This is only going more and more intense...

Q1: Venusaur :venusaur:
However underrated, it's still a Kanto starter. One among the three that started it all.
Plus Samurott is advertising Venusaur everywhere he go XD

Q2: Beedrill :beedrill:
This flightless wasp has been gaining alarming popularity in the PEC so far, and I wouldn't be too surprised if it takes down old Pika.

Q3: Arcanine :arcanine:
This is going to be a close, close one. My faithful firedog would need all the support it could get!

Q4: Blastoise :blastoise:
Actually, this is going to be probably the closest match so far. I just have a strange hunch that old shellfish might be able to win by a narrow margin...

Q1 - - I think Venusaur will pull it off.
Q2 - - Pikachu has the potential to beat out Beedrill.
Q3 - - Sandslash will be avenged.
Q4 - - Random guess more than anything.

M1: I'm not a fan of or , but left a bad impression on me when I used one in Diamond (pretty mediocore).
M2: This is one of the only bug types I like (the others being , , {volcarona} and ). He beats Pikachu statwise as well, the exception being special attack and speed.
M3: He's a regal, proud and fiery pokemon. And who doesn't like having a big fluffy dog?
M3: My favorite Kanto starter. 's cool and all, but is amazing. I loved my .

hoboy ._.

~~~~~

Q1: Venusaur. This is the part where everything gets tricky. And ultimately, all of these picks go by what I think is most endearing to the fanbase. In this case, I think the grass starter beats out the handy ghost, mostly because he has more good memories to tie back to.
Q2: Beedrill. A lot of the older, more wizened crew will cast their votes for Beedrill, while all those who have yet to grow up will vote for Pikachu. I am just personally hoping there are more adults here than children.
Q3: Arcanine. Ooh, tricky. More people feel more attached to Diglett than they do Dugtrio, which is why he probably won't garner as much attention when facing off against Arcanine. But to be honest I think it could go either way.
Q4: Blastoise. Don't pressure me, man. Don't pressure me. This is going to be a strange match and we all know it.

...Wow, those picks weren't easy whatsoever.

1. I like him better over Venusaur.
2. Again, Beedrill is better. Also, he was my favorite bug type in Gen I.
3. Once again, better.
4. I'm sponsering him, but it looks like there isn't much hope for him..

QUARTERFINALS EXAMPLE

These will run in a similar fashion to round 2, except with the following changes:

> Base stats will also include Sp. Atk and Sp. Def
> Type advantage bonus will be removed, because it is made redundant by...
> Sponsor based decisions that govern certain attacks that can be used
> Instead of the final 48 hour attack, a TM Rain will occur instead.

MODIFIER 1: Base stats
We'll be factoring in Attack, Defense, Speed, Special Attack and Special Defense stats. It's pretty straightforward, the Pokemon with the higher Base stat will get the +1 advantage.

MODIFIER 2: Pokemon Movesets
The sponsors have been asked to make their Pokemon perform two attacks. These attacks can only be Level Up/Egg moves that Pokemon (or a pre-evolution) can learn. The effects of those attacks are as follows:

> STATUS MOVES (eg, Thunderwave, sleeping powder.. etc) do nothing, so I would not recommend choosing them.
> ATTACK MOVES will damage Pokemon based on Weaknesses and Resistance. So if you perform fireblast on a Cacturne, Cacturn will be hit with a -1 disadvantage. If you perform Thunderbolt on a Diglett, Diglett will receive a +3 boost, so I wouldn't really recommend that. Double weaknesses apply, so if you hit Parasect with an Aerial Ace attack, Parasect will be hit with a -2.
> STAT BOOSTING MOVES. Eg, Tail Whip will cut the defending Pokemon's defense to .67, and calm mind will boost your own both SpATK and SpDef stats by 1.5. Refer to http://www.psypokes.com/lab/stats.php for multiplier info.

MODIFIER 3: Abilities
Certain abilities will also play a factor. Eg: We've seen the Levitate example in the previous round, but abilities such as Pure Power will give ATK x2 and Intimidate will cut ATK by x.67. These calculations will usually affect Modifier 1/2, so don't expect these abilities to have that much influence.

MODIFIER 4: TM Learnsets
Before the 48 hour countdown, I will say "TMs XX, XX, XX, XX and XX fell from the sky!" (ie, 5 TMs will be chosen at random). If the competing Pokemon is able to learn that move (pre-evos and evos don't count), they'll get +1 for every TM they can learn. Once a TM has been chosen it will not be repicked for the rest of the Quarterfinal matches.

MODIFIER 5: Votes
Anonymous/extra votes are now 20PB each with a limit of 100PB per Pokemon per person per round.
Sponsored Pokemon get +3 instead of +1 when a sponsor votes for them.
That's it!

So here's an example, to give some clarity over how the matches will run...
EXAMPLE MATCH


Cyndaquil used Howl! Cyndaquil's attack rose x1.5!
Totodile used Water Gun! Cyndaquil is hit with -1..
Cyndaquil used Howl! Cyndaquil's attack rose to x2!
Totodile used Dragon Dance! Totodile's attack and speed rose to x1.5!



The effects of the moves performed will be calculated and advantages shown. Both the speed stats are equal, and so neither will get the +1 vote for speed. Cyndaquil and Totodile will both start on +2. Well selected moves could very well turn what might be a losing situation into a handy advantageous one.

Before the 48 hour to go countdown, the scoreboard could be:
+5 | +7

I might say something like

"TMs 13, 35, 62, 65 and 85 fell from the sky!"

Cyndaquil can learn Flamethrower (35), and will gain +1
Totodile can learn Ice Beam (13), Shadow Claw (65) and will gain +2.
Neither can learn Acrobatics (62) nor Dream Eater (85), so we can just ignore them.

The scoreboard going into the final 48 hours will then be:
+6 | +9

I wouldn't worry to much about these though, the most you can do is rally voters and get them to vote! Even though there are all these variables, the only guaranteed way of getting +1 votes is, oddly enough, by voting!

I hope this make some sense, but all will be clear when we start Q1 & Q2…. hopefully soon! Each match is expected to last around 4 days, similar to Round 2.



But yeah, don't forget to get your tips in! And as always I'm down for answering questions if anyone's got any.

(ignore my sloppy artwork, I'm too lazy to fix the transparency )

Alright, thanks for tuning in everyone! We're now down to just 8 contestants left, who will be left standing at the end of these matches? There's only one way to find out! Keep on tuning in to see all the live action from the arenas as our cameras tape them! And for today's episode... we'll be chatting with some very special guests of ours. Hopefully they'll feel right at home here, they are none other than 4 of our contestants' mains sponsors! First up, we'll be having a chat with the sponsor of the mischievous ghost, Haunter. Please make welcome, the one the only DragoBoy!


DragonPhoenix: Alright DragoBoy, welcome to the show! First off, congratulations with getting so far with the unseeded ghost! Looks like you two have been through heaps, managing to knock out some great Pokemon like the 16th seeded Dewgong and cute little Cubone! What are Haunter's strengths? What makes him so popular?

DragoBoy: What's not to like? Haunter was, for those without a link cable or trade partner, the orginal ghost Pokemon of RBY, and GSC for that matter (since Misdreavus was only available in Mt, Silver) It also looks cool, I mean just look at those disembodied hands!

DragonPhoenix: I gotta tell you, I agree 100%! Those disembodied hands, too cool. Makes reaching hard-to-access corners a breeze aye? But anyway, back on Haunter, why do you think people should give their support to the purple prankster?

DragoBoy: Nostalgia read above and to support NFEs. Haunter doesn't need to be a fully evolved, high-stat Pokémon to succeed or have the advantage of being the mascot. If you need proof just look at how far he's gotten already.

DragonPhoenix: True true. However, let's now look towards what Haunter has in front of him. The 9th seeded-final evolution-grass starter Venusaur stands in his way of reaching the Semifinals. How are you two going to handle such a threat?

DragoBoy: Venusaur's growing support might be a problem. Haunter's resistance to grass and poison will be very helpful. With so few of Venusaur's moves actually being useful here, Venusaur's moveset should be fairly predictable.

DragonPhoenix: Looks like you guys got a plan! Hopefully it will work out for the both of you. How would you respond to criticism that Haunter is not as strong as his (eliminated) older brother Gengar?

DragoBoy: Haunter doesn't lose much from not evolving into Gengar, just a bit higher stats. (which won't make much of a difference here anyway) Remember: Cubone gave his life to let Haunter get this far, don't let an orphan's death be in vain. See Haunter to the finals in loving memory of Cubone.

DragonPhoenix: I gotta tell you, I wish the best of luck for yourself and Haunter. Ladies and gentlemen, let's all have a round of applause for both DragoBoy, and his Pokemon, Haunter! We hope that we can repeat this interview again if you're able to get on top.

And now, I'd like everyone here in the audience tonight to make welcome Venusaur's sponsor! He may be new around these parts, and he may also not have a lot of posts, but he should be familiar to most of you by now, introducing the strong and fierce Super_Typhlosion!


DragonPhoenix: What an entrance Super_Typhlosion! Congratulations on yourself and Venusaur for reaching the final 8. You've beaten out favourites Wartortle and Charmander to get here. You guys obviously make such a great team. Is there a history between you two?

Super_Typhlosion: Well, I got to have LeafGreen as my first game, and me being like 7 or such, I saw Venusaur on the cover and thought it looked just purely bad***. Not much to it. I like its effectiveness against Samurott (and yes, I mean the user too), until he learned Ice Beam could be taught to Samurott.

DragonPhoenix: That's unfortunate for the big old grass type then. But since we've established why you two make such a great team, why do you think people should get behind Venusaur in this competition?

Super_Typhlosion: 'Cuz it's Venusuar. Need I say more?

DragonPhoenix: Short and simple answer, very effective! I like it! Now, we've seen some big upsets in this competition. Are you concerned about this? How does Venusaur stack up in this Battle Royale?

Super_Typhlosion: Well, seeing how Samurott is using his influence by sponsoring the hell out of Blastoise, I think he might pose a threat. As will the Digs. But, Venusaur is grass, so there shouldn't be much of a worry. Other than that, not much to worry about.

DragonPhoenix: A good confident answer! Signs of leadership are written all over your demeanor. Just looking at the other sponsors, we've got DragoBoy, Cherrygrove, JsXtm, ShinyLucario, Samurott and Shuckle-rock$ as well. Have you got anything to say about any of them?

Super_Typhlosion: The only reason why I picked to sponsor Venusaur is because Samurott would go all sociopath. You might wonder how that's a good thing, but let me tell you, he is soo hilarious when he's like that.

DragonPhoenix: Haha well we'll have to see that side of him come out then! Here's hoping that Venusaur and yourself can get through the line, and best of luck!



Sponsor moves:
Haunter used Fire Punch! Venusaur is hit with -1...
Venusaur is immobilised!
Haunter used Ice Punch! Venusaur is hit with -1...
Venusaur is immobilised!



COMMENTS: Haunter vs Venusaur! Haunter starts off with a handy 1 vote advantage, but who will ultimately get through? I know Venusaur has a lot of fans in here, but he will have to contend with the prankster who scored up to 15 votes in the previous round against Cubone! I'm not entirely sure myself what will happen, but may the best competitor win!

(PS: Had to change some colours due to visibility)

And thanks for sticking around for your live coverage of the Battle Royale! Coming up now we have two more guests joining us tonight, but now, please put your hands together and make welcome, the ever amazing JsXtm!


DragonPhoenix: What a long way both of you guys have come! Together you've overcome Pidgeot, the 12th seed, as well as fan favourites fire types Rapidash and Ninetales. I mean, what is it about Beedrill that people love so much?

JsXtm: Beedrill is one of the classic pokemon designs from Gen 1, and has always been one of my favorites from that generation. It looks awesome, and it's a good early bug pokemon to use; the Beedrill chain gets to its final evolution by level 10, and Weedle/Kakuna can be caught very early in the game.

DragonPhoenix: That's true, quick evolutions are always the way to go, huh? Now Beedrill has a seemingly difficult trek ahead of him. He's got to defeat the mascot, the well advertised Pikachu! Why do you think people should get behind the flightless bee, as opposed to his opponent?

JsXtm: People should vote for Beedrill because he's the underdog! Nobody wants to support the electric shock rat... right?!?

DragonPhoenix: Well I'm not sure that "nobody" wants to support the electric shock rat.. but good answer nonetheless! But now for your honest opinion: how do you see this matchup going? Do you think it will be easy to get Beedrill over the line?

JsXtm: This will "bee" a tough match! Pikachu has always been one of the best known Pokemon, as well as being a good Electric sweeper. His popularity will be difficult to overcome!

DragonPhoenix: Haha... you're a very "punny" man JsXtm! Alright well good luck to both you and Beedrill, and we hope that we might see you again on this couch next time for another interview!

And now, our last guest tonight is the sponsor of a very known friend of ours. This friend is the face of Pokemon, the one and only Pikachu! Please welcome to the stage, the strong, the clever Cherrygrove!


DragonPhoenix: It must've been tough getting to sponsor Pikachu right? He's one of the most recognisable faces around! He managed to defeat 4th seeded Nidoking, as well as putting an end to Diglett's dream run. How did you decide on sponsoring the electric rat? Was it something that you planned on doing from the beginning?

Cherrygrove: When I chose to sponsor Pikachu I didn't think it'd get anywhere in the competition, to be honest. I just didn't want it to be left unsupported. When Pokemon came over to North America in 1998 I only watched the anime at first where of course Pikachu was a big star. My first game was Yellow Version in which I, as many seven year olds may have done, only trained my starter, which was Pikachu in that game. I got it all the way to level 91 :O.

Although not exactly close to being my favourite, my opinion of Pikachu has improved over the course of this Battle Royale and it seems that this may be the case for the rest of the participating Psypoke community since it managed to edge out the lovable Diglett in the last round. Hopefully it can hang on to its momentum and make it through to the semis.

DragonPhoenix: Well we hope so too! Us at the production team have loved seeing little Pikachu knock out competitors twice his size. However what would you say to those who don't see Pikachu as we do?

Cherrygrove: If you like Pikachu, vote for it. If you like Beedrill more, vote for it instead. Pikachu could use some of your support after the whole internet hating it for being overrated, however.

DragonPhoenix: A cool collected and calm answer, I like your style. Much like Pikachu will have to be when he faces up against the stinging Beedrill. How do you view the bug? Obviously he's seemingly come out of nowhere but how do you rate your chances against him?

Cherrygrove: Beedrill is a cool looking first gen Bug Pokemon. I'd say I am a little surprised it got this far but there is no reason that it can't push on further. It's a nice matchup between Pikachu and Beedrill and hopefully Pikachu can come out on top.

DragonPhoenix: Well I'll be certainly be on the edge of my seat! Thanks for joining us Cherrygrove! We wish you luck with your endeavours. Who knows, we could be repeating this very conversation for the semi final shows! Anything you want to add before we wrap up the show?

Cherrygrove: Got my badges and my Poke Ball. Got my buddy Pikachu to help me try to catch 'em all.

DragonPhoenix: Wow.. it's beautiful. Like music to my ears. But that's all folks, that's all we have time for tonight! We hope you've enjoyed our 1 hour sponsor special today, and now we shoot back to the stats centre, where we'll give you a rough overview of what's happening in the second quarterfinal match!


Sponsor moves:
Beedrill used Agility! Beedrill's speed rose 2 stages!
Pikachu used Growl! Beedrill's attack fell 1 stage..
Beedrill used Agility! Beedrill's speed rose to 4 stages!
Pikachu used Tail Whip! Beedrill's defense fell 1 stage..



COMMENTS: And some well instructed moves gives Pikachu a slight edge going into this match! A tough matchup for both competitors, I think it's great the two finally get a chance to compete in a late-game setting! With the winner being a part of the final 4, when was the last time any of you guys saw these two in a semifinal of a PEC? It's going to be big, it's going to be grand, so hold on, because I sure as hell won't be able to tell you what's going to happen next!



----------------------------------


INITIAL SCOREBOARD
Q1: +2 | +1
Q2: +2 | +3

So.... quarterfinals begin now! Thanks to all the sponsors DragoBoy, Super_Typhlosion, JsXtm and Cherrygrove who were all patient enough to sift through my long PMs in order to get these rounds underway! Unfortunately only two of these can make it through to the semi finals, but it's been a great ride so far. Who will continue their journey, and who will falter at this hurdle? Only one way to find out.... get voting!

M1: This is a battle between two of my favorites, but Venusaur comes out in top for this one. Watching Samurott squirm is just an added bonus. (jk luv ya sammurott )
M2: I've always been inclined towards using Bug types, and Pikachu has never appealed to me, so yeah. :\ I think that Beedrill has the possibility of making it.

M1 - - I prefer Venusaur.
M2 - - I'm not a huge fan of bug-types and Beedrill is just unappealing to me.

{haunter} {beedrill}

Haunter, being the precursor to Gengar, has a lot going for it. It's also one of the more unusual Pokemon in terms of body appearance - a head plus two disembodied hands. It's one of those funky designs that isn't often seen, which is nice. Plus, in my fanfic multiverse, I based one of the main villains a lot off of Haunter (mostly the body shape bit). Venusaur has actually been really nice to me as well - what with being a dependable starter in Gens 3 and 1 - especially 1, given the Toxic+Leech Seed combo that doesn't work anywhere else. That alone can bring the greatest of enemies to their knees. Yet, Venusaur has not had much usefulness for me beyond in-game, given that Chlorophyll Venusaur is not something you can easily find in VG. Haunter, however? He's one step below Gengar. Yes I know it's weird that I'm voting for Haunter over Venusaur just because of Gengar, but do you really have any idea how good Gengar is? He got me 5-3 in the Spring 2012 VGC Regionals. That alone gives him a special place in my heart.

Beedrill and Pikachu I'm not attached to much either way, but I will say this: Beedrill has much more going for it. First off, as far as the TCG goes, Beedrill is amazing; the well-known deck Speedrill made it to the top 4 at Worlds back in...I think 2009 (or 2008, somewhere around there), and it's famed for its ability to, literally, swarm the field with little effort. Pikachu on the other hand gets printed every other set with mediocre attacks, as usual. It's getting annoying. Second, as far as the competitive scene goes, Beedrill has established an interesting niche as a very powerful sweeper, having access to Swords Dance, Agility, and a few other things. Pikachu does have the Light Ball, but that's quite rare, and it gets easily trolled by Dugtrio, who basically slaps it around.

Oh, and Beedrill has this. This alone makes it superior.

- I've really just never been a fan of Venusaur, and Haunter is pretty darn cool.

- Come on, I'm sponsoring him! Of course I'm voting for Beedrill!

1. He's a cool ghost, and I've always liked him over Gengar. Also, he's better than Venusaur.

2. Still an awesome bug from Gen I. Also, in my first Fire Red run through, he was on my team, but was only at level 17 or something at the Elite 4. So yea, I wasn't very smart back then in the game.

Wow, everyone did great in the interviews! Goes to show how persuasive good writing can be... That's just going to make me more nervous isn't it
Ahem, the votes:

Q1: - DragoBoy and Super_Typhlosion both made some very good arguments that swayed me... but at last I decided on Venusaur, because it's the underfrog out of the three Kanto starters plus I love seeing Samurott freak out I gotta support them Grass-types!
Q2: - Again, a close choice, but I really don't like Beedrill. Not that I like Pika all that much, but one has at least served me well in my LeafGreen playthough. (Fine, I'll be honest. She was weak and slow and extremely frail. Until she evolved into a Raichu, that is)

Q1: Haunter. It's the hands.
Q2. Pikachu. Pika Pika.

- In memory of Cubone also:Sponsoring
- I've said it before and I'll say it again Actually, I won't. Go to page 9 and scroll down to about halfway yay for laziness!
Has anyone noticed how both of those Pokémon have awesome hands?

Middle of page 9, got it.

Er... DragoBoy, how exactly does this explain your support of Beedrill?
And this is what you get for being lazy >.>

I said about halfway. Its 3 posts above that. I mean really? I'm the lazy one here. Couldn't you just have looked for posts around there by me? Unless you're lazy too in which case: join the club

PROGRESS SCORES:

Q1: +10 | +4
Q2: +10 | +8

We might very well have a Poison type finalist here in the Battle Royale! Haunter seemingly has this in the bag, with Venusaur needing 6 votes to catch up. Beedrill and Pikachu are a more close affair, only 2 votes separating them. Let's see if a TM shower can change anything!

Q1: "TMs 20, 48, 65, 73 and 84 fell from the sky!"
Q2: "TMs 50, 53, 64, 67 and 69 fell from the sky!"

Haunter learns Round (48), Shadow Claw (65) and Poison Jab (84), so will get +3.
Venusaur learns Safeguard (20) and Round (48), so will get +2.
Neither learns Thunder Wave (73).

Neither Beedrill nor Pikachu learns Overheat (50), Energy Ball (53), Explosion (64), Retaliate (67) or Rock Polish (69), so both will have no extra votes added on to them. (Strange)

48 HOUR SCOREBOARD:

Q1: +13 | +6
Q2: +10 | +8

Ghost/Poison
Grass/Poison
Bug/Poison
Electric

yyyyyyyyyyep

Q1: , because I want to see what Samurott will do if it beats Haunter, though the chances are slim.
Q2: pwns Pikachu. 'Nuff said.