So, here's another chapter, yes it's pretty long and kind of drags near the end, but it's necessary.
Jay Hayden: It's not that he can't control the pokemon, it's more like the Kommo-o is really powerful and Harmonia is somewhat unwieldy.
Superblal: I will be using Z-Moves and Mega Evolutions at some point in the story, but I'll handle it in a way I hope will be fitting.
Darkhammer: Yes, but not in the way you're thinking.
Duskzilla: Maybe just a bit.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 43
Sweat trickled down the side of Alcea's face, the overwhelming pressure like a weight crushing down on her. All this… just from a pokemon? She swallowed and steeled herself, staring defiantly at the armored dragon.
"Komei!" Kanone shouted. "Go!"
"Koooommm!" The Kommo-o roared. Taking the first move he raised his fist and punch, the air itself rattling around him. Komei's fist released a shockwave of pure destructive power that struck Venus, sending her flying back toward Alcea, a blast of wind sending her crimson hair flying. Twitching, Venus tried to right herself, but was still immobilized from the aftereffects of her frenzy plant.
Komei barreled forward, the scales on his body clanging. He flexed his muscles and roared, violet and blue flames dancing around his clenched fist. Swinging with the full force of his massive frame, he struck Venus in the side, simultaneously knocking her away and ripping apart the ground she'd been standing on, carving a massive crevice with the force of the strike.
"Venusaur!" Venus shouted, tumbling through the air, gathering sunlight into the flower on her back and firing it head-on at Komei.
Komei turned and raised his other hand, directly punching the solarbeam. The attack crackled with energy and a shockwave of energy pushed it back, shattering the air around Venus, the grass pokemon hitting the ground hard. Komei clenched and unclenched his fist, which was trembling slightly, the armor over his claw slightly marred but otherwise undamaged. Komei threw back his head and let out another roar, stomping toward Venus.
"Venus!" Alcea cried out.
"Venu… saur…" Venus growled, shaking, rising to her feet. She glared at Komei with the same defiance as her trainer. Her flower petals flared out, releasing a blast of spores that swirled toward Komei.
Komei huffed and swung his arm as though swatting a bug, displacing the air with a gust of wind and blowing the spores out of the way, Alcea's face blanching in shock. Komei loomed over Venus and raised his fist, pounding down on her head. The ground beneath Venus's feet gave way from the force of the blow, cratering beneath her, stones and earth kicked up around them.
"Venus…" Alcea said, returning Venus back to her pokeball.
"Milady!" Kate cried out, Alcea turning to look at her underclasswoman. Kate and Blake were standing on the sidelines, a fair distance away from her, but Alcea could still make out the tears on her face.
"Don't give up, milady!" Kate shouted. "You'll win somehow, I know it! You're the strongest, the queen of queens!" Alcea wasn't sure if even Kate believed the words she was saying, but even so they brought comfort to her heart. She nodded to Kate, a smile on her face, and turned back to Kanone.
"I'm not done yet," Alcea declared, her voice resounding with confidence. "I still have one pokemon left! And until that changes, I'll keep fighting!"
"Yes! That's the spirit!" Kanone shouted, smiling widely. "Those who are truly strong are those who never give up! In the world, there are always walls that we run into! And you must go beyond, move past, and rise above them! Continuing to press forward, until you reach the summit of the strongest, and then go beyond even that! That is what it means to be a pokemon master!"
Kanone slapped a hand against his chest.
"So come on then! Standing in front of you is the next wall for you to climb over!"
"Sounds good!" Alcea shouted back, tossing out her final pokemon. "Anastacia!"
From the pokeball emerged an imposing figure, standing proud in front of Alcea. Her body was pink and white and she stood tall on long legs, regally swiping her cascading leafy hair away from her face. On her head sat a pink bulge in the shape of a crown, completing the image of her royal visage.
"Her highness's Tsareena!" Kate said, the hopeful tone in her voice informing Blake that this must be Alcea's trump card.
"I'm stunned that even she can keep her composure going up against a monster like that," Blake breathed.
"Well don't be!" Kate said, smiling proudly. "Her highness would never be shaken, no matter how strong the opponent!"
"Then what was with those shouts of encouragement just now?" Blake asked, Kate replying with a dirty look.
"Anastacia, teeter dance!" Alcea ordered. Anastacia ran toward Komei, dancing around him in a series of bizarre and erratic movements. Komei's eyes darted around, trying to find a solid target to get his bearing on, but the grass type danced out of reach, creating several blurry and distorted afterimages. Komei thrashed about, trying to land a blow, but he could do nothing but dance in the palm of her hand.
"With all your great strength, it is worth nothing if you cannot connect, is it?" Alcea demanded, smirking.
"Uh-oh," Blake muttered, shaking his head.
"What? What is it?" Kate demanded.
"Confusion won't work on Kanone," Blake said. "Just watch."
"Komei!" Kanone shouted, his eyes flashing. Komei blinked and then turned his head to meet eyes with his trainer, who held his intimidating glare.
"Kom," Komei nodded, whirling around and swiping his tail, hitting Anastacia in the stomach.
"How-?!" Alcea gasped, Komei flinging the queenly pokemon through the air. Anastacia flipped through the air and landed gracefully on the ground, already having prepped a counterattack, unleashing a storm of razor-sharp leaves at Komei.
"Close combat," Kanone ordered. Power surged through Komei's body and he unleashed a barrage of powerful punches. The force of the blows released a series of shockwaves that struck through the air, shattering the leaves before they got anywhere near the armored dragon. Komei lowered his head and charged toward Anastacia, who leapt back.
"Power whip!" Alcea shouted. Anastacia raised her hand and conjured a long, maroon-pink whip from her arm, swinging it at Komei in a powerful strike.
Komei raised his arm to shield his face, the whip wrapping around his wrist. Anastacia tried to pull on it but she couldn't budge, Komei clenching his muscles and trapping the whip between his scales, locking her in place.
"Koooommoooo!" Komei roared, swinging his arm in a shoulder lunge, pulling Anastacia into the air and slamming her into the ground. Anastacia cried out in pain, Komei swinging her through the ground and whipping her over his head, releasing the whip and flinging her through the sky.
"Anastacia!" Alcea cried out as her pokemon plummeted toward the ground. Anastacia's eyes snapped open and she turned over, kicking off the air. Her leg began shining with green energy and she leapt through the sky, bouncing off a cushion of flower petals, jumping down to land harmlessly on the ground.
"Impressive," Kanone said, smiling.
"Did you think you were the only one whose pokemon could propel themselves through the air?" Alcea asked. "Anastacia, trop kick!"
Anastacia kicked off the ground and leapt toward Komei, jumping off of flower cushions to turn out of the way of Komei's strikes, maneuvering around him and slamming her leg down on his neck. With a turn of the shoulder Komei swung his arm at Anastacia. Although she was agile enough to avoid the main blow, she was still knocked back by the air pressure, tumbling backwards.
"An acrobatics-assisted trop kick, huh?" Kanone asked, Alcea nodding slightly. "Not bad, not bad. But not good enough! Komei, close combat!"
Komei lunged at Anastacia with an onslaught of blows. Alcea met Anastacia's eyes and nodded, Anastacia turning back to Komei. If I dodge, he'll still blow her back with the shockwaves. So it's better to meet it head-on!
Anastacia's legs began glowing with green energy and she unleashed a flurry of kicks back at Komei. Each punch from his close combat was met by a powerful trop kick, the two evenly exchanging blows in midair. Komei pulled back, frustrated, as Anastacia landed on the ground, panting.
"It's a tie?" Kate cried.
No! Alcea bit her lip, narrowing her eyes in frustration. Anastacia's legs began trembling, stunned into numbness from the force of her blow, and she fell to her knees, powerless. Alcea closed her eyes, exhaling. So in the end… defeat, is it?
"Clanging scales!" Kanone shouted. Komei let out a roar of deafening power, the scales on his body clanging in a tremor of sonic power. He held his arms up and the clanging of his scales intensified. Thrusting both fists forward, he released a deafening shockwave, the air around him shattering, Anastacia crying out in pain from the force of the outburst, collapsing to the ground. The sound echoed past her, resounding out across the garden, blowing back Alcea, Blake, and Kate.
When the soundwave finally died down, Alcea rose to her feet, returning Anastacia to her pokeball.
"It seems… I still have much work left to do, is it?" Alcea said solemnly, looking down at the pokeball in her hand.
"You did pretty well…" Kanone sighed, returning Komei to his pokeball, relaxing as though a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He walked over to Alcea, smiling.
"Milady!" Kate cried, running over to Alcea's side. "You were amazing! Even if you lost, you were still-"
"It's alright, Kate," Alcea said, smiling at her. "I am not sad. I gave it my best. It only means I still have that much further to go."
"Exactly," Kanone said, nodding. "Now, about our deal…"
"Yes," Alcea said, turning back to him, nodding. "You wished to know about the man who told me about Harmonia, yes?"
Blake's eyes widened, turning to look at Kanone. Man…?
Kanone's smile spread wider, and he shook his head, shrugging.
"No thank you, I've changed my mind. Whoever it was, my interest has passed. Instead, I wish to ask something else."
"Oh?" Alcea asked, her eyebrow rising in surprise.
"Yes, I had almost forgotten," Kanone said. "You see, during my time in Alola, I paid a visit to that little island you stayed on."
"What about it?" Alcea asked.
"During your stay, I was wondering… did you happen to pick up a certain green stone? Clean, shiny, the color of grass, roughly the size of an egg?"
Alcea's eyes widened and her hand reflexively jumped up to her chest, giving Kanone all the information he needed.
"…What about it?" Alcea asked, suspicion evident in her eyes.
"Nothing, nothing," Kanone said, shaking his head, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Make sure you keep it safe."
"Of course I will," she replied, looking up at him. "It's my treasure." Kanone nodded, giving her a smile.
"Well now, thank you for the battle, it was quite enjoyable. But I must be off. There is still much to do before the tournament starts up once again." He turned and nodded to Kate, walking off the battlefield and out of the garden. "Oh, by the way, you might need someone to come through and clean this place out," he called back, looking at the damage they'd wrought. The grassy field they'd fought on had been torn to shreds. In some places the grass was badly scarred with burns, in other places the ground had caved in or erupted outwards, soil and stone sprayed across the landscape. Flowerbeds had been ripped up, and bushes had been caved in. The location had been utterly wrecked. But none of this seemed of concern to Alcea.
"Wait, Kanone!" She cried out, Kanone turning back to her.
"Just… please, tell me one last thing," Alcea said.
"Hm?" Kanone asked, shrugging.
"I know… that I only train grass type pokemon… I don't have any sort of special abilities… and I know I still have so much left to learn… but please, tell me… if I keep trying… even if I only use grass pokemon… can I still become as strong a trainer as you?"
Blake's eyes widened as her words resounded with his heart. Those words were the same ones that he longed to ask. The words that to this day his brother still refused to answer.
"Milady, you're plenty strong as it is!" Kate tried to comfort her, but Alcea stared adamantly at Kanone.
Kanone sighed, smiling.
"You've become a lady, Alcea. A fine young lady." Kanone answered. "Compared to that, being a powerful trainer should be no trouble at all."
Alcea's eyes widened in elation and she began to tear up, nodding eagerly.
"Thank you!" Alcea said, wiping her eyes, smiling back at Kanone. Kanone left the garden, leaving Blake with Alcea and Kate.
Alcea turned back to him, her face as calm and regal once more.
"Thank you for coming, Blake, it was a pleasure to have you," Alcea said, curtsying to him. "But we must be going, as must you. The tournament is starting in half an hour's time, and you mustn't be late."
"Thank you for having me," Blake said, nodding. "But before I go…"
"Hm?"
"Alcea… do you still want to know about Harmonia?"
"…What?" Alcea asked, her eyes widening.
"If you really want to know… then I can tell you. Everything. If you want." Blake looked down. This was probably for the best, he imagined. She already knew a fair amount, and could probably figure most of it out from that last battle. Telling her would be fine. He'd tell her just enough. About what it could do, about what it was capable of. No need to tell her anything else.
That afternoon, the stadium was packed with students excited to see the next round of the tournament.
"Sango! Over here!" Sango walked through the crowded dome's entry hall, her attention drawn aside. She turned to see Kitty waving, Julia standing next to her, her arm still in a cast and she was leaning on a crutch. "We got front row seats!"
"Wow, seriously?" Sango asked, walking up to her friends. "Awesome! Let's go!"
Julia looked up and down Sango's body, a smirk crossing her face.
"So, not wearing the cheerleader's outfit this time?"
Sango gave her a dirty look, shaking her head, and the three headed off toward the stands. The three moved to sit down, and to Sango's joy, they were right. Their seats were in the middle of the front row, giving the three of them a perfect view out over the battlefield.
"Thanks for saving out seats," Julia said, sitting down next to Kate, who gave her a brief nod.
"Sure, not a problem," Kate said, nodding, looking from Julia to Sango, and then finally to Kitty, before frowning and turning back to the arena. As more students came in, the stands slowly grew more and more packed, until every seat was filled except the one to Sango's right. Huh, who bought the ticket to that one… She wondered.
A loud burst of smoke signaled the beginning of the procession, Sango's eyes jumping to the battlefield. Lila and Darla stepped out of the smoke and waved to the crowd, greeted by cheering faces and applause.
"Hello everyone!" Lila called out.
"It's so good to see you all here for this exciting day!" Darla nodded.
"So why is today so special, Darla?" Lila asked.
"Simple, Lila!" Darla replied. "Starting today, the matches, which were previously 3 vs. 3, will be extended to 6 vs. 6! That means more pokemon, more intense battling, and best off all, our trainers are the best of the best! 16 freshmen and sophomores who have managed to fight through their peers and proved themselves to stand slightly above the crowd!"
"That's right, Darla!" Lila agreed. "But first, we've got to meet the trainers who are competing!" She gestured towards 16 seats on the stage, labeled letters A to H, 1 and 2.
"So, without further ado…"
"Let's meet our competitors!" The two declared at once, holding their hands out toward the entrance of the stadium, the doors swinging open.
"Let's start with our finalists from Block A!" Darla began.
"The first one is Blake Harker!" Lila said. "The younger brother of European Champion Kanone Harker! But don't think that his talent is because of his family ties! He's proven himself to be a capable battler in his own right!"
Darla and Lila applauded as Blake walked out onto the field, stepping up onto the stage.
"Wow, Blake's first!" Kitty cheered.
"Hello, Blake!" Darla said, shaking his hand, smiling. Lila did the same. "We wish you the best of luck in the rounds to come!"
"Thanks," Blake said, nodding, taking the seat furthest to the left, A-1.
"Our next competitor is Cynthia Fafnir!" Darla announced.
"She's quite the… unique individual!" Lila said, nodding.
"…That… is quite the understatement, Lila," Darla chuckled, the two clapping as Cynthia ran out into the stadium, waving to the audience, a broad smile on her face. She skipped up onto the stage, where she was greeted by Darla and Lila.
"Hello, Cynthia!"
"Hey, Darla!" Cynthia said, cutting her off, shaking her hand. "I just gotta say, I'm pumped to be here! It's awesome! Especially getting to meet the two of you! You guys are just… so great!"
"Oh, well, thank you!" Darla said, smiling, Lila nodding in agreement.
"So, you're about what? 86 cm?" Cynthia asked, looking down at Darla's chest.
"Excuse me?!" Darla exclaimed, holding her hands over her chest, her face flushing in a mixture of anger and embarrassment as Lila fought back the urge to break her image by bursting out into laughter.
Cynthia gave Darla a flirty wink and sat down next to Blake, smiling, satisfied with herself.
"Moving on to the champions of B Block!" Lila said, drawing attention away from Cynthia's comments. "It's quite the miracle we have here!"
"It is indeed! A love story for the ages, that's what it is!" Darla said, nodding.
"Even though they were paired up in the same block, this loving couple managed to somehow make it through without fighting each other, and have now reached the top 16 together!" Lila explained.
"Let's welcome Roose Furr and Lua Lansing!" Darla cheered. Stepping through the door hand in hand were two sophomores wearing matching pink sweaters. The boy's hair was short and black and he had a handsome face. Rather tall, he stood over two heads taller than his girlfriend, whose brown hair was cut into a short bob, framing her cute face and sparkling green eyes.
"So, you two must be happy, huh?" Darla asked. "It must be quite fortunate to get to the top 16 together."
"Yeah," Roose said, looking down at Lua, smiling. "We couldn't be happier. Getting here is good enough. But we hope to go as far as we can."
"Aw, how sweet," Lila said, smiling. "Lua, you must be lucky to have such a caring boyfriend!"
Lua blushed, nodding.
"But what if you two end up having to face each other in the finals?" Darla asked.
"In that case…" Lua said, looking up at Roose, squeezing his hand.
"…We'll do the best we can to win," Roose finished.
Lila and Darla applauded them, the two taking their seats.
"Next up we have one of our Block C finalists, she's the pride of the Gardening Club and the student of the Alcea Vermeil!" Darla moved forward.
"The lovely bastion of Japanese culture, Naya Nadeshiko!" Lila cheered.
Stepping out onto the battlefield was a beautiful woman clothed not in a school uniform but in an elegant black kimono covered in pink flowers, her long black hair tied up into an elegant bun. She stepped assuredly onto the stage, bowing to the audience and her hostesses.
"Hello, Naya," Darla said, returning the bow.
"We wish you the best of luck in the rounds to come," Lila said, doing the same.
"I am honored to be here," Naya said, smiling, walking to her seat.
"Ugh," Kate sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Something wrong?" Julia asked.
"I can't stand her," Kate said tersely, not continuing the conversation.
"And our other Block C finalist, we have one of our most promising sophomores, and one of the winners of the freshman doubles cup last winter! Akira Saroyan!"
Akira walked out, smiling.
"Nice to see you again, Akira," Darla said, shaking his hand.
"Thanks, hopefully I'll be able to win this year," Akira said, smiling.
"Good luck in the rounds to come," Lila said, shaking his hand as well.
"Next, from Block D, we've got the head of our own source of Fake News Journalism, and the other winner of the last freshman doubles cup, the Newspaper Club President, Dakota Evans!"
Dakota walked out next, waving, Akira rubbing his temples in frustration.
"I still can't believe she made it into the top 16…"
"Isn't she in the Appeals Course?" Sango asked, surprised.
"I guess she's good at battling, too," Julia said, shrugging.
"So instead of reporting on the event, you thought you should try out yourself, huh?" Darla asked, shaking Dakota's hand.
"Well, I figured that the best news stories are the ones you make yourself, right?" Dakota asked, chuckling.
"…I don't think anyone says that," Lila replied.
"Well, it's still true. Anyway, I'm glad to be here, and I can't wait to get a first-hand look at all the amazing battles going on in these coming rounds," Dakota said, smiling.
"I see. Well, all I can say, Dakota, is good luck in the rounds to come," Darla said, smiling.
"Thank you, I'll do my best," Dakota said, sitting next to Akira, smirking.
"It's gonna look real embarrassing when you lose to me, Akira," Dakota said.
"Well, if anyone can spin a horrible, crushing defeat into somehow being a victory, it would be a hack like you," Akira shot back, Dakota rolling her eyes.
"Our other Block D finalist is another promising young freshman, one of the rising stars of the Gym Leader Training Club, Will Harmond!" Lila announced.
Will stepped up onto the stage, Darla and Lila each shaking his hand.
"Hello, Will!" Darla said, smiling. Will said nothing, giving her a sharp nod, Darla's smile faltering a little at the brush-off he gave her.
"Good luck in the rounds to come!" Lila said quickly, picking up the slack, Will replying to her with a nod as well, going over to take his seat.
"Well, there's nothing quite like the strong, silent type, don't you think, Darla?" Lila asked.
"That's right, Lila, and hopefully our next freshman competitor will bring his own brand of coolness to the tournament! Nick Elwood, come on out!"
"Oh, look, there's Nick!" Kitty said, Nick walking out. Nick was clearly a little embarrassed to be put on the spot, gulping, walking up to the stage with little resembling assurance.
"Come on, be more confident!" Julia called out.
"Hello, Nick, good to meet you," Darla said, shaking his hand.
"Um, thanks, I'm happy to be here," Nick said, blushing a little.
"So Nick, we've just gotta know, the whole school is wondering!" Lila said, her eyes sparkling eagerly. "Is it true that you're in a relationship with the First Leader, Callie Crawford?"
"Uh…" Nickk looked down, his face turning bright red. "Well, I-I wouldn't say it's anything like that, but… um…"
"Well, I guess that's as close to a straight answer as we're going to get," Darla said, shrugging.
"Good luck in the rounds to come. I'm sure Callie is wishing you the same," Lila said, giving Nick a wink, Nick going off to take his seat.
"Freshmen are so adorable, aren't they, Darla?"
"That they are, Lila. But even though she's a sophomore, our next competitor is no less adorable! Don't let her looks fool you though, this girl is strong enough to get scouted by-!"
"Darla, we can't talk about that, remember?" Lila asked, glancing quickly to the viewing box occupied by the Eight Leaders.
"Oh, whatever," Darla sighed. "Presenting, from E Block, Sylvia Driscoll!" A young woman with smoky black eyes and wispy, shoulder-length golden hair walked into the stadium, dressed in a frilly black and white dress. Floating beside her was a Shuppet.
"Hello there, Sylvia," Lila said, shaking the girl's hand, "I really like your dress! I'm a big fan of fancy clothing design!"
"Thank you," Sylvia said, smiling.
"So we're not really supposed to talk about it, but I'm sure your friends in the senior class are anticipating your performance today!" Darla commented. "Good luck in the rounds to come!"
"Thank you," Sylvia nodded, moving to her seat.
"Hey, Blake," Cynthia leaned close to him, whispering, "what do you think they meant by being scouted? Why aren't they allowed to talk about it?"
"Oh, you don't know?" Blake and Cynthia turned to look at the couple sitting next to them.
"Know what?" Cynthia demanded.
"I guess they have been staying under the radar for the last few weeks," Roose said, his eyes scanning the stands. "But they're up there, I'm certain of it. Watching us."
"Who is?" Blake asked.
"The Four Holy Swords," Lua added. "Or as they're officially known as, the Daevas. Of the entire senior class this year, they're the four most elite trainers, and they're in a struggle over who will seize position of the strongest."
"They're titled the Empress, the Phantom, the Mermaid, and the Commander," Roose explained. "Last year, they began starting up an arms race against each other, trying to recruit as many powerful trainers under their influence as they can in order to secure the title of 'strongest'."
"That's completely stupid," Cynthia said, rolling her eyes. "Why don't they just battle each other? That would solve the whole thing."
"The title of the strongest isn't something that can just be solved by a single battle," Roose said, rolling his eyes. "Oh well… poor naïve little freshmen, it took me a while before I understood everything myself. I guess you'll just have to find out."
"Good luck," Lua said, giving a much kinder smile than her boyfriend. "If you keep winning, I'm sure they'll get in contact with you two."
She paused for a second, her smile getting more mischievous "Which makes me ask… are you two… a couple?"
"Lua, sweetie, you can't ask stuff like that!" Roose said, chuckling.
"What? I just thought it would be cute! Plus, you remember that article, right? They looked so sweet together!"
"We aren't a couple," Blake clarified, Cynthia rolling her eyes and letting out a huff.
"…Thank you, Caelia," Darla's voice returned their attention to the ceremony, where a female student with shaggy brown hair falling over her face was being greeted.
"Good luck in the rounds to come," Lila wished her, Caelia mumbling something similar to thanks, moving to sit next to Sylvia.
"Our other competitor from F Block is a mysterious young lady! Who is she? What class is she in? It's all a mystery to us!" Darla announced in a spooky voice, playing it up for the crowd.
"And why are there so many people in this tournament hiding their faces?" Lila wondered.
"Now, let's welcome Miss Mariah Susan!" Darla clapped. A girl(?) whose body was covered by a long black cape walked up on stage, her face covered by dark scarf woven around her features, leaving all but her shiny green eyes hidden.
"So, Mariah, can you tell us anything about yourself?" Darla asked her.
"No," even when muffled, the voice of the stranger was obviously feminine. "It's a secret."
"Why?" Lila asked.
"Because it's cooler that way."
"…Well, okay then, give a round of applause to the mysterious Mariah! Good luck in the rounds to come!" Darla cheered. Mariah walked toward the seats, giving Blake a wink as she passed him.
"…I just had a really bad feeling about this…" Blake said, holding his face with his hand.
"What is it?" Cynthia asked.
"Never mind," Blake said, shaking his head.
"Next up are our champions from G Block!" Darla continued. "The first one seeks to be a Pokemon Ranger, but also is a rather competent battler! It's not too often you meet people so multi-talented!"
"Daryl Thorne, come out!" Lila cheered.
"Hey, Julia, don't you know that guy?" Kitty asked. Julia nodded.
"He's an upperclassman friend," Julia explained. "He's a pretty decent trainer."
"He's working on being a Pokemon Ranger and a Battler?" Sango asked, raising her eyebrow. "I don't know how that works…"
"He has a few pokemon on hand," Julia explained. "He alternates them for ranger classes, like a team of partner pokemon."
"Oh, I see," Sango said nodding.
"So, Daryl, what made you decide to participate in our tournament?" Lila asked.
"Well, I wanted to make sure I wasn't getting rusty," Daryl said, grinning. "But mostly it seemed like a pretty cool event, and I thought I should try it out."
"Sounds good," Darla said, nodding. "Good luck in the rounds to come!"
"Thanks, Darla, Lila," Daryl said, nodding, moving to go sit down.
"Our next competitor is another student who doesn't do a whole lot of battling, but from his record he seems pretty powerful."
"Darla, I heard he's rather withdrawn and mysterious, is that right?"
"I'd say it is! And even though he's a sophomore, he's got that air of maturity around him! Ladies and gentlemen, Oscar Silph!"
"Oh!" Kitty said, her eyes widening.
"You know him?" Julia asked.
"He's a friend," Kitty said.
"That guy!" Kate said, her eyes widening.
"What guy?" Julia asked.
"…No, nothing," Kate said, shaking her head. "Never mind."
"Hello, Oscar," Darla said, smiling.
"Good luck in the rounds to come," Lila said.
Oscar moved to sit down, Lila and Darla turning back to the stands.
"Now, we move on to the final block! From Block H, the student who scored the highest of all of our competitors in the preliminaries, our old friend, Reiner Zollern!"
"…Reiner…" Blake said, frowning, Reiner stepping out onto the stage.
"So, Reiner, I'm glad you made it to the top 16!" Darla said, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear, smiling up at him, Lila rolling her eyes.
"Okay, okay, enough of your bias," Lila muttered, covering the mic, turning to Reiner. "Reiner, good luck in the rounds to come!"
Reiner went to sit down in his seat, not even glancing at Blake, Cynthia, or Nick. Blake glanced at the remaining empty seat. One seat left…
"And now, our final competitor, the powerful, the intimidating, the overwhelmingly dominant Elaina Bishop."
When Elaina appeared, the air in the stadium changed. Unlike her fellow competitors, she received no applause. Only gasps and tense looks of fear aimed at the masked woman. Whether or not this bothered her was impossible to tell; she walked with the poise, grace, and confidence of a predator, stepping onto the stage in front of Darla and Lila.
"What's with this mood?" Kitty asked, looking around, the tension making her feel a discomforting weight on her chest.
"It's fear," Julia said, frowning.
"Fear?"
"In her battle with me, Elaina nearly tore this entire coliseum to shreds with her pokemon's overwhelming power, power that was outside her control. Something like that, the raw destructive power of pokemon, it can be terrifying…" Kitty noticed a trickle of sweat across Julia's cheek, and swallowed.
"So they're afraid of her because she's so powerful?" Kitty asked.
"Powerful and menacing," Sango said, frowning.
"So… um… Elaina…" Lila said, holding out a trembling hand. Elaina didn't take it. "Hello."
"Yes, good luck in the rounds to come," Darla said, forcing a professional smile to her face.
"You don't need to wish me such things as luck," Elaina said, walking past them. "I will win or lose on my own strength."
Darla and Lila gulped, put smiles on their faces, and turned back to the audience.
"And those are our finalists!" Darla announced.
"Now, without further ado…" Lila called.
"Let the rounds begin!"
So, that was a bit of a long one, huh? Starting next chapter we'll move on to the top 16 battles!