The first assist came from twin vines. As Entei chased Akira, spewing fire across the ground, they coiled around his waist, yanking him out of range fast.
Only one Grass-type Pokémon rolled with Akira's crew: Serperior, the big sis of Unova's starter trio.
"Tang tang~ (Dumb master)"
After setting Akira down and tossing him a signature eye-roll, Serperior retracted her vines. Her leafy blades stood tall, morphing into spinning razors that whirled toward Entei.
Move: Leaf Storm!
The flames torched them to ash instantly, but Serperior didn't flinch. She charged into the fire, her leaf-like hands clasping together, growing rapidly into a Grass-type blade.
Move: Leaf Blade!
A slashing strike with verdant edge.
Her tactics mirrored Akira's to a T. No surprise—she was the clingy snake sis who'd lounge on him more than Ralts ever did, though her tsundere streak meant she'd never admit it.
Akira's response to her sass? Simple. As she lunged, he grabbed her waist and bolted the opposite way.
Cue her usual pushback: "Tang tang! Tang tang! (Let me down, idiot master! This foe's worth fighting!)"
Akira wasn't having it: "Worth fighting, sure—not worth you fighting. Don't you see it's Fire-type? Double weakness! If you get burned, who's gonna ache for you? Me! I'm not Ash Ketchum with a reverse-type win buff."
"Tang tang~ (Who needs your pity?)" Tsunderes hate straight shots, but despite her words, her Leaf Blade shrank back. "Tang tang tang tang~ (It's catching up—what now?)"
"Obviously, the Joestar family secret technique—RUN LIKE HELL!"
Solo, Akira couldn't shake Entei.
This maybe-real-maybe-fake beast had high level, high Attack, decent Speed, and—get this—technique. It used flames to boost itself. Oh, and no wings, yet it flew.
But with Serperior here, things got easier.
Fancy move tricks? Anyone can play that game.
With vines snagging leverage off the wild terrain, Akira's mobility doubled—no, tripled.
Unless you've got a wide-range nuke move—
"Holy crap, you DO!"
Before he finished, Entei leapt skyward, four paws blazing, and spat a massive, blazing kanji-shaped inferno down below.
Move: Fire Blast! One of Fire's ultimate techniques.
Its range swallowed the mountainside—Entei was dead-set on breaking every rule in the book.
In the clutch, Akira shoved Serperior behind him, drew his half-melted cursed tool, and cranked his cursed energy and focus to the max.
Thought acceleration. Cursed energy acceleration.
Faster, faster, FASTER!
Until body, cursed energy, and mind synced perfectly.
Using the sword as a focal point, anchoring it to the air ahead.
No need to destroy—just couple physical force with cursed energy flow.
"—Black Flash!"
A blue cursed glow snapped black, warping everything!
Including chunks of that Fire Blast.
It was just a small patch, but for Akira, that was enough.
As long as cursed energy held out, as long as he didn't get roasted on the spot, he'd manage.
Even for Entei, a move like that had to drain it.
Now—dart through the mountains and woods!
Black Flash's quirks shone in tight spaces, perfect for Akira's style.
Better yet, his other Pokémon were that way.
"Little Vine, know what Big Bro and Sis are up to?"
"…" Serperior didn't answer, just tilted her head, staring at Akira's face.
"Little Vine."
He called again, snapping her out of it.
"Tang tang tang tang tang tang tang. (They've got an enemy too—a blue guy, kinda like this red guy.)"
"Suicune?" Blue, like Entei—had to be one of the Sacred Beasts. "Where?"
"Tang tang. (Up ahead, past the ridge.)"
"Let's go!"
Serperior was weak to Entei but strong against Suicune.
His other Pokémon wouldn't be countered by Entei either.
Memorizing type charts and matching Pokémon to foes? Trainer 101.
Plus, Akira had tricks the games couldn't dream of.
He slashed a second Black Flash, toppling two crystal pillars to stall Entei's chase, then hugged Serperior as he zipped through the crystal forest to a ravine.
As Serperior said, Big Sis Gardevoir and Swablu—first of the baby squad, fourth in full lineup—were there.
So was Suicune, another Sacred Beast.
Unlike Entei's lion vibe, Suicune leaned deer-like.
Sapphire-blue headpiece, white diamond spots, and a flowing purple mane—also with built-in effects.
Entei had flaming paws; Suicune brought a chilling north wind.
Both effect-heavy, but their fates? Night and day.
Entei proved itself—call it "Sole God" again, and it'd torch you.
Suicune? Getting ground into the dirt.
Literally.
Gardevoir's Psychic pinned Suicune flat.
With Suicune's strength and level, it shouldn't flop this hard—not even to Gardevoir's big move.
Psychic-types have clear pros and cons.
Pros: pervasive, unpredictable, hard to dodge.
Cons: endgame's a slugfest—if Special Defense is high enough, you can tank it, like Rika back in the day.
And Suicune boasts the highest Special Defense of the Sacred Beasts.
Too bad it wasn't just facing Gardevoir. Swablu was there too—weak compared to the big shots, but packing a glitchy move: Sing.
Whenever Suicune tried something, Swablu crooned. No need to knock it out—just a little disruption did the trick.
Gardevoir had her ears plugged in advance.
Poor Suicune—no hands to cover its own.
Akira spotted Leech Seed traces on Suicune too—Serperior's parting gift.
One side waned, the other waxed—Suicune was toast.
Worse, Swablu and Gardevoir could fly and teleport.
Run? Can't escape. Fight back? Can't hit. Reality's no turn-based game—Psychic-types spamming Teleport leave most Pokémon helpless. Add Gardevoir's mastered Future Sight—basically Sharingan—and Suicune was screwed.
Gardevoir squeezed its space bit by bit, locking it with Psychic.
Through light's refraction, Akira saw her precision: not a solid "film" like typical psychic moves, but a porous web—letting Swablu's song through while focusing her power.
Wait… a net?
So Suicune really can be caught with a net. I owe Mimura an apology.