(A/N: Special thanks to Ubertrainer2000 for greenlighting the appearance of a special guest in the roleplay for this post! You'll have to read on to find out who that is, but for now, let's take a peek inside the Forgers' apartment...)
"Any hour now... Any hour now... Any hour now, I just know they'll get back to me... Any hour now... "
"Papa, why has Mama been like this all week?"
"Ever since the Halloween party, you mean? I'm guessing it's because she entered the exclusive sweepstakes with a modified version of her previous application."
"Yeah, Anya helped with that! But... why hasn't the letter showed up yet-"
"Perhaps it got lost in the mail. I should probably reach out and see if they can find it."
Papa's such a liar... Mama's gonna FREAK if she finds out he already got it YESTERDAY!
*Concerned whine*
"Loid, could you be a dear and reach out to Pit or Akko? It's been over a day since voting closed for this past slate and I haven't heard a thing!"
"Papa doesn't have a way to call them, though-"
"Anya, we were at the party. You helped me with the facepaint for my Frankenstein's Monster costume, remember? And more importantly, both of the masquerade hosts came to me for some small talk while you and Yor were destroying the cornhole boards. Well, Yor was, but still-"
"I-I've been practicing with my tennis arm, okay?! Fiona's been helping, sort of..."
"The point is, from what they told me, the vetting process for this past slate was more tumultuous than ever - the votes for the sweepstakes came in at record time due to this pet mod finally being promoted on the Showdown! chatroom. And from what I hear, in the span of the party alone, there were more submitted ballots than throughout the entire voting phase of any previous slate."
"Oh, no... Does that mean my resubmission was doomed from the beginning?!"
"On the contrary - I'd say more voters means more chances for a show of support for you. And for what it's worth, I have faith in you, too."
"Y-you mean it?!"
"Absolutely. With how hard you've worked to make it this far, perhaps the Thorn Princess might just find her place in the meta after all."
"T-THE THORN PRINCESS? WHERE IS SHE?!?"
"PAPA, NO!!"
"Papa, yes. And as for where the Thorn Princess is, I'm talking to her right now. Isn't that right, Yor?"
"H-how did- How long have you known?!"
"Ever since you first signed up for the new version of this pet mod back in Slate 2. You're not the only one in this household who's been keeping tabs on its development, you know..."
SHIT, I'VE BEEN COMPROMISED! Forgive me, everyone, but it looks like I have no other choice...
"MAMA, DON'T DO IT!!!"
[PANICKED BARKING AND WHINING!]
"I'm so sorry, Loid... Anya... Bond... But I believe this is goodb-"
[KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK]
"MRS. FORGER! HELLO?!? OPEN UP!"
"...?!?"
"You can put that knife away, dear. I highly doubt Ms. Kagari would want to see a big mess when you open the door."
"Please, Mama... For Anya..."
"...okay... um... alright, but we'll need to have a talk later." My God, what did I almost DO?! "Uh... COMING!!"
[EVERYONE USED HELPING HAND!]
"WELCOME TO CROSSOVER CHAOS EXPANDED, YORRRRRRRR!!!"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! I'VE BEEN COMPROMISED! AGAIN!!!"
"Compromised? Try tyin' with me for third place at the sweepstakes! I'm Miles Morales, by the way, and it's a pleasure to meet a fellow newbie here in this micrometa - now if only I could've caught you at the masquerade itself!"
"Technically, Yor applied to C.C.E. five separate times before now. That includes two previous slates for this version of the mod, the first of which was the one I won on my first try!"
"I-I don't know what to say! T-thank you! Though, um... Toph? You're making me feel bad now for having tried so many times before- Huh?"
"Hey. Yor. Don't beat yourself up over the fact that you had to work way harder than either me or anyone else who won in the same slate they made their debut in. If anythin', that gave you more time to rework your build into somethin' truly special. And you won in the end, didn't you? That should be all that matters!"
"T-thank you, but - uh... Aren't you going to remove your hand from my shoulder?"
"Oh, right, sorry! 'Scuse me, just a little, uh, Spiderman thing. Hang on a moment while I try and get it off - oh! I almost forgot!"
"Uh, f-forgot what?"
"I got to talk to your husband at the party, and I might've convinced him to start making a build for himself and your kid, though whichever future slate might take it is for the council to decide. That's a matter for another day, though - ah, there we go!"
"Be that as it may, though, Miles didn't just come here to congratulate you. He and I agreed we needed to warn you, too, when the time was right."
"Wait, what's that in your- ?!?"
"Um, Mama?! You're shaking..."
*Whimper of abject dread*
"Oh, no..."
Here it comes.
"Should we start running now?"
"Possibly."
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU HAD THE LETTER THIS WHOLE TIME?!"
"First, to avoid this exact conversation. And second... I take it you're still unaware of what somehow won first place?"
"O-of course I'm not! You kept it from me and made me worry all day! ...W-who else won besides me and Miles here, anyway?"
"Perhaps I should've come clean much sooner, and I can only apologize for that. But while you're welcome to have your question answered... um..."
"...you're not gonna like it, yeah. I know I didn't, and from what I hear, neither did The Second Coming..."
"Loid, um... C-can I see the letter?"
"..."
"WHAT. HAS. OUR. AUDIENCE. DONE?!?!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Put the absolute monster that is Smaug in his place, that's what. Hold that Fighting coverage close, dear - you're going to need it."
"Any hour now... Any hour now... Any hour now, I just know they'll get back to me... Any hour now... "
"Papa, why has Mama been like this all week?"
"Ever since the Halloween party, you mean? I'm guessing it's because she entered the exclusive sweepstakes with a modified version of her previous application."
"Yeah, Anya helped with that! But... why hasn't the letter showed up yet-"
"Perhaps it got lost in the mail. I should probably reach out and see if they can find it."
Papa's such a liar... Mama's gonna FREAK if she finds out he already got it YESTERDAY!
*Concerned whine*
"Loid, could you be a dear and reach out to Pit or Akko? It's been over a day since voting closed for this past slate and I haven't heard a thing!"
"Papa doesn't have a way to call them, though-"
"Anya, we were at the party. You helped me with the facepaint for my Frankenstein's Monster costume, remember? And more importantly, both of the masquerade hosts came to me for some small talk while you and Yor were destroying the cornhole boards. Well, Yor was, but still-"
"I-I've been practicing with my tennis arm, okay?! Fiona's been helping, sort of..."
"The point is, from what they told me, the vetting process for this past slate was more tumultuous than ever - the votes for the sweepstakes came in at record time due to this pet mod finally being promoted on the Showdown! chatroom. And from what I hear, in the span of the party alone, there were more submitted ballots than throughout the entire voting phase of any previous slate."
"Oh, no... Does that mean my resubmission was doomed from the beginning?!"
"On the contrary - I'd say more voters means more chances for a show of support for you. And for what it's worth, I have faith in you, too."
"Y-you mean it?!"
"Absolutely. With how hard you've worked to make it this far, perhaps the Thorn Princess might just find her place in the meta after all."
"T-THE THORN PRINCESS? WHERE IS SHE?!?"
"PAPA, NO!!"
"Papa, yes. And as for where the Thorn Princess is, I'm talking to her right now. Isn't that right, Yor?"
"H-how did- How long have you known?!"
"Ever since you first signed up for the new version of this pet mod back in Slate 2. You're not the only one in this household who's been keeping tabs on its development, you know..."
SHIT, I'VE BEEN COMPROMISED! Forgive me, everyone, but it looks like I have no other choice...
"MAMA, DON'T DO IT!!!"
[PANICKED BARKING AND WHINING!]
"I'm so sorry, Loid... Anya... Bond... But I believe this is goodb-"
[KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK]
"MRS. FORGER! HELLO?!? OPEN UP!"
"...?!?"
"You can put that knife away, dear. I highly doubt Ms. Kagari would want to see a big mess when you open the door."
"Please, Mama... For Anya..."
"...okay... um... alright, but we'll need to have a talk later." My God, what did I almost DO?! "Uh... COMING!!"
[EVERYONE USED HELPING HAND!]
"WELCOME TO CROSSOVER CHAOS EXPANDED, YORRRRRRRR!!!"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! I'VE BEEN COMPROMISED! AGAIN!!!"
"Compromised? Try tyin' with me for third place at the sweepstakes! I'm Miles Morales, by the way, and it's a pleasure to meet a fellow newbie here in this micrometa - now if only I could've caught you at the masquerade itself!"
"Technically, Yor applied to C.C.E. five separate times before now. That includes two previous slates for this version of the mod, the first of which was the one I won on my first try!"
"I-I don't know what to say! T-thank you! Though, um... Toph? You're making me feel bad now for having tried so many times before- Huh?"
"Hey. Yor. Don't beat yourself up over the fact that you had to work way harder than either me or anyone else who won in the same slate they made their debut in. If anythin', that gave you more time to rework your build into somethin' truly special. And you won in the end, didn't you? That should be all that matters!"
"T-thank you, but - uh... Aren't you going to remove your hand from my shoulder?"
"Oh, right, sorry! 'Scuse me, just a little, uh, Spiderman thing. Hang on a moment while I try and get it off - oh! I almost forgot!"
"Uh, f-forgot what?"
"I got to talk to your husband at the party, and I might've convinced him to start making a build for himself and your kid, though whichever future slate might take it is for the council to decide. That's a matter for another day, though - ah, there we go!"
"Be that as it may, though, Miles didn't just come here to congratulate you. He and I agreed we needed to warn you, too, when the time was right."
"Wait, what's that in your- ?!?"
"Um, Mama?! You're shaking..."
*Whimper of abject dread*
"Oh, no..."
Here it comes.
"Should we start running now?"
"Possibly."
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU HAD THE LETTER THIS WHOLE TIME?!"
"First, to avoid this exact conversation. And second... I take it you're still unaware of what somehow won first place?"
"O-of course I'm not! You kept it from me and made me worry all day! ...W-who else won besides me and Miles here, anyway?"
"Perhaps I should've come clean much sooner, and I can only apologize for that. But while you're welcome to have your question answered... um..."
"...you're not gonna like it, yeah. I know I didn't, and from what I hear, neither did The Second Coming..."
"Loid, um... C-can I see the letter?"
"..."
"WHAT. HAS. OUR. AUDIENCE. DONE?!?!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Put the absolute monster that is Smaug in his place, that's what. Hold that Fighting coverage close, dear - you're going to need it."
"Would this be a bad time to tell ya that we've brought a buttload o' gifts for you? We figured you'd need some starting resources for the upcoming playtests, but... well, knowin' what you just learned..."
From what I hear, Falchion's STILL trying to find a coder who isn't burnt out by other stuff so he can finally get the mod to Dragon Heaven, but yeah, better to get yourself prepared ahead of time. Especially with a pack of hungry dinosaurs now loose in this format...
"Okay, okay, I've calmed down - wait, gifts? Is that a tradition, giving held items to new winners?"
"Not everyone does that - Nino didn't when I talked to him after getting my letter the other day, though he did gimme a few tips for my movesets. But if you guys think this'll help us out once the mod goes live, I guess it can't hurt!"
"Let's start with mine, then! For obvious reasons, your offensive sets'll need to hit as hard as they can, so I decided to just have one of my spare Life Orbs bundled up for you and then call it a day."
"Oh, my! Thank you, Toph! Wouldn't the constant HP loss be a problem, though? I know I have a draining attack, but Assassinate won't work on Normal-types like Akko's base form or The Second Coming, and it wouldn't be much more useful against Dark-types like Garfield here since it won't heal me so much if it isn't very effective."
To say nothing of how it's only super-effective against two other types, one of which YOU have.
"Still, you can use that as your main Ghost STAB for both Taunt-proof recovery and neutral damage spreading. Your go-to Normal STAB would obviously be Mega Kick, which hits with devastating force despite not exactly being what I'd call consistent, but you could say the same for Focus Blast and it's still run quite often as a coverage or even STAB option. Alternatively, Facade's seemingly middling attack power is doubled if you're under the effect of non-volatile status, and while Body Slam is on the middling side in terms of raw damage, its paralysis chance could offer its own potential utility."
"At least the first two can deal massive damage on their own, though in Facade's case it'd be more situational. But with the nerfs she gave to her Attack stat for the sake of her abilities, poor Yor's gonna need all the help she can get to deal any serious damage!"
"Shinobu thought the same, actually - that's why she offered to do the wrapping. Not sure what she used for it, but hey, I ain't complaining!"
"Mama? Is that a Spell Tag as the gift label?"
"Good eye, Anya - oh, and the wrapping itself is a Silk Scarf! Each of these boosts one of my STAB types by a fifth again, so either could allow me to strike more fiercely than ever!"
"With topped-off Attack and Speed EVs and a Speed-boosting nature, that'd allow you to run any of your abilities for your sweeper set since each would be relevant in only a few specific if still mission-critical situations. However, Oblivious would be ideal, since you won't have to worry about Medusa's Intimidate - and, more importantly, your setup can't be stopped by Taunt."
"Good to know - and I should definitely give my thanks to Shinobu the next time I see her! I feel like she'd be a good partner for me in battle, too, since her Bug STAB can threaten any Dark-types I'd have to watch out for."
"Yeah, somethin' tells me you two would get along great - not in the least 'cuz you two share the same voice actress in Japanese! Outta curiosity, though... why would Shinobu put a label on this thing?"
"Huh? She wrote something on it, but... it's in her native language. Japanese, right? I'm not sure if I can read anything that isn't Ostanian..."
"I'm Japanese, actually! Hang on, what's it say? Hmm, it's red ink, and it reads '-Tidy Up' with a minus sign next to it. And below that she added 'Broken On Mega' - waitaminute..."
"*GASP!* HOW DID I NOT CATCH THAT LAST MONTH?! I AM SOOOOOOO DUMB! AGAIN!!!"
Oh boy. I'm guessing Yor's about to get nerfed before the playtests even begin?
"Pretty much. Uh, Mrs. Forger? Remember how you said you wanted to add Tidy Up to your resubmission for both hazard clear and setup?"
"I did, yes, but... i-is there anything wrong with that?!"
"Well, aside from removing entry hazards like Toxic Spikes and the like, Tidy Up boosts both your Attack and your Speed at the same time! Apropos of nothing, h-how fast are you as the Thorn Princess again?"
"Well, my Speed stat in that persona is 120- Oh. Oh no, I think I see the problem now!"
Aaaaand it's curtains for Tidy Up! Good thing that Life Orb will boost your Attack stat to a respectable 104 - that'd give you a similar stat distribution to that of The Tick, and his main setup move is +Bulk Up. I also know that one, even if it's mostly flexing fat, and if I could make use of it to sweep despite being so slow, I'd be down to teach you how to make it work!
"I'm good, thanks, but it's the thought that counts. Maybe trying to match my canonical swiftness wasn't the best idea after all, but I don't see why I can't pick up a Scarlet and Violet TM064 from the item store this weekend. (And I wonder if I could even take a few lessons on defensive muscle-flexing from Mitsuri while I'm at it...) Anyway, for the hazard clearance niche I'd intended to fill with Tidy Up, I can add two moves I should've from the start, and which do fit in with my acrobatic style of combat: +Rapid Spin and +Mortal Spin!"
"How those two moves didn't cross your mind in the first place is beyond me, but you already have Poison coverage in the form of Poison Jab and Cross Poison - and more importantly, this meta doesn't have someone who gets STAB on Rapid Spin yet. With so many Stealth Rock users as it is, spinning to win would be a pretty good strategy!"
"And as far as coverage is concerned, I suppose any non-STAB attacking move will do for you. That said, Close Combat is especially notable because between it and Assassinate, you'd be able to score a hit on every single type combination... except, ironically, your own!"
"Talk about bein' her own worst enemy! Alternatively, Darkest Lariat, Knock Off, and Foul Play will hit other Ghost-types harder than Assassinate - and with the latter, she won't have to worry as much about boosting her own Attack stat first."
"Solid choices all around! While we're at it, we can add three more coverage moves: X-Scissor can target Dark-types without Close Combat's defensive drops, Aerial Ace never misses despite its weaker damage, and Knife Edge will allow me to hold my own against even the Velociraptor if I can get the drop on it before it or its pack can do the same to me!"
"Mama's sooooo cool! She put so much thought into this - I wanna try that, too!"
"Now now, Anya, best let Agent <Twilight> do the heavy lifting should we manage to follow Yor into this meta. Perhaps I should get in touch with W.I.S.E. again soon to see if Sylvia will be willing to grant us permission to sign up for CCER ourselves in the future, but for now, supporting the Thorn Princess will do."
"...my husband's a spy, not a psychiatrist. Who would've guessed? But, well, I simply can't stay upset with you for long, Loid..."
*BORF! BORF!* [He can see the future. It certainly looks brighter now that the air has been cleared!]
Yor Forger @ Life Orb, Silk Scarf, or Spell Tag
Ability: Oblivious
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA) or Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
- Bulk Up
- Facade/Body Slam/Mega Kick/Rapid Spin
- Assassinate
- Aerial Ace/Brick Break/Bullet Punch/Close Combat/Cross Poison/Darkest Lariat/Foul Play/Knife Edge/Knock Off/Mach Punch/Mortal Spin/Poison Jab/X-Scissor
"Okay, now that your first moveset's done, time for me and Garfield's gift! It's... not exactly our best work, but hey, we tried..."
"Like I've said before, it's the thought that counts! Though, hmmm... What is this, anyhow?"
"Well, I was gonna give you a Covert Cloak since you looked so cool dressed up as the Grim Reaper at the Halloween party, but the only one I could find on short notice was in really bad shape. Seriously, it had sooooo many rips all over it that I didn't think it could even block the secondary effects of incoming attacks like it should! So Garfield and I turned it into a seat cushion, which probably wouldn't be as useful in battle, but still..."
"As Yor put it, you had the best intentions, and it wouldn't be out of the question to simply buy her a new one later. I can certainly respect your creativity, though!"
"Can't take full credit for that - Garfield offered to stuff the thing to save time! He didn't say if he had a gift of his own, but I'm sure helping me with mine is enough!"
"Thank you both, but... Are you sure this will stop Smaug from stealing my Bulk Up boosts with his signature move?"
You'd be sadly mistaken if you think that, since it doesn't stop Clear Smog from resetting its target's stats, but protecting yourself from attack effects that could, say, lower your stats individually or cause you to flinch would still be helpful in its own way. Just try to avoid getting nailed by any Knock Offs, and you should be fine!
"Well, I... don't see why I can't give it a try. Hmm, let's see how it feels..."
*snickers*
"Huh? !!!! MAMA, DON'T! THERE'S A-"
"YEEEEEEOOOOOOUUUCH!!! HOTHOTHOTHOTHOTTTTT!!!"
"-Flame Orb in there."
"You're laughing. My wife has a first-degree burn and a fifty-percent Attack penalty, and you're laughing."
"Not any of us! Where's that yowling coming- oh, of course."
"GARFIELD..."
PFFFFT... I regret nothing. That wasn't JUST a prank, though - Yor, check your Attack stat again!
"Owieeee... W-wait, didn't Loid just say I have fifty percent less-"
"Not less Attack, man. It's fifty percent more!"
That's the power of Guts for you, Miles! The moment Akko told me that Yor had put that down as one of her abilities in her latest application, the first thing I thought of was Flame Orb Ursaring - or Ursaluna, whichever. Either way, with an Attack stat as high as that of the base-form Velociraptor, an Adamant nature and maxed-out Attack EVs, even I wouldn't want to be in the way of a Facade from her at TRIPLE its usual power!
"That's actually some really good thinking, but still kind of a jerk move..."
What can I say? No better way to teach somebody than giving them a firsthand demonstration! Keep the Flame Orb, by the way, Yor - I didn't go out of my way to get a hold of it just to mess with you.
"I-I'll be sure to make the most of both it and what's left of the Covert Cloak-turned-seat cushion. S-so you'll be spared... for now. Ooooh, m-my bottom..."
"All that aside, my impression is that your remaining two moveslots can be filled in the same way as before. With the burn status constantly draining your HP, a recovery move like Assassinate would be essential, but the coverage move you go with would be dependent on who you suspect will be on the opposing side."
"Somethin' tells me that Guts boost could pair well with priority attacks like +Mach Punch in particular - those could be a lifesaver against Charlie's Mega, Darth Vader, and especially the Velociraptor's sweeper set. Oh, y'know what, lemme see if I can crunch some numbers real quick!"
"WHAT?!?!"
"I can't even see what's on Miles's phone right now, but something tells me that is one. Dead. Dino."
"My thoughts exactly! Between that and Ghost and Fighting havin' such amazing offensive synergy, I'd say Mach Punch would be her best pick for coverage in case she can't get the chance to use her Agility at least once."
"Aiieeee...! I-I'll take your word for it, but there's just one problem... I-I never thought about adding that move to my kit! I completely forgot about it from the very beginning, and since I know Sucker Punch already, I-I figured I had my priorities covered-"
"Priority, Yor, with a Y. And you can certainly use Sucker Punch against Medusa to the same effect, but if you think Mach Punch isn't going to break your build, I don't see why you can't add it, though that of course is for the mod council to decide. Still, you already know the much stronger Close Combat, though that might probably be better suited for a Quick Feet set."
"I guess I could let you borrow my Toxic Orb too if you wanna run Quick Feet instead of Guts, but you'll need to run Swords Dance instead of Agility to make up for the Attack deficit, even with Facade hitting twice as hard as normal. And with the Covert Cloak instead of that, burns like the one on your bum right now will affect you the usual way, so you'll have to Swords Dance twice if Charlie manages to Will-O-Wisp you - but you'll be faster than even her Mega with your ass on fire! (Uh, I can get that if you want, by the way...)"
"Of course I would be. Ngghh... I-I don't see why I can't run Night Slash as Dark coverage with that set instead of Sucker Punch, either, but Foul Play could also be nice to try in case even my Swords Dance isn't enough!"
Too bad Mach Punch isn't available as a TM, but I'm sure the we can figure something out for you if the council's cool with it. For what it's worth, though, your Bullet Punch could probably take out a single raptor just as quickly, though a pack of them would be more of a challenge. And there ARE a few typings that resist both Steel and Ghost, including Darth Vader's Dark/Steel, but your Close Combat would turn him to scrap anyway!
"We'll just list all of these moves for your fourth coverage slot and wrap all of this together into a single set, with room for variation depending on which stat you wanna boost right out of the gate. It'd take a bit to get the numbers down, but we've gotcha covered!"
"I'd appreciate that, thanks - i-it should spare me a minute to get myself some new tights! A-and maybe some ice for my poor butt while I'm at it..."
Yor Forger @ Covert Cloak, Flame Orb, or Toxic Orb
Ability: Guts or Quick Feet
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe or 252 Atk/252 Def/4 Spe
- Agility/Bulk Up/Swords Dance
- Facade
- Assassinate
- Brick Break/Bullet Punch/Close Combat/Foul Play/Knock Off/Mach Punch/Night Slash/Sucker Punch
In Yor and Loid's room...
"How does it feel, honey?"
"It still hurts... Owowowww...! I-I appreciate your care, but in Pokémon game mechanics, burns are a non-volatile status condition! I'm not sure if any regular burn cream will help..."
Crap, this is harder than I thought. "Should we, um, call for someone who can cure it properly, then?"
"You rang, Mr. Forger~? BREEEEEEAK SPELL!!!"
"H-huh?! Ahhhh... Ohhhh, that feels so much better!"
"I appreciate your assistance, Aqua, but... this was a private moment! What gave you the right to barge in?!"
"I did say I could quite literally save your wife's ass if she wanted. Was she seriously too Oblivious to notice?!"
"Oh, that was an actual offer?"
"See what I mean? Either way, though, the deed is done. You're welcome! And while I prepare to bask in your inevitable adulation, I have a present for you, too. I'd have given it to you sooner, but I didn't wanna break it out with the kids in the room!"
"A bottle of Colbur Berry beer, hm? I can see why you needed to be so discreet..."
"Plenty more where that came from - I've been stocking up on 'em ever since Natsu got one for me at the end of Slate 5! You're not the only anime waifu around here who has to worry about having both her relatively low Speed stat and her Dark weakness taken advantage of... or getting eaten by raptors, for that matter."
"D-didn't Miles just prove that my Mach Punch could kill an entire pack of those beasts in a single blow?!"
"That's not a guarantee of survival, sorry to say. The Velociraptor's Choice Band set has to play around its loss of Speed should it be phazed out, so it'll be running Sucker Punch as its Dark STAB, without exception. And with Sucker Punch and Mach Punch being in the same priority bracket, it'll be the faster fighter who gets the first hit in - and with the exceptions of Garfield and The Second Coming, every character in this format who can learn Sucker Punch outspeeds you by a fair amount! Hence the beer - and I even decorated it with a cute little bow made from a Focus Sash, which you can also equip so you can actually last long enough to get at least one layer of Spikes or Toxic Spikes up before you wind up on the menu!"
"If that isn't a good enough argument in favor of adding Mach Punch to Yor's build before the playtests begin, I don't know what is."
"Knowing your... well, being you, I had no idea you knew so much about move priority. That's something genuinely worth praising, if I do say so myself!"
"See, I told you I'd bask in your adulation - and I do have Triage as an ability, after all! But yeah, you'll need a way to protect yourself from getting Sucker Punched if you wanna live. Beer or sash? You decide!"
"If that's what it'd take for my wife to avoid being killed on missions, I'll overlook the risk she poses to me when overly tipsy just this once. Perhaps it could even buy her enough time to Circle Throw her attacker off of the field and get to safety..."
"I'd have to hard-switch out if the next enemy I bring in could still threaten me, but an Assassinate or five could work just as well to recover from any damage the dinosaurs might have dealt. I might have to run Foresight alongside Circle Throw, though, in case Medusa happens to be lying in wait... though with nothing to fear from her Intimidate, one Sucker Punch might be all I'll need to make her ancient history once more!"
"I did call you out on your Obliviousness earlier, but I can tell you right now that it'd be your best ability by far for a supportive role - and not just 'cuz of the threat of that big ol' noodle-hag! There's no shortage of Taunt abusers in this meta, myself admittedly included, so being able to run status moves without having to worry about 'em would be a total game-changer. Even I can't deny that you aren't exactly the sharpest knife in the bin, but with hazard control via Spikes or Toxic Spikes on the one hand and now Rapid Spin or Mortal Spin on the other, Brick Break for screen removal, Knock Off as a damage-dealing item destroyer, debuff moves like Scary Face, Toxic, and perhaps a Taunt or two of your own, and a killer Mean Look to stop your client getting away (a scarier one than even I could dream of pulling off, mind, but don't tell anyone I said that...), I'd say your utility set's got it made in every way that matters!"
"I don't think I understood a word of what you just said, but... I'll take all of it as a compliment!"
"Four conversational status moves in a row... Seems like we have a new record. Out of curiosity, though, would you have allowed Yor to run Poison Heal even if she hadn't chosen to exchange it for a more general-purpose anti-status ability on her own volition?"
"Absolutely not. I get that she gave herself that 'cuz she's almost as much of an alcoholic as I am, but I'm thoroughly convinced it fits me better from a lore perspective! Plus, I'm sure I can more use out of it than she ever could due to being better at baiting Poison Ivy with my typing. I wouldn't be surprised to see her run Knife Edge just to deal with her, but it doesn't get STAB until she puts her work clothes on!"
"Oh, that reminds me... I'll be back in a moment. Yor, you don't mind checking on Anya and Bond, do you?"
"I guess, but... am I missing something here?"
"You'll find out soon enough. But in the meantime, thank you for your help, Aqua. And if the mod council receives a form for a Psychic-type wallbreaker by the name of <Twilight> at any point in the future... let's just say you'll know who it is."
"Oooooookayyyyyy...?"
"As I said once before today, who would've guessed? Anyway... I'd picked Poison Heal back then because, aside from my canon poison resistance, it was the most competitively viable ability that prevents poisoning a la my Thorn Princess self's Steel-type. But, if you feel it makes more thematic sense for your own kit-"
"Of course it does, and I'm not letting anybody else take it away from me! And if you think have the guts to upstage me in that particular niche, you'd be VERY sadly mistaken!!"
"...you do know I gave myself Guts with a capital G as my Attack-boosting ability this past slate, do you?"
"You literally just gave us a demonstration of - ?! ...Uh-oh. Please tell me you're not seriously thinking of running that for this set as well?!"
"With this meta having a major status abuse problem, is it any wonder I gave myself that ability in the first place? And since its effect negates the damage reduction from burns, I can spring a nasty surprise on anyone who thinks they can hobble me with Will-O-Wisp... or Scald. Don't take that Snarl of yours for granted, Goddess - in a way, you've just given yourself a brand new counter."
"...if we ever face each other during the playtests, I'm going to kill you."
"You can try. Also, see what happens when you're careful with neither what you wish for nor what you say?"
Yor Forger @ Colbur Berry or Focus Sash
Ability: Guts or Oblivious
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA), Impish (+Def, -SpA), Careful (+SpD, -SpA), or Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe, 252 HP/252 Atk/4 Spe, 252 HP/252 Def/4 Spe, 252 HP/4 Def/252 SpD, 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Def, 4 HP/252 Def/252 SpD, or 4 HP/252 Def/252 Spe
"How does it feel, honey?"
"It still hurts... Owowowww...! I-I appreciate your care, but in Pokémon game mechanics, burns are a non-volatile status condition! I'm not sure if any regular burn cream will help..."
Crap, this is harder than I thought. "Should we, um, call for someone who can cure it properly, then?"
"You rang, Mr. Forger~? BREEEEEEAK SPELL!!!"
"H-huh?! Ahhhh... Ohhhh, that feels so much better!"
"I appreciate your assistance, Aqua, but... this was a private moment! What gave you the right to barge in?!"
"I did say I could quite literally save your wife's ass if she wanted. Was she seriously too Oblivious to notice?!"
"Oh, that was an actual offer?"
"See what I mean? Either way, though, the deed is done. You're welcome! And while I prepare to bask in your inevitable adulation, I have a present for you, too. I'd have given it to you sooner, but I didn't wanna break it out with the kids in the room!"
"A bottle of Colbur Berry beer, hm? I can see why you needed to be so discreet..."
"Plenty more where that came from - I've been stocking up on 'em ever since Natsu got one for me at the end of Slate 5! You're not the only anime waifu around here who has to worry about having both her relatively low Speed stat and her Dark weakness taken advantage of... or getting eaten by raptors, for that matter."
"D-didn't Miles just prove that my Mach Punch could kill an entire pack of those beasts in a single blow?!"
"That's not a guarantee of survival, sorry to say. The Velociraptor's Choice Band set has to play around its loss of Speed should it be phazed out, so it'll be running Sucker Punch as its Dark STAB, without exception. And with Sucker Punch and Mach Punch being in the same priority bracket, it'll be the faster fighter who gets the first hit in - and with the exceptions of Garfield and The Second Coming, every character in this format who can learn Sucker Punch outspeeds you by a fair amount! Hence the beer - and I even decorated it with a cute little bow made from a Focus Sash, which you can also equip so you can actually last long enough to get at least one layer of Spikes or Toxic Spikes up before you wind up on the menu!"
"If that isn't a good enough argument in favor of adding Mach Punch to Yor's build before the playtests begin, I don't know what is."
"Knowing your... well, being you, I had no idea you knew so much about move priority. That's something genuinely worth praising, if I do say so myself!"
"See, I told you I'd bask in your adulation - and I do have Triage as an ability, after all! But yeah, you'll need a way to protect yourself from getting Sucker Punched if you wanna live. Beer or sash? You decide!"
"If that's what it'd take for my wife to avoid being killed on missions, I'll overlook the risk she poses to me when overly tipsy just this once. Perhaps it could even buy her enough time to Circle Throw her attacker off of the field and get to safety..."
"I'd have to hard-switch out if the next enemy I bring in could still threaten me, but an Assassinate or five could work just as well to recover from any damage the dinosaurs might have dealt. I might have to run Foresight alongside Circle Throw, though, in case Medusa happens to be lying in wait... though with nothing to fear from her Intimidate, one Sucker Punch might be all I'll need to make her ancient history once more!"
"I did call you out on your Obliviousness earlier, but I can tell you right now that it'd be your best ability by far for a supportive role - and not just 'cuz of the threat of that big ol' noodle-hag! There's no shortage of Taunt abusers in this meta, myself admittedly included, so being able to run status moves without having to worry about 'em would be a total game-changer. Even I can't deny that you aren't exactly the sharpest knife in the bin, but with hazard control via Spikes or Toxic Spikes on the one hand and now Rapid Spin or Mortal Spin on the other, Brick Break for screen removal, Knock Off as a damage-dealing item destroyer, debuff moves like Scary Face, Toxic, and perhaps a Taunt or two of your own, and a killer Mean Look to stop your client getting away (a scarier one than even I could dream of pulling off, mind, but don't tell anyone I said that...), I'd say your utility set's got it made in every way that matters!"
"I don't think I understood a word of what you just said, but... I'll take all of it as a compliment!"
"Four conversational status moves in a row... Seems like we have a new record. Out of curiosity, though, would you have allowed Yor to run Poison Heal even if she hadn't chosen to exchange it for a more general-purpose anti-status ability on her own volition?"
"Absolutely not. I get that she gave herself that 'cuz she's almost as much of an alcoholic as I am, but I'm thoroughly convinced it fits me better from a lore perspective! Plus, I'm sure I can more use out of it than she ever could due to being better at baiting Poison Ivy with my typing. I wouldn't be surprised to see her run Knife Edge just to deal with her, but it doesn't get STAB until she puts her work clothes on!"
"Oh, that reminds me... I'll be back in a moment. Yor, you don't mind checking on Anya and Bond, do you?"
"I guess, but... am I missing something here?"
"You'll find out soon enough. But in the meantime, thank you for your help, Aqua. And if the mod council receives a form for a Psychic-type wallbreaker by the name of <Twilight> at any point in the future... let's just say you'll know who it is."
"Oooooookayyyyyy...?"
"As I said once before today, who would've guessed? Anyway... I'd picked Poison Heal back then because, aside from my canon poison resistance, it was the most competitively viable ability that prevents poisoning a la my Thorn Princess self's Steel-type. But, if you feel it makes more thematic sense for your own kit-"
"Of course it does, and I'm not letting anybody else take it away from me! And if you think have the guts to upstage me in that particular niche, you'd be VERY sadly mistaken!!"
"...you do know I gave myself Guts with a capital G as my Attack-boosting ability this past slate, do you?"
"You literally just gave us a demonstration of - ?! ...Uh-oh. Please tell me you're not seriously thinking of running that for this set as well?!"
"With this meta having a major status abuse problem, is it any wonder I gave myself that ability in the first place? And since its effect negates the damage reduction from burns, I can spring a nasty surprise on anyone who thinks they can hobble me with Will-O-Wisp... or Scald. Don't take that Snarl of yours for granted, Goddess - in a way, you've just given yourself a brand new counter."
"...if we ever face each other during the playtests, I'm going to kill you."
"You can try. Also, see what happens when you're careful with neither what you wish for nor what you say?"
Yor Forger @ Colbur Berry or Focus Sash
Ability: Guts or Oblivious
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA), Impish (+Def, -SpA), Careful (+SpD, -SpA), or Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe, 252 HP/252 Atk/4 Spe, 252 HP/252 Def/4 Spe, 252 HP/4 Def/252 SpD, 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Def, 4 HP/252 Def/252 SpD, or 4 HP/252 Def/252 Spe
- Spikes/Toxic Spikes
- Assassinate
- Brick Break/Circle Throw/Knife Edge/Knock Off/Mach Punch/Mortal Spin/Rapid Spin/Sucker Punch
- Foresight/Mean Look/Scary Face/Taunt/Toxic
"Oh, hey, Yor! Welcome back! Feeling better?"
"With help from Aqua, certainly - and we even came up with another moveset while we were away! Oh, I see that Spy Wars is on!"
"Yeah, Anya thought it'd be nice to introduce it to us! She's a good kid, and I don't doubt you and Loid've raised her right. ...where is Loid, anyway?"
"He went off to do something elsewhere, but he'll be back shortly. So, is there anything I've missed in terms of my movesets and balance adjustments?"
"Well, you've got three of 'em for your base form, but there's one you're still missing. Lucky I've gotcha covered, and so does your husband. The two of us have a present for you, too!"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I think I'll let the gift speak for itself, dear."
"...My Assassin Dress... You fixed it?!"
"Oh, yeah! I remember seeing the damage on it when you visited me the week before the party! What was that all about, anyway?"
"I tied with Freddy Kreuger for second to last place in the Ghost-type poll for Slate 4! Draw your own conclusions..."
"...Oh."
"At least you escaped with your life that time. And technically, Franky and I did some work on your work attire with help from Miles here, but it should now be more than serviceable in case of any future emergency. The fabric is now reinforced with microfibers of mithril, directly sourced from Middle Earth - light as a shadow yet hard as steel. Appropriate for your typing as the Thorn Princess, if I do say so! But as Miles would put it, with the devastating power it will afford you comes, well, great responsibility."
"Hey, I wasn't gonna say it! ...again. But yeah, Loid ain't kidding - your 'Mega' may have a formidable typing and way more Speed, but you lose your immunity to Ghost in exchange for one to Poison, and you won't have any answers to status like you would outside of work. I'd recommend takin' advantage of the Sharpness of those knives o' yours and loadin' up on all the slicin' moves you can, includin' both o' your sigs and whatever coverage you can think of!"
With Knife Edge and Assassinate as your main STABs, you can hit all but eight type combos for at least neutral damage and sixty-four super-effectively. Now THAT'S deadly! It'll certainly give you the freedom to pick whatever coverage you want, with Aerial Ace, Night Slash, and X-Scissor all catering to a few specific targets.
"Yeah! And in the same way that Close Combat allows your base form's sweeper set to hit every typing except yours, the same goes for Sacred Sword, which also has the benefit of ripping right through the Defense boosts from other Bulk Up users. And if you can get a Swords Dance in... well, being Steel-weak myself, I really wouldn't wanna stick around for what happens next!"
"You already mentioned how crazy high your Speed stat is in this 'form', so I could absolutely see why Tidy Up had to be scrapped, and I can't even see at all! If ya wanna bank on the Sharpness boost alone for late-game cleaning, though, running Agility instead of Swords Dance will allow you to outspeed even Shinobu if you can pull it off."
"Your Mega Evo definitely seems more specialized for slashing stuff to bits than your base form, so I'm guessing it wouldn't be used as often. But with how powerful its type combo alone is, that's not necessarily a bad thing!"
"I'm now worried that the typing I gave my work persona might've made it a bit too good, though - not for nothing did Aegislash become an Ubers-tier terror back in the Sun/Moon era! If I had to get rid of Tidy Up to keep from slashing the micrometa to bits as the Thorn Princess, then a few more adjustments can't hurt, especially with the addition of Bulk Up - removing -10 points from this particular identity's Defense stat will keep this move from becoming excessive... I-I hope... and I expect transferring that +10 to my Special Defense to afford me roughly two and a half more seconds against Charlie's own Mega Evolution. I'll probably have to scale back the damage dealt by my Knife Edge, too... Perhaps giving it 80 base power like Iron Head - another attack I hadn't considered until now! - would be more reasonable than Leaf Blade's 90? Still, I'll have to check behind every corner once the playtests begin, in case the mod council decides to ambush me and nerf my build even further..."
"It's either that, or this meta's gonna need a few more new characters to keep you from absolutely decimating everybody! Of course, that's a matter for when the slates re-open, and that ain't gonna happen 'til the mod goes live."
"I guess so, but - Oh! You know what? I should schedule an appointment with Pit as soon as the initial playtesting results come in! There's something I'd like to try for the next slate, but I'll need to run my idea by him and the mod council just to be sure."
"Regardless of what's to come, I'm sure you'll do great things in this meta." [Loid Forger used SWEET KISS!] "And for my taste, you've done plenty of them already."
"HWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!?!?!?!"
"WAKU WAKU! PAPA DID IT!!"
"For luck, honey. And even if we don't achieve the success you have with our own pending application, we'll still be there in the stands for you, every step of the way."
"What Papa said! Congrats, Mama!"
[Happy barking of approval!]
"Awww, stop it! Well, i-it did take a lot of hard work to finally earn my place in this pet mod, but I can say this mission has been a resounding success!"
"And in case you were wonderin', I dared Loid to do it. The kiss, I mean. You're welcome, good luck out there, and seeya in the playtests!"
"If you need my blessings, just call on me and I'll be right there. Otherwise, looking forward to not being on the business end of your knives, Yor!"
And I'm looking forward to both tanking a few hits for you and using your cooking as ammo for my Gunk Shot. Just keep Bond away from me, okay?
"Your journey as an applicant may be over, but the battle's only just begun. You've got this!"
"I'd ask ya to make us proud, but you've already done that and then some. From most of us here at Crossover Chaos Expanded: Welcome home, Mrs. Forger!"
"Thank you so much for having me, everyone - and I couldn't be happier to have the honor of fighting by your side!"
Yor Forger @ Assassin Dress
Ability: Guts, Quick Feet, or Oblivious → Sharpness
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA) or Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
- Agility/Bulk Up/Swords Dance
- Knife Edge
- Assassinate
- Aerial Ace/Night Slash/Sacred Sword/X-Scissor
- Balance Adjustments:
- Stats (Mega): 100 HP/90 Atk/125 Def/75 SpA/95 SpD/120 Spe → 100 HP/90 Atk/115 Def/75 SpA/105 SpD/120 Spe
- Competitive Moves: -Tidy Up, +Bulk Up, +Mach Punch, +Mortal Spin, +Rapid Spin
- Knife Edge: 90 BP → 80 BP
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