Normal Rank Smart Contest II

[Fangirl]

[center:b661a]Normal Rank Smart Contest II[/center:b661a]

Introduction
Hello, and welcome to the second ever Normal Rank Smart Contest! Before we begin, let's introduce all the bright and shining face who will be vying for intellectual prowess in today's competition.

Saix the Grumpig (Trainer: Jerichi)
Saix is a psychic powerhouse with many impressive moves at his disposal. Though lacking in any Smart Stats, I forsee Saix to be a powerful opponent this Contest.

Mekhet the Pidgeot (Trainer: Lee-san)
'Smart' generally isn't the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of a flying type, but just maybe Mekhet will prove us wrong. With moves like Reflect, Gust, and Whirlwind, he should prove to be an interesting contender.

Lumiya the Banette (Trainer: Sylar)
Banette is a species built for Smart Contests, and Lumiya is no exception. She has no Smart Stats, but with her wide arsenal of smart moves, I wouldn't suggest letting your guard down.

Painkiller the Dusclops (Trainer: Dark Duskull)
Dusclops, like it's counterpart Banette, was born packing the punch needed to sweep the Smart Contest Hall. Armed with the brain to make up for the brawn it's ghostly body lacks, this contender has plenty of oomph, even if it doesn't have many Smart Stat points.

Buru the Smeargle (Trainer: Sandaa)
Buru's limited moveset puts her at a slight disadvantage, but what techniques she does have are tantalizingly intelligent. Armed with full Smart Stats, she may appear to be the underdog this round, but looks can be deceiving.

Ambrosia the Nidoran (Trainer: Dae-Maker)
One look at Ambrosia might suggest she's more suited for the Cute Contest circuit, but this blue bombshell might tell you differently. Though lacking any Smart Stats, she's right up with Buru in the 'don't judge a book by it's cover' ranks.

Wind the Pidgeot (Trainer: Dragon 11)
Wind is our second feathered contender in the second Smart Contest. While lacking quite the diverse moveset of our other air-bound brainiac, I wouldn't throw in the towel just yet on Wind. We may just be in for a surprise yet!

Karasa the Beautifly (Trainer: Lonely Wanderer)
Karasa made quite a splash in our last Smart Contest and was looking to make her way straight to the finals. She's back again, boasting an expanded moveset and full Smart Stats. I'd keep an eye on her if I were you, lest you find yourself suddenly overthrown!

Stage One
Now that we have introductions out of the way (and I've found hope in an alternative career as an infomercial announcer), let's start the first round of the Normal Rank Smart Contest. Now, I see we have some returning faces, but also some new ones, so for clarity, here's all the info you'll need on Stage 1:

Originally Posted by Fangirl

Stage 1: Contestants will be faced with a problem, puzzle, or other obstacle, and will have to find a solution while adhering to a set of rules specified at the beginning of the stage. Failure to adhere to these rules, failure to solve the problem adequately, or irreparably damaging a crucial component of the obstacle (i.e.: breaking part or all of a necessary item) will result in a disqualification. Contestants are judged on their creativity, practicality, and success to result in a score that is not to exceed 40 pts. There is no limit to the number of moves that can be used in this round though it should be taken into consideration that overly complex plans and solutions have a higher rate of failure (and confusion). The four contestants with the highest scores at the end of Stage 1 will proceed to Stage 2.

So with that, I present you with this contest's Stage 1 obstacle:

In the center of the Hall arena stands a weight. Balanced on rollers between two steel support beams, it is attached to an automated balance installed in the raftered by two heavy woven aluminum cords. There is just enough space between the ground and the bottom of the weight for your Pokemon to stand and support the massive metal block. Each Pokemon, upon their appeal, is to step under the weight and support it. Bipeds are to hold up the weight with their forearms; quadrapeds and any other Pokemon otherwise lacking in hands or hand-like appendages are to support it with their back. As the automated weight system has in memory the exact strength index of each contestant, there is no danger to your Pokemon and they will be able to hold it with relative ease however if they were to move or otherwise cease to support the weight, it would come crashing down on them. (Don't worry, if this were to occur the cords would be locked in place immediately thanks to very sensitive, secure sensors. your Pokemon are in no real danger.)

To pass this challenge, contestants must, without moving from beneath the weight, flip the lever located approx. 8 meters from the weight itself. This will cause the cords to lock and the Pokemon to escape 'safely'. (Though as has been previously mentioned there is no real danger involved, we just like to keep up the theatrics).

Rules and Regulations:
- As usual, you will lose points from your total score if you use Beauty- or Cool-classified moves. (However, this loss is minimal so if you have a very good appeal that requires them, do not be shy about using them. The points received from a well-thought-out appeal will outshadow the ones lost from using inappropriate moves.)
- If your Pokemon moves from beneath the weight is is an automatic disqalification so be careful.
- Just for grins (and I suppose as celebration for the grand reopening of the Hall) I'll reward one (1) bonus point to the score of any and everyone who can name the early 1990's anime that made use of a similar (though a little more life threatening) weight-based trap.

Just to clarify, the lever is positioned so that one must pull it towards the weight to activate it. This means that exerting any form of outward force will not work.

lever's current position -> \_______[ weight area ]
your goal -> /_______[ weight area ]

I don't know how to make that ANY clearer.

[Sandaa]

Gary smiled and kneeled down next to Buru, giving her a little pat on the head. "This is your big debut, gal. Don't worry though, you'll do just fine." He then watched as she proceeded under the weight and was situated, holding the weight up.
"Alright Buru, here's what we're gonna do. First, Calm your Mind. Take it easy, relax, get focused. Now once you're 'in the zone,' use your Psychic energy to pinpoint exactly where the lever is, even if you can see it clearly, and to to make it look smart, with nifty glowing effects and stuff. Once that's done, create a thick Reflect wall, but make it small in size, like a plank. Finally, use another Psychic, to telekinetically move the Reflect back behind the lever and to pull it back onto the lever and pull it toward you to switch it off. Once you're safe, courtsey for the crowd and you're done! Good luck gal, I'm counting on you!"

Hmmmmmmmmm. Yu Yu Hakusho, amirite, yes/no? :o

[Sylar]

I really doubt this is gonna work, but there's always a shot. :P

Watching as Banette got under the weight, Joe carefully thought about what he was about to order, before finally telling his idea to Lumiya.
"Okay, this is gonna be risky, but we've got to try it. Start off with a Foresight to make yourself physical, that should help a little bit with holding up the weight. Next, fire off a continuous Shock Wave at the lever, and once it's made contact, use an Ice Punch down at the Shock Wave to make sort of an ice-rope from you to the lever. From there, just grip the ice, and pull it slowly, making sure not to snap the ice. You got all that?"
Lumiya stared at Joe for a few seconds, before nodding with an evil smile on her face.

woo, short. And I have no idea what anime, so I'm guessing at Samurai Pizza Cats. ^^

[Dae-Maker]

<ooc> Ushi, I'm using the discriptions given by PASBL, just to let you know. </ooc>

"Ok Ambrosia, this is our first contest so let's show them what we can do. I know that we might seem to be the underdogs but I think that your cuteness only hides the brains inside. So, think fast, act quickly, and have a good time ok?"

"The first thing I want you to do is go under the weight and face the lever, brace yourself, and use a Strength to boost your muscle power; don't lift the weight anymore than you have to but conserve the energy of the Strength for a bit. Then, when you feel ready, absorb your dark energies and use Beat Up to summon the dark replicas of your comrades. Create them in a line towards the lever. Use a Disable to hold all but your last friend in place as they appear, stringing them across the space. Finally give them a Helping Hand and have your last replica push the lever towards you. After that, they should disappear and the weight should be locked in place. Give a cute little Attract towards the audience to win them over and them bow."

"Have a great time and try your best!"

With the instructions given, Ambrosia sets off to appeal.

[Jerichi]

Disclaimer: This version of Tetsu is the beta version for the new and improved Tetsu. His actions may not follow the final personality of the actual Tetsu.

"All right, now, Saix! This is the time!" Tetsu encouraged his Pokemon. "Well..." his voice died down to a mummer. "Sort of." The Grumpig sitting next to him turned his cloaked head toward Tetsu, looking at him with a serious gaze. "What?" Tetsu looked at Saix, slightly confused. The pig just turned his head back towards the stage. "Whatever. I just need you to go out there, get under the weight, and Psych Up to get the best state of mind you can. Then, relax, and create a Substitute. Have him walk over to the pull on the lever. Give him some added help with a Psychic assist in his pulling of the lever. Ya got that?" Again, Saix turned toward Tetsu, and nodded. Looking away again, he suddenly dissapeared, and reapeared right next to the weight. "Good luck, Saix!" Tetsu shouted from backstage.

And for my guess, Yu Yu Hakasho, ne?

*punched in the face*

[Dragon 11]

Yeah, I thought so. Good thing I have a backup.

"We don't have much to work with, Wind," complained Aero, brushing his hand through his short white hair. "We can't use projectile, its pushing action, but thats all we got. Hmm..." Aero looked out the contestant's entrance saw a spiral wind pick up trash and send it in a different direction.

Aero turned to Wind, as shouted, "Eureka! Do you thing you can make a whirlwind behind the lever?"
Wind nodded then said in pokelanguage, "But, Sand probably won't do it."
"Sigh, we have no choice, cool move or not, we'll have to use Thorns. Try to make it look smart, okay. Look calculating, and calculate when you make the Whirlwind and Thorns, 'kay. If you don't get it one shot, its not gonna have the same effect. Finally, a way to make Thorns look smart."
"I have an idea," Wind started. "Make them one at a time, looking calculating each time, keep then in a row shooting them at the same spot, but only enough to flip the switch."
"Brilliant, I think we have a plan," Aero concluded.

OOC: If you couldn't tell, I'm using Whirlwind to redirect Thorns to strike the level from behind towards me, simualating the same effect as Wind pulling it.

[Fangirl]

Dragon 11: I wouldn't usually do this, but because it seems like it's partially my fault, I want to make it clear that the support beams are standing vertical, and the weight is positioned between them, and moves up and down via the cords like a guillotine effect. The rollers are only there to prevent friction between the weight and the support beams, the weight does not move. Your appeal is invalid right now, and will lead to disqualification if you do not change it.

[Fangirl]

While I didn't voice a time limit (when I really should have), this wait is starting to get silly. Now, I'm rather merciful, so I give everyone who hasn't posted until the end of Monday (FB time). After that, I'll judge appeals and those of you who don't post will simply be SOL, I'm afraid.

[Lee-san]

actually I'll resign from the Contest, sorry for the trouble.