An interesting battle has begun between Callie and Rafe, and the ninja duo of Shinobu and Shima. Which group will make the better team? There's quite a lot to look at here, but a major problem seems to be type advantage. Fortunately, the skill of our siblings is enough to make up for the disadvantages in typing, hopefully that will be enough for them to pull out the win!
KedharS: Yep, it definitely did, it's unfortunate to say.
Gyvarius: Rafe vs. Sylvia battle would certainly be interesting. I wonder how she would enjoy that match, it might be a lot of fun.
Thunder Fire: I don't know what to say, the chapters are floating around the 3000 word mark, which has always been the standard.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 1092
Dokukage watched his match from the side, excitement pounding in his chest. Rafe was doing an excellent job of keeping Shima and Shinobu at bay, with more than a little help from Callie as well. It wasn't quite teamwork, but they were definitely giving the two ninja a great fight!
Yes! He silently cheered. Just like that! Finish them off!
"Just because you've stopped our baton pass, that doesn't mean that we're defeated," Shinobu said coldly. "Do not underestimate a ninja's abilities. Hahako! Use x-scissor on that Woobat and slice it to pieces!"
"Leavanny!" Hahako ran forward with her claws raised, swinging at Formalin. The Woobat just smiled, bobbing up and down.
Then he flashed, and shot backwards, returning to his pokeball, to Shinobu's surprise.
"I told you, didn't I?" Rafe laughed, holding up Formalin's pokeball. "Baton pass is one of Formalin's moves as well. Come out, Elfuria."
"Delphox!" The Fire type pokemon emerged from her pokeball engulfed in a tornado of flames. With a howl, she swung her wand forward, sending a stream of fire at the approaching Leavanny, who was too close to call off her attack.
"Hahako!" Shinobu shouted. "Use protect to protect yourself!"
"Leav!" Hahako lowered her arms and tried to summon a barrier, but found that she couldn't do that, either. The flames quickly engulfed her, much to Shinobu's horror.
"Odd," Rafe mused. "And here I thought that you ninja assessed things calmly and rationally? Your pokemon's moves were sealed, all the ones Formalin knows. And you already saw him use protect. Painful, isn't it?
The flames died down, leaving Hahako burned up and unconscious. Shinobu recalled her without a second's hesitation.
Dokukage was flabbergasted. His sister was one of the strongest trainers he knew; one of the strongest trainers to have come from his village! And she was so easily put in her place by Rafe and Callie, she'd lost a pokemon before either of them had!
For a second, Dokukage pondered his ranking in the Eight Leaders. Did he really deserve to be the Third Leader, given this outcome? But he quickly let that pass. These results were just a testament to how much Callie had grown.
…As a trainer, anyway. In terms of height she was still comparable to a sixth grader.
Shinobu wasn't discouraged either. She knew that Shima was counting on her to pull her weight, and that was why she transformed herself into the kind of trainer that wouldn't lose so easily. With her resolve strengthened, she switched to her next pokemon.
"Kisara. Go." Shinobu flung her trump card into the air. Kisara was the perfect pokemon for dealing with this accursed Delphox!
"Araquanid!" From the pokeball, a new Bug type emerged, but this one wasn't covered in leaves. A large water bubble covered Kisara's head, and there were other bubbles of water around her. She scuttled forward, chittering, and blew more bubbles at Elfuria.
The bubbles exploded against the light screen without Elfuria needing to make a move. She twirled her wand and sent a burst of fire at the Yanmega instead, but Kisara was ready to aid her partner pokemon as well.
"Araq!" Kisara hissed, opening her mouth wide and firing a burst of water at the flames. The flames were promptly smothered by Kisara's soaking water attacks, rendering Elfuria on the defensive as the spider scuttled forward.
"Oh, no you don't!" Callie shouted. "Ken! Use thunderpunch!"
"Crab!" Ken bellowed, charging at the approaching spider. He raised his fist and electricity began surging through the claw, perfect for smashing down on his foe. But Kisara was ready for him. She leapt to the side, showing surprising agility for such a bulky-looking pokemon, and opened her jaws wide.
"Lunge," Shinobu ordered. With a nod, Kisara lunged forward, biting down hard on Ken's stomach and knocking him back. The move didn't do a lot of damage, but the force of the blow did weaken him, to Callie's concern.
"Ken!" She shouted. "Are you okay?"
"C-Crabominable," Ken nodded, panting. He held his chest, trying to remain standing. His strength had been drained from him.
"Lunge is dangerous," Dokukage said. "It reduces the physical attacking ability of the pokemon who is hit by it. That's not a situation you want to find yourself in."
Callie clicked her tongue in frustration. Without his attacking power, Ken wasn't very useful. And with only thunderpunch as a viable option against the Araquanid, she'd have to think of something else to do, and fast.
"Ken, return," Callie said, holding up her pokeball to recall the crab pokemon.
But Kisara wasn't about to let her prey escape.
"Araquanid!" She hissed, opening her jaws and spitting a blast of webbing at the Crabominable. The spider webs stuck to his bulky form, covering him and pinning him to the ground. No matter how hard Callie tried, she couldn't recall her pokemon.
"Ken!" Callie cried.
"You're trapped now," Shima said, narrowing his eyes. He and Yamamuro had been waiting for exactly this opportunity. "Now Yamamuro! Wing attack!"
"Yanmega!" Yamamuro buzzed. With all the Speed Boosts he'd layered over the course of the battle, he was practically a streak in the sky as he shot towards Ken, wing turned his way in preparation to strike at his foe.
He hit Ken with his wing and dealt him serious damage, causing the Crabominable to cry out in pain. And trapped as he was, he couldn't do much to fight back.
"This isn't good!" Rafe shouted, startling Callie. She hadn't even noticed that her brother was back in the fight. And the serious expression on his face was something to see. "Elfuria, we need to help Ken and Callie!"
"Delphox!" Elfuria said, raising her wand. Sparkling purple fire leapt out from the wand and shot towards the Crabominable, to Callie's horror.
"What are you doing?!" She screeched. "You're going to burn Ken alive!"
"Not at all," Rafe assured her as the Bug type pokemon scattered. "Quite the opposite, in fact. With the power of these flames, we'll burn away the spider webs, and leave your pokemon completely unharmed, just you watch."
Callie watched, nervously chewing on her fingernails. And then, to her amazement, the fire hit Ken- and began to wrap around him. Elfuria had amazing control of the mystical fire thanks to her magic wand, and used that control to manipulate the flames around the pokemon. They burned away the webs that trapped Ken, while leaving the pokemon himself completely unharmed.
"W-Wow," Callie said, amazed. She saw her brother in a whole new light after that maneuver. "Rafe, that was- hey!" She had turned to thank her brother for his support, but Rafe had already gone back to his nap.
Callie wanted to scream. How could such a talented trainer be such a piece of shit? It just didn't make sense to her.
"That was cute," Shinobu said. "But it was just a temporary escape! Kisara, use spider web again to trap that Crabominable here!"
"Nicely done," Shinobu complimented her. "And if that doesn't work, then Yamamuro, use your wing attack to finish him off!"
Yamamuro took forward first, flying towards the Crabominable as Kisara spat more webbing at him as well. But Elfuria didn't need her trainer's instructions to help. With a twirl of her wand she summoned a wall of fire between the Crabominable and the pokemon coming to attack him, safely protecting him for the time being.
"Nice!" Callie cheered. She raised her pokeball. "Okay, Ken, good work! You did a nice job, but you deserve a long rest!"
"Crabominable…" Ken panted, relaxing a little as Callie took the opportunity to recall him to his pokeball for another pokemon.
She had to think carefully. Who would be her best bet against the Araquanid and Yanmega? With Elfuria they had the Fire type covered, but in the meantime, she needed to count on somebody else!
And she knew just who to use. "Harriet! Go!" She shouted, sending out her Hawlucha. Her opponents were both Bug type pokemon, and one of the best ways to fight against bugs was with birds! The Flying type Hawlucha was the perfect option.
"Hawlucha!" Harrier landed on the ground and struck a pose, before running forward and leaping into the air, gliding through the sky on her wings.
Shima snorted. He couldn't believe it. "I see, so that's your plan, then, relying on a Flying type? You think you can match us in an aerial battle? Well, fine then! Yamamuro, show her just what she's dealing with! Use wing attack!"
Harriet was fast. But her speed was no match for Yamamuro, who flew circles around her. The Yanmega took her foe's back, and turned sharply, swinging at her with her wing and slicing into her before she could react.
"Hawlucha!" Harriet cried in pain. But she refused to fall. She spread her wings to brace herself, gliding through the air and turning back to catch an updraft, preparing for a counterattack.
"Acrobatics!" Callie ordered, knowing full well what her Hawlucha was capable of. Harriet shot like a bullet towards Yamamuro, catching him off-guard before the Yanmega could properly prepare a counter. And once she was close enough, it was time for her to attack. Harriet unleashed a devastating barrage against her foe, striking him from all sides as the Yanmega struggled to hold on.
"Delphox!" Elfuria raised her wand, turning it towards the airborne pokemon, preparing to unleash a blast of flames. But movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to leap to the side, dodging Kisara's lunge.
"Araquanid," she hissed, her jaws gnashing together.
"Nicely done, distract her," Shinobu ordered. "Use liquidation!"
"Araqua!" Kisara opened her mouth wide and began to gather water around her, but paused her attack suddenly.
"Wow, this bubble is stickier than I thought it would be," Rafe said, poking the side of the Araquanid's head, his finger sinking into the bubble. "And it doesn't appear to be hollow, either. Curious, very curious."
Shinobu was shocked by such a stupid decision. She shook her head and followed through with her order, shouting at Kisara to use liquidation again.
This time, Rafe jumped out of the way as Kisara lunged forward, water covering her body. She shrugged off the flames Elfuria flung her way and continued to advance, not coming to a stop until something else fell in her path.
It was a badly beaten Yanmega.
"HAWLUCHA!" Harriet spun through the air and descended, hitting the Yanmega for a finishing blow with her wing.
Shima didn't have to look. He could see what had happened to his pokemon.
"So you decided to crumple Yamamuro's wing first," he noted, recalling Yamamuro to his pokeball. "And with that, you opened things up to Yamamuro being defenseless- without their wings, and Yanmega is nothing. Not bad at all…"
His compliments for Callie dried up as a hostile look crossed his face. "But you see… I don't look too kindly on people clipping the wings of my pokemon. And I'll show you what I mean right now!" He shouted, going for his next pokeball.
"Elegia, go," Shima said, sending out his next pokemon. It was another Bug type, but a very uniquely-colored one. Her wings were a deep indigo-purple, with pink and yellow streaks. The pokemon was Vivillon, and the color pattern of her wings was known as the Elegant Pattern, the pattern of all Vivillon that were raised in Dokukage's village.
"Vivil!" Elegia buzzed, flapping her wings. Scales lightly drifted off. She danced through the air, flying towards Harriet to take her down.
Shinobu was quick to respond as well. "Kisara!" She shouted. "Use your string shot to tie that Hawlucha up!"
But Harriet was too quick to let herself be bound. She leapt out of the way, avoiding the string, and took to the skies.
"Elegia, don't let her get away," Shima ordered. "Hurricane."
"Viv!" Elegia buzzed, flapping her wings. The wind began to swirl around her and she generated a massive tornado in the center of the field. The force of the wind began to draw Harriet closer, sucking up the air and pulling her into the spout, bashing her with the strong gust.
Luckily for Harriet, the light screen was still up, and the pink light barrier flashed around her as the wind assaulted her. But Elegia's wind was deceptively powerful, especially because it was targeting a pokemon in the air. In moments, the barrier had completely shattered.
"Delphox!" Elfuria raised her wand and flung fire at the Vivillon, but the mystical fire was blocked by a wall of water from Kisara.
"Excellent work as always, Shima," Shinobu complimented her partner. "Now Kisara, use liquidation now!"
"Araquanid!" Kisara buzzed. Water rose up around her body and she scuttled towards Elfuria, charging across the grass. She slammed into the Delphox and knocked her backwards, but Elfuria wasn't beaten down so easily. She hopped to her feet, enraged, and raised her wand once again.
"WAIT!" Rafe shouted, slapping his hands together loudly. Startled, Elfuria lowered her wand and turned back to her trainer. He was standing, with a serious expression on his face.
Kisara held back, waiting cautiously, and both ninjas watched Rafe warily as well, wondering what was going on.
"Sorry, muscle cramp," Rafe said, cracking his back. He sat back down. "Okay, you guys can go back to what you were doing."
What the heck?! Shinobu wanted to scream, completely lost.
But Rafe's interjection had done an excellent job of distracting everyone, which had given Harriet the opportunity to break out of the hurricane. She emerged from the wind with her arms raised up to shield herself, spinning towards Elegia. She hit the Bug type pokemon in the back of the head with a powerful kick, knocking her to the ground.
"Viv-?!" Elegia gasped. She flapped her wings and flew back into the air, but Harriet was quick to pursue her, attempting to use acrobatics.
"Quiver dance," Shima ordered. Elegia nodded and began to twirl through the air, scattering sparkling scales through the sky as she picked up speed, outracing the Hawlucha. She circled around Harriet and flapped her wings, sending a blast of air at the Fighting type.
"Harriet, detect," Callie ordered. Harriet's eyes flashed and without even looking she managed to skillfully evade the wind, turning and landing on the ground before glancing back and dodging more wind, carefully evading the opponent's attacks.
"Nice work!" Callie cheered her pokemon. "Elfuria, you too! We can do this!"
"Delphox!" Elfuria nodded back to Callie, smiling.
"Nice attitude sis," Rafe called, taking a sip of tea and giving her a thumbs' up.
"DO SOMETHING!" She snapped back.
"Why? Elfuria's got this perfectly handled on her own," Rafe said, shrugging. "You got this girl, give it your best!"
Callie and Elfuria both sighed, slapping their hands against their faces.
"Fine, Elfuria, I'll handle this, okay?" Callie asked, turning to Elfuria. The Delphox looked a little cautious to take orders from another trainer, but she trusted Callie. Callie continued, "Harriet, I'll leave the Araquanid up to you! Your Flying type moves will be good against it! As for you, Elfuria, you can use your flames to take on that Vivillon!"
"Haw!" Harriet nodded, flapping her wings and gliding towards the spider pokemon while Elfuria readied her wand, turning towards Elegia.
"Kisara, use surf," Shinobu ordered.
"Ara!" Kisara buzzed, rearing back on her legs. She summoned a wave of water that crashed towards the two pokemon.
"Hawlucha!" Harriet flapped her wings and rose above the waves, leaving Elfuria as the sole target of the waves. She braced herself against the attack, and with a spin of her wand, created a light screen in front of her that dammed off the tide.
"Nice work you two!" Callie cheered. "Now Harriet, use bounce!"
"Hawlucha!" Harriet spun through the air and dropped down upon Kisara's head, popping right through her bubble and smashing her down into the grass.
"ARAQUANID!" Kisara wailed in pain, scurrying away. She quickly picked herself up, reforming the water bubble around her head, glaring at the pokemon who'd injured her.
Elfuria wasn't the only one ready to take some initiative. She knew that her Fire type moves wouldn't be effective against the Araquanid, but she had other ways to attack. She raised her wand and a pink aura covered her body, which began to glow, as did Kisara. The Araquanid was lifted into the air with the power of Elfuria's psychic powers, and she thrashed about helplessly.
"Vivillon!" Elegia flapped her wings and flew towards Elfuria, sending a massive tornado spinning towards her. Elfuria's psychic focus was broken as the hurricane bashed against the light screen, and she braced her defenses as she was assaulted. But Elegia wasn't strong enough to break the screen this time, not with Elfuria's boosts.
"Delphox!" Elfuria snarled. Callie was right there with her.
"That's right, Elfuria!" She shouted. "Use mystic fire!"
"Del!" Elfuria raised her wand, pointing it right at Elegia. The tip sparked and flames danced at the end, preparing to fire at Elegia.
Then the air around Elfuria exploded.
Oh, no! Elfuria just got hit by a powerful attack! Is she alright?! What could have happened?! This battle is really getting intense! Both Shinobu and Shima have pokemon with advantages against Callie and Rafe, although the alternative is also true. It's a pretty fierce match, but hopefully our brother-sister duo will be able to pull it off!
