Dokukage's managed to seize the advantage with tricks from his pokemon, but will that be enough to win him the match? Or will Keahi's trump card turn this whole situation around? Dokukage's doing the best he can, but his team is weakened. He needs to be careful and not get too ahead of himself, or things will be really bad!
Hyphenman: Yes, Samarra is really unnerving and creepy. But hopefully Dokukage's strategies will be enough to keep him from ending up one of her "friends".
Tambry96bj: Yup. Seeing Dokukage screw over such an arrogant dude with pure strategy (and good luck) is always amusing.
KedharS: Thankfully, as a ninja, he's got a decent amount of resilience and stamina. It's part of his training.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 1160
"I don't believe this," Keahi said, shaking his head. His Magnezone was now a Water type pokemon? And he couldn't even call them back because of the infestation swarming over them! Rage surged up inside him in spite of Samarra's attempts to tamp it down. "Haikili! Use shadow bolt, now!"
"Magnezone!" Haikili buzzed. Soaking his Magnezone in water might have removed the boost to their moves they got from sharing the type, but as a Shadow Pokemon they'd always get that bonus from Shadow Moves. Haikili built up an electrical current of black lightning and fired it at Ame, who quickly dodged.
"Ame, baton pass," Dokukage ordered, recalling Ame to her pokeball. She'd done a considerable amount of damage already, it was fine to let her rest for a while. "Go, Kagerou."
"Accelgor," his Accelgor hissed, emerging from his pokeball once again. He already had a good sense of the situation and dashed across the battlefield towards the soaked Magnezone.
"Shadow rave!" Keahi ordered. Haikili sent a burst of shadow energy down into the ground, causing spikes to erupt beneath the approaching bug. But Dokukage was prepared for that.
"Agility," he ordered. Kagerou picked up speed, dodging around the spikes. "Now, giga drain!"
This was the primary reason why Dokukage had turned Haikili into a Water type pokemon. Not only would soaking him in water remove his resistance to Dokukage's attacks, but it would also create a vulnerability, for Grass type moves.
All of Dokukage's pokemon were at low health. He wasn't sure if any of them would be able to stand up against the last pokemon Keahi would send out. So he needed all the help he could get to tip the odds in his favor.
Haikili might have been weakened, but they still had a decent amount of health left. If Kagero could drain it away and recover some strength for himself, that would be perfect. So that was exactly what he did.
"Magnezone!" Haikili buzzed as the energy was drained away from them, restoring Kagerou's health. There wasn't a lot to drain away, but Kagerou's health stat wasn't very high, so there was plenty to feed off of. Thanks to the boost from Ame's quiver dance, Kagerou could absorb his fill.
With a final buzz of pain, Haikili succumbed to the attack, falling out of the sky. They hit the muddy ground, unconscious, while Kagerou was reinvigorated.
Dokukage watched Keahi tensely. The trainer was down to his final pokemon. How would he respond? And what pokemon would he use as his trump card? Keahi had been swapping his pokemon around fairly liberally at the beginning of the match (though not as much as Dokukage had) so the fact that he hadn't used his sixth pokemon yet had Dokukage on his guard.
When Keahi recalled Haikili to their pokeball without pitching a fit, the uneasy feeling welling up in Dokukage's stomach only grew stronger.
"I'll admit, Dokukage, I didn't expect you to press me this far," Keahi said, reaching for his last pokeball. "I thought that, since I knew what you were capable of and since I'd prepared strong pokemon capable of defeating your strategies, that you would crumple over fairly easily. But I was wrong. You may not be as capable of a trainer as myself, but you've at least got a brain in that head of yours. But this is as far as that ridiculous baton pass strategy will take you," he promised. "Kane!"
Keahi flung his last pokeball into the air, and a massive metal pokemon emerged from within with a fearsome roar.
"METAGROSS!" Kane crashed down onto the battlefield, causing it to shake. The mighty pokemon glared at Dokukage and stomped their legs, causing tremors with every step.
"A Metagross, huh?" Dokukage scowled behind his mask. That… was very bad. Very bad indeed. Dokukage knew he was holding back a trump card, but he didn't expect one of that caliber. Metagross were powerful foes. The only advantage Dokukage could see was that, as a Steel/Psychic type, Bug type moves were a neutral hit.
So naturally, he made sure to take full advantage of that.
"Kagerou, use bug buzz," Dokukage ordered immediately.
"That won't help you," Keahi snarled. "Kane, use light screen!"
"Metagross!" Kane roared, the metal "X" on their face glowig silver. A silver barrier appeared around them to accompany Haikili's reflect, forming a reflective screen that weakened the bug buzz's effect on them.
"So you're strengthening your defenses I see," Dokukage said.
"Not just defense. Kane has offense covered as well," Keahi smirked. "Kane, use bullet punch!"
"Metagross!" Kane shot towards Kagerou at high speed, raising their claws to deliver a furry of powerful punches.
"Kagerou, use quick attack!" Dokukage ordered. What incredible speed! His Accelgor could barely stay ahead of the assault!
Dokukage was in a bit of a pickle. Kagerou definitely had the speed to evade Kane's attacks, but the problem was, he didn't have the power to put up much resistance. Certainly not enough to break through those barriers. With both his brick break users out of the fight, the only pokemon who might have the raw strength to get through was Venomark.
Well, if I'm going to switch back to her, I better give her every advantage then, Dokukage decided. "Kagerou, use acid armor!"
While Kagerou was avoiding Kane's attacks, he moistened up his skin wrapping to increase his defensive powers. This was one of the gifts he could pass on to Venomark. He might not be able to increase his attack strength to support her, but it was something.
Keahi smirked. "It seems you're still underestimating me," he said. "Allow me to show you what a mistake that is. Kane, use psychic!"
"Metagross!" The X on Kane's face began to glow blue, and a blue aura appeared around Kagerou, lifting him up into the air. He was completely trapped.
"Accel!" Kagerou struggled against the psychic energy trapping him down, but he couldn't break free, much to Keahi's delight.
"Your pokemon are fast, but they can't escape the power of the mind," Keahi said. "That's the reason I caught this Metagross, did you know that? I wanted a pokemon that would be able to fight against anything you tried, and I realized that psychic powers were the way to go. All your tricks and strategies can't do a damn thing against Kane!"
Dokukage scowled. "We'll see about that. Kagerou, use baton pass!"
Kagerou returned to his pokeball and Dokukage called Ame out next. Hopefully, Ame's intimidating wings would weaken the Metagross's offensive powers!
But unfortunately, it didn't have any effect.
"Kane's ability is Clear Body," Keahi revealed. "No matter what you try, you won't be able to reduce their stats."
Well, that sucked. But it wasn't the reason Dokukage sent out Ame.
"Ame, that Metagross is using Psychic type moves," he warned. "We need to boost your special defense to build up some resistance to it. Use quiver dance!"
"Masquerain," Ame nodded, fluttering through the air. She increased her speed, as well as her special stats.
"You might think dancing around like that is a good idea, but you've made a crucial mistake!" Keahi warned. "Kane, use bullet punch again!"
"Metagross!" Kane shot towards Ame at high speed and unleashed a punch barrage that the Masquerain wasn't fast enough to avoid.
"MASSSQQQ!" Ame wailed as she was batted out of the sky. She tumbled back, injured by the fast attack.
Damn, I should have expected that! Dokukage groaned. While she might be able to boost her special defense, she doesn't have the physical resilience to keep up with that Metagross, even with the acid armor! Kagerou doesn't either… the only pokemon I have left that does would be Venomark, but she's vulnerable to Psychic type moves!
It was a tricky position to be in, and Dokukage was starting to freak out. But he couldn't let everything fall apart here.
If I can turn his Metagross into a Water type like I did with Haikili, it'll reduce the power of his moves, Dokukage decided. "Ame, use soak again!"
"Masquerain!" Ame flapped her wings and flew towards the Metagross, spitting a burst of water at them.
"We won't fall for that trick a second time," Keahi angrily snarled. "Kane, dodge it with your bullet punch!"
"Metagross!" Kane darted forward, evading the wave of water, and raised their claws to punch the Masquerain.
"Dodge with quick attack," Dokukage ordered. Thanks to Ame's speed, she was able to just barely avoid the bullet punches. "Okay, Ame, that's good enough. Return with baton pass."
This wasn't going well. Dokukage needed to rethink the strategy. Damn it! Why did his pokemon have to be so vulnerable? That Metagross was a real pain in the ass.
"Venomark, go!" He said, sending out his Scolipede next. This amused Keahi.
"You only have three pokemon left, and you're sending them out one after another to try and find a way to win," he snorted. "But it won't make a difference. My Shadow Pokemon are too strong for you, and my Metagross was specifically captured to counter you and your team. There's nothing you can do, Dokukage."
"We'll see," Dokukage replied. "Venomark, use swords dance!"
"Scolipede!" Venomark hissed, scraping her horns and claws against the ground to increase her attacking power. She scurried towards the Metagross, showing no sign of fear of the pokemon's Psychic type moves.
"Well, if you're not afraid, we'll have to do something about that," Keahi decided. "Kane, use your psychic!"
"Metagross!" Kane's face began to glow again, and they tried to lift the fast Scolipede up with their psychic powers. But this time it didn't work.
"Venomark, dig!" Dokukage ordered. Before Kane could get a lock on his pokemon with their psychic, Dokukage gave the order for her to dig underground, where they wouldn't be able to target her. And now she'd escaped from the effects.
"Nicely done," he complimented her. "You can burrow underneath those barriers and strike with full force!"
"Oh, no she can't," Keahi laughed. "Did you forget what move my pokemon like using?" He kept cackling. "Kane, use magnet rise!"
"Metagross!" Like Papa and Haikili did before, Kane began to charge themselves with a magnetic current, directing energy into the ground to rise up above where the Scolipede could hit. Venomark emerged from the mud and swung her horns, but she wasn't even close.
"Up here, there's no way your Scolipede's Ground type moves can do a damn thing," Keahi smirked. "I told you, I was prepared for this. Now Kane, use shadow bolt!"
"Metagross!" Kane built up shadow lightning around their four claws, bringing them together beneath their body to form a single bolt that they dropped onto Venomark from above.
"Venomark, protect yourself!" Dokukage swiftly ordered, and his Scolipede created a barrier to block the attack seconds before it landed. The lightning scattered off harmlessly, leaving the pokemon unharmed.
But that didn't help Dokukage's situation. He was in pretty bad shape at the moment.
We need to figure out a way to break through those barriers and hit that Metagross with everything we've got, Dokukage recognized. There had to be some way to do it, there just had to be! But he couldn't think of what.
For now, we'll stick with what works. They still can't match our speed. So we'll use that to our advantage, and raise our physical attack while we can, Dokukage decided. "Venomark, use swords dance!"
"Scolipede," Venomark nodded, emerging fully from the ground as her protective barrier dropped. She scurried through the mud and grass, increasing her attacking strength by another two stages.
"You might think boosting your attack will help you, but I promise, it won't," Keahi said. "Not even with your Speed Boost!"
Thanks to Speed Boost and the stat buffs she'd inherited from her teammates, Venomark was now at top speed. But that still wasn't enough in Dokukage's eyes. That Metagross was normally rather slow, but with the power of a priority move like bullet punch, Venomark was vulnerable.
And that was exactly what Keahi was counting on.
"Bullet punch!" He ordered, and his Metagross shot towards Venomark, unleashing a barrage of punches on the Scolipede.
"Iron defense!" Dokukage shouted. Venomark hardened her scales to be as strong as steel, boosting her defenses again as the Metagross struck. It was good to keep her from taking too much damage, but if that Metagross could keep chipping away at her without her being able to do anything in return, things were going to get bad.
"Venomark! Use megahorn!" Dokukage shouted. It was Venomark's strongest physical attack, and it was a neutral hit on the Metagross. With only two swords dance boosts it might not be enough to break through the reflect, but it was worth a chance.
"Scolipede!" Venomark shouted, swinging her horns at the Metagross the second they eased up on their attack.
Venomark's horns struck the reflective barrier, causing cracks to spider web out across it. But the blow wasn't strong enough to break through.
It was a good sign for Dokukage, though, and he would take it for now. Another blow would break it completely!
"I must say, I'm surprised," Keahi admitted, begrudgingly impressed by Venomark's power. "Being able to crack our reflect is really something. But it won't be enough. Kane, use reflect again!"
"Metagross!" Kane created a silver barrier to replace the golden one, and the screen appeared shiny and new around the floating pokemon's body. If Dokukage and Venomark wanted to break through it, they'd need a lot more power.
But at the moment, they were too close to risk it.
"Venomark, dig!" Dokukage ordered, fearing the worst. Venomark scurried underground just as Kane's X began to glow.
"I see! So you anticipated our psychic attack, eh?" Keahi smirked. "Very good! But that won't be good enough to keep you safe!"
Dokukage scowled behind his mask. The fact that Keahi was in such a good mood showed that he had no doubt whatsoever about his victory.
And that was certainly not a good position to be in if your name was Dokukage, that was for sure. He had to think of something fast.
Venomark emerged from the ground on the other side of the field, giving her ample distance to escape if the Metagross tried anything. It was one of the benefits of her incredible speed. Dokukage knew that if they were going to get through that barrier, then they'd have to get off another swords dance. It was the only way.
But if we try, then that Metagross will certainly try to use a psychic again, Dokukage understood. And I don't know if Venomark has the resilience for that. If only we could have gotten off a few more quiver dances!
Dokukage's strategy for baton passing was very good. He could easily pass on things like speed boosts, attack boosts, and substitutes, all sorts of benefits could be shared across his party. But his strategy wasn't perfect. It had one serious downside, and that was on the special front.
Ame was a valuable part of his team, because she was the only pokemon he had who knew quiver dance. It was a powerful Bug type move that only a handful of flying insects could learn, and Ame was one of them, boosting speed, special attack, and special defense equally. It was quite beneficial to stack a few of those, and then pass them off to Kagerou.
But the fact that she was the only pokemon of his that could use it came with disadvantages. He lacked other ways of boosting special attack and special defense. On the attacking front, that was fine, because most of his pokemon were physical attackers, and the two special attackers, Ame and Kagerou, were both useful in other ways, passing on speed buffs and using passive status moves.
When it came to special defense, on the other hand…
Well, it wasn't so simple. All his pokemon needed special defense boosts, but when it came to quiver dance, it was just too slow to rely on all the time, especially considering how fragile Ame was. He couldn't force her to stack all of them so easily.
So when faced with an opponent like this, a relentless foe who could use special moves that his pokemon had trouble evading, it put Dokukage in a difficult position.
I have to admit, Keahi really did his homework. He saw through one of the major weak points of my team, and chose a pokemon perfect for combating them. If Dokukage still had his Scizor, that would be one thing. Muramasa's resistances made up for a lack of special coverage a lot of the time, except against Fire types, and his other pokemon could handle those.
But he didn't have Muramasa. He only had three pokemon.
We'll have to take the risk. There's no other way, Dokukage decided.
"Kane, use bullet punch again!" Keahi ordered. His Metagross shot towards Venomark once more like a missile.
If he's trying that again, we'll use our defense! Dokukage decided. "Iron defense, same as last time, Venomark!"
"Scol!" Venomark hardened her scales even more, this time barely even flinching from the attacks. She swung her horn again, but Kane ended their assault early, pulling back before her horns could even get close.
"We won't let you get in another megahorn," Keahi promised. "What if you got a critical? Not a chance in hell."
"Fine then, if you're going to pull back, you leave us no choice!" Dokukage had to do it. If he trembled every time a psychic could happen, then he'd never win. "Venomark, use swords dance!"
"Scolipede!" For the third time, Venomark sharpened her horns and claws, and her attack strength shot up to the maximum to join her defense and speed. By this point, Dokukage had assembled a truly terrifying pokemon. Attack. Defense. Speed. All were as high as they could go. With two boosts to special attack and special defense as well, Venomark was truly a force to be reckoned with.
So why was Keahi laughing.
"Ha… ha… ha ha ha!" Keahi cackled. "I don't believe it! I can't believe it was so easy!"
"What are you talking about?" Dokukage scowled, narrowing his eyes.
"You actually went and did it!" He wailed. "You fool! You absolute fool! I knew you were stuck in your ways, but this… this is really too much!"
Dokukage didn't like the sound of that. Shit. Fuck! Why's he laughing so hard?! What's going on here?! Did Dokukage just walk into a trap?! Keahi certainly seemed to think so!
"You boosted your Scolipede's strength quite a bit, didn't you?" Keahi laughed. "All those moves, swords dance, iron defense, using your Speed Boost, never once did you stop and think that's exactly what I wanted you to do! Don't you get it, you stupid fucking ninja? I was going easy on you! Giving you openings to boost your stats, like I knew you would! And you did it! You actually did it! I knew you were predictable, but this… this is really something!"
Uh-oh. Dokukage had a sinking suspicion he knew what was coming.
"And now it's too late! I have you right where I want you! Kane!" Keahi shouted. "Use psych up!"
The emotional weight of the "FUCK!" Dokukage was screaming in his head was something that mere words could not properly capture.
Well, fuck. That's not good. Dokukage maxed out most of Venomark's stats, and now Keahi will be taking them using psych up! Dokukage might have an incredibly powerful Scolipede, but his pokemon are weakened, and now they have to face off against a pokemon as strong as a Metagross whose stats are ALSO astronomically high! This is bad. This is REALLY bad. Is there any way Dokukage can dig himself out of this mess?!