It wasn't easy, everytime I used a different Psychic-type, my attempts are failing continuously, one by one. I once sticked to my Heat Wave-casting Delphox (remember him from the Victini episode?) and gave it Will-o-wisp, and back then, I was deathly afraid of Escavalier. I sent out my physical wall Slowbro (you know, the one Mixia gave to Wizzy), but one Megahorn from that knight fossil (uh, I mean bugshell), and Slowbro's slain. Got my Delphox to unleash Heat Wave, but missed and died to the Megahorn too.
Thus, I used my former team that helped me pretty much in the face of legendaries on Battle Spot. Thinking about that team, I wanted a Psychic team that reflected the attributes of my Ghost team:
- A glass cannon as a lead to deal as much damage as possible before fainting: Chandelure.
- A tank that can take major punishment and retaliate back with greater force: Aegislash.
- An attacker with a priority move: Aegislash, once again.
- Something that can be switched in and take hits: Aegislash, once more.
- A wall-breaking Mega Evolution: Mega Gengar.
- Revenge killers: the entire elite team.
- A Pokemon that can offer utility that may cripple an opposing enemy: Mega Gengar (Will-o-wisp)
- Something that can withstand threats of the lead and then retaliate back: Aegislash (Lum Berry swapped with Weakness Policy)
- A Substitute user: Mega Gengar is a fantastic candidate.
Substitute attacker Alakazam
- Timid, Magic Guard, Life Orb, EVs in Sp. Atk and Speed
- Psyshock, Dazzling Gleam, Shadow Ball, Substitute
Life Orb is to enhance Alakazam's damage-dealing capabilities (by a significant amount) and exploiting Magic Guard preventing HP drops from the Orb at the same time (which strongly complements Substitute).
Alakazam fulfilled the roles of the glass cannon (base stats, duh) and a Substitute user. Such a combination is crucial for frail attackers like Alakazam.
Mega Medicham
- Jolly, EVs in Attack and Speed
- Ice Punch, Drain Punch, Fake Out, Psycho Cut
Speaking of which, Fake Out allows Mega Medicham to be a hit-and-runner not fearing Pursuit, delivering the finishing blow onto those that outspeed it, and supplementing priority attackers either to secure a kill or cripple the opposition further. Drain Punch is chosen over High Jump Kick to allow Medicham to recover from the "switch-in sickness", and boost it's longetivity, plus Medicham won't have to face the penalty wrought by High Jump Kick, especially in the face of Protect spammers. Psycho Cut is chosen over Zen Headbutt to minimize the risk of a costly miss from Zen Headbutt, and allows Medicham to threaten setup wallers and Stockpilers. Ice Punch is to deal with Dragons, which get common in later rounds.
Mega Medicham itself is a Mega Evolution specialised in wallbreaking, and Fake Out not only allows it to perform as a one-time priority attacker (Bullet Punch does wonders too), it also offers great utility as well.
Assault Vest Metagross
- Adamant, Clear Body, EVs in HP and Attack
- Hammer Arm, Earthquake, Zen Headbutt, Bullet Punch
Hammer Arm is to deal with Dark-types at the cost of lowering Metagross' speed. Earthquake provides ridiculous coverage against many types, especially Electrics that are capable of threatening Alakazam and Mega Medicham with Thunder Wave, and Dark Poisons. Zen Headbutt is for the only purpose of STAB, although you should be wary of the shaky 90 accuracy of both it and Hammer Arm. Bullet Punch has a lot of uses apart from priority for smashing Fairies: last-minute move in case Metagross is not going to survive the next attack, mark the killing blow, surpassing Sucker Punchers slower than it... and... I don't know what else to say.
One may think Clear Body is useless, but it's useful for stopping the Icy Wind shenanigans and lets Metagross stand a chance at stat-lowering attacks. Of course, that accuracy drop from Muddy Water and the rare Leaf Tornado is indeed frustrating. And Intimidate hurts physical attackers, especially Mega Medicham, bar Metagross a lot.
This Metagross covers a lot of roles, from a tank that is something that can take hits from anything that threatens Alakazam, to a priority attacker with utility purposes.
How this team works
Uh... that's somewhat self-explanatory to all the team members here. As far as I know, everyone's here is weak to Ghost, Alakzam and Metagross weak to Dark (obviously), and Alakazam deathly fears Bug moves (and I'm even deathly afraid of Escavalier).
Type weaknesses aside, once you sent out Alakazam, sweep as much as you could given the first in line is weak to Alakazam's attacks. Should you ever predict a status move, Subtitute and start attacking. Do note that the AI is not likely to spam status, especially Thunder Wave and Swagger, if your Pokemon's HP is 50% or below, so should your Alakazam manages to take out an opponent, then another is sent out, Substitute in case the opponent attempts to use status moves on the Alakazam. Be wary of Sucker Punchers; see one, say Bisharp, Toxicroak (don't underestimate THAT frog by its 4x Psychic weakness), Kangaskhan or Honckrow (ugh, I hate that thing), be prepared to use Substitute in case it does so, or switch out to Medicham or Metagross to take the hit, and if a Sucker Puncher happens to be a Pursuer... good luck.
Analyze what moves could the opponent have, and memorise the threats' base stats, especially fast Darks and Electrics such as Weavile (the reason it's top-tier is justified by Smogon), Greninja and Jolteon (just because it's not top-tier doesn't mean it's not a threat), and be prepared to switch in to other teammates. Thinking the opponent's going to spam Fairy moves? Get Metagross out. Expecting a Bug attack? Get Medicham or Metagross out (unless it's named Escavalier, and you have to be careful around Scizor too). Expecting a Fake Out? (I'm looking at you Ambipom. This is where Smogon failed at) Let Metagross take the hit. You soon realise that managing Alakazam is more complicated than you think.
You should probably understand what Metagross' moves should be used for. Be wary of the 90 accuracy of Hammer Arm and Zen Headbutt, use them only when an opponent is weak to either of them, or something Metagross' coverage couldn't handle, such as Skarmory, Eelektross and Weezing. Setup sweepers are something to look out for, as a boosted attack that is resisted by Metagross could threaten the entire team.
Finally on Mega Medicham's part, which is very important. When you attempt to send out Medicham, you have to be certain that Medicham is able to take that incoming hit. As Medicham is switched in, Mega Evolve it immediately and Fake Out the opponent. Pay attention to the opponent's HP bar to calculate an approximate percentage of damage caused by Fake Out (not effective also counts, although critical hits may screw your calculations, especially when the opponent has its defenses boosted), then attack based on the calculations.
Overall, mastery of this team relies on memorisation of type matchups and damage calculations, and the skill of predictability and timing. The Psychic-type is, admittedly I should say, the weakest type in the Smogon metagame (and people thought Bug is bad), in terms on defense, but hey, at least it still has its uses in the metagame.
How the battle happened
(Battle code: X7KG-WWWW-WW5D-TT5K)
"Wizzy! Wizzy! Wizzy!" sounds of cheering can be heard from the Battle Maison, while a boy, blue-eyed with medium-length blonde hair, a black and white logo cap with white sunglasses on top, and an outfit consisting of a white v-neck shirt, black chinos and white sneakers, carrying a black messenger bag.
Two blue-eyed girls were cheering for their younger teenage psychic mentor, whom's partaking in the Maison's Super Singles Challenge. One girl, has a black ponytail with a bangs at the front, peach-skinned unlike her mentor's light skin, her age two years younger than him, and donning a white cycling cap with a light blue flower accessory attached to it, Her outfit consists of a halter top with shades of blue and white straps that reveals her entire midriff, a pleated miniskirt with white and light blue alternating pleats, and a pair of white Mary Janes with white knee socks. Another girl, peach-skinned and the same age as the other, has an orange ponytail with a sideswept front, has the same outfit as the other girl (and not to mention her midriff is also exposed), except her hat accessory is a yellow flower, her pleated miniskirt has white and yellow stripes, and her halter top has orange and yellow stripes with black straps and flower motif. Despite their revealing outfits, both the girls are also psychics, being apprentices of Olympia's Master Psychic, Wizzy.
"Just one more foe..." Wizzy thought.
With another Pokemon finally defated by a Psyshock coming from a yellow, short humanoid creature wielding two psychic-imbued spoons, Wizzy managed to claim himself a new win streak.
"Yay! 49th win!" the black-haired girl cheered as Wizzy's last opponent left the stage.
"Calm yourself, as the real battle has yet to begin." the orange-haired girl responded.
"Laudine's right. This's my first time reaching the 50th win streak, and I have yet to foresee the conclusion yet." Wizzy responded.
The psychics then notice another girl entering the Maison hall. She's the same age as the apprentice girls, light-skinned and blue-eyed as Wizzy, with blonde twintails and bangs at the front and donning a navy blue felt hat decorated with a blue ribbon bowtie. She also wears the same crop top as the black-haired girl's, but she wears a blue pleated miniskirt, blue and white saddle shoes, black fingerless gloves, and white over-the-knee socks that reveals only her thighs, and carrying a white strappy purse.
"Sorry, all the seats here are full! We can hang out at Lumiose after this match, okay?" the black-haired girl told the twintailed girl.
"Let her in, Clarie. I know you're trying shoo away girls dressed revealingly like you and Laudine," Wizzy responded, "Mixia, you just arrived in time to witness the moment, where history... shall be written."
"You managed to reach Nita? Well congrats to you! I'm looking forwards to your wonderful failure... or as it seems," said Mixia, "But the spirits on the over hand seem to think that you'll win this round."
"Sometimes rivalry never dies." Laudine thought to herself.
"There's no time for chatter. The battle against the Chatelaine is about to begin in a mere matter of seconds!" the Alakazam spoke telepathically, which is only understood by the psychic trainers there.
"Alright. Follow the plan as always: you lead the front line, Illusious, then I'll send out either Endurer or Mistrome to finish the remaining." Wizzy responded.
"Let's get this battle going!" Clarie cheered.
"I'm certain you shall not fail this time." said Laudine.
"I know your pain of restricting yourself to a type while facing the Maison, but you've made this far like me. Good luck, my Psychic Prince." said Mixia.
"Here she comes, Battle Chatelaine Nita!" the Maison's announcer announced.
A blonde, preteen girl, donning a yellow top hat and a sleeveless yellow dress, with tights covering her legs and walking with a pair of fancy-looking heels, stepped down and entered the stage.
"You are the Psychic Mixia's been talking about! I have not seen you for ages! I might go mental if you have forgotten me since our last battle at the end of your Singles challenge!" said Nita.
"Of course I have not thanks to Mixia," Wizzy responded.
"Given how rugged you look after suffering from the ups and downs of the Maison, I'm sure you can achieve the same performance as your girlfriend!" Nita responded.
"What...?! I don't have any girlfriends!" Wizzy replied blushingly and in panic.
"Then how are you able to have a cheering squad of belly-showing, miniskirted girls at your side? For..."
"Cut the nonsense, Nita. I know you're trying to break the telepathic link between Wizzy and his Pokemon by mentioning his pleasurable thoughts." Clarie interrupted loudly.
"Nita... I can't believe that you're trying play foul!" Mixia shouted.
"Look, Mixia, I'm just joking with him..." Nita responded.
"Joking in a Battle Facility?! This is unacceptable!" the twintailed girl shouted again, "Wizzy! Start the battle, quickly!"
"Bickering and provoking one party's thoughts is never a solution to all battles." Laudine responded.
"I don't want this battle to turn into a girl fight. Nita, send out what you have!" said Wizzy forcibly.
"Alright! Alright! I'll show you the taste of serious Nita!" the Battle Chatelaine said as she sends out a green, dual-horned humanoid that appears to be a genie sitting on a cloud.
"The more you all bicker the more I feel like doing meditation far away from humans..." Illusious commented.
Playlist: Dariusburst- The World of Spirit
Wizzy then put himself into a state where communication is only directed at his Psychic Pokemon. His Alakazam stood in a position of calm-mindedness.
"Psyshock." Wizzy commanded telepathically.
Illusious unleashed a wave of psychokinetic energy, trapping the Tornadus and telekinetically lifting debris from the moves used by other Pokemon to strike it with a psychic force. Freed from the psychic attack, the Tornadus commanded its cloud to create a Double Team of itself while its form becomes one with the clouds.
"Substitute, then attack." Wizzy commanded again.
Illusious crossed its spoons, and a psychic decoy is formed out of it. The Tornadus cast Double Team onto itself again, creating even more decoys.
"I calculated the probability of striking the monster, and it is decreasing over time!" Illusious responded.
"Concentrate! Mark the blow!" Wizzy silenced his Alakazam.
"Uh, I think you can attack now." Nita commanded.
With its spoons aiming at the real Tornadus, Illusious conjured an orb of spectral energy, and carefully hurled the Shadow Ball at the Tornadus. The decoys disappeared, and the real Tornadus revealed itself and fainted, as if the orb managed to strike it.
Panicked, Nita immediately withdrew her Tornadus and sent out a horned genie creature with light blue skin, and on a cloud like Tornadus.
"Same as the previous; Psyshock." Wizzy commanded.
Illusious cast the commanded move again, hurting the Thundurus severely. The Bolt Strike Pokemon recovered itself by devouring its held Sitrus Berry, and it then charged towards the Alakazam with its thundering fangs wide open. Illusious teleported away, leaving its Substitute to take the bulk of damage caused by Crunch.
"Return and destroy. Use the previous move!" Wizzy commanded again.
Illusious teleported back to the battlefield, and cast another Psyshock onto the Tornadus. The electrified genie creature collapsed to the ground after being struck psychokinetically by the debris.
"Are you... really serious?!" Nita shivered in panic as she sends out an orange genie creature on the clouds.
"Psyshock, again!" Wizzy commanded.
Thanks to the Choice Scarf it's wielding, the Landorus managed to unleashed an Earth Power faster than Illusious could unleash another Psyshock attack, throwing Illusious into the air as if it was a critical hit, leaving Illusious unconscious.
"Two to go. I wonder how would Wizzy fare with only his Metagross and Medicham..." Mixia thought.
Wizzy coldly sent out a humanoid that resembles, and has the nature of, an ascetic.
"Prepare for ascension, Mistrome." Wizzy commanded.
He then lifted up his right arm, activating the Mega Ring on the wrist.
"You are really serious! I shouldn't have taunted you about your relationship with Mixia! Please don't Mega Evolve that Medicham!" Nita gasped in panic.
"Remember, young one, what comes around shall goes around." Mistrome spoke while standing in a pose, readying for Mega Evolution.
Wizzy ignored the Chatelaine's advice as he Mega Evolved his Medicham. It's 'headpiece' transformed to become the symbol of harmoniousness, and its waist decorated with crystals. It has achieved a state of ascension, with four angelic arms formed out of Mega Evolution.
"Initiation before action" Wizzy commanded again.
While the Landorus attempted to cast another Earth Power, the floating arms Faked Out its before it could cast so.
"Ice Punch. Now!" Wizzy commanded once more.
Landorus swiftly unleashed another Earth Power onto the Mega Medicham, which caused the audience to feel anxious, as you know that when a Landorus is able to call the power of the Earth to strike you, especially in its Therian Forme, you are fated to fall.
Miraculously, the Mega Medicham survived the Earth Power. It then jumped towards the Abundance Pokemon with full might, it's right fist imbued with frost energy, and punched the Landorus with full force. As a Ground and Flying Pokemon, it is no surprise that Landorus felled to ice attacks such as Ice Punch.
Wizzy then released his psychic tension.
"Arceus... Cresselia... Solgaleo and Lunala... did I made it? Is it over now?" Wizzy asked to himself.
"Your desire and wish has been achieved, Shadowlight one." Mistome replied.
"Ah! I can't believe my mind screwing tactics did not work in this battle," Nita commented as she retrieved back her Landorus, "Whelp, you what big sister said: you can't beat a Psychic in a mind-to-mind battle!"
"Morgan, you said? I've told everything about what you said to Wizzy and us to your eldest sister already." Laudine responded confidently.
"Wait, how can you... oh yeah, right... what every psychic is capable of," Mixia attempted to ask and then faced towards the Chatelaine, "Nita, our friendship ends here now. Even if me and Wizzy are a couple now, I don't mind people teasing about it anywhere, but I find it unacceptable that you mention it just to snatch an easy victory. And you even insulted our appearance!"
"Mixia, please forgive me! Whelp, I can't be at two places right now since I'm in two forms of trouble," said Nita and then ran up to her eldest sister's room, "I better hope big sister doesn't blast me out of this Maison again!"
Wizzy retrieved back his Medicham, reverting it back to its normal form.
"Hah! That so-called Chatelaine really deserved it!" said Clarie, "So, what's next, mentor?"
"A feast at Le Wow? We can show Mixia how we do our Triple Battles there." Wizzy replied.
"I agree. We'll make reservations there." said Laudine.
"Alright. Tell them that we need a table for four, and that Triple Battle course!" Wizzy responded.
"We will." the two psychic apprentices said as they left the Maison hall.
Wizzy then looked at the surroundings of the Maison hall, and checking that his apprentices left as they left their purses at the lockers at the Maison entrance.
"You know Mixia, at first I thought Dana was bad with all those foul-mouthing at me. Then Nita took unmannerliness to a whole new level, and you are a lot more civilised than those so-called Chatelaines despite having a skimpy fashion style!" said Wizzy.
"Mm-hmm, it seems that you can't judge one's character by her appear... Wait, what did you said about my outfit?" Mixia stared at Wizzy angrily, yet pouting cutely at him.
"Uh, nothing." Wizzy replied.
"Well, I thought I heard something," said Mixia, "And I must go right now. There's more work to do at Boutique Couture. I'll be meeting up with you later."
She then gave a kiss on the boy's cheek, and then left the Maison hall.
"Wait... what was that for...?" Wizzy asked, blushingly.
"For your victory against Nita and the Super Singles challenge. I'm glad that you're keeping up with me now." Mixia replied.
"Hey, since I'm done with Super Singles, maybe we can visit Alola someday.,, you know, just the two of us?" Wizzy asked again.
"A vacation, at Alola? Yes! I will!" Mixia responded, "Give me the date and I promise I'll follow you to there!"
A few minutes later, Wizzy redeems his Battle Points at the BP item store. He then noticed a yellow monument next to a red monument, saying:
"This monument is to commemorate Wizzy, Psychic 1st Class of the Anistar Psychics, for his accomplishment of the Kalos Battle Maison's Super Single Battle Challenge and the first trainer to utilise a Psychic-type-only Pokemon team to accomplish that said feat."
 |
| Screw what the game's caption about the monument, I'm adding mine, and it's more cool. |
Author's note
I understand that Psychic-types used to be the metagame definers back in the days of Red and Blue, and Sabrina's malevolent powers confirmed this (yes, that episode was scary until Haunter came along). Now, the Psychic-type is heavily nerfed to the ground, and the fact that Fairy-types exist does not help Psychic at all... No matter what, Psychic will forever by my favourite Pokemon type. Mind power forever.
About Clarie and Laudine, yeah, those are made up from my head. I imagined an XY female character wearing an outfit that's similar to Mixia's style whom's also a psychic trainer, she appeared in the randomness of my imaginations, but I kept thinking of her to the point that she should be associated with Wizzy, like, you know, a mentor-student relationship between Wizzy and that girl. And that girl is Clarie, which I had to come up a name for that random girl. Then came Laudine... you know how I made up that character from.
If I remembered correctly, I lost my battle streak to a Quiver Dancing Volcarona with Leftovers. And then I had a Ghost vs. Fire situation where a Volcarona's involved, and it even has Leftovers too! Since when did Volcarona became OU?
Now, I'll start my Sun and Moon story. Expect some delays as I have to deal with college life.
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