PokéBattles: Sandy Version

It is the 90s 20s and there is time for Klax PokéBattles

This set of battles represents the start of the plotline that I remember putting the most thought into for Classic Sandy.


Battle 32

The summoning gag made me laugh. At this stage in my life, I'd either go all in on political satire, or not make any references at all, rather than making a joke about not doing it. Though, given I was 16 when I wrote this, I'm very glad I don't have to read whatever political satire I'd have had in me back then.

...I think Dave is being deliberately antagonistic to the Narrator when he corrects the Narrator on 'saying' to 'booming'. I don't know if that was my intent at the time, but it's certainly how I read it today.

These two gags, though, are so obvious and despite that work surprisingly well for me.

CAN NARRATOR finish ONE POINT without getting a WISE CRACK RESPONSE?!
DAVIS: No.

WHERE was NARRATOR?... DON'T ANS...
A Sandy Void where Narrator's Tower used to reside.
WER... ><!

Making the main characters the advisors to a temporary narrator is a cool concept as well, while the actual mini tournament between the four main characters feels a bit tacked on, but there's nothing particularly wrong with any of the fights within it - Unlike the battles in the actual tournamnet, these were all mercifully short.


Battle 33

The intro feels super pointless.

The actual meat of the battle has an interesting concept - Davis and Veemon trying to shed their acclimatization to Pokebattles generally and Sandy specifically to be able to return home. And also that at this point they're better at PokeBattles, or at least Sandy's take on them, than Dave is, though not much is really done with it in this specific battle.

Also, I enjoy the end gag of the Narrator doing holiday reviews. I'd likely (but not certainly) frame it as vacation vlogging if I was writing this plotline today.


Battle 34

Getting hit on the hand enough by cardboard to cut bone deep is... A lot of papercuts.

Dave having a mini identity crisis due to finding out he's a clone of himself is also fun, but I think I probably resolved that way too quickly.

A non-player saying 'yoink' to take over the aqua text remains funny to me. The actual battle feels tacked on, but there are some fun gags within it.

And we have the return of Anti-Story Mode. Maybe a bit faster than I'd have done it these days, but Anti-Story Mode befriending the Narrator who's ignoring the fact that it's obviously evil which is fairly amusing.


Battle 35

The ENH almost immediately cocking up and doing puns that did nothing to prevent Davis and Veemon from getting into the digiport is funny to me.

I think the coffee gag (and Anti-Story Mode's plot to destroy the version going wrong) would have been funnier if I'd have played Dave and SVWebmaster being worried about the fabric of reality falling apart rather than deliberately trying to undermine ENH's dramatic narration around it.