Over-Thinking It

Alright, Arturo: three Pokemon apiece, one-on-one battles, first one to take out all three of his opponent's Pokemon wins.  Agreed?

Get your Pokemon ready...

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Fuck.  Okay, Tom, now you have to really think hard here.  This contract with Devon could be your ticket to financial stability for the rest of your life.  Focus now...what Pokemon does Arturo have?

I know he's got his Shieldon "Remy"and his Azurill "Callie"...or did it evolve into a Marill already? I don't remember if he said that it had or it hadn't.  Ugh, the pressure is starting to mess me up.  I know he's got his Swablu "Shiva" and his Lucario "Anubis, but he also has his Munchlax "Ignacio".  Is...is that it? Does he only have five Pokemon? I don't think he's actually caught that thing he has on a leash, so I don't think I have to worry about that.  He caught that little elephant, didn't he? Who knows.  Then again, he probably caught a bunch Pokemon while he's been away from us, so who knows what he actually has. Let's just make a contingency plan for the ones we can't account for, shall we?

Of the ones I know he has, I know that Remy, Munchlax, Azurill and Lucario would all be weak to a Fighting-type attack.  Even if the Azurill evolved into a Marill, that would mean that Elekid having Shock Wave and Low Kick would be a pivotal asset.  If he decides to use Shiva or the elephant, then Ice Punch will cover those bases.  Elekid has a strength against every one of his Pokemon, so he's definitely in.

Nidorino also knows a Fighting-type move, and since he's a Poison-type, he could potentially poison any of Arturo's Pokemon with a touch.  Granted, he'd be vulnerable if any of Arturo's Pokemon used Dig...but Nidorino knows that as well, so he could potentially evade such an attack.  Besides, knowing Peck will be very useful in the upcoming gym battles against Tyre and his apprentices, so it would be beneficial to have him get some good fighting experience.

But wait...I'm not thinking about Arturo thinking about what I'm thinking!

Of course, he's going to assume that I'm going to use Elekid, so he's going to want to use Pokemon with a Ground-type move ready, so Dig is definitely going to be a factor.  And if he thinks that, there's no way Shiva is coming out to play, nor is Callie.  Furthermore, if he thinks that I'm going to bank on seasoned Pokemon like Gliscor or Lapras, he's not going to want to bring in a newer Pokemon like that elephant.

Unless he brings in a wild card that I haven't seen before, he's going to go with Remy, Ignacio, and Anubis.  Remy isn't very reliable offensively, but from what I've seen from that battle with the Pawniard and what I've heard about the battle with Kevin's Skarmory "Dee", it can take a great deal of punishment while destroying the terrain.  Ignacio is going to be his gamble if he decides to bank on Metronome...and that could end disastrously.  Anubis is the one I'm most sure of that he's going to use, since it's incredibly strong and fast; that's his ace-in-the-hole, and I need to think of another Pokemon that could take him out--

Houndour! Sure, Houndour would be a sitting duck if he didn't take Anubis out with an Ember attack right away, but I think Anubis couldn't have handled the fire in Tyre's house as well if he evolved earlier.  Plus, Houndour knows Roar.  If I can get to a position where I know two of Arturo's Pokemon, I can use Roar to draw out the third or switch out Anubis if he comes out too early.  That way, I can strategize much more effectively.

So...Elekid, Nidorino, and Houndour.  They're all weak to Ground-type attacks, and Ground seems to be Arturo's forte, but each one has a different type attack that Anubis is weak to and he's the one I need to focus on taking out the most.  Plus, Arturo will expect Elekid, but I don't think he'll expect Nidorino who has only seen battle once under my training, or Houndour who I have never battled with before.  There's a chance that he will be expecting me to focus on taking out Anubis, but I don't have any other choice.  If I want to win, I have to put down the dog.

I think I'm going to lead with Nidorino; I don't want Elekid to fight until he absolutely has to, and that's going to be if there's no one else left.  I also don't want to expose Houndour too early, since I want to keep that Roar as a surprise tactic.

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Okay, Arturo...I'm ready.

...I might have over-thought this.