IntSys

Serra took out the bottle of fresh water Adara had given her and gulped down what was left. The view was nice, a candidate for a Top 10 Secret Tourist Spots in Johto, for sure. However, the gang at the forest certainly did not come here to have a picnic by a cliff overlooking the sea, however nice it might have sounded. "Took you long enough," she only had this to say for the other two. She walked along the coast, scouting the area to see if there were other paths.

Serra stopped in her track and turned her head around, noticing Jeanne's new Noctowl. "Good grief, I didn't know you were ten!" she exclaimed at Jeanne and Adara, as she facepalmed. "Whenever you're done, Pokemon Masters."

"Oh! You're trying to wake the Gashawhatever with blood! Like that's going to happen on my watch!" Marina slugged paint-charged fireballs at the two soldiers pouring blood, before wishing for two huge sponges and sending them across the floor to absorb the blood. After all that, she would set the sponges and the other soldiers on fire with even more fireballs.

"... Yikes. I'm not feeling it today. This forest seems less complex than Pinwheel Forest, yet here we are, no directions ahead," Serra took a look at her Xtransceiver. (11) "... Or not. The GPS says that the path to the left doesn't exist. It's probably a new one. That'll be our lead, then. Come on," she marched on.

Serra yawned, and then stretched her arms and legs. "Let's get going, then." She took the lead and walked down the most beaten path of the forest. Apparently, you couldn't go through Ilex Forest without passing by the shrine, so she figured that she'd come across it eventually.

"...Mm. Never mind, then," Emmanuel looked away. That was almost somewhat relieving, though. Uno must have only really decorated her own room, he thought. "That sounds like a good idea," he nodded. He caught a glimpse of the town on the way here. The folklore that he heard on the passing seemed interesting enough, and along with the Magikarp Festival, he felt like he might learn something that would bring him closer to whatever the Abravator said.

Damnit GF, how do you screw up a mon with a BST of 523? Learnset Changes: - TMs: (+) Taunt, Flamethrower, Overheat - Breeding: (+) Fake Out (Breed w/ Persian, Delcatty, Purugly, Liepard, or Meowstic) - Tutor: (+) Knock Off - Level Up: (70) Parting Shot Stats Changes: +10 Def, +10 SpD (+20 total) Luxray is this odd mix of Flareon and Electivire. It hits less hard than the former, and has worse coverage and speed than the latter. Its biggest selling point over the two is its bulk, but with it having to run Guts and Wild Charge (recoil) to stay relevant, that selling point may as well as not exist. And that brings us to our new and improved Luxray. With access to Flamethrower, Overheat, Knock Off, and Parting Shot, as well as improved bulk nearing that of Incineroar's, it can safely move on from its past as a Guts attacker. Now, you might say that you'd rather use Incineroar. However, Luxray's resistances, while technically worse than Incineroar's, do beat out Incineroar's plethora of weaknesses. With the two only sharing a Ground weakness (which can be remedied with Luxray's coverage), they can function as a solid AssVest Intimidate pivot core - being two of the three mons (the other being Mega Manectric) that can accomplish such task. And, on top of that, it still has niche moves like Taunt and Fake Out, as well as its original Guts set, allowing it to surprise opponents when they expect the (likely) better Intimidate set. Really tempted to slap a Dark typing on Luxray and call it a day, but that doesn't fit its portrayal in the games and the anime.

Halley lowered her aim a bit and took a look at the monsters' new modifications. If the surge of wrongness was of any indication, the monsters likely got their upgrades externally. She looked around, but the only possible culprit she could see was the arrogant man sitting on his throne. She raised her arm cannon against the King of Heroes, and revealed a lustrous beam sword. With a swift spin, she sent a sonic boom flying straight for his smug face. Action: Halley uses Variable Sword on Gilgamesh, dealing 2d6+SYN+DEX = 2d6+9+10 damage (+ a d4 for every debuff on Gilgamesh, + 6 for the 6x Slaloms on Gilgamesh) 5*INT% = 30% chance of using Wide Sword instead, dealing an additional 1d6+SYN+DEX/2 = 1d6+9+5 damage to Greater Lahmu A and Greater Lahmu B (+ a d4 for every debuff on them). Variable Load α: Apply debuff: Increase damage taken by [Level] = 5 for three turns. Variable Load β: Apply debuff: Disable the last action taken for two turns. Relevant Perks: Action List: Equips: Active Cooldown(s): Sparkling Suppressor - One turn left.

As we all know, many Pokemon have gotten the short end of the stick throughout multiple generations. They now rot in the depths of PU and whatever that's even lower than that. From the legendary Articuno to the lowly Luvdisc. Let us take a moment and not only pity their situation but also consider how they could be buffed to return to the realm of viability. Buffing Rules (taken from the buffs in Sun and Moon): +40 stats points at maximum (very rare; only on Masquerain as of now) (try to go for equal or less than +20 if you do decide to buff stats) Ability changes are allowed. Learnset can be altered to grant access to better moves. Maintain consistency with stats and abilities; if you're going to buff one Eeveelution's stats, you'll have to buff all the others' as well. No "create-a-move," "create-an-ability," or "create-a-mega-pokemon" here. We're still operating within the scope of Gen 7. What Pokemon will we be buffing?: Pokemon that are NU or lower. How much should I buff? Try to buff by one or two tiers. Like PU to NU/RU, and NU to RU/UU. To kick things off, I'll give you... Buffed Glaceon! Hidden Ability: Ice Body -> Slush Rush Learnset Changes: TMs - (+) Flash Cannon Level Up - (25) Ice Shard -> Freeze-Dry You know how Leafeon gets Chlorophyll as its HA? The logical move would be to give Glaceon the same treatment! With a more diverse set of offensive moves, it can now take on the unique role of being the special version of Alolan Sandslash. Its base 65 speed lets it outspeed scarfers with a base 102 speed under hail, and its new access to Flash Cannon and Freeze-Dry lets it punch through fairies and water types. Coupled with an already-good base 130 special attack, and you got yourself a weather sweeper that can wreak decent havoc in middle tiers. Oh and it can still run Z-Celebrate. Only villains do that, though. Of course, Glaceon still has quite a few weaknesses preventing it from breaking into UU and above comfortably. The greatest of which would be its abysmal matchup against Steel-types, and another would be its weakness to the very prevalent Mach Punch/Vacuum Wave and Bullet Punch. Those are things that will demand team support for, but if you're running Hail offense, you should be prepared for these things, no? Oh and it's pretty much a worse Kyurem aside from Speed, but shh. Sample Set: McFlurry (RU Hail Offensive) However, with Glaceon's viability now bound to the viability of hail teams, its success will hinge more on how mons centered around Hail are buffed.

"This noise again! You're coming... from below!" Marina pushed herself directly upwards with a stream of paint rockets fired at the ground beneath her, before quickly drawing an Astra Shield before her to parry the oncoming kegare blast. As soon as the blast was blocked, she would fly to the nearest subfort aside from the one she just set on fire and proceed to blast paint rockets and fireballs at the guards there again.

"Well, not really. Just a bit curious, that's all," Emmanuel answered. "A big and empty house could feel scary at night, but I guess it hasn't really bothered you much." He glanced over Uno's face, reassuring himself that an empty house doesn't necessarily contribute to a sick person's health. And besides, there was another possibility... "Oh! By the way, after you show us to our rooms, could we take a look at your room?"

Serra gave up after realizing that the call was simply not getting through. "I swear, Johto's such a backwater region that it's second only to Orre," she sighed, "yeah I'll come along."

"Tch," Serra smiled back with a hint of annoyance, and took her Xtransceiver out. "Hey, Aster! It's me, Serra. What's taking so long?" She said, as she began to walk back and forth.

"How about we give them a call first?" Serra answered with another question. "I'd like to know whether they actually need help or are just taking their sweet, sweet time."

"Well now I know what kind of people I'm actually working for..." Serra muttered to herself quietly. She then spoke with a more audible voice, "alright." She walked out of the room. As soon as Horace exited the office, she would say to him, "I'm sure as heck not going to deal with interrogation. You got that covered, right?"

Let's see here... Prickle Rick (Ferrothorn) (M) @ Rocky Helmet Ability: Iron Barbs Shiny: Yes EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD Careful Nature - Strength Sap - Leech Seed - Anchor Shot - Stealth Rock / King's Shield This here is the set Zodiac's probably been scared about throughout the week. Maximum special defense investment lets it take a Heat Wave from Mega Pidgeot at full health, and Rocky Helmet lets it punish Mega Beedrill's U-turn spam. The highlight of this set is Anchor Shot, which lets it snare any of their dreaded tanks aside from Mega Venu with HP Fire, and easily PP stall them until they're desperate enough to stop anticipating a switch. A fine stallbreaker, I say. Maria (Starmie) @ Psychium Z Ability: Analytic EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Timid Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Psycho Shift - Psystrike - Steam Eruption - Water Shuriken I looked at Zodiac's Meloetta (which can run a variety of horrifying sets including CM and Specs) and thought, "I want that Psystrike goodness against those tanks too!" Starmie here does just that. After using Z-Psycho Shift (+2 SpA), it can OHKO Mega Venu and Toxapex with Psystrike, and 2HKO Chansey with it. Against Type: Null, depending on the set, either Psystrike or Steam Eruption can come close to a guaranteed 2HKO. And then I managed to score a burn. Water Shuriken is there to let it not get shut down by Mega Pidgeot and Mega Beedrill, both of which outspeed Starmie and can OHKO with their STAB of choice. Honorable Mention: Poliwrath and Chesnaught See, Crawdaunt's slot used to be taken by these two Belly Drum powerhouses. They both get priority and Drain Punch, tanks aside from Mega Venu can't deal with them, but they both face trouble with faster threats. Poliwrath in particular is forced to run both Aqua Jet and Mach Punch to cover everything that's faster than it is, while Chesnaught straight-up dies to Gengar. Crawdaunt has no such problem though, so I ended up going with it. By the way, Zodiac, missed opportunity to use this: Type: Null @ Eviolite Ability: Battle Armor EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD Impish Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Block - Perish Song - Recover - Protect

"Asshole. The only pest control going on here is with your critters!" Halley scoffed, and readied her blaster. She was itching for a fight. Action: Halley uses Sparkling Suppressor on Bel Lahmu A, Bel Lahmu B, Greater Lahmu A, and Greater Lahmu B (hits SYN/2 = 4.5 -> 4 targets), dealing SYN = 9 damage and lowering damage output and damage reduction by 2 for three turns. (Two turns of CD) Variable Load α: Apply debuff: Lower init by 1.5*[Level] = 7.5 -> 7 for three turns. Variable Load β: Apply debuff: Inflict SYN/2 + DEX/2 = 4.5 + 5 -> 9 electric damage on each of the target's turns, lasting three turns. Relevant Perks: Action List: Equips:

Tai "... Man, your story puts mine to shame," Tai muttered. "You're... lonely. Whereas I'm just... alone." He inched toward Cardinal slightly, so he could speak at a low voice, saving the strength he had left. "Here goes." He said softly. "I'm from here, the plane of Gluttony, born under a middle-class family. My childhood was pleasant. I went to school like any other kid, and I took an interest in the mech combat scene. Every punch and kick had so much energy put into them... It was exciting and mesmerizing." "My dad was an entrepreneur of some sort. Can't really remember the specifics, but he must have borrowed money from loan sharks. At least, that's what Mom told me. He eventually got himself in a real bind. The last thing I heard he said was a meek 'It's over.' After that, he ceased to be my dad. He set up a plan to kill everyone in the family with fire. It was too late when I realized it. He killed Mom with a knife when she tried to reason with her, but I managed to escape through taking a four-floor dive into the snow, from the window in my bedroom." "Knowing that the same people that drove him to madness would come after me if I were to return to the scene, I escaped into the cold streets of Gluttony. Tai's not the name I'm born with, but rather a name I use to lie low. I've forgotten my real name already, so Tai may as well as be it." "I had this chance encounter with a homeless man named Todd. He was willing to teach me, a thirteen-year-old boy, how to live on the streets, and he taught me how to get a part-time job so I wouldn't have to beg for money. It was nice... Working and using the money to reward myself. Todd let me share his shelter while I worked part-time in a small, local restaurant." "I've always loved mechs, and I've done some research on the meta, so I figured that I'd have some chance in the scene. So, I saved up money and got myself a mech, largely based on my old doodles. I entered the local scene, with the name Supernova. The build I had in mind was apparently already somewhat outdated already. That one year changed the scene so much... But it didn't really affect me. I was quite successful, and my methods were scarring - You've seen it with Temperance." "Anyway, with the prize money, I didn't have to live in a shelter anymore. I gave a portion of my money as thanks to Todd, and bought an apartment for myself. Knowing him, though, he's probably given it all to the other homeless people to put them back on the track." "I lived and fought alone after that, but for some reasons it didn't really affect me much. My life was filled with all the adrenaline from the thrill of the fight. My prize money was mostly used on fine dining, as food is the only thing that grants instant gratification. I wanted more, though, and then this tournament happened. How naive I was... Godhood was the bait, and I took it." "You know what happened next." He started to feel a bit drowsy. "You... don't have much time left here, do you?" "You're trapped in the Sphere, and now, it looks like it's trying to pull you back in. The emptiness you've inherited..." ... "Had we met on different terms... No, what am I saying? That wouldn't be possible."

Emmanuel responded to the summary of the festival with a long "Ooooh." He had expected some long-winded story behind the festival, but as it turned out, it was just held because Magikarp mating was a big deal in #03 for some reasons. He saw those things in textbooks and databases before. Despite how pathetic they are in combat, he has some respect for its great tolerance toward highly polluted water. He took his time and observed the house. He was going to take notes and redecorate the gang's place later, but there was just one problem - no decoration in sight. "Hey... Uno. Has this house always been like this? It's so... empty," he asked nonchalantly.

Tai ... What? Tai couldn't believe what he was hearing. That was it. No more divine intervention. He sat down on the cold ground. "Have a seat, then" he said. "Can't believe my last hours have to be spent with you... But then again, the other option would be to spend it with some doctors and nurses at my deathbed. Better with someone you know and hate, than with someone you don't know at all." "... Let's change that. Tell me your story," he said. "Maybe I'll die before it ends, but do it anyway. Is this what they call an icebreaker?" He tilted his head slightly upward, gazing into the skies. "If I'm still alive after, I'll tell you mine."

276 Mods, get'em!

"Hi, Uno!" Emmanuel greeted Uno. He let Poochy and Nicaea spend their time outside, as they would enjoy it more. That and bringing them in would mean more sand on the floor. "So... What's this 'Magikarp Festival' all about? I haven't really researched things like this before. I'd never dream of being able to enjoy festivities like this one, after all."

Tai Tai hesitated. Why did he still need to live? The life he had fought for was all but gone. Would she actually die with him? ... "You wouldn't die with me. You wouldn't die willingly. There's something else that's driving you to fight against the other gods. The same motivation that made you use me. You're lying. You're lying!" He shouted at Cardinal. His memories echoed, and he quickly realized that he wouldn't have a choice in the matter. She would knock him out and drag him back with her if that was what it took to save the object of her guilt. That was what happened the last two times. She only cared about herself. "... Fine. I won't- no, can't stop you. Do what you want."