you can guarantee that the entire enemy team will be present. You’ll be able to very easily clean up house with Water Pulse or Dragon Pulse, boosted with Mega Launcher and weakening the enemy with either Aura Sphere or Dark Pulse. It’s the smart enemies you have to worry about, as Defenders and Supporters will be focused on ensuring that no one on the opposing side sneaks in a kill-stealing secure of Rayquaza, and that includes you. If you get caught, you have to retreat before the opposing Speedster or Attacker rushes in to finish the job. This is where you have to decide which enemy you’ll have to target that would otherwise inhibit you if left unchecked. Try to stun lock enemies capable of burst damage, or pin down enemies that can outlast your attacks.

As an Attacker capable of dealing great burst damage to the entire enemy team, it’s up to you to take out the high priority targets. Even if it is possible for you to get a free cooldown reduction on your moves by hitting all 5 opponents, you should still keep an eye out for the ones that can KO you just as easily as you can KO them. It’s very likely you can get a 5 KO streak by ambushing the entire enemy team, but only if you play smart and take down the most dangerous enemies first.

Hold your ground and shoot for the stars, little lobster.

And that’s Clawitzer for Pokemon Unite! It really is kinda weird that Water types run with the whole weapon theme throughout the generations, with Remoraid being one of the more blatant examples. But to be fair, other types are just as guilty of this convention, such as Aegislash and Duraludon.

Anyway, next up we’ve got a Speedster blazing in. Who will it be? Follow and find out!

#Clawitzer #Clauncher #Pokemon Unite

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jarmes · 6 years ago

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Blind Shield Nuzlocke Notes 10 (Finale)

-Starting off the tenth and possibly final session

-Current Team: Freight the Coalossal, High Voltage the Toxtricity, Nosferatu the Dreadnaw, Riot the Falinks, Snowball the Frosmoth, Warrior the Grapploct

-I updated Warrior’s moves in preparation for Raihan, he now knows Drain Punch Waterfall Superpower and Ice Punch

-Even though Raihan is a dragon specialist, I’m not using Snowball. Last time he led with a Gigalith so I’m leading with Nosferatu and Warrior

Raihan

-Oh god he reworked his team for one on one battles there goes my plan

-Why the FUCK does he have a torkal

-Like, from a story perspective, why would he try to take out Charizard boi with a drought Pokémon?

-Whatever I’ll just use rock side

-OH FUCK IT MISSED AND NOW NOS HAS NO HEALTH SWITCHING TO FREIGHT

-Okay, it tanked a solar beam and it tanked a rock slide

-Second rock slide killed

-Raihan switched to Flygon, I switched to Snowball. Flygon Used sandstorm

-I’d use quicker dance, but I can’t risk a stone edge so I’m using Aurora beam

-Well, it used dragon claw so I messed up

-Turtonator? Time to switch back to freight and take no damage from that fire blast

-Rock slide, sunny day, miss, dragon pulse, rock slide, dead

-He sent out Goodra, dynamaxing and using Max rockfall

-Raihan Used rain dance? This team has a lot less synergy than the last one. Whatever, canceled it out with max rockfall

-Raihan made it rain, AGAIN, and died to a third max rockfall. Which made it sandstorm

-Unfortunely, dynamax wire off and he switched to GM Duraldon. Switching to Tiot cause freight is low

-Tanked a Max rockfall and Max knuckle, took half with a Brick Break

-OH GID MAX DEPLETION PUT ME AT 8 HP AND THERES A SANDSTORM

-Thank god, Close Combat killed and the battle ended

-Now for champion Leon and/or Tesla CEO Rose

Leon

-Dont know what he’ll use except Charizard and possibly Sobble. Putting Snowball up front because I know Charizard will be last and I may be able to sweep with quiver dance

-The cheering of the crowd fills you with determination

-“Wait, hold on!” Goddamn it rose

-“It’s time I brought about the darkest day, for Galars future of course” it’s called the darkest day you can’t be an antivillain and still call your plan the darkest day

-I knew dragonville tower was evil plan place

-“But you’re terrible at directions, what if you get lost along the way?”

-Hop acknowledges the fact that he sucks good

-Hell yeah! Going back to the slumbering weald to catch god!

-Oh sweet a life orb giving it to Warrior

-I’m glad they brought back the evil team interrupts the elite four thing from black and white

-Shield dog is in front because it is important

-Sonia can’t see god dogs because Sonia isn’t a stand user

-Getting Zelda vibes

-Honestly, the Shield is more fitting for a Nuzlocke than the sword. You aren’t trying to destroy, you’re trying to survive, to protect the team members you care about

-The dogs are dead, aren’t they

-I’m actually surprised I’m not just fighting Shield dog, this is different

-The leaders evacuated Hammerlocke, making themselves useful

-How did hop get past Oleana?

-Hey! It’s good mook! I forgot to mention her earlier but she’s cool

-Rampaging dynamax pokemon in the power plant hell yeah

-Eternatus! The least kept secret in the game! I’ve seen this thing and it’s cool and I’m glad I get to fight it instead of waiting for ultra Shield

-Leon’s fighting on the roof like a badass

-Is that an egg

-Ooh summoning Satan to use as green energy what could go wrong

-THAT CHOIR

Rose

-I still have Snowball out front

-And he’s using escavalier. Time for freight to continue carrying this team

-Uh oh swords dance

-Nevermind, outsped it ant took it out with heat crash

-“You’re go tough that’s not fair” life isn’t fair bitch

-Ferrothorn, really?

-It survived a heat crash. Operative word being A, because the second one killed it

-Rose, I know why Leon beat you as a kid. It’s because you exclusively use steel types and he has a goddamn Charizard

-Klingklang got off two wild charges but it’s dead now

-Freight’s at half health and can take out purrserker, but I don’t want to switch into Rose’s GM anchor so I’m going to Riot

-Took a lot of damage in the switch, but took it out with a Max knuckle

-“I’ll show you a move that hits so hard you’ll be speechless” I doubt it

-OH GOD FAIRY MOVE

-Whatever it’s dead now

-That chuckle and clap, gg mate

-“Leon is just like a knight in shining armor coming to rescue the princess from a dragon!” Glad pokemon is finally giving lgbt representation

-Leon caught eternatus doggie doggie what now

-Side note, I just realized I haven’t used any of my dynamax candy yet. Used them all of Nosferatu for obvious reasons

-And Leon hasn’t defeated eternatus yet great

-A fucking pokeball, Leon? Really?

-Okay were fighting this thing now I guess

Eternatus

-Snowball dodged a flamethrower out of love and took away half of eternatus’s health with aurora beam!

-Switching to Freight, tanked a dragon pulse. Almost died to a crit dragon pulse, but got it into red with a rock slide

-Switched to Nos, took slightly less than half damage from a dragon pulse

-Killed it with ice fang

-OH GOD IT DYNAMAXED

-Time for round 2?

-ITS A RAID BATTLE WIRH HOP!

-Oh god Snowball can’t attack and Eternatus is storing power

-Time for sword and shield

-The gods dogs jesused and teleported to us! They saved Snowball!

-And now we’re in box art form!

-Now it’s a real max raid battle! We got four fighters, three of which exist solely to take hits for Snowball

-It’s potswick! Wait, no, it’s everywhere!

-God dogs have abilities that buff each other that’s cool

-Shield dog uses light screen and sword dog used howl!

-Good job Snowball, tank that G-Move

-Eat Ice, dragon fuckboy

-Quiver dance time!

-Behemoth blade and bash!

-Snowball, put this mother fucker on ice

-Okay it would have been cooler if that killed but sure that’s fine

-And sword dog steals the kill!

-Oh, I have to catch it? I’d prefer to kill it but this is fine I guess

-I used an Ultra ball, Leon. Take notes

-Welcome to the box, Eternatus. Or should I say, “XD lol haha”

-Yeah I gave it a lame name because it’s evil

-Bye bye doggies

-Time to take on Leon, for real this time. I could swap someone for XD lol haha, but that isn’t my style. I’m winning this with the team that got me here. And also Warrior

-No major changes for the final battle. Swapped Freight’s Rocky Helmet and Nos’s Assault Vest, replaced Tar Shot with Giga Impact, and evened the team out to level 61 with rare candies

-I’ve loved this game and it’s climax, but the end is here. Let’s look over who we have with us. Also the only girl which is weird

-Freight, the longest lasting member of the team who’s carried me through countless battles

-HV, who I raised from a baby and is our greatest offensive powerhouse

-Nosferatu, who was brought on after the deaths of his brother Dracula and JORSTIN. He quickly proved himself a vital member of the team

-Riot, who fought his way on by killing Mondo and proved to useful to hate

-Snowball, a late member who I spent hours bonding with the evolve

-And Warrior, who I have literally never used in battle

-It’s time to take on Leon

Champion Leon

-He’s starting with an Aegislash, so I’m swapping Snowball for Freight

-Side note, the champion wielding aegislash is so fitting

-I love this theme

-Ha! It used King’s Shield!

-Sacred sword hurt, but Heat Crash took it out

-Swapped to Haxorus, I’m swapping to Snowball

-Good thing I did, cause he used earthquake

-Risking a quiver dance

-And he killed Snowball with iron tail fuck

-Time for Warrior to justify his existence!

-Almost died to outrage and only did half hp with ice punch good job buddy

-Now, this may seem mean, but I’m not going to switch. Letting Warrior die gives me a free switch to HV, who can take out Haxorus and sweep most of Leon’s team

-With Choice Scarf HV boombursted Haxorus to death

-Inteleon! Yes! He kept it!

-Critical hit! It’s dead now

-Mr Rhine tanked a boomburst and killed HV with psychic

-FUCK I THOUGHT IT WAS ICE NOW

-Going to Nos and Dming. Max rockfall crushed it

-Okay, Dragapukt is definetly a dragon flying. It paralyzed Nos with thunderbolt, but he’s still in the green

-Enter The Charizard

-You know, I mentioned my feelings about GM Charizard earlier and I’d like to reiterate it. I hate Charizard spam, but it is a cool design and I like the idea of the champion having a Charizard as a starter and having won at ten

-OH GOD MAX OVERGROWTH NOS IS DEAD

-Switching to Freight, it used Max Rockfall but I survived and got off a rock slide. I won’t survive another one so I’m switching to Riot

-Okay, Riot is in the green and Charizard isn’t giga anymore. Now what?

-And it killed Riot with Fire Blast

-Leon Used a full restore because he’s a cunt

-Okay, this is it. I’m ending this with a rock slide. For Apollo and Dracula and Bob Murray and Idol and JORSTIN and Ophelia and Mondo and Chaos and Pluck and Echo and Snowball and Warrior and High Voltage and Nosferatu and Riot and every Pokémon in the box and Freight and for me, I’m taking you down!

-It survives with a sliver of health

-And it died to the sandstorm I created

-It’s over. It’s finally over

-I mean, I know there will be a post credits battle because every game in the past six years has had one, but it’s over

-Ten days, ten posts, fifteen fallen friends, and it is finally over

-And what a final battle it was

-“Thank you for the greatest battle I’ve ever had” same brah

-To think that I, Blinkin, a young blind British boy with a dream could defeat every powerful trainer in the country in less than a fortnight

-Okay, while the credits roll I’d like to talk about this game. This isn’t a formal review, just some thoughts. This has been the most contentious pokemon game in a while and I’d like to say that I...absolutely loved it. The new Pokémon were creative and fun, the wild area was a great idea I’d love to see expanded in future games, dynamaxing was surprisingly tactical, the characters were surprisingly engrossing. This game was amazing. It wasn’t perfect (linearity, exp share always on, lack of turning animations), but most problems I can think of are nitpicks. But, of course, there is the Cufant in the room: Dexit. Dexit was horrible for collectors and some competitive battlers, I’m not denying that, and there are deeper conversations about game freak as a company that I’d like to have on a later date, but honestly? Dexit didn’t affect my enjoyment of the game at all. I almost exclusively do challenge runs, so I rarely care about the national dex or post game. And, as a game for challenge runs, this game is amazing. X and Y are actually some of my favorite Pokémon games to play just because there are so many different Pokémon and team combinations to try. I think those games had ~450 Pokémon in their regional dex and this game had about the same, and that really goes a long way. Take Black and White, for instance. How many Pokémon were in that game. You might say 500ish, but I don’t see it that way. There are 150 Pokémon you can catch. Less than that, counting version exclusives. So yeah, there were more Pokémon programmed into that game, but you don’t see most of them without importing them from another game. Even with Dexit, this game felt like it had more Pokémon than any I’ve ever played. And again, I feel for the collectors, but I’m not going to not enjoy a great game because of an aspect that doesn’t effect me at all. Let’s get off Dexit. There are two aspects of this game that stand out as especially good. The first is the Galar region. This region was filled with so much charm and care that I could barely put it down. I love Galar, this beautiful country filled with so much goddamn British culture that I can barely breathe. The second reason I love this game is the League. This game breathed new life into the series and featured hands down the best league in any game. I felt, more than in any game, like pursuing the title of Champion was my goal. The stadiums of cheering crowds, the tournament at the end, that brutal champion battle, I loved this league.

-Anyway, lets make fun of the credits

-Oh right, the art director was the Englishman

-Legit, the other guys at Gamfreak call him the Englishman in interviews. Anyway, that explains a lot about this game

-Rock band!

-Okay, these Pokémon are all based on the idea of hardcore British rock and the credits theme is very much not that

-Hey, gym banners.

-They have the fighting banner even though she is sword exclusive

-Side note, when the mentioned minor league leaders I hoped that they would be fightable. Maybe in the post game

-Oh right, in sword the ice towns leader uses rock types. Maybe a Coalossal for the steam theme?

-Oh hey Leon banner

-Yeah I don’t have a lot to say about credits

-WOLLOO

-Huh, no post credits battle

-Okay, Full disclosure, I was spoiled that you fight Hop in the forest and assumed that that would be the post credits scene. When I booted the game up again it showed the forest so I’m going to go check it out

-Thank you for the master ball old lady foster

-Okay Hop, lets go. You vs my remaining team

Hop

-Dubwool did jack shit and went down to two Heat Crashes

-Snorlax killed Freight with a High Horsepower

-You know what? Good job, kid. You earned this

-Now to send out XD lol haha end exterminate Hops fucking bloodline

-Oh, you used a full restore, Hoppy boy? Well, I don’t see why I shouldn’t use the thirty full restore in my bag to destroy everything you love

-Eat shit Hop

-“Congrats on Beating Leon” “It was nothing”

-Oh Sonia’s the Professor now okay

-Thank you for the book, it is going on eBay

-These men have sword and shield hair what the fuck

-You gave Sonia’s book one star? I’ll fucking kill you

-Who the fuck named their sons Sordbord and Shielbert

-I hate these men and want them dead

-Oh, you’re princes? A shame I don’t have any Pokémon who know guillotine

-Okay, Nofumi but somehow even more insufferable, I’ll take you out with my god

-So were doing the aftergame now extra long post I guess

-Of course he has a sirfetched

-What is a king to a god fuckboi?

-The god is me, by the way. Not Eternatus

-Goddamn it Hop

-Okay, fuck it. I can’t beat this losers with only Eternatus. Time to sacrifice XD lol haha to Ghiratina to bring my whole team back yes this is in the Nuzlocke rules

-Are they not going to give Sonia’s girlfriend a name?

-Dynamax In trufield better be something new and cool

-Ugh, it’s just leggy onion. Whatever, lets raid it

-That sounded better in my head

-RARE CARDS I WANT THEM

-God I hate these guys

-I can exaggerate? Hell yeah!

-Piers is an ex leader? So Marnie’s a leader now cool

-So am I just going to visit all of the leaders again? Well that part can be skipped in the notes unless something cool happens

-Okay, it was only the first trio

-Good time my team are immortal zombies because Sword jackass oneshoted freight with his golispod and shield bro one shotted Echo with his Falinks

-Nameless assistant! How dare you betray us!

-Okay, I’m out of battery. Delaying this post til tomorrow so I can finish the aftergame

-What’s up It tomorrow I killed a frosslass and Haxorus and dusknoir. Saved Bede for last because he’s a prick.

-Okay, Bede beat the dynamax pokemon on his own and wants a fight cool

-Side note, Rapidash and Hatterene are both psychic fairy and it’s a miracle I didn’t loose Echo to Bede in session 9

-Burn up is such a cool move

-It was fun beating you again Bede eat shit and die

-Yamper is a good boy

-Oh, douchebags are evil because we revealed historically accuracy that makes them look bad

-Stop being mad to god dogs

-Kill him sword dog! Do it!

-Side note, it’s interesting that this game features both legendaries pretty equally

-Okay sword dog is dead now where’s the real dog god

-Shield Dog! I’m glad you’re hear, but you don’t have to waste your time saving Hop. A little stabbing could help the boy

-Also both god dogs have messed up ears that’s interesting

-Eat the bad man, Shield Dog!

-Okay, I can catch Zamazenta now

-You know what’s bullshit? If I hadn’t messed up the the naming convention Zamazenta would have a Z name. I mean, I could skip to Z, but then there’d be no Y

-The shields fixed his ear cool

-Okay, I know I caught XD lol haha here, but I’ve already dropped Nuzlocke rules so I’m catching this good boy with the master ball

-Welcome to the team, Yorrick

-Okay, lets go kick Hops ass for a final time

-Legit I would not be able to beat Hops final team if I was still Nuzlocking

-You want to be a professor, Hop? Isn’t that sweet, you think you can get a doctorate

-YES! I AM THE KING NOW. AS FIRST DECREE I ABOLISH THE MONARCHY PLEASE DONT GUILLOTINE ME

-I know that the Battle Tower and League Rematches are in this game but I’m going to end this here. Thank you so much for reading and following me on this journey

#pokemon #nuzlocke #pokemon nuzloke #pokemon shield #pokemon sword and shield

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jarmes · 6 years ago

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Blind Shield Nuzlocke Notes 7

-Starting session whatever number I’m on. current team: Freight the Coalossal, Riot the Falinks, High Voltage the Toxtricity, Chaos the Orbeetle, Nosferatu the Dreadnaw, Echo the Obstagoon

-Didn’t have a chance to explore chirchester last time, doing it now

-This woman has a coalcart thing to keep her warm

-“Are snowmen pokemon?” Yes they are, small child. Every summer they die in mass

-“I can’t sleep without Whimsicott’s lovely floof” yes yes yes

-This hotel is really fancy

-Oh look game freak men. Watch as they break the fourth wall! If they wanted they could erase you from existence because they are THE GODS OF THIS WORLD

-“I’ll become champion using an all pikachu team!” Sure thing kid

-I walked into a whodunnit! The photo is the clue, look at the letters on the boat!

-That was easy I want Danganronpa levels of bullshit complexity

-Popped down to Route 9, caught Tammy the Pinchurin

-Okay, lets check out the gym

-Oh great ballbomination is mooning me now

-Neat puzzle. It’s no match for my galaxy brain, but it’s near

-Not too worried about this one. I have a rock fire, rock water, and fighting Pokémon

-Frossmoth went down to Riot, but it weakened them enough that I had to switch and got off a hail

-Switching to Nosferatu to take out Darmanitan.

-Look at that, it’s a snowman who went down to a few rock blasts. Switching to Freight to take out the Eiscue.

-Full disclosure, I know how this one works. But, because I’m trying to stay blind, I’m going to pretend it’s a new Pokémon and do what I would normally do: use rock blast. Fortunately, this thing can’t hurt me

-Switching to HV to take on Lapras. Let’s dynamax this motherfucker

-Oh cool music scales

-OH SHIT MAX LIGHTNING DIDNT KILL

-And Lapras’s signature move did jack shit and I killed it in two

-Two more gyms remain, Team Yell’s dark gym and Hat man’s dragon gym

-Bobs your uncle does not sound like a good restaurant

-Bob is part of the legend!

-God dog is in the forest so we’re going to a community bath instead

-Gove it a rest, Hop. You can’t beat me

-Yay! I can ride my bike on water now. Like Jesus.

-Why are these people in swimsuits it’s freezing out

-Lost Chaos to a wild Grappaloct, replaced her with Pluck the Corvisquire. Rest In Peace, you wonderful abomination

-Decided to go back and collect the surf items. Ended up catching Uma the Hattrem in the Motostoke Riverbed Wild Area.

-Fed a bunch of candy to pluck. He evolved

-There’s a policeman on route 9 who has a team of doggies

-Caught Viking the Puurserker

-And spikemuth is locked. Horray.

-Time to sneak in!

-Time to take on Marnie, the rival we’ve fought the least

-Oh god she has three dark types

-Oh god Hop is the most competent rival

-“Here’s a special move I’ve been saving” uses spark

-Hell yeah, shady crime town!

-Oh shit the whole town is a gym

-The gym leader is a rock star hell yeah

-Mr Mime you son of a bitch

-“I’m yelling for no reason!”

-“I surprised by how much my legs hurt from [jumping out a window]”

-Backflipping grunts!

-Piers is awesome

-piers, buddy, stop announcing your strategy

-Side note, it’s a nice touch that all of piers’s Pokémon are stored in dusk balls

-Riot took Liepard and Obstsgoon, Echo took Malamar, and Pluck finished off the Skunktank. Gg, Piers

-Marnie turning down a gym leader job because she’s going to be champion is big dick energy

-Shits blowing up, but I’m gonna deal with that next time because my switch is dead

#nuzlocke #pokemon nuzloke #pokemon shield #pokemon sword and shield

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ohthehypocrisy · 2 years ago

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Hariyama for Pokemon Unite!

Season 1

Prev: Torterra - Scrafty - Starmie - Luvdisc - Boltund - Tinkaton - Rampardos - Bronzong - Delibird - Polteageist - Falinks

It is a common misconception that any and all Fighting type Pokemon are these well built, able bodied, muscular creatures that can snap a regular man like a twig. It’s true that the essence of being a Fighting Type means reaching the pinnacle of physique and strength, mastering both body and mind with discipline and training.

And then there are the chunky boys. Very rare, but there are Fighting Types that have a lot of flab on their bodies, and they aren’t ashamed of it. Pangoro, Emboar, Throh maybe, and of course, Hariyama, the mold breaker of the Fighting Type gold standard. Rather than shedding that weight, Hariyama uses it to its advantage, holding onto all that mass to make it harder to knock away and knock down. I would dare say that it makes for a very effective bodyguard in some aspect.

But how well would it do in Pokemon Unite? Let’s find out!

Right away, Hariyama’s most impressive stats are its monstrously high HP and Attack. Such a high HP value is very rare, and the only pokemon in Unite that have more fat on them than Hariyama is Blissey and Snorlax. Wigglytuff actually has slightly less HP, but it uses that stat to support the team rather than to take hits. The high Attack is also a great plus, as it can use the HP to tank a hit and then retaliate with a bone breaking slap. Unfortunately, the rest of its stats are incredibly low, lacking in Sp. Atk, Speed, and defenses. It seems that Hariyama relies on its massive HP to block most of the attacks aimed its way and uses the opening created afterwards for a counterattack. The ability to take hits and deal heavy blows in exchange is one of the hallmark strategies notable of a...

Defender

Basic Attack - Melee/Attack

A stomp with one foot followed by another. The basic attack becomes boosted afterward. Delivers a two handed strike that shoves enemies backwards.

The attack is used 3 times in quick succession and cannot be retained. Before the final hit, you can still turn and aim the attack.

X Attack and other modifiers can increase the speed of the overall attack.

If the attack is stifled by a hindrance, the attack starts over.

With a mighty set of stomps, Hariyama holds its ground and is ready to play rough. This attack resembles the foot stomps sumo wrestlers do before a match begins. Of course, it’s kind of odd for Hariyama to stunt this move when the match started a couple minutes ago. Never too late to honorably stomp your enemies face in, I suppose.

This basic attack is great at keeping enemies away, but it does very little to engage them actively. You can’t really chase after an enemy since the basic attack only shoves at the end of the move, and there is just enough time for an enemy to run away from you when you start stomping. For what it’s worth, the ability to shove enemies without needing to use a move is a pretty notable boon for a Defender to have. It just comes at the cost of limited range and application.

What’s worse is that it lacks any protection. Getting stifled by a hindrance forces the attack to start over, which makes it difficult for Hariyama to challenge a lane push. You have about half a second to turn and aim where the final hit goes, though, so if you’re propped up in an Ally Goal Zone you can knock enemies away trying to score.

While the attack goes through all 3 hits automatically, it is still classified as a boosted basic attack in order to activate some items and effects. Speaking of which, modifiers make the attack come out faster or slower, so it might be worth it to pop an X Attack in order to speed up the motions of the basic attack and shove enemies away for free. Most of the time though, Full Heal is the better option, as the basic attack comes out quickly, and being free of hindrances for the short duration provided by Full Heal can make or break a defensive play.

As if enemies would want to get near Hariyama, though. It’s got a pretty nifty ability that makes it really hard to approach.

Ability: Thick Fat

When the pokemon receives damage from a Dash Attack Move, the move is cancelled and the attacker is bounced backwards. This ability goes on cooldown afterwards. The cooldown is reduced by 1 second when the pokemon deals damage with a move. In addition, the ability halves the distance of Shove hindrances it receives.

Thick Fat goes on cooldown for 10 seconds after it is activated. The ability icon is displayed by your HP bar

Thick Fat does not stop the pokemon from receiving damage, hindrances, or debuffs.

All attackers are bounced back the same distance and are stunned for 0.5 seconds. Thick Fat inflicts a hindrance on attackers so it can be blocked by Full Heal or other hindrance protection. If this happens, Thick Fat will still go on cooldown.

The ability to halve Shove distance affects Hariyama even when Thick Fat is activated and on cooldown.

In martial arts, weight is power. And that couldn’t be more true for a pokemon that weighs as much as 560 lbs like Hariyama.

All that weight and fat is backed up by a wall of muscle, so not only is it thicker than a sandbag, it hits back just as hard. When an enemy dives in to attack Hariyama with a Dash Attack, the attack will be cancelled and immediately go on cooldown. It doesn’t stop Hariyama from receiving the effects of damage, hindrances, or buffs or debuffs, but it keeps some pokemon from using their moves effectively. For example, Absol’s Night Slash is a two part attack that requires an enemy to get hit by the first cut before becoming the much more powerful slash attack it is. If Hariyama intercepts that first attack, it forces Absol to rebound and locks them out from the other half of the move, depriving them of that burst damage.

It will do this to all pokemon moves classified as Dash Attacks. Basically, if you can’t use it within an opposing Clefable’s Gravity, assume that it would bounce off of Hariyama as well. There are a few exceptions to this rule, and that is that Thick Fat activates when it receives damage from a Dash Attack move. While Dragonite cannot use Dragon Dance within Clefable’s Gravity, Hariyama’s Thick Fat would not block Dragon Dance from being activated, even if Dragonite where to Dash directly into Hariyama while Thick Fat is active. That is because Dragon Dance is not a damaging move. Similar exceptions include Greninja’s Double Team/Smokescreen and Sylveon’s Mystical Fire. While these moves do buff the pokemon, the Dash portion of the moves do not deal damage and will not activate Thick Fat if they dash into Hariyama.

Speaking of which, Thick Fat has a cooldown when it does block an attack. Unfortunately, it takes 10 seconds before the ability is ready to block another attack, which is more time than it takes for that same Dash Attack to come off of cooldown. You can alleviate this by dealing damage with your moves though, but this does little to help you when multiple enemies are challenging you and your Goal Zone. More enemies will make it easier to reduce the cooldown of Thick Fat by hitting them all with your moves, but keep in mind that the ability does not stop Dash Attacks from dealing damage and inflicting hindrances. Having an ally around can lighten the load for you and can even take advantage of the opening provided by Thick Fat bouncing an enemy back.

In addition, Thick Fat also grants you reduced Shove distance, making it harder for opposing Defenders to swat you away. All that sumo training really benefits Hariyama in helping it stay in the fight. How about that?

At the start of the game, Hariyama will start out as Makuhita. You can choose between Fake Out or Smelling Salts as your first move. By Level 3, you will have learned both.

Move 1: Fake Out

Charges forward quickly and delivers a stunning clap, damaging and stunning enemies caught at the end of the move. 6.5s cooldown.

If Fake Out hits an enemy near the end of the move, they are stunned for 1.5 seconds.

Enemies hit near the beginning of the move will receive damage but will not be stunned.

Dash moves are very valuable for Defenders, as they allow the pokemon to cover distance and can help them defend a wider area. Fake Out comes with a great Stun effect if you hit an enemy in the sweet spot. It also comes with a relatively low cooldown, making it very effective at closing the distance repeatedly.

The sweet spot requires proper positioning and predicting, though. If you manage to hit an enemy at the very end of the move, you’ll have a very long 1.5 seconds of Stun to work with, which can turn into an easy KO against opposing Attackers. The more agile enemies will be harder to hit, and that low 6.5 seconds of cooldown will feel like an eternity as you watch your target dash further and further away from you.

Luckily, Makuhita learns another move that combos well with Fake Out.

Move 2: Smelling Salts

Put your hands together and clap loudly, dealing damage to enemies close by. Damaging an enemy that is stunned causes this move to deal double damage. 8s cooldown.

The attack hits all enemies within a half circle radius in front of Makuhita/Hariyama. Damaging a stunned enemy deals double damage.

Smelling Salts will also deal double damage to enemies incapacitated, bound, thrown, or frozen.

The range is deceptively small, but Smelling Salts is a powerful move if you manage to combo a successful Fake Out into the move. Hit a stunned enemy with Smelling Salts before the stun wears off and you’ll deal double damage.

You don’t even have to inflict the stun yourself, as it will deal double damage if the enemy is hindered by stun inflicted by an ally. Not only that, it’ll also work on enemies struck with incapacitation, freeze, or bound. Thrown enemies receive double damage as well, but because of how short the hindrance is, you’ll be lucky to land the attack in time.

If you don’t recognize the move Smelling Salts, it’s the signature move of the Hariyama line. Or, at least, it was, before the move got removed from all future games past Generation 7. I mean, I’m not too miffed about the move as I was about Beedrill losing Twineedle in the transition, but it always sucks when a signature move gets deleted from the game.

In Pokemon Unite, these moves are remembered and honored, and, let’s be honest, way more useful here than in the traditional games.

At Level 5, Makuhita will evolve into Hariyama. At the same time, Fake Out becomes either Arm Thrust or Force Palm.

Move 1a: Arm Thrust

Deliver a short ranged open palm thrust that pushes you forward a little. Enemies caught in the attack will be pushed back and stunned briefly, as well as receive damage. Destroys enemy ranged basic attacks as the move is used. The move can be used up to 5 times before going on cooldown. 11s cooldown.

At Level 11, Arm Thrust becomes Arm Thrust+.

Becomes resistant to hindrances while attacking. The last hit of Arm Thrust+ deals more stun.

You have 0.75 seconds to use the attack again before it goes on cooldown. During this time, you can aim the attack.

Enemies are shoved a little bit, keeping them in range for the next hit of Arm Thrust.

Intercepting ranged attacks with this move also blocks the damage of those moves.

Arm Thrust stuns enemies for 0.5 seconds with each hit. Arm Thrust+ deals 1 second of stun with the last hit.

Now we’re getting somewhere. When Makuhita evolves into Hariyama, its hands massively increase in surface area. Those hands can hold a lot of things, but they can also hit a lot of things too, and really hard.

By thrusting its arms out, those hands deliver an open palm strike that stuns enemies and knocks them back a bit. If you’re quick enough, you can use the attack again to deliver a followup slap forward. Hariyama moves a bit as they attack with Arm Thrust, so you are able to cancel the attack by not attacking in order to avoid overextending and rushing into enemy territory.

However, Arm Thrust grants Hariyama a lot of impunity when engaging the enemy team. It has the effect of destroying ranged basic attacks that it crosses with as it is using the move, making it difficult for ranged attackers to deal damage safely from afar. Melee attacks will damage Hariyama just fine, but the exponential risk of being pushed back by Arm Thrust is simply not worth it. Arm Thrust+ also grants you hindrance resistance, making it even harder for Hariyama to be stopped by the enemy when it gets going.

Here’s something I haven’t touched on. Each hit of Arm Thrust lowers the cooldown of Thick Fat after it is activated, and the cooldown lowers for each separate enemy. Fake Out can also hit multiple enemies, but it’s best used with proper positioning for the stun effect. Arm Thrust improves on Fake Out in every single way in that you can shove and stun enemies repeatedly as you move about while using the move, and each hit can speed up Thick Fat’s cooldown. If you manage to hit multiple enemies, you’ll even get Thick Fat reactivated in the middle of the attack, greatly compounding your defensive utility.

The long cooldown of the move is its only downside. Other than that, you’re practically invincible while using Arm Thrust. However, you also aren’t very speedy and the opposing team can simply back off and wait for you to exhaust all 5 slaps before the move has to go on cooldown. You’ll be in trouble then, as your only other move at this point would be Smelling Salts, and you’ll likely want to use the move immediately after Arm Thrust stuns the enemy.

If you want to be a little faster, Force Palm is another alternative.

Move 1b: Force Palm

A charging thrust attack with an open palm, stunning all enemies caught in the attack. The stun effect increases the further away the enemy is. 10s cooldown.

At Level 11, Force Palm becomes Force Palm+.

A followup attack can be used where a second strike greatly shoves an enemy away.

Stuns all enemies caught in the attack. The further the attack travels the greater the stun. The minimum stun is 0.25 seconds near the beginning of the move. The maximum stun is 1.75 seconds near the end of the dash attack.

Force Palm+ has a followup attack where enemies are shoved very far away. You have 0.25 seconds to use it before the move goes on cooldown. The second strike of Force Palm+ has 0.75 seconds of windup before the attack comes out.

Force Palm covers more distance than Fake Out, and yet it improves upon the move in every way by stunning all enemies caught in the attack, no matter where they were. However, the stun effect increases with proper spacing and prediction, delivering a powerful 1.75 seconds of cooldown if you sweet spot the attack at the end of the move.

Dealing a successful stun with Force Palm allows you and your teammates to follow up with just about any move, but at this point, you’ll most likely deliver a Smelling Salts to tack on the damage. Smelling Salts delivers only damage and provides no other effect, so it’s a great plus to the combination and is even likely to KO an unfortunate Attacker. Force Palm by itself helps you cover a lot of distance in one go and can even halt an enemy’s scoring efforts if you manage to get the positioning right.

While it doesn’t offer the same sort of damage soaking ability as Arm Thrust, Force Palm has a surprising combo with Thick Fat. See, all enemies that activate Thick Fat are stunned and knocked back the same amount of distance. It’s like kicking a ball into a wall, rebounding backwards, except the attacker is the ball and Hariyama with an active Thick Fat is the wall. In the short amount of time you have to counter an enemy knocked backwards by Thick Fat, you can reposition yourself and aim for the sweet spot with Force Palm, turning their aggression back on them and locking the enemy down long enough for you and your teammates to finish the job. It requires having Thick Fat ready to use, but Force Palm also has 10 seconds of cooldown, allowing both to possibly be ready at the same time (barring cooldown manipulation emblems and Thick Fat’s ability to reduce its own cooldown and stuff...)

Force Palm+ tacks on a second hit that can be used after dashing with the move, delivering a second mighty slap that stuns and knocks enemies away. You’ll have forgotten Smelling Salts when you get this upgrade, so don’t worry about delivering that combo. Speaking of Smelling Salts, it becomes a much more reliable move at Level 7.

At Level 7, Smelling Salts becomes either Wake-Up Slap or Vital Throw.

Move 2a: Wake-Up Slap

A wide ranged slap that damages all enemies in front of you. If you damage a stunned enemy, deal double damage and resets the cooldown of your other move. 10s cooldown.

At Level 13, Wake-Up Slap becomes Wake-Up Slap+.

Deals more damage and pierces shields on stunned enemies.

Wake-Up Slap damages all enemies in a wide conical area in front of you.

Wake-Up Slap+ deals 2.75x more damage to stunned enemies and will also deal pierce damage.

Wake-Up Slap deals boosted damage to enemies that are also incapacitated, bound, asleep, or frozen.

Wake-Up Slap deals damage in a wider area than Smelling Salts, but only because Hariyama’s hands are much bigger. That said, the extra damage effect is much stronger when you hit an enemy under the right conditions.

After using Arm Thrust or Force Palm, Wake-Up Slap will deal double the damage to an enemy stunned by those moves. Same as Smelling Salts, but it has a little more range and has the extra effect of resetting the cooldown of that other move. The ability to reset the cooldown of either Arm Thrust or Force Palm vastly improves your defending abilities and makes it much easier to reactivate Thick Fat. You can expect to utilize Thick Fat repeatedly in the middle of a team fight by using the combo of Move 1, Wake-Up Slap, and then Move 1 again. Hitting multiple enemies in one go repeatedly greatly increases the effectiveness of your ability to defend.

Wake-Up Slap+ deals even more damage and can deliver piercing damage to enemies with shields. It’s really unfortunate that shields don’t protect you from hindrances, barring Blissey’s Safeguard, but this upgrade greatly improves Hariyama’s match-up against sturdy All-Rounders and Defenders that really on their shields to tank burst damage. you can even use the shield piercing effect to challenge enemies on their own Goal Zones, using your shove effects to push them out and away and giving your team some space. The upgrade comes a little late though, but for the most part, Wake-Up Slap is a very effective tool you have at your disposal to defend.

However, let’s not forget that Hariyama is a sumo wrestler. And what do sumo wrestlers do? They throw people, hard.

Move 2b: Vital Throw

Raise one foot and bring it down, throwing all enemies nearby. Target a nearby enemy and the pokemon will rush in and grab them before throwing them in a chosen direction. The enemy becomes a projectile that shoves and damages any other enemy caught in the attack. If you KO an enemy with this move, resets the cooldown of your other move. 11s cooldown.

At Level 13, Vital Throw becomes Vital Throw+.

Increases damage dealt to both the thrown enemy and the receiving enemy. Also deals piercing damage.

After Vital Throw deals damage, you have 0.75 seconds to target an enemy. After targeting, Hariyama will dash towards and grab the enemy and throws them in a given direction. If no direction is chosen, Hariyama throws the pokemon in the same direction they dashed.

Vital Throw will fail if the chosen enemy has hindrance protection. Hariyama will not dash towards any enemy that aren’t in range after the first hit of Vital Throw.

Vital Throw will still fail if an enemy that was hit by the first part of the move is taken out of range of the follow up grab.

The thrown enemy becomes a projectile and will shove all other enemies caught in the attack in the same direction.

The thrown enemy will only receive damage if they collide with an opposing pokemon.

If you don’t aim, the move will automatically target an enemy to grab and aim at the nearest viable target.

Sumo Wrestling is all about the three G’s; Girth, Grit, and Gains. Gotta have Girth to stand with the best of them, gotta have Grit to stay there, and you gotta Gain a lot of power and weight to throw around as well. If you lack any of these G’s, you can expect to be thrown out of the ring unceremoniously with Vital Throw.

The first stomp weeds out the weaklings from the heavy hitters, throwing them up into the air and at your mercy. Afterwards, you can target any one of these poor saps to grab and throw in your desired direction. You’ve only got a small amount of time to pick and choose who you’re gonna throw, but once you’got your hands them, you’ll send them flying. You can even throw the target at another enemy to really rack up the damage and send two enemies flying for the price of one.

Vital Throw is an extremely effective move to use in crowds as you can halt all offensive and scoring efforts and just grab and throw somebody. Being able to completely stuff a lane push is Vital Throw’s most valuable ability over Wake-Up Slap, but it has its own downsides.

While Vital Throw is also able to reset the cooldown of Move 1, just like Wake-Up Slap, it requires scoring a KO for that to happen. Now don’t get me wrong, getting KO’s as a Defender is easy, but not the most important thing for a Defender to do. Your main objective is to stop the enemy from going any further within your territory. Getting a KO is one way of doing it, but it should never be done so at the cost of losing a Goal Zone. That said, it is slightly easier to pull this off with Vital Throw, as you can damage two enemies at once, either of which could be a frail Attacker or Speedster, especially if they’ve been weakened with some prior hits.

Vital Throw+ makes that easier by dealing extra damage overall, and makes it piercing damage dealt to both the thrown enemy and the receiving enemy. Of course, it all depends on getting that shot lined up nice and easy. Most frail Attackers and Speedsters have mobility options they can use to get themselves out of a sticky situation, so not only is it possible for them to evade getting hit by a thrown enemy, but also avoid getting hit by the grab altogether. Vital Throw will only connect if it manages to knock an enemy up into the air, allowing that enemy to be targeted by the follow up grab. However, if the enemy has protections against hindrances or can evade the attack by becoming invulnerable, Vital Throw won’t connect the grab. If you miss, there’s an agonizingly long 11 second wait time before you can try again.

But if you manage to connect all the hits and even get a KO out of the interaction, your ability to defend greatly increases as refreshing the cooldown of your other move means you’ll have less enemies to defend against. Ain’t no one gonna get past this hulking handler unscathed.

Unite Move: Ring King

A large rope ring is established around Hariyama. For 10 seconds, any opposing pokemon that is Shoved out of the ring will be instantly warped back to their home base. If an enemy was KO’d while within the ring, their respawn timer is extended.

Enemies will only be warped back to their base if they were shoved out of the ring, not shoved into it.

Only Hariyama can send enemies away with their shove effects. The extended respawn timer effect can be activated by any ally that KOs an enemy pokemon.

Thick Fat can send an enemy back to base if they are Shoved out of the ring by its effect.

A KO’d enemy will have their respawn timer extended by 1.2x seconds.

Hariyama throws a fistful of salt into the air when the Unite Move is used as the ring appears. This is solely a visual effect.

Either go big or go home, that’s Hariyama’s motto, having trained its body to its massive size and has developed the Unite Move in order to send its enemies home literally.

By setting up a sumo ring in the middle of the match, Hariyama plays a not so friendly game of wrestling with the enemy. If an enemy enters the ring, they are liable to get knocked back so hard they are warped back to their home base. That’s not an appealing prospect, but Hariyama can throw down anywhere, any time with this Unite Move.

As the user of the move, only Hariyama can send enemies back to base with its Shove effects. That makes it detrimental for its allies to join in on the pushing game, but that just means they can use their own hindrances to either shove enemies into the ring or even keep them from leaving. Given that 3 of your 4 possible moves can Shove, it’s very easy for you to pull off a successful ring out, ensuring that wherever you choose to set the arena is very well secured by you.

Of course, this also means that Hariyama itself has to be within its own Unite Move to do anything, but it doesn’t gain any form of protection from activating it barring Buddy Barrier. You can be knocked out and stunned by hindrances as well, but you won’t get forced back to base as you would your opponents. It’s just very hard to shove enemies out of the ring if you yourself got thrown out of it.

Not only that, you only have 10 seconds to throw at least one enemy out with your moves, which isn’t a lot of time to work with. None of your moves have less than 10 seconds of cooldown, barring Black Emblems reducing that timer but even still, missing with just one move locks you out of the ability to shove with that move until the Unite Move ends. This is why Wake-Up Slap and Vital Throw have the ability to reset the cooldown of your other move, to incentivize the player to master these moves.

But with enough discipline and maturity, you too can be a sumo king, just like Hariyama.

Holowear

With Hariyama’s big body, there’s a lot of space for us to work with. However, sumo wrestlers fight without any clothing aside from that loincloth called a mawashi. But then again, Pokemon Unite isn’t exactly a game of sumo, and it isn’t exactly a typical pokemon battle either. What I’m saying is, since Hariyama is a pokemon inspired by sumo wrestling, it should be okay to give it some virtual clothes, provided they don’t detract from the overall aesthetic.

First up is Vacation Style, giving Hariyama a large tropical shirt, hat, and some sunglasses. Then there’s Bodyguard Style, giving it a fancy black suit and tie along with some black glasses and a radio headpiece. Chef Style gives it a white cook shirt along with a sushi chef’s hat and a sash with sushi preparation tools hanging off to the side. Training Style puts Hariyama in a monk’s robe and gives it a bead necklace to wear along with some warding tags. Finally, there’s Cowboy Style that gives it a big cowboy hat and leather vest along with a belt and holster along with some old fashioned hand cuffs.

Whatever Hariyama wears tends to command a lot of authority, so it only makes sense to give it Holowear that fulfills that feeling.

Strategy

A lot of Hariyama’s successful plays will be centered around getting the position of the enemy just right in order to maximize the effects of its moves. Force Palm and Wake-Up Slap are two such moves that benefit from getting that sweet spot just right, rewarding accuracy with perfect defense. Arm Thrust and Vital Throw however manipulate the positioning of your enemies by shoving and throwing them away, making it easier to defend but harder to use safely.

The most important aspect of Hariyama is its Thick Fat ability, granting it a way to shut down almost all Dash Attacks. If you are good at lowering the cooldown of Thick Fat by using your moves, you can very easily become the bane of Speedsters who rely on their Dash Attacks to deal damage and move around the map. It’s a great compromise since using Thick Fat means getting hit, but you can equip items like Rocky Helmet or Weakness Policy to maximize the opening provided by the ability.

Starting out in the match, you’ll want either the Top or Bottom Lane. While both Fake Out and Smelling Salts are a powerful combo, ironically they aren’t useful moves for defending. Neither attack can push enemies and you can only stun by hitting the sweet spot with Fake Out. But in exchange, this makes your early game much easier against frail Attackers like Scorbunny and Pikachu, as they use dash moves or stuns to escape confrontation. Fake Out can easily catch a retreating Attacker and Smelling Salts can deal enough damage to score an easy KO, allowing you and a lane partner to free reign over the area.

Once you hit Level 5, you have to decide what kind of Defender you’re gonna be. If you’re really good at hitting the sweet spot with Fake Out, Force Palm is the better overall option. If you’re having trouble keeping enemies out of your Goal Zone, Arm Thrust is better, as it has wider range and can shove enemies pretty far and consistently. Both moves can combo with Smelling Salts while you still know the move, allowing you to greatly damage or even KO a weakened enemy.

At Level 7, your Smelling Salts upgrades to either Wake-Up Slap or Vital Throw. If you love the extra damage Smelling Salts allowed you to deal, Wake-Up Slap is the move of choice, as not only does it do the same thing but stronger, it’ll also refresh the cooldown of Force Palm or Arm Thrust, greatly increasing your defending potential. Vital Throw is a great move in its own right for its ability to toss enemies away as if they were cue balls on a pool table. Being able to throw and damage two enemies in one go is Vital Throw’s most valuable asset and makes it even easier to defend against aggressive enemies. And if you manage to KO an enemy in the cross fire, you’ll still get your other move refreshed, making Vital Throw preferred in matches versus frail Attackers and Speedsters.

Of course, Hariyama does have limits, and that would be its difficulty in taking continuous hits. Hariyama has little defense against hindrances and passive damage, and its range is limited as well. Having long cooldown on its moves means it cannot afford to be reckless with how it uses its moves, requiring steady aim and careful planning in order to be used effectively. Even its ability Thick Fat, despite being able to stifle most dash moves, does not protect it from damage or hindrances, meaning that Hariyama will eventually succumb to damage from a prolonged fight.

Most Defenders have ways of alleviating this weakness by either increasing the HP they can restore or by utilizing their moves for an escape plan. Trevenant has a built-in Focus Band, but its range is very limited. Snorlax can double the effects of Sitrus Berries with Gluttony, but they become rarer as the match goes on. Greedent is very good at sustaining its HP, but it’s ability to defend a single area suffers as a result. The convention continues with Hariyama, having no effective way of saving itself, but in exchange, its ability to defend is unrivaled, being a sumo wrestler and all.

Yes, a sumo wrestler trains to command the ring of battle, but it requires training and steady eating in order to reach that peak. Hariyama is no different, and must be looked after by its teammates. It will risk everything to ensure that nothing gets past it, so make sure you return the favor by keeping it well supported.

Defend your defenders.

And that’s Hariyama for Pokemon Unite! I think I speak for everyone when I say that the game could use more Defenders, and I think Hariyama would be a strong contender for the role. I mean, it literally bases its entire fighting style by throwing weaklings out of its arena, so it would fit right in.

Next up we’ve got another Attacker on the list. Who’s it gonna be? Follow and find out!

#Hariyama #Makuhita #Pokemon Unite

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