Josh Devlin
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Beginning Trainer
Player Character
Posts: 1,057
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Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 28
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Post by Josh Devlin on Sept 7, 2024 12:27:16 GMT 9
Information> Tower of Worms 15F Time> 10'10"85 Interval> + 02'13"27 Position> 2nd
Braver seemed far more comfortable with the jostling platform that rose through the giant tree's trunk, Ares rapidly twirling to practice his FIRE SPIN out of boredom. As both the whirlwind of flames and the platform settled down, Josh laughed hysterically. He had withdrawn the Liepard, only for the tower to ask for a dark-type attack. "That's called Murphy's fuckin' law," the child sand to himself, forgetting for a moment that he wasn't an adult anymore.
"I thought children weren't supposed to know about words like that," Ares teased, Josh giving the Charmeleon a nasty-looking stink eye.
"And you better not tell anyone," Josh replied, rolling his eyes at Ares, though both knew the jeering was in good faith. He had to keep his focus, not wasting any more time. Sitting on his Growlithe, he remembered the big dog could use his fangs without any class levels at all. "Alright, Braver, your turn! BITE at one!" Josh ordered, flicking his Growlithe's reins to order a leaping attack toward the swarming flock. With how many there were, he didn't need to be accurate, though both were covered in Pidgey down once one of them was writhing in the fire-type's mouth.
Growlithe used BITE. PROMPT 16: [Tower] RoNigFmn1-501-50
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Josh Devlin
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Beginning Trainer
Player Character
Posts: 1,057
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 28
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Post by Josh Devlin on Sept 7, 2024 12:38:37 GMT 9
Information> Tower of Worms 16F Time> 10'41"10 Interval> + 01'43"02 Position> 2nd
With that quick bit of thinking, Josh was now within two minutes of the lead, and neither one of his opponents seemed to be advancing. At the rate he was going, finishing the tower was going to take him around another hour if he was quick. It dawned on him that this was no sprint; it was a marathon. Fatigue would undoubtedly set in during the second half of the climb. Any seconds he would gain from precise menus would certainly be lost if he didn't keep proper pacing.
As such, the young one decided that blazing fast menus would not be needed, and accuracy would be more important. it would help him avoid costly mistakes that would add penalties to his time, such as the one he made on the previous floor when one of his Pokémon jumped the gun and used the wrong type of attack on a Pidgey. Thankfully for him, the next prompt let him not only use a Pokémon he had with him, but one he was very familiar with. One that would be his ace for the upcoming raid in Ostellia... the raid he was preparing for. "Raiden, come on out and blast as many as you can with a THUNDER WAVE!"
As soon as the horse appeared, his electric charge scattered the flock, not getting Josh the results he wanted. Rather than the jolt crashing into most of the Pidgey, it only brought one down. One was good enough to advance to the next floor, but the boy really wanted to keep his options open in case of an obscure move or Pokémon requirement. "About a seventh of the way there," Josh called out as he tried to make out the color of the wood above him.
Zebstrika used THUNDER WAVE. PROMPT 17: [Tower] nvBOi0OH1-501-50
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Josh Devlin
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Beginning Trainer
Player Character
Posts: 1,057
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 28
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Post by Josh Devlin on Sept 7, 2024 12:52:04 GMT 9
Information> Tower of Worms 17F Time> 11'08"40 Interval> + 01'15"72 Position> 2nd
Seeing he needed a Bug move next, Josh quickly recalled Raiden and prepared him for transfer back to his Box. Though he lost a split second with each move, keeping his storage organized was incredibly important. Knowing exactly where to find every Pokémon in his box was important to be efficient later. That organization proved to bite him, going straight for his Yanmega. "Right, I removed Xira from a class, so she doesn't have a bug move anymore..." he whined, losing precious seconds while he searched for another Pokémon. Only one could reach the birds, and that was Izoni.
Nervously reaching for the Naganadel's Poké Ball, Josh let the Invasive Species loose, the Pokémon flying in rapid circles and completely out of control. Seeing an opportunity, one of the Pidgey tailed it. With the expectation of evolving after downing such a powerful foe, it loosed PECKS and other attacks upon the Ultra Beast's sticky carapace... leaving it open to the poison-type's FELL STINGER popping out of its long, white sting upon impact with the ground. While it was far from intended, it still counted! The boy withdrew the dangerous Pokémon before things could spiral out of hand any more...
Naganadel used FELL STINGER. PROMPT 18: [Tower] VUF4p13U1-501-50
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Josh Devlin
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Beginning Trainer
Player Character
Posts: 1,057
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 28
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Post by Josh Devlin on Sept 7, 2024 13:00:41 GMT 9
Information> Tower of Worms 18F Time> 11'34"39 Interval> + 00'49"73 Position> 2nd
Perhaps he had withdrawn the Naganadel too soon; by the time the poison-type alien was back in her Poké Ball, Josh's UI has informed him that he would need a second-stage Pokémon. "Sorry for being premature about it, Izoni!" the child apologized as he clicked open the switch, sending the dragon-type back into the tower. The Ostellian native grew more aggressive from being withdrawn and sent back out within seconds, pointing her long, white sting toward Josh menacingly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" the boy pleaded, his partner shaking her head before turning toward the flock and MARKING one of them.
Raising her stinger toward the MARKED one, what would fly toward it would not be a physical stinger, but an entire wave of purple poison that splashed toward it as powerfully as a Water Gun attack. Only the purple, vile liquid was a skin irritant. The VENOSHOCKED Pidgey could no longer muster the strength to fly and crashed toward a low-lying branch. This Naganadel was just as brutal as ever. Maybe it was a good idea to take her to the raid...
Naganadel used VENOSHOCK. PROMPT 19: [Tower] 1J7x3A5e1-501-50
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Josh Devlin
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Beginning Trainer
Player Character
Posts: 1,057
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 28
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Post by Josh Devlin on Sept 7, 2024 13:49:49 GMT 9
Information> Tower of Worms 19F Time> 11'52"55 Interval> + 01'11"41 Position> 2nd
Just as the interval time was about to pass to zero and become negative, it began counting up again. Checking his friends' activity status, Kyukon seemed to no longer be in the tower. Did he get stuck and have to leave to find a Pokémon? If that was true, then that could only have meant one thing. Alicia Westfield had passed him.
According to C.L.A.W.'s terms, all that mattered was Josh finishing ahead of him. Finishing ahead of her would be nice, but she was one competitive soul. Every time they had some sort of competition, Alicia was always one step ahead. The only noteworthy exception was the race in the Thunderworks.
Any prompt Josh's mount could fulfill, such as the flinching move for the second ascent's penultimate floor was valuable. With how close the two were to one another in skill for just about anything, he would need to take any edge he could get. With a flick of the reins from his rider, Braver sprung into the air, catching one of the small birds in his BITING mouth and flinging it into the base of the trunk.
Growlithe used BITE. PROMPT 20: [Tower] 8L6YB|VI1-501-50
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Josh Devlin
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Beginning Trainer
Player Character
Posts: 1,057
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 28
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Post by Josh Devlin on Sept 7, 2024 14:02:40 GMT 9
Information> Tower of Worms 20F Time> 12'18"23 Interval> + 01'32"22 Position> 2nd
At the top of the second ascent, Josh got a view of the next color marking the third ascent: it was a dark brown representative of an older tree. Curious; wasn't the older bark usually toward the bottom? He didn't question it, nor did he care. All he cared about was the next prompt.
Requesting a Ground-type move briefly made Josh panic, remembering Granmarg was still trapped somewhere in Ostellia. Hovering over his Pokémon, he manually searched his box from front to back, looking for anything with a ground-type move. He passed over Pazuzu, scrolling halfway through his box before realizing the bird had something that would work. "Wait, Sand Attack is Ground-type, isn't it?"
Confirming that was indeed the case, Josh quickly scrolled back to the front of his box and confirmed the large bird for withdrawal. Hurling his Poké Ball toward the central trunk, he bounced it toward the opposite side of the circular space. While there was no sand for her SAND-ATTACK to blow into the flock's eyes, there was a nice substitute: sawdust that would prove to blind them just as effectively as coastal sediment.
Pidgeotto used SAND-ATTACK. PROMPT 21: [Tower] vP|3p46K1-501-50
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Josh Devlin
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Beginning Trainer
Player Character
Posts: 1,057
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 28
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Post by Josh Devlin on Sept 7, 2024 14:10:47 GMT 9
Information> Tower of Worms 21F Time> 12'53"38 Interval> + 02'02"63 Position> 2nd
Two flights down, eight to go. As the elevator rose to the third ascent, the light becoming increasingly dim from the darker wood reflecting less light, he helplessly watched the time differential between himself and what he could only presume was Alicia Westfield grow. She was an entire half-flight ahead by now. Shaking his head, he reminded himself of his true goal. "I don't need to beat her. I just need to beat Kyukon."
The first prompt of the floor was for an unevolved Pokémon, of which Josh had very few. Most of his unevolved Pokémon, if sent out, would attempt to undergo evolution almost immediately due to their trainer's growing level. Mirage was the only one captured recently enough to not be immediately ready to evolve... but he was also young and a bug-type, not ready for battle against birds quite yet.
Who said he had to attack the Pidgey flock directly?
"Mirage, shore up and HARDEN!" Josh ordered, the bug contracting his six legs beneath his hard carapace and bracing himself for the birds' PECKS and other flying-type attacks. His weak body held long enough for the floor to start rising up the Third Ascent.
Nincada used HARDEN. PROMPT 22: [Tower] KGJpyDzb1-501-50
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Josh Devlin
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Beginning Trainer
Player Character
Posts: 1,057
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 28
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Post by Josh Devlin on Sept 8, 2024 17:20:03 GMT 9
Information> Tower of Worms 22F Time> 44'48"11 Interval> + 05'09"40 Position> 3rd
At long last, Josh could view his timer. As he fast traveled back to the Challenge Tower with his Smoochum's Poké Ball in hand, he grimaced. Five minutes out of first place, his mistake of not going to the Trade Shop had cost him over a half hour. What would C.L.A.W. say if she asked him about this mistake?
Shaking his head, he re-entered the tower's darkened wood tier, sending out the baby psychic-type. "Smoochum, use..." He didn't have the young one's moveset memorized, for he never thought he would use one. Scrolling to his new Pokémon in the submenu, he found it had one effective attacking move. "...um, Powder Snow?" With puckered lips wide open, the adorable Pokémon loosed a small wave of ice crystals, freezing one of the Pidgey and bringing it to the ground.
That took way too long.
Smoochum used POWDER SNOW. PROMPT 23: [Tower] WMcizD101-501-50
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Josh Devlin
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Beginning Trainer
Player Character
Posts: 1,057
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 28
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Post by Josh Devlin on Sept 8, 2024 17:28:01 GMT 9
Information> Tower of Worms 23F Time> 45'06"08 Interval> + 04'42"33 Position> 3rd
While Josh was waiting for the elevator to rise, he grabbed two more Poké Balls from his waist and clicked them open, Thunder and Storm materializing in his arms. "Yeesh, those talons are sharp!" he exclaimed as both sets of them pierced his skin. The brothers chirped at the Pidgey, Storm pecking toward one of them with his spear-like beak.
When the platform stopped rising, the scout's UI made him aware a status move was needed. That was no problem, though manipulating the menus with only one hand was. Swapping out the Smoochum for Raiden, a Pokémon he was more than familiar with, Josh ordered the electric horse to clip one of the birds' wings with a THUNDER WAVE.
If he could find his rhythm, maybe he would start to catch up!
Zebstrika used THUNDER WAVE. PROMPT 24: [Tower] 87ey0vWG1-501-50
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Josh Devlin
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Beginning Trainer
Player Character
Posts: 1,057
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 28
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Post by Josh Devlin on Sept 8, 2024 17:56:06 GMT 9
Information> Tower of Worms 24F Time> 45'48"18 Interval> + 04'19"56 Position> 2nd
It felt a little strange being on foot for the climb up the Tower of Worms, but Josh didn't mind; he had two adorable little birds to take care of! On top of that, sitting on a land Pokémon's back was still a bit painful thanks to the DRILL RUN from that Drilbur - yeowch! With the lack of space for a flying Pokémon in such crowded airspace, he decided he would simply stand until he needed to sit down from his legs giving out.
Withdrawing Raiden for Luna, he let the stretching Liepard pounce at her leisure. The two Zapdos chicks chirped upon feeling her purr's air disturbance, gleefully watching the feline lunge toward the flock with a NIGHT SLASH and snatch a Pidgey out of the air.
Liepard used NIGHT SLASH. PROMPT 25: [Tower] QurZ6rtA1-501-50
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Josh Devlin
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Beginning Trainer
Player Character
Posts: 1,057
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 28
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Post by Josh Devlin on Sept 8, 2024 18:04:00 GMT 9
Information> Tower of Worms 25F Time> 45'49"50 Interval> + 03'56"33 Position> 2nd
Was the tower rising faster now? It sure felt like it, Josh barely having time to react to the next prompt as it flashed on his UI. Thankfully for him, he already had a Pokémon out that could fulfill it, and with a move with a quick animation at that.
"Luna, SUCKER PUNCH!" Josh called out as he walked to the other side of the tree's inside, giving his Galarian Zapdos chick a gentle pet. Those feathers were still sharp, but not as sharp as his Kantonian counterpart! When it came time to gear up, he would need to consider having his saddle specially constructed with extra leathers as a guard against being perforated.
With a lightning-fast fake-out, Luna leaped into the path of another Pidgey, clamping down on it with her jaws and flinging it across the tree. She sure was in a violent mood, wasn't she?
Liepard used SUCKER PUNCH. PROMPT 26: [Tower] 7LWNm87Y1-501-50
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Josh Devlin
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Beginning Trainer
Player Character
Posts: 1,057
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 28
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Post by Josh Devlin on Sept 8, 2024 18:15:44 GMT 9
Information> Tower of Worms 26F Time> 46'08"33 Interval> + 03'22"10 Position> 2nd
With Josh busy at Cabbages and Kings tomorrow, he was going to give up a lot of time and ground to both his opponents if he didn't make a big push tonight. He had been logged in for far too long, having lost track of time in the Surge Steppes, the trade shop, and now, climbing the tower. He was going to be sleep deprived and probably play poorly. On top of that, Thunder and Storm were wearing him out with their seemingly bottomless wells of energy, Thunder in particular wanting to wriggle out of his trainer's arms and speed across the Tower's floor.
Rotating his Pokémon to keep as many fresh as possible, Josh swapped out Raiden for Crash, withdrawing the Boltund from his box and quickly clicking the switch on the new Poké Ball. "Raiden, SPARK!" he commanded, the canine surrounding himself with a sphere of electricity that expanded outward, clipping the wings of a Pidgey directly above him. He shook his fur as if drenched to dislodge the unconscious bird.
Boltund used SPARK. PROMPT 27: [Tower] qSnNnmLw1-501-50
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Josh Devlin
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Beginning Trainer
Player Character
Posts: 1,057
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 28
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Post by Josh Devlin on Sept 9, 2024 17:00:08 GMT 9
Information> Tower of Worms 27F Time> 48'41"55 Interval> + 04'08"35 Position> 2nd
After spending eight hours at Cabbages and Kings, the sleep-deprived Josh had passed out hard, waking up at around midnight Monday. Thanks to him working second shift, he had one strange sleep schedule, typically not getting up until almost noon. Having to be at the card shop before noon only contributed to him taking such a long nap even more.
Now logged in, he saw he only lost a couple of floors to Alicia Westfield while he was gone. "Time to make a big push," he said to himself, giving Thunder a gentle pat before withdrawing one horse for another. Keleth whinnied upon being released from his Poké Ball, the Galarian Ponyta awaiting Josh's command. "Right, I still need to get you saddle trained. At this rate, you'll be a Rapidash before then!" he joked. "Anyway, Fairy Wind, please!" His cotton candy mane blew forward in the wind, confusing one of the Pidgey and causing it to drop out of the air.
G!Ponyta used FAIRY WIND. PROMPT 28: [Tower] ULC5uBFV1-501-50
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Josh Devlin
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Beginning Trainer
Player Character
Posts: 1,057
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 28
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Post by Josh Devlin on Sept 9, 2024 17:09:15 GMT 9
Information> Tower of Worms 28F Time> 49'12"11 Interval> + 03'39"31 Position> 2nd
Josh rolled his eyes; it was another Z-Move prompt, and Raiden's Hypersonic Plasma Charge was still on cooldown. He had another Pokémon capable of executing the move; as long as he wasn't required to use more than six Z-Moves during the climb, he wouldn't need to invest in more Tier 4 upgrades.
Withdrawing the Ponyta for his Pidgeotto, Josh also temporarily recalled Thunder and Storm; their young bodies were not meant to be tossed about at the speed of sound. "Pazuzu, this will be our first time using a Z-Move together! You excited?" he asked, the Pokémon simply squawking. Was he not comfortable with PokéSpeech yet, perhaps not until after evolution?
Either way, Josh harnessed himself into the bird's cocoon and raised his Z-GLOVE. Electricity radiated from the glove and the Pidgeotto's NORMALIUM-Z as he made the mounting-required Z-Pose, the rider's BOLTER class transforming Breakneck Blitz into the ultimate speedy attack. "Slice through them with your HYPERSONIC PLASMA CHARGE!"
With a devastating sonic boom, the lightning-wreathed avian brutally speared a low-flying Pidgey, birds and rider blipping across the tree in a split second. The impact with the opposite wall left Josh dizzy and dazed, barely remaining conscious while Pazuzu gently landed.
Pidgeotto used Z-MOVE: BREAKNECK BLITZ. PROMPT 29: [Tower] k5x5d_FL1-501-50
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Josh Devlin
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Beginning Trainer
Player Character
Posts: 1,057
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 28
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Post by Josh Devlin on Sept 9, 2024 17:24:00 GMT 9
Information> Tower of Worms 29F Time> 49'59"58 Interval> + 03'06"93 Position> 2nd
As fun as it was blasting around UNOVR at the speed of sound thanks to his Z-Move, it was stressful on both Josh's body and his Pokémon. Unzipping himself from Pazuzu's cocoon saddle, the boy tumbled to the tree's floor, giving him a good look at the fourth stratum. The bark seemed to be covered with bioluminescent moss, giving it a glow-in-the-dark feel. In two floors, the Pidgey would be a little harder to see, having to use negative images to figure out where they were.
Thankfully, the next prompt was for a Fire-type move, and Pazuzu knew one, if in a roundabout way. "Pazuzu, QUICK ATTACK!" the boy ordered in his dizziness. The Pidgeotto temporarily took on the appearance of a phoenix, thanks to Josh's mastery of the KINDLER class. The flock had begun to thin substantially, the tree beginning to smell of charred pountry...
Pidgeotto used QUICK ATTACK (NEVER NORMAL - Fire). PROMPT 30: [Tower] MM9iZlko1-501-50
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