The Phantom Cup begins in this chapter! What awaits our competitors? And what will the pairings look like?

KedharS: Well then you're not gonna like this chapter very much…

Aquahaze675: Yep.

JoshGamerV: We'll see.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 493

On the afternoon of the Phantom Cup, the school was abuzz with excitement. It began Monday, after classes let out, so the sun was already low and beginning to tinge the sky orange. But as the observers filed into their seats in the Eon Stadium, the largest stadium on campus, there was one person who wasn't headed for a seat.

Lila Seelie was a girl with a mission. All week, Darla had been ignoring her texts, ducking her in the halls, and had gone to none of her classes. She hadn't even returned to her room! Lila wasn't accepting that, not for an instant. She needed to see her friend, before the tournament began she had to talk with her! And there was one place she knew that Darla would HAVE to be. The preparation room. Each student had their own private room to get themselves psyched up, and Darla would be there. And when she was, well…

Lila didn't know exactly what she would do or say to her friend when she saw her, but it was definitely going to be something!

There it was, the room Darla had been assigned. (As a member of the staff, technically speaking, Lila had access to stuff like that, even if she was just the MC) Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

"Darla? Are you there?" Lila asked.

No response. Well, Lila wasn't about to start giving a damn NOW. She scowled, grabbing the doorknob, and pushed her way in, startling Darla, who was sitting in front of the large mirror for make-up, not that she was applying any. No, as expected, she was examining her pokeballs.

"Lila?! What the-"

Lila cut her off, storming across the room and standing over the tanned girl, her arms crossed in front of her chest, letting her face and body language do all the talking for her her.

"Look, it's not that I've been ducking you," Darla tried to explain, but Lila shook her head.

"I don't care about that." The softness in her voice made Darla wince, which in turn brought a twinge of pain to Lila. She sighed, pinching her nose in frustration. Then, her eyes landed on something else of importance.

"Your outfit…"

Usually, Darla was dressed up when she was showing up in public. It would be an outfit that would support her image, something cool or punk, but it was dressed up. Not today, though. She was as dressed down as possible, with a thick black turtleneck and jeans. Not a trace of makeup to be seen, either, not a speck!

And something else of importance, too. She wasn't wearing her gloves yet. Darla's hand… wrapped around her right hand so that only her blue-nailed fingers could be seen was a thick bandage that Lila could tell at a glance had been recently changed. And she'd seen her partner in underwear enough to know that it didn't stop where shirt began, either, but crawled all the way up to her shoulder.

And Lila knew what was under that bandage, too. She was one of only two people on this island who did.

"I just came here to tell you that it's okay," Lila said, making one final plea to her friend she loved so dearly. She knelt down so that she was looking Darla eye-to-eye. "You don't have to go through with this if you don't want to. You don't have to relive those days, Darla. You can stay as you are."

"…No," Darla said, shaking her head, turning away from Lila. The pain in her eyes and the hardness on her gorgeous face just broke Lila's heart. "I have to."

Lila wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to beg. She was strong, and she was going to support her partner.

"Darla… do you still remember the promise we made that day?" Lila asked. "When we decided on our names?"

"…Why are you asking me that?" Darla asked, not turning back to her. She continued to stare into the mirror with her hollow red eyes instead. "Of course I remember."

"I'm 'Lila'," Lila reminded her, reaching out and placing her hand over Darla's bandaged one. "And you're 'Darla'. And no matter how much 'dark' you have in your heart, I'll always be the 'light' that brings you out of it."

"I remember," Darla said, her tone more insistent. "Lila-"

"You don't have to be that girl anymore," Lila said, not backing down. Darla was always the strong one? Well, not anymore!

"Lila, it's not that simple!" Darla shouted, finally turning back to her. And when she did, her eyes were filled with emotion again, but not the one Lila was hoping for. But if Darla thought she could intimidate Lila into backing off, she was in for a surprise.

Lila adjusted herself, straightening up, and then gave Darla the sweetest smile that she had in her. She wouldn't get through to Darla by turning this into a shouting match. Darla was already spicy, Lila needed to be sweet.

"It doesn't matter, Darla, it doesn't," Lila said, clutching Darla's hand tighter. Not that it mattered. Darla was strong enough to break Lila's grip if that was what she wanted. "Who you were? That doesn't have to be who you are now. I'm always going to remember your real name. You don't need to remind yourself of those painful times. I'll carry that pain for you. Always. No matter what you might be feeling or what you have to go through, you won't have to be by yourself. I'm going to be right at your side, Darla…"

…Because you're the woman I love.

"…Because you're the most important person in the world to me," Lila finished. She winked, and made an L with her skinny arm, flexing muscles that weren't there. "And if that isn't enough, and you're still not willing to listen, I'll just have to beat some sense into you! Fairies can wipe the floor with dragons, after all!"

Darla stared at Lila, her expression momentarily stupefied. Then she smiled, and sighed.

"So you're the fairy that's gonna keep me from losing control, huh?" Darla asked, rising to her feet and slipping her fingerless gloves on, hiding the bandages completely. "Well, that's gonna be a sight to see. You, kicking my ass? Don't get ahead of yourself, fairy girl."

Lila giggled, glad to see Darla's smile return. She stuck her tongue out teasingly.

"Don't be too sure! I can be vicious!" She made claws with her fingers and made an exaggerated hiss. "I'll scratch you! Just watch!"

Darla laughed, and Lila joined in, the tension in their hearts momentarily eased.

Someone else was still in a foul mood, though, and it wasn't one of the competitors. Callie Crawford sat in the stands, arms folded and shoulders slumped, wearing the same sour expression she'd had on her face all week.

"This is so stupid," she muttered. "I can't believe so many people are getting excited for such a dumb tournament."

Callie might not have been bitching to anyone in particular, but that didn't mean that her words went unheard. Just the opposite, in fact. She was sitting with her friends, and most of them were giving her a wide birth. Kitty was on one side, giving her sympathetic looks, and Nick was on the other.

Nick glanced at his girlfriend. He wanted to put an arm over her shoulder to comfort her, but that seemed somewhat… forward. It would be embarrassing!

"What's up, Callie? Cramps?" Cynthia asked, glancing away from the stadium momentarily.

Cynthia, classy as always.

Callie uttered something guttural. Everyone else was content to just sit in peace like there was nothing going on. Julia, Reiner, Nikita, and Sango all pretended like absolutely nothing was happening, Callie was just in a perfectly normal place.

"She's been in kind of a bad mood since she lost her match against Ian last week," Nick apologized for her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"It just wasn't fair!" Callie whined, stomping her feet like a child. "It was so, SO close! But he got me in the end, hmph!"

"You did your best," Nick said, patting her hair the way she always liked him to (even though she would lash out violently if anyone else ever tried) Callie immediately brightened, settling down. She liked when Nick comforted her.

"Cool, next question then," Cynthia said. "Why is Kate here?"

Kate Nomia was sitting on the edge of their row next to Sango, pretending like it was totally normal that she be here.

"I-I'm just here to cheer on her highness!" Kate sputtered. "Not-not because I actually wanted to sit with you guys or anything."

"…Okay, sure," Cynthia said dryly.

"Hush! It's starting!" Julia hissed. The lights dimmed, and then brightened. There was no battlefield or arena, which was odd. Just flat ground across the whole stadium, with the announcer's box right in the center.

"Hey, is that…" Sango squinted, trying to get a closer look.

"Hello, everybody!" Lila stepped out into the stadium, walking towards the center. "My name is Lila Seelie! I'm glad to see everybody here! Are we all getting excited?"

Cheers from the audience confirmed it. Lila smiled, her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn't used to being in the spotlight without Darla by her side.

"That's what we like to hear!" Lila said, nodding. "Now you'll notice I'm by myself today! Sorry, all you Darla Drake fans, but don't worry! She'll be out shortly! You've seen her dance, you've heard her sing, and today? You'll get a chance to watch her battle! Because Darla Drake is the first competitor of the Phantom Cup!"

Darla walked out onto the battlefield, head held high and a confident smile on her face. She waved to her fans and flashed some winks, still acting the part even when she wasn't performing.

"She's even cooler dressed casually!" One girl swooned.

"Darla is only the first of our 16 competitors!" Lila said. "But before we greet the others, I wanted to explain how things are going to be a little different! Since Darla will be competing herself, she won't be joining me in the announcer's box. Instead, we've hired some student help to lend a hand! And that's them, over there!"

Lila turned and gestured to the box, where two students were sitting. The girl looked positively pumped to be there, and the boy looked rather irritated.

Somewhere in the stands, Serefina was suppressing her urge to burst out laughing as Eli looked at her in confusion.

"Dakota Evans and Akira Saroyan will be joining me in providing commentary on everything that's going down!" Lila explained. "I'm not a battle expert myself, so Akira's going to be loads of help! He's such a sweetie, I could almost fall for him!"

She gave Akira a wink that made Dakota's smile drop into a scowl as she shot Akira a side-eyed glare that he ignored.

"But I'm not that type of girl! And to add a little flavor to the commentary, Appeals Course prospective student and the girl with the camera, Dakota Evans! Her sharp eyes won't miss a moment, and she'll be sure to report it all!"

"Got that right!" Dakota shouted back. "Especially that wardrobe malfunction of yours!"

Lila's jaw dropped and her face went pale. "What?! Where?!" She quickly fumbled around, looking for any signs of panty or bra shots.

"She's lying, Lila, you're fine," Darla muttered from where she stood a few feet away, nursing her headache.

Lila, realizing she'd gotten played, turned red and suppressed the urge to curse Dakota out.

"Oopsies!" She laughed instead, sticking out her tongue and winking at the audience as she rattled her knuckles against her pink-frosted blonde hair. "I guess I shoulda known!"

Dakota was holding her sides, laughing so hard she nearly fell out of the chair.

"That was really petty of you, Dakota," Akira replied, away from the microphone.

"Don't flirt with my boyfriend," Dakota shot back.

"Let's keep going! We've got more people to introduce!" Lila cheered. "Our next competitor is an interesting one! The one lone freshman to receive an invitation! He was on the winning team of the Winter Tag Team Tournament, but couldn't even make it out of the top 8 in the Fall Festival Tournament! Will he have the skills to go one on one with the best the school has to offer? Blake Harker, everybody!"

A few people cheered, though not nearly as many as for Darla.

"Blake you ass, that should have been my spot!" Blake was pretty sure that was Cynthia's voice he heard, but he couldn't be positive.

"Now," Lila continued, "our next competitor is a star in her own right! Prince of the school's track team, right hand to Olivia Himeko, the Empress, the cool beauty and winner of the 'Girl I'd Most Want for a Boyfriend' poll, the future winner of the Pokeathlon Pennant-"

"And adorable when she gets embarrassed," Blake added, startling Lila. She shot him a dirty look and shooed him away before putting her professional smile back on.

"…Give it up for Ayame Toujou!"

Ayame walked with a cool grin, but inside she was dying of embarrassment. Blake had said that?! It made her feel all fluttery with how hot it was to say something so bold about her to the whole school, but at the same time… he had said it to the whole school!

"You know you're adorable," Blake said when she got to where he and Darla were standing. Darla rolled her eyes.

"Shut up," she hissed out of the corner of her mouth. "I'm not going to be able to keep from turning red!"

"Good, I like when you-"

"And next!" Lila's voice drowned Blake's voice out. "Coming from the Battle Course, a transfer student whose quiet nature may be unassuming, but don't be mistaken into thinking she's not planning something! A master of type specialties rumored to have a team for any opponent, one of the highest soldiers in the Commander's arsenal, Madison Whitmore!"

Maddi walked out next, hands in the pockets of her sweater as she stared ahead, her game face on. Blake was a decent enough guy, but this wasn't the time for friends.

"Yeah, Maddi! Go, go!" Cynthia cheered. She rose to her feet, bursting with energy. "Come on, guys! We need to cheer on Maddi! Go, Maddi! Wipe the arena with Blake, and then flush him down the toilet! Yeah!"

Maddi rolled her eyes and Cynthia's other friends resisted the urge to laugh at the redhead's pettiness. She could even turn cheering for one friend into trash-talking another.

"And coming from the Research Course… a guy who leaves his 'what do I want announced about me when I make my entrance' form blank, Keahi Revanche!" Lila continued.

Keahi, also known as K, looked like this was the last place he wanted to be. He was tall, but not built. Rather, his slender form and the way his silver hair fell over his tan face made him look intimidating in a serial-killer sort of way, to say nothing about the burns on his cheeks. He was dressed in grays and blacks, with a long white lab coat, and the way he shambled across the battlefield was unnerving.

"And from the Battle Course, the gambling genius with uncountable calculations, the master of detail and preparation, Lana Canley!" Eager to get past the strange aura the K left in his wake, Lila quickly moved onto the next guest.

The next fighter in the Phantom's arsenal, Lana, walked out onto the battlefield with at least a presentable figure, unlike the last. She wore a neat dark sweater and jeans, with a cap snug over her dark hair to keep her head toasty. And another pleasant surprise, unlike K, her hair was long AND straight, instead of looking like it had gone white from being washed in bleach and never blow-dried. She had a healthy tan, her hazel eyes shining with intelligence as she looked at the other competitors.

"Now, what you've been waiting for," Lila said, deepening her voice for dramatic effect. "The mysterious girl whose tricks allowed her to snatch the seat of the Second Leader from Mirar Christian, a smooth operator who sees things better than anyone else, and a woman who you just love to hate, the Second Leader, Sylvia Driscoll!"

Sylvia didn't mind the jeers aimed her way as she ambled out, smiling like a million bucks. She walked down the line, past where she was supposed to stand, past Lana, and K, and Maddi, until she reached Ayame and Blake, who both eyed her warily.

"Are you excited, Blake?" Sylvia asked, winking at him. She ran her tongue along her lips suggestively, relishing in the glare Ayame aimed her way. "This should be a fun match…"

"And next, the Third Leader, from a village in the mountains, hidden away, the secret home of ninja…" Lila lowered her voice again into a dramatic hush. "The masterful shinobi, Dokukage!"

Lila turned to the entrance and raised her hand. But there was no one there.

She blinked.

"…The masterful shinobi, Dokukage!" She said again. Still no one. "Dokukage?"

"Ahem." Lila turned to Darla, who had cleared her throat. Darla was pointing at… Dokukage?! The man in dark ninja garb, face covered by a mask, stood as still as a statue right at the end of the line.

"Uwaah?!" Lila gasped, her jaw dropping at the sight of the ninja, having appeared without her even noticing. She quickly regained her cool, however, laughing it off. "Whelp! I'm definitely not gonna be able to track down a ninja! Anyway! Our next competitor, the Fourth Leader, the ice queen who lets on no trace of her true feelings, but sends her opponents to a cold sleep without blinking an eye, beautiful and sharp, like an icicle, Gabrielle Breaux!"

Gabrielle walked out in her trademark combat boots, showing off her lack of concern for the cold with a skinny jeans and a blue tank top that revealed her milky white skin, standing out against her long, dark hair. Her eyes were shining with ambition.

"And the Fifth Leader, an uncontrollable storm who seized his spot with a single pokemon, brother of the Commander and tamer of lightning, searching for an opponent that can give him a shocking thrill, Raizer Volt!" Lila declared.

"Yeah!" The blonde ran out, arms up, cheering loudly as the crowd shouted back to him. "Bring it on, all of you! Show me some shocking battles that'll really get some sparks going!"

Lila rolled her eyes, ignoring him. She smiled at the next name.

"And the Sixth Leader. The gorgeous queen of roses in the garden of thorns, a lovely woman who blooms on the battlefield with her majestic grass types, the picture of beauty and elegance, the Queen of Queens, Alcea Vermeil!"

"YEAAAAH!" Kate rose to her feet and shouted as loudly as she could, cheering on her lady as Alcea walked gracefully out onto the battlefield. She stopped at the end of the line and turned to Lila, lifting the hem of her red dress and curtsying.

Lila was less enthusiastic about the next competitor.

"And the head of the Eight Leaders, the Eighth Leader himself, the man who seizes victory without mercy, always striving to be the best, and will destroy anyone who dares get in his way, Gerard Alkwest!" Lila announced, trying as hard as she could to sound hyped. She didn't really care if it felt forced, because it was.

Gerard didn't seem to mind. He wasn't even bothered by the fact that he was receiving boos along with the cheers in equal measure. He still wore a cocky smile. This was all going as the Phantom had planned it, down to the last detail. As he took his place in line, his eyes met Blake's, the boy glaring at him with a look of pure loathing. Gerard smirked.

"And our next competitor! The victor of the previous Fall Festival Tournament, the only student at this school to be offered a position among the Eight Leaders and turn it down, freshly recovered from his injuries and ready to take down the Eight Leaders one by one, and fight the strongest foes that he can, Ian Davidson!"

Sango was surprised by the amount of cheers that Ian got as he walked into the stadium. She applauded as well, even as Callie was jeering him.

Lila gulped as she reached the next name, shifting a little. "A-and next, an enigma of a girl who can't quite be described, the seeker of truth and president of the Computer Club, does she even have emotions? Can anyone decipher her mysterious thoughts, or penetrate her strange exterior? Misato Daisan!"

Misato walked out with robotic precision, registering the low amount of applause but not putting any thought to it. It wasn't relevant. She was prepared for her assignment today.

A hush fell over the crowd. Everyone knew what was coming next. 14 competitors had been introduced, and that only left two. The two who would most likely make it to the finals.

Lila swallowed again.

"N-next, a man who needs no introduction! Always seeking the next fight, always challenging people to try their hardest, a man who can never be beaten, who will take on any challenge for the sheer thrill of battle! A man who commands the highest respect from his followers and peers, the Commander, Alden Volt!"

Alden didn't make a big presentation of himself the way his brother had. He simply walked out into the stadium, military jacket on his shoulders over his uniform. But that was enough. The way he carried himself, bristling with excitement and ready to win, that was enough. The crowd began cheering loudly, but he didn't notice, and if he noticed, he wouldn't care. His eyes were forward, his Sense primed for battle. A smirk crossed his face.

"Ready?" He asked, stepping up beside Misato. Misato didn't respond.

"And finally, the man who organized this tournament, the one we owe today to," Lila said, rushing her words a little to get this done as soon as possible, "a man who always keeps searching for answers, for whom 'truth' is the absolute! The man who seeks ultimate perfection, and expects nothing less, a genius hidden in the shadows, the Phantom, Richard Valon!"

Valon received a sizable amount of cheers as well as he walked out, his eyes shining with excitement. He didn't say a word, he just exchanged glances with Alden, the two standing patiently beside each other.

"Those are our competitors for today!" Lila proclaimed, skipping back to the announcer's box. But her job wasn't over just yet. "Now, for the big surprise! The thing that sets this tournament apart from our standard fare!"

"What are you talking about?" Akira glanced at Lila. This wasn't in the script.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please turn your attention to the screen!" Lila said, standing over her seat and holding her hand out in presentation, the large screen overhead flickering on and revealing a bracket of 16, but rather than faces at the bottom, there were 16 boxes with question marks inside of them.

"So who's fighting who?" Cynthia asked, confused. "Is it like the Fall Festival Tournament and nobody will know?"

"Now the hardest thing for a tournament like this is matching skilled trainers to their opponents," Lila explained. She didn't know if that was true or not, but it was in the script. "So to account for that, the people running this tournament came up with a rather interesting rule. Before the tournament begins properly, there will be a little bit of a game to determine the matchups!"

The competitors looked at each other in confusion.

"Allow me to explain the rules," Lila began. "Each one of you will choose one single pokemon to let out of your pokeballs. And then you fight. That's it."

Silence fell over the stadium for a second.

"Yes, that's it," Lila said again, after it had settled in. "This is what's called a, um… free for all? No, a battle royale! That's it!"

"Wait, so they're all going to fight each other?!" Dakota asked, surprised. She turned to Akira. "Is that even possible?"

"I mean, I guess so?" Akira said, nodding. "It's just not something I would be able to picture."

"So what's going to happen," Lila continued, "is that you're each going to fight against everyone else with your one pokemon. And when that pokemon faints? You're out! And we'll be keeping a sharp eye! The first trainer out? They'll be right there, on the first bracket! And the second person? They'll be next! And it just goes down to the end!"

"So that way, the weaker people fight the weaker people, and the stronger people fight the stronger people," Akira reasoned. "Until eventually they meet in the middle."

"That seems kinda… unbalanced," Dakota said.

"I think it's exciting," Akira disagreed.

"Whoooaaa! That is so cool!" Cynthia said, squirming in her seat in frustration. "Why couldn't I get an invitation, huh?! I want to fight in a battle royale! I want to fight against a bunch of people at once! It's not fair!"

"That-that sounds hard," Kitty said, going pale.

"Well it's not like you have to fight everyone yourself," Reiner said, putting his thoughts to work. "You can wait and pick people off."

"That's so slimy!" Callie and Cynthia both gasped. "That's just dirty!"

"Hey, I'm just thinking things through strategically!" Reiner protested. "Right, Nikita?"

"No, they're right, you're being scummy," Nikita smirked. Her expression turned serious and she turned to look back at the stadium. She couldn't see the looks on the competitors' faces, but she believed that a few of them had to be confused. This was a type of battle none of them had prepared for.

Or at least, she hoped that was the case for all of them.