With barely a moment to breathe, Katsu engaged Wyatt and Avel in the blink of an eye. He swung his sword into Wyatt, who blocked with his trusty pole and held the Accelgor at bay, though only for a moment. Katsu retreated in a flash, speeding around the area before reappearing behind Wyatt.
"Behind you!" Avel called out.
Wyatt jumped forward and narrowly dodged Katsu's swing. He rolled through the snow, then fired off Bubble Beam at Katsu. Katsu flailed his sword through the bubble stream and destroyed each bubble in rapid succession. Wyatt stopped firing and charged at Katsu, thrusting his pole forward.
"Leech Life!" Katsu empowered his sword with red energy and parried Wyatt's strike. With the Lombre staggered, Katsu flipped the blade and sliced across Wyatt's chest, grazing into the armored uniform.
Wyatt kicked off his heel just as the blade grazed his uniform and threw himself into the snow. He quickly flipped off the ground just as Katsu leapt forward and nearly skewered him through the stomach. Katsu still didn't stop and rushed Wyatt with a timely Quick Attack, dealing a quick jab to the shoulder blade.
"AH!" Wyatt tumbled through the snow, dropping his pole under him, and clutched his aching shoulder.
Avel's eyes widened. "Pressure points."
"Leech Life, Quick Attack!" Katsu empowered his blade again, then sped into the downed duo.
Avel hopped off Wyatt's head and inhaled. "Ice Beam!" He blasted cold energy into Katsu's sword, then the ground. The sword stopped it in its tracks, frozen and stuck to the ground in a block of ice. He landed back on Wyatt's head and patted his face with his tongue. "You good?"
Wyatt picked himself up and massaged his shoulder. "Man, that hurt."
Katsu glared at them, then turned to the ice block. "Acid Spray." He sprayed corrosive liquid onto the ice and melted it away. Once he pulled his sword free, he sprayed Acid Spray over the blade, giving it a corrosive layer that didn't chew through his sword. He turned his sights on the brothers and flew at them again.
Avel's eyes flickered to the approaching bug. "Dodge!"
Wyatt scooped up his pole and rolled out of Katsu's attack, which sliced through the ground and left a trail of acidic liquid melting into the snow. Wyatt rolled to his feet and fired another Bubble Beam at Katsu, who charged and sliced through them undeterred. Wyatt raised his pole and blocked a swift swing that nearly knocked him onto his rear. Katsu tried to go for the neck, but Wyatt swung parried just in time, knocking Katsu's swing off course.
"Man, he's scarily persistent," Wyatt mumbled as he backed away.
"Just relax," Avel said. "He's still wounded. At least we know he doesn't have access to Recover, otherwise he would've used it by now."
"That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence."
Katsu leapt into the trees, using Quick Attack to rapidly maneuver through the branches. He sheathed his sword, then molded acidic shuriken in his hands. "Dissolving Shuriken: Acid Rain!" He darted into the air, hovering above the brothers, and rained down a storm of acidic shuriken.
Wyatt yelped and took off running for cover, narrowly avoiding the full brunt of the raining acid. Droplets of Acid Spray grazed his heels and burned his skin, causing Wyatt to trip over himself and faceplant into the snow.
"Wyatt!" Avel gasped.
Katsu summoned two Leech Life blades, then divebombed the brothers. "Too easy."
Fortunately, Wyatt rolled away just before Katsu plunged his blades into the ground. Wyatt spun onto his knees, then whipped his arm as dark energy wrapped around it. "Knock Off!" He slapped Katsu's hand, knocking the Leech Life blades out of his hands and throwing the Accelgor across the snow.
Katsu tumbled a bit, but sprang out of a roll and onto his feet. He scoffed and summoned another Leech Life. "Tricky little kids." He flew at them with Quick Attack.
"Protect!" Avel casted his barrier in front of himself and Wyatt, blocking Katsu's Leech Life.
"Giga Drain!" Wyatt fired energy-sapping beams from his claws.
Katsu sped away from the barrier and zipped around the Giga Drain. He threw Water Shuriken into the beams to destroy them, then threw his Dissolving Shuriken at the brothers.
Avel dropped the barrier as Wyatt dodged the shuriken. "Giga Drain!" Wyatt channeled the energy through his pole, then stabbed it through the ground. A wave of green energy burst from the ground and surged toward Katsu.
Katsu fled into the trees again, then used Quick Attack to flee out of sight. Wyatt and Avel scanned the branches above, catching brief glimpses of Katsu vanishing behind cover. Patches of snow hanging of the branches sprinkled down as Katsu passed over them.
"Where is he?" Wyatt asked, raised his pole defensively.
Avel glared worriedly. "He's too fast. I can't keep track of—"
"Leech Life!"
Katsu swept from behind, slashing both brothers with his Leech Life blades. Wyatt and Avel gasped in pain and fell into the snow. Katsu plunged a blade down, turned himself around, and rushed the brothers again. He scooped his blades through the snow and slammed them against the brothers, cutting through armor and shell, before throwing them into a tree.
Wyatt and Avel collapsed to the ground, reeling from the blow. "Ow," Wyatt whined, clutching the shallow gash in his uniform.
Katsu bounced readily in the snow while keeping his gaze locked on the brothers. "I've felled men mightier than you two. To believe you stand a chance against me is a fool's dying dream. Nothing but a motley crew of fool's dancing in the streets for spare coin."
Wyatt pushed himself up against the tree and stood up. "Man, for a ninja, he sure likes to talk."
"You have no idea," Avel grumbled. He hooked his tongue over Wyatt's shoulder and threw himself back onto Wyatt's lily pad. "Those last few hits no doubt replenished the rest of his damage."
"Surface level, though, right?" Wyatt asked.
Avel nodded. "Healing moves in small quantities can only heal so much so fast. He still has broken bones, even if they're being treated. We have a firm grasp of his fighting style and moves. Close range for us, hit-and-run tactics for him."
Wyatt gulped. "So, we're at a disadvantage?"
"Not quite. We just need to fight him on his own turf. The trees are our allies, too. All we need to do is slow him down."
"How do we do that?"
"I have an idea. Can you use your Bubble Beam to make a film?"
Wyatt narrowed his eyes in confusion for a moment, then gasped in realization. "Oh, I get you!"
As the brothers planned, Katsu kept a cautious eye on them while he caught his breath. The damage to his ribs still ached him. He wouldn't be waiting around right now if he didn't need to take short breathers. Still, he had the technical advantage when it came to skill, but it was clear from the brothers' earlier comment that they were a duo.
Two sets of moves working in tandem meant a whole arsenal of potential. Fighting one opponent was problematic enough, but facing a tag team meant contending with unpredictable tricks. Even if the brothers had no skill to match his own, Katsu knew he had to watch his back.
With a deep breath, Katsu activated his Leech Life blades again, then sped toward the duo with Quick Attack. Swift End Art: Blood Sapping Fangs!
His Quick Attack's energy transferred through the Leech Life, giving them a white blazing trail. Katsu touched the ground and changed his direction, rapidly rebounding off trees to throw the brothers off balance.
Avel attempted to keep track of Katsu while asking, "Almost ready?"
Wyatt spat a bubbly residue into his hands, then rubbed them together. "Just about."
"Good. Now, jump!"
Wyatt jumped as told, narrowly avoiding a sweep attack from the flying Accelgor. Wyatt stretched the bubble solution into a thick, clear film. Avel positioned in front of it, then inhaled.
"Supersonic!" Avel screamed into the film. The soundwave pressed into the film, then sprayed dozens of bubbles through the air. The surface of each bubble vibrated as they floated toward Katsu.
Katsu stopped himself, then gazed up as the air became filled with bubbles. Katsu backed away cautiously and observed the bubbles. "What is this?"
Wyatt landed back on the snow, then covered his ears. "Wy-Vel Echo Chamber!" Avel jumped off Wyatt's head, then slapped a bubble, causing it to pop.
A chain reaction went off as the trapped Supersonic went off and popped more bubbles. All the bubbles popped simultaneously and bombarded Katsu from all sides with the disorienting soundwave. It didn't hit like a consistent wave, but a single explosion of sound that blasted into Katsu from all sides. Katsu covered his ears and screamed. His vision turned hazy and lopsided, and he felt like he was going to throw up.
The soundwaves died down almost immediately, to which Avel ordered, "Now!"
Wyatt charged ahead and, with Katsu stunned, slammed his pole against Katsu's chest. "Thunder Punch!" He electrified the metal and sent a devastating electric shock through Katsu's system, amplified by the bubbles particles that clung to his clothes and skin. "And Knock Off!" He pulled away, then slapped Katsu across the face, knocking the Accelgor through the snow.
Avel chuckled dryly. "Nice work, Wyatt."
Wyatt spun his pole deftly and grinned. "All your plan, buddy."
Katsu picked himself up, groaning as lingering sparks shot through his body. He blinked his eyes until the blurriness went away. There was a fierce ringing in his ears bordering on tinnitus, but he assured himself it will go away. He raised his head and glared at the duo.
Like I said, unpredictable. Katsu pushed himself up, then staggering as a sudden jolt shot through his body. Paralysis. That's bad. I have Hydration as an ability, but it only heals my afflictions when it's raining. It's one of those days I wish I learned Rain Dance.
Katsu took a deep breath, then stood up. He rotated his neck a couple times, massaged his shoulders, then focused on the brothers. "Not a bad effort," Katsu admitted. "I suppose, as Foresters, you are formidable opponents by default."
"Flattery won't help you," Avel said. "Wyatt and I are unbeatable as a duo."
"Yeah! We're going to take you down!" Wyatt exclaimed.
Katsu closed his eyes and scoffed. "Revolting. Such ignorant bliss in your friendship. I've killed many to serve my kingdom. Don't make me turn this into an assassination." Katsu summoned his Water Shuriken and fused them with Acid Spray.
Avel glared. "We've seen that trick already. Don't waste your time."
Katsu chucked under his scarf. "Let me tell you boys a little something about the world of assassins. They're cruel, ruthless, and never fail to take a kill. You'd quiver in Great Gate if whispered the names of our most sinister. Fujimori Chihiro, the Thousand Bladed Puppet. Takigawa Makiko, the One-Eyed Devil. And, of course, me: Kamiya Katsu, the Demon's Venom."
Wyatt and Avel stared awkwardly at Katsu, then each other, before Wyatt asked, "Uh, why is any of this relevant?"
"To show you who you're up against." Katsu split the shuriken into eight separate stars for each hand.
The brothers saw the shuriken turning a darker purple, mixing with the Acid Spray. A dark haze emanated from them like a deathly smog. Each shuriken's point turned sharper with thinner points, almost resembling spikes. It was like Katsu was wielding balls of potent poison in his hands.
In a flash, Katsu leapt high into the air, hovering above the slack-jawed brothers, then scattered the shuriken downward. "Realm of the Demon's Miasma!"
Avel instinctively raised a Protect over their heads, but the brothers soon realized the shuriken weren't meant for them. All sixteen shuriken stabbed into various point of the ground that lined up into a large circle. Neither Wyatt nor Avel could make sense of the formation until waves of purple rippled out from the shuriken spreading across the ground.
It suddenly clicked to Avel what was added with the Dissolving Shuriken. "Oh no! That's Toxic Spikes!"
"What?!" Wyatt gasped.
"Wyatt! Trees, now!"
Wyatt jumped to the nearest tree and clung to it before the Toxic Spikes' toxic aura covered the entire space. Before they could relax, a harsh sizzling came beneath the snow. To their horror, the snow was rapidly melting inside the poisonous space. Puffs of toxic fumes shot up as patches of tainted ground revealed themselves coated in the same toxic purple aura.
"What is that?" Wyatt whimpered.
Curious, Avel removed the bandana serving as his uniform and tossed it onto the ground. As soon as it touched the ground, the toxic aura ate it away with triple the speed of the Acid Spray. "That's…liquid death," Avel answered.
Wyatt hurriedly climbed to the nearest branch and perched himself against the tree. "This is insane. There's nowhere on the ground to stand."
"That's the point."
Wyatt and Avel barely had time to dodged Katsu's sword, swinging above their heads and grazing across the tree. Wyatt stumbled along the branch, wobbling unsteadily until he found his balance. He and Avel looked forward as Katsu turned and faced them, pointing his sword at the brothers.
"On the ground, I am but a humble swordsman. From the trees, however, I am the embodiment of death."
Avel glared. "Thanks for the tip, you macabre cockroach."
Katsu empowered his blade with Leech Life, then reared it back. "On your guard, for the assassination begins. Quick Attack!" Buzzing with power, Katsu burst toward the brothers in a flash of light.
Wyatt jumped from the branches and narrowly avoided the first swing. He sailed over the acidic grounds and landed on a nearby tree branch. He heard movement coming from his right and dropped down just as Katsu swung by. Wyatt felt the wind of Katsu's sword flying across his face.
Wyatt grabbed the branch as he fell and swung himself to another tree. "Avel!"
"I'm thinking!" Avel quickly scanned the ground until he saw the perimeter of the Toxic Spikes. "Over there! Pass the perimeter! The ground's clear!"
Wyatt pulled himself up, then dashed toward the Toxic Spikes perimeter. However, not even three seconds after they bolted for it, Katsu passed by again and slashed Wyatt's stomach. Wyatt gasped and reeled back. His heel slipped out from under him, sending him plummeting to the poisoned ground.
"Lick!" Avel shot his tongue and latched to the side of a tree. "Hold on!"
Wyatt grabbed Avel and braced himself. Avel tightened his muscles and swung the both of them around the tree, then lobbed them back onto the branches. Wyatt caught and pulled themselves up.
"Okay, he clearly doesn't want us leaving!" Wyatt exclaimed.
"Dissolving Shuriken!"
Wyatt and Avel checked from all sides and saw dozens of acidic shuriken fly out of the trees, speeding on their position. Wyatt jumped back just as the shuriken collided with each other. The resulting explosion released an acidic cloud of vapor through the air that rapidly advanced on the flying duo.
"Lick!" Avel shot his tongue at another tree and reeled them both away from the vapor cloud.
Suddenly, Katsu flew out from cover and sped towards Avel's unguarded tongue. Avel gasped and reeled his tongue back, but Katsu passed over it and managed to delivered a shallow cut across the surface.
"GAH!" Avel pulled his tongue in and closed it into his mouth. "That freakin—"
Wyatt landed and clung to the side of a tree. He turned himself around until his back was facing the bark. "He's got the movement advantage over us. He's been doing this stuff for years, and we've only been at this for over half a year."
"Don't panic," Avel said. "Remember, he wants to avoid a direct conflict. He's also under the effects of your Thunder Punch's paralysis. He's timing his attacks. We just need to flush him out and take him at his most vulnerable."
"And how do we do that?"
Avel glared cautiously. "First things first, we need to dispel the Toxic Spikes. Another Poison-Type can neutralize them by simply making contact, or someone who can remove them with Rapid Spin or Defog. Ursula's in no condition to help and we don't know either of those moves."
"Any other options?" Wyatt whimpered, digging his claws deeper into the bark.
"Aside from waiting them out, I heard destroying the spikes directly takes out the effect. We need to destroy at least half those spikes, and the ground should go back to normal."
Wyatt took a deep breath, then sighed. "Alright, I trust you."
Avel stuck his tongue out and examined the cut across it. "Careful, though. I won't be able to reel us to safety with my tongue like this."
Wyatt nodded, then kicked off the tree. Right on cue, Katsu dashed out of hiding and threw Dissolving Shuriken at the airborne brothers. Wyatt countered with a Bubble Beam, destroying the shuriken in a vapor explosion. He hooked his claws through the tree bark and flung toward a set of spikes.
"Your efforts are pointless!" Katsu dashed around over their heads, then crashed down on Wyatt, slamming his face into a branch. "Do not overestimate yourselves." He summoned a Leech Life blade.
"Protect!"
Katsu stabbed down, but Avel stopped it cold with his barrier, as well as fling the assassin off. Wyatt picked himself up, wiping the blood off his face, and charged at Katsu. Katsu tried to attack, but froze up as the paralysis shot through his body again. Wyatt took the opportunity to clobber Katsu across the face with his pole, causing the Accelgor to spray blood through his scarf.
"Thunder Punch!" Wyatt electrified his pole and thrusted it into Katsu's chest.
Acting fast, Katsu bundled his hand inside his scarf and caught the pole before it touched him. Wyatt and Avel were stunned to see it wasn't frying Katsu. "You aren't the first person to surprise me with an Electric-Type move, kid."
Avel inhaled. "Super—"
Katsu smashed his forehead into Wyatt's, staggering the Lombre back and throwing Avel's Supersonic off course. Katsu unraveled his scarf from his neck and whipped it around Wyatt's leg, pulling it out from under him. Wyatt and Avel gasped and plummeted to the ground.
"Ice Beam!" Avel fired on the ground and created a platform of ice that started melting.
Wyatt reoriented himself, landed on the ice, and jumped back onto the trees before it melted completely.
"Dissolving Shuriken!" Katsu threw his acidic shuriken right as Wyatt landed on a tree.
The shuriken exploded in the brothers' faces and threw them back. The acidic vapors burned into Wyatt's uniform, as well as burned his face. Avel closed his shell to keep the vapors out, much to the detriment of his shell, though. They slammed into a tree without realizing, but Wyatt sunk his claws in before they fell off.
"Dissolving Shuriken!"
Without a moment's rest, Wyatt fled from the trees again as more shuriken flew out of hiding and exploded in close proximity of the brothers. Avel kept his shell clamped tight as Wyatt frantically flew through the branches. Shuriken flew from all directions, from curving their shots around tree trunks to exploding in the brothers' path of escape. No matter where they fled, Katsu was flying nearby with a handful of acidic shuriken ready to burn them.
Wyatt swung himself behind a tree just as a dozen shuriken exploded on their position. More arced around the tree, aiming at the hapless duo. "Protect!" Avel casted his barrier and sponged up the damage. A cloud of acidic vapors obscured their vision beyond the barrier.
Wyatt panted quietly, then said, "This is crazy. He's not giving us any room to think."
Avel grunted, trying to focus on keeping the barrier up. "We only have a limited time before I drop this thing. Our plan to destroy the Toxic Spikes is out the window."
"What now?"
"Our plan to force him into direct conflict still holds up, but he's completely switched to ambush tactics. The second we lose our footing, we'll plummet into that marsh of death. Best case, we get out poisoned. Worst case, alchemical burns that would freak Shade out."
Wyatt nodded weakly. "Right. So, how do we force him out?"
"The trees are too tough to take down, so we can't sever the branches fast enough. We need to limit his movement."
"What about our ice bubble trick against Terrick?"
"Might not work since this isn't a village we're fighting in. He won't fall for any trick he's seen twice, so we're on a tightrope for options."
Wyatt glared, thinking of his own solution, then asked, "What about killer intent?"
"Eh?"
"When we draw him in, we can use that to throw him off. It's not something he can easily predict like our attacks."
Avel grunted, feeling his Protect starting to fade. "As nice an idea that is, that doesn't solve the issue of drawing him in. Plus, neither of us can effectively use it. You can't sense fast enough, and I can't counter fast enough. Like Altair said, the time it would take us to relay information is a second too long to save our skins."
Wyatt glared. "Then let's lower the time."
"What do you mean?"
"Maybe instead of running and planning, let's try the last thing he'll expect: impulsive nonsense."
Avel squinted in disbelief. "You're actually suggesting we throw ourselves into danger under the pretense that'll throw him off?"
Wyatt grinned. "You can predict the strategy of an equal, but how do you predict the strategy of a couple idiots?"
"We're not idiots, Wyatt." Avel glared as his Protect started to crack. He thought it over for a moment, then chuckled. "But, I don't mind pretending to be one."
Katsu stayed stationed in his hiding spot with a handful of Dissolving Shuriken at the ready. He glared at where the brothers disappeared to, no doubt shielding themselves from his recent bombardment of acid. The air was still and quiet. No movement from their hiding place. It was too early to suggest they succumbed to his attacks. Katsu sooner believed they soaked them all up and were now scrambling to come up with a plan.
Katsu categorized the moves they showed off in their exchanges. They showed off eight moves, four for each of them. It wasn't abnormal for Pokémon to know six moves, so there was the chance they were hiding another four. Regardless, he was thinking of counters for any number of combinations they could pull off.
Freezing the trees to block off his means of evasion? Melt them with his Dissolving Shuriken.
Split up to take him from two directions? The Shellder wouldn't be able to keep up.
Try to sneak around him during the stalemate? Literally impossible. There hasn't been anyone Katsu met that could sneak up on him.
By his observation of their skill level, Katsu was the clear victor of their bout. Two more bounties for the table, then he and Regina could flee the kingdom and pay a visit to their favorite stranger in the mountains. Katsu just needed to stay on his game, and nothing will go wrong.
Katsu's vision sharpened at the sign of movement, darting from cover into the branches of their wooded battlefield. Swift as the wind, he gave chase after them with a stream of shuriken tailing behind the fleeing duo.
Wyatt and Avel looked back as Katsu gained on them, flying across the branches with the propulsive might of his Quick Attack. They dodged the acidic throwing stars, then Wyatt hooked his claws through the tree. Spinning himself around the base, Wyatt flung himself into the air, meeting on Katsu's level.
"Leech Life!" Katsu summoned his blade and struck back as Wyatt swung with his poke. Sparks crackled from Katsu's energy blade as he pushed back on Wyatt's pole, locked into a midair stalemate. "A bold maneuver, but ultimately pointless."
Wyatt smirked. "I wouldn't be so smug!"
Avel suddenly off Wyatt's head and fired Ice Beam. Katsu blocked it with his sword, taking his eyes off Wyatt for a moment. Wyatt used the diversion to hook his legs around Katsu's waist as gravity started to take hold again. They both plummeted to the ground with Avel falling behind them.
Realizing what's happening, Katsu tried to pry Wyatt off. "Are you insane?!"
Wyatt grinned. "Depends on how you look at it!"
Katsu growled, then summoned two Leech Life blades. "To the afterlife with the both of you, then." He raised them up and prepared to stab into Wyatt's shoulders.
"Supersonic!" Avel screamed and blasted the both of them with a high-pitched shriek.
Wyatt and Katsu both closed their ears and screamed. With nowhere else to go, Wyatt and Katsu crashed onto the toxic ground and separated into the crash. Katsu rolled across the acidic ground, screaming as it burned into his skin. Wyatt tried to soak up most of the impact with his uniform, ripping it off of himself and flipping into a tree.
Avel shot his tongue out, wincing as he aggravated his cut, and threw himself over to Wyatt. "You okay?" Avel asked.
Wyatt panted tiredly. A twinge of purple showed in his cheeks. "Sort of." He winced and fell forward, but kept his claws clamped into the tree bark.
"Wyatt, you're poisoned!" Avel gasped.
"Kind of expected that to happen, honestly," Wyatt said. He bared his teeth. "Toxic Spikes won't work on the one who threw them, but that doesn't mean the acidic properties won't."
As predicted, Katsu's own acidic grounds burned at his skin. Though he had a heightened resistance to acid from using Acid Spray, that didn't mean he had a complete immunity, much less a natural resistance to the Poison-Type. He quickly jumped off the ground and landed back in the trees as his skin and clothes continued to fizzle.
Katsu growled at the brothers. "I never met someone foolish enough to through me into my own Realm of the Demon's Miasma, much less with their own body as an anchor." Katsu flinched as another paralysis surge shot through his body, further infuriating his wounds. "GAH!"
"Now!"
Katsu's eyes snapped open as Wyatt and Avel leapt over the toxic ground. Wyatt tackled Katsu out of the tree and thrusted his pole against his chest, releasing another electric blast through the Accelgor that made him scream.
Avel glared. "Bet those electrical surges aren't doing those open wounds any favors."
Katsu opened one bloodshot eye at them. "Don't get cocky, brats."
Wyatt's pole suddenly pierced through Katsu's body as it dissolved into snow. Wyatt and Avel gasped. "Substitute!" they cried.
"Enough games! I'm sick and tired of this fighting!"
A flash of light surged out of hiding and bashed across Wyatt, throwing him against a tree. Another flash struck his cheek and threw him into the air. Soon, an entire array of light bombarded Wyatt and Avel from every direction. The sheer force and number of attacks suspended the brothers in the air, forced to endure the unending onslaught of attacks.
Avel clamped his shell shut while Wyatt protected his face. They squirmed and grunted, praying for Katsu to let up for a little bit so they could rest. Any moment, the paralysis will act up and give them a chance to get into position. They got Katsu riled up enough to throw away most of his caution. They wanted a straightforward fight.
All they needed now was patience.
The brothers heard Katsu growled, signaling the paralysis activated again, and dropped down onto a branch. Wyatt nearly fell off as the poison coursed through his system, making him unbalanced and woozy. Avel quickly shot Ice Beam on Wyatt's feet and held his down.
"Can you even fight like this?" Avel asked.
Wyatt grunted, then held up his pole. "We don't have much choice right now. We just need to wait for his attack."
"Wyatt, you're not wearing your armor anymore. You'll be susceptible to a lethal blow if he goes for his sword."
Wyatt closed his eyes and channeled a green energy through his body, then spread out onto their perch. "I absorb some of the tree's life force with Giga Drain. That should buy us some time. I'm trusting you to sense his movements and give me the signal to strike."
Avel glared. "You really think we can work together that well?"
Wyatt grinned weakly. "We've been brothers for over ten years. When our backs are against the wall, I like to think we're perfectly in sync with each other. We got this."
Avel had his doubts, but the confidence brimming off Wyatt was infectious. Strange to think Wyatt was freaking out about his lost status, yet here he was brimming with the same optimistic joy that won Avel over all those years ago. It made Avel feel confident despite the odds against them.
Avel closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and focused on their surroundings. "Okay. Try to follow my movements as best you can. If you feel any shifts, you'll know what to do." Wyatt nodded and closed his eyes as well.
Katsu pulled himself up from his perch, massaging his aching shoulder. He glared at the brothers as they stood still and waited for him to come to them. He forwent the use of his Leech Life and drew his sword, spraying the blade with a thick layer of Acid Spray. The toxic vapors fumed off the edge of the weapon as Katsu got into position. With his senses on high and mind pumping with energy, he burst down on the two with Quick Attack.
Avel sensed a fast-moving presence diving toward them. With no words, he shifted his weight to signal the direction. Wyatt moved in step with Avel's shifting, then nearly flew off the branch as Katsu slashed past them. If not for the ice anchoring Wyatt down, he would've been flung off the branch.
Avel kept himself on Wyatt's head, then growled. "Crap, too early."
"Working on it," Wyatt mumbled.
Katsu swung by again, slashing into the duo with an energy-draining slash. Wyatt gritted his teeth as the blade cut across his arm, only to stave off the bleeding with his Giga Drain. Around and around, Katsu flew at them from all direction, slashing and cutting into either of them as they tried in vain to predict his movements.
Avel scrunched his face, trying to read all the movements, but there were too many to read at once. Every time he had a handle on one attack, five more would blindside his senses and leave Wyatt open to an impossibly fast slashing. Even the top of his shell felt the stinging touch of Katsu's sword, sapping more of his concentration away.
Matters were made worse with addition of Acid Spray, as the liquid dripped down Wyatt's skin after his wounds healed and burned his skin. Add on to the poison coursing through him, Wyatt's concentration was looking any better. All he could do was defend and interpret Avel's readings as accurately as possible.
One after another, Katsu flew into them, spraying little bits of bloods from Wyatt and chipping away at his stamina. The more cuts inflicted, the more Acid Spray dripping over his body. The more the Acid Spray built up, the less Wyatt could do to think, and all the while faltering Avel's concentration in fear of his brother's safety.
It was a balancing act of two halves. Wyatt tried his best, only getting in a couple blocks at a time, but couldn't pick up on Katsu's movement easily. Avel sweated bullets trying to read the scattered movements all at once, threatening to pop a blood vessel.
"A-Avel, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up," Wyatt admitted, his knees buckling under his weight. "He's too strong."
Avel growled with tears brimming through his eyelids. "I'm sorry, Wyatt! I'm trying the best I can! This was a stupid idea—" He flinched as Katsu slashed past them again, then winced at Wyatt's whimpering cries. "I don't think I can do this. We've only just learned the basics to this technique from Altair. There's no way we have it mastered like him!"
Wyatt panted, trying to keep himself conscious. He tightened his grip and straightened his back. "Don't count yourself out yet. You're brilliant, Avel. You always have been. That's why I'm willing to put up with a little bit of pain, because I know you'll come through for the both of us."
"But I can't!" Avel yelled.
"Yes, you can!" Wyatt yelled back. "You're amazing! Don't let this jerk make you feel otherwise. And if it means bringing out your best self, I'll fight twenty times as hard until I—AGH!" Wyatt staggered forward as a cut sliced across his abdomen.
"Wyatt!" Avel gasped.
Wyatt grunted as the wound healed up. "I'll keep fighting until we're perfectly in sync with each other. Then, when we both master this technique, we'll truly be unstoppable together. We'll never let each other down, and we'll never let anyone suffer. That's why we're here, right?"
Avel's eyes softened. "Wyatt…"
"We won't let what happened to our village happen to anyone else. You can't always rely on the kingdom knights to get the job done, so the only people you can trust in this world are friends and family. I say I got the best of both worlds after finding you." Wyatt grinned weakly, yet brightly. "So, let's show this assassin what we can really do!"
Tears streamed from Avel's eyes. Though not a rarity, it was uncommon for the reserved Shellder to shed tears like this. Without a doubt, in their duo, Wyatt was the heart that kept their bond strongest.
Avel blinked his tears away, then closed his eyes, this time with a powerful look of determination. "Okay. I can do this. I won't let you down, brother."
Wyatt grinned, then closed his eyes. "Guide me well, brother."
Wyatt and Avel steadied their breathing and focused on the forest around them, listening to the rapid movements of Katsu as he rebounded from tree to tree. The crunching of disturbed snow, the racing of the wind, the coolness of the atmosphere; everything came into their mind's eye, feeding them the details of the finer world.
Soon, the world blotted out in darkness. The faint sounds of nature and their target whistled through the darkness, filling the mind's eye with brief flashes of muted color like soundwaves. There was nothing but the still void, nothing to obstruct the space of reality. It was only them and the endless unknown. The slightest sound would twitch in their minds, but they remained still.
There was no danger. There was no need to fight back. Only strike when death was certain.
Avel paid attention to the rapid movements of Katsu, waiting for his next strike. He focused on the speed of the wind as Katsu flew around, the sound of the trees each time he jumped off, and the disturbances of his sword slicing along the wind. Danger at every turn, but he would only fight when the time came.
Like a crack of lightning, Avel's mind erupted with a surge of information. He felt the phantom touch of a sword descending on him, slicing through his body. The weight of the phantom, striking from above. A second or two from the real thing making critical contact.
Avel shifted his weight and faced the blade as it descended on him. In return, Wyatt followed his movements as quickly as his brother reacted. With grace and speed, Wyatt raised his pole and successfully block the incoming sword. A burst of light shined through their silent void.
Katsu, meanwhile, gasped as the brothers successfully stopped his sneak attack. Right as they moved to attack, he sped away and landed against a tree. "How did they…" He glared suspiciously, then sped at them again.
Katsu swung his sword at Wyatt's face, hoping to make him flinch. At the last second, just when his sword was inches from cutting Wyatt, Katsu faked him out and sped off into a tree. He rebounded off and flew at Wyatt's unguarded back.
To his shock, Wyatt and Avel turned in sync with each other and blocked the second strike. They weren't even bothered by the fake out, almost like they didn't notice it. Katsu growled and sped away again, pushing himself faster and faster around the duo.
What the hell's going on? Katsu thought.
He dove from a branch and came down like a buzz saw, but Wyatt blocked that one, too. Katsu tried to take him by the legs, but Wyatt jumped over that and nearly struck Katsu in the head. Katsu tried multiple fake outs, one after the other, until he went for Wyatt's neck. Once again, Wyatt successfully stopped that attack.
How are they predicting my movements? Katsu thought irritably. It's almost like when I was fighting that Cramorant. How are they doing this?
Wherever Avel faced, Wyatt followed and blocked Katsu. Even with the poison chipping at his stamina, Wyatt pushed on and continued his counterattacks while Avel guided his strikes. When the worst came to pass, the brothers knew they could rely on each other. The perfect duo to counter all of life's troubles.
"Enough!" Katsu landed against a tree and erupted his blade with Leech Life. "This ends now!" With explosive speed, he flew at the brothers and swung with all his might.
Avel scrunched his brow. "Wyatt! Duck and grab!"
Wyatt obeyed and crouched down. Katsu's blade swung over his head, grazing across Avel's shell. Katsu nearly flew over them, but Wyatt hooked his claws through Katsu's tunic and used the momentum to swing Katsu into their tree.
"GAH!" Katsu covered his face and staggered backwards.
"Hey, assassin!" Katsu flashed a glare over his shoulder as Wyatt winded his pole back. "Don't mess with the Good Brothers!"
Wyatt cracked his pole across Katsu's face. Blood sprayed from Katsu's mouth as his face twisted in a disgruntled and pained grimace. The ringing in his head return as his vision doubled, then blurred in monochrome. His sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground below.
With his concentration shot, his acidic realm couldn't maintain itself. The Toxic Spikes dissolved, and Katsu crashed onto the snowless ground right as it changed back to normal. His sword impaled the ground a meter away from his head.
Wyatt stumbled backwards, knees buckling under him. He panted heavily with excitement. His heart pounded against his ribcage in equal measure. "Oh man. Oh man, what a rush!" Wyatt found the strength to smile. "That was so crazy."
Avel breathed in and out, taking his time to calm down. "I'll…I'll say." He sighed and relaxed into Wyatt's lily pad. "I can't believe we actually pulled that off. I didn't think we could."
Wyatt threw his fists in the air and laughed. "Take that, spooky assassin! No one messes with the Good—oh, dizzy~!" Wyatt's heel slipped out from under him, and he tilted backwards.
Avel's eyes widened. "Wyatt!"
Something swooped down from the trees and caught Wyatt before he fell over. Wyatt and Avel blinked in surprise, then turned to the smiling Cramorant staring back at them. Altair closed his eyes and laughed. "Well, well. You both shrunk the lag. Congrats!"
Wyatt and Avel stared in awe at Altair, then smiled back at him. "Well, we had a good teacher, right?" Avel said. Altair snickered to himself.
Wyatt laughed as well, then groaned weakly. He clutched his stomach and said, "Not feeling too well."
Altair smiled softly. "Let's get the both of you back to base. Shade will have medicine waiting for you. You both deserve a long rest."
"Thank you, sir," the brothers said.
However, before they could get moving, a Water Shuriken nearly exploded on them, stopped only by a quick backhand from Altair. The three looked down and gasped as Katsu pushed himself off the ground, snarling up at them.
"Don't…get cocky," he grumbled. He pulled a Leech Life blade out of the ground and dispelled it.
Altair glared. "You've got to be kidding. He must've stabbed one of the tree roots underground and drained some energy."
Katsu plucked his sword out of the ground and wrapped it in Leech Life. "None of you are in any position to keep fighting. Me? Do you know how many times I've been put close to death? What's one blow to the head going to accomplishing that impalement hasn't?"
Avel winced. "What the actual hell? Is he part-Ghost or something?"
Katsu bent down, then rocketed up to them with Quick Attack. "Forget the bounty. I'll have to risk cutting all three of you down myself—"
Something struck down on Katsu's head, spiking him back into the ground. The splitting pain echoing through his body told him it was a super effective attack, nearly causing him to lose consciousness. He stayed strong, however, and plunged his sword through the ground to sap away more of the underground roots' energy.
Katsu looked up and searched for the fourth attack. "Where did you—" An unseen blow struck him in the face, separating him from his sword and knocking Katsu into a tree. "What the…hell?" he grunted, covering his bleeding face.
"Evading the hands of death, though a skill most commendable, does not make you the winner of this bout." Katsu looked up as light shimmered in front of him. Appearing from the unoccupied space, Shingo stood before Katsu, one hand clutching a blade of white energy. "Although, if we're here to brag, I've done much more than evade death."
Katsu pushed himself up against the tree. He stabbed a Leech Life blade through the bark to heal his wounds, then scowled at the Frogadier. "Another one?"
"I was called to remove you personally, but it seems I underestimated the potential of our finest Woodlands," Shingo admitted. "However, I shall be taking over this fight now."
Katsu scoffed. "Don't make me laugh, kid. Run along before I cut you down to size, too."
Shingo adjusted his scarf, then sharpened his glare. "Allow me to rephrase myself. [You will not escape this forest unscathed by my hand.]"
Katsu's eyes widened. "[You're from Great Gate?]"
"[You revealed yourself as Kamiya Katsu, no? I'm familiar with your work.]" Shingo ran his finger down the length of his blade. "[My name is Mochizuki Shingo. Although, I'm well-known by the emperor and his soldiers as…Shingo the Unshackled.]"
Katsu glared in realization. "[You're…]" Katsu hissed, then sped towards Shingo with a Leech Life blade. I got to get out of here, now! He's not Fairy Knight Jason, but this kid…!
Katsu slashed through Shingo, hoping for a direct hit, but Shingo's entire form vanished into the air. A Double Team clone. Katsu sensed movement from above and dodged a diving kick from Shingo, empowered by Aerial Ace from the looks of it.
"[An even battle does not exist between us,]" Shingo taunted with a stoic expression. "[Both are swift, but one fights with a broken leg. Though he hops with great speed, he is not as swift as a hurricane.]" Shingo turned his heel and flew after Katsu.
Katsu plucked his sword from the ground, sheathed it, then formed his shuriken. "Dissolving Shuriken!" He unleashed dozens on the Frogadier.
Shingo clapped his hands together, then split off into dozens of clones with Double Team. The flickering facsimiles of the Frogadier faded with repeat explosions of acidic vapor. Shingo flew through the vapors without so much as a sneer and slashed with his Cut.
Katsu formed Leech Life and deflected Shingo's strike. Undeterred, Shingo kept hammering his strikes into Katsu's energy blade, giving the Accelgor no room for a swift retreat. Shingo was equally as swift as Katsu at their base speeds. A Quick Attack would offer the necessary method of escape, but Katsu knew the reputation of the infamous Shingo the Unshackled.
As the two clashed below, Wyatt and Avel watched alongside Altair in amazement. "No way," Wyatt gasped.
Avel blinked in disbelief. "I know Shingo is in better condition than us, but that Katsu guy was something else earlier, even when he was on his last legs."
Altair smiled. "There's a lot of strangeness here with the Foresters. That, my students, is Shingo the Unshackled. Master of escape and deception. Some of our greener scouts claim Shingo has never suffered a single wound in battle. That's because Shingo takes the art of escape to its highest extreme, and turns it into a weapon."
Katsu kept pushing back against Shingo's repeated strikes until he had just enough room to fly into the trees with Quick Attack. "[I refuse to deal with you in this state,]" he shouted.
"[My sentiments exactly.]" Katsu whipped his head around and saw Shingo had already appeared in the trees. "[I would've loved to test my skill against a master. A shame Ursula and the Woodlands reached you first. Even so, the haunting of our forest is a punishable offense!]" Shingo leapt off the tree and flew at Katsu.
"Dissolving Shuriken!" Katsu flung dozens of shuriken, scattering them across the air.
Shingo weaved himself through the onslaught of exploding shuriken, then landed on a faraway branch. "[I cannot afford to expend much time with you. I will drive you out, or apprehend you. Forgive me for what comes next.]" Shingo clapped his hands. "Hidden Art: Star of the Mist!" Shingo inhaled deeply, pulled his scarf down, and breathed smoke.
Katsu stayed back and observed cautiously. "Smokescreen?"
Shingo fanned the smoke away, then raised his hand. Katsu's eyes widened at the object that appeared from nothing. In Shingo's possession was a giant, thick windmill shuriken. Razor sharp blades and a menacing aura being in the Frogadier's possession.
Where did that come from? How can he hide such a large piece of equipment on his person? Katsu formed a Leech Life blade and secretly spat Acid Spray on the tip. I can't surrender here. I need to return to Lady von Elmnou at once.
"[Embrace the winds of the legendary Weavile!]" Shingo whipped his arm and threw the giant shuriken through the trees. It curved at an arc, moving at speeds that could match a Ninjask.
This kid is nuts! Katsu spun his Leech Life blade in his hand, keeping his eyes on the flying shuriken. Too risky to move if I don't know it's exact flight. In that case—
Katsu gripped the dripping energy blade tightly, then flicked it with his wrist. He doubted a simple throw would throw Shingo off, but Katsu had other means to catch swift opponents off guard. A single Leech Life dripping with Acid Spray, but propelled forward with the added power of Quick Attack turned it into an unseeable projectile.
With the blade in flight, it sped right into Shingo and stabbed him dead center in the chest.
"GAH!" Shingo cried out.
Katsu moved his attention back onto the shuriken as it closed in. He whipped his sword out and clashed with the shuriken. Using subtle movements with his sword, Katsu redirected the shuriken to fly around him, embedding itself into the tree trunk directly behind him.
"[Got you,]" Katsu mumbled.
His victory was short lived, however. As he looked ahead, reveling in the swift defeat of the Frogadier ninja, his eyes widened in shock as Shingo's whole body dissolved into a mass of white, soapy bubbles. They bared a remarkable resemblance to the frubbles found on the necks of Froakie and Frogadier.
"A Substitute!" Katsu gasped. "But where did—"
A splashing sounded behind Katsu. He whipped his head around, spotting the giant shuriken falling apart into a mass of frubbles as well. The weight and hardness of the shuriken were so lifelike that he didn't realize it was a readily-made fake. It occurred to him in that moment exactly who he was dealing with: a pest from the Great Gate Empire.
What shocked Katsu more was Shingo emerging from the collapsing shuriken, performing a handstand and spinning his legs directly into the dumbstruck Accelgor's face.
"Hidden Art: Flight of Betrayal!"
With no time to react, Katsu took a full-blown Aerial Ace kick to the face and crashed straight into the ground with a hard, booming crash that uplifting a crater of wet dirt.
Katsu sprawled out on the ground, wincing from the slightest twitches and forcing himself to stay conscious. His head rang, blistering his concentration with a splitting migraine. He could only stave off so many injuries with his Leech Life alone, but broken bones weren't so easy to mend in a snap.
Katsu raised his head as Shingo landed on the ground, glaring down at the wounded Accelgor. "[Are you ready to surrender?]"
Katsu growled through his scarf. He pressed his hands down and pushed himself up. "I'm sorry, my lady, but it seems we need to retreat immediately. I can't afford to leave you on your own."
Right as Shingo reached out to him, Katsu slammed down a cluster of Dissolving Shuriken under himself, releasing an acidic vapor explosion. Shingo jumped back before the vapors could touch him, then watched as Katsu burst from the cloud and rocketed through the forest with Quick Attack.
Shingo stepped back a moment to catch his breath, then looked up at Altair and the brothers. "Inform Jason that I will hunt him from afar. He will lead me to Thales and Saga." With that, Shingo leapt into the trees and took off after Katsu.
With the tension resolved, Wyatt and Avel finally allowed themselves to breathe a sigh of relief. "Glad that's over," Avel grumbled. He winced and closed up his shell. "I hurt everywhere."
Wyatt laughed weakly. "You hurt? What do you think I'm feeling?"
"Hush," Avel said playfully.
Altair smiled at them. "Glad to see you two are in high spirits. So, does this mean I should expect more of your time as my students?"
Wyatt and Avel straightened up as best they could and smiled back. "You really did teach us a lot, Altair," Wyatt said. "We would be honored to continue as your students."
Avel nodded. "We're sorry again we ever had doubts about you. It…helped a lot, what you've shown us."
Altair chuckled. "Happy to help."
Wyatt frowned and looked off into the forest. "Hey Altair, will Shingo be alright on his own? I mean, I don't doubt him or anything, but…you know, right?" He looked to the Cramorant for a response.
Altair blinked twice, then tilted his head. "Who?"
"Who?" Avel asked. "Shingo. The Frogadier who was just here?"
"…" Altair blinked again, then looked up at the trees. "How did we get outside?"
Wyatt and Avel's eyes widened. Wait a minute…
Altair looked at the brothers, then held his wing out. "Oh, hello. Who are you two again?"
Wyatt and Avel faltered over themselves. Not this again!