Shinobu has played her trump card, an incredibly powerful Heracross! Will Dokukage have any pokemon that are capable of matching its brute strength? Will he be able to rely on his Ninjask to set up and baton pass status buffs to the rest of his team, and even if he can pull it off, will it be enough to win? Or will Shinobu defeat not only his pokemon, but the way of his village as well? That Heracross is quite a beast, and Dokukage will need to rely on every trick in the book in order to defeat it!

KedharS: Yup. Dokukage really messed up bad.

Rowlets and Oshawotts: While this is exciting, I don't think it's the only thing to look forward to in this arc, don't worry. We've got a lot of exciting events planned.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Dokukage really shouldn't have given Sylvia that Shedinja.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 889

Shinobu had no idea what her brother was talking about. But in her mind, it didn't really matter. What was important right now wasn't what he was thinking, it was winning this battle. And luckily, even though Dokukage had tried to distract her with his little story about that girl and the Shedinja he gave her, she hadn't lost her focus in the slightest. She was still watching that Ninjask, waiting for the perfect opening, and she had found it.

"That's all well and good," she interrupted him, smiling a little. "But right now, I think we should get back to the battle. I'm not going to just let your Ninjask stack buffs like that forever, you know, and I'm getting rather impatient."

Dokukage's eye twitched. So she hadn't fallen for it. Damn. I was really hoping I could lure Shinobu into a discussion, but it looks like I need to focus on the battle. I knew that was a risky play. But it's fine. It's not like I needed to distract her to win, Higurashi has been buffing his stats quite a lot, and there's still more we can do.

"Higurashi, use double team," Dokukage ordered.

"Ninjask," Higurashi buzzed, nodding his head. He began to zigzag to the sides as he flew through the air, and soon as he disappeared and reappeared in various locations he simply stopped disappearing altogether. The afterimages he made as he flew remained floating in the sky as solid images, buzzing around as a giant swarm. The air was filled with Ninjask.

Shinobu wasn't very impressed.

"Like I said, you can buff his attack, his speed, and even his evasion," she said with a shrug. "It's the sort of tactic that would be expected when someone sees a Ninjask. And trust me, I expected it. There's a reason Ninjask are ninjas, after all, because we use the same kinds of fighting styles as the ones that work perfectly with them."

Dokukage wasn't sure what she meant by that, but he wasn't going to ask. He just needed to stack a few more buffs and then it would be the perfect opportunity for Higurashi to baton pass them onto one of his other pokemon.

But before he could give the order for his next move, Shinobu already made hers.

"Muramushi," she shouted to her Heracross, "use aerial ace!"

Dokukage was startled. That wasn't a move he had expected from her.

"Heracross!" Muramushi nodded, leaning forward and opening the back of his shell to reveal the wings hidden beneath his carapace. He flapped hard and took to the sky, disappearing in a flash. He reappeared behind one of the Higurashi with his horn raised, bringing it down on the NInjask, the real one, with a powerful slash.

"Higurashi!" Dokukage shouted. "Substitute!"

Before Muramushi could land his blow, Higurashi's incredible speed kicked in and allowed him to seize the initiative. He disappeared, along with all of his duplicates, and in his place a wooden log appeared in the air, perfect for Muramushi to cleave in two. The log disappeared with a puff of smoke and was replaced by Higurashi, who used his speed to put some distance between himself and the Heracross as quickly as possible.

"Ah, I should have expected that," Shinobu said, cracking a grin. "The obligatory substitution jutsu, that's so like you, Dokukage. Shaving off part of your pokemon's health in order to protect the rest of it with a decoy."

Dokukage shrugged. "If I let that Heracross of yours score a hit on Higurashi, it might hurt."

That was putting it lightly. Higurashi was a very fragile pokemon, and that Heracross was a beast. If he scored a direct hit, that would almost-certainly be the end of things, and Dokukage wasn't about to let that happen.

"On the other hand though, it looked like all that talk of Shedinja being a perfect counter to your Heracross was a load of bull," Dokukage noted. "Hiding a move like aerial ace up your sleeve, pretty sneaky sis."

Now it was Shinobu's turn to downplay her move with a shrug. "What can I say? Gotta keep a trump card in reserve. And don't worry, I'll be sure to hit you next time. Aerial ace doesn't miss, after all," she said.

Dokukage narrowed his eyes. "Don't think I'm going to let that happen so easily." There was still a lot he could do. While it was annoying that Muramushi could sneak his way through the duplicates and Higurashi's speed thanks to aerial ace coupled with Shinobu's good eye for spotting the real thing, that wasn't the only trick Dokukage had up his sleeve. Higurashi was still far faster than Muramushi was, and that meant he could still put up his substitutions even when Muramushi was about to strike. That would be what would save him.

He just had to wait for Muramushi to get in closer. And lo and behold, Muramushi flapped his wings and took to the sky, and Higurashi was prepared for it.

"Higurashi," Dokukage called, "evasive maneuvers! Then use your substitute to evade the aerial ace completely!"

There was no way Higurashi was getting another attack buff in, not when Muramushi had that devastating aerial ace attack. But there was still a good chance of picking up another few levels of speed with Speed Boost while trying to evade, and that was what he was going for. Then when he was fast enough he could baton pass the status boosts to a pokemon who would have a better chance of surviving the aerial ace, it was the perfect strategy.

He just needed to make sure he kept a cool head and let Higurashi fight the way he was supposed to. By evading and upping his speed, and putting up substitutes to protect himself, Higurashi would be able to stave off two more attacks.

Dokukage should be fine… but why was Shinobu smiling like that?

It was really unnerving him. Ever since Higurashi had used that first substitute, Shinobu had broken out into a grin and it hadn't left. Even though the substitute strategy was nearly impossible to break when it came to a pokemon as fast as Higurashi, she still looked like it was totally fine, and like everything was going to plan.

It was actually unnerving, and Dokukage didn't even want to guess at what she knew that he didn't. "Higurashi, be careful," he called to his Ninjask as the pokemon disappeared into a puff of smoke and replaced himself with a log.

"Be careful, Dokukage? Why would you ask your pokemon to do that?" Shinobu mused as her Heracross picked up speed, flying across the roof towards the Ninjask's substitute. Even though it hadn't come as a surprise this time, they still needed to break through the log to reveal the true pokemon. "Isn't the point of your ninja techniques like that substitute so you can forgo carefulness, and rely on your pokemon's speed and natural abilities to stay ahead?"

Dokukage winced, he could feel that Shinobu was building to something, he knew his sister well. "That… that's…"

Shinobu didn't care. "You rely so heavily on those skills, but it's pointless! It doesn't matter how fast your Ninjask is, or how many substitutes he can throw up! Muramushi and I, we have no use for ninja techniques like that, not anymore! And we won't fall for them again, either! You won't fool either of us, we'll smash right through them!"

That put Dokukage on his guard. A declaration like that was a bold one, and Shinobu didn't make bold plays unless she could back them up. But even if she said that, so what? She couldn't exactly change anything about the situation. Even if she did smash through the substitute, Higurashi would still have ample time to put up another, and even if that would be the last one, he could still baton pass away. Things weren't settled yet, not even close!

But they were as far as Shinobu was concerned.

"Muramushi!" She shouted. "Use rock blast!"

That was a declaration that caught Dokukage completely by surprise.

"Rock blast?!" He sputtered, unsure if he'd heard her right. She was having her pokemon use rock blast?! Was she insane?!

"Heracross!" Muramushi landed on the roof and tore out a chunk of brick with his horn. He flung it at the log and smashed through the substitute, and followed it up with wave upon wave of debris that he launched like cannon balls at the Ninjask.

There was nothing Dokukage could do. The first strike destroyed the substitute completely and forced Higurashi out into the open. But even as fast as he was, he wasn't fast enough to dodge the second strike, or the third, or fourth, or fifth, either. The bricks hit him one after another and buried him beneath the rubble, knocking him unconscious instantly.

Dokukage couldn't believe it. All that time he had spent loading up status buffs on Higurashi, and it had all been for nothing. Shinobu's Heracross had broke the chain with his barrage of rock blasts, smashing apart the strategy like it was nothing.

"Return," he said, recalling Higurashi to his pokeball.

"You like to rely on sneaky moves like that," Shinobu said simply. "Training your pokemon not to fight, but how to evade and defend and buff themselves. Using things like swords dance and agility to increase your power, while relying on your substitutes to keep you safe. But that's not a strategy that will work against someone like me, little brother. I know all your moves. I know every page in the ninja book by heart. I know how you fight, and because of that, I know how to beat you. I worked hard to train Muramushi to become a pokemon that wouldn't lose against our village's techniques, and you've just seen how it worked, so what do you think?"

Shinobu was brimming with pride as she held her arms out, displaying how great her pokemon was. She was so happy that she'd managed to break through the substitute and defeat the Ninjask, it meant all that hard work and training wasn't for nothing.

"You see, little brother," she continued, "substitute is a very useful move. I can understand why our village had our pokemon learn it. It allows pokemon to create a copy of themselves to pass the damage onto and stay safe and only for just a shred of health. But you see, it's not without its weaknesses. Moves like rock blast and pin missile that hit over and over again, unleashing wave upon wave of devastating attacks before the opponent even has the time to react, that's the secret to breaking a substitute. I didn't give your Ninjask any time to dodge, or any time to pass on his moves to another pokemon. I simply… defeated him. As simple as that."

Dokukage understood now what she meant when she said she wasn't going to let him get away with his strategy. So this was how she planned to "smash through his ninja techniques" huh? Well, he couldn't deny that it was an amazing strategy.

Even if it wasn't Muramushi… it still would have been enough to break Higurashi's substitute. A technique like that… it isn't normal. There's not a lot I could do to break through it under normal circumstances… Dokukage's mind had begun racing the second he'd seen what Shinobu and her Heracross were capable of.

And he wasn't a very big fan.

It was like dealing with an opponent who used taunt, or with an opponent who relied on moves like fire spin or abilities like Shadow Tag that prevented him from switching out his pokemon. It was a major disruption to his strategy. But while those tactics were a passive form of interference, this one was a lot more direct.

Shinobu had flung his substitute and baton pass strategies in his face and smashed right through them like they were nothing, it was a direct affront to his village and its tactics, and a mockery of his pride. Like she was declaring war on them.

And since it was Shinobu, that wasn't too far from the truth.

Dokukage realized that a trainer of Shinobu's caliber was capable of a lot more than just fighting regularly like this. He should have seen it coming that she wouldn't rely only on brute force, she was too smart for that. Certainly, her Heracross was suited to a certain level of brutality, but that didn't mean she would use clumsy and reckless moves.

Rather, she had tailored her brutality to perfectly suit the situation, exactly as Dokukage should have expected. This was his fault, not hers, and he should have realized what she was going to attempt before she did it.

Right now, Dokukage was pressured. But that didn't mean that this match was going to end in his loss. He still had some tricks up his sleeve, and some ideas to follow through on. But it did mean that his options had become significantly limited.

Muramushi was fast and strong. Higurashi was faster than any of Dokukage's other pokemon, and Muramushi could keep up with him. Even Venomark, with his own Speed Boost, wouldn't be able to fare any better. Ame, his Masquerain? Kagerou, his Accelgor? Pokemon suited to speed and evasion, things he now knew would be worthless against Muramushi.

That only left one real option.

"Muramasa," he shouted, sending out his trump card. "It's your turn!"

Dokukage sent out his Scizor. It was the only thing he could do in the given situation. None of his other pokemon had the skills necessary to defeat Muramushi, not when he was capable of rock blasting through their fragile defenses.

But Muramasa, on the other hand, he was a pokemon capable of fighting toe to toe with Muramushi, at least, that was what Dokukage hoped. Scizor weren't just fast and powerful, they had good defenses as well. And that was the kind of thing that Dokukage needed right now.

Shinobu was slightly more impressed than she had been with Dokukage's Ninjask.

"I see," she said, nodding in approval. "So you've finally come to terms with the fact that all those ninja techniques of yours aren't good for anything, have you?"

Dokukage leveled an icy glare her way. "Muramasa is my strongest pokemon," he said simply, not wanting to admit that Shinobu was right. "It only seems fitting that I fight your strongest pokemon with mine, don't you think, big sister?" He asked.

Shinobu shrugged. She wasn't really interested in eliciting a confession from him, even though it would have pleased her to hear him admit that his village's techniques that he lauded so highly were completely useless in this situation.

"Fair enough, there's no point in boasting," she said. "Let's see what that Scizor of yours is capable of! Muramushi, use rock blast!"

She wanted to start things off with a swift and brutal barrage. Even though Dokukage probably wasn't planning on using his baton pass combo, since none of his pokemon would stand a chance even if he did pass buffs to them, that didn't mean he wouldn't still buff up Muramasa anyway. She needed to prevent that, and the best method was an all-out attack.

But that was the sort of tactic that Dokukage had anticipated.

"Muramasa!" He called. "Use your bullet punch!"

"Heracross!"

"Scizor!"

Both Bug type pokemon cried out in agreement with their trainer's orders and prepared. Muramushi dug into the pile of debris and flung more bricks and concrete at the Scizor, launching wave after wave of rubble his way. Muramasa, in turn, was prepared for the attack, and raised his claws, unleashing a barrage of punches so fast that his arms were crimson blurs in the sky.

Muramasa blasted through the rubble without even flinching, reducing it to pebbles and dust. Shinobu whistled approvingly.

"Not bad, little brother, not bad at all," she said. "I knew Muramasa was strong, but even I've gotta admit I'm impressed."

"I told you, Muramasa is my strongest pokemon," Dokukage said, trying not to sound like he was boasting too much. "But that doesn't mean that this will be an easy fight. I'm not going to underestimate you the way you keep underestimating me."

Shinobu smirked. "Of course you're not. Because you know just what we're capable of. And while that was good enough for a warm-up… I think it's time we get to the real thing, don't you?"

Dokukage grimaced. "The real thing" she had said. Like the struggle he had gone through up until now, losing two pokemon effortlessly to that monster of a Heracross, like that was just something not even worth thinking about.

It pissed him off, but at the same time, he couldn't exactly deny that line of thinking given who he was dealing with.

"Dokukage, are you ready for my counter?" Shinobu asked. "Muramushi, use aerial ace!"

"Heracross!" Muramushi spread his wings and took to the sky, lowering his horn and pointing it directly at Muramasa. He soared forward and disappeared, reappearing behind Muramasa with his horn raised, ready to strike.

"Muramasa!" Dokukage shouted.

The attack was fast and brutal. Muramasa didn't even have the opportunity to turn around before the horn was brought down right into his back in a powerful slash strong enough to even break through Muramasa's steel-hard exterior.

But it wasn't enough to break him.

Muramasa endured the hit, and didn't even baulk. He focused on the pain, the force of the blow, and used that energy to guide him. Turning on point, he raised his claw and brought it up into Muramushi's stomach with a powerful counter, knocking the pokemon into the air with everything he had.

"Hera-!" Muramushi gasped, not expecting to be on the receiving end of such a powerful attack. He was knocked backwards and the air was knocked out of him, but he wasn't vanquished just yet. He touched down on the roof, panting.

"Well, I've gotta say, that was quite a move," Shinobu had to admit. She was genuinely impressed by the pokemon's performance. "Since when was your Scizor capable of counters like that? I don't remember ever seeing that sort of thing from him."

"Muramasa's been training," Dokukage said. "I remember how you fight, sister. I know what your pokemon are capable of. And I trained Muramasa to be capable of countering just the same as your Heracross is."

Shinobu smiled. "At least you're using moves that aren't from our village. I supposed I can be happy about that, at least. But don't think that's enough to win you the fight, little brother. You can't just copy the master!"

"Muramasa and I aren't just copying," Dokukage fired back. "We're strong enough to beat you, just you watch!"

"Scizor!" Muramasa said, nodding in agreement.

Hearing that excited Shinobu even more. "Great! Then let's see what you're really capable of! Let's go, Muramushi!"

"Heracross!" Muramushi agreed, lowering his horn and charging.

The two Bug type pokemon took to the sky, lunging at each other.

So Dokukage and Shinobu's battle is really heating up now! They're using their strongest pokemon! And even more excitingly, Dokukage has foregone his trademark baton pass strategy! Will he be able to defeat Shinobu without it?!