Keahi thought he had Dokukage all figured out, predicting that his opponent was just some faker pretending to be prepared. But Dokukage's grown since their last battle, and came up with a strategy that caught Keahi completely by surprise! Now it turns out he has some sort of secret weapon up his sleeve! What's he planning now?

MSB41: Yes.

Venoms Cross 2: Yep, he's the kind of guy who's easy to root for because he keeps trying his best, even when luck keeps screwing him over.

KedharS: No he is not. He's giving it his all.

Tambry96bj: Yeah, he's pretty good at thinking on his feet when he's not panicking.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 1157

"A secret weapon?" Keahi snorted. "Ridiculous. You honestly expect me to believe you have some trump card up your sleeve that you've been saving?"

Dokukage shook his head. "Not a trump card, no," he replied, "just a move that I really don't like to use."

Keahi didn't believe it. But then, he'd already made an assumption that Dokukage was just a fraud who was getting lucky, and that had just blow up in his face. So he was feeling cautious. Even with No Guard, Kaho can't hit an opponent who's hiding underground. That's why we need to prepare ourselves for when that Ninjask emerges from its hole, and be ready to strike!

There was another issue to consider. That Ninjask's attack is maximized thanks to all its stat buffs, which is why it was nearly able to break through our reflect, Keahi recognized. The barrier around Kaho had held against the first night slash, but he wasn't certain it could withstand a second. We'll have to strengthen our defenses.

"Kaho, use iron defense and prepare for that Ninjask's 'trump card'!" He ordered. "I don't know what you're planning ninja boy, but whatever you've got up your sleeve, you won't be able to strike through our defense!"

"We'll see," Dokukage said calmly. He didn't seem to care that Kaho was hardening their blades with iron defense. "Higurashi, now."

"Ninjask!" With a buzz, Higurashi erupted from a hole in the ground, claws raised.

"Perfect timing!" Keahi roared. Kaho had just finished sharpening their swords. "Cut that bug out of th sky with your aerial ace!"

"Doublade!" Kaho disappeared, the two swords slicing at Higurashi with incredible speed. They were so sharp, they cut the Ninjask in half!

…But it was just a copy. Not the real thing.

"You-!" Keahi spat in frustration.

"You didn't really think we'd do something so foolish, did you?" Dokukage asked. More holes appeared in the dirt. Higurashi was taking advantage of his sharp claws and incredible speed to dig a whole network of tunnels beneath the battlefield, and as more holes appeared, more Ninjask began to emerge from them.

"So that's your game," Keahi said, narrowing his eyes. "Trying to fool us with more duplicates? Well, if your Ninjask is bold enough to come out of hiding this time, we'll be happy to slice him up, won't we, Kaho?"

"Doublade," the Shadow Pokemon rasped in agreement, dark energy surging through their blades as they circled in the air, facing the giant swarm surrounding them.

"Higurashi," Dokukage ordered. "Use shadow ball!"

"Shadow ball?" Dokukage asked, surprised. This was ages ago, back at the Pokemon Academy. The shinobi was training in his usual spot in the woods, when an unusual guest came to pay him a visit with a suggestion. "Why do you want me to teach my Ninjask that? It's a special move, and Higurashi is a physical attacker."

"Because my Shedinja knows it, of course," Sylvia said, curling a lock of her hair with an innocent smile on her face. In her other hand, a purple TM disk rested around one of her fingers like a ring, and she was spinning it. "They used to be the same pokemon once upon a time. Don't you think it's fitting that they share as many moves together as they can?"

She batted her eyelashes at him.

"…Fine," Dokukage sighed. He knew better. He really did. But Sylvia just seemed to have a knack for getting under his skin. He reached for the TM, but she pulled it out of his reach.

"No, no, no," she cooed, wiggling her finger from side to side. "It's not gonna be that easy, mister impatient. Before I just go and give you this precious little TM carefully crafted with blood, sweat, and tears-"

"Blood, sweat, and tears?" Dokukage interrupted, raising his eyebrow.

Sylvia batted her eyelashes at him again, tilting her head to the side coquettishly. "Well… maybe not mine…"

He sighed. "What do you want?"

"Well, it's nothing serious… I was just hoping that the two of us could spend some time bonding with our pokemon together!" Sylvia purred. "Just like the good old days!"

Dokukage was about to tell her where to shove it. He didn't even want to use the TM, certainly not if it meant being wrapped around Sylvia's finger.

"…Oh, and before you say anything, just know that I have no qualms about telling everyone on campus what the infamous ninja of the Pokemon Academy is really like under his mask," Sylvia added, patting him on the cheek. "Understand?"

Dokukage sighed. He really had no choice.

Now, an eternity later, Dokukage felt the pressure of that move. What he'd had to do in order to "earn" it from Sylvia still haunted his memories, and every time he saw it, he shook a little.

Shadow ball wasn't a trump card. It was just a move that reignited his trauma whenever Higurashi used it.

But this was the situation where it was necessary.

"Ninjask!" The swarm of Ninjask raised their claws, forming orbs of darkness.

Keahi was stunned. Shadow ball? Who would teach a Ninjask a move like that? But before he could give an order to Kaho, even knowing no order would be sufficient, the fast bug fired a wave of shadow balls at the swords.

"Doublade!" Kaho roared as they were beset on all sides by orbs of darkness. Even though most of the attacks were just illusions, that didn't change the very real impact of the one shadow ball that wasn't- and it was a hard enough hit to knock the blades out of the sky.

"Shadow ball may use Higurashi's mediocre special attack stat, but that doesn't matter," Dokukage said. "After all, your Doublade's special defense is even more mediocre. And since the Steel type gives you no protection from Ghost type moves, that looks like a super-effective hit to me."

Dokukage had been planning this since he sent out Higurashi. He knew that none of his other pokemon were a good matchup for the swords. His dedicated special attackers, Ame and Kagerou, were too weak to afford being placed in a fight where they couldn't dodge. And Venomark was a physical attacker, so she wouldn't be able to get through the reflect and iron defense. The same applied to Kagemusha and Muramasa.

But Higurashi had shadow ball. And with his speed, he could fire off multiple attacks before the slow-as-sin Doublade could respond. And thanks to double team, the two swords didn't even know what direction the attack came from.

Keahi was not amused. This wasn't what he planned at all, damn it! At this rate, he might just end up losing another pokemon to Dokukage, and like HELL was that going to happen! He refused to be down three pokemon against a trainer that hadn't lost even one.

"Kaho!" He roared with anger. "Don't you dare let that Ninjask get the better of you! Use shadow sneak, now!"

"Doublade!" The two swords sunk into the shadows, shooting around the battlefield. Dark blades emerged wherever they went, carving through the duplicates quickly. Keahi anticipated that Dokukage would order another substitute attack when his pokemon finally struck the real one, which was why he was so surprised when both swords emerged from the darkness and struck a Ninjask that didn't just disappear.

"Ninjask!" Higurashi roared with pain, and for an instant Keahi thought Dokukage had slipped up. But again, Dokukage had anticipated that.

We won't get anywhere if we just keep hiding with substitute, he recognized. For all the things he disagreed with his sister on, he had to acknowledge that she was right when she assessed him as a coward. He was too used to hiding and playing things safe. If this match had been fought the first day they arrived at Orre, things might have gone different for Keahi. But Dokukage had changed considerably since then, and he wasn't about to let Keahi walk over him.

"Higurashi, shadow ball!" He ordered. His Ninjask endured the attack flawlessly, and fired another shadow ball at point-blank range. The force of the explosion blasted the two swords away, and they rolled across the grass.

"Nicely done," Dokukage congratulated his injured bug. Higurashi had taken some damage, but he was still more than capable of fighting. Conversely, the Doublade was in very bad shape. Dokukage had been right on the money when he'd talked about Kaho's mediocre special defense. Even Higurashi could apply pressure with a shadow ball in a situation like this.

Keahi recognized the situation he was in, and knew that it was time for drastic measures. Kaho had done an acceptable job at dealing with Dokukage's other pokemon, but now it was time to take the hit for the sake of a greater victory.

"Kaho, shadow panic," he ordered. He hadn't been able to use this before since the Ninjask was hiding beneath the ground, but now was the perfect time.

He'll use substitute with this! Keahi was certain of it. And Dokukage's order proved him correct.

"Higurashi, protect yourself with substitute," Dokukage shouted. His Ninjask disappeared and a log took his place, the block of wood on the receiving end of a burst of shadows that would have confused and terrified the bug.

This was what Keahi had been hoping for. He had done some damage already, but the most reliable way to wear down the fast pokemon before he could finish off Kaho was by forcing him to use substitute. And that log made an excellent target as well.

"Now, aerial ace!" He followed. Kaho disappeared and the two blades sliced through the log, forcing Higurashi out of hiding. But when the Ninjask appeared, it was with a shadow ball forming between his claws.

"Fire!" Dokukage ordered.

There was no way for Kaho to dodge, so they were forced to take the shadow ball head-on. But even that was part of the plan. Because now Higurashi was in range.

"Nicely done!" Keahi shouted. "Now Kaho, use shadow break!"

"Doublade!" The two swords turned and shot towards Higurashi, covering their bodies in darkness. As they did, Higurashi prepared another shadow ball.

Fuck. This is really going to suck, isn't it? Dokukage groaned internally. He was about to make a move that the old him never would have made. Once upon a time, in a situation like this, Dokukage would have given the order for Higurashi to baton pass to another pokemon, because there was no way his Ninjask would be able to withstand a direct hit.

But the problem was, he didn't have another pokemon. Whoever he turned to would have less chance of defeating the Doublade than Higurashi would, and would certainly end up fainting anyway. Which meant that he had to make the tough choice.

And the choice was clear. Higurashi had fought well, but he would now do the valiant thing and sacrifice himself for one more strike at the two swords. Even though it meant that the baton pass would be broken. If Dokukage's foe didn't have the No Guard ability, he wouldn't even consider this. But there was no escaping Kaho's blades.

Dokukage would sacrifice Higurashi, and all the status buffs he'd acquired, for the chance of defeating his foe. Or opening up the door for another pokemon to defeat him. He looked past the swords at his Ninjask and closed his eyes in apology.

I'm sorry. But we need to defeat this pokemon in particular.

Higurashi understood, of course, which is why he fired the shadow ball with pride. The attack collided with the charging swords in an explosion, but of course they broke right through it as Dokukage knew they would. As low as their special defense might have been, that attack wasn't enough to finish them off.

But their attack would be enough to finish off Higurashi.

"NINJASK!" Higurashi buzzed with pain as the swords stabbed into his shell, and he plummeted from the sky, defeated. The injured swords barely remained in the air, but they were still intact.

Keahi would have no chance to relish his victory, however. Dokukage recalled Higurashi to his pokeball with the practiced speed of a man who'd known his pokemon would fall. And in seconds another pokemon took his place.

"Accelgor!" Kagerou shouted, emerging from his pokeball in a flash.

"Kagerou, mud shot!" Dokukage shouted. His Accelgor didn't even need to think, he formed a sphere of mud in his tiny hands, and shot it in a blast at the hovering blades. The attack hit in less than a second, and the Doublade fell to the ground just as their last victim had.

Keahi cursed as he recalled Kaho to his pokeball, but internally he knew that it had to happen. He may have lost half his pokemon already, and only taken out one of Dokukage's in exchange, but he knew things were just beginning. Dokukage had been forced to sacrifice all the buffs he'd placed on his bugs, and that meant he had to start over from scratch.

And Keahi wasn't about to allow that.

"Kanaloa!" He shouted, sending out his next pokemon.

"Empoleon!" The bird pokemon emerged with a roar, raising his wings. This was where Keahi would make his counterattack!

"Kanaloa, use surf," Keahi ordered.

"Empoleon!" Kanaloa formed a wave of water that crashed across the field, headed right for the Accelgor. And Kagerou was in no shape to perform another substitute.

"Kagerou, baton pass," Dokukage ordered. He recalled the swift pokemon to his pokeball, quickly swapping him out for another. "Kagemusha, come back out!"

"Golisopod!" Kagemusha emerged from his pokeball with a torrent of water crashing down on him. He raised his claws and withstood it easily due to his Water typing, swimming forward through the waves and lunging at the Empoleon.

"Brick break!" Dokukage ordered. He wasn't even bothering with a buff this time, or with first impression. He was focused on breaking through that reflect and striking the penguin pokemon hiding behind it.

"Goliso!" Kagemusha swung his claw, smashing through the barrier. But his strike didn't hit the Empoleon.

Kanaloa jumped back, evading the strike in the fraction of a second when Kagemusha's claws punctured the barrier. As he did, he opened his beak and fired a blast of black lightning at the Golisopod in revenge.

"GOOOOOOOLLL!" Kagemusha roared in pain. That one had been a serious hit. Dokukage had expected that, though. He knew that Kagemusha couldn't take much more. So he followed the brick break with a second order.

"U-turn!" He shouted. Kagemusha charged forward, slamming into Kanaloa with his shoulder and knocking the Empoleon off balance. He returned to his pokeball, and Dokukage replaced him with a pokemon that would hopefully have a better shot at winning.

There weren't many left.

"Venomark, go," he said, sending out his Scolipede next. Venomark was in fairly decent shape compared to the rest of Dokukage's team. The Scolipede reared back and let out a roar, scuttling towards the Empoleon.

Keahi smirked. "Three switches in three seconds. You must be incredibly desperate, swapping your pokemon so fast. What, did you lose your cool because I was finally able to defeat one of your pokemon?"

It may have seemed odd to brag about something like that, but in Keahi's defense it was the first time that he HAD defeated one of Dokukage's pokemon. He was savoring the moment a little.

Yeah, I fucking did! So fucking what? Dokukage thought. His mind was racing as he tried to figure out what strategy he should use to take down Keahi's Empoleon. He may have had the advantage in numbers, but all of his pokemon were worn out from their constant battles. Comparatively, Keahi's three remaining pokemon were almost-completely fine. And he didn't even KNOW what one of them was!

Dokukage scowled. "Venomark, use bulldoze!" He ordered.

"Scolipede!" Taking advantage of Speed Boost, Venomark surged forward, slamming her small legs against the ground. The tremors she released knocked Kanaloa off of his feet, giving her the perfect opportunity to follow with another strike.

"EMPOLEON!" Kanaloa roared, and his shout stopped the bug in her tracks.

"You really shouldn't have done that," Keahi smirked. "Now you're the one who's fallen for MY trap, Dokukage!"

"What do you mean?" Dokukage asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Kanaloa's ability is Defiant," Keahi explained. "As someone who knows so much about stat buffs, you must know what THAT ability does, right?"

Dokukage did know, but didn't say a word. He glowered at his opponent as Kanaloa roared with anger, growing stronger by the second.

"What's that? You don't? There's something the great shinobi doesn't know?" Keahi smirked, riding his own high. He wouldn't have cared if Dokukage HAD responded! "Well, I suppose I could enlighten you, then. Defiant is an ability that raises the attack stat of my pokemon by two stages whenever one of his stats has been lowered. Like how you lowered Kanaloa's speed with that bulldoze attack just now, for example!"

Fuck! Fucking shit, I should have seen that coming! Dokukage screamed internally.

"And here you were, touting how prepared you were," Keahi cackled. "But it looks like I've caught you off-guard with this one! Now Kanaloa, let's finish off the rest of those bugs!"

Uh-oh, this isn't good! Dokukage managed to defeat three of Keahi's pokemon using his baton pass strategy, but because he had to sacrifice Higurashi to do it, he's returned to square one, and now his pokemon are all weakened! And with Defiant triggered, Keahi is prepared to make a brilliant counterattack! Will he even have a chance to win at this point?