F.E.A.R

F.E.A.R. is a last-resort strategy used in competitive battling, normally usable only once per battle. A "F.E.A.R. Pokémon" is a Pokémon compatible with a certain moveset capable of defeating a full-HP opponent at virtually any level (most notably level 100) while itself is only at level 1 or 2, the reason being for bragging rights. The most well-known Pokémon used for this strategy is a Rattata.
F.E.A.R. generally stands for:

• Focus Sash
• Endeavor
• (Quick) Attack
• Rattata

The original term, coined by strategists as humor, was "F***ing Evil Annoying Rodent".
The strategy (and original profanity-laden term) was originally conceived on GameFAQs' Pokémon Diamond message board in early 2007.
After one of the player's Pokémon faints, the F.E.A.R. Pokémon can be sent out against an opponent's Pokémon with (preferably) full HP. During the first turn, the F.E.A.R. Pokémon will use Endeavor, and the opponent will most likely use an offensive attack to try to defeat the F.E.A.R. Pokémon (assuming, of course, that the opponent isn't aware of this strategy). The F.E.A.R. Pokémon would indeed faint, if it were not holding the Focus Sash, which allows the user to hold on to 1 HP after a hit which would otherwise knock it out from max-HP. When the Pokémon uses Endeavor, the HP of the opponent's Pokémon will equal the HP of its own (which is now, assuming Focus Sash triggered, equal to 1). During the following turn, the F.E.A.R. Pokémon can use Quick Attack to wipe out the remaining 1 HP of the opponent's Pokémon. Focus Sash will not work twice, so a Pokémon can only use this strategy once.
In Generation V, the ability Sturdy was altered to function like a Focus Sash, but can activate multiple times providing the Pokémon regains all of its HP. With this change came new notable users of F.E.A.R. - A level 2 Probopass can use Pain Split to wear down the opponent's HP whilst healing itself, whereas Aron can use a combination of Endeavor and a held Shell Bell for multiple uses of Endeavor. Generation V also introduced Solosis, a Pokémon able to combine Magic Guard and Endeavor, but also set up Trick Room for its allies.
While an impressive strategy, F.E.A.R. is simple to counter. The following are several ways to counter the F.E.A.R. strategy:

• Knowledge: The simplest strategy and perhaps the most effective. If the opponent knows the F.E.A.R. strategy, they won't attack as needed for it to work (a damaging move), or they will switch out for a Pokémon immune to it or easily able to counter it. Besides the other three counters listed here, a player could switch out after the opponent's F.E.A.R. uses Endeavor, leaving it with 1 HP and another Pokémon to sweep the F.E.A.R. However, if the F.E.A.R.-using player predicts correctly, this problem can be solved using Pursuit.
• Ghost-types: As Ghost-types are immune to Normal- and Fighting-type attacks, Endeavor and Quick Attack are useless against them. It should be noted however, that a F.E.A.R. Kangaskhan or Taillow with Scrappy will still be able to use Endeavor against a Ghost-type Pokémon.
• A Pokémon with Quick Attack, ExtremeSpeed, Sucker Punch, Ice Shard, or other automatic, first-hit effects: If the opponent uses an increased-priority move at the same time as the F.E.A.R. Pokémon does, the large difference in level will almost always result in the opponent's Pokémon landing the hit first, leaving the opponent with little HP, but leaving the F.E.A.R. player with one Pokémon down, however in Generation V Feint and ExtremeSpeed have +2 priority, and are not countered by +1 priority moves.
• A move that damages foes upon switching in (like Spikes or Stealth Rock) can cancel out the Focus Sash effect, thus causing the foe to be unable to withstand a one-hit KO. This only works if the F.E.A.R. Pokémon isn't released prior to that move.
  • Note that Doduo, Taillow, Starly, Togekiss, and Shaymin in its Sky Forme are immune to Spikes.
• Moves, abilities, and statuses that deal damage every turn (like Sandstorm or Burn) can cancel out Focus Sash's effect. This can also work without using a turn if a Pokémon like Tyranitar, Hippowdon, or Abomasnow activate their abilities. (Note that F.E.A.R. Phanpy, Corsola, Wormadam (Sandy and Trash Cloaks) and Swinub are immune to Sandstorm (and the last one to Hail as well.))
• Embargo prevents the foe from using any item, in this case Focus Sash.
  • Do note that, somewhat counterintuitively, Knock Off will NOT serve to KO a F.E.A.R. Pokémon if it is at 100% HP unless Embargo is in effect. The F.E.A.R. Pokémon's Focus Sash will be knocked off after it has been successfully activated, and the Pokémon will still be able to use Endeavor to reduce the foe's HP.
• Leftovers (and Black Sludge in the case of Poison-type foes) return some HP to the user's Pokémon, and more than likely, more than the opposing F.E.A.R. can deal with its increased-priority move.
• Similarly, if an attacked Pokémon is holding any HP-restoring berry, the F.E.A.R. Pokémon would not do enough damage to defeat it.
• F.E.A.R.: Ironically, a way to combat a F.E.A.R. Pokémon is having it face another F.E.A.R. Pokémon (or some other low-level Pokémon). Having roughly the same HP, both F.E.A.R.s would do little damage towards each other. It isn't, however, practical or useful to carry a F.E.A.R. Pokémon just for the sake of combating another F.E.A.R., as both Pokémon are about evenly-matched.
• Using a decreased-priority move will leave the Pokémon attacking the F.E.A.R. Pokémon with approximately 12 or so hit points after the first turn and the F.E.A.R. Pokémon will only have 1 health point, causing an easy sweep on the second turn.
• Shedinja and its Wonder Guard ability will make Endeavor unable to hit.
  • Note that Sucker Punch can be used to KO Shedinja, but only after its Focus Sash has been activated or otherwise rendered useless.
• Attacks that have multi-hits, ex. Bullet Seed, Rock Blast, will negate Focus Sash and Sturdy
• In double and triple battles, having two Pokémon use moves that will hit the F.E.A.R. Pokémon will cause it to faint, since the Focus Sash will only activate for the first attack.
• Although Generation V altered Sturdy to act like a Focus Sash, abilities Mold Breaker, Turboblaze and Teravolt ignores this effect, countering any attempt to use F.E.A.R. with Sturdy. 

Many pokemon can use the F.E.A.R strategy but with prior knowledge,victory can still be acheived.

The Origin of Nincada and all Subsequent Evolutions

Ninjask(left),Shedinja(Right)and Nincada(down)

Today's Pokémon are based on an animal well known in many parts of the world, and obscure in others. (Think of the Farfetch'd mentioned a while ago.)But if you were in the north-eastern United States in the summer of 2004, there's a good chance you'll be very familiar with these burrowing, swarming and extremely noisy insects.
     The Nincada family takes its inspiration from the life cycle of the cicada. There are around 2,500 species of cicadas known to exist, and most are native to temperate and tropical regions. As we'll see, some cicada species have very peculiar strategies for survival, but let's start off with a brief overview of the average cicada's life, and how it relates to the Pokémon it inspired.
     Cicada eggs are laid in the bark of trees. Newly-hatched cicadas will drop down to the ground and burrow into the soil, where they may remain for some time. These immature, flightless cicadas are known as nymphs. They're expert diggers and get their nutrients by sucking the fluids from underground roots. (It can practically wreak havoc on anything wooden as it needs nutrients and food from the wood.)It's this stage of the cicada life cycle that inspired Nincada, a Pokémon whose subterranean nature is reflected in its secondary Ground typing.
     Eventually, the cicada will tunnel up to the surface, climb up onto a plant, and shed its skin. The adult cicada, which has clear wings and can emit a distinctive buzzing sound, is the inspiration for Ninjask, Nincada's evolution. But, as those familiar with the series will know, there's a mysterious third member to this family. The cicada's shed skin remains clinging to the plant, and can easily be mistaken for the real thing. (A phantom shell;can you guess what is the pokemon we are referring to?)Since cicadas tend to emerge and molt in large numbers, you're likely to find plenty of these shed skins following such an emergence. There is something slightly eerie about these lifeless, hollow cicadas, and indeed, they inspired Shedinja, a [Ghost and Bug type]Pokémon that (space permitting) you may find in your party after the evolution of Nincada to Ninjask.
     Cicadas aren't always the most popular of insects, and this probably has a lot to do with their habit of emerging from the ground in large numbers, not to mention their incessant buzzing. Nonetheless, these are quite docile, harmless creatures that pose no threat to us humans. The worst you can expect from a cicada is a poke from their proboscis – and this only happens if you stand still for long enough to convince them that you're a tree. So cicadas are benign, but they probably don't come across as all that cunning. They have no apparent means of defense, and they're easy pickings for predators once they've emerged from the ground. It may come as a surprise, then, to learn that some species of cicada have developed a strategy for survival that's based around mathematics – specifically, prime numbers.
     A prime number is a number that can only be divided by itself and one. (Remember how the number 3 caused agony to Primary School students?)2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 and 17 are all prime numbers... but 15 isn't, because it can be divided by 5 to give 3. Primes are very important in the fields of mathematics and computing, and are currently used for data encryption. They were probably known to the ancient Egyptians, but regardless of which human civilization discovered them, cicadas got there first... in a roundabout sort of way.
     North America is home to a genus of cicadas called Magicicada. These cicadas are periodical, meaning that they live underground for long periods of time before emerging, en masse, after a predetermined number of years. This means that the cicada nymphs have to keep track of the time while underground, which they apparently do by sensing minute changes in the composition of the juice that they drink from tree roots. There are four Magicicada species with a 13-year life cycle, and three species with a 17-year life cycle. Once biologists realized the length of the cycles, they were immediately drawn to the fact that both of the numbers – 13 and 17 – are prime. Might there have been some reason that the North American cicadas had developed prime numbered life cycles?
    Well, one popular theory was that cycles of large prime numbers tend not to coincide with each other. Imagine a 13-year cicada species sharing the same territory as a 17-year species. It would be very rare for them to emerge in the same year: once every 221 years, to be exact. Thus, they wouldn't usually be in competition for food. As nice as this theory is, it ignores the fact that, in most cases, 13-year species don't actually share territory with 17-year species. The 17-year species live mostly in the north-east of the USA, while the 13-year cicadas prefer the south-east. So there must be another reason for these numbers.
     The current theory, developed by Professor Mario Markus of the Max Planck Institute in Germany, is based around the idea that prime numbers are useful for avoiding potential predators. Just as cicadas have periodic life cycles, so do many predators. Let's picture a cicada species that emerges from the ground every 12 years. These would be vulnerable to the predators that come around every second year, plus those that come around every third year, every fourth year and every sixth year. There would be no shortage of predators queuing up to devour our 12-year cicada.
     But let's increase that cycle length by just one year, and see what happens. Because 13 is a prime number, a 13-year cycle isn't going to regularly coincide with the cycles of predators. Let's imagine that a 13-year cicada species happens to emerge while a 4-year predator is in the area. Plenty of the cicadas will be eaten on this occasion, but the two species won't meet again for another 52 years.(13X4=52) With such a long period of time between meetings, the predator isn't going to be able to reliably predict when the cicadas are due to emerge.(Therefore,predators are effectively avoided for a long time after 1st contact.)
     So, prime-numbered cycles seem to help cicadas maintain the element of surprise, catching their predators off-guard. Their other strategy is what's known as predator satiation, meaning that they emerge together in such huge numbers that predators can't possibly eat them all. It's safety in numbers, basically, and these strategies combined have made the periodic cicadas a very successful group of species.(So unlucky ones will die and the rest will escape from the predators.)
     In the summer of 2004, the largest group of 17-year cicadas, known as Brood X, surfaced in the north-eastern United States. Around fifteen states were suddenly teeming in cicadas, all of them in a hurry to shed their skin and mate, before ultimately dying off soon afterwards. Quite an alarming spectacle, even though the cicadas were entirely harmless.
     And now, a notice for anybody reading this in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. I have good news for all of you! The largest group of 13-year cicadas, Brood XIX, is burrowing through the soil beneath your feet as you read this. They'll be emerging about a year from now, in the summer of 2011. All predictions are that it's going to be spectacular... and loud. So very loud.(They buzz,remember?) Look forward to it!
(All info on the last paragraph is accurate as of  Monday June 28,2010.)

The Origin of Farfetch'd

Wild Duck Pokemon

THAT.Is a wild duck.
Alright, honestly, its Farfetch'd is the pokemon shown in the picture and its fat,plump and most likely would be delicious if eaten.The onion leek it holds doesn't help.
When I was younger at 8 years old,I would often ask myself why Farfetch'd had a leek and where its origins were.If Probopass came from a compass-fused Moai Statue it seems fair that the others get their own story behind their origin.

Following text by George Hutcheon (alebit slightly edited by me) ,text in brackets are by me and "I" refers to George Hutcheon unless in a bracket in which it refers to me






When I first sat down to research Farfetch'd, I wasn't really sure if there would be enough material for a good article. The legend that inspired its creation, numerous websites assured me, was that of a wild duck that carried a green onion, which would appear in forests to offer itself up as a meal for starving travelers. (I can attest to that;I've heard of that legend before) As odd and faintly amusing as this tale was, there didn't seem to be a lot to it, and so I set out to research it further in the hope that I might discover additional details that would be of interest.
     And what I found was... nothing. Searching through numerous online archives of Chinese and Japanese folklore, I couldn't find any reference to this legend at all. In fact, the only places that did make reference to such a legend were... Pokémon sites. Could the tale of the onion-bearing duck offering itself to travelers actually be a creation of the fandom? (See,there are always rumors spreadingaround the fanbase,some would call it fan spectaculation while others might call it gospel truth.)
     Given the enormous scope of Eastern mythology, consisting of countless tales, each of which have countless variations, it's very difficult to say for certain that a story doesn't actually exist. But after combing through every source at my disposal and consulting a number of people in Japan, I have to conclude that there appears to be no such legend.(For now, we'll assume that the origin given above is false.)
      So, where does Farfetch'd come from? My research suggests that the true origin actually isn't a million miles away from the version above; only rather than being inspired by a legend, it comes from a certain Japanese saying: Kamo ga negi wo shotte kuru (鴨が葱を背負って来る), literally meaning 'a duck comes bearing green onions'. The phrase can be shortened simply to kamo negi (鴨葱)... which, when written in katakana, is Farfetch'd's Japanese name (カモネギ).(That's how japanese pokemon naming works.)
      Its Japanese name is made up of kamo (鴨 or カモ), meaning 'duck', and negi (葱 or ネギ), which refers to a variety of green onion, Allium fistulosum – specifically, the onion leek stalk that Farfetch'd can be seen carrying. Pokédex entries over the years have made several references to its rarity, and in the original Red and Blue games, only a single Farfetch'd is available, as a trade from an in-game trainer. The pokemon anime and the game Pokedex has also stated that the reason for this Pokémon's rarity is that it is a delicacy.
     And culinary matters are central to the origins of Farfetch'd. Duck and green onion are the primary ingredients for a good duck stew, and so finding a duck carrying green onions would be a surprising but convenient occurrence. (Yes,duck stew has these ingredients as important aspects.)This is the first meaning of the idiom: something not asked for, but very convenient; a serendipitous event. In Red and Blue, the player's acquisition of the very rare Farfetch'd, traded for a common Spearow, could be seen as just such an event. The phrase is given a literal portrayal, as the AI player actually obtains a duck carrying a green onion.There is a second meaning to the phrase, however. A duck bearing a green onion is a creature walking naïvely towards a nasty fate, and the idiom has come to refer to individuals who are easy to deceive. One dictionary gives the meaning 'along comes a sucker just begging to be parted from his money'. As a result, somebody who is easy to take advantage of through trickery can be referred to in Japanese as a kamo (鴨) or 'duck'.
     Perhaps this, too, has relevance to Farfetch'd. Trading away a Spearow in order to get the otherwise-unobtainable Farfetch'd seems like a very good deal indeed. But Farfetch'd doesn't evolve, has quite poor stats all round and is of very limited use. (In fact,it is rather weak in battles.)Spearow, on the other hand, evolves into the far-superior Fearow, which proves to be a viable competitor throughout the game. (Fearow can learn better moves,has higher stats and Individual and Effort values [IV and EV].)Viewed in this context, might the duck {refer to previous paragraph}in question be the player themselves, having traded away a potentially strong Pokémon for one that's all but useless?(That is,to be tricked by the alleged "duck" instead.)
     Farfetch'd stands out amongst the Generation I Pokémon as one of the few that still have no evolution family. People have been calling for an evolution to Farfetch'd for years now, (Most probably to increase its stats or just let it grow stronger?)but in a way, I hope this never happens. It seems to me that Farfetch'd's poor battle potential reflects wonderfully the phrase that spawned its creation: the unsuspecting duck, unaware that it could be made into a delicious meal at any time. And if the perpetual loser can rise up and defeat a stronger opponent despite their handicaps, then doesn't that make victory all the sweeter? Here's to Farfetch'd, then: a celebration of the loser in all of us.
[Half] copied text ends here


To be honest,Farfetch'd is although weak,but is still popular among many fans,even having an airy,"act-cool" and calm personality.I personally like it in terms of look and attitude ("This stalk I bear......its not just for looks."---Farfetch'd) and I truly think that it is just a Pokemon all the same---why hate it?And it would seem that the trainer who requests to trade is after all,the duck---it is the ONLY Farfetch'd in the game and with that you can finally complete the national pokedex.So cheers to the fat,suave loser once again:Farfetch'd!

Relax

Some call it strange.So, PSLE is over but [obviously] that does not give you the right to act like a madman on the streets.Some of my classmates find this a contradiction to what their parents said about going all out and having fun after PSLE.This,although seemingly a dumb point of view at first,(to me)is quite hard to deny.
Alright,we've got JN who's bringing his DS and PSP and whatever he can cram into his bag.But we all expected that---I'm not squeaky clean ;I've flouted more than 50 rules in all my 6 years of Primary school.So,fine,I can defend myself as half of the time I can explain my actions but as usual nobody listens.Same case here.So,fine,maybe some of you can go 10 hours straight on the computer or go thrash your friends house or whatever that you might do.But before PSLE,(being honest here)I thought that this silly "freedom" and "fun" thing is a big joke.So 1 part of your life has been conquered.but so what?
1.PSLE is over but that does not let you be a hooligan unless you are JN.
2.Even if the world was such that you COULD do whatever you want,your parents would be lying anyways.
Point 1 holds true.You won't carry a gun and wave it in the air just because you got 300 for PSLE or got some epic Distinction* for some paper..But its also a nasty lie in Point 2's case.Some of my friends I asked agree with me,stating that they were not feeling the fun and thrill (what fun and thrill they are referring to,I have no idea really) and that they want to rebel and break the TV or ruin the classroom and whatever.
Seriously,don't take the last bit seriously.And as my teacher used to say,life is unfair.So get over it.


*Speaking of that,I got Distinction for my UNSW English Paper and a High Distinction (yay me) for my UNSW Math paper.

Today's Oh My Gosh

Today we had to design a Teen Club (Tub) with a larger than life blueprint(?)."1/2 inch=1 foot",it read.My team won the design competition with 19/25 points.I don't mean to brag but we did a good job.I'll even provide proof with pictures and the nearly accurate words said by us during the "Tub" presentation.Most of the presentation was edited online on Facebook by Nicholas(NT) and me(OJW) though.

NT:This is our awesome "Tub"!
OJW:A copyright sign is over here,so don't "play cheat" with us and piss us off!
NT:This is the VIP lounge which is strictly for VIPs.(See top left corner of blueprint)
OJW:There's this song about being a VIP to boost your self-esteem but that doesn't count.
NT:This is the VIP lounge which is srtictly for VIPs.inside there is freaking luxurious bars,sofas and billard tables!!!NC 16;read it and weep!Payments for VIP membership at $35.
OJW:Rip-off.

NT:There are more comfortable sofas and even cool looking tables for you to place things on or just stare at longingly.An aquarium filled with fishes of various colors is positioned near the tables for you to look at.Even potted plants are in that vicinity.(See middle left side of blueprint)

OJW:Yeah,yeah,you deserve a medal.

NT:Indeed.
OJW:Teenagers like to play wildly.Admit it.So there is a nice little(not really)arcade to satisfy the hooligan inside of you.Mario Kart,The House of The Dead,Time Crisis,Jubeat,you name it, we got it.(See bottom left corner)

NT:Oh,great;don't you think?

OJW:Of course the good thing about this place is the large online cafe.We all like to use the computer and go Facebook,Youtube,Twitter,whatever.So with our nice Online Cafe all your worries about the computer can say bye-bye and disappear into thin air.(Top middle side)

NT:Don't forget Blackshot(not the nastier **** site)and grand theft auto!
NT:The centre of attraction!!!The 5m tall gold(plated) fountain will make you stare in awe.........by the way,you can throw coins in to make a wish.(only $1 coins accepted)  (See middle of blueprint)
OJW:You cheap arse.Well, people get hungry,so obviously a cafe is in order.Get all you want for a light snack.No need to play on an empty stomach!(See bottom middle side)
OJW:As Eddry would say,nerds are people too,so there is a mini library.Helps if you like studying in groups.
And for the mad musical talents there are 2 karaoke rooms!If you stink at singing,have no fear as the room is sound insulated!(See the whole right side of the blueprint)
NT:It's really possible!We've been missing something out though,our coup de grâce to the other groups!
NT:These classy toilets we have here are so classy that Joachim is not worthy enough to use it;only available at this club.Just try not to stay in there too long like Boyd or you will be charged a dollar.(Look for them yourself)
OJW:And THAT,is our teen club.The winning design.

This is MADNESS

So,there have been,shall I say,problems,with the 6F blog.Lee WN was complaining about the CBox and etcetra. School was a big mess and I didn't like this year's Children's Day (CD) performance.The lessons were replaced with PE like Frisbee.Who am I kidding, it was ALL Frisbee.What utter nonsense.I don't want lessons now that its over (PSLE, that is) but its CD!There should be some more decent activities.Oh well. At least we finally got our extra recess.
The performances were, honestly, disappointing.Ok, I know I'm complaining like a Toxicroak with a burst poison-sac (not a good thing,by the way) but I was so bored that I was thinking of the performance like torture.So after the tiring day my legs burst.So I went to "rest" my legs in front of the computer and there you have it.In a few simple terms:Today was MADNESS!!!But hey, I can live with it.

PSLE IS OVER

Didn't get on yesterday cos' I was busy living life.
PSLE En:A decently tough paper.I expected worse.(A good performance befitting a smart student.)
PSLE MA:Paper 1 was harder then Paper 2.Strange.(Seems like I've still got it...but......)
PSLE CN:The Cn paper was hell. The paper was hard on the MCQ.(Here comes the nuclear bomb.)
PSLE SCI:Decent, I guess.Some would have problems though.(Seems fine to me.)
So I'm just glad its all over.A good thing too.I anticipated a tougher paper but I'm not complaining as I didn't revise much.Now that everyone is a free soul, Facebook is polluted and the Chat for 6F is particularly affected.I would know, I was there.So that's it.WOO!
I am now an editor for the 6 F blog, http://fivefaithforever.blogspot.com/   !Woo-hoo!