The battle royale continues, and this time some people are getting eliminated! Misato gets to let out her wild side. Remember to review!
Aquahaze675: He hasn't turned her into a Shadow Pokemon, no.
Rosealine gold: It's definitely gonna throw her for a loop.
Nitro zeus: If I can use them, I will.
Thunder Fire: Technically the second. But because of the conditions of her entry, she's in a gray area.
JoshGamerV: We'll have to find out just what it is he's planning. Maybe just a show of force.
KedharS: Not "like" Alita, she is Alita. Minus the morality.
Tambry96bj: She'll definitely do her best.
Hellraiserphoenix: They're probably throwing up right now.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 495
"What the hell?" Akira gasped, staring at what had just occurred on the battlefield.
"Misato is… what?" Lila fumbled to think of what to say, because she had no idea what she was looking at. There had been a running joke that Misato Daisan was a robot because she was so emotionless and literal, and the stilted way she talked with no inflection or contractions. But that didn't… that didn't mean that she ACTUALLY thought the girl was a robot. But she, and everyone else, had seen that machinery come out of her back.
"This is awesome!" Dakota exclaimed, jumping up out of her seat. "That's a robot?! An honest-to-god ROBOT?! And she's so cool!"
"No way!" Cynthia gasped from the stands, brimming with excitement. "That's so cool!"
"An actual robot?" Nikita mumbled, surprised. She had interacted with Misato the most due to her friendship with Will. And this revelation that Misato Daisan was a robot, it wasn't… surprising (well, it was surprising. Robots could actually function that well?!) it was something that when she heard it, she could believe it completely.
"Milady!" Kate shouted, her eyes wide with worry that, whatever this robot girl was, she was attacking Alcea.
"It's a robot?" Blake gasped, taking a step back in surprise, marveling at the sight in front of her.
"That's… fucking what?" Ayame regained her bearings a little faster, but she was still shaking her head in disbelief.
"She's quite a special sort of girl," Sylvia laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "But at any rate, not something you need to concern yourselves with."
"She's a robot!" Blake and Ayame shouted in unison. Sylvia rolled her eyes.
"Yes, she's a robot," Sylvia sighed. "What's the big deal about that?"
Neither one could really speak to that, so they just sort of dropped the issue. They thought Sylvia was crazy, but that was nothing new.
"Besides, you two have more important things to focus on," Sylvia said, pointing at K.
"Now," Misato said, stepping forward. Then, she disappeared.
Alcea and Gabrielle flinched. Misato had just been standing feet away from them, and now she had vanished with a spark of electricity.
"There!" Gabrielle suddenly shouted, turning to point over Alcea's shoulder. Alcea whirled around to see the empowered Misato hovering over Venus, electricity crackling through her makeshift wings to lift her up into the air.
"Venus!" Alcea shouted. Venus turned, and sent a swirl of petals flying straight at the hovering trainer that had fused with her pokemon. The razor-sharp petals sliced right towards her, Alcea gasping in shock, realizing what she'd done. "Wait, Venus!"
Misato Daisan may have been a robot, but she was also a student. Alcea didn't know exactly how much sentience she might have had, but she knew that she didn't want to hurt someone, even if that someone was a robot, or working for the Phantom. It had just caught her off-guard so much that she wasn't sure what to do.
Gabrielle was less reserved.
"Ice beam," she ordered. Her Froslass fired a beam of ice at Misato as the robot girl decimated the petals with a shockwave of electrical current. The beam struck her in the side, ice beginning to spread up her stomach and down her thigh, but Misato didn't seem to mind. The corona around her flared with intensity for a second, and the ice shattered.
"Useless," Misato said. "Lightning Waltz."
Misato dropped like an anchor, her wings shrinking as the electricity running through them was redirected down into her legs. She brought them down on the large flower on Venus's back with a powerful kick, and used the momentum to propel herself back into the air, dancing through the sky to avoid more ice beams from the Froslass.
Alcea and Gabrielle were completely entranced by Misato's movements, ordering their pokemon to fight back, and the audience was engrossed as well. But there was someone else watching the exchange, stunned at what she was seeing.
Misato's performance in this battle royale had removed all traces of doubt from Maddi's mind. Whoever, whatever Misato was, it was clear that she had some sort of connection to the Misato that she had met all those years ago.
And that thought frightened her.
Another… it's another Misato… Maddi said, shaking her head. Seeing her there, like that, she couldn't believe she had ever been so naïve as to think that she was unrelated. But how did a robot child that had self-destructed end up being years older, attending the Pokemon Academy? It didn't make any sense, there had to be more to it…
"Eevee!" Vee wailed in pain, a blade of wind cutting into him. Seeing her Eevee get injured snapped Maddi out of her
"Vee!" Maddi cried, looking around. Now wasn't the time to be focusing on the past. She had to get her head in the game.
"It seems I have your attention." Maddi glanced at Dokukage, who was hovering a few feet away from her, carried by his Masquerain.
"Coming in and attacking me when I'm off-guard," Maddi said, narrowing her eyes. "So that's how ninjas do things, huh?"
"This battle style is not suited to my pokemon's talents," Dokukage replied. "So I'll be relying on surprise here. And with that, we'll be off."
His Masquerain sent a blast of wind that knocked Maddi and Vee backwards, and he disappeared in a flash like the ninja he was.
"Damn, that Misato girl, she's amazing!" Raizer laughed, completely entranced by the display of destructive power exhibited by Misato. "Isn't that right, Zera?"
"Ora," Zera nodded, taking their attention off of Dia momentarily. That was what Gerard had been waiting for.
"Dia, moonblast!"
"Diancie!" Dia fired a compressed blast of fairy energy right at Zera, but the feline pokemon wasn't about to be caught. They ducked the fairy attack, and got their head back into things, turning and charging electricity into their fist.
"Thunderpunch!" Raizer ordered.
"Ora!" Zera charged at Dia, electricity surging through their body as they attacked with a barrage of punches. Dia floated back, trying to avoid the assault, but the electric pokemon was a lot faster than she was and trying to get away from them was looking like a futile task.
But before Zera could attack, they were hit by a powerful blast of shadow.
"ZERRAAAAAA!" Zera howled, crashing into the dirt.
"Thanks for your help, Gerard," the Phantom mused, walking towards where Raizer and Gerard were fighting. "I think it's about time I lend a hand and step in, don't you think?"
"Valon," Gerard said evenly, nodding to the other student. Even in the heat of their own battle, this action didn't go unnoticed by Gabrielle and Alcea.
"So Gerard did ally with the Phantom, is it?" Alcea scowled.
"Explains why we're begin targeted like this," Gabrielle agreed, paying close attention to Venus and Froslass, both pokemon trying to fight off Misato as best they could. But they were losing. Badly. Misato, whatever she was, was too much for them, even with Venus's resistance to electicity.
"Shade, take care of that Zeraora," the Phantom ordered. "The time for mythical pokemon and legends like that has passed. Soon, any pokemon can be considered legendary."
"Gengar," the Shadow Pokemon hissed, gathering up powerful shadows into his hands. Before he could unleash it, however, a powerful psybeam hit him in the back.
"Espeon!" Eifa called. Alden had finally made his move, hitting the Phantom's Gengar in the back.
"Alden!" Valon hissed, turning to glare at the other student.
"Sorry, but I thought I'd cut in," Alden smirked. "And besides, my own engaged opponent has someone else he'd rather fight."
"Iron! Use iron head!" Ian ordered.
"Aggron!" Iron roared, storming across the battlefield towards Dia, head lowered and shining with a metallic sheen as he attacked the rock/fairy.
"Whoa!" Lila gasped. "This is really getting out of hand! Everybody's really getting into it, attacking whoever, whenever!"
"That's why it's called a free-for-all," Akira informed her.
"Hmm, so we're a little bit behind," Valon murmured. "No matter. Shade, use will-o-wisp to cripple that Zeraora with a burn!"
"Gengar!" Shade held up his hands, balls of ghostly flames appearing in front of them.
"Zera!" Raizer shouted.
"Ora!" Zera nodded, already in motion. But Dia was prepared. She dodged the charging Aggron and raised her hands, chunks of crystal shooting out of the ground around Zera's feet, freezing the pokemon on the spot.
"Now that it can't move, finish it with a burn!" Valon ordered. Shade fired the orbs of fire at the immobilized Zeraora. But they never struck their target.
"Ora?" Zera gasped, glowing, before disappearing in a flash of light. When the light died down, in their place was Eifa, Alden's Espeon!
"Espeon!" Eifa snarled, the flames falling upon her. But before they could hit her skin, a red aura appeared around her, sending the flames back where they came.
"Gengar!" Shade cried in pain, badly burned by the will-o-wisps.
"Did you forget about Eifa's magic bounce ability, Valon?" Alden asked jovially, Valon's eye twitching in response. "I thought you were smarter than that!"
"Ally switch to trade places with your Espeon and redirect my moves, huh?" Valon snarled. "It appears even the greatest fools have a skill for instinct in battle."
"It's called 'Sense' and you're damn right! Eifa, use psybeam!"
"Espeon!" Eifa's eyes glowed white and a beam of rainbow light shot out of the ruby on her forehead, right at the Gengar.
"Shade! Shadow ball!"
Shade held up his hands, and gathered darkness and shadow energy into a massive shadow ball, which he fired right at Eifa.
"Dia, moonblast!" Gerard ordered. Dia skillfully dodged Iron's charge again, and released a blast of fairy energy at the psychic pokemon as well.
"Light screen," Alden ordered. Another red barrier appeared around Eifa, the special attacks striking hard. They cracked the barrier, but it still held, protecting Eifa completely.
"Magic bounce to reflect status moves, and dual screens to repel all attacks," Valon scowled. "As expected, Alden, your ability to annoy me is unparalleled."
"If you're that upset, then why not use an attack strong enough to really get our Sense going?" Alden asked. "That dinky little shadow ball doesn't have enough in it."
"Diancie!" Dia dodged again, but this time Iron managed to graze her. Gerard whipped around to Ian, scowling.
"I have my own issues to deal with," he shouted to Valon. "Do you think this is something you can handle?"
Valon glanced at Raizer and Zera, and then to Alden and Eifa. He shrugged.
"I think I'll be just fine. My angel will be coming to join me soon enough," Valon scoffed.
"No matter what we're doing, it's not enough to bring her down," Alcea murmured.
"You're pulling your punches," Gabrielle said, the bitterness in her voice obvious. "Attack like you mean it, or we'll lose!"
"I might hurt her," Alcea replied. "A tournament is not worth that."
"She's a robot!" Gabrielle exclaimed, one of the first signs of raw emotion from her since this battle royale began. "Froslass! Use blizzard!"
"Froslass!" Froslass held her hands out, and released a wave of ice and wind that rolled over the battlefield towards Misato, who watched it silently, before charging right into the center of it.
"Cold is unnecessary," she stated. "My functions are capable of sustaining themselves in extreme climates. Now. Ominous wind."
As she plunged into the blizzard, she flapped her wings of electricity, conjuring a storm of ghostly wind that struck the blizzard, pushing through it and approaching the Froslass.
"Venus!" Alcea shouted. Venus lumbered forward and jumped in front of Froslass, taking the brunt of the ghostly winds.
"Thank you, Alcea. Froslass, ice beam! Freeze her legs!"
Froslass aimed her ice beam towards Misato's legs, but she was nowhere near fast enough. Misato's brain was working at a speed far faster than either human or pokemon was capable of, and she was already reacting to Gabrielle's orders, taking to the sky before Froslass could even process them and use her attack.
"Amazing!" Lila gasped. "Misato's a robot, so her brain must be, like, a supercomputer! Plus, it's like she has super speed and super strength, maybe because that Rotom is enhancing her! She's amazing, fighting just like a pokemon! And not only that, she's winning against the two strongest women in the Eight Leaders!"
"Pinpoint attacks won't work, because she can dodge them before we even use them," Alcea noted.
"And if we try to use a mass attack like blizzard, she'll counter," Gabrielle added.
"…Quite a conundrum, is it?"
Misato hovered in the air on her wings of plasma, assessing the entire stadium. Her eyes could see everything and her brain processed the full scope of the battle royale, knowing exactly what the situation was. The Phantom needed her to come back and assist in fighting against Raizer and Alden Volt. But she wasn't to overlook her current assignment of eliminating Gabrielle and Alcea, either. So she needed to act.
"Time has lapsed," Misato declared, rerouting energy into her offense, heightening the corona of crackling electricity dancing across her skin. She held up her hand, the electricity around it growing in size and destructive power. "I shall now fulfill my task and eliminate you both."
"…Seems bad," Gabrielle noted.
"Oui, quite a predicament, is it?" Alcea nodded. "One thing left to think of. Venus! Sleep powder!"
"Oh! Good thinking," Gabrielle nodded. "Froslass! Confuse ray!"
Venus launched a cloud of spores into the air, the pollen swirling towards Misato in a cloud too thick for her to dodge. At the same time, Froslass fired an orb of ominous light that zigzagged towards the robot girl, trying to confuse her. If attacking moves weren't working, they could hope for afflicting a status condition.
"Moves assessed," Misato stated calmly. "Threat is nonexistent."
She plunged right into the cloud of powder, emerging from the other side.
"Thunder," Misato declared, appearing above Venus at the speed of lightning, slapping her hand down onto her head. The force released a massive discharge of electricity, a bolt of lightning engulfing the large pokemon, knocking her unconscious.
"Venus!" Alcea shouted.
"Froslass!" Froslass cried, the orb of light moving erratically towards Misato.
"My brain is incapable of being disoriented. All things my receptors register are processed and accounted for," Misato declared, turning her attention to the Froslass now that the Venusaur had been dealt with. "I cannot be confused."
Misato flashed forward, ignoring the confuse ray, appearing in front of Froslass with her hand held up, dancing with destructive lightning.
"Thunder," she said again, releasing another massive bolt of lightning that swallowed Froslass, knocking her unconscious too.
It had been over in a flash. Alcea and Gabrielle had been effortlessly eliminated from the tournament before Lila even had a chance to say anything.
"That… that…" Akira stuttered, not sure what to say about the situation.
"Alcea and Gabrielle… have both been eliminated," Lila said, finally finding her voice. Alcea and Gabrielle's faces both appeared on the bracket, in the first two slots. "That means they will be fighting against each other in the official tournament."
Alcea and Gabrielle recalled their pokemon, glancing at each other. Momentary friends turned enemies in the next round. Both girls fled the battlefield, now at risk of being attacked. Misato readjusted her focus, knowing where she would go next.
"Shade, let's try something a little more powerful," Valon smirked. "Before, you were just using ghost moves, fighting like any normal Gengar. Shall we show them what you are capable of as a Shadow Pokemon?"
"GENGAR!" Shade cackled, holding his hands up. The dark miasma surging around him began to coalesce into a visible aura, Shade compressing it into a single orb of power.
"Now, use-"
Before Shade could attack, Valon was cut off by a shadow ball that hit his Gengar in the back, doing a little damage.
"Gengar?!" Shade howled, turning with his trainer to see Maddi standing behind them, her eye wide and a twisted smile on her face. Vee was at her side, staring defiantly at the Phantom and his pokemon.
"Maddi? Nice one!" Alden laughed.
"Mind if I cut in?" Maddi asked. "I have some business to settle with you! Vee! Shadow ball again!"
"Eevee!" Vee fired another shadow ball, but Shade dodged that one.
"Attacking on all sides, huh?" Alden asked. "Can't say I'm a fan, but-"
"ZERA!" Zera charged forward, ignoring Alden's statement. They raised their fist, ready to attack the Gengar.
"Shade, dodge," Valon ordered, Shade slipping into the ground. He shot forward with shadow sneak, emerging behind Eifa, ready to attack. But his strike was blocked by the reflect.
"Eifa's brightpowder strengthens her shielding," Alden said, nodding to the small satchel wrapped around Eifa's throat. "You can keep hammering her, but she's not about to go down so easily!"
"We'll see," Valon growled. "Shade-"
"Shadow ball!" Another shadow ball hit Shade as he tried to break through the barrier, Valon's eye twitching in irritation.
"…I'm getting annoyed by this," Valon said. "Lana! What the hell are you doing, huh?!"
"Sorry, sorry!" Lana cried, running over to him. "Drakon!"
"Vibrava!" Lana's Vibrava flew through the air, releasing a shockwave through the ground, the earthquake knocking Zera and Vee off of their feet, and even shaking up Eifa.
"The Phantom is being ganged up on, but one of his friends has come to the rescue!" Lila gasped. "And thanks to Gengar's levitate, it's the only pokemon who's immune from ground moves!"
"Vee! We need to take care of that Vibrava!" Maddi determined. "Use shadow ball!"
"Vee!" Vee turned and opened his mouth, preparing a shadow ball for the airborne pokemon.
"Shade!" Valon shouted. "Shadow bolt!"
"Gengar!" Shade fired a bolt of shadowed lightning right at Vee, hitting him directly.
"EEVEE!" Vee let out a yelp of pain as he hit the ground, paralyzed.
"Vee!" Maddi cried.
"Now that I have time to breathe, I can eliminate the person here who doesn't belong," Valon explained. "Sorry Whitmore, but I've gotten all I need from you. Best leave now. My angel has arrived."
"Discharge."
Misato landed on the ground, releasing a discharge of electricity that hit Vee directly.
"Misato!" Maddi gasped. "Misato, are you-"
"Madison's Eevee is unable to battle!" Lila's voice drowned out Maddi's inquiry. Shaken, she turned to her Eevee, and saw that he was, indeed, not capable of continuing. She knelt down and picked him up, glancing up at Misato. She wasn't even looking at her.
"Misato!" Maddi tried again. "Do you remember-"
"If you're eliminated you no longer belong here," Valon said, stepping up and intercepting Maddi before she could get closer to Misato. "Run away, little gene girl."
Maddi glared up at his green eyes, sparkling like a serpent. She cursed him out but fled the battlefield, holding Vee tightly to her chest. So much of this was unacceptable. She didn't understand what the hell was going on, with Misato, with the Phantom, with any of this.
"Three people are already out thanks to Misato Daisan," Lila said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Talk about a dark horse."
"I'm not a battler, but even I can see she's powerful," Dakota gulped. "Aki…"
"I'm not even sure if I could beat her," Akira said. Watching that pokemon/robot hybrid was causing him to question everything he knew about pokemon battles.
"HAHAHA!" Raizer laughed. "This is an electrifying opponent! Don't you think, Zera?!"
"ORA!" Zera nodded in agreement. Their eyes were sparkling with excitement.
"Come on, Misato Daisan!" Raizer shouted, pushing his brother out of the way and running forward. "Let's have a battle that can really shock us down to our souls and give us a thrill!"
"I do not understand," Misato replied. "I do not possess a soul. But if it is a battle that you want, then I shall oblige you. Come."
"Plasma fists!" Raizer ordered.
"ORA ORA!" Massive bolts of lightning erupted from Zara's paws as they began to unleash a flurry of punches at Misato at the speed of lightning.
"Look at that speed!" Lila gasped. "Finally, someone capable of standing up against Misato's speed!"
Misato raised her hands and caught both of Zera's punches, the pokemon unleashing a massive blast of electricity into her body.
"That's what we're talking about!" Raizer cackled.
"Power absorption initiated. Power reserves at 100%. 200%. 300%." Misato's voice sent a chill down everyone's spine. She pushed forward, knocking Zera back, the cat pokemon gasping in surprise as they stared at the girl standing in front of her.
Misato had absorbed all the electricity from Zera's attack and stored it in her power reserves, multiplying her power output.
"Misato just nullified the electricity!" Lila gasped. "And she's absorbed it! Look at all that power! What, uh… what is she gonna do with it?" That last part was said softly, Lila now feeling very meek and small, sinking down into her seat.
"This could be bad," Akira said, going a little pale. That amount of energy… he didn't even want to THINK about what was gonna happen.
"This is… uh…" Raizer gasped, surprised.
"Well done, my beautiful Misato," Valon smiled.
"Target acquired," Misato said, turning to look not at Zera, but at Eifa, Alden's Espeon. Alden realized it immediately.
"Crap!" He cursed.
"Destruction." Misato held her hand up, and released the energy she had stored in a powerful blast that was more raw plasma than electricity, blinding everyone. It struck the light screen Eifa had set, the crimson barrier beginning to crack. Then it shattered to pieces, the energy engulfing the pokemon within.
Whoa. Misato isn't playing around. Getting hit with that much power's gotta be pretty painful. That makes four people she's knocked out of the competition here.