Last chapter, we had some major revelations about Richard Valon and his potential past. Now, Maddi is facing him in battle! Will she be able to defeat him? Or will he use his Shadow Pokemon to completely overwhelm her?

KedharS: Quite a surprise.

Rosealine gold: Did you mention Maddi's eyes in a PM? I must have lost it. Send me again with the idea and I'll take a look.

Pokemonking0924: That's an interesting idea.

Aquahaze675: She's angling to be an investigative journalist so that's basically in her job description.

Thunder Fire: Entering a school as a teacher requires significant background checks and corroborating records to make sure he's up to snuff, scrutiny he probably doesn't want and couldn't match. A student, though? He's just another face in a crowd of applicants.

JoshGamerV: I've been building up this reveal for quite some time. Glad to see that someone was trying to put the pieces together, and see how everything works together. It's always nice when preparation and foreshadowing comes together. And Chapter 27? Did something significant happen in that chapter? I'm certain that was just an oddity, absolutely not going to come into play at some point, don't worry about it.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 504

"Hey, Dakota, you okay?" Akira asked.

"What?" Dakota flinched, snapping out of her dazed stare out across the stadium. "Oh, um… sorry, what?"

"You okay?" Akira asked again. "You were kind of staring off into space. Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"No, not at all," Dakota said, rubbing her eyes and yawning, stretching in an exaggerated fashion. "I was up late looking into a story…"

Dakota didn't want to worry Akira. She wouldn't burden him with what she knew. She didn't even fully know what she knew, she just knew that what she knew was something serious, something big. And right now, the thought of Maddi having to confront Richard Valon in battle… this guy, who was up to something, she just didn't know what…

Dakota wasn't her friend or anything, but that didn't mean she wanted the girl to get hurt. She wasn't sure what the Phantom would do, but what she'd read about Shadow Pokemon… it had confirmed all of her worst suspicions.

And I dragged her right into this, Dakota bemoaned herself, forgetting that Maddi had asked her to look up the information herself. That would be a cold comfort if the girl ended up getting badly injured like people who fought against Elaina Bishop ended up doing. She let out a sigh as Lila announced the competitors, hoping that everything would go okay.

"Richard Valon and Madison Whitmore!"

Vic watched the Phantom and Maddi walk out onto the field. She turned to the Commander, who was watching from his own box with the other members of his organization, since he wouldn't be participating in the matches this afternoon.

"Maddi is going to fight against the Phantom," Vic said. "It would be good for experience, but…"

"Concern, Vic? That's rare," Alden laughed, glancing her way.

"Of course I'm concerned, sir," Vic said, nodding. She swallowed her feelings of revulsion, already starting to rumble even before the Shadow Pokemon came out. "She's going to be fighting against the Phantom!"

"Maddi's tough," Alden said, waving his hand. "Sure, the Phantom's tough too, but I don't think Maddi's Sense is going to let her down."

"You think she'll win?" Tommy asked, turning towards them. "That would be impressive."

"I think she'll give it her best," Alden said. "I'm rooting for her, anyway."

"Well, hello there, Madison Whitmore," Valon greeted her from across the battlefield with a smile that made Maddi shiver. "Oh? Is something the matter, Whitmore? You're looking at me like you've seen a ghost!"

Maddi was staring at a ghost, a phantom of the past, returned to haunt her. She'd been harboring the faintest of hopeful doubts before, hoping against hope that it was all a weird coincidence and that the man in front of her had nothing to do with what had happened to her family.

But seeing him in person again had smashed those hopes like glass. She could feel it off him now, that same sensation all those years ago. Those sickly green eyes, staring at her like a snake pokemon, there was no mistaking it. Richard Valon was the same man as Doctor Gleiss.

If Maddi had a more courageous heart, she would have proclaimed the Phantom's true identity to the world. Maybe that would have been something her sister would do. But she was too scared. Scared of what the man in front of her would do if she revealed she knew what he was.

Maddi had never been more happy that her face had such difficulty showing emotion than she was staring down her opponent right now.

"I'll take the first move," Valon said. "Soul, go."

Valon tossed out his first pokeball. From within a cloud of shadows, a large stone dropped to the ground, and began to glow with an ominous violet aura. The aura grew larger, turning around in a strange haze, flashes of green light bubbling out from the miasma. And then, in the center of the cloud, a face emerged, monstrous eyes and a jagged smile, both glowing a sickly green. Large orbs of green swirled around the face, the pokemon beginning to cackle.

"Spiritomb!" The pokemon murmured.

"The Phantom has sent out a Spiritomb!" Lila said. "That's a dangerous one, alright!"

Kitty winced, clutching her head. It was a disgusting sight. She doubled over, her hands dropping to her stomach, nearly falling out of her chair. She had tried. She had really tried. She had tried to make it through this, and she thought that the fact she had gotten through the battle royale yesterday meant that she would be able to put up with it.

But no, she was miserable right now, she felt like she was about to vomit all over herself and pass out.

"Kitty, are you okay?" Julia asked, turning to her friend.

"I… I don't think I can keep watching this…" Kitty groaned. "It's too awful… that poor pokemon, I can't stand it."

"Kitty…" Julia placed her hand on Kitty's back, rubbing her gently. But it was a cold comfort, like trying to hold up a tarp to shield against a tornado.

"Kitty."

A new voice caught everyone's attention. Kitty glanced up to see Ayame standing in the aisle, her face looking worriedly at Kitty.

"A-Ayame…" Kitty gasped.

"What're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in the Empress's box or something?" Cynthia asked.

"…I could ask the same of you," Ayame said, raising her eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be with the Commander, rooting for Maddi?"

"Ehehe…" Cynthia giggled, scratching her head sheepishly.

"I remembered how Kitty acted before," Ayame explained, glancing at the silver-haired girl. "Back when you and Caelia Auburn were fighting against Blake and Elaina Bishop. When Caelia sent out that Shadow Pokemon, Kitty…"

Kitty felt like throwing up just remembering that.

"So I thought that you might want some help," Ayame said. "I couldn't do anything last time, because I was part of the battle royale, but… do you want me to carry you to the rest area? You look like you're about to pass out."

"Y-yes, please," Kitty nodded, trying not to sound too desperate. Julia helped her out of her seat, wincing as she saw Kitty nearly tumble over just trying to stand. But with the help of her friends, Kitty made it to Ayame.

"Kitty, if you want, I can come with you?" Julia suggested, not sure she would be able to enjoy herself anyway considering the condition her friend was in.

"It's fine," Kitty said, giving Julia a shaky smile. "You just let me know how it goes, okay? For later."

"…Yeah," Julia said, nodding, sitting back down. She didn't feel good about it, though. Whatever Kitty said, she still wanted to help her friend, after all.

"So, should we-eeeyeep!" Kitty had leaned against Ayame for support, thinking the taller girl was going to help her, but Ayame had second thoughts. She leaned down and scooped Kitty up in her arms, carrying the tiny girl like a princess.

Kitty's face turned bright red and she covered it with her hands, shaking in embarrassment as Ayame carried her out of the stadium. She wasn't feeling nauseous from the Shadow Pokemon anymore, now she was just feeling floaty.

"Ayame… is it okay if I fall for you a tiny bit?" Kitty asked.

"Blake probably wouldn't be happy with that," Ayame laughed.

While Kitty was taking her leave, a small part of Maddi wished that she could do the same. She couldn't see the aura of the Shadow Pokemon, but she still felt a pressure. A sickening feeling that she was quickly becoming familiar with, fear.

It made her want to slap herself across the face.

You are NOT afraid! She snarled at herself. You are Madison Whitmore, not some scared child! And you're going to give it your best!

"Go, Wigglytuff!" Maddi said, sending out her first pokemon. For a second, she considered maybe nicknaming the guy, like Sango did. All the pokemon on her teams, and she didn't name them. She named her personal pokemon, but there were so many pokemon she had raised for the purpose of combat, and naming all of them was a daunting task. She had tried to keep them at a distance, to behave professionally…

Was Sango rubbing off on her? That was an amusing thought.

"Madison's first pokemon is a Wigglytuff!" Lila cheered, happy that Maddi was using a fairy. "That's a really good play!"

"Really? Why?" Dakota asked. "Wigglytuff don't seem particularly strong."

"It's the pokemon it's up against," Akira clarified.

"Oh?" Dakota was still confused.

"Spiritomb are a combination of Ghost and Dark type," Akira explained. "That type combination means that they only have one type weakness. And that's-"

"The Fairy type!" Lila proudly proclaimed.

"Oh! So she's got the type advantage!" Dakota brightened. "Yeah, way to go, Maddi!"

"Well, I expected as much," Valon laughed. "The girl who specializes in type advantages sends out her Fairy pokemon without missing a beat when I use my Spiritomb. And not only that, it's a Normal type pokemon, too. Which limits my ability to use ghost moves. How cute."

"Wigglytuff, disarming voice," Maddi ordered. She wasn't about to have him close the distance yet, not until she knew what she was dealing with.

"Wiggly!" Wigglytuff opened his mouth, and sent a shockwave of sound from deep within his elastic stomach, the soundwaves traveling across the battlefield towards the Spiritomb.

"Sucker punch," Valon ordered. The violet ghost shifted, his spiritual body moving forward and changing shape, stretching out towards Wigglytuff and slamming into the pokemon, knocking him backwards. Wigglytuff bounced off the ground and jumped back on his feet, puffing up angrily.

"Not very damaging then," Valon mused. "So ghost moves won't work at all, and dark moves are limited in strength as well… that puts me in quite a troubling position. Soul, we'll have to increase your attacking strength, then. Use nasty plot."

"Spiritomb!" Soul cackled, the wicked grin on his face spreading even wider as he began to plot, developing cruel plans that raised his special attack.

"Wigglytuff, disable!" Maddi ordered. "No more of that."

"Wiggly!" Wigglytuff narrowed his eyes and began to glow, Soul beginning to glow as well.

"Spiritomb?!" Soul gasped, shocked.

"One boost is all you get," Maddi said. "Now, Wigglytuff! Use stockpile."

"Wiggly!" Wigglytuff pumped up his body and began to store up energy, raising his defenses.

"Well, that's an irritant," Valon smirked. "Soul, use dark pulse!"

"Spiritomb!" Soul gathered darkness around him, and released it in a blast of shadowy energy headed right for Wigglytuff.

"Wigglytuff, use dazzling gleam!" Maddi countered.

"Wigglytuff!" Wigglytuff puffed up, his eyes glowing bright. He unleashed a blast of energy that illuminated the entire battlefield, engulfing it in blinding light that dispersed the shadows and slammed into Soul, forcing the pokemon to retreat into the odd keystone he was using as his home.

"Whoa!" Lila said, not able to see what was happening behind her closed eyes, but still knowing that this was a good move. "Madison and her Wigglytuff are really putting the Phantom on the defensive! I'm surprised!"

"Quite powerful, but weaker moves like that aren't the specialty of a Wigglytuff," Valon said, shielding his eyes. "Light is a good counter, but where are your physical attacks, I wonder?" He smirked. "Unless you're too wary to come in close and play rough. Afraid of something?"

The light died down, and Maddi scowled at Valon, her eyes adjusting. She wasn't afraid, she was just being cautious!

Maddi grabbed her hand to stop it from shaking.

"What's he talking about?" Dakota scowled. "Maddi he's bluffing! He's losing, don't listen to a word he says!"

"No, he's not wrong," Lila said, shaking her head.

"Hah?" Dakota turned to Lila, confused. "What do you mean? You're not a battler, right Aki? I'm right, aren't I? He's just blustering!"

"I'm not skilled in pokemon battles, true, but I know my Fairy types," Lila said, shaking her head. "Normally, Wigglytuff have a higher special attack than a physical attack, so using special moves like this isn't a bad strategy per se."

"See?" Dakota said triumphantly. "So what's the-"

"It's not a large difference, though," Lila said. "And the problem is… Wigglytuff is one of the few fairy pokemon who can't learn moonblast."

"Huh? Really?" Dakota asked.

"Moonblast is the strongest special fairy move that pokemon can learn normally," Lila explained. "And play rough is the strongest physical one. Wigglytuff can learn play rough but not moonblast, so if Madison wanted to be using the strongest fairy move at her disposal, she would be using play rough. Certainly, dazzling gleam is a good substitute for moonblast, but… I don't know if the difference is enough."

"Maybe her Wigglytuff has been trained to use special moves," Akira interjected, shrugging his shoulders. "It might have a nature that boosts special attack and hinders physical, maybe? It doesn't mean that she's scared."

"Fair enough," Lila admitted. "I can't guess what she's thinking. I'm not a battle expert like you are, so I'll cede to your expertise."

Dakota glanced back at Maddi and gulped. Akira's explanation made sense to her, Maddi didn't necessarily be scared. Even though the unsaid worry was hanging over all three of their heads, not to mention a select few members of the audience.

Richard Valon was using a Shadow Pokemon. And that was definitely something that it was reasonable to be scared of. And Dakota was the only one in the stadium privy to the fact that there was another reason that Maddi would have to be scared.

"We don't need to get close," Maddi coldly replied. Her long-range strategy was working, after all. "Wigglytuff, use dazzling gleam again!"

"Well, if you won't come to us, then we'll come to you," Valon smirked. "It's time, Soul, use shadow sky!"

"SPIRITOMB!" Soul cackled, dark shadows erupting from his spectral body. Choking black fog filled the stadium, swirling around like a cloying haze of miasma that not only obscured the battlefield, but even began to have a negative effect on the audience.

"Castform…" Silver moaned, crumpling in Sango's hands.

"Silver!" Sango gasped. "Silver, are you okay?"

"This is horrid," Reiner muttered, holding his hand over his mouth to catch his cough. "Is this what Kitty was feeling?"

"I've cooked food that wasn't this awful," Kate groaned, pinching her nose in disgust.

Cynthia tried to avoid taking deep breaths. Unlike when Caelia had used it, she was a lot further away, so it was easier for her to breathe. But Maddi? Maddi was probably in real bad shape. Cynthia rose to her feet.

"Maddi!" She shouted as loud as she could. "Keep going! Don't give up and take those jerks down!"

Cynthia's words caught Maddi's ear, and she smiled a little. The shadowy fog was painfully awful, but it wasn't making her lose spirit. Cynthia's words were unneeded, but still nice to hear. "You hear that, Wigglytuff?" She called out. "We can't let this fog get the better of us!"

"Wigglytuff!" Wigglytuff nodded.

The announcers were feeling less positive about the change in the weather.

"Ugh… this is what I was afraid of…" Lila groaned, remembering the shadows from the Winter Tag Team Tournament. She held her throat and massaged it, taking care not to let the smoke she was inhaling damage her singing voice.

"Gurghk… so this is a Shadow Pokemon," Dakota managed to get out, slumping over the table. She was already not in the best condition after her all-nighter, and this was draining her down even further, she felt like she was going to throw up.

"It's definitely awful," Akira agreed, handling things a little better than Dakota, but still not in very good shape.

"Roma," Lila coughed out, reaching into her purse and withdrawing the pokeball she had kept in reserve. "Help, please…"

She pressed the button on the pokeball as it slipped through her fingers, her feathery Aromatisse emerging. She raised her tiny hands, and a sweet-smelling mist filled the announcer's box, the soothing aroma easing their pain.

"Wigglytuff, use dazzling gleam," Maddi ordered, coughing.

"Wigglytuff!" Wigglytuff released a powerful blast of gleaming light into the shadows, trying to dispel the choking miasma surrounding them. But the opposite happened, much to Maddi's horror. The shadows smothered the light, and even though the rays hit the Spiritomb, which was little more than an ominous glow in the darkness, they dealt little damage to the Shadow Pokemon, barely piercing his horrid aura.

"I'm assuming you chose to use your Normal Type party to fight against my team," Valon said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "As a ghost user, that would be the smart move on your part. You would shut down many of my moves by taking advantage of your pokemon's immunity to them."

Valon smirked, his eyes gleaming with excitement. The swirl of shadows gathering around him gave an ominous effect, Maddi only able to see the glow of his green eyes in the darkness.

"It's not a bad plan. And relying on your Wigglytuff and its fairy moves to take on my Spiritomb? Also an excellent use of the tools at your disposal, Madison Whitmore. As a fellow strategist, I applaud your preparation. But unfortunately, you made a miscalculation. I may not be able to use ghost moves against you, but you have no experience with weapons of this caliber."

"Your Shadow Pokemon-" Maddi spat out, but she was interrupted by Valon's cackle.

"Glorious, aren't they?" He asked. "Yes, truly, Shadow Moves are a thing of beauty. Superior to an ordinary move. No matter what type of pokemon you try to use, the shadows will agonize you. You're an expert at type specialization? I'm sorry to say, Whitmore, that's not how pokemon battles work. Not anymore."

"They're super-effective against any pokemon type?" Maddi gasped.

"That's right, you should have seen a little taste of that," Valon said, thinking back to the battle royale. "Even a Steel type can be damaged by electricity, if it is a Shadow Move. That's the glory of Shadow Pokemon, don't you see? You can turn any pokemon, no matter its abilities, into a weapon capable of taking down anything the enemy might throw at you. Perfectly tuned, perfectly obedient, tailored for combat of all kinds, and destroying anything that stands in your way. You might as well abandon those little goals and studies in pokemon typing, Madison. Types mean little in the battle ahead of you."

Maddi gulped in worry, the action causing her to double-over coughing. She felt sick to her stomach from the shadows, and felt herself begin to panic. She had been wary of the Shadow Pokemon, but this was something else entirely. She was wracking her brain for ideas, trying to come up with a strategy to take it down. She hadn't expected that Shadow Pokemon would be an opponent like this. Powerful pokemon, maybe.

But something like this?

Maddi clenched her hands into fists. She was trembling again.

No! You're not scared! She screamed at herself. But it was sounding less and less true.

Not good. Maddi had a pretty strong start, but once Valon brings out the Shadow Moves, the whole situation has turned around! Will Maddi be able to rally, or will Valon take her out without breaking a sweat?