Past Friends and Future Foes! Ned and Akuroma Meet as Common Pokemon for the Last Time!?

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Akuroma panted, a mint green light fading off his arm. A tree in front of him looked like part of it was repeatedly hit with a long blunt object, but gave no sign of falling. He pulled the hood of his Raging Storm Cloak off of his head before leaning against his knees to catch his breath. He'd been training for the past half hour or so on perfecting his newest move, Psyshock. It felt so strange, focusing his psychic energy into something that would do physical damage. It was quite a change from Confusion, where he simply had to control someone's, or something's, movements with his mind.

When he finally caught his breath, he straightened himself back up and began focusing his psychic energy back onto his arm before swinging it down, sending the wave of energy into the tree. When it made contact, the tree gave a loud groan, and began to lean backwards. For a moment it looked like it was about to stop, until it's own weight finished itself off, a loud snap echoing through the woods before the tree fell down.

12/23 Energy

"Those things wouldn't have been happening if the Pokémon in here wouldn't have started attacking others all of a sudden. But I think there are more important matters to tend to right now."
From behind Ned's wings a fine, silvery powder was released once more, a few flaps of them enough to unite them in crescents of Bug-typed destruction, which were subsequently launched in the direction of the Grass type.
Oh, how Ned wished, that all of this could be stopped.
But only in tough times like these true heroes could arise to save the world.
Ned most definitely was not one of these heroes, but he would arise anyway.
He would become strong to protect his ideals and those dear to him.
He would make things better.

The Paras screeched as the Silver Wind hit it, the Bug/Grass type putting up it's claws in defense. While the Paras was focused on the Silver Wind, Akuroma began to charge up another Psyshock. The Ralts then swung his fist down, sending the wave of psychic energy at the Paras.

The Paras didn't notice the Psyshock until it was too late. The wave of energy cut through the silver powder and smashed into the Paras, sending it flying while the defense scarf it wore fell off. The fabric slowly glided over to the two Pokemon, and Akuroma picked it up once it had landed.

"Didn't seem that important to me," the Ralts said with a smirk, placing the scarf in his bag, "I've definitely taken on more powerful enemies than that. Though I'm sure there are some unsavory Pokemon in this forest. In any case, let's continue forward. I don't suppose you've been to Monochrome Falls yet, have you?"

"You should never underestimate your challenges. It certainly can be very dangerous to do so. And to answer your question - no, I have not. As a Ground type I am not really inclined to go and visit such a place."
Once more Ned was thinking of his typing's weaknesses. It truly was not a very good typing.
His weaknesses were just depressing. What was he weak against?
Water. Birds. The cold. The heat.
Pretty much everything one could expect to find in a normal environment - he was weak to it.
Now...what was he strong against?
Plants.
Plants were probably one of the least threatening things in the world.
Why, just why did the Nincada have to have such a typing?

Akuroma chuckled, "You really do have to take your typing less seriously. If I were to take my typing so seriously, I wouldn't be able to touch anything made up of metal, nor could I learn any Poison type moves, which I can. I've seen fire types bathing and grass and bug types resting near a campfire," the Ralts said as he began to walk. He didn't know why the Nincada was so concerned about his typing, it's not like it was so important that nature itself could harm him. Maybe it was just how he was raised?

"It's not my typing that's the problem. It is my own personal safety. If something has the potential to hurt you far more badly than other things, then it stands to reason to try and stay away from it as much as possible. Hm...maybe I have this mindset from the Shedinja back...then."
Ned had seen, what fire could do. He had felt, what fire could do.
And he didn't intend to be feeling that ever again.
The world was a dangerous place and one would always have to watch out for one's safety.
At least it was for a Pokémon this small, this weak, this powerless.
The other Pokémon were so lucky.
They were able to move mountains, create infernoes and tidal waves.
And what could Ned do?
He could scratch someone.
Yeah, really great...

Akuroma chuckled, "If something has the potential to hurt you, then you make yourself strong enough to where it cannot hurt you," the Ralts said. He could relate to the Nincada about feeling weak and useless, but he overcame them, and he knew Ned could as well. It may be more difficult for him, but he could definitely do it.

"But no matter, how much you train, there is only this much you can do. Even if I were to train day and night from this day forward, I would never ever be able to lift a mountain."
This argument.
Ned had heard it so many times, it had been used so often to try and convince him, but never had anyone been able to defeat this one, simple counterargument.
But the Nincada concluded, that arguing about this too much was pointless as it had never led to anything new or potentially useful before.
He would just have to live with being weak and there was nothing he could do about that.
The only thing he could do was to continue through this forest, hoping to gain at least a tiny bit of strength, however little it may be.

Aku looked at the Nincada, "And you're content with that? You're content with being weak? Being useless? You didn't like your clan's practices and beliefs, so you left. That took more strength than any of the other members. Who's to say that strength can't grow to move a mountain? There are Pokemon who can move one with their minds. There are Pokemon who can move one with powerful winds. There are Pokemon who can even move it with pure muscle. How and if you move the mountain doesn't matter, what matters is that you at least try," the Ralts said. He wasn't trying to convince the Nincada of anything, he was just planting a seed, so to speak. Akuroma knows all too well how just dropping something onto someone will make them retaliate. So he decides to circumvent that by just making the Pokemon think about something similar to the problem.

"It may be the case, that there are Pokémon capable of moving mountains. But those are Machamp and Alakazam and other awesome Pokémon. I am just a tiny Nincada. No matter how much I train, I will never be able to move a mountain or anything of the sort. There are biological limits. Eventually my shell will break. Eventually my muscles will be torn apart. It simply is not possible for me. And while I heavily oppose the clan's practices, that has nothing to do with power. I am weak. I know that. I do not like it, but I can not change it either."
Just as expected Akuroma didn't understand it either. There were the laws of physics in the way!
Just as one can not create energy or destroy matter, Ned could not grow strong enough to lift a mountain or do anything of the sort.
Why did noone ever understand this single, simple, essential truth?!

Akuroma sighed, "Ned, I'm being metaphorical. The 'mountain' is simply any challenge that comes your way," he said as he continued walking.

"Though you're wrong about being unable to change yourself being weak. Evolution is a way to become strong, training is a way to become strong. Heck, even learning moves is just to become stronger," he said. He was confused at how stubborn and pessimistic the Nincada was. He didn't act this way on their first little adventure. Back then he seemed eager to explore and train, at least more so than now.

Dracorexion carried out 3 launched of one Shadowhue Forest :

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Ned sighed. "Are you even listening to me at all? No matter, what the challenge will be, there is a point beyond which it simply is not possible to improve further."
This always happened. No matter, who it was the Nincada told his story to, they always thought they would know better, they thought they could change him. But in reality they didn't even really think of what the Bug type had been saying.
Ned was just about to continue his argument as a strange smell reached his antennae.
Something was not right. This definitely wasn't a good sign.

Akuroma sighed, "So you just give up before you even reach that point?" he asked. His horn twitched as he sensed to Pokemon, who probably came when they heard all the noise the Nincada and Ralts were making. Looking up he turned his head towards the two. The first one he saw was an Exeggutor, the tree Pokemon swaying this way and that as it approached. The second was a Flabebe who seemed to orbit the larger Pokemon.

3/23 energy

"I never said I would be giving up. I was just complaining about me being weak and countering your arguments against that statement. And I do believe, that what I did is the best way to become strong, as it has the highest probability of keeping me alive, thus allowing me to continue training. But I think there are more important matters to tend to right now."
Noticing his severe advantage over the Exeggutor, Ned decided to ignore the Flabébé's resistance against his attack, launching a cloud of sharp, silvery dust in their opponents' direction before sending the breeze that would turn it into a Silver Wind through it.
Hopefully this attack would be as devastating to the Grass and Psychic type as Ned expected. And even more hopefully they would find a way to deal with the Fariy type. Ned did not seem to have any moves, that would prove to be especially useful against such a being.

Since Ned decided to concentrate on the Exeggutor, Akuroma turned his attention to the Flabebe. It didn't seem very strong, but then again, neither does Akuroma, and he was able to take down a tree in a few Psyshock blows. He decided it'd be best to keep the other Fairy type from using any of it's long range moves, and as such, began to ran towards it, his right arm becoming coated in mint green colored electricity.

The Exeggutor, being the slow lumbering Pokemon it was, was unable to avoid the Silver Wind. The heads crying out in pain as the silver powder cut into it's leaves and heads and body.

(Flabebe: Ability - Symbiosis. Moves - Vine Whip, Fairy Wind, Captivate, Double Team)
(Exeggutor: Ability - Harvest. Moves - Seed Bomb, Hypnosis, Stomp, Barrage)

Seeing Akuroma focus on the Flabébé, Ned felt himself confirmed in his descision to pick on the Exeggutor. The palm tree had obviously noticed the Bug type's destructive potential in regards to its own typing and charged at him, preparing to use a Stomp attack.
Despite its type disadvantage the Grass type was not the lightest of Pokémon, so Ned tried to dodge the attack as well as possible, crawling up the leg of the Psychic type.
Hopefully the Exeggutor had no way of attacking him there.
And hopefully Akuroma would be able to defeat that Fairy type soon so he wouldn't have to cling to this tree for all eternity.