Farrah was looking roughed up, but not nearly as bad off as one might expect after her and Skipper took out five opponents. "Last one, Farrah. Think you can hold on for one more go? Let's give that Goldeen the old Peck, Cut, Peck maneuver. Keep it on its toes! Figuratively speaking."

Seymour had Glumpy ready to use Mega Drain if Farrah fell, but he knew Farrah would feel like a genuine champion if she made it until the end. And he didn't want to take that away from her. He just hoped the Goldeen didn't know any ice-type moves.

---

Using Peck, Cut, Peck, etc. to keep the Goldeen guessing. If Farrah looks close to fainting, he'll have her keep more distance and use Sand Attack to help out Skipper. If she goes down, Glumpy will come out and use Mega Drain.

Jake seemed frustrated that Skipper's mega-water-gun missed, but he didn't let that keep him down.
"Nice try Skipper. Now try to block for Farrah and use mud slaps to keep the goldeen dancing!"

Jake hadn't thought the goldeen would know anything but water moves, so he wanted to get into a position Skipper's dry skin would get some hydration. Now that they were near the finish line, Jake was starting to get even more animated. In his tournament debut, he might get a sweep! Well, Farrah had done most of the work, but even so, he was a part of a team that might sweep the opponent.

Blocking for Farrah as a priority, but doing mud slaps as convenient.

Goldeen immediately proves Jake's thought wrong, hitting Farrah with a Supersonic attack to confuse her. It doesn't stop her attack, but Goldeen endures the blow, and avoid Skipper's first Mud-Slap.

The fish continues with a Horn Attack wounding Skipper, only to be injured by both Farrah and Skipper. In a panic, it tries to hit Farrah with a Water Pulse, only to miss and hit Skipper instead, healing his injury!

But while Skipper is doing well, Farrah's attack ends with her crashing to the floor, further injuring herself. Stepping back, she adds her own Sand attack to Skipper's Mud, further blinding the overwhelmed fish.

As it stumbles, Skipper deliberately steps in the way of Goldeen's horn, and returns the hit with a Knockout Bide, ending the match!

With two fists raised in the air, Jake let out a massive whoop, offers a high five to Seymour then calls Skipper back to him, lifting Skipper onto his shoulders, then again raises both of his hands and waves to the audience as if he just won the final.

Despite the over-the-top celebration, if there is any indication of any such norm, Jake would happily shake hands with the opponents in honor of the good, fair (even if somewhat one-sided) fight that had just taken place. Even complimenting them on their awesome pokemon (especially the 'glassy butterfly' whose name he had temporarily forgotten due to his excitement).

Although disappointed about getting swept like that, but they congratulate you on your strong team. They also mention that Larfae, Kaleidofly's first stage, can be found around Roarac. You part ways as you return to the locker room for your next match.

Trey waves at you as you enter. "Great match! If all your pokémons are that strong, you could probably compete in the same tier as me!"

OOC: Quick level up for your active pokémons:
Farrah increases her HP and SpA to High
Skipper's SpA and SpD increases to Average

Also, I'll be leaving for the next two days to visit my family. So next update will be Wednesday.

Seymour stood frozen as his mind tried to process the fact that they had just won without either of them switching their pokemon. It wasn't until he returned Jakey's high-five that he began jumping up and down with excitement, then ran over to go scoop up Farrah for a victory hug. "You were amazing out there! Your moves were just unbelievable. Great job!" He squeezed the skilled bird tightly, yet gently, knowing she probably had received a few bruises during the battle. "We'll get you healed up right away."

Seymour was happy to shake hands with their opponents who were gracious enough to tell them where to find Larfae. He wished them luck in their future endeavors before heading to the locker room. In the locker room, Seymour greeted their new friend Trey with a wide grin. "Thanks, Trey. I hope you're right! How did your match go?"

---

Farrah's adjustments have been recorded on her page. Have fun on your trip!

After the match, Jake gave a thumbs up to Trey,
"Skipper is my favorite for now, but he isn't my strongest! Still, I'll only be on your level when I have as many badges as you!"

Jake wasn't going to boast about the strength of his pokemon when he didn't know the extent to them yet. He knew his Farfetch'd was almost as fierce as Farrah, but other members of his team only had minor encounters for him to gauge their strength.

After chatting with Trey, Jake would get Skipper all healed up before watching some more matches before his next one if possible. Rather than watch for any strategic purpose, he was more interested in the spectacle.

_____________________________________________________________________

Have fun and stay safe!

"It wasn't too bad... though our opponents tried using rain to hinder us..."

"Hey! Hey! It's them! It's their turn!"

Turning to a wall television, you see an image of the gym's pitch, where two trainers are waiting for their opponents. Then, with a cloud of mist and colored spotlights, two girls in idols outfit step on the field, flanked by a Greninja and an Aurorus, accompanied by an unfamiliar musical track. "That's them... the Singing Sisters." You can hear Trey's admiration in those simple words.

The fight doesn't last long, and seems even more one-sided than yours. As soon as the battle starts, the sisters and their pokémon begin to sing. And with just that song, the field gets surrounded by a cold mist, and their opponents fall one after another...

OOC: And I'm back! Your semi-final will start tomorrow!

Seymour watched in awe at the spectacle of the Singing Sisters' battle. He wondered what their actual strategy was that seemed to work so well. He had a feeling there was more to it than what was visible on the surface. He even considered the possibility of dirty tricks at play. However, maybe he was just tainted by their experience at the rodeo.

Regardless, he got his pokemon all healed up, chose his new team, and awaited his and Jakey's next match.

After a bit more waiting, you are called with your opponents, Annie and Nola. A short and muscular black-haired girl, and her plump chalk-white-haired friend. You remember seeing their match. They relied mostly on a strong Sigilyph, backed by a Finneon and Drowzee.

Knowing that, you head to the field... remembering that they probably remember your match as well...

OOC: Your opponents have chosen their starting pokémons, but are waiting for you to throw yours before revealing them.

Knowing a bit about their opponent helped Seymour decide which team he was going to use in the battle, but in the end he decided not to switch any of his pokemon. He was still going to use Farfetch'd, Shroomish, and Ditto. And also like last time, he decided to start with Farrah. He guessed they might have planned a counter for her, so it would be good to find out what that was right away before he revealed any of his other pokemon. And if they didn't? Well, Farrah was still a strong choice to send out first.

"Farrah, let's show them that you're not a one-hit wonder. Let's go!" He sent the fierce bird's pokeball spinning out into the center of the battlefield.

After being awed by the singing sisters unbeatable strategy, Jake was dreading the next match. His spirits were boosted significantly when his opponents were not the singing sisters (or perhaps a discount version of them). Despite his improved attitude, his entry to the battlefield more subdued than the first time. This time he just waved instead of jumping and waving.

Despite being mostly uneducated, Jake was able to figure out how to get the pokedex to tell him what he had needed to know about his current opponents pokemon that he had spotted when they fought last. It definitely helped that the device had symbols to represent the types of pokemon instead of written words. Words were overrated and hard to understand anyway.

Jake was wary that sending the same pokemon out twice would make him more predictable, but he still wanted to keep Skipper on his team, so he just benched Skipper for the first round and went with Growler. Duder was his third pick. As soon as the match began, Jake sent Growler's pokeball spinning,
"Alright Growler, show them what you are made of!"

As your pokémons are thrown on the field, they send out theirs. The Drowzee appears, accompanied by a Poochyena. You didn't see their canine before, but you have some idea how they use their psychic companion: lots of Hypnosis and the occasional Poison Gas.

OOC: the teams are set, and the battle starts! What are your first commands?

Jake reacted the instant he saw the Drowzee come onto the field. He felt proud of himself for doing research ahead of time to understand psychic type weaknesses,
"Bite that Drowzee!"

Jake kept his command as short as possible, trying to take complement Growler's speed with his own terse orders. He didn't want to see his pokemon being helplessly wailed upon while napping, so getting the drop on Drowzee was his plan from the start -- and he was lucky to have drowzee be on the field first.

Growler going for the jugular with bites until the drowzee goes down.

"Farrah, help out Growler with your Fury Cutter! Try to avoid eye contact and stay awake." It seemed Jakey also viewed the Drowzee as the bigger threat. If their pokemon fell asleep, there would be little they could do except wait for them to wake back up again.

---

Farrah will help attack Drowzee with Fury Cutter.

Jake's plan works, as Growler races across the field before anyone can react, wounding the Drowzee. Farrah follows up with a Fury Cutter, flying right through a cloud of sand kicked up by the Poochyena.

Rather than take advantage of her swift attack, Growler looks back at Jake for approval. When he shouts to attack again, the Growlithe tries to bite again, only to miss. Farrah does better, injuring the Drowzee again.

As she realizes Farrah is unaffected by the Sand Attack, Nola commands her Poochyena to hinder Growler instead. The attack distract her enough for Drowzee to find his focus, summoning a cloud of Poison. While Growler manages to roll under it, Farrah accidentally pulls the cloud toward her with her wing beats, poisoning herself.

Before it can try again, Growler manages to knock-out the Drowzee. With her first target down, Farrah manages to strike down the Poochyena with her Fury Cutter.

Your opponents toss out their next pokémons, a Pikachu and a Sandslash.

OOC: Being Badly Poisoned, Farrah will have a cumulative HP penalty to resist injury, and will take a wound if she rolls an Ex No.

"Farrah, return!" With his beautiful bird poisoned and an electric pokemon on the field, Seymour knew it was the right move to recall Farrah for the time being. But what Seymour was less sure about was which pokemon to send out in her place. His mind raced to figure that out while Farrah was being reabsorbed into her pokeball.

Glumpy would have an advantage against the Sandslash and was resistant to electricity as well. However, Ditto could transform into the Sandslash and be immune to electricity. Then there were Jakey's pokemon to consider as well. He had one that was good against each of their current opponents, should he decide to switch. But if he didn't, the Sandslash could pose a problem to Growler. Being an evolved pokemon, Seymour figured it was a wise idea to focus on defeating the Sandslash first. Besides, it was likely to use physical attacks. And if it used Physical attacks against Glumpy it might receive a poisonous surprise in return.

All that raced through Seymour's mind in a matter of seconds. And by the time his thoughts were finished, Glumpy's ball was already flying through the air into the Sandslash's general vicinity. "Glumpy! Seed that Sandslash, then use your Mega Drain!"

---

Switching out Farrah and switching in Glumpy. Glumpy will try using Leech seed on Sandslash, then switch to Mega Drain if successful or if she takes a wound.

Jake had similar thoughts to Seymour. When he saw each pokemon come out on their own, he felt confident... but when he considered them together, his confidence waned. The pikachu would be good against Skipper, but Skipper would be good against Sandslash. Meanwhile Duder would be good against pikachu, but would be countered by Sandslash. Growler had no advantage, but was in general awesome.

It took him a bit longer to work through his thoughts than Seymour, but came to a conclusion without too much of a pause,
"Great job Growler, you're fantastic! Nice job snapping up victory!"

Jake spoke as he called Growler back into its pokeball and he cautiously threw out Duder's pokeball. Duder was in some ways there to be beat up. He was a rock wall,
"Alright Duder, lay that pikachu low!"

Duder uses smackdown on pikachu. If duder is not targeted in the first round, switch to rock polish, then start using rock throw on pikachu.

You quickly realize the pair is far faster then your companions. The Sandslash attacks Glumpy with a Rapid Spin, avoiding the mushroom's spore but not causing a major injury. Duder tries to catch up to the Pikachu, but it runs too fast for the geodude, despite it's Rock Polish.

The two opposing pokémons decide to focus on Glumpy, paralyzing him with a Thunderwave, and tossing him around with a Dig attack. Glumpy managed to plant Leech Seeds on the Sandslash, but he wasn't able to attack again.

Then... your opponent calls back her Pikachu, apparently wishing to save it against Farrah. In it's place, she sends out a beautiful moth.


"Diamoth, the Arctic Moth pokémon. Type: Bug/Ice
A Diamoth's wings are made of crystal-clear ice. Lens-maker studying wild Diamoth must take care not to go snow-blind.

Jake's plan did not work out, unfortunately. Pikachu was able to run circles around Duder while attacking Glumpy. Still the quick pikachu was gone now, so Duder might be better off against this new pokemon... but it depended on the speed.
"OK Duder, try to smack down this new moth! If you can't keep up, use rock polish until you can!"

Jake had started to learn how to deliver more productive, contingent orders.


Duder tries to use smackdown on Diamoth. if EX:No on speed check, use rock polish again next turn, then try another smackdown.

Seeing what appeared to be another strong contender enter the battle, Seymour's optimism took a hit. And when Diamoth was revealed to be both an Ice and Bug type, it fell even further. Glumpy was at a double disadvantage against it. And she was currently at risk of paralysis.

But his other pokemon weren't necessarily going to fare any better. And Glumpy had already latched her seeds onto the Sandslash. Maybe she would be able to hold on long enough to take the ground pokemon out. Especially if Duder continued to draw its attention the way it was.

"Glumpy, focus on the Sandslash. Try and drain it dry! If it goes out of reach again, aim seeds at the moth in the meantime."

---

Glumpy will use Mega Drain on Sandslash as much as possible. But if it goes underground again, Glumpy will try to Leech Seed the Diamoth while Sandslash is unreachable.

You're distracted by Diamoth's wing, as the sun turns them blindingly bright. Duder seems quite annoyed by that, and puts an end to it by laying the Smack Down on the bug. Your cringes, then sends her Pikachu back on the field.

Unfortunately, Glumpy was unable to move through the paralysis, giving Sandslash the opening to land a Fury Cutter, injuring him.

OOC: Quick fight update: your opponents are down to three pokémons, one you haven't seen yet. Glumpy has an injury and suffers from Paralysis, while Farrah is Badly Poisoned.

"Way to go Duder!" Seymour congratulated the Geodude. "Glumpy, return!" The poor plant was having a rough time out there and Seymour figured she could use a bit of a break at this point. Besides, now seemed like the perfect time to double up on eliminating that Pikachu! He pulled out Malley's pokeball and threw it into the ring.

"Malley, time for some fun! Transform into that Sandslash and surprise that Pikachu from underground!"

---

Recalling Shroomish and sending out Ditto. He'll have Malley transform into Sandslash and use Dig on Pikachu (or another similar ground-type move). Can Ditto transform again at will?

Jake's plans remained the same, even when Seymour switched out his pokemon. He knew that duder would be weak against the Sandslash, so it was only a matter of time before the slasher knocked Duder out, but if Duder could last a bit longer, it could work with Malley to make the remainder of fights a 2v1.
"Alright Duder, great job with that moth thing!  Now use rock polish, then smack down the pikachu too!"

Malley appears on the field, and turns right away into a copy of the Sandslash... the only one on the field, as your opponent dove underground once more. The Pikachu dashes from side to side, ready to dodge any attack. Not that any take place, as Duder winds himself up to be even faster.

Instead of copying the opposing Sandslash, Malley hits the ground with both it's arms, causing a miniature earthquake, causing Pikachu to stumble and injure itself, and Sandslash to come out of the ground, a bit dazed.

The Pikachu tries to paralyze Malley, but it's copied Ground nature disperse the Thunder Wave safely. The mouse makes a surprised face, until Duder knocks it out.

Nola's shoulder drops, as she's out of pokémon. Only two pokémons remain!