Last intermission before the next round! There's still some stuff we have to resolve before the quarter-finals, and then things are certainly going to get interesting!

KedharS: I'm going to say the odds of that are unlikely.

Aquahaze675: Richard taught her how to play Go, that's the extent of their connection really. And don't worry, the Hoopa story will get explained someday. Probably.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: I'm glad you're enjoying how I'm using your character, I'm quite enjoying him myself.

Hellraiserphoenix: It is an interesting thought for sure. Though battling isn't a passion for either of them, not really. They have other interests to occupy themselves with.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 535

Oscar worked through the night patching Misato up. Thankfully she was such a unique piece of advanced machinery that the Phantom hadn't been willing to dispense any… extensive punishments upon her.

"Believe it or not, I'm actually glad you're not fighting in the tournament anymore," Oscar told his "patient" as he peeled back some artificial skin. "With the intensity of that battle, I'm surprised that your injuries are so light."

"Damage to my systems are at manageable levels. No signs of critical failure," Misato replied. "You are expressing sentimentality and an attachment to this unit?"

"Affirmative," Oscar sarcastically replied. "You might not understand this, Misato, but you're one of a kind. You can't just put yourself at risk like that, using your body as a weapon to fight against pokemon, even if you are programmed for it. Your brain… the systems that make up your processors, even some of the engineering that makes up your frame… it's all well beyond my abilities, you understand that, right? You've got to."

"Affirmative. While you are the engineer most familiar with my functions, you lack sufficient familiarity with my operational systems at a micro level and thus it would be inadvisable for you to attempt extensive repairs beyond surface-level damage. Furthermore, you lack the programming knowledge to perform an adequate assessment of my central processing unit and other computational systems, as well as-"

"I don't think there's anyone left on the planet with the programming knowledge to perform an adequate assessment," Oscar said. "You're truly a one-of-a-kind piece of machinery, Misato. Whatever went into that head of yours… it's truly beyond comprehension. So please, don't risk damaging it."

"Clarification required," Misato responded, much to Oscar's surprise. He hadn't expected sentimentality to be something she would comment on.

"What do you need clarification on?" He asked.

"Your concern for me. Is it motivated out of a genuine concern for 'Misato Daisan' as an entity, or is it motivated out of a sense of concern for the creation of your father? If this unit were to be destroyed beyond repair, the work of your father would come to ruin."

Oscar frowned.

"He isn't just my father, Misato. He created you. You're as much his child as I am."

"Negative," Misato replied. "As a Mechadoll I do not possess any biological attachment to a living organism. I am the pinnacle of the genius of President Silph, but that does not make me his child. There is no need to think of me as such."

Oscar sighed.

"I suppose you don't feel any attachment to him at all, then."

"Affirmative. What you describe as 'attachment' is an extension of sympathy to others. I am incapable of emotion, therefore it is not possible for me to possess any attachment or loyalty," Misato replied. "It is not logical."

"So you don't have any attachment to anyone?" Oscar asked.

"Any attachment that I would possess would be a result of an anomaly in my functions," Misato explained after a momentary pause. Oscar failed to notice that she had not actually answered the question. He sighed again.

"So that explains why you can work for the Phantom, then," he said.

"Richard Valon is my operator," Misato replied. "In order to accomplish my task, absolute obedience is necessary."

"And what task is that?" Oscar asked.

"That information is classified," Misato replied. He sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that evening.

"Even though he was the one who killed your father?" Oscar asked quietly. He was no fool. Unlike most people, he had put the pieces together himself, due to his familiarity with Misato. It was no coincidence that Richard Valon just happened to approach him a few years back with Misato Daisan at his side, coincidentally after her only known version had self-destructed. Meaning there had been a third unit that had been taken. And if the Phantom possessed it, then that could only mean that he had been the one to take her from Silph Co. all those years ago… and it meant he was the one responsible for the attack. He didn't have proof. He would probably never have proof.

But he knew that proof or no, the Phantom was guilty.

And he also knew that it didn't matter. Misato wasn't going to leave him, and he wasn't about to leave her and let his last connection to his father's work be destroyed if her could help it. He didn't know what he could do for her, but he would do as much as he could for as long as he could.

"The President was not biologically related to me," Misato reminded him. "He was your biological father. You are working with the Phantom as well. I am not skilled in determining the cause of human behavior, but I have inferred from your statements that you perceive it as wrong to work with someone who killed your father. So why is it that you continue to do so, if you believe that the Phantom is responsible for killing your father?"

"Because you're here," Oscar replied. "As long as you're here, I'll be here. Even if it means I have to put up with this awfulness."

Oscar could barely stomach the thought of what the Phantom was doing with his Shadow Pokemon. It was a horrific act that under other circumstances he would never tolerate, especially since his harmonia allowed him to see the state that the pokemon were in.

But he was not so strong of a person. He didn't have the strength to stand up for what was right if it meant compromising Misato. When she had lost her match today, he had been worried about what the Phantom would do, but Richard Valon had handled it surprisingly well.

If Oscar was stronger, maybe he could have found some way to oppose him. But if Misato would never leave him, that was never going to be an option. Due to her programming she would fight to the end to protect him, even from the law. And if somehow he was captured without her destruction and she was merely detained, she would probably be taken apart, being the pinnacle of robotics that she was. And that was also not an option.

So Oscar would swallow the revulsion threatening to spill out of him for the sake of preserving Misato's existence. Even if he wished that he had some way to override the Phantom's control over her, as long as he had administrative access that was impossible as well.

There really was no way to stay at her side without destroying himself in the process, so destroy himself he would.

He just hoped that when this was all over, the Shadow Pokemon could be contained and restored, and that the people with harmonia like him who were suffering through them could find some sense of peace.

One harmonia user who was far from peaceful at the moment was Kitty. While Julia had thankfully shut off the TV when the match between Lana and Ian got bad (when the Corviknight came out) she had managed to regain some of the color in her face by the time Sango came in to check on her.

"Kitty, are you okay?" Sango asked. Kitty had been shuffled up into the girls' room for now.

"I'm fine," Kitty said. "But those Shadow Pokemon… they're really something awful… how did the rest of the tournament go?"

"We stopped watching during Ian and Lana's match," Julia explained, which was about what Sango had expected.

Sango sighed.

"Ayame lost against Gerard," she explained. "As for the other matches, well…"

Julia and Kitty stared with dropped jaws at Sango as she described what had occurred with Darla and Raizer's match, and with the Commander and Misato's match.

"TWO legendary pokemon?!" Julia exclaimed. "They fought EACH OTHER?!"

Sango nodded.

"Wow, I wish I coulda seen it," Kitty said glumly. It sounded really amazing. Then again, that pokemon… Rayquaza, it was described as a giant dragon. She gulped, shaking a little. No, maybe it was better that she hadn't seen it, even though she knew it would probably be epic.

"Wish I coulda seen that," Julia sighed, shaking her head. Kitty glanced glumly at her friend. Because Julia was taking care of her, she'd missed something that must have been amazing, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"Sorry," she whispered. "If not for me, then-"

"Don't think like that," Julia said, flicking Kitty in the forehead. "Yeah, that sounds pretty epic. But it's not your fault I missed it, don't think that way. You're awesome, Kitty. I'm happy to take care of my friend when she's feeling down, it would be pretty sad if you had to sit out here all by yourself, you know that."

Kitty felt all floaty inside, Julia was just the kindest girl in the world.

Sango smiled, happy they were feeling better. She had to admit that the tournament was pretty epic. Still, though…

"I'm going to go to the next round," Kitty insisted, crossing her arms in front of her chest, turning up her nose like the matter was settled.

"Uh, no, you're not, are you crazy?" Julia snapped. "What's gonna happen if you collapse again?! You saw what those Shadow Pokemon were like! You'll be throwing up again, or even worse! Out of the question!"

Kitty's cheeks puffed up in indignation.

"Why are you always like this, Julia?! Didn't we already go over this?" Kitty demanded. "You don't always have to protect me! I want to watch the next match, and I don't want you to not watch it because of me! You don't think I'm annoyed that I missed that epic Zeraora/Rayquaza match! I want to see it, too! Next time something epic happens? The Commander vs. Zeraora? Blake's fight against that ninja guy? Alcea vs. the Phantom? I want to watch them, too!"

Julia couldn't disagree with that, as much as she wanted to. She scowled.

"Look, I'm not trying to protect you, it's just… you're gonna be puking! You remember what it was like, right?"

Kitty paled. She didn't want to throw up again.

"O-Okay, yeah, I know, but…" she glanced down shyly and sighed. It just wasn't fair! Why did she have to have harmonia for something like this? "B-But what if I, like, wear a blindfold or something, would that be okay?"

"I'm pretty sure harmonia isn't just what you see, is it?" Julia asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Don't you, like, sense stuff? With more than just your eyes?"

Kitty gulped and looked away, Julia was right on the money.

"M-Meow…" She purred.

"You're not kittying your way out of this," Julia said.

"Ahem."

Julia and Kitty turned to Sango, who had been patiently reading in her bunk while they discussed. She slid her legs off the bed and sat up, clearing her throat.

"What?" The two girls asked.

"Look, if you guys aren't sure what to do, I have a suggestion," Sango said, raising her hand. She reached over and grabbed her laptop. "I think we all know someone who might have a bit of thought on what we could do about harmonia."

And even if she doesn't, Sango silently added, she might have some idea of what we could do with this whole "Shadow Pokemon" mess.

Julia and Kitty exchanged glances, their eyes widening in realization.

"Marion!" The two girls gasped at the same time, shocked they hadn't considered her considering the connection each of them had with her.

Sango nodded.

"Excuse me, miss, but it's time for visitors to leave…" The orderly walked into Darla Drake's room, where Lila still loyally sat at her partner's side, watching Darla's chest rise and fall with her calm breathing, grateful that each breath she was taking was under her own power. Although she had pink hair, she wasn't a nurse.

Carrie sighed. After getting fired from the pizza place, she was just grateful to get another job, even if it was wiping down the halls with a mop and checking to make sure none of the patients were going into cardiac arrest. It wasn't her job to be shooing out visitors.

It didn't help either that she had received some horrible news. Her mother had gotten in an accident and had hospital bills to pay. They were already hemorrhaging money before, and she needed a quick influx of cash that these minimum wage jobs weren't going to solve for her. She'd been down in the dumps all week, all her hard work was going right down the toilet. If she couldn't think of something, quick, then they would really be doomed.

Needless to say, a hospital was the last place she wanted to be right now. And yet she couldn't help but do the best that she could. It was a matter of professional pride.

Lila shook her head, not even sparing the girl a glance. Like hell was she going to leave Darla's side after what she'd just gone through! That was absolutely out of the question, she had promised a little girl named Zinnia that she would always be at her side, and a little thing like "visiting hours" wasn't about to make her break that promise.

"I'm staying until she wakes up," Lila replied, finally glancing up at the woman when she placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. Carrie looked sympathetically down at the blonde. She didn't have a lot of experience with people worrying over their loved ones, but as someone who cared for her own family she understood a bit of the pain that she was going through.

"Miss, I'm not quite sure you understand, but she's in a medically induced coma," the Carrie replied, not knowing a lot about medicine but she'd overheard what the nurses and doctors had said. "I think they said they put her under to give her body time to recuperate, and she's being fed through a tube. She's not going to wake up any time soon."

"And the minute you bring her out of it," Lila said through gritted teeth, "I am going to be the first thing she sees, do you I make myself clear?"

"Listen, there's a policy to account for-"

Lila knocked the woman's hand aside and leapt to her feet, turning and glaring at the older woman with a look in her eye that made the pinkette flinch. For a second Carrie thought that Lila was going to attack her! But instead, Lila reached into her purse… and took out a checkbook.

"How much to let me stay with my partner, regardless of visiting hours?" Lila asked.

"Miss, it's not a matter of money!" Carrie sputtered, and yet her greed was already tempting her as she couldn't help but glance at it.

"Will 10,000 do it?" Lila asked, clicking her pen. In spite of her vapid persona, growing up in an apartment in Rustboro raised by a single mother who was a washed up idol living off of a minimum wage job had kept her a rather frugal person. So she kept most of the money she earned from her gigs in the bank. This was an excellent reason to spend some of it.

Carrie baulked, her jaw dropping. No way Lila had just said…

"D-Did you…" she stuttered, rubbing her finger in her ear to make sure she was hearing properly, asking her for clarification, "did you say 10,000? Dollars? Thousand? Ten? Like, a one with four zeroes at the end of it?"

"Not enough? Fine." Lila turned back to the check and added another 0. Carrie's jaw practically hit the floor. Lila tore the check, and held it out to her. There were tears of desperation in her eyes. Carrie sighed, resisting the very compelling urge to look like a gold digger by tearing the check from Lila's fingers.

"Fine," she said, shaking her head. "If you're going to twist my arm, then I guess it's not really any of my business what you do, okay? I didn't see you, you were hiding under the bed or something when I did my check, okay?"

Lila's face brightened and she nodded eagerly.

"Yes, yes, absolutely, that works!" She said, relaxing a little now that it looked like the orderly was someone who could be reasoned with.

"Good, then we're good," Carrie said. Before Lila could change her mind she reached out and snapped the check out of her fingers and held it tightly, the warmth of the money practically burning a hole in her hand. "I'll be going. Don't mess around with anything, and don't leave the room, you got that? I didn't see anything."

"Of course," Lila agreed. She was too happy that Carrie had agreed to risk anything stupid like going outside right now. She turned back to Darla and sat back down in her seat. She wasn't going to leave Darla's side in the first place.

Lila raised her hand, realizing she was shaking. She reached out and placed a finger on Darla's cheek, running it along the smooth, tanned surface. Darla was so lovely, even sleeping. She was like a beautiful princess from a fairy tale, waiting for her prince to wake her up with a kiss.

Or a princess.

Not that Lila would ever do anything like that, of course. As kissable as those pink lips of hers were, Lila wasn't going to violate her beloved partner like that. She wanted their first kiss to be special, after all, something that the two would treasure.

…But the cheek was fine, of course. Nothing wrong with that. Same with the forehead. So Lila kissed both of them.

"I know you're going to wake up, Darla," Lila said, and that knowledge was why she wasn't going to cry right now. "So enjoy your rest. And while you sleep, please, have good dreams. And when you're ready… we can talk about whatever you'd like, okay?"

Lila was going to make Darla come clean about the truth. Darla would probably be woken up in the morning, but for now she could sleep.

And then... they would talk.

Meanwhile, Carrie walked down the hall, resisting the urge to set out a shout of joy. The fact it was night-time in the infirmary was the only thing keeping her under control. 100,000 dollars! 100,000! It was beyond belief! She could help her family out immensely with this! She could pay her mom's medical bills! It wouldn't be enough to solve all their problems, it wasn't like they could start living in mansions. But for now, their immediate money issues were fixed.

Carrie breathed a sigh of relief. It was nice to get a win for once in her life.

Poor Carrie, girl just can't seem to hold onto a job. At least she managed to get a win this time! Although I can't imagine the hospital staff will be that happy about the fact that she accepted a bribe, so it might be time to start the good old job hunt again.