Dokukage's battle with his sister is heating up! Will Dokukage be able to prove that his style of fighting is okay? Or will Shinobu defeat him as she always does? Which sibling will come out the victor?! Whose Bug type pokemon are stronger? Who's going to bring out a Fire type pokemon and just trash their opponent's entire team?!

KedharS: It definitely looks like it's going to be a close one.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 888

The protective barrier dropped and Hahako immediately sprang into action.

"Grasswhistle!" Shinobu ordered. She knew that the best strategy for defeating Kagemusha was to put him to sleep; while grasswhistle wasn't the most accurate attack for inducing sleep, Kagemusha would be too busy preparing his sucker punch, he wouldn't be able to respond quickly enough to dodge the attack!

"Kagemusha, block it," Dokukage ordered.

Kagemusha raised his claws and covered his ears, completely protecting himself against the entrancing melody of the grasswhistle.

Shinobu was stunned for a moment. "B-But… if you were using sucker punch, there's no way you could react that quickly, so how…"

"Now, use aqua jet!" Dokukage ordered.

"Golisopod!" Kagemusha lowered his claws and shot forward, water surging around his body. He didn't waste time getting a sneak attack in, he barreled headfirst into the startled Leavanny and knocked her backwards.

"Leavanny…" Hahako tried to stand, but could only slightly lift herself off of the ground. The attack had been a critical hit, and likewise she was in critical condition.

Shinobu knew she had to act fast. Even slow as he was, Kagemusha could still take the upper hand for good in Hahako's present condition.

"Hahako, quickly! Use razor leaf to fend him off!" She ordered. It was a good strategy. Even if he deflected all the leaves, which was very likely, that would mean his claws wouldn't be coming in at her. That way, Hahako would have the time to gather herself. She couldn't use protect again so soon, but in the meantime-

"Now use sucker punch," Dokukage ordered.

Shinobu paled.

"Golisopod!" Kagemusha shouted, raising his claw.

As Hahako lifted her arms to unleash a barrage of leaves at her opponent, Kagemusha spotted his opening and lunged forward, driving his claws right into her chest.

"LEAVANNY!" Hahako wailed in pain, crumpling like a rag doll. She fell to the ground and curled up into a ball, losing consciousness.

Shinobu couldn't believe it. Dokukage couldn't, either.

He'd finally scored a win over Shinobu!

"Nicely done, Kagemusha," he said, nodding to his partner. But inside he was celebrating with a little more fervor. I WON! I FUCKING WON! HA! HA HA HA! WE DID IT! WE TOOK OUT ONE OF SHINOBU'S POKEMON! IT FINALLY HAPPENED! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, BUT WE MANAGED TO WIN! THIS IS GREAT! THIS IS AMAZING! THIS IS LIKE NOTHING I'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE, WAY TO GO KAGEMUSHA! THAT'LL SHOW HER!

Shinobu said nothing. Silent as a grave, she returned Hahako to her pokeball. Only then did she lift her head and turn her eyes back towards her little brother, and the expression she wore on her face was inscrutable.

"So you managed to take down one of my pokemon," she said quietly. She didn't even appear to be bothered by it.

"That's right," Dokukage nodded. "Because Kagemusha and I have trained for years to improve ourselves, so I could catch up to you. And now we're capable of fighting you on an even playing field, sister."

Shinobu nodded. "I suppose I can acknowledge the effort, even if it was misguided," she admitted. "But don't think that means this is over. I still have more pokemon, and there's no way you can keep things going like this."

Shinobu reached for her next pokeball. "Muramushi, finish him off."

Dokukage narrowed his eyes. That was what he was expecting. When Shinobu got serious, she would rely on her strongest pokemon, her Heracross.

"Heracross!" Muramushi emerged from his pokeball, flexing his muscles and brandishing his giant horn, which gleamed brightly in the rising sun. The pokemon's entire carapace was a shiny dark blue, but his scales were interrupted by countless scars.

Of all her pokemon, Shinobu had trained Muramushi the longest. And his body did an excellent job of conveying that story. He was massive, far larger than any other Heracross Dokukage had ever seen, and his eyes seemed to glow red with power. Even back in their childhood, Dokukage had been cowed by how strong Shinobu's first pokemon was-

And awed by how effortlessly she'd seemed to be able to control it. She really was a genius, he couldn't help but admire her talents.

But he still needed to win.

"Quickly, Kagemusha, we've got to take him down," Dokukage said, nodding to his Golisopod. Both trainer and pokemon knew what a threat that Heracross could be when he was unleashed. "Use your aqua jet, now."

"Golisopod," Kagemusha nodded, lowering his head and raising his claws. He shot towards Muramushi and water shot up around him, covering him in a furious veil that turned his charge into a water missile approaching the Heracross at top speed.

Neither Shinobu nor Muramushi even flinched at the attack. Shinobu nodded to her Heracross and the pokemon hunkered down, spreading his arms and bracing himself for the incoming attack.

Kagemusha collided like a bulled, drawing his claws across Muramushi's hard shell. Muramushi didn't even flinch at the attack, he just held onto Kagemusha's body with everything he had as the Bug type pokemon battered him.

"Endure it, Muramushi!" Shinobu shouted. "Then use your counter!"

Dokukage winced. That had been what he feared.

Muramushi lowered his head, sneaking his horn down underneath Kagemusha's jaw. Then he used all of his strength, lifting with not only his arms and legs but his horn as well, and pulled Kagemusha up off of the ground, hoisting him into the air.

"Kagemusha!" Dokukage shouted helplessly, having a pretty good idea of what was coming next.

Muramushi backdropped Kagemusha, turning all of the momentum from the pokemon's powerful charge into an attack of his own, sending him slamming into the ground with a little extra help from Muramushi as well. Kagemusha hit the roof hard, skidding across the mud and brick, badly battered by the powerful counter attack.

Everyone with eyes could see he wasn't getting back up.

"I was impressed that your Golisopod could actually take down one of my pokemon," Shinobu said. "But it appears that he's still not strong enough to compete where it matters."

"Heracross!" Muramushi boasted triumphantly, holding his horn up high and flexing his muscles. He had taken an aqua jet from Kagemusha that had been boosted by a swords dance, a move so powerful that Hahako, who resisted it, had nearly been knocked out by taking two of them, but he looked practically uninjured.

Dokukage glared at the Bug type pokemon as he recalled Kagemusha to his pokeball. He hadn't forgotten, but it was still a great reminder.

Shinobu was powerful. And her Heracross was powerful. The difference in strength between this pokemon and her others was unreal.

So what?! He screamed at himself. Are you really going to let yourself be intimidated by that pokemon just because he's even stronger than you remember?! Didn't you agree that you were going to fight to the best of your ability?!

Dokukage glanced at the Heracross again.

"Hera!" Muramushi glared back, slamming his horn against the roof a few times for intimidation.

Shit! That pokemon is terrifying! How did Shinobu train him to be even stronger?! Even in my worst memories I didn't think he was capable of doing THAT to Kagemusha! How did he take that attack and barely even look winded?! Dokukage was shivering in his shoes. But he couldn't let his fear show on his face. He had to push forward. That's what a shinobi would do. Count off his losses and continue for the sake of victory.

He calmed himself down and reassessed the situation. Yeah, Shinobu's Heracross had thrown him for a loop. Kagemusha as well, only that was in a literal sense. But that didn't mean the match was over. He still had more pokemon.

And sure, Muramushi may have been powerful, but that was alright. He could deal with powerful pokemon. He had defeated K's team of Shadow Pokemon, and as he'd learned, those were far more dangerous than regular pokemon. And the reason he'd been able to do that was because he'd remained loyal to his ninja training and his fighting style.

Muramushi isn't like Hahako or any of her other pokemon. He doesn't have any taunting moves or status to interrupt my tactics. He's a pure power pokemon he relies on scoring devastating his with those moves of his. Recognizing that helped Dokukage form a brand new strategy. That's right. This wasn't impossible.

In fact, he didn't have any reason to be getting intimidated at all!

Dokukage's baton pass strategy was designed for fighting foes like these. When a ninja was up against a particularly dangerous foe, they fought not to overcome it, but to pass on their information and skills from the battle to their next pokemon. By using his ninja techniques to their fullest, Dokukage could pump up a pokemon to compete with the might of that Heracross!

"Shinobu, you're one of the strongest trainers I know," Dokukage said, genuinely admiring how powerful his sister was.

"You're saying that now?" Shinobu asked, raising her eyebrow. "What brought this on? Finally admitted that you can't defeat me?"

"To be honest… I'm not sure," Dokukage admitted. "I confronted you today thinking it was possible to defeat you. And yeah, I've scored a few wins here and there. But at the same time, you're right, deep down inside me I still remember what it's like to be cowed by your strength."

"Of course you do," Shinobu scoffed. "Because all you do is cling onto antiquated strategies for the sake of your village, you don't have the guts to face me head-on for yourself. None of those ninja tricks, just your pokemon against mine."

Okay, yeah, no kidding I'm not going to face a pokemon as brutal as your Heracross in direct combat! That would be suicide! Dokukage glared at her and shook his head. "No. You couldn't be further from the truth, big sister. You might just see them as 'tricks' but to me, these are the tactics I've learned to overcome someone of your level."

Ever since they were kids, Dokukage had always envisioned himself fighting against Shinobu and one day coming out on top. And every time, he had always found himself walled by that mountain of a Heracross that stood in front of him.

"I learned these techniques and adjusted my fighting style to beat you," Dokukage confessed. "And yeah, you're right, it was because I was a coward. I didn't think I'd be able to compete if it came down to pure strength, I doubted I could ever catch a Bug type pokemon that was strong enough to fight your Heracross."

"Not if you keep chasing Wimpods," Shinobu smirked.

Dokukage let that pass. "You can laugh if you want. But while the team I raised might not be filled with powerhouses, it still has enough strength on it to take you down, big sister!"

Shinobu's smirk slid off her face to make room for a glare. "Well, it seems like you're a little more brazen than I remember." She had been mocking her little brother, but at the same time, she wasn't underestimating him, either. She knew how dangerous his fighting style could be, she'd encountered it first-hand.

Just because she didn't agree with it, and thought that tricks like that were rather cowardly, that didn't mean she was blind to the merits of such a powerful strategy either. She was going to have to approach this carefully.

She resisted the urge to smile. Because she still had a trump card up her sleeve that her brother would never be able to see coming.

"Well, are you just going to boast about it?" She asked. "Or are you going to actually send out a pokemon?"

Dokukage understood that the time for talking had passed. "Higurashi, go!" He shouted, sending out his Ninjask.

"Ninjask!" Higurashi buzzed, zigzagging through the air.

"Well, that's an interesting choice," Shinobu noted. "Exactly the kind of pokemon I would expect from you, little brother. So instead of trying to face my Muramushi with power, you wanted to go for speed? Not a bad plan."

Dokukage shook his head. "Not at all. I'm planning to fight you with speed and power. Higurashi, use swords dance!"

"Ninjask!" Higurashi darted through the sky, moving so fast his body seemed to teleport from one spot to the next. As flew, he spun through the air and sharpened his claws, heightening his physical attacking strength. To make up for their incredible speed Ninjask's other stats were very low, with only their attack being notable.

Dokukage would have to be careful. One hit from that Heracross and Higurashi would go down as quickly as his Shedinja counterpart.

"But I've gotta say, given that you have a Ninjask, is that really the most optimal choice?" Shinobu wondered, not even bothering to order her Heracross to attack while the Ninjask was darting through the air. There would be no point. It was too fast to hit with conventional means, and getting faster every moment thanks to Speed Boost. It was the quintessential ninja pokemon, fast and evasive.

So instead, she engaged in conversation while her eyes never left the swift pokemon, looking for an opening to strike.

"What do you mean?" Shinobu asked, unsure what his sister was getting at.

"Ninjask are certainly good pokemon for the strategy of our village," Shinobu admitted. "After all, they're masters of speed and can pass on the buffs from their abilities to other pokemon using baton pass. Not to mention they can preserve their health quite well as they stack up buffs by relying on their awesome speed to keep out of reach of the enemy's attacks. And the perks don't just end at speed! There's the swords dance you're using, not to mention the double teams to boost their evasion, heck, you could even use harden to boost his defense a little bit if you felt like it, it's the perfect pokemon for a trainer like you."

Huh?! Why is she complimenting me all of a sudden?! What's she planning? Is she trying to distract me? Is she looking for an opening?! Is there something she knows about that I don't?! She wouldn't just be engaging in small talk it has to be for a reason! But what could it be?! I don't know what she's thinking, why does she have to be so confusing and cryptic? Is she playing mind games?! Dokukage didn't have an idea of what to do here. But he wasn't going to just let himself remain confused and flustered. "What are you talking about?" He asked.

If Ninjask is so perfect, then is there something I'm not aware of?

"Oh, you're looking at me so suspiciously," Shinobu sighed. "Come on, no, it's nothing like that, really, I'm just saying that if you have a Ninjask, why are you using it against my Heracross? Come on, little brother, Heracross is a Bug/Fighting type pokemon, remember? A Bug/Flying type like Ninjask definitely has an advantage, but wouldn't the smartest move be using a pokemon that has an even better advantage?" She asked.

Dokukage finally caught on to what she was implying.

"You're talking about Shedinja," he said.

"Yeah, exactly," Shinobu agreed. "Last time I saw you, that Nincada of yours hadn't evolved. But, well, he clearly has, so that means you should have a Shedinja, too. Unless you're so entrenched in our village's customs that you would forego using a pokemon like that just because it's not optimal for a baton pass strategy?"

She sighed and shook her head in disappointment. "I'm definitely disappointed, but I can't say that I'm surprised. Sticking to tradition even if it would lose you the match, little brother, what a pity."

So all this was just for another opportunity to look down on me?! Dokukage scowled. "I don't have a Shedinja."

Shinobu blinked, surprised. "…Oh? Really? …Why not?"

"Because when Higurashi was evolving… he had an issue. He was stuck in his shell. He might have died. But before he did, I met someone. Someone who helped me. An outsider. Someone who didn't have any reason to do it. She literally just did it on a whim. But she got the medicine necessary to treat him, and helped him finally evolve," Dokukage revealed.

Shinobu rolled her eyes. "So what, a girl helped you out and then you just gave her a pokemon? You always were such a virgin, I knew you'd fall for a honey trap someday, but even by that metric I gotta say, kinda disappointing."

Dokukage had to fight off the blush that was heating his cheeks. "I didn't do it because of that! Why would you even think that?!"

"Because you give virgin neckbeard energy. It's a real thing, I looked it up on the internets," Shinobu said. "So tell me, after you gave her a pokemon as useful as a Shedinja, did she thank you? I doubt it was an 'all the way' kind of thank you, knowing you, but-"

"Just stop," Dokukage cut her off. He was fine with the insults Shinobu flung his way, but he wasn't going to stand for anything against Sylvia.

…Because if she found out he was talking about her behind her back, and that his sister was flinging insults her way, then the pair of siblings might find themselves waking up in a box.

"That girl isn't the type of person to show gratitude. To anyone. For anything. At least not in any conventional sense. And that's not why I gave the second Higurashi to her," Dokukage clarified. The real reason was a lot more embarrassing.

"…I did it because of you."

Shinobu didn't understand what that meant.

"…Huh?" She was a little creeped out. "Look, I know you're a little more attached to me than a little brother should be, and our village is kinda secluded and there aren't a lot of women, but I don't think that you should-"

"NOT LIKE THAT!" Dokukage exclaimed. "No! It's because of you and Shima! You two left, saying how you couldn't stand life in the village anymore, talking about how much you wanted to be free! And this girl… she showed me what real freedom looked like. What it was like to do everything you wanted to do, just because you wanted to. Just because you could. And I… I thought… maybe that was what you guys wanted, too."

Shinobu was honestly surprised. She hadn't thought that Dokukage would have those kinds of thoughts about them.

"I already had six pokemon, I didn't need a seventh. And it wasn't like Shedinja inherit the memories from Nincada, those stay with Ninjask. This was a brand new pokemon, born for the first time, and I thought… maybe it would be okay to see how they could handle being trained by someone who embraced the same kind of freedom you guys wanted."

Or at least that Shima wanted, he bitterly added in his mind.

Shinobu actually smiled. She hadn't ever expected that Dokukage would come around to seeing her side of things, even if he was still opposing her right now.

"And how did it turn out? How's that Shedinja doing now?" She asked.

Dokukage closed his eyes and reminisced about the day he first gave Sylvia the Shedinja and how honestly happy she looked.

He remembered the first day she enrolled in the Pokemon Academy and came to greet him.

Then he remembered Sylvia using her Shedinja to defeat Mirar and weasel her way into the Eight Leaders.

Sylvia trying to seize control of the Newspaper Club.

Sylvia manipulating Gabrielle.

Sylvia running rampant through the Phantom Cup.

Sylvia playing mind games and manipulating his student, Blake.

Sylvia working together with the Phantom, whose Shadow Pokemon were an affront to everything decent trainers stood for.

He opened his eyes and his face went pale. "I-I think it was the biggest mistake of my life…"

I think that is a very valid conclusion to draw, Dokukage. Who here agrees?