The next day Akuma spoke to his traveling companions about the training they would go through that day. They were instructed to assemble a team of their most trusted and powerful Pokémon available to them as this was planned to be a very difficult test for the two of them with no second chances. They were given a full hour to plan for their matches which they initially thought to be more than was needed. After selecting their Pokémon they planned to wait outside the testing doors, but the silence gave them time to reconsider what Pokémon they should really be using. They each went back to the Pokémon exchange computers where they thought long and hard over what Pokémon they should bring to this unknown test.
When Chad was finished he left for the testing room again, but Kurishimi seemed to have something else on her mind. There had been something bothering her about the computer simulations since she first ran Akuma's programs, but she couldn't figure out what it was. The Pokémon Hunter base had the latest technology and the most powerful security anywhere around so it was impossible for her to get to a computer and explore what may turn out to be confidential files. It didn't help that she wasn't a computer expert either. Still, the only answer to what had been bothering her was located inside the computer network. There were only 15 more minutes before the test began, but she had a phone call to make first.
When Kurishimi arrived, Akuma gave the two their instructions. "These will be tests of how well you two can operate under pressure among other things. The tests will be ongoing until you complete them at which time the simulation will be shut down by those monitoring them and you will be escorted out into the hall. While these are computer generated simulations do not think that your Pokémon will not be harmed during the tests. As I am sure the two of you have witnessed, the computer training programs may harm your Pokémon as well as you, so be careful. There are safety protocols active within the programming so death is avoidable. That doesn't mean you can expect to come out alive if you do something stupid of course, so watch it. While the computer will be your opponent for the majority of the simulation you are in, we may decide to add hunters in the room who will add to the complexity of the tests. There is no set goal during these simulations so there isn't any real way to conquer them either. I've tried to best similar challenges a number of times and I still miss something every time I run them. That said, don't stop trying or take too much time to think things over. I'll be watching you both from an observation window that is visible from inside the rooms, so don't be weirded out by a glass window in the sky when you see it. Finally I have an important piece of advice for both of you: always overestimate your opponent. I know you've heard this phrase a lot over the past few years Akashi, but keep it in mind this time. Chad, don't stop trying. Trust your Pokémon for all they're worth. You will both be taken to separate rooms, but the programs will apply the same for each of you. Chad, your room is right here. Akashi, come with me."
Jason brought Chad into his training room while Akuma took Kurishimi to a separate door. He opened it so she could step inside to the large white room she was familiar with. There seemed to be no walls, ceiling, or floor since shadows and apparent light sources were absent. Every time Kurishimi walked into the room she experienced a feeling of vertigo.
Before Akuma closed the door he leaned closer to Kurishimi and whispered two words which she couldn't interpret his tone or meaning from. "Don't fail." And with those words and the sound of a closing door, she was alone.
The room grew dark as the simulation prepared to activate. When it turned on she would believe herself to be in a completely different place with no hint as to where she really was. Kurishimi closed her eyes so the reality warp wouldn't throw off her senses more than they already were. When she felt the area around her change, she knew it was time to open her eyes again, but after doing so she wanted to close them again.
She was in what might have been grassland at some point, but the grasses were either dried out or burnt to charcoal from what she could tell. Some blackened trees dotted the landscape here and there, and instead of leaves their branches were decorated with fire. The air was thick with ashes from the flames as well. Half a mile away she could see a group of people battling their Pokémon against what appeared to be a large jagged hill. With no one else in sight through the ashes, Kurishimi assumed that was where she was supposed to go. Before she started to run she pulled out a poké ball from her pocket which she dropped behind her. It didn't open, but she was expecting it not to do so just yet anyway. Afterwards she closed the distance as fast as she could until she realized it wasn't a mountain the others were fighting, but a huge red bipedal Pokémon with black markings. It appeared to be an armored reptile with spikes jutting out from its armor. She couldn't guess at how large it was since there was nothing but an assortment of much smaller Pokémon to compare it to.
The huge creature roared as it fired a solar beam attack across the front line of the defending Pokémon group. Most were able to avoid the blast only to meet the attacker's claws which cut down those who happened to be in range. The defenders continued to fall back even while they attacked as the behemoth advanced toward them. Kurishimi joined the group as quickly as she could and found who appeared to be the man in charge.
"What's going on here?" she asked while she instructed Vulpix to assist the other Pokémon.
"You made it out here and didn't know what was going on?" the man half asked in disbelief. Kurishimi took note of his Hoenn accent as he spoke.
"I was traveling nearby and noticed a disturbance so I came over to investigate. What can you tell me so I can help you?"
"Nothing that isn't common knowledge, but I can still- Look out!" He pulled her to the side as a fire blast rushed past where they had just been standing. Kurishimi saw the dirt grow a discolored brown as it passed them by. "We've been sent to slow down the process of Groudon, the legendary Pokémon that formed the landmasses. It's been rough going so far, especially after we lost our commanding gym leaders. Fortunately no one's been killed yet, but Groudon's progress is too much for us to endure anymore. If it gets to the shoreline where the other gym leaders are supposedly holding Kyogre at bay the climate damage will be irreversible. We had assumed to hold Groudon back by using water and grass type Pokémon since Groudon itself is a pure ground type, but this intense heat is lowering our Pokémon's water attacks while giving Groudon an immediate charge for its solar beam. Some of our grass Pokémon are benefiting from the harsh sunlight as well, but Groudon surprised us by using fire attacks too! Its attacks are much too diverse for us to put up with."
"Has it used any ground attacks that you've noticed yet?" Kurishimi asked as another solar beam ripped a gash into the ground.
"It did use an earthquake attack earlier when Flannery tried to counter with her fire types, but they haven't been needed after all the fire Pokémon disappeared. Your Vulpix might make a need for them again though if it keeps attacking at that rate."
"You've got a point. Vulpix, use confuse ray on Groudon!" When the confuse ray took effect Kurishimi recalled Vulpix to its poké ball. "Okay, that bought us a few moments to regroup. What are our assets?"
"Three water Pokémon, four grass Pokémon, a Vigoroth, three Ninjask, a Venomoth, and whatever you brought with you, minus those who are too weak to battle anymore."
Kurishimi looked up Ninjask in her pokédex while she looked over the other Pokémon and reviewed her own in her head. She spotted a Vileplume on the opposite side of the battlefield which she instructed to use poison powder in conjunction with Venomoth to weaken Groudon's advancement after giving instruction to their trainers.
"That just gives us a minor handicap if this beast removed all the gym leaders and a majority of the army you brought with you," she said when the remaining trainers began to cheer at the status condition benefit. "I assume Groudon's been abusing its power to keep the spores away when you've tried it before so the only reason this worked was by drawing its attention away with the confuse ray. Instead of attacking Groudon like an advancing tank, which I admit it seems to be, we'll need to use a concrete strategy. As you said, water attacks aren't as effective in this heat while grass attacks are nullified when they meet a fire blast. Granted you've been doing alright, but if we're going to make any progress we can't rely on these attacks anymore. Ground types are also weak against ice and most water Pokémon can be taught a handful of ice moves. Do any of these water Pokémon you've mentioned have ice attacks?"
"My Sharpedo knows ice fang," one person said, "but it can't battle out of water so I haven't been using it."
"That'll do for now. How high can you throw your poké ball do you think?"
"Not much higher than Groudon's leg I bet. Why?"
"That should be enough. Send your Sharpedo as high into the air as possible so it can catch Groudon after gravity takes over. An ice fang from Sharpedo should do significant damage after the impact boost. Are you one of the Ninjask owners as well?"
"Yes, I am."
"That's perfect. Before sending out Sharpedo I want you to have your Ninjask use swords dance followed by a baton pass so Sharpedo gets the attack benefit. The extra power should surprise Groudon enough to allow the grass Pokémon another hit to it as soon as the confusion starts to wear off. Are there any other Pokémon healthy enough to battle that aren't being used?"
"I have a Spoink, but it's too young to be an effective battler," another person said.
"I've got an Aggron, but it only knows close combat moves. Groudon would take it down long before we could get in close," the acting leader told her. "I haven't had my Vigoroth close in to attack for the same reasons."
"That'll work sometime I believe. Keep it out of the battle until you see a proper time to use it according to your own judgment. Any chance you can find will help us out greatly. Now I need you all to do me a favor. Groudon is about to come out of its confusion so I need you to either draw its attention away from me or keep me covered. I'm going to use my Onix to burrow underground and get behind it where I can give you another angle of fire from. If Groudon uses an earthquake attack before we resurface we'll be out of the battle for good if not permanently buried alive."
"You have a plan then?" the Ninjask owner asked.
"Not a clue," Kurishimi admitted. "I'm just making this up as I go along."
"Here, take this," one person said as he handed her a poké ball. "One of the Ninjask is mine. You can use the baton pass strategy for your own Pokémon if you need it."
"Thanks," Kurishimi said with a nod. "Groudon's got control again. Give me cover fire, people!"
The grass Pokémon fired solar beam attacks at Groudon together, drawing its eyes from Kurishimi who quickly released Onix and went underground. While they burrowed she took a breath and tried to figure out what had just happened.
She had come into a situation she knew nothing about where people she didn't know were fighting a Pokémon outside her limited knowledge that was supposedly at the legendary level. It seemed that the remaining fighters were so desperate they were willing to listen to anyone who wanted to take over as leader despite the fact that she admitted to her own cluelessness. The whole deal didn't make much sense to her, but it was working so she'd just have to go with it. Even so she was currently in a spot where she was fighting a legendary Pokémon with a rag-tag bunch of trainers in a battle more about desperate survival than strategy. There couldn't be any way to win this fight that she knew of. How could anyone, even with minor backup, defeat a legendary Pokémon? The idea seemed foolishly impossible! Even when Akuma had tried to fight Raikou he'd been beaten to a pulp. Then again, Akuma had been confident because he'd defeated Rayquaza before he'd become a hunter and that was also a legendary Pokémon which she knew could pacify the behemoth she was currently facing. Maybe this test wasn't such an impossible task after all.
There is no set goal during these simulations so there isn't any real way to conquer them either. I've tried to best such challenges a number of times and I still miss something every time I run them.
Then again it seemed she wasn't expected to win in the first place either. But even that didn't make any sense when she recalled Akuma's last words to her.
Don't fail.
That said, don't stop trying or take too much time to think things over.
Kurishimi's head was starting to hurt. She'd figure out the details as she fought.
Behind Groudon the ground tore apart as Onix emerged. Kurishimi was lucky enough to surface when Groudon fired another solar beam so they weren't noticed from the excessive noise they'd made. Recalling the recent strategies she'd been developing with her Pokémon lately she had Vaporeon join her.
"Vaporeon, did Chase ever finish teaching you how to use rainy day? This harsh sunlight is too beneficial for Groudon."
"Unfortunately, I never could do more than create a few small dark clouds during a nice day," Vaporeon admitted. "And while I agree that heavy rainfall has good strategic value right now, I highly doubt that I could even increase the humidity at the moment with Groudon controlling the heat wave."
"What makes you think Groudon is causing this heat?"
"I can't explain it to you since you're not a Pokémon, hon. I can just feel that Groudon is causing the intense sunlight in this region somehow. It's more powerful than when a Pokémon uses the more common sunny day technique too. The climate change from this legendary Pokémon feels impossible to counter."
"Yeah… powerful sunlight that's impossible to counter," Kurishimi repeated to herself.
"Uh oh, I hear those wheels turning in your head. What's going on upstairs?"
Kurishimi released Vulpix for another confuse ray to protect her support members while she explained her observations to Vaporeon. "Recently I came to realize that watching how your enemy moves and attacks is another strategy to winning, though a passive/defensive one which is not my style. Still, I can see that nearly all Groudon's attacks and defenses are focused around the sunlight. We can't counter them based on our current skill level, but we could twist the rules to our advantage instead.
"Here's what I'm thinking: Vulpix can benefit from the basic power increase for fire moves from the sunlight but Groudon can counter with earthquake attacks which when hit by a legendary ground type Pokémon will almost guarantee a knock out for the fire user. Some of the grass type Pokémon from the back-up teams can use solar beam immediately without charging like Groudon is doing, but they are removed from play with a fire blast. In addition, Groudon also has a third of its potential attack areas protected by the glare of the sun into the attacker's eyes at this time of day which is only intensified by its ability that much more meaning it knows we can't attack into that direction. I'm thinking that Groudon also can't stop the sunlight if it wanted to, provided there was enough of a threat that benefitted more from the sunlight than it does. If we can use the sunlight for better offense than Groudon we can turn our disadvantage into a handicap."
"Yes, wonderful ideas," Vaporeon said as she rolled her eyes, "but we still need the right Pokémon to make use of the plan before it can begin to work. And for that matter you don't even have a plan yet!"
"Okay, let me clarify then. In order for Vulpix to be useful we have to prevent it from getting struck by earthquake. To use solar beam we need a Pokémon that won't be affected by fire attacks as severely. If we can protect the right Pokémon from the most dangerous attacks we can reduce battle damage as well. I doubt we can take down a legendary Pokémon, but I know how to deal proper damage and pester it enough for us to endure."
Kurishimi released all the Pokémon she had brought with her, including Ninjask, and explained her plan. When they were ready all her Pokémon retreated into their poké balls to prepare for their cues.
First Kurishimi commanded Ninjask to use two sword dances before Groudon turned in their direction. With Ninjask being a bug and flying type, Groudon used a fire blast which Kurishimi and Ninjask avoided with a wide protect maneuver. The barrier defended the two of them from the blast while Ninjask continued to move faster. Ninjask's special ability granted it more speed the longer a battle was drawn out similar to a speed increase from an attack's effects. Because Protect couldn't be used twice in a row and still be reliable, Kurishimi commanded one more swords dance from Ninjask before Groudon recovered from the high powered move and used another fire blast on the now defenseless duo.
Expecting the attack, Kurishimi released Vulpix to take the center of the fire blast so she and Ninjask would be protected. The heat was intense from the sun's power, but Kurishimi and Ninjask remained safe as Vulpix absorbed all the flames. Vulpix remained undamaged due to its own ability called flash fire while its own fire attacks became more powerful. Realizing what had happened, Groudon prepared to use an earthquake attack before Vulpix could use the extra fire power to its advantage. Once again Kurishimi anticipated the attack and released a yellow Pokémon beside her which levitated both her, Vulpix, and itself into the air and out of danger while the ground attack passed them by.
While Kurishimi hadn't gotten used to her newest team member yet, it was quickly establishing itself as a valuable ally. It was quick to respond to commands with powerful psychic attacks with which it could attack as well as defend simultaneously. The major disadvantage in battling with it was the Pokémon required a psychically gifted trainer or the human would suffer from severe headaches. Since Kurishimi was not a psychic, she could only fight with her newly evolved Kadabra for two minutes at best. The effects also worsened quicker in close proximity and since the group had to be close together in order for Kadabra's confusion to lift more targets off the ground she couldn't use this strategy for more than a few seconds. Still, Kurishimi had expected this to happen and she had thrown yet another poké ball as the group was lifted into the air.
When the earthquake attack had ceased, Groudon fell back a step as if struck by an unseen attack. At its feet a pool of sludge laughed as Grimer's disable attack cut off Groudon from its second most powerful weapon after the intense sunlight. With the earthquake attacks no longer a factor for what she hoped was a long time, Kadabra landed the group and retreated into its poké ball. Kurishimi's head was already spinning from the close proximity to Kadabra's psychic powers, but she didn't have any time to regain her senses before Groudon struck again.
With fire blast neutralized every time Vulpix came in contact with it and earthquake unavailable, Groudon's next move was naturally a solar beam. To counter it, Kurishimi had her Pinsir take the hit while she simultaneously sent out Vaporeon. The solar beam's damage was halved due to Pinsir's resistance and Kurishimi noticed the attack didn't seem to be as powerful as she originally thought it might have been. Without hesitation she ordered Vaporeon to prepare the counter attack. Vaporeon absorbed the remaining energies from the solar beam as quickly as she could then fired a solar beam of her own at the center of Groudon's body. Due to the mimic move one of the hunters had taught both her and Kadabra, Vaporeon could now copy Groudon's attack as if it was her own.
As Groudon fell back a pace Kurishimi allowed herself a deep breath of satisfaction. Though Groudon could use fire attacks on the team, Vulpix was quick enough to prevent them from doing any damage as well as receiving a power boost at the same time which was also multiplied by the sun's effects. Grimer could remain underfoot and out of sight while crippling Groudon's attack capabilities. In case the earthquake attack was no longer disabled, Kadabra could emerge at a moment's notice to lift the group out of danger with its psychic reflexes. As long as she kept Pinsir in good health Vaporeon could be defended from the crippling solar beam while making use of the same attack and skipping the charge time with mimic and the harsh sunlight respectively. Though it didn't always have enough time to prepare, Pinsir could now also use a protect move to shield the team from danger if it didn't overuse the move. Ninjask was already at maximum power from a third swords dance and continuously getting faster as the battle went on. If the danger increased to a higher level, Kurishimi could use its baton pass skills to switch to a blindingly fast and extremely powerful Onix and possibly end the battle in a single attack. She looked up just then and finally saw the window in the sky Akuma had mentioned. He was standing behind the glass with Mr. Fuji and a number of other hunters. Though it was still a rare moment, she was satisfied rather than surprised when she saw a smirk of approval and satisfaction on his face that no one else seemed to notice.
Their morale influenced by the perfect strategy Kurishimi pulled off, the other trainers began to attack Groudon from behind. While Groudon was still off balance Vigoroth climbed up its back to attack a blind spot out of arm's reach. When Groudon turned back to face the refreshed attackers the former team leader already had his Aggron out and ready to attack. Aggron used a metal sound attack which lowered Groudon's special defense before it used a mud slap to lower Groudon's accuracy while it closed the distance. An iron head attack at close distance along with a bit of luck caused Groudon to flinch. In the small moment they had available, three out of the four grass Pokémon fired a solar beam which struck Groudon's legs and caused it to fall to its knees. The Ninjask trainer, who had been using the same strategy Kurishimi was, used a baton pass to shift Ninjask's power boost over to Sharpedo. Sharpedo's poké ball was tossed high in the air allowing it to descend like a missile. Because Groudon had fallen, the trainer ordered Sharpedo to use a screech attack before the ice fang in order to deal even more damage. The severity of the damage done caused Groudon to fall onto its side from exhaustion before Sharpedo was recalled. When this happened, every Pokémon capable hit Groudon at the same time with the most powerful attack they could bring themselves to do. Groudon roared out in pain before it collapsed to the ground, seemingly unconscious.
When the dust settled Kurishimi cautiously approached the fallen behemoth, unsure of what to expect. Even the most modest trainer would admit Kurishimi's quick strike strategy had been heavily effective on it, but Groudon was a legendary Pokémon even when fallen. She wouldn't let herself believe it could have been defeated that easily. She was right of course; Groudon had only been stunned from the sudden ferocity and effectiveness of the attacks, but it was taking a moment to catch its breath before fighting back once more.
"Take out the tank's treads and it'll be stopped in its tracks," she whispered to no one.
When she came closer to Groudon's head the beast opened an eye to stare at her. Kurishimi tried her best to look peaceful while keeping her fighting spirit apparent so Groudon wouldn't think of her as a weakling. She was proud of herself at the moment and in her mind she deserved a little respect from her opponent. Groudon growled at her threateningly as she approached, but didn't rise to fight back just yet.
"Oh don't be like that," Kurishimi snapped. "I didn't enjoy this any more than you did, but we couldn't let you go on anymore. I don't know what's driving you to keep going, but have you noticed what you've been doing? Wherever you go the environment is ruined like this. We're only trying to protect our homes from the devastation you're bringing with you. Is that really an unreasonable thing for us to do? Besides that, you're literally a historical Pokémon legend. Nobody here wanted to force our Pokémon friends into fighting you, much less defeating you even though we're probably a long way off from that still. If possible, please just go back to wherever you were resting up till now. I don't know how accurate this statement is, but if you do keep fighting with us I'll have my last Pokémon hit you with an attack so strong it'll probably knock you out for hours. Even if you're still kicking don't think the rest of these Pokémon would hesitate to keep on fighting you either. We want a peaceful resolution, but if we have to fight you until we can't stand up, we will."
Groudon glared at Kurishimi intensely before firing a mud shot from its mouth at her that threw her back nearly twenty yards. Kurishimi's body bounced and spun end over end, stopping only after she hit a rock with a sickening crunch. Groudon rose to its feet with Kurishimi and roared loudly indicating it wouldn't go back underground unless it chose to.
"Okay, now you've really ticked me off," Kurishimi said with a growl.
Using Ninjask's baton pass, Kurishimi switched Onix into the fight. Onix roared with equal strength to Groudon before rushing its opponent. The intense speed boost from Ninjask's ability allowed Onix to avoid Groudon's attacks with little to no effort. At close distance Onix rammed into Groudon with its new double edge attack which knocked the wind out of the beast and allowed it time to tightly wrap itself around the larger opponent. Groudon slashed at Onix with its massive claws, but Onix's body was made of the hardest rock available. Being wrapped so tightly also meant Groudon couldn't properly fire any distance attacks either.
"Battle's over, let's finish you off," Kurishimi said. "Everyone, recall your Pokémon and start running right now! Things are going to get very dangerous!" She recalled all her Pokémon but Onix as she said so. All the humans began to run away when their Pokémon were safe while Kurishimi gave Onix its final command. Unlike her other Pokémon, Onix was only able to master one new move from the move tutors among the hunters. The strain on its body was too extreme to allow for repeated training so progress had been slow. Kurishimi only wanted Onix to learn the attack as a final resort in case of extreme danger, but now was probably the best time to test the raw power the attack granted them. "Onix, take Groudon down. Show me the biggest explosion attack you can manage."
Like Lt. Surge's Electrode, Onix began to glow and emit beams of light from within its body while Groudon struggled to break free and Kurishimi ran for all her legs could endure. With the maximized attack power as well as being restrained by Onix's bind, Groudon would suffer an impossible amount of damage. When Onix finally detonated the force of the blast carried for miles. Kurishimi took cover behind a rock right before the explosion happened so the shock wave wouldn't toss her around a second time. The volume of the explosion nearly deafened her, but she endured the pain. When the dust and wind finally settled she peeked out from her cover to view the aftermath.
Onix and Groudon were both gone. In their place was a huge crater whose center couldn't be seen from a distance. When she approached the edge, Kurishimi saw both Pokémon sprawled out on the ground in the center. She knew Onix was unconscious due to the double edged effects of the attack and it seemed Groudon wasn't any better. She slid down the lip of the crater to the two Pokémon where she confirmed that even the legendary continent Pokémon Groudon couldn't survive a blast of that magnitude. Relieved that the battle had finally reached its climactic, and rather explosive, ending, she lay down on her back and stared at the sky until the blue faded away to a bright white. She closed her eyes as reality shifted around her until she heard approaching footsteps. She opened her eyes to see Akuma and Mr. Fuji looking down on her.
"Congratulations, Akashi, you won," Akuma told her.