Bonus Prose: He tried so hard, and he came so far, and now apparently this is what Emporio gets for his struggles.
Hell. Actual hell.
(It really do be that way sometimes.)
Emporio can appreciate a challenge of course, but as someone who's been taking notes and following the battles in the other brackets thus far, he recognizes a very...Very...VERY big danger in the form of Riku's team. It's not enough that these are all top running choices in any high end team. It's not even enough that the type matches immediately give most of his own team a huge run for his money.
Emporio's been watching to see precisely what moves these three have, and pretty much all of them shut his big strategy right out. Mean Look? Doesn't work on ghosts, and Hydreigon has U-Turn. Hypnosis? Sure, but he risks Sleep Talk from two out of three, and while he'd like to hope the third one doesn't have it, that's a big If. And even then, that 'big if' involves the consideration of Protean...which is a move that forces Emporio to very literally think two moves ahead of the game, since almost the entirety of Riku's team outpaces his own.
Presto being the exception against...One pokemon other than Aegislash isn't exactly a comfort.
But let it not be said that Emporio isn't going to try. He's going to fight this uphill and screaming if he's got to, and being real, he's probably got to.
And while Riku's no doubt watched and taken stock of his own habits, he's taken stock of Riku's too.
(And maybe Riku expects exactly what's coming out. But then again, maybe not. He's got to try at least, and he's going to make it as strong a showing as he can.)
In other words, using one of the many strange and verbal commands Riku no doubt knows by now, Emporio starts...with Hypnosis. Sleep talk forces a pokemon to use a move at random, and that random element, Emporio has decided, is precisely what he might need; if he can slow down the opponent's ability to set the field, then it puts him leagues ahead for the advantage.
Or well, a little more ahead at least. Ultimately, this is as uphill a battle as it gets. If Hypnosis sticks on a pokemon that doesn't leave the field, Riku's going to be faced with much the same as Emporio's prior battles- the boy wastes no time in pressing to discombobulate the opponent, even in their sleep, but more importantly in addition to the usual combos of Confuse Ray, he's got plans for the opponent's difficult typings. Sludge Bomb was a good choice, it seems, as far as moves for Oxy to learn goes- it's the only move that won't be hampered by a type disadvantage against Hydreigon, and potentially Greninja.
Of course, that comes down to what Riku dishes out against them. Emporio's watched- he knows that they use much the same stall tactics, possibly worse in Riku's case, which is part of why the boy focuses on hypnosis even now. It's harder to spam toxic and protect when you're cycling that massive move pool as displayed in the earlier matches. But there's one very specific move that could throw everything wayside if Oxy can't take the hits.
Taunt. Emporio's ready with the attack moves in that situation, but at the end of the day Taunt is a problem. It's three turns of hell that Riku no doubt has timed out, and if he's not hitting harder and faster during that process, he's out. It's likely that it'll come down to that too- does Riku come swinging just as fast, and knock them out?
Or will Riku spend more time on the field prep and evasion, giving Emporio the inch to mile that's necessary?
As it stands; Oxy has her orders, as does Domino for that matter. As the final resort, Domino's are just as 'simple' as Oxy's- while the Haunter might have differing code phrases per move just to shake things up (she is, after all, a pokemon he's trained for far longer, for far more), the phrases for Domino are all the same. When the little crocodile comes on the field though, he opens with one new thing;
HIT THEIR LAST NERVE!
Domino opens each time with Torment, and follows that with Sandstorm- but not because he intends to rely on anything like that. Instead, the hope is to bait Riku into a move that Emporio himself witnessed repeatedly in the last round. Riku will be aiming to replace that storm with rain, and that replacement gives Emporio just one bit of extra time...
And more importantly against Greninja, it'll make the frog only water type. What Domino lacks in power, his opponents have in excess; and he'll be using it against them as much as possible to that end, changing it up only when he's at a disadvantage.
But if Domino is the absolute last resort, then what of Presto?
Presto has a very limited move pool. Many, no doubt, likely assume they've seen all of her move pool in fact. Psychic terrain isn't even a naturally learned move for the Kadabra! That was a TM! But there's a chance. A slim...hair thin chance, that the audience will get a preview of what's coming, if the dice land just right. If Greninja manages to fall asleep, with Oxy in a healthy position to waste a move or so, Emporio does something....
Odd.
He switches.
Very strange, considering how rarely he ever does that. In fact he's done that basically Never in this tournament.
He switches to Presto. That's...even stranger, so what-
'Get your volunteer,' Emporio will say, and with a gesture, Presto uses Role Play...before he switches her back to Oxy, and carries on as if nothing ever happened.
Chances are far more likely of course, that Presto will simply have to open with that shouted command, proclaimed with far more urgency against a frog that's no doubt hopping and awake. With Role Play though, Presto acquires 'Protean', and the next step in the mystery comes forward. No matter how she got it, no matter what happens, there are steps that are much the same of course. Greninja and Aegislash are faced with Hypnosis with rapidity, the Kadabra needing to risk a hard blow as little as possible. But then-
'Now...LET'S START THE SHOW!' Lights! No cameras! Just dust! Presto's second TM move finally hits the field, as Dazzling Gleam comes forward- with any luck working in tandem with Protean to make Presto's typing FAIRY. Her psychic weakness removed, Emporio's careful to keep that typing firmly in place until Riku shows any signs of turning the table on him for it too; and against Hydreigon, it's the exact kind of turn around that lets the little kadabra slam into the massive dragon with nothing short of intense focus.
And what a show, hopefully, it will be. One full of blasting back and forth around Taunts and Evasive maneuvers, trying ever so hard to get the opposite end to sleep, miss, or even use the exact move Emporio's banking on. They're likely going down- unlike their last two matches, they can't rely on outpacing the other to get a shot in first after all.
But at the end at least, perhaps even with the three at his side while doing so, the audience might see a perfect 'bow' at the close.
Turns out my supplementary prose pushes over the character limit! So enjoy supplementary prose.
Hell. Actual hell.
(It really do be that way sometimes.)
Emporio can appreciate a challenge of course, but as someone who's been taking notes and following the battles in the other brackets thus far, he recognizes a very...Very...VERY big danger in the form of Riku's team. It's not enough that these are all top running choices in any high end team. It's not even enough that the type matches immediately give most of his own team a huge run for his money.
Emporio's been watching to see precisely what moves these three have, and pretty much all of them shut his big strategy right out. Mean Look? Doesn't work on ghosts, and Hydreigon has U-Turn. Hypnosis? Sure, but he risks Sleep Talk from two out of three, and while he'd like to hope the third one doesn't have it, that's a big If. And even then, that 'big if' involves the consideration of Protean...which is a move that forces Emporio to very literally think two moves ahead of the game, since almost the entirety of Riku's team outpaces his own.
Presto being the exception against...One pokemon other than Aegislash isn't exactly a comfort.
But let it not be said that Emporio isn't going to try. He's going to fight this uphill and screaming if he's got to, and being real, he's probably got to.
And while Riku's no doubt watched and taken stock of his own habits, he's taken stock of Riku's too.
(And maybe Riku expects exactly what's coming out. But then again, maybe not. He's got to try at least, and he's going to make it as strong a showing as he can.)
In other words, using one of the many strange and verbal commands Riku no doubt knows by now, Emporio starts...with Hypnosis. Sleep talk forces a pokemon to use a move at random, and that random element, Emporio has decided, is precisely what he might need; if he can slow down the opponent's ability to set the field, then it puts him leagues ahead for the advantage.
Or well, a little more ahead at least. Ultimately, this is as uphill a battle as it gets. If Hypnosis sticks on a pokemon that doesn't leave the field, Riku's going to be faced with much the same as Emporio's prior battles- the boy wastes no time in pressing to discombobulate the opponent, even in their sleep, but more importantly in addition to the usual combos of Confuse Ray, he's got plans for the opponent's difficult typings. Sludge Bomb was a good choice, it seems, as far as moves for Oxy to learn goes- it's the only move that won't be hampered by a type disadvantage against Hydreigon, and potentially Greninja.
Of course, that comes down to what Riku dishes out against them. Emporio's watched- he knows that they use much the same stall tactics, possibly worse in Riku's case, which is part of why the boy focuses on hypnosis even now. It's harder to spam toxic and protect when you're cycling that massive move pool as displayed in the earlier matches. But there's one very specific move that could throw everything wayside if Oxy can't take the hits.
Taunt. Emporio's ready with the attack moves in that situation, but at the end of the day Taunt is a problem. It's three turns of hell that Riku no doubt has timed out, and if he's not hitting harder and faster during that process, he's out. It's likely that it'll come down to that too- does Riku come swinging just as fast, and knock them out?
Or will Riku spend more time on the field prep and evasion, giving Emporio the inch to mile that's necessary?
As it stands; Oxy has her orders, as does Domino for that matter. As the final resort, Domino's are just as 'simple' as Oxy's- while the Haunter might have differing code phrases per move just to shake things up (she is, after all, a pokemon he's trained for far longer, for far more), the phrases for Domino are all the same. When the little crocodile comes on the field though, he opens with one new thing;
HIT THEIR LAST NERVE!
Domino opens each time with Torment, and follows that with Sandstorm- but not because he intends to rely on anything like that. Instead, the hope is to bait Riku into a move that Emporio himself witnessed repeatedly in the last round. Riku will be aiming to replace that storm with rain, and that replacement gives Emporio just one bit of extra time...
And more importantly against Greninja, it'll make the frog only water type. What Domino lacks in power, his opponents have in excess; and he'll be using it against them as much as possible to that end, changing it up only when he's at a disadvantage.
But if Domino is the absolute last resort, then what of Presto?
Presto has a very limited move pool. Many, no doubt, likely assume they've seen all of her move pool in fact. Psychic terrain isn't even a naturally learned move for the Kadabra! That was a TM! But there's a chance. A slim...hair thin chance, that the audience will get a preview of what's coming, if the dice land just right. If Greninja manages to fall asleep, with Oxy in a healthy position to waste a move or so, Emporio does something....
Odd.
He switches.
Very strange, considering how rarely he ever does that. In fact he's done that basically Never in this tournament.
He switches to Presto. That's...even stranger, so what-
'Get your volunteer,' Emporio will say, and with a gesture, Presto uses Role Play...before he switches her back to Oxy, and carries on as if nothing ever happened.
Chances are far more likely of course, that Presto will simply have to open with that shouted command, proclaimed with far more urgency against a frog that's no doubt hopping and awake. With Role Play though, Presto acquires 'Protean', and the next step in the mystery comes forward. No matter how she got it, no matter what happens, there are steps that are much the same of course. Greninja and Aegislash are faced with Hypnosis with rapidity, the Kadabra needing to risk a hard blow as little as possible. But then-
'Now...LET'S START THE SHOW!' Lights! No cameras! Just dust! Presto's second TM move finally hits the field, as Dazzling Gleam comes forward- with any luck working in tandem with Protean to make Presto's typing FAIRY. Her psychic weakness removed, Emporio's careful to keep that typing firmly in place until Riku shows any signs of turning the table on him for it too; and against Hydreigon, it's the exact kind of turn around that lets the little kadabra slam into the massive dragon with nothing short of intense focus.
And what a show, hopefully, it will be. One full of blasting back and forth around Taunts and Evasive maneuvers, trying ever so hard to get the opposite end to sleep, miss, or even use the exact move Emporio's banking on. They're likely going down- unlike their last two matches, they can't rely on outpacing the other to get a shot in first after all.
But at the end at least, perhaps even with the three at his side while doing so, the audience might see a perfect 'bow' at the close.