Now, let's continue the battle between Alcea and Kanone, with some insights in Alcea's past!
Arcana of the North: Harmonia does have quite a few mysteries that I hope to unravel given good time.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 40
"I think it's time to test out one of my new pokemon in a real fight," Kanone said, tossing out a pokeball. "Blaire, go!"
Emerging from the pokeball was a Sandslash, or, at least, something that looked like a Sandslash. Blake had never seen a Sandslash that looked like that before, and he had certainly never seen his brother with a pokemon like this. It was a Sandslash, but light bright blue in color instead of the normal sandy yellow. Where a Sandslash would have a back of dark brown spines, this one's back looked like it was covered in a series of long, sharp spikes of dark blue ice. Even its claws seemed longer and sharper than those on a normal Sandslash, Blake thought.
"I'll take that sour expression on your face to mean you recognize my cute little friend?" Kanone asked. "I told you, didn't I? I took a vacation in a Alola, and met a few new pokemon. And Blaire is just the perfect partner to take you down!"
"Hey, what's the big deal?" Kate asked, frowning. "Her highness's toxic spikes should have poisoned that thing!"
"Sandslash from the Alolan Region have the steel type," Kanone answered her. "Which means she isn't affected by the poison. And that's not the only difference from Sandslash found in these parts. Blaire! Use icicle crash!"
"Sand!" Blaire cried, raising her claw, piercing the grass in front of her. The ground flash-froze and enormous icicles jutted out from the surface in a blast that shot towards Rosetta like a tidal wave of jagged ice. Rosetta flew backwards and a blast of frozen wind struck Alcea in the face, causing her to hold her arms up in protection.
"Rosetta!" Alcea cried. "Are you okay?!"
"Rose!" Rosetta said, rising to her feet, nodding, but she clearly wasn't okay. She was cut and bleeding, badly injured.
"To fight me with an ice and steel type, it seems you know just how to hit me where it hurts," Alcea said, frowning. "Okay then, if that's how you want it! Rosetta! Weather ball!"
Rosetta held her hand up and generated a ball of glowing red energy, firing it at Blaire. The ball struck the icy wave and melted it on contact, burning through it at incredible speed. Blaire held her claws up and the weather ball hit her head on, pushing her back across the ice. Blaire countered with a slash of her claws, the weather ball shattering into a wave of flames that covered her body.
Alcea's triumphant smile quickly faded as Blaire leapt out of the fire with hardly a burn on her, Kanone's smiled widening.
"Blaire!" He shouted. Blaire launched another icicle crash attack at Rosetta, who countered with a weather ball attack of her own. This time, however, the icicle crash wasn't so weak to be melted away by her fire attack. Instead, the sphere struck the ice head-on, and the fire wrapped over the icicles, the battlefield erupting in steam.
The steam cleared, revealing the ice mostly melted away under a mixture of flames and the intense sunlight. Blaire was nowhere to be seen.
Alcea and Rosetta's eyes immediately shot downward, but they were a hair too slow. From under Rosetta's feet Blaire erupted, her claw coated in ice, striking the grass type in the stomach with a powerful ice punch. Rosetta flew across the battlefield and skidded across the grass, unconscious.
"So it seems we take the first victory," Kanone called out to her. Alcea said nothing as she returned Rosetta to her pokeball.
"This battle is not over yet," Alcea warned. "Hollander, come to my aid!"
Alcea tossed out a pokeball, which released a flash of shadowy energy from the ball seal, a pokemon emerging from it.
"Well now, that's a familiar sight."
"No way!" Kate said, her eyes widening in shock.
"What is it?" Blake asked.
"Her highness never uses that pokemon, except in exceptionally tough battles…" Kate said, shaking her head. "Even I have never seen it in action before."
The pokemon in question looked like the remains of a scuttled ship. It was a large anchor affixed to a large ship's wheel by clumps of dark green seaweed that wrapped over the majority of its surface, with only a few slight openings for metal and wood to peek out from under.
"Dhelmise," Kanone said. "You used that against me in our first battle. I wonder how much stronger it's gotten?"
"We'll find out, won't we?" Alcea said calmly.
"Blaire!" Kanone called. Blaire raised her claw and struck the ground, sending a wave of icicles crashing towards the Dhelmise.
"Hollander!" Alcea shouted, holding her hand out. "Anchor shot!"
Hollander's anchor unhooked from the wheel that made up its body and shot out, swinging across the battlefield on a long, iron chain. The anchor carved through the icicles as it went in a wide swing, clearing the entire blast, before arcing back and striking Blaire in the side. Blaire cried out in pain and Kanone winced. Hollander turned and the anchor pulled back toward its body, dragging Blaire along with it. With a sharp jerk, Blaire was flung into the air, the anchor still digging into her, the chain wrapping around her body.
"Now, bring her down," Alcea ordered. Hollander slammed Blaire into the ground and began dragging her across the ice, crashing her into the icicles as it went.
"Blaire!" Kanone shouted. Blaire winced and then curled into an icy ball, clutching the anchor chain tightly.
"What the…?" Alcea exclaimed, shocked.
"Have a taste of rapid spin," Kanone said, smiling.
"But it will have no effect!" Alcea gasped. "Hollander is a ghost type, your move won't hurt it!"
"Maybe if I was using it to attack," Kanone explained, "but I'm not! We're using it to defend! And against that chain of yours, you can bet it'll work!"
Blaire began spinning, pulling the chain in like a winch. As the chain reached its maximum distance, Hollander was yanked forward, flying straight toward the large tornado of wind that was forming in the center of the battlefield.
As the ghost and grass pokemon drew closer, Blaire pulled to a stop, the chains falling to the ground around her as she raised her claw, ice forming around it. She drove the icy claw straight into the core of the Dhelmise's body, the seaweed, sending it flying backwards in a mass of chains and debris.
Hollander floated up and rewound its chain, Kanone narrowing his eyes in confusion.
"Strange, I would have thought that attack would do more damage," he said. "After all, Dhelmise are grass types, even if they look like steel types."
"You would think that," Alcea said, smiling, "but it seems you need to do better research. While yes, Dhelmise are weak to ice attacks, those attacks aren't quite as effective as you would like to think. Do you want to know why that is?"
"Sure," Kanone said, smiling. "Enlighten me."
"Think carefully now, what is the pokemon you are fighting against? Is it the anchor and chain? The wheel? Or is it…"
"The seaweed," Kanone said. His eyes widened in realization.
"Oh, I get it!" Kate said, clapping her hands together, smiling.
"What?" Blake asked, looking to her in confusion. "What is it?"
"Think about it!" Kate explained. "It's seaweed, right? And what's so special about seaweed?"
"I don't know, what?"
"Sea water," Alcea answered. "Hollander's body is made of seaweed, drenched in sea water, and therefore they're impervious to being frozen. Your ice attacks are not nearly as effective as you might think."
"Very good, Alcea, I must say I'm impressed," Kanone said, smiling. "But as smart as you are, you missed the bigger picture of my little maneuver."
"And what was that?" Alcea asked. Kanone simply smirked, pointing at the ground.
"What? There's nothing there!" Alcea objected.
"Exactly," Kanone explained. "Nothing. Not a thing."
"Oh!" This time it was Blake who understood what was going on.
"What's he talking about?" Kate asked.
"Look at the ground."
"Yeah, it's just grass, covered with ice, so what?"
"Where are all the toxic spikes?" Blake asked.
"What?!" Kate asked, taking a second look at the battlefield. Blake was right, there wasn't a single poisonous caltrop in sight.
"But that's… how?!" Kate exclaimed. "How did he…"
"Those things would have gotten annoying later on," Kanone sighed. "So I had Blaire blow them away while I had the chance."
"An ice type to counter my grass type moves, a steel type to nullify my poison, and even a way of clearing away the hazards for your following pokemon…" Alcea said, shaking her head in disbelief. "…And all this from a pokemon you've only so recently capture."
Kanone shrugged.
"I could feel her calling to me," Kanone said, as though that explained everything. "And that's how I knew that she belonged with me, that no one else would be a better fit for her. It seems like I was right."
"Indeed, you are quite a match," Alcea said, nodding. "But we haven't ended things yet. Hollander, synthesis."
Hollander began absorbing energy from the sun, healing themselves of a large chunk of the energy lost from the ice attack.
"This seems quite troublesome," Kanone said, frowning. "Blaire, it seems like we won't win this through range, so you know what that means."
"Sand!" Blaire said, nodding. She charged forward and raised her claws, lunging at Hollander.
"Phantom force!" Alcea ordered. Hollander disappeared, dodging Blaire's attack. Blaire turned and looked for the Dhelmise, but they had vanished completely.
Kanone's head shot up and Blaire's did the same, Hollander appearing above her. Their anchor released and dropped onto Blaire, who cried out in pain, Kanone wincing as well as he fell down onto his knee.
"That was quite the painful attack," Kanone said, wincing. "But we aren't done just yet…"
"Yes, you are," Alcea corrected. "Hollander, anchor shot!" The chain wrapped around Blaire, holding her in place, dragging her across the ground and flinging her into the air. They turned and with a flick of their chain, Blaire was slammed headfirst into the ground.
Kanone rose to the ground, biting his lip and frowning.
"Sorry Blaire," he sighed. "I guess I was slightly optimistic about your ability to stand up to an opponent of this caliber, considering we've barely gotten the chance to really know each other yet. You rest up now, okay?"
Kanone returned the Sandslash to her pokeball, shaking his head.
"I've grown stronger," Alcea said, smiling proudly. "If you wish to defeat us, an opponent of your Samurott's caliber is needed, is it?"
"…Maybe," Kanone said, nodding, reaching for a pokeball, staring at it for a while. "…Sorry, no, I think Sammy will be on the sidelines for this one."
"What? Why?" Alcea demanded.
"Hard to explain," Kanone explained. "But let's just say there's something coming, and she needs as much rest for it as she can get, understand?"
"Ah, I see," Alcea said, nodding. "So it's that, is it?"
"It is."
"Well then, send out your next pokemon," Alcea demanded.
"I would, but I'm still just so impressed by how strong that Dhelmise of yours has grown," Kanone complimented her. "In our last fight, it wasn't nearly so amazing."
"They have put in a great deal of work," Alcea stated. "As have I. We all want to do our best to grow stronger."
"And you certainly have, you certainly have. You know, it all makes sense, in hindsight," Kanone said, smiling. "Your attachment to not only that pokemon, but to your grass pokemon in general."
"Oh? 'Makes sense' is it? And what about it 'makes sense'?" Alcea asked.
"I forgot to mention," Kanone said, his smile turning sheepish. "While I was in Alola, I paid a little visit to a nice little island by the name of Mercoga."
Alcea noticeably flinched and her eyes narrowed.
"See, I had no idea just how famous you really were, Alcea," Kanone said. "But once I learned the truth, I thought it was best to pay a visit to that little island home of yours."
"What is he talking about?" Kate asked, confused.
"It would have been about seven years ago," Kanone explained, turning to look at Kate. "It made all the papers. The young heiress of the Vermeil family was lost in a storm at sea from a tragic shipwreck that shook all of Kalos. And then by some miracle, she was found, three years later, on an uncharted island off the coast of the Alola Region."
"Enough," Alcea said, shaking her head. "Since you know what happened already, and for some reason you wish to talk about this old news, then I may as well tell you the story, Kate. I had no intention of hiding it from you, I just didn't have any reason to talk about it."
She turned to look at her Dhelmise, smiling warmly.
"Let me tell you the story about how I came to love grass type pokemon… and how grass type pokemon saved my life."
Seven Years Ago
"Happy birthday, dear Alcea, happy birthday to you!"
The cutest little redhead in the world was sitting at a table in a fancy private room, a two-story birthday cake in front of her. 10-year-old Alcea was wearing a pretty red dress that matched her shoulder length hair, and had a bright and cheery smile on her face. Also seated at the table, and the only other people in the large room, were here mother and father. Her mother wore a fancy red dress and had long hair the same color as her daughter, and her father wore an expensive suit and had dark hair. The two were looking lovingly at their daughter as she finished blowing out her candles, and applauded her.
"Mommy, when are we going to reach Kanto?" Alcea asked excitedly.
"Soon Allie," her mother said, smiling. "How are you enjoying the cruise so far?"
"Oh, it's so great!" Alcea said, her eyes brimming with joy. "This ship has gotta be the biggest ship ever!"
"Indeed, it's quite-" her father was interrupted by the shaking of the boat.
"We've got some rough water, it seems," he said, laughing. "Ne t'inquiete pas, little Allie. We'll be fine."
"Okay," Alcea said, nodding, trying to ignore the rocking of the waves.
"Oh, we almost forgot, here's your birthday present!" Alcea's mother said, handing Alcea a small box wrapped in paper covered with roses.
Alcea eagerly tore into the wrapping paper and opened the lid, a wide and disbelieving smile spreading across her face.
"Oh, mother, really?" She asked. "Really really? Is this what I think it is?" Nestled in the box was a shiny red pokeball, brand new.
"You're ten years old now," her father said. "Old enough to begin your journey as a pokemon trainer. So we talked with Professor Oak, and we got this little girl for you."
Alcea gingerly took the pokeball out of the box and stared at it reverently, pushing the button on the case. The pokeball burst open and a small Bulbasaur appeared on the ground, looking up at Alcea expectantly.
"This is Bulbasaur," her mother said, smiling.
"Hello, Bulbasaur!" Alcea said, stepping down off of her chair and kneeling down next to Bulbasaur, giving her a hug.
Suddenly, the ship shook again, even rougher this time. They could feel the boat literally tip, Alcea's Father grabbing the table for balance. The cake slid off and fell onto the ground, uneaten.
A loud knocking came from the parlor door, and a man in a suit and sunglasses burst in.
"Ansem, what's going on?!" Alcea's father exclaimed, rising from his seat.
"Sorry Mr. Vermeil, but this is an emergency," the security man explained. "I just got word! A massive storm has come upon the S.S. Anne, and the hull has been breached. The ship is beginning to split apart! You and your family have to come with me, now!"
"What?!" Alcea's father shouted.
"Daddy?" Alcea asked, looking up at her father.
"Alcea, we need to go," her mother said, grabbing her hand.
"Bulbasaur, return," Alcea said, returning her Bulbasaur to her pokeball. Her hand wrapped tightly in her mother's grasp, she followed her parents through the halls of the sinking ship, clutching her pokeball tightly to her chest.
"Where are we going, Ansem?" Alcea's father asked.
"The lifeboats are this way, sir. Don't worry. We have seats reserved for you, your wife, and your daughter," Ansem explained.
Alcea looked around, worried about the lack of other passengers on the ship. Why were they alone? She wasn't sure how long they were wandering the halls, but when they reached the deck, all hell broke loose. The wind and rain struck Alcea head on, ruining her dress and catching her hair, flinging it wildly. But her mother's hand was strong and kept her moving forward, Alcea noticing all the shoving and pushing against the railing as they tried to get to the lifeboats. The hull shook again, cracks beginning to appear in the deck.
"This way, sir," Ansem stepped into the lifeboat and helped Mr. Vermeil in. Several deckhands held the boat steady as he entered and turned to his wife. Alcea's mother stepped into the boat as well, and as she reached to life Alcea in, a massive wave struck the boat. Mrs. Vermeil fell back into the boat as Alcea broke from her grasp, tumbling back onto the deck. As she fell her pokeball slipped from her grasp, falling and rolling down the deck.
"Bulbasaur!" Alcea cried, turning and running after her pokeball.
"Alcea!" Mrs. Vermeil cried out, standing and moving after her.
"Sorry, ma'am, for the safety of the other passengers you can't leave the lifeboat!" One of the deckhands said, standing between her and the ship, holding her off.
"My daughter is still on the S.S. Anne!" Mr. Vermeil exclaimed. "Alcea!"
Another wave struck the ship, a massive crack splitting down the deck, the ship literally breaking apart at the seams.
"Lower the boat!" A voice shouted.
Over the Vermeil's protests, their lifeboat began to lower down into the water.
"Alcea!" Mrs. Vermeil exclaimed.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Alcea ran to the rail of the ship, looking down at the lifeboat through her tears. Another wave rocked the boat and the floorboards broke out from under Alcea's feet, and she tumbled into the darkness below.
Oh no! Poor Alcea! What shall be in store for her next?