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Chase

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Everything posted by Chase

  1. A penny saved, is a penny earned.

    1. Aishi

      Aishi

      hunter I swear to god.

  2. Aqua is the better choice in the long run. The biggest decider for me though? You don't have to fish for Houndour, which is essentially abandoned when Magma takes off. Having both Pokemon for Shade is better than just having one.
  3. I definitely don't know about the others about me - but you can at least do half the battle while scouting what is perhaps the most important question you need answered BEFORE you swoop in and ask him out. Does he prefer men over women - or at least is he open to a homosexual relationship? I would imagine being homosexual is a rather precarious position to be in when looking for love outside of proven circles (such as LGBT clubs or what have you) - and when you're not sure of the other person's orientation, you don't want to be shot down with "I'm not into men" in your case unless you're one that would prefer being quick to move on. -I- would suggest being open for the friend zone then. Try to be the guy's buddy and see what his interests are. You'll get a better grasp from there about how you should proceed. Romance is mutual - so always be willing to care about the other person, even if it doesn't work out the way you would like!
  4. Too deep for a Pokemon game? Going down to brass tacks, yes - theorizing the identify of the players non-existent father seems to be at first glance redundant - as most theories would seem to be. However, if you've played Pokemon, there are some very distinct topics that are breached. Criminal activity life and death the ethics of using Pokemon in fights and other various helpful task completion. the creation of the universe terraforming and seaforming and so on and so forth. On top of that, the Pokedex - which I know reads in an extremely ridiculous fashion - breaches several dark topics such as how some pokemon hunt in detail, the horrifying preference of harming -children-, Hell, and so on and so forth. This game is deeper than pokemon slapping each other around.
  5. Lots of answers here. Perhaps the most obvious answer for me would be Pokemon. It's probably the game that started my love for multiple games in the genre. Western RPGs are headlined by an MMO - Runescape. RS is also celebrating a milestone year (15th) just like Pokemon (20th.) Outside of the Pokemon franchise, it's going to be Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door from the east. The game was arguably one of the best games to land on the Gamecube, and while it may not have been much different from it's its N64 predecessor, it was very much still in the spirit of the franchise. This game was also probably the best game to remain so going foward, as Super Paper Mario began what I feel is a decline in the Mario RPG saga.
  6. I can break these cuffs.

    1. KingRyan

      KingRyan

      you can't break those cuffs.

      *HHHNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG*

  7. On the contrary, I actually think you've been quite cordial. Feely, yes, and in this context as a fellow American I don't have any bones to shake at you over it. I'm not entirely familiar with the efforts of LGBT progressives - but I feel like there are definitely lobbyists and action groups that feel the same way you probably have indicated - that the Constitution - if inadequate (and as I've described -does- inadequately from the proponent's point of view.) SHOULD be amended to address the issue in black and white. I wouldn't be surprised to see an amendment in the future address marriage as open to same-sex couples nationwide. However, when mentioning religious practices, there's always going to be cross-hairs between people of different ideologies and passions - and while I could easily blow a gasket on what is essentially saying I have the opinion that I am for any type of discrimination as a part of my rights as a believer in any religion, I'm essentially saying I should be entitled - as an American - the right to practice my faith without government interference so long as it doesn't actually break any level of law. I assume you refer to anyone potentially giving a majority vote on a referendum (like what happened with the Prop 8 case proceeding that June decision.) on leaving a state's marriage laws as "man-and-woman only" as an action of "religious doctrine enforcement." While several people will indeed vote because homosexuality to them is seen as "sinful" and shouldn't be something encouraged in their eyes, many others will vote for various other reasons - such as outright homophobia, which is not what I would hope causes someone to vote at all. No state can actually impose a religion or theocratic doctrine as THAT is a violation of the First Amendment. - ...shall make no law respecting an establishment of Religion. This side of the amendment is referred to as "The Establishment Clause" - and it prevents the government for enforcing any belief system - from Deep Southern Baptist Christianity to enforced Atheism - from ever becoming law. It's the liberal-friendly part of the amendment even. The flip-side of the amendment is what Conservatives feel - and rightfully so - is also being threatened - ...impeding the free exercise of Religion. This part of the amendment is where "the Free Exercise Clause" comes from - which determines in case-by-case basis if a person's right to practice their faith is being unconstitutionally infringed upon. Using the Free Exorcise Clause, I can safely say voting against Same-Sex marriage in a referendum does NOT mean that someone must become a Christian or a Jew or adhere to any religion that opposes the concept - and therefore, that I am not telling anyone who believes that same-sex marriage is a good thing and should happen to accept my Christian doctrine. You -did- say it yourself. If you get to vote for something, why wouldn't you vote to with your interests in mind, am I right? I'm not saying I'm one who would vote against it for someone -of- my own interests, but in the case of the genuine homophobe, if they were worried in an increase of it due to such law, it's in their best interest, so as to not trigger fear, to vote against it. That has -nothing- to do with religion. In the case of the religious nay voter, the person likely isn't voting because they have a kick for depriving their fellow man, but because they are being questioned as to how THEY feel on the subject. To -them- it wouldn't be something of their interest. Essentially, the voter can then decide if they want to be completely selfless in voting "Yes" - which is good for your equality cause, but denies the voter the right to vote how they feel - or vote "no" while putting their interests in mind (in this case, exercising their OWN right to practice their faith by being true to their belief in the concept being sinful! - NOT enforcing religion on anyone else.) If the state does end up nixing the same-sex marriage vote - the couples that do get the short end of the stick have various options available to them - albeit making the process of being wed more painstaking. However, at the end of the day, their dreams are not completely crushed, as not every state is going to enforce that kind of referendum vote at all in the foreseeable future. If it matters so much to the individual couple, the door isn't shut for them. Be very careful how you phrase "religious freedom". For some folks, that freedom is as precious AS their children, just like those who would like to be married to their same-sex lover would be for those looking to get that coveted marriage amendment on the official document.
  8. First of all, I never advocated any such form of discrimination. I don't personally care how the vote for that would go either way either - but let's not pretend that it's never happened before in the past either. Once upon a time, the Democrats and the Republicans we know today had the opposite agenda and constituent base as they did now. The Republican party was the party that favored strong national government over granting states' rights, and the Democrats vise-versa. To the point where the country split into two. Constitutional "discrimination" has been a recurring theme. We have the issues of enslavement and segregation of those black citizens you pointed out. You have people with disabilities later on. You have the Japanese Internment Camps, and so on and so forth. There's actually THREE functions to the Constitution. 1. Creating a system of checks and balances shared between three bodies of national government - each with equal power. (Meaning, we don't need a Commander-In-Chief who ignores this!) 2. Dividing power between the Federal Government and the State governments. - which means each State has a bit of it's own governance as granted by the Constitution. and 3. Protecting various liberties of individual citizens. Point to me which amendment gives an individual the right to marry someone of the same sex. If you can't find it, then the determination is up to the individual states. Yes - the current Supreme Court panel narrowly believes it -should- be granted in every state - but the Supreme Court doesn't amend or impact the Constitution - it only interprets it. Back on topic - the Constitution isn't even remotely about protection from the masses. It's protection from a tyrannical government and is the guideline for which the country's government is to operate. Keep in mind that this document was a major deal in ensuring that the United States wouldn't be a carbon copy of the British Empire after having fought for it's own independence. My hope for government isn't that it messes up anyone's life - and it's definitely not my personal volition. However, the things that I do find mess up my way of living are things like threats to religious freedom and life itself. Equality is a second tier must for someone like me behind ensuring as many Americans have the autonomy to live as they wish. Is it important? Absolutely. It's not the end-all-be-all. The American Dream isn't to be exactly as well off as your neighbor. It's to be as prosperous as possible. If were ever a father - that would be what I would want for my children over keeping up with the Jones'es. I'm not here telling you who you should vote for - and while I am trying to shed some light on the conservative angle (as it seems you seem to think we're all about segregating the white and well off from the other and not so only.) I'm not telling you to ascribe to conservatism either. I just want every potential voter I see to know the ramifications of their candidate/party's agenda. If your major point of improvement is to pull up the lower class into the rest of the minivan? Then sure, Bernie is a great guy to vote for. You better have a net for the kind of fallout something like that continuing 20 years down the line would entail.
  9. Of course Sanders is a champion of equality. Equality is one of the strengths socialism provides - and in many cases you -are- right about equality being the biggest draw to the Bernie camp. However, from my experience - the people I most talk to are students and young adults who have a very short sighted world. It's a relevant distance of sight, but one that is completely ignorant of the effects and only spotlights the causes. Most people -I- know see Bernie as the candidate that best represents their individual needs. The issue is, we're not voting for the President of the United State of Myself, we're voting for the President of the United States. I'm not here to to defend conservatism and it's candidates as right answers. Remember, the point of discussion is that I think Clinton is the best hope for the Democrats in the field at this point the way things are shaping up - precisely because I think it's a year she can easily take the camp all the way to the White House. I personally am leaning toward Cruz for the following reasons: Currently, he is the Anti-Trump candidate for a conservative voter. Cruz won't make -nearly as many, campaigns ALL have their gaffs- incendiary remarks and has one of the better shots of beating Clinton should she be nominated, and would be a very stout challenge for Sanders. Cruz is the best debater of the four realistic candidates in the field. Cruz isn't treating this like a popularity contest - and wants to be President because he simply believes he can do the job better than anyone else. He's an experienced lawyer and politician - making him more attractive than his felllow anti-establishment candidates Trump, Carson, and Fiorina. He's not "of" the Republican establishment, meaning he doesn't operate on slimy politics or pretending to be what the voters want him to be. Essentially, I'm leaning toward Cruz because I believe he's an honest guy (not likable, but not billigerantly so either.) and that he's someone who can work better with Congress from the get go. In two-four years, if both the Legislative and Executive conservatives spoil the country - they pay for it in the Congressional races and Democratic lawmakers will be able to check Cruz as such. A vote for Cruz is a vote for the states to reclaim their ability to hold referendums and for the citizens to make active decisions on things like recreational marijuana use and same-sex marriage. Where you believe Cruz wants to burn down the bridges Obama built - it's only the ones he built by executive order - because this man is incredibly passionate about the Constitution and the American people. If he truly is so - we would see things be fought slowly by conservatives out of fashion. One of the strengths of conservatism is simply giving power to the people instead of the state. If something is what most Americans want - I'm quite certain their state referendums would reflect that. (and then get challenged the state's minority and get sent to the Supreme Court - where Cruz's conservative values are able to be checked by the Judicial Branch - a la Proposition 8 from the state of California - where the minority used the Court's constitutional interpretation to quell the majority and instill same-sex marriage in the state. I think it's fair that the Republican Party doesn't want him -OR- Trump in their respective rights. Imagine how close a race between two moderates would be? Imagine how close a race between Cruz and Sanders would be? They most certainly see Hillary Clinton to be the biggest threat to their ability to re-taking the presidency and they need a candidate that they feel can beat her. She is strong in being empathetic not only to her constituents but to moderate conservatives who are not amused with the Trump show and aren't much enthused about the other outside-the-box candidates most radical conservatives seem to rage over these days. I'm not advocating Clinton because she's more conservative than Sanders - but I do think if the Dems want this election, they should support their front-runner as much as they can - as she's a serious threat to the opposing party.
  10. Oh, Shiftry. This Pokemon is actually fairly decent under the right conditions. With solar support and Sucker Punch, this mixed attacker mitigates average speed. It gets access to Defog as well, and due to it's offensive presence is a very good user of it due to the ability to force opposing Pokemon out. However, it is indeed a glass cannon and not only that, one that is weak to a LOT of attacking types. Also, Chlorophyll is the only decent ability to use in battle due to most moves inducing sleep being "powder" moves - of which Shiftry is already immune, rendering Early Bird fairly useless. Pickpocket -can- be used, except that it would require Shiftry to lose it's Life Orb and severely hurt it's attacking power - if it can even survive the contact move it would need to in order to STEAL another item. Change Early Bird to Intimidate: The Pokelogical reason we would do this? It's said (in the PokeDex) that Shiftry is a feared forest guardian - which would make intimidation par for the course. Intimidate would do wonders for Shiftry in that it would give it some unofficial bulk, allowing it to take a hit and have an opportunity to use a powerful Leaf Storm or Knock Off and -not- have to be so reliant on Sucker Punch. This also opens the door for Defog opportunities. Give Shiftry the ability to use Ancient Power: Another PokeDex entry for the Wicked Pokemon indicates that Shiftry used to live atop trees dating back to a thousand years. I don't know if it's talking about Shiftry existing for that long, or if it's talking about the trees - but that's pretty "ancient" to me. While boasting the same base power as Hidden Power Rock, Ancient Power would provide Shiftry with the potential to get a 1 up in all of it's stats, including it's devastating offenses, it's average speed, -AND- it's horrible defenses. Pairing it with Intimidate, and Shiftry goes from being lunch meat to forcing out special walls and slower offensive Pokemon, allowing it to set up a Swords Dance and get even MORE menacing, or safely go for Knock Off or Defog. This also provides some very important coverage against Flying types that would switch in. Plus 10 Physical Bulk: Finally, we need to make the opportunity keep knocking by making Shiftry bulkier. The two most logical options were to either level it's Attack and Special Attack, which wouldn't do too much for it, or add more physical bulk to pair with intimidate. If it lives on the tops of trees, it's probably fending off the avian threats that live up there, so I would expect it to be able to take some physical attacks while it's fans keep the winged warriors at bay.
  11. The key word about Sanders' campaign here is "themselves" - which is the main reason various people find Bernie appealing. He's not America's candidate - he's MY candidate. Providing some personal background - I can tell you all that I am a conservative who has seen liberalism work in bits and pieces. As someone that until VERY recently was swamped in student debt - having debt forgiveness and free schooling is a PERSONAL dream come true. I can even take it a step further and say it's a good thing for lower class if the class system evaporates. However, the CEOs, the Lawyers, the Doctors, the Collegiate Professors, and so on and so forth out there are ALSO a part of this great nation - and when we're voting for a President, we're not voting for a personal savior, nor are we voting for a class takeover. We're voting for a person to represent everyone, from top to bottom. Keeping that in mind - Sanders' socialist approach contains the possibility that employers lose too much ability to fight off workers' unions and are forced to retain unproductive employees. It will most definitely result in higher taxes - especially on those that do their part in generating money. If it gets too far to the left, innovation will be less motivated than before because it comes with no personal gain to the innovator, and the freedom of choice becomes limited for the sake of equality. In other words, the "American Dream" where one can achieve prosperity and success through determination and hard work - DIES under the socialist ideology. in the polarized election - voters are forced to "pick the lesser of two evils" and pray that their legislative branch and judicial branch can check whoever takes the White House enough to provide something for everyone. A country that -does- care about it's poor, while caring enough about it's high end earners to grant them the opportunity of choice. A country that tries to offer benefits to it's citizens, without doing so in a reckless manner economically. A country that is for it's people from matters of faith to matters of equality. --- I would definitely admit that either Republican nominee would breed a clash of ideals come time for the general election, but your scenario sounds more akin to Trump. Cruz - who is most assuredly a Conservative whereas Trump may be paying complete lip service for some un-discernable reason - has an understanding of the pros and cons of each ideology and probably wouldn't approach the general message with a message of hate - but one of equal hope for a better future with Sanders. The difference though - is that his values make up the slack caused by Sanders' - Just as Bernie's ideas make up for the failures of Conservatism. In this "fight for America's soul" - the Moderates get no dog in the fight - which is silly, because America has been for a long time as centrist as they come. That's why Hillary is the smarter pick - especially with Republicans trying to eat their own young for the sake of finding someone like her.
  12. You people are scary. <3 u all have n1ce dAyyyy
  13. ...This is just one of those Pokemon you're gonna LIKE if it's shiny, or you'll find some reason to loathe it. Tyrantrum does look really neat with all the shades of blue, but if I were to see one, I'd have to cheat and check it's typing to remember it's a Rock type. ....-sigh- ......They really don't treat the Dragon types very nicely. This is also similar to the Day-Glo Espeon thing. For a lot of things, Green a TERRIBLE Shiny swap. and my ABSOLUTE least favorite Disco inferno Magmortar here - is a tragic shiny. It's ALL over the NU ladder because people must think "It's my girlfriend's old Pokemon"....or that's what those pink shirts dudes wear say to justify their flamboyance. It's an eyesore. I get that the whole LINE suffers from this, but it's this kinda BS that makes me really dislike color swap use. Complaints aside, FINDING a shiny is always thrilling.
  14. Yeah, it's definitely a four man race. Living in a very big "red-state" area in Texas - I can understand why people THINK Trump is a good candidate. Being one of the most successful (or most invested depending on who you ask) business mogul around means you can throw your weight around without needing the help of Super PACS and other fundraising shenanigans. This also make Trump out to be incredibly frugal (or again, invested on, depending on who you ask.) As a Republican voter, there -IS- a substantial amount of displeasure toward the GOP within the voter base. Essentially, Donald Trump is siding with the Republican voters against the Republican Party - as is Ted Cruz. Knowing Trump's sense of bravado and lack of empathy - he's proud to flaunt not having the "D.C. Stench." Donald Trump is -nothing- if not the most "transparent" candidate in the field. Yes, this means that what he says sounds REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY related to "hate speech" and "villianous" at times, but pairing this point with the one above it, the voters are not in a very empathetic mood towards President Obama, the Democratic Nominees -OR- the Republicans in Washington - so any time Trump speaks against any of those people (and their voter blocs, regrettably women and minorities) the voter base seems to believe "He's saying what we're all thinking!" So, you don't like that Trump is being so successful? Democrats can GENUINELY blame the Republican Party for pissing off it's own voters. Free of charge. The only catch being - you have to admit that the current GOPers are "too liberal" for the conservative base to tolerate much longer in doing so. This is where a Bernie Sanders nomination becomes problematic for the Democrats. As Mde above pointed out, it would be a TERRIFYING scenario if it's Trump/Cruz vs. Sanders because of how polarizing both of the general election major party candidates would be. Sure, it might pull both ENDS of the political spectrum out to vote, but the Moderates are either going to go third party, -OR- stay at home because they don't have ANYONE to side with. With Clinton, barring the event in which she gets indicted and has to drop out, the Democrats have an advantage in that they can easily scoop those moderate votes up even those who typically vote Republican - should their opponent's conservative values come off as too radical. Any time you can reach across the aisle and steal voters without having to NEED a third party candidate's help, you're having a good election year. As for the hyper Libs, all it takes is Bernie openly supporting Clinton and the base is bolstered by the former Sanders' voters even more. It's a good year to be a Democrat, -IF- you vote for the right person. Bernie's a hot commodity with some sexy ideas for the individual American, but can he appeal to the moderates enough to keep them from flipping a coin and going with presumably Trump? Hillary damn well would. I really enjoy primary season, because it brings out EVERY type of political ideology this great nation boasts. As a moderate Conservative watching from the sidelines, my mind changes all the time. I've recently referred to Clinton as "the Not End of the World" candidate - when previously I was rather against her camp in all aspects. I'm also one that is tabling not fulfilling my civic duty to vote because of all the uncertainty that remains in this race. I would -love- to see Marco Rubio come out of tonight's debate with a head of steam and give the Donald and the Cruz missile some heat. Ideally I would want my four men left standing to be Cruz, Rubio, Clinton, and Mayor Bloomberg Sanders.
  15. The last time I wrote a thread about the American presidential race, we had an army of various "conservative types" running for the Republican nomination, and what is essentially #TeamHillary over on the Democratic side of the aisle. Now, it's....well a little different. There's still several names in the hat for the GOP, still being headlined by Donald Trump, the former 'Apprentice' star and still-celebrity-businessman. Former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton still is in the pole position for the Dems as well. However, both races are closer with the big race officially underway - as the Iowa caucuses are just around the bend. DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION Leader: Hillary Clinton, Challenger: Bernie Sanders Hillary Clinton is sitting quite nicely with a 49 percent stranglehold for the Blues, and if you're one of the folks that think President Obama's two-term stunt as Commander-In-Chief was mostly successful. There's really no reason -not- to vote against her. Hillary hasn't been holding serve as well as her national support seems to give off however. She faces a very popular and surging opponent in Bernie Sanders, who is facing her as a radical leftist in comparison. She's also having to fend off opportunistic Conservatives and opponents over her involvement in an e-mail scandal as well as areas of foreign policy mishaps such as the Benghazi incident. Fighting a two-front war should be good news for the Bern, except for the fact that Sanders is facing two problems of his own that are also causing him to miss on capitalizing as much as he could be. Firstly, there is talk of former New York City Mayor Micheal Bloomberg potentially entering the Democratic sprint. This would seriously hurt the Sanders camp due to Bernie's highly socialistic agenda clashing with two popular and more moderate figures. Second, there's the socialism in itself not being so compatible with the way the Democratic Party wants to approach this election cycle. As the GOP is having to bare the burden of radical right-wing insurgents, a more moderate liberal might be too much of a boon to pass up, which means Bernie's smoke and mirrors may not be as effective when facing off against a Republican in the eyes of the DNC. The smart play for the Dems is to nominate Clinton, regardless of how likable Sanders is. Hillary will by default put a lot of pressure on whoever is destined to win the GOP at this point in time due to being a well supported moderate candidate. REPUBLICAN NOMINATION Leader: Donald Trump, Challenger: Ted Cruz, Establishment Challenger: Marco Rubio While the Democrats are at liberty to back a moderate candidate, the voter base behind the GOP isn't giving it's party the same luxury. At all. Trump and Cruz, the party's highest scoring candidates, are outsiders. The Donald is a "newly born Conservative" with a big mouth, big money, and zero filter. His opponent, the Cruz Missile, is a guy who doesn't do what he does "to be liked." and cares more about the evangelical, Tea Party, and libertarian voter blocs than he does Washington. Both of them are not "establishment" guys. In fact, both men are quite despised by the Elephants wearing the suits in D.C. Those suits on the other hand, would prefer the infighting between candidates Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio to cease so they can unify their efforts in taking out the grassroots candidates. The Republicans are facing a dire identity crisis. Party infighting is one of the major reasons candidates didn't show well in previous election cycles as of late, and those demons are most definitely back. The problem is - it may take picking the shinier of what the GOPers deem - of two turds. So there you have it. Clinton v. Sanders, and Trump v. Cruz.....v. "the Republican Party?"..... What are your thoughts?
  16. Alright, here goes. This particular character is fresh on -my- mind because I've encountered a lot of "oh, wow, I suffer with that trait more than I think." as of late. Due to a surprising amount of relation, I want to see what someone else thinks about the character in general. Name: Yukiteru Amano (Mirai Nikki - Future Diary) - also known as "First" with regard to his identification in the survival game. Medium: Anime Universe: http://theanimeplace.co/watch/mirai-nikki-subbed ...(I think you asked where I was watching it, right?) Length: 26 Episodes; about 30 minutes in length. I hope I got the format right. I can't wait to see what you see!
  17. This team is intended for Player-versus-player use - and unless you define "casual play" as sitting on Showdown! using Pokemon you like to use or being creative and not as the Team Showcase section of the forum understands it (I.e. Your REBORN team - hence why it's under the Reborn City subforum.) I don't really know why you're trying to patronize me. As for your suggestion on Talonflame, that is most indeed a huge problem, and I appreciate your Hippowdon suggestion. Hippo loses a lot of momentum for me by focusing on being a more defensive Pokemon, and I actually was pretty fond of Arena Trap, but I do see your point where it comes to being a more reliable Rock setter. Resetting the sun counter is nice as well. I intended for this team to be more "Hyper Offense" than balanced though, so losing stealth rocks isn't so much of a big deal to me. Perhaps sending me a sweeper to replace Scizor or Bisharp? I'll take the Latias suggestion with appreciation. I was leaning toward it to begin with and went with Latios wanting a bit more offensive power.
  18. Hey SJ, Let me address something real fast, because I noticed a little bit of this in other RMTs and it's actually a little bit annoying for not just me but other team owners. I'm well aware that there are other more viable ways to run Serperior - but I explicitly asked in my last sentence of the first post that the premise not be changed. You seem to disregard special pleading in several other RMTs for the sake of just "making the team better" - but it's not okay if people WANT that premise to remain. That's why they went through the trouble of asking. I understand you only care for teams that are going to put in work on a consistent basis, but it's common courtesy to let people play the game as they wish. Especially when they ask for that right beforehand. OR - if it's really that much of of an inhibition, at least acknowledge it with a different suggestion, like Tomas did here.
  19. Alright, I'll bite. My Pokemon submission for a three-point overhaul is Hitmonchan. First order of business is to provide it with the move Knock Off. Hitmonchan is the only Hitmon without access to the move, and being also without access to Scrappy, Ghost type Pokemon force it to reach into the bag of Elemental Punches if it wants to even think about doing damage to them. As far as rationalizing why Hitmonchan should have the move - the term used in boxing when defeating an opponent by their not getting off the canvas within the countdown is knock-out. A fairly similar term to "Knock-off". On top of that, Boxing also has illegal moves that are completely legal in the sense of the Pokemon battling - and boxers still use them occasionally. It's either I campaign for this move or Sucker Punch. Secondly, in the spirit of Boxing, I would ask that Hitmonchan get the move Heal Bell. This request is slightly odd when it comes to viability, but is to make up for perhaps an over emphasis on it in the first point to where I was stretching it's rational reasoning. In between rounds in a boxing match, the boxer's trainers attend to any wounds inflicted that would hinder their chances of victory in a fight. You know what hinders Hitmonchan's chances in a fight? a BURN. Hitmonchan having Heal Bell in it's moveset would allow it to effectively visit the trainers and get that burn removed during the match. This was more fun than asking for Guts or No Guard as an ability, because we don't need a Conkeldurr or Machamp clone, and Iron Fist combined with Mach Punch gives it a nice niche in NU. Thirdly, I would propose that Hitmonchan gain a 10 point boost in Speed. Boxers come in all different shapes and they all use different tactics. Several of them rely on landing as many jabs as possible. With the jab, speed is a very important part of execution, as it's not a power punch. Giving Hitmonchan a boost in speed won't change the game too much for it competitively, but again, no boxer is the same - and boosting it's speed would make it much faster than it's other Gen I punching (or MMA fighting) counterpart in Machamp, who relies on power. My goal with this Pokemon wasn't so much trying to make it as viable as possible so much as it was trying to differentiate it from Machamp. While 'Champ focuses on sheer power, Chan seems to be the type of Pokemon that appreciates countering it's opponent, with better defenses and speed.
  20. "Holden" "Holden, wake up." Morning. Again. Waking up is a lot like living in itself. To sleep is easy. To die is easy. It's the reverse that is hard. Rising out of the horizontal dregs of murdered bliss somehow felt like I was trying to rise with a weight sitting squarely on my chest. The struggle, experienced each day, resultingly takes more of a toll on my mood than the hours of sleep that preceded it, and this is why I fail on most days to carry a smile throughout the morning. The person who kicked me from my slumber is my roommate, Rachel. There was a time where I had it for her. She's the kind of girl who walked in the middle of the hallways throughout our grade school years. She warded off men because she wasn't meek, but yet also warded off women because she wasn't a conformist. When you stick out and you're proud of it, that's what leaves an impression right? I was anything but. I and the three others I knew were one of the many pods of students that stood to the side out of her way. I was most certainly down to earth and quick to admit when I was bested. In fact, when we did hook up, it was out of her overconfidence. It helped me grow in many ways. I went from feeble to retaliatory. I went from having no taste to being a bit acidic. Iron sharpens iron, as they say. Our short lover's tiff ended in natural parting.... for the most part. Just as she sharpened me, I sharpened her. She quickly began to form pods of her own, and due to her own influences those pods would overwhelm my own in numbers. She was cordial about cutting the string, and I, in my growing apathy for the concept of partnership, obliged. The only thing that didn't change, was the fact that we lived together. Ex-compatriots of love sharing the same bed, using it for it's intended purpose. It wasn't ideal, but the both of us at least cared for one another in that managing funds as a unit still gave us a chance to move on. On a personal note, without Rachel, I may not even be able to awaken at all. While I may not love her, she's as good an alarm clock as they come. --- Rachel was never one to act ladylike. She wore an over-sized tank and what looked like boxers as opposed to the more feminine undergarments. This was always something I liked, even without being in love with her. If anything else, it was something to tell the fellows at work about on a good day. Her usual routine was insult me, while serving breakfast. In hindsight, it probably looked like we were married for several years to everyone else. I would say something equally unpleasant and follow it up with a grunt in gratitude before eating. This was followed by simultaneous chewing and small talk, before we put ourselves together and went our separate ways. "Oh, Holden, my friend Natalie doesn't have a date for the social next week." "So?" "You don't have a date for the social either. Not that it's any surprise." "If it's not so surprising, why are you telling me this then? Wouldn't she not be interested?" "I mean, she already gets all the reasons she shouldn't be from me, and y-..." "She is interested, isn't she." I found myself smug. Rachel on the other hand looked rather annoyed. It wasn't that she was the jealous type. It was just part of her being to compete with me these days. It was like living with your best friend in a sense. There's a time to bring each other up, and a time to knock each other down. As much as she may enjoy the latter on a regular basis, her mentioning Natalie at all may have been the former - and it doesn't help that I'm employing a disgusting grin over the matter. It may also be because if this Natalie is her friend, setting her up with someone who doesn't have a spark could only come from being the cause of loss herself. I do try to own my sins, but there are times where she is disquieted for some reason. Hopefully she doesn't blame herself too much. What do I care, anyway. At the very least, this Natalie breaks up the whole monotonous life thing. For a while, it was getting stale.
  21. That's a pretty cool idea, ICSW. After getting Red, I got Gold -and- Crystal gifted to me in the same year. I then got Ruby, which was the earliest I was a super fan of the franchise. Ruby led to me getting FireRed and BOTH Colosseum spin-off games, as well as networking with several of my IRL friends to do one of the hardest things in the game. "Catch 'em All." After all of that Pokemon hunting, I started getting involved with the regular nuances of a developing life, and in doing so, dwelled among many folks who were part of the "Anti-Pokemon" scene....not the extreme Christians or colored people who thought Jynx is a blatant racial stereotype or any of that conspirator group mess, but the folks that began pointing to Pokemon as a "kid's pastime" and used a lot of derogatory slurs when acknowledging it becuase they thought it was a part of growing up. While Diamond and Pearl were released during this time - there was no motivation for me to purchase either of those titles or Platinum at all, on top of the fact that I had yet to grab a Nintendo DS. That all changed when Black and White came out. Around Temple, Pokemon began to go from "uncool" or worse to "retro" and "in". Once again, People were playing these games together and it was around this time I was introduced to the "competitive battling scene." I picked up HeartGold first > because of the nostalgic feeling I got from hearing about the remake AND because it was super cheap at the used game store around here - along with my first DS. That DS would later host my White runthrough as well as White2 before being replaced by the 3DS I waited a few months after the hype for Gen 6, but picked up Y and played it in a solid weekend all the way through for the first time, focusing on networking with friends before the trend died down - it was around this time I found Reborn. Omega Ruby was my latest purchase in the franchise.
  22. Going to have to be Red. I have fond memories for all generations of the game barring Gen 4 - when I was a bit burned out on Pokemon for a while. I had this belief that you had to choose the starter that was on the box because it was the best - and while I wasn't wrong - it just goes to show I used I didn't use my brain much as a kid. Kanto isn't exactly the best region ever though. It's just where it all began. Therefore, I get nostalgia trips whenever any game (again, barring Gen 4) is remade, because each generation brought something unique to the table.
  23. Introduction: Most Serperior sets are pretty straightforward. You know exactly what they want do when they see the field and it's one of the more blatantly obvious Pokemon in the metagame. Send it in safely, click Leaf Storm, get boost, proceed to overwhelm teams with the 'mon's speed and ever increasing power, until you win. Not exactly suggested however, is running "Solar Beam" on Serperior. It's not that it isn't a move that is befitting to the Pokemon at all (as it's a high power special STAB); only that Leaf Storm is typically the better option for it's power and is a better fit on teams across the board. However, I don't like doing things by the book - so instead of going for Giga Drain or a lousy support move - I wanted to see how well it fared wielding the power of the sun on a team that is heavily reliant on bulldozing anything in it's path. This first draft is what I came up with. Objectives: Serperior -must- use Solar Beam. Team must focus on wallbreaking and heavy damage output. Team should have a way to provide and remove hazards - the latter especially due to the choice of weather setter. At a Glance: Exportable Sets: Teambuilding Process: Serperior is obviously the focus of the team, as the question I posed in the introduction pertains to it. From basic knowledge of why the Regal Pokemon is sitting on it's lofty perch in OverUsed, we can extrapolate that NOT running Leaf Storm and Contrary would be silly, as it would incredibly hurt it's ability to sweep teams when Drought ends otherwise. From the challenge, we know our second moveslot will go to Solar Beam to take advantage of Drought with a hardly noticeable loss in power from Leaf Storm and more dependable accuracy in a one turn move under the sun. Dragon Pulse provides Serperior with an ability to hammer various pokemon that resist it's stabs, and Hidden Power Fire gives it an ability to to take care of the Steel types not named Heatran that would be problematic if trying to dent with it's stabs or D Pulse. In the event that both it -and- Charizard Y stick around for the long haul, Serperior can keep the good times rolling with heavy damage output while running Expert Belt to boost it's non grass moves AND not not take Life Orb Damage. Charizard-Y will be the one bringing the sunshine to the party. It's a standard wallbreaking set consisting of it's best possible STAB in Fire Blast, it's best possible coverage move in Solar Beam, which becomes click-and-use under it's self-provided sun, and Focus Blast to again deal with things like Heatran that would get a major benefit instead of a trip to the infirmary from Fire Blast and resist Solar Beam with ease. Roost rounds out the set, allowing Charizard-Y to regain health it may take from chip damage and weak attacks, as well as avoiding Sucker Punch KOs - allowing for Charizard to gain some longevity. Dugtrio serves as the team's Stealth Rock setter, effectively "putting the runners in scoring position" for when it's teammates come in to clean up by giving it some opposing residual damage if the opponent get's switch happy - as a team that depends on Wallbreaking as opposed to setting up will greatly appreciate all the help it can get over the course of the match. Dugtrio also is the absolute best way to deal with Heatran, as a double switch or a slow-turn will ensure the Lava Dome Pokemon is done in thanks to the pesky ability Arena Trap. Stone Edge helps deal with Flying type Pokemon that trouble Serperior if need be, while Reversal is essentially a nuke button if the sash ends up mattering. Scizor is one of the best options to use as a slow-turner because it can also give some massive damage off in doing so, thanks to the ability Technician. U-turn is also a STAB move, and with a Choice Band, anything this guy will be throwing will allow it to serve as a somewhat physical wall breaker. It's fear of burns is covered by three special attackers, one of which being unaffected at all due to it's Fire typing. Bullet Punch provides the team a very easy way of dealing with Fairy type Pokemon that specialize in Special Defense, such as annoyances Sylveon and Clefable not weilding Flamethrower or Fire Blast. Knock Off provides utility support as well as even more damage output, and Superpower takes on more Steel type Pokemon. Latios is a critical component of this team because of it's ability to green-light Charizard-Y throughout the match by rock clearance, as well as also providing pain in Draco Meteor and Psyshock. I gave this Latios Surf to deal with Rock, Ground, and Steel types aggressively if Drought is not set - while also giving me an out should I need to save Latios from special dropping too early. Bisharp is just a super reliable Pokemon in general, and on this team, he's playing bulky offense. Give it the AV and it's going to take most special attacking moves baring Focus Miss cleanly, while giving me another trap option in Pursuit and more utility support should Banded Scizor go down, along with more priority in Sucker Punch - which all still hits quite hard. Iron Head deals with Fairy types and is a nice secondary stab to have, as the AV limits one to only using attacking moves. Bisharp's biggest boon though is working in order to discourage Defog use and ward off things like Starmie and the Lati twins with the ability to take a special hit better than usual and usually make those Pokemon pay either way. In Conclusion: I just wanted to see if something was even remotely viable or not by changing Giga Drain/Support move to Solar Beam. So far I'm 3-1 with the team and plowing through the low ladder in some sort of crazy wave - but low ladder matches aren't always telling of anything much at all. I do see a couple of problems, most glaringly having three Pokemon that would not enjoy taking a Fire type attack that I actually go to the trouble of boosting for my opponent if Drought is still up - and so far I think banded STAB Bullet Punch and Sucker Punch, along with HP Fire getting a sun boost on top of whatever boosts may be on the table is somewhat balanced. Please do not try to change the premise of the team when making suggestions. (Solar Beam Serperior, it's not too much to ask for, right?) Other than that little request, have at me!
  24. Look. I'll quality check my posts later today after I get some rest. If anyone finds a mod, have them fix the title name for me. That really is an eyesore. I was writing this pretty late at night. :S Thank you guys for the support!
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