|
Post by Digizel on Aug 7, 2013 15:11:26 GMT -5
Almost as soon as his claw grabbed onto Vito's, the Weavile tightened his grip and a Revenge attack was thrust in his direction from point-blank range. He couldn't say that it was an unexpected attack, but he wouldn't say that he had expected it to come so quickly. As Vito's shoulder slammed hard against his metallic body, he grunted in pain. He coughed a bit from the impact and allowed himself to sink down to one knee at Vito's feet, his claw still in Vito's.
He could counterattack right here and now. It would be just as easy to blast a Bubblebeam attack straight into Vito...or perhaps a Metal Claw using his free arm or a Drill Peck. But instead, he stayed on his knee, honest curiosity taking over for now. He wasn't exactly on the verge of defeat or anything, so seeing what Vito planned to do or say from here was something that interested him.
|
|
Willy
Moderator
[A:19][M:0]
Posts: 396
|
Post by Willy on Aug 7, 2013 16:43:13 GMT -5
As soon as the Revenge attack made contact, the clone was readying an Ice Shard from behind the real Vito. He then threw the shard directly at the back of the real Vito.
Vito took the attack and threw his claw at Ansgar in another Revenge attack, making sure to keep himself between Ansgar and the clone, and using his other claw the keep ahold of one of Ansgars hands. Vito had to admit, even though he knew something was funny about this whole thing, it felt good to finally be able to tear into the Empoleon.
|
|
|
Post by Digizel on Aug 7, 2013 16:54:45 GMT -5
Ansgar knew that things were quickly growing out of hand. That last Revenge attack was strong...but if that Ice Shard struck the real Vito, and his power doubled as a result, he was going to be in for some real pain. He had had enough time for observation. It was now time to act. And to act quickly.
Water quickly engulfed his body roughly as soon as the Ice Shard connected with Vito. He then rushed forward at an extremely high velocity, hopefully cutting Vito's Revenge attack off before it could get going. Using his Aqua Jet, he rushed forward like a bullet, aiming to slam into this, obviously real, Vito's stomach and carry him backward to slam into the body of the clone behind him before letting him go flying toward the wall.
|
|
Willy
Moderator
[A:19][M:0]
Posts: 396
|
Post by Willy on Aug 11, 2013 16:24:42 GMT -5
Vito was thrown backward as his second attack was interrupted by a torrent of water throwing the Empoleon at him at high speed. His clone could do nothing as the two of them crashed directly through it and into the wall.
After hitting the wall hard, Vito's unconscious body fell in a heap onto the ground. Whatever effort could possibly have allowed him to endure that last hit had been used up. Poured into other clones that hadn't lasted seconds. The match was over.
|
|
|
Post by Digizel on Aug 11, 2013 22:49:35 GMT -5
Once his attack was complete, Ansgar allowed the water around him to dissipate quickly, and he landed on his feet. He watched as the Weavile was slammed up against the wall and the following collapse. He waited for just a few moments; just to make sure that Vito stayed down. The last thing he needed was to turn around and have another powerful Revenge attack hit him from behind. Once he was certain that Vito was down for good, he turned on the spot and made his way toward the exit of the arena.
"Yeeeeee-HAW, ANOTHER wonder of this 'ere tourney!" the eccentric Sentret announcer called out across the arena and into his microphone, just moments after Vito's collapse, before Ansgar even bothered to turn around. "That multi-taskin' menace didn't stand a lick of a chance against that there Mister Mysterio 'imself! This 'ere match clearly goes to that stone tossin' Ansgar!"
The Loudred looked over at the Sentret with an annoyed look on his face. It was through his own ability to pay attention that had kept the Sentret from announcing the end of the fight too quickly. That single-minded idiot had fallen completely for Vito's ruse and hadn't paid close enough attention to realize what was going on. And now she was preventing him from even announcing the end of the fight?
"You think you can actually let me do my job?" he grumbled lowly so that only the Sentret could hear.
As the end of the fight was announced, the crowd cheered as Ansgar left the arena. The usual Machop came running out onto the field, stretcher at the ready. They arrived at where Vito had collapsed and checked to make sure that he was unconscious. When they noted that, the lifted him onto the stretcher and wheeled him away, toward the first-aid tent.
~~~~~
"W-wow, I can't believe it," Jet murmured in wonder. "I thought that Vito's cloning ability made him unbeatable. But Ansgar was able to beat him without so much as breaking a sweat.... Maybe it's this guy we should be watching out for instead...."
"Oh can it, would you?" Cassius grumbled from the side, rolling his eyes. "You overestimate him. Sure, he was strong and all, but I think he might've just been lucky. Especially at the end. What kind of idiot would fall for such an obvious trick? He almost threw the match right there! If that last attack had hit in time, I bet he would've been down for the count. That Weavile was about to tear him up."
|
|
|
Post by Blahsadfeguie on Aug 13, 2013 17:03:37 GMT -5
Bob cheered with the crowd, showing almost as much enthusiasm as every spectator put together. Now THAT was a satisfying match, from beginning to end, not a single dull second. If one thing could have reignited his passion for battle, it was the match that had just transpired.
"Luck had nothing to do with it," Bob responded to Cassius. "What Ansgar just showed is that everyone has their weaknesses. Anyone can be beaten. All it takes is a little forethought, and that Empoleon definitely has no shortage of that! I think... I think he might be my favorite fighter in this tournament!" He was a little hesitant to say that, as doing so made him think of Doug and Haru. But when it came right down to it, Bob admired Ansgar's cool and collected attitude and his brilliant strategic skill, especially when faced with such a major disadvantage. "That's it," the Zigzagoon decided, "I HAVE to meet him. Maybe not right now, but some time in the future. Tonight, even. I have to find out how he keeps such a clear and analytical mind." There was so much Bob could learn from him, and he were positive that if he did, he'd stand a fair chance against Vito, or anyone else for that matter. He'd become a real asset to Jet and Doug. And now that he had decided on learning what makes Ansgar tick, nothing was going to stop him.
|
|
Willy
Moderator
[A:19][M:0]
Posts: 396
|
Post by Willy on Aug 13, 2013 17:15:09 GMT -5
Doug snored supportively.
|
|
|
Post by Digizel on Aug 13, 2013 17:30:29 GMT -5
Bob's words caught both Jet and Cassius' attention. Cass looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess that's true enough," he muttered. He glanced over at Doug. "Everybody has their weaknesses. And when it's exploited, they can get beaten quite a bit more easily. He couldn't help but smirk a bit at that thought. Perhaps this tournament was going to provide more than just a good time for him after all. Maybe he could even use these battles to learn everybody's weaknesses...although Doug in particular. He still wanted that rematch.
Jet smiled a little bit when Bob was finished. "Y-yeah, I know exactly what you mean," he replied. "He's amazing...and as another Water Pokémon, maybe there's something he could teach me to...er...well...actually be a competent battler." He glanced back at Doug as the Abra snored and sighed a bit. He wished that he could have given Doug a more peaceful night's sleep.
"A-anyway, I don't know that Ansgar would be my FAVORITE to win," Jet said back to Bob, still looking back at Doug. He soon turned back toward Bob again, however. "He might be my second or third.... But I mean, he hasn't gone undefeated so far. He's been beaten by both Doug and that Jarek guy. Now if there was one person I'd think that has the best chance of winning, it's that muscle-headed brute. I-I mean, normally a great strategy can win out against him, but if he's not even really FEELING any hits, they may as well not be happening. And did you see that move with the diamonds that he did in the last round? Even Ansgar had to give up when faced with power of THAT magnitude."
"Hmph," Cassius grumbled. "What, you're saying you don't have confidence Doug can beat him?" He glared at Jet. "Some friend you are. Doug was able to beat ME. And he's a Psychic-type. If anybody in this entire tournament can beat that guy, it's him."
"N-no, that's not what I-" Jet started, but Cass quickly shut him up with another whack on the wrist by his tail. This caused the Buizel to flinch and recoil his paw, rubbing it with his other.
"Why don't you just keep that mouth shut before you screw up even worse?"
Jet sighed, but obeyed, not saying another word.
~~~~~
After the Machop had cleared Vito's body from the arena, a quick scan of the area was made. A small group of Timburr stepped out onto the field and had begun to work on maintenance. Thankfully, the arena hadn't been as destroyed this time as it had been before, so it didn't take much time for them to get the field like it was before. The only thing they really had to worry about was clearing the rubble from Ansgar's Stealth Rock.
Once the Arena was looking as fine and filthy as it always was, a message was delivered into the Loudred announcer's hands. He gave it a quick read. It seemed that everything was ready to go. He could only hope that the arena would stay this way this time around.
"Alright then, we've had two spectacles so far in today's matches!" He called into his own microphone. "Let's hope the trend continues and our competitors give us a great show tonight!" As he paused to check the match-ups for the day, the crowd burst once more into applause. When it finally died down again, the Loudred prepared to announce the next match.
"An' now ya'll better be ready for a show-stopper!" the Sentret interrupted. "We're in the winner's circle now, folks! Yeehaw!!" Ignoring yet another annoyed look from the Loudred, she continued on, "We've got a good ol' fashion showdown between the mighty Zangoose Marduk and his ol' rival from the opening matches o' this 'ere tourney, the Lucario wonderboy, Haru!"
~~~~~
Haru smirked as his name was called. He crossed his arms and stepped down from the stands he had been standing around. He glanced over at Jet and Doug's little group. He was going to show them what a true winner was capable of here.
He turned and began to make his way toward the entrance to the arena. At long last, he'd have his chance to get back at that Zangoose for humiliating him like he had in that opening round. Last time, he had barely been able to land even a single blow. This time, he'd be ready.
Besides. Vito had managed to beat him. If he could do it, then so could he.
|
|
Willy
Moderator
[A:19][M:0]
Posts: 396
|
Post by Willy on Aug 13, 2013 18:19:52 GMT -5
Marduk took his place across from Haru. He had to admit, he took a bit of comfort in the fact that he was facing an opponent he had already defeated before. And that time he had been hiding some of his true abilities. Granted, he wasn't about to go full blast on Haru: He still had to keep some tricks up his sleeves.
Sure, he couldn't afford to underestimate an opponent, but Marduk couldn't help it. He had put himself in a very advantageous position here. He knew he could take this opponent down. He'd already done it. He just needed to be sure to do it again.
|
|
|
Post by Digizel on Aug 13, 2013 18:44:23 GMT -5
As he and Marduk squared off once more, Haru readied himself. He couldn't afford to let himself lose again. Not only would that mean that he couldn't beat the same Pokémon that Vito did, but it also meant that he'd be dropped down to two losses. His last few fights had been dangerously close and he knew that he couldn't afford to lose much.
And so, Haru clenched his fists and crouched slightly, preparing to rush forward the very moment the match started.
Meanwhile, the Loudred waited until both fighters had stood in their appropriate spots. Finally, he nodded and called out into his mike, "Both fighters ready!?" He hesitated for a moment, glancing over at the Sentret. He needed to make sure that she had no plans to interrupt. "Then it's time for the next match! An-!"
"An' FIGHT!" the Sentret called out.
Haru started without hesitation. Lucario rushed forward as quickly as he could, coupling his already-decent speed with the rush of a Quick Attack. As he came forward, he clenched his fist and held it back. As he did, a soft blue aura began to pulse around it. He threw the fist forward and tried to slam his Aura Punch attack toward the Zangoose's cheek. He needed to start off fast and strong...and the supposedly unavoidable aura off of his Aura Punch would make almost guarantee the first hit.
|
|
Willy
Moderator
[A:19][M:0]
Posts: 396
|
Post by Willy on Aug 13, 2013 19:05:19 GMT -5
As soon as the match was announced, Marduk backed up slightly, anticipating the moment Haru's Aura Punch would make contact. Just before that, the Zangoose braced for impact with one arm, throwing his other claw at Haru in a Revenge attack. He felt the punch make contact with his arm as the Aura spilled around it, which proved to be slightly disorienting. Not that it mattered. As long as Haru stayed close, Marduk didn't need need to worry very much about aim.
|
|
|
Post by Digizel on Aug 13, 2013 19:12:55 GMT -5
Haru felt a strong sense of satisfaction as he felt his fist connect with his opponent's body. Although it wasn't his intended target, at least it had been a direct hit all the same. It was always more satisfying when he felt his fist directly connect than if he relied simply on the aura's burst.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Marduk ready himself for a counterattack. But he wasn't about to let himself get caught so easily a second time. Unfortunately for him, all of his momentum had been thrown into this attack. He doubted that he could get out of this unscathed, even if he tried. However, there was something that he could do, even if it wasn't quite as effective as an evasion would have been.
He quickly brought his other arm up, in a desperate attempt to deflect some of the power off of his main body. As he did, Marduk's powerful claws slammed hard into his side, with a successful Revenge attack. He let out a loud grunt of pain as he was knocked through the air. The attack was painful...especially against a Steel-type like himself.
But it wasn't something he couldn't bounce back from.
As he was thrown to the side, he attempted to right himself in the air, trying to shrug off the pain. He brought his paws together as he flipped and landed on his feet and allowed himself to fall to one knee to soften his landing slightly. A sphere of blue, pulsing energy formed between them after he landed. He took quick aim, and thrust his palms forward, trying to blast his Aura Sphere toward Marduk, hoping to give him as little time as possible.
|
|
Willy
Moderator
[A:19][M:0]
Posts: 396
|
Post by Willy on Oct 7, 2013 22:07:04 GMT -5
Marduk knew dodging this attack was a fruitless effort, so he braced for impact, keeping his feet planted firmly as his arm took the brunt of the resulting explosion. The flash from the aura as well as the speed of the attack would make aiming a counterattack difficult, so instead Marduk opted to use the attack to his own advantage as cover for his next move.
As the aura exploded upon contact, Marduk made a waving motion with his other arm. Subtle enough that the Lucario might not even notice. Even if he did, Marduk was confident Haru wouldn't be ready for what was coming next.
With that hand motion, subtle as it was, Marduk had given himself a Tailwind. This change would give him enough of a speed advantage for the next few moments to allow him to hopefully overwhelm the Lucario with a barrage of attacks.
Marduk made use of this advantage quickly. He leapt into the air with impressive speed, using Aerial Ace to maneuver himself into position to extend his claw and slash Haru as he sped past him.
|
|
|
Post by Digizel on Oct 8, 2013 13:04:25 GMT -5
Haru smirked as he saw the Aura Sphere connect solidly with Marduk's body. Sure, it may have been partially blocked, but at least he still took a hefty hit from the attack. This was certainly a vast improvement from his performance in the opening round of the tournament. Back then, this Marduk guy had completely wrecked him in less than a minute. But now, it was himself who was in control of the situation. He had Marduk right where he wanted him. All he needed to do was blast him with these super effective attacks and he'd go down in no time! He'd show Vito that he wasn't the ONLY person who could defeat Marduk!
At least, that's what he was truly thinking.
Partially due to his own bragging in his mind, but mostly due to Marduk's subtlety, he had failed to notice Marduk setting himself up with a Tailwind. However, he had still learned his lesson from his last attack. He could never underestimate Marduk. Just because he believed he had this match in the bag didn't mean Marduk couldn't surprise him and turn it around. After all, one powerful barrage of attacks and he could be at his feet in no time.
Haru quickly brought his hands down to his sides, palms parallel. He believed that another Aura Sphere was needed. He couldn't give Marduk too much time or else he'd be able to turn the tide of the battle. Unfortunately, just as the Aura Sphere was starting to form, Marduk rushed at him, still having been partially concealed by his last move's explosion of Aura energy.
Haru wasn't sure what had happened, exactly. One moment he'd seen a white blur jump out of blue energy and the next, there was a sharp pain in his shoulder and Marduk was standing behind him. He let out a cry of pain and stumbled slightly, clutching his arm from the unexpected pain. Of course, this instinctive act caused him to lose focus on his energy and the Aura Sphere to dissipate.
"Wh...what the hell is this...?" he growled, trying to turn around to face Marduk. He released the grip on his shoulder, teeth and fists clenched as he looked at the Zangoose. He was NOT this fast in the last few matches! How could he have hit him THAT fast...!? He had barely even seen a blur, let alone the moment of his attack! What could Marduk have possibly done that could allow him to move so quickly? That was definitely so much faster than a simple Agility move.
Haru growled again and, once more, tried to form an Aura Sphere. "I don't care how fast you are!" he called over to Marduk. "You still can't stop this!" Despite his clearly empty threats, he had to take a moment to actually prepare his attack. And given the Zangoose's increased speed, he wasn't going to get very long this time...and since he'd already taken a few moments to collect himself from the shock of it all, he wasn't likely to finish in time.
|
|
Willy
Moderator
[A:19][M:0]
Posts: 396
|
Post by Willy on Oct 9, 2013 11:33:50 GMT -5
Marduk turned around after passing the Lucario. He skid to a stop and took a good look at his target. His move appeared to have landed, and as a bonus, he had managed to interrupt his opponents attack. It felt good to not have to hold back. Even though he had already proven he could beat Haru without his extra skills, there was no point in trying to obscure them nearly as much as he had been now.
As he stopped, the wind shifted to remain at Marduk's back. A subtlety Marduk hoped was lost on the Lucario. Not that Marduk felt he needed the advantage at this point. He simply enjoyed it when his opponent was being rash. It was making this match even easier than it needed to be.
As Haru prepared another attack, Marduk slashed his claw directly in front of him, sending an Air Cutter attack at the Lucario while he was occupied, hoping he could manage to negate an entire attack altogether. Then, using his speed advantage, he followed closely behind the blade of air. So closely that the instant the Air Cutter attack made contact, Marduk could follow up with a flurry of punches, kicks, and slashes in the form of a Close Combat attack.
|
|
|
Post by Digizel on Oct 9, 2013 14:28:41 GMT -5
The Lucario was preoccupied at the moment with keeping his attention on the Zangoose before him and his own Aura Sphere that was forming between his hands. He was concentrating on Marduk's movements and actions rather than any environmental assistance he might be receiving. He was certainly not noticing the subtle shifts in the wind that was truly helping his opponent reach these spectacular speeds. However, he had plenty of confidence in his own ability to observe and evade his opponent, despite the clear speed advantage.
Haru growled under his breath...Marduk didn't even seem to be putting forth any sort of effort into this fight. It was as though he were nothing but a joke to this guy. That was something that he definitely had to fix...and fast. There were only two things that enraged and frustrated him all that much...being defeated and being underestimated. In his mind, Marduk was definitely underestimating his strength...and he would just have to teach the Zangoose a lesson he won't soon forget.
Before his Aura Sphere was ready, however, Marduk slashed his claws across, sending out a wave in his direction. His eyes widened with surprise at his speedy follow-up attack and he prioritized getting out of the way more than taking another strong hit. And so, he allowed the Aura energy between his palms to dissipate and he attempted to jump to the side to avoid the attack. He might have been able to complete the Sphere if he'd maintained his focus, but it simply wasn't worth the risk.
Unfortunately for Haru, however, Marduk's attack wasn't stopped at the Air cutter. The Zangoose had followed the Air Cutter and, just as he was narrowly avoiding the attack, a fist landed into his stomach, stopping and winding him for a moment. The fist to his stomach was quickly followed by a barrage of physical blows from Marduk, and he cried out in pain with each successful hit. From a slash to his side to a kick to the side of his face and stomach, the impact of Marduk's attacks were clearly wearing the Lucario down. He desperately brought his arms up to his head to try to block blows to this more important spot and keep himself from being knocked unconscious, but this defensive stance kept him from really reacting.
He needed to come up with an escape...and fast. If this kept going for much longer, he was going to have to try to rely on his Detect to get him out of this. But that was the very last resort from him, as it would leave him very open to additional attacks. It wasn't something that could just be used lightly...but as he continued to get pummeled by the Zangoose's fists, legs and claws, he may not have a choice, depending on whether he would get an opening soon....
|
|