The battle between Alcea and Caelia continues! The beautiful girl beloved by all, vs. the damaged and broken child with nothing.

As for the Best Girl nominations, still going strong. Anyone else left to add?

Currently Nominated: Sango, Cynthia, Elaina, Kate, Dakota, Ayame, Marion, Kitty, Serefina, Madison

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: What about Kate vs. Holly? That was an actual battle.

Videogamer2004: Since she's 18, do you want her to be a senior instead?

JUSTSOMEP3RSON: Thanks for all the support.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 222


Caelia's scarred Charizard emerged with a roar, flames dancing around her. She flew over the toxic spikes and soared towards Alcea's Tropius, spitting fire from her mighty jaws.

So that's her strongest pokemon, Alcea noted. "Kanna! Evade!"

"Tropius!" Kanna nodded, spinning out of the way of the powerful flamethrower. Unlike her Rapidash, the flamethrower from Caelia's Charizard was more like a fire blast, so massive that even with her heightened speed Kanna was having trouble evading it. She swiped her wings and sent blades of wind at the Charizard, cutting into her from behind.

"Chaaar!" Kara roared, whirling around and firing another blast of flames. But Kanna was still too fast, moving out of the way of the flames at the last instant.

"Wow, look at how fast that Tropius is!" One of the students exclaimed. "That Charizard's attacks look like they'd do some serious damage, but they aren't hitting at all!"

"A match in the sky, is it?" Alcea smiled. "Unfortunately, the strength of your Charizard is meaningless if you can't catch us."

Caelia blinked.

"You think you can run?" The growl in her voice was unnerving, and Alcea felt a shiver even in the intense heat.

"You won't escape. Kara. Burn it all."

"Charizard…" Kara growled, her leathery skin glowing an orangish-red. The air began to grow even hotter.

"Geez, what's with this heat?" Kate whined, her sweat causing her already messy hair to stick out even more. She wiped her brow, an ocean of sweat rolling over her sleeve. She pulled her sweatshirt off, her white undershirt soaked through and clinging to her frame. She held the grey sweatshirt in front of her chest, so no one could see her bra.

"Kanna!" Alcea cried. She knew what was going on. Kara's overwhelming heat wave attack was amplified by the sun, and cooking the air over their heads. It was so hot, the sky seemed to be literally bending in front of their eyes. The sweat on her face stung from the boiling heat.

"Tropius!" Kanna cried in pain, the overwhelming waves of heat rolling over her body, burning her severely. She flapped her wings desperately, sending blades of wind at the Charizard. But Kara scoffed, flapping her wings in return, sending a wave of boiling air roiling back towards the grass pokemon. The powerful wind blast pushed the helpless blades of wind backwards, overwhelming them with sheer force. The heatwave engulfed Kanna, burning her away. No matter where she tried to run… there was still air. And it still burned.

"Kanna! You need to go lower!" Alcea cried. Hot air rises, so the closer to the ground she can get…

Kanna tucked in her leafy wings, which were already starting to light on fire, and bombed towards the ground.

"There is no escape," Caelia whispered. "I told you."

Kara watched the large pokemon fall, her left eye glowing with rage. She roared again, and once more the air began to cook; this time, the heat erupted from the ground itself, hitting Kanna in the face with a scalding thermal blast with enough force behind it to actually lift her in an updraft, buffering her fall. But that didn't stop the damage from becoming immense. Kanna spread her wings to brake, but they ignited from the heat that engulfed her, becoming nearly useless. She tumbled from the air, and struck the ground hard.

"Now finish it."

"Charizard!" Kara roared, opening her mouth, a massive blast of flames engulfing the badly burned pokemon. Kanna didn't stand a chance as the heat licked up her body, igniting the leaves that covered her and causing the fruit hanging from her neck to explode.

"Kanna!" Alcea cried, recalling her vanquished pokemon. She glared daggers at Caelia, who watched her with the same unreadable expression on her face.

Meanwhile, the audience was feeling a little hot under the collar as well. They were groaning and taking off excessive layers. Olivia fanned herself, not enjoying this at all. The heat would be horrendous for her makeup, she'd have to fix it before she resumed her date. Even Caelia was clearly sweating, but unlike the others she seemed to show not a trace of discomfort even as her already messy uniform began to grow sticky with sweat, clinging to her body.

"Milady…" Kate cried. She wasn't sure what her highness had left to handle such massive firepower. Maybe Rayne? Turn the tide with rain dance? But against flying attacks…

Kate winced in sympathy for Alcea's situation. With that Charizard flying overhead… was there anything she could really do?

No, no, she's just sweating because it's really hot out. Not because she's backed into a corner, this is fine… Kate told herself, slapping her cheeks to break out of her downward spiral of worrying.

"That Charizard. Quite frightening, is it?" Alcea said, her voice pensive, as though she was not fazed in the slightest by the massive, fire-breathing dragon above her.

Alcea's dismissive attitude lit something in Caelia. She narrowed her eye, pressing her lips into a tight line.

"Stalling. Stalling. Stalling!" Caelia's flat voice turned into a scream, her face twisting in anger. Alcea's eyes widened and she instinctively stepped back in shock at the sudden change in attitude from the previously composed girl. "Stop stalling! Send out your next pokemon! I will burn it… burn, burn, burn it all! Your pokemon, you, all of you, until you let him go!"

She's insane, Kate said, shaking her head.

"Venus," Alcea said, holding up her pokeball. She threw it into the air. "Laissez-nous danser!"

From the pokeball, Alcea's Venusaur emerged, the bulky pokemon landing on the ground with a thud, a tornado of red and black rose petals dancing around her.

"Venus this early?!" Kate gasped.

"My, my, 'the queen' must be backed into quite the corner to rely on her ace!" Olivia cackled. "How pathetic, Alcea!"

Alcea ignored Olivia's jeers, devoting her attention to the battle ahead of her. Meanwhile, the crowd was going wild around them. This was something very seldom seen. A Charizard and a Venusaur, going head-to-head. Two of the three starter pokemon from Kanto, fully-evolved, duking it out at full power.

Caelia made the first move.

"Char!" Kara roared, opening her mouth and unleashing a mighty blast of flames at Venus.

"Venus!" Alcea shouted.

"Venusaur!" Venus bellowed, a green barrier appearing around her. The flames struck the sphere of light, wrapping around it, making Venus feel a little hot under the collar, but completely protected from the flames.

"Raise the temperature," Caelia ordered. "Burn her alive…"

"It's fruitless, no matter how you try," Alcea scoffed. "Protect will block it entirely!"

The flames pulsed, increasing in size and power, but they still failed to break through the barrier. Kara continued her efforts, for a few more minutes, before they finally died down. Kara panted, catching her breath, Venus taking her chance. She shot across the battlefield at a high speed, far faster than her massive frame would imply. Caelia did a double-take, not expecting that much speed from a Venusaur. Venus parked herself under Kara, her flower flexing. The large seed characteristic of her species' sexual difference, exclusive to females, pulsed with energy.

"Seed bomb!" Alcea ordered. A massive blast of seeds erupted from the center of the flower, engulfing Kara in a chain of explosions.

"Chari!" Kara roared in pain, flapping her wings and flying higher into the air, out of range of Venus's seeds.

"No fair! How is her highness supposed to get her if she won't ever come down?!" Kate protested.

"No need to worry," Alcea declared. "Venus! Solarbeam!"

"Venusaur!" Venus braced herself against the ground, her petals glowing with light. Light condensed on the stalk of her mighty flower, and she fired it in a powerful beam into the sky, straight at Kara. Kara twisted out of the way, avoiding the tower of light. Venus shifted, and the solarbeam followed after Kara.

As the condensed sunlight followed her, Kara maneuvered through the sky, but her speed was flagging.

We cannot rely on heatwave to overcome her speed, she will protect. Caelia reasoned. "Kara! Dance!"

"Charizard!" Kara roared, flapping her wings. Draconic flames of dark crimson and streaks of black lightning danced around her body as she spun through the air, outrunning the solarbeam and flying straight towards Venus. Her speed and power boosted, she prefixed her assault with a blast of flames. Venus was too quick, however, cutting out the solarbeam and skidding away, tilting her flower forwards. She launched another blast of seeds right into the flames, the heat from the fire igniting them instantly. The seeds erupted in a chain of explosions, suffocating the fire, and from behind the flames Kara emerged, claws raised. Flames danced through her hands, and she threw a powerful fire punch that hit Venus in the face, followed by a second blow under her chin, knocking Venus into the air.

Venus fell backwards, skidding across the toxic spikes. They failed to poison her, but they did cut her more than a little.

"Venus!" Alcea cried. Luckily, Venus was back on her feet quickly. Kara began to fly up again, out of Venus's reach, turning her head and readying another flamethrower as she beat her mighty wings. Alcea narrowed her eyes. She had one chance at this. "Stop her!"

"Venusaur!" Venus roared, a massive vine shooting out of the greenery on the back. The vine flew forward at such a speed that it made a crack in the air, breaking the sound barrier. It wrapped around one of Kara's thick legs, clenching onto her tightly. With a sharp tug of her power whip, Venus pulled Kara out of the sky, throwing her aim off. The powerful blast of flames shot harmlessly through the sky, Kara thrashing wildly as she plummeted towards the ground.

"Kara!" Caelia cried. Kara twisted her body as well as she could, sending a powerful gust from a swing of her wing, blowing toxic spikes off the ground just as she hit it.

"Seal her movements," Alcea ordered. Venus stomped on the ground, and grass erupted out of cracks in the stadium floor, wrapping around Kara. Powerful bindings wrapped around her legs, and her arms, and her tail, holding down her wings and even binding her throat, pinning her to the ground. Kara thrashed against her bindings, but she could break free immediately.

"Burn them away," Caelia ordered. "Flare blitz."

"All we needed was the moment," Alcea said, holding out her hand and beckoning to Venus. Her Venusaur nodded in agreement. She inhaled, the mighty plant on her back flexing, and a cloud of green spores spat out into the air, billowing across the battlefield.

"Kara!" Caelia cried, Alcea seeing worry on her face for the first time. Kara saw it as well, growling in rage.

"Charizard!" Kara roared desperately, flames erupted from her body, burning away the grass. As the sleep powder fell over her, she rose to her feet, standing fully upright, her massive frame more than a match for Venus's. She lumbered forwards, the sleep powder settling down over her as she tried to approach the Venusaur.

Kara opened her mouth, a blast of flames licking towards Venus, the Venusaur's sun-boosted speed doing a fine job of keeping her out of the way.

Kara's eye flickered, struggling to remain awake. But she couldn't keep it up for long. She lurched forward, flailing helplessly against the sleep as it reached out for her. Finally, her one working eye closed as she lost consciousness, and she fell forward, fast asleep, landing on the toxic spikes. Much to Kara's good fortune, however, the spikes failed to infect her. Kara was asleep, of course, which meant that she could not be poisoned. Somehow. Because that's how poison works.

"Now then, Venus, the threat has been handled, is it?" Alcea said. "We shall finish her now."

"Venusaur," Venus nodded, raising her vines.

"No," Caelia snapped. She held up her pokeball and recalled Kara. "No. No, never."

Caelia grit her teeth, glaring at Alcea.

"Won't forgive… bullying Kara, won't forgive… No, no, no…" Caelia shook her head frantically, her eye trembling with unease. She glanced down to her belt, grabbing another pokeball.

"Next?" Alcea asked. Caelia growled in response.

"Sally."

Caelia's next pokemon, her Salazzle, emerged. A poison type herself, the slender pokemon was unaffected by the spikes. Poison escaped from her lips as she smiled, standing up on her hind legs. The salamander pokemon raised her arms, and the poison rose out of the toxic spikes, cleaned out completely, and she sculpted it into an orb of venom that she launched at Venus. It was fast, but Venus didn't care much, dodging to the side easily.

"Whoa, she used the poison from the toxic spikes and absorbed it completely!" Kate gasped. "That wasn't something I ever thought about before! I had no idea poison spikes could be used in that way!" She was more than a little impressed by the action, in spite of herself.

Come on, milady… this is nothing! You can take her-

"Venus, no time wasted on this," Alcea scoffed. "Earth power."

"…Down." Kate's jaw dropped, as before she could even finish thinking, the ground beneath the Salazzle's feet erupted, sending her airborne. Sally tumbled through the sky and crashed into the ground. Venus stomped her feet, and the ground beneath Sally erupted again, several explosions rocking her slender frame. She hit the ground, lying there unmoving.

Kate was stunned. She had no idea that Alcea had such a trump card up her sleeve for dealing with fire and poison type pokemon. Once again, she was in awe of her highness's overwhelming power and grace. She'd been forced to give up some ground early, but now she was set to completely decimate Caelia's lineup.

Caelia blinked, recalling the unconscious pokemon, Sally having been completely decimated by Venus's exploitation of her typing. She hadn't expected Sally's speed to be able to beat the Venusaur's but… to be taken out so easily…

Kara can't help… what do I do? Caelia asked. Two of her pokemon defeated, and Kara was incapacitated for now. She hadn't cared this much about winning a battle in… how long had it been? For once… this was something she was taking seriously.

She turned her eye on Alcea, tightening it into a cold glare.

"Tori," she murmured, sending out her Turtonator.

She couldn't let herself get angry. Although she was… strangely allured by the feelings of anger, compared to her normal feeling of emptiness, she wasn't going to be a fool. Before meeting Blake… none of this had mattered. And even now, she still couldn't feel anything. Not really. Those out of place, strange beats in her heart, those brief moments of feeling… they only occurred with Blake. But these emotions… this anger… it wasn't real, she didn't feel it… but at the same time, she almost did. It was strange.

It was time for her to be patient. Alcea would fall. She was in Caelia's way. Caelia was going to be with Blake. Blake was the only one. The only person that could make Caelia feel. Without Blake, she was the same hollow, empty shell of a person. She would have him. And Alcea was taking him away. She'd take him back. Even if she had to burn the school to the ground.

"Tori," Caelia reminded her. Her Turtonator turned to face her, nodding her head, her shield-like shell facing Venus.

"Again," Alcea ordered. "Earth power, is it?"

"Venusaur!" Venus nodded, growling. She stomped her feet, the ground opening up underneath Tori's feet.

"Turt!" Tori growled. She turned her body, placing her shell down on the ground as it exploded, and released an explosion of flames into the opening crevice of the ground.

"Venus! Back!" Alcea cried. Tori had countered the erupting earth power attack with a far more powerful explosion, turning the might of Venus's attack back on her, the ground exploding beneath her feet faster than Venus could scurry away. The battlefield was wrecked, and Venus wasn't in much better straits. Venus panted, standing in front of Alcea.

"Heal yourself," Alcea ordered. Venus recovered her health with synthesis, much to Caelia's consternation.

Tori needs to be patient and wear down her opponents. If that Venusaur can heal herself so easily… she is not a good choice to use. Caelia held up her pokeball, and recalled her Turtonator.

"Third time's the charm, is it?" Alcea smirked. Caelia's eye twitched.

"Darma."

Caelia's next pokemon was her Darmanitan. The pokemon stood back on her hind legs and beat her chest energetically, excited at taking down the large Venusaur. She got onto her hands and legs and barreled towards her, growling.

"Defense did not work, so you use offense, is it?" Alcea asked, smiling. "Venus, seed bomb."

Venus rained seeds down on Darma, the pokemon's smile widening.

"Flame charge," Caelia ordered. Flames wreathed themselves around Darma, igniting the leaves before they hit, sparing her the brunt of the explosions as she picked up speed, charging at Venus. Venus moved out of the way of the charging pokemon and released a beam of light from her flower, piercing straight towards Darma. Darma was hit straight-on with a full-powered solarbeam, tumbling back, crashing into the rubble. She panted, dusting herself off, and her fiery eyebrows erupted in anger, Darma pounding her chest. She ran towards Venus again, Venus stomping the ground and summoning another earth power, boiling the earth beneath Darma's feet.

"Flare blitz," Caelia shouted. The flames burned back up, Darma's fur shining in their orange glow. She was coated in a massive tempest of raging fire, barreling through the erupting ground at high speed. She charged straight towards Venus, who tried to dodge, but Darma's speed continued to increase as she ran.

No… she's not speeding up, Venus is slowing down, Alcea realized, glancing up at the sky. The sunlight that Racer had set was finally starting to fade, meaning Venus's stats were returning to those of another Venusaur. Her movements were sluggish, and she couldn't fire off her solarbeams as fast. How inconvenient…!

Darma hit Venus head-on, knocking the grass pokemon back. Venus skidded back and hit an upthrust piece of ground, growling in pain. Darma wasn't in much better shape, the recoil having taken a toll on her. She panted, clutching her side. The earth power hadn't helped either.

"Venus, now!" Alcea shouted.

"Venusaur!" Venus roared, her body glowing, light shooting up into the sky, intensifying the sunlight. The crowd groaned, the cool air departing as quickly as it had returned.

Venus had taken some major blows, but she was still mobile, and she was already recovering with the use of her synthesis. It wouldn't be a full healing, but it would be enough to keep her going. Unfortunately, synthesis didn't help against fatigue, only injuries. And Venus was feeling very worn down. The Salazzle had been a breather, but Caelia's Charizard had really pushed her hard. Turtonator had gotten some good hits in, and now his Darmanitan was letting loose a flurry of strong moves.

The Darmanitan in question had recovered as well, her recoil wearing off, and was already lumbering towards Venus again, ready for a repeat performance. But Venus wasn't going to allow something like that to get the best of her. She began gathering in light from the sun above, and released it in a beam of energy compressed so thin it was more like a wire. Thin as it was, it was lacking in power, but moved so fast it was almost impossible to follow. It struck Darma in the leg, knocking her off balance, the bulky pokemon hitting the ground hard and rolling forward.

"Darman!" Darma howled, refusing to let the pain get the better of her. She covered her body in another veil of fire and turned her tumble into a roll, her flame charge on again boosting her speed. Venus was still quicker, though, and leapt to the side, letting Darma collide with the rocks that Venus had hit not long before. But Darma struck with the force to shatter them, righting herself immediately and readjusting course, charging at Venus again.

With that speed… we won't be able to escape unscathed. Time to take some risks. A smile crossed Alcea's face.

"Earth power," Alcea ordered. Venus stomped the ground as she leapt back, but instead of exploding the ground in front of her… the ground beneath her itself began to boil. Darma continued her charge forwards, and the explosion engulfed both of them, Darma and Venus tumbling back.

Venus picked herself up, panting, injured but not that badly. She was already focused on using her synthesis to recover her health. Meanwhile, Darma was still unseen in the smoke from the prior explosion.

A thin smile broke out across Caelia's face.

"Ready now?"

"Dar…" Darma rasped, the smoke around her clearing. The crowd gasped in shock, Kate included, but Alcea wasn't surprised. Unlike the others, apparently, she remembered what that Darmanitan's hidden ability was.

Darma sat in place, still as a statue, her fur bright blue and her eyes empty and hollow. She held her hands over her ears, curled into a ball, focusing her power.

"Psychic," Caelia ordered. Darma began glowing blue, and Venus began glowing as well, Darma lifting her into the air.

"Venusaur!" Venus wailed, thrashing helplessly against the psychic energy holding her in place.

"Oh no!" Kate gasped. "If Venus can't move, then she won't be able to fight!"

"Oui, she cannot," Alcea agreed. "Return, Venus!"

Before Venus could be defeated by Darma's overwhelming psychic powers, Alcea handily recalled her for later use. The glow around Darma's body died down.

"Her highness… was forced to recall her Venusaur?" Kate gasped. Not good…

"Hollander!" Alcea shouted, throwing out her next pokeball, a wave of shadows erupting from the ball capsule. Her Dhelmise appeared from within the shadows with a rattle of chains, their wrecked body creaking as they floated over the battlefield. The seaweed flexed, and the anchor dropped down.

"Flamethrower," Caelia ordered. Darma opened her mouth, a massive blast of flames shooting towards the shipwrecked pokemon. Before the flames could light up the debris, Hollander disappeared completely.

"Oh?" Caelia was familiar with these tactics, having faced against a ghost master in the past. She would come from behind.

But no, Hollander appeared right where they'd been moments prior, their anchor spinning through the air.

"We have no need for such tricks!" Hollander flung the anchor, infused with ghostly energy, towards the stationary pokemon. But far too slowly. Darma's eyes flashed a bright blue, and the anchor froze in place, blocked by psychic powers.

Alcea smirked.

A blast of super-pressurized water erupted from the tip of the anchor, hitting Darma in the face. Water sprayed in all directions, Kate gasping in surprise. She clapped with joy.

"I was told by an old rival that water moves were lacking," Alcea said, a triumphant smile crossing her face. "I take the time to learn from my mistakes."

"Hydro pump, eh?" Olivia said, raising an eyebrow. "Not the best in this weather, though."

Indeed, the intense sunlight was not helping the situation all that much. Between the reduction in power due to the heat and Darma's boosted special defense, the hydro pump failed to do all that much damange. But Alcea wasn't perturbed.

"Then how about we mix things up?" She asked. "Plants do not need only sunlight to grow, after all."

Hollander swung their anchor in a wide circle, the air whipping up around them as they turned. In the process of doing so, the sky began to darken as clouds gathered in front of the sun.

"Absolutely not," Olivia snarled, reaching into her purse. A folding umbrella was retrieved, and she flung it open moments before the downpour began, ensuring both her outfit and her makeup remained relatively intact.

Kate was less fortunate, and was soaked in seconds. She hurriedly pulled her sweatshirt back on to keep from freezing due to the intense rain falling down on them. This drastic weather shift was doing a good job at driving away their audience, some of the curious onlookers with little investment making tracks for drier ground.

On the battlefield itself, the intense rain was having the desired effect, Hollander's anchor spinning faster and faster, now conjuring a massive whirlpool. With a fling of their anchor the wave of water spun towards Darma. Alcea expected that, at least, to get reaction, from either trainer or pokemon.

But no, both simply watched with equally vacant gazes, neither bothered by the disadvantageous shift in the slightest.

"Overheat," Caelia ordered. Darma opened her mouth, a beam of condensed, white-hot flames firing out like a laser. In spite of the immense downpour, the rain seemed to be little more than a mild inconvenience, the drops sizzling away to nothing as they struck the glowing blast of fire. The overheat attack hit the whirlpool head-on, boiling it away and continuing on straight for Hollander, hitting them. Thankfully, the driftwood that made up their body was entirely soaked through, otherwise they would have been left without a frame to control. But the attack still dealt massive damage to the seaweed, Hollander's main body, the small lifeforms shaking. An unearthly wail erupted from their trembling bodies, like a cry from the other world.

Such powerful flames, even in this downpour… It was an excellent decision that Alcea had made, taking the opportunity to change the weather when she did. If an overheat could have so much power in the rain, what would it have been like with the power of the sun behind it?

"I see… The pokemon is the seaweed… and the rest is all… nothing…" Caelia looked over the Dhelmise, an excellent idea forming in her head. "Darma… rip it to pieces."

"Darm." Darma's eyes began glowing blue, and Hollander began glowing as well.

"Hollander!" Alcea cried. The seaweed began wailing again as their body creaked and groaned. The sounds of wood splintering could be heard. "What's going on?!"

"It's garbage, unnecessary," Caelia said. "With our psychic we'll tear it all away…"

"Not a chance! Hollander! Phantom force!"

The light around Hollander died down as they faded away into the darkness, slightly frustrating Caelia. All these tricks were making it hard to fight, all she wanted to do was destroy Alcea and her team so they'd get out of her way, and she could have Blake back.

This time, Hollander did choose to rely on those petty tricks. They appeared behind Darma, striking her in the back with their anchor. Darma was knocked off balance and wailed in pain, her body glowing. She lifted herself up and turned her body towards Hollander with the aid of her psychic powers, firing off another powerful overheat in response. This time, Hollander charged right into it, much to Caelia's surprise. Steam began billowing out of the pokemon as the heat struck their body directly.

"Force through," Alcea ordered, water gushing out of the seaweed, wrapping around the pokemon's artificial body. The rain boosted the curtain of water as well, the liquidation's power greatly increasing. And overheat was beginning to weaken as well, not nearly as powerful as the first one had been. Hollander plowed through the white-hot flames, the anchor on their body glowing from the heat as well. But as powerful as the attack was… Hollander wasn't giving in. They weren't even taking that much damage, thanks to the counter of the liquidation attack. Hollander was getting closer, and closer. And because Darma was in zen mode, they were unable to even move to escape. And when the attack died down and the flames disappeared, it was Hollander that remained, surging forward with their body covered in water.

Hollander collided with Darma, sending the powerful pokemon flying. Their anchor shot out, the chain wrapping tightly around them, pulling them back with a sharp tug. Darma was flung around like a doll, the torrent of water surging around Hollander's chain dealing her major damage, until finally she was slammed into the ground. Darma let out a final wheeze of pain, slowly reverting to her original appearance as she passed out.

Caelia said nothing, recalling her Darmanitan. She had three pokemon remaining, and Kara was still asleep. And now… NOW she was mad. The only way she could have been more sure would be if she felt it in her heart… but no, it was still just a hollow, empty anger. Not anger she could feel. But if Blake were here? If he had been watching her? Watching her lose? She knew THAT was something she would have felt.

"I can't lose…" Caelia mumbled, sending out her Larvesta next. "Can't lose, can't lose, can't lose…"

"Lar…" Mera looked behind him, his trainer rambling incoherently as she all but pulled her hair out. The look in Caelia's eye was wild. She was backed into a corner. There had to be something… had to, had to…

How do I win? How do I win? How do I win? Need to win, need, need… need Blake, need to win for Blake, can't lose, can't lose, can't lose…

"CAN'T LOSE!" Caelia shouted, trembling. Tears of anger fell from her eye, but she didn't feel them. Or perhaps it was the rain. Either way, it went unnoticed to the seething trainer. "Can't lose, can't lose, can't lose!"

What conviction… Alcea said to herself, staring at Caelia in shock. So much passion to win… all for his sake? Or for her own? I wonder…

Alcea could not rightly say whether Caelia's passion was justified. She had not once felt love. At least not love she could recognize as anything but admiration, or perhaps a light flush of the cheeks. But in front of her was a girl falling to pieces out of frustration at being unable to defeat the fiancé of the man she loved. Alcea would have sympathized with her, if she wasn't so mindlessly destructive about it and unable to listen reason.

"Can't lose, can't lose, can't lose…" Caelia was mumbling it over and over, no longer fully conscious of what was going on. The rain had darkened everything, and her world was growing very dim. She was right back in that empty shell again. Where was Blake? Blake would come help her, after all. He would be there for her. Except when those other girls… those accursed other girls, who were trying to steal him from her… like the one in front of her. Mocking Caelia just by existing. That pretty face, that smooth skin, that gorgeous body… she had friends. She had respect. She had Blake.

And what did Caelia have?

Nothing and no one. She was empty. Who would look upon such a broken piece of trash and call her beautiful? Alcea had probably been told she was beautiful by someone else every day of her life. She had no idea what it was to be a monster like Caelia. To repulse others with hideous scars, drive them away until the inside was as hollow as the outside. Alcea smiled. She laughed. And she probably cried, as well. Caelia remembered smiling. She remembered laughter. She remembered crying. They were a lifetime ago. When her body was destroyed, she tried to smile. She tried to laugh. And she cried so very much.

But time had passed. And her body never felt it pass around her. And eventually, she couldn't do any of those things. A soul housed in a body that can't feel… her emotions withered and died. All that remained were the scars of her past feelings, etched onto her heart like the scars seared into her flesh.

Alcea had everything. So why not let Caelia have Blake? She had a whole world available, but Caelia… Caelia could only have him. And she would. She would have him.

And that meant she couldn't lose here.

"I… will not… lose…" Caelia growled, the fire returning to her blue eye as she glared at Alcea. "I can't lose!"

"Lar…" Mera closed his eyes, feeling the force behind his trainer's words. It was stunning. His trainer, until now, had been so… distant, so detached. And Mera was fine with that, growing at her side. But now she wanted to win. Her favorite partner, Kara, could no longer help her. Mera would need to help her instead. He'd do his best, to bring his trainer the victory she so desperately demanded.

And with only those thoughts in his mind, Mera began to glow with a light so bright it started driving back the rain.


So Caelia's will to win has grown in leaps and bounds! Will her passion and drive be enough to pull off a victory? Or will Alcea maintain her position as the strongest female trainer in the school?