Welcome to Gaia! ::

A chill of late October slowly tumbles over the quaint abodes of Motterosa, sprinkling in the taste of the Winter soon to come. People trek around the center of Zatao's second city, soothed by the smell of steaming java and fresh deli sandwiches wafting from the abundant cafes and eateries that encircle the annular plaza. The tranquility is somnolent, but pedestrians are quickly awakened by the sound of a booming megaphone:

"HELLOOOO EVERYBODY!"

From the center of the open shopping area, a too tall woman presses her lips behind the beacon of the mechanical funnel and waves a handful of fliers above her head -- which is a powder blue and neatly rolled with more curling tentacles than a creepy otaku fetish video. Her mouth hangs ajar for a brief moment, allowing any passerby to absorb her greeting, but none pay her any mind. Realizing she had to be a little more, ahem, assertive, Miss. Megaphone cries out again into it.

"HELLLOOOO EVERYBODY!" She bellows, louder. This certainly catches the attention of several people as a throng of irritated complainers flood around her. They shout obscenities and look ready to pull her along by the scruff of her scarfed neck and throw her out of their city when the woman defensively kneads her hands before her.

"Calm down, calm down!" She cries, simpering apologetically. "I just want to introduce who I am! My name is Ramona Delacruise and I'm a member of the Sinnoh Ribbon Syndicate! I'm here to announce that the SRS has chosen Motterosa, Zatao as its location to hold its annual Pokemon Contest!"

Romona's words seemed to quell the anger from the bustling group, dispersing it as some not interested continued with their daily lives. She continued nonetheless, "Please, if you're interested, come take a flier! Come, come!"

With that, the blue-haired lass too tall to be considered human dashed too and fro, handing out a slice of paper to any palm; open or not. "One week from today is sign-ups!" She added. "Please attend, my job depends on it!"

After sign-ups are complete, the contest will start November 1st. You will be given until November 3rd at 11:59 PM EST to make a thread in this forum that contains your performance entry.

Your thread title should be titled [*Pokemon name* the *Pokemon specialty here* *Pokemon species here*] -witty title here-
For example, let's say I have a show clefairy whose name is Bob. I would say: [Bob the Show Clefairy] Prepare for Trouble!
Or something. Idk. I'm not good at making witty titles, we don't grade them so don't stress over it.

Then in the thread, include an image of your Pokemon (an official shop image please) along with your RP post of your trainer entering the stage. The contest is done in the center of the market place on a raised platform for a stage. The contestants will hear their number being called, go on stage, and wait for the curtains to open. Then they send out their Pokemon (or the Pokemon could already be out) and perform some dazzling act! Watch this as an example.

After their act is finished, the curtains will drop and you should check the thread later to see your score which will be determined by an anonymous panel of judges.

Remember, you are required to pre-choose 4 moves in the sign-up forms and are limited to only using these 4 moves during your performance. You are not required to use ALL of them though, but you must use a minimum of one.

Be creative! Use moves in ways we don't expect! You have a lot of flexibility in interpreting moves, as long as you don't turn an ice beam into a flamethrower attack, we're okay with you interpreting attacks somewhat uniquely.

Your act should not be longer than 1500 words for the sake of our judge's eyes.

We will randomly generate your opponents for the second round and make battle threads for the two of you. Starting on November 4th, we will make the battle thread for you and link you to them via quoting.

You will make an introductory post and roll a 100-sided dice during your introductory post. This post is basically you walking onto the stage once more with your Pokemon in a Pokeball or next to you.

Then your opponent will do likewise, also rolling a 100-sided dice. Person with the highest roll goes first.

HP/Attack bonuses count if your Pokemon has them. Pokemon that cannot evolve any further have 1000 HP. Pokemon that can evolve one more time have 900 HP. Pokemon that can evolve two more times have 800 HP.

Now for every attack post, you roll one 6-sided dice which will let your opponent know how to react to your post. 1 = your attack misses, 2-5 = your attack hits for 100 damage, 6 = your attack hits for 200 damage. Even stuff that normally does not do damage - such as growl - will do a kind of unseen damage in that it will hurt your opponent's dignity or whatnot.

Super effective/resistance/immunity/whatever do not count. Although please don't say you punch a Ghost Pokemon in the face. That's just not elegant - try to make all attacks seem reasonable and keep beauty/grace/cuteness/etc in mind. Also try to humiliate your opponent if possible - you are making your own Pokemon look good and your opponent's Pokemon look bad!

At the end of every post, please include your Pokemon's HP.

After 5 posts from both sides (10 posts in total not including the intro posts), time will be called and the battle will end regardless of if a Pokemon has fainted or not. You will be scored on both how much damage you have done, your general performance throughout the battle (so RP your best!), and your creativity throughout the battle.

A response post from each side after the 10 damage posts in response to a KO or finished time is allowed to bring the battle to a culmination. Judges will post shortly after to let you know who won.

If you do not make a post within 24 hours (subjected to change) of your opponent's last post, you are automatically disqualified and your opponent wins the battle. We will then alert you of your next battle.

Sign-Ups

Sign-ups end October 31st. Please be prompt when signing-up. Late entries will not be accepted.

Username: mewrose
Trainer Name: Arissa Eyrie
Trainer Profession: Breeder/Coordinator
Pokemon Name/Cert: Kishin
Pokemon Uncert: [link]
Pokemon Specialty: Show
4 Moves: Rock Polish, Ancientpower, Steel Wing, Acrobatics

Username: Buy One Get One Free!
Trainer Name: Charlotte
Trainer Profession: Trainer/Traveler
Pokemon Name/Cert: Feuille
Pokemon Uncert: [link]
Pokemon Specialty: Show
4 Moves: GrassWhistle, Magical Leaf, Swords Dance, Hyper Voice

Username: Draconicfeline
Trainer Name: Jan Sawyer (Of the Sawyer twins)
Trainer Profession: Watcher
Pokemon Name/Cert: Chocolate
Pokemon Uncert:
Pokemon Specialty: Companion
4 Moves:
Dig
Thunder Wave
Magic Coat
Water Pulse

Username: moonlit-raven
Trainer Name: Zeke Reed
Trainer Profession: Healer/Plasma Grunt
Pokemon Name/Cert: Thmei
Pokemon Uncert: Uncert
Pokemon Specialty: Show
4 Moves: Dragon Rush, Swift, Featherdance, Twister