Now, it's time to continue the battle between Blake and Oscar, as well as a few interesting revelations!
Jay Hayden: You can bet he'd be pissed off at it.
Darkhammer: Hm? Is there an issue?
ZenoZen: Maybe.
Superblal: A lot of Harmonia was taken directly out of the affection system from X and Y on, so that's a pretty good comparison. And let me just say, in normal gameplay there's nothing more annoying than trying to use Poison Heal Gliscor in casual in-game battles only to hear "Gliscor fought off the poison so you wouldn't feel bad!"
Walker: Thanks.
Duskzilla: We'll have to see.
GoldInTheDark: Sorry, not accepting any new OCs just yet.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 48
"Blake and Kanone…" Lila gasped.
"…Aren't related?" Darla finished, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Wait, seriously?!" Cynthia exclaimed. "You gotta be kidding me!"
"Well that's quite a shock…" Julia said, her eyes widening as she, Kitty and Kate all looked at Kanone in surprise. Kanone's face remained implacable, while Sango's was twisted into a look of distaste.
"Oh man!" Dakota cackled, pulling a notebook out of her bag, flipping it open, watching the battle eagerly. "What a scoop!"
"What are you saying?" Oscar demanded. "Are you saying you aren't Kanone Harker's brother?"
"It's not something as simple as that," Blake said, shaking his head.
"What's he saying?" Darla frowned. "I can't hear. Lila, go give him your mic."
"Why me?" Lila asked.
"Just go!"
Lila nodded, stepping down from the announcer's podium, walking over to where Blake was standing. She held the microphone up to him tentatively, a look of concern on her face.
"Um, Blake… If you want to say something… you can use the microphone… you know, if you want?" Lila asked.
"…Fine," Blake sighed, nodding. "I suppose I might as well. It isn't as though I've tried to hide it or anything. It doesn't mean a damn thing to me, anyway. Blood ties don't matter. Whether Kanone is my brother or not doesn't affect me in the slightest. Or at least, that's how I wish it was. But no, Kanone Harker and I, in a technical sense, are not related."
"A technical sense?" Oscar asked. Blake turned back to him, letting out a resigned sigh.
"When I was seven years old, I was adopted into the Harker family. My adopted parents treated me as their son, and I was embraced as a sibling… but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't compete with my brother's… 'talents'. And yet, as I kept being compared to Kanone by everyone around me, I realized that I couldn't keep aspiring to my brother's ideal. If I didn't want to be consumed by my brother's greatness, I would have to separate myself from him completely, and try to become my own trainer. That's the resolve that brought me here."
Lila, stunned, nodded meekly, taking the microphone back and walking back to her podium.
"I see…" Kate said, nodding. "What Blake said to me during our fight… it makes more and more sense."
"Things are starting to make sense to me, too," Sango said, narrowing her eyes into a glare that she leveled at Kanone. "When you and I first met, Kanone, something rubbed me the wrong way."
"Oh? Tell me, Miss Akana, what could that have been?" Kanone asked.
"Blake," Sango simply put, frowning. "Running into your younger brother… and you never even said a word to him. You didn't even give a single look his way."
"What?" Julia gasped.
"Why not?" Kitty asked.
"Now that you mention it…" Kate pondered, thinking back on the tea party she'd attended several hours prior. "…I don't think he talked to Blake at all during the tea party, either…"
"Normally, an older brother would at least acknowledge his younger brother," Sango continued. "But with the knowledge that Blake isn't your blood relative, it starts to make a lot more sense. So what? Are you ignoring him because he isn't your real brother? Or… is it because, unlike you, he doesn't have some sort of magic power that makes him special?"
Kanone inhaled, and then let out his breath in a cool huff, turning to look at Sango. There was an iciness in his eyes that had prior gone unnoticed to the girls, Sango clenching her jaw in defiance.
"You don't know anything about Blake and I," Kanone replied, shaking his head. "We know full well where we stand with each other. No more words need to be said."
"Blake." Oscar addressed Blake with more than a hint of regret on his face. "I have done you a great disservice here today. I- I didn't mean… I just… I thought…"
"Oscar," Blake said, shaking his head, "the fight hasn't ended yet. Rogen is still capable of fighting."
"It would seem so," Oscar said, nodding. "Magnemite, go."
Oscar tossed out a pokeball, which a Magnemite emerged from.
"Rogen, are you good?" Blake asked, Rogen bobbing up in confirmation, though still rather injured.
"Forward," Oscar ordered. Magnemite shot toward Rogen, holding their magnets up, lunging forward at the rock type.
Rogen tried to move out of the way but he was too injured and the magnet pokemon was too fast, Magnemite tackling him head-on and knocking him backwards.
"Rogen!" Blake called out. "Use stone edge!"
Rogen raised his claw and struck the ground, stones erupting out of it and flying toward the Magnemite. Magnemite pointed their magnets toward the ground and pushed themselves up into the air, rising above the rocky terrain. Magnemite flew through the air and pointed their magnets at Rogen, light shining through their body. In response, Rogen's body also began to glow.
"Rogen, what's going on?" Blake asked.
"Bold…?" Rogen gasped, looking around in confusion. Chunks of metal emerged from the ground, floating up into the air around the rock pokemon, crashing down into them.
"Boldore!" Rogen cried out in pain.
"Magnemite's magnet pull attack has hit Boldore for serious damage!" Darla reported.
"After the damage he sustained against Growlithe, Boldore might just be down for the count," Lila added.
"Rogen, are you okay?" Blake asked.
"Bol… dore…" Rogen gasped, picking himself up off the ground, shaking.
"One more, then," Oscar ordered. Rogen's body began glowing again as Magnemite created another magnetic current that coursed through him, metal flying around him and striking the rock pokemon, pounding into him from all sides, Rogen falling to the ground, finally losing consciousness.
"Return, Rogen," Blake said, returning Rogen to his pokeball. Magnemite is a steel/electric type… the pokemon I have on hand aren't good against that combination… Weiss could out-power it… but I don't want him to expend too much energy just yet…
"Uni, go," Blake said, sending out his Solosis.
Kanone's eyes widened, a smile crossing his face as he chuckled.
"Still the sentimentalist, I see, Blake." Kanone said, shaking his head. "And here I thought you would have given up holding onto the past so desperately."
"Uni, are you okay with this?" Blake asked.
"Sol!" Uni said, bobbing up and down excitedly.
"Well then, let's go," Blake said, turning back to the battlefield. "Uni, use reflect."
A barrier of light appeared around Uni, protecting her from Magnemite's attacks.
"A powerful barrier, but not enough to withstand attacks from a Magnemite boosted with Harmonia," Oscar stated. Electricity began charging through Magnemite's body, released in a powerful bolt of lightning that shot at Uni. The electric attack blasted through the reflect attack and electrocuted the psychic pokemon.
"SOL!" Uni wailed, falling out of the sky. She landed on the ground, panting, before lifting herself shakily back into the air, but Magnemite was already charging toward her, readying another thundershock.
"Uni, use light screen, quickly!" Uni erected another barrier around her just as Magnemite fired off another attack, the electricity striking the light screen head-on. The barrier did a good job of diffusing most of the electricity, but Uni still received a powerful jolt that made her wail out in pain.
"It seems that even though Solosis's barriers allowed her to succeed in Blake's prior battle with Kate, it isn't enough to protect her from this Magnemite," Darla announced.
"Maybe not, but she's still doing a decent job of staving off damage," Lila commented. "This isn't a sure thing yet!"
"Uni, psyshock!" Blake ordered. A field of electricity crackled around Uni's body and she released it in a bolt that countered the thundershock that Magnemite fired, the two attacks colliding with a shockwave of power. The two pokemon were knocked backwards, righting themselves in the air. Uni erected another light screen to protect herself, but Magnemite charged at her directly, taking advantage of the physical nature of their steel typing: his solid body.
"Uni, use psywave of push them back," Blake ordered. Uni generated a field of psychic energy around her body, releasing a pulse of psionic energy toward the magnet pokemon.
"Don't worry, Magnemite! Keep going!" Oscar called out, Magnemite embracing the attack fully, taking the damage without flinching. Magnemite barreled through the shockwave and collided with the force field, shattering the light screen and hitting Uni with a powerful tackle. Uni let out a cry and fell out of the air, crashing to the ground.
"Uni!" Blake cried.
"Sol…" Uni gasped, trying to float back up into the air.
"Magnemite! Finish it," Oscar ordered. Magnemite generated an electrical current in their magnets, electrocuting Uni with the thundershock attack, Uni crumpling and falling to the ground.
"Uni!" Blake ran over to his unconscious pokemon, gently cradling her. "It's okay, Uni. Just take a long rest, okay?"
"Sol…" Uni whimpered, losing consciousness.
"Return," Blake said, returning Uni to her pokeball.
"Poor Uni…" Sango murmured.
"Uni is too unused to fighting," Kanone said, shaking his head. "He shouldn't be using her in battles like this."
"Who are you to say that?" Sango asked. "Blake is trying his best to win! You should be supporting him! You don't think he can win, just because he doesn't have the same powers you do? That he shouldn't try?"
"Harmonia is something… more powerful," Kanone commented. "Do you think it is so easily defeated just by someone trying their best?"
"It seems that all your experience as a champion doesn't make you a very good brother," Sango said, glaring at him. She inhaled, rising to her feet, cupping her hands in front of her mouth.
"BLAKE! Don't give up against this stupid Harmonia thing! I know you can win! So do your best and take that guy down, okay? We're rooting for you over here!"
"There," she said, turning back to Kanone, sitting back down. "It's called being supportive. You should try it sometime."
Kanone shrugged, saying nothing.
"So, Blake is down to his last three pokemon!" Darla said.
"Not counting his Scizor, he still has two pokemon we haven't seen yet!" Lila added, nodding. "Will one of his pokemon be able to take this Magnemite down?"
My options are pretty limited, Blake thought, staring at the Magnemite hovering in the air. "My best bet… Cory! Go!"
Blake sent out his Corphish, Cory's pincers snapping fiercely as he let out a growl.
"It seems the pokemon Blake has chosen is Corphish!" Lila declared.
"What an interesting choice," Darla pondered.
"Agh, that idiot!" Sango sighed, ruffling her hair in frustration. "Why is he using a water type?!"
"Clearly Sango's cheering had the opposite effect," Julia commented.
"Indeed, quite terrible," Kate agreed.
"Don't blame this on me!"
"Is it… that bad?" Kitty asked quietly.
"Yeah, duh," Julia said. "He could have used Weiss, or Tara, anyone who wasn't weak to water."
"Wrong."
Their heads turned to Kanone, who was intently staring at the battlefield.
"What do you mean 'wrong'?" Julia asked, frowning.
"Against a normal opponent your decision might be correct," Kanone explained, "but Blake's opponent has Harmonia."
"So?" Julia asked.
"So Magnemite is a steel type," Kanone explained. "It would resist most of Tara and Weiss's moves. Against a normal Magnemite, that could be solved with only minor difficulty, but boosting it with Harmonia will boost its resistance to the point that ineffective attacks would do next to nothing. But in comparison, though water might be weak to electric moves, Magnemite's steel typing will give it no resistance to Cory's moves. Understand?"
"So even though he has other pokemon he could rely on that would be better choices defensively, Cory is his best offensive choice?" Sango asked.
"Exactly," Kanone said, nodding. "Furthermore, Blake has already lost half his team, and Weiss has also taken some damage. Meanwhile, his opponent still has three more pokemon to work with in perfect health. He can't afford to turn this into a battle of attrition where he chips away at that Magnemite, or else it will wear down his other pokemon with its electric moves before it finally goes down."
"He intends to settle this in a single exchange," Kanone concluded. "A risky decision… but also the one most likely to lead to victory."
Sango nodded, smiling in relief, Julia, Kate, and Kitty also smiling a little.
"…Provided he can follow through, of course." Kanone added, anxiety bleeding onto the girls' faces.
"Cory! We've got to settle things in a single blow, got it?" Blake asked.
"Cor!" Cory said, nodding, holding his pincer up and firing a powerful bubblebeam attack at the Magnemite.
"Magnemite," Oscar commented, frowning. "Dodge and take it down."
"Magnemite," Magnemite buzzed, evading the bubbles, generating an electrical current around their body.
"As expected! Cory, aqua jet!" Blake ordered. Water covered Cory's body and he leapt into the air, avoiding the thundershock that struck the ground where he'd been standing. He slammed into Magnemite's front, sending them flying backwards, spinning through the air. Cory landed and charged forward, raising his claw, blue energy glowing in it.
"Good speed," Oscar nodded, "but that won't be enough."
Magnemite righted themself, and generated another electrical field, shooting toward Cory. Cory dodged the tackle attack, scuttling across the field, but Magnemite spun around, firing another thundershock, hitting Cory in the side, electrocuting the water type.
"Cory!" Blake cried.
"Corphish!" Cory wailed, his body sparking with electricity as he collapsed to the ground.
"Oh no! Blake managed to score a good hit or two on the electric type, but Magnemite managed to hit him with a powerful thundeshock!" Darla exclaimed.
"Is this it for Corphish?" Lila asked.
"Cor… phish…" Cory rose up shakily, glaring at the Magnemite.
"Cory, are you okay? You took a lot of damage from that attack," Blake asked worriedly.
"Cor!" Cory said, nodding.
"Another thundershock should finish it," Oscar said. "Magnemite!"
Magnemite generated another current of electricity in their magnets, firing a bolt of electricity at Cory.
"Cory, dodge it with aqua jet," Blake ordered.
"Cor!" Cory said, shaking his head, but coating his body with water all the same. Instead of dodging, however, he leapt forward and took the electric attack head-on, barreling toward the steel type pokemon. Magnemite was frozen in place while discharging electricity, unable to dodge from Cory's charge. Cory slammed his pincer into Magnemite's eye, the torrent of water surrounding him hitting the steel type in a deluge of electricity and water. Magnemite fell out of the sky and hit the ground as Cory crumpled as well, the two pokemon lying on the ground.
"Even though Blake told his Corphish to dodge, instead the water pokemon put his body at risk and hit the Magnemite head on with an aqua jet!" Darla said, surprised.
"Whoa!" Lila echoed, nodding. "But it seemed to work pretty well, didn't it?"
"Mag… Magnemite…" Magnemite stuttered, floating shakily up into the air, crackling with equally fritzy electricity.
"Although Oscar's Magnemite is badly injured, they can still fight," Lila commented.
"Meanwhile, Blake's Corphish is unable to battle," Darla said, frowning. "Things are looking pretty bad for Blake!"
"Return," Blake said, returning Cory to his pokeball.
"Blake," Oscar said, Blake turning to face him. "I'm sorry for how this went down. But this is the end, you must see that."
Blake said nothing, so Oscar sighed, and continued.
"I don't battle much because I don't like to see pokemon get hurt," Oscar said, shaking his head. "So let's just end this, shall we? You only have two pokemon left. Meanwhile, I've only lost two. You've put up an excellent fight for someone that doesn't have Harmonia, but-"
"Just stop," Blake said, shaking his head. "Oscar, just because you're winning, that doesn't mean the battle is over. I'm not going to just roll over and let you win, got it? My team and I are going to keep fighting, and we'll find a way to defeat you, even if you have Harmonia!"
"Yeah, that's right! Don't give up, Blake!" Sango shouted from the stands. "You can still win!"
"Blake!" Cynthia shouted from her seat. "What are you doing? Think you can lose like this?! I thought we were gonna face each other in the finals, huh?! How's that going to happen if you lose, huh?!"
"I see," Oscar said, nodding. "Well then, if you aren't going to surrender… then I will take you down here and now."
"Weiss, go!" Blake sent out Weiss, who charged at Magnemite, raising his pincer.
"Magnemite!" Oscar shouted, Magnemite generating electricity in their magnets. But their body trembled, and the electricity sputtered and died out.
"Weiss! Bullet punch!" Blake ordered, Weiss shooting forward and unleashing a barrage of punches, Magnemite wailing out and flying backwards, the pokemon falling to the ground unconscious.
"Return," Oscar said, returning Magnemite to their pokeball.
"Well, that was fast," Darla said, surprised. "I didn't even see what happened."
"It seems the prior damage was enough," Lila said. "But the real fight starts here."
"Totodile, go," Oscar said, sending out his Totodile, the small blue crocodile letting out a hearty laugh.
Weiss flapped his wings and shot toward the Totodile, launching a series of punches at the water type. Totodile opened his mouth, releasing a high-pressured blast of water from his jaws. Weiss raised his pincers up in a defensive guard, but the water was far faster and more powerful than he anticipated, knocking him backwards. Weiss skidded across the battlefield before he managed to brake himself, pushing back against the torrent of water.
Weiss jumped up into the air and evaded the water, flying through the sky. Totodile raised his head, firing more high-speed blasts of water to drive Weiss backwards.
"Weiss, use agility to dodge," Blake ordered. Weiss nodded and disappeared into a blur, reappearing in the sky several feet away before disappearing again to dodge another water gun.
"While Oscar's Totodile hasn't managed to seriously damage the Scizor, his water gun attacks are enough to keep Scizor circling," Darla announced.
"It seems that the attack is strong enough to at least put Scizor at risk, enough to keep him from being reckless," Lila agreed.
"Weiss, we'll fight him with range," Blake called out. "Use flash cannon!"
"Sci," Weiss nodded, holding his pincers up, firing a blast of concentrated metallic energy.
"Totodile!" Oscar shouted. Totodile turned to the attack and opened his mouth, firing off another water gun. The water attack collided with the flash cannon, pushing through the beam. Weiss leapt out of the way, the water gun grazing his side, causing him to wince in pain. Totodile shot another blast, Weiss barely managing to avoid it.
"Weiss, we need to increase you speed," Blake said. "It's the only way we'll be able to get you close while conserving your energy."
"Scizor," Weiss landed next to him, nodding in agreement, disappearing in a crimson flash as his speed increased once again.
"You're not the only one who can increase your speed," Oscar frowned. "Totodile, I'll give you some more energy."
"Toto!" Totodile cheered, nodding.
"Weiss, take him down," Blake ordered. "Quickly!"
Weiss disappeared again, charging at Totodile. At high speed he flew around Totodile's body, reappearing behind the water type in a flash, pincers raised.
"Totodile!" Oscar shouted, Totodile whirling around and opening his mouth, firing off a blast of water at close range, sending Weiss flying from the pressure of the attack. Weiss flapped his wings and flew backwards, shooting toward Totodile again. The Totodile fired more water guns that Weiss evaded as he zig-zagged through the air, flying closer to the water type.
"Water gun," Oscar said, Totodile firing another close-range blast.
"Weiss, don't dodge this time! Plow through it with metal claw!" Blake ordered. Weiss raised his pincer and coated it with metallic energy, striking the water at full force, slicing through it and striking Totodile in the chest, knocking him backwards. Totodile stumbled and fell, but was mostly uninjured. He rose to his feet only for Weiss to strike him again, unloading a barrage of bullet punches that sent Totodile flying through the air, before he crashed onto the ground. Oscar clenched his arm and winced, shouting to Totodile, who quickly righted himself, firing another water gun.
"Scizor managed to turn the tables on Totodile, but the match is far from over," Darla observed.
"Indeed, steel attacks aren't very effective against water pokemon, so Scizor hasn't done much damage to Totodile," Lila added.
They're right… Blake thought, frowning. This battle is taking up too much of Weiss's energy…
"Weiss!" He shouted, "use steel wing next!"
"Scizor!" Weiss growled, coating his body with metallic energy and flying toward Totodile, pushing the water aside and flying down low, nearly skidding against the ground. Planting his pincer into the ground, Weiss turned, swinging his wing up into Totodile's jaw, knocking him upwards. Weiss planted his feet on the ground and leapt up, flying toward the small crocodile.
"Now, u-turn!" Blake shouted. Weiss struck Totodile in stomach and knocked him out of the air, returning to Blake, sealing himself into the pokeball.
"It seems Blake is making great use of the u-turn attack!" Darla said.
"I wonder if he got the idea from his brother's fights, Kanone likes using the same tactics," Lila wondered, Blake frowning in irritation.
"Blake is more like me than he'd like to admit," Kanone said, smiling.
"Tara, it's up to you!" Blake shouted, tossing out a pokeball, which Tara emerged from.
"And Blake's last pokemon is his Snivy!" Darla announced.
"Against a water type, a grass type like Snivy might be able to win," Lila agreed.
"Tara, vine whip," Blake ordered. Tara raised her hands, vines shooting out of them, swinging toward Totodile.
"Totodile, go," Oscar ordered. Totodile opened his mouth and raised his claws, cutting and biting his way through the vines as he ran towards Tara, raising his claw, swinging it in a powerful cut attack. Tara swung back, a thin leaf shooting from her wrist, sharpened into an edge. The leaf blade attack countered Totodile's claws, and Tara pressed the attack, swinging her blade at the water pokemon. Totodile leapt backwards, firing a blast of water at Tara. Tara sliced it in half and leapt forward, lunging at Totodile.
Totodile opened his mouth and bit down on the leaf blade, holding it in place.
"Tara!" Blake ordered. Tara jumped backward and held her hands up, launching a tornado of leaves at Totodile, who dodged to the side, firing another water gun, this time hitting Tara in the face, knocking her backwards. Tara rolled across the ground and lay face-down on the field, as Totodile charged at her, sharpening his claws.
"Tara!" Blake cried out.
"Was that water gun stronger than it looked?" Darla asked. "Snivy isn't moving…"
"Could it have been a critical hit?" Lila worried.
"Of all the rotten luck!" Sango groaned, slapping her face in frustration.
"Odd, that move didn't look more powerful than the others," Julia said, narrowing her eyes.
"Well, who can say," Kanone hummed, smiling.
"Totodile, take her down," Oscar ordered. Totodile raised his claw and stomped on the ground, but before he could jump, vines shot out from beneath his feet, wrapping over his body and holding him in place.
"What?!" Darla exclaimed.
"Whoa!" Lila gasped.
Tara turned her head as she whirled around, revealing that her vines had traveled from her hands, underground, to wrap up Totodile from where he couldn't cut them apart. Standing up she pulled them free of the dirt, holding Totodile trapped by a cage of vines and leaves.
"Must feel hard to move, huh?" Blake asked. "One of the drawbacks of Harmonia. If your pokemon is immobilized, so is the trainer."
"You baited me by playing possum… Good job," Oscar said, a smile slowly spreading across his face. "Even without Harmonia you're quite the formidable foe, Blake."
"Thanks," Blake said, smiling, "but you haven't seen anything yet!" Tara turned and flung Totodile into the air with her vines, keeping the pokemon wrapped up tightly, slamming him into the ground. Totodile struggled against the vines and tried to slice them, but every blade he had available was isolated away from him; he was helpless.
"Tara, take him down with a leaf tornado," Blake ordered.
"Sni!" Tara said, nodding. She held up her hands, and a tornado of leaves swirled up around her, barreling through the dirt and slamming into Totodile, lifting him into the air. Tara retracted her vines and let the wind fling him away, the water type crashing to the ground, cut up and badly injured.
"Not bad…" Oscar winced, nodding, "but we aren't down yet. Totodile!"
"Toto!" Totodile jumped to his feet, gnashing his teeth, his smile growing wider.
"No more getting in your range," Oscar told Blake, nodding to his pokemon. "We'll handle this at a good distance from now on. Totodile!"
On cue, Totodile opened his mouth and fired another blast of water, amplified by the energy Oscar was sending. He launched the pressurized blast at Tara, who held her hand out, creating another leaf blade that she used to cut through the attack.
"That won't be enough to hit us," Blake said, smiling. "Got anymore?"
"As you wish," Oscar said, nodding to Totodile, who fired several more shots of water, Tara cutting through each of them.
"It seems that the two have reached an impasse!" Darla reported. "Totodile is firing off more water gun attacks, which Snivy is skillfully deflecting!"
"And even though she's on the defensive, Snivy doesn't seem to be losing ground," Lila continued. "It seems this exchange might be a long one, until their pokemon run out of energy!"
"I'm boosting Totodile with Harmonia," Oscar said. "Tell me, Blake, how much longer can the two of you hold out?"
"Harmonia takes quite a bit out of you," Blake replied. "I think we can hold out longer than you can!"
"Is it just me…" Kitty whispered.
"Hm?" Julia asked, turning to her.
"Oh, nothing," Kitty said, shaking her head, her concentration broken.
"No, what is it?" Julia asked.
"Oh, just… doesn't it look like Totodile's attacks… are slowing down?"
"Slowing down?" Sango asked.
"Oh, you're right!" Kate said, nodding. "It seems like the gap between the attacks is slowly getting bigger with each one!"
"Good eye," Kanone said, nodding. "It seems Oscar is starting to run low."
"Huh?" Sango asked, turning to him in confusion.
"Harmonia is not some magical ultimate power boost," Kanone said, rolling his eyes. "It's energy. It can increase a pokemon's power, yes, but even Harmonia is finite. Some people might swing it around with no restraint, and some people might carefully ration it out, but no one can keep feeding their energy to their pokemon forever. Using it throughout this battle, Oscar must be close to his limit… and now he's conserving his energy even more."
"That means…" Julia said.
"…Blake's almost there!" Sango finished. "Come on, Blake! Just a little more!"
That's strange… Oscar thought, frowning, I shouldn't be running out of energy just yet… I'd better hold back on what I'm giving to Totodile, or else…
"Something wrong?" Blake asked, Oscar snapping his head up and staring at him. Blake had a victorious smirk on his face, Oscar's frown deepening.
"What did you do?" Oscar asked.
"Since you're harmonizing with your pokemon right now, I figured you wouldn't notice," Blake said, pointing at Totodile, "so I'll tell you. When Tara wrapped you with her vine whip… she left a little gift for you two as well."
Suddenly, plants erupted from Totodile's body, wrapping around him, buds sticking out of the leafy vines.
"Oh, yeah!" Kate cheered.
"What is it?" Julia asked.
"Leech seed!" Kate said excitedly. "It's a really strong grass move!"
"Harmonia is energy, after all," Blake said, smiling. "So you only have so much of it to give to your pokemon. Harmonia can increase your defenses, your strength, your endurance, but it can't stop me from draining your energy, isn't that right?"
The buds on the vines opened up to reveal green flowers, energy flowing out of the flowers and arcing over to Tara, covering her in a soft green aura that restored her strength.
"And that's not all we have planned," Blake continued. "Tara, use mega drain to take even more of his energy!"
"Snivy!" Tara nodded, glowing green, the energy flowing out of the flowers doubled in size.
"Whoa! Snivy is draining the energy out of Totodile!" Darla said.
"He doesn't look like he even has the strength to stand, let alone launch any attacks," Lila said. "This looks bad!"
If I keep my connection with Totodile, his Snivy will drain the rest of my energy and I'll lose, Oscar thought, a smile coming to his face in spite of his predicament. You planned this out from when you let her get hit by my water gun… Well done, Blake!
Oscar closed his eyes and his body slackened, Totodile crumpling as Oscar's Harmonia faded away, the water pokemon fainting.
"Totodile is unable to battle!" Darla announced.
"And not only that, Snivy is nearly completely restored!" Lila added.
"And that means that Blake has managed to close the gap between him and Oscar!" Darla said, nodding.
"They both have two pokemon left! Do your best, you two!" Lila cheered.
"You might have found a good way to counteract Harmonia, Blake," Oscar said, reaching for his next pokeball, "but I'm not drained yet."
"Oh, he's using it again, I see," Kanone said, his eyebrow rising in surprise.
"Bellsprout, go!" Oscar sent out his next pokemon, a Bellsprout, harmonizing with him immediately.
"Oh, darn it!" Kate huffed, frowning.
"What is it?" Julia asked.
"Leech seed won't work on another grass type," Kate answered. "I guess this battle isn't over just yet."
"I can't really feel it that well," Blake said, frowning, "but I suppose you're using Harmonia again."
"I'm giving this my all." Was Oscar's response, nodding to the plant pokemon, who turned his yellow head to look at Oscar, nodding back.
"Tara, blow him away with your leaf tornado," Blake ordered. Tara held her hands up, creating a tornado around her that spun toward Bellsprout, catching him in its clutches, leaves whipping around him from all sides. In spite of the intense wind, however, Bellsprout remained in place.
"Snivy is trying to fling Bellsprout like she did with Totodile, but for some reason, it isn't working!" Darla said in confusion.
"Why isn't Bellsprout getting flung?" Lila asked.
"That won't work," Oscar replied. "Bellsprout has planted his roots deep into the field. You won't be able to pull us away so easily!" Bellsprout raised the leaf that resembled an arm, swinging it at Tara, a vine shooting from the root and lunging toward Tara, who countered it with a vine of her own.
"Well then, I guess we'll just have to get in close and cut you out," Blake shouted. "Tara, use leaf blade!"
"Sni!" Tara shouted, creating a sword of leaves that she swung at Bellsprout.
"Bell!" Bellsprout shouted, his roots erupting from the ground and holding Tara's arm, preventing her from swinging the blade.
"You're not the only one capable of wrapping up your opponent," Oscar said, Bellsprout slamming Tara into the ground.
"Tara!" Blake shouted. "Try using leaf tornado at close range!"
"Sni!" Tara nodded, holding her hands up as best she could from where they were held by Bellsprout's wrap attack, firing a powerful gust of wind and leaves at the grass type. Bellsprout flapped around from the force of the wind but it wasn't enough to actually blow him away, and he swatted Tara in the head with a powerful vine, Tara crying out in pain as Bellsprout's wrap attack increased in intensity, squeezing her body tighter.
"Just a little more…" Oscar said.
"Oh no, now it seems like Snivy is the one in a tight predicament!" Darla said, frowning.
"Come on, Snivy, you can do it!" Lila cheered.
"Tara, use iron tail!" Blake exclaimed. White energy glowed around Tara's tail and she twisted her body as best as she could, flinging her tail forward, hitting Bellsprout in the face. Bellsprout wailed in pain, his body pushed backward as his roots remained in the ground, Tara breaking free. She landed on the ground and began building another iron tail, this time kneeling down and striking the base of Bellsprout's roots, hitting the grass type with enough force to finally knock him out of the ground. Bellsprout was pushed backward as Tara unleashed another leaf tornado, flinging him into the air.
Bellsprout hit the ground and his spindly body pushed him back up, righting himself, the yellow bud that made up his head spinning to face Tara, swinging his leaf alongside it, striking at Tara with another vine whip. Tara leapt out of Bellsprout's range, panting, glancing back at Blake.
It seems we're doing more damage to this one with each blow than we've done to his other pokemon… Blake considered, staring at the shivering form of the sprout pokemon. Oscar must be almost out of energy. If we can keep up with this, we can win!
"Tara, just a little bit more, okay?"
"Sni!" Tara said, smiling, looking back to Bellsprout and nodding her head. She ran toward Bellsprout, building up energy into her tail.
"Bellsprout," Oscar said, Bellsprout's roots digging deep and moving toward Tara underground, preparing to wrap around the grass type pokemon again.
"Tara, now!" Blake shouted. Tara slammed her iron tail against the ground and used the resulting force to launch herself into the air, spinning toward Bellsprout from overhead.
Like this we can't move… Oscar realized. Vine whip!
Bellsprout swung his leaf and another vine shot out, aimed at Tara, but Tara knocked it away with a whip of her own, swinging her tail toward Bellsprout, hitting the grass type pokemon in the head with a powerful iron tail attack.
"Bellsprout!" Bellsprout wailed, shaking, falling to the ground.
It's a pity… Oscar thought, his smile widening. I wanted to go until the very end… but I'm running out of energy. Even so, we'll still keep fighting until we can't fight anymore, right Bellsprout?
Bellsprout rose up onto his roots and held both his leafy hands up, creating a series of vine whips around his body. Bellsprout swung his vines at Tara in a barrage of continuous attacks, but Tara managed to jump out of the way of each one, her tail glowing once more.
"Iron tail, Tara! One more time!" Blake ordered. Tara slammed her tail into Bellsprout's core, hitting the sprout with enough force to rip him out of the ground and send him flying into the air. Oscar clutched his chest and fell to his good knee, Bellsprout crashing down in front of him.
"With this, Snivy has managed to take out two of Oscar's pokemon!" Darla cheered.
"That means Oscar is down to his last pokemon! Will it be enough to turn things around?" Lila asked excitedly.
"Actually…" Oscar said, using his cane to prop himself back up, "this is it for me."
"Wha…?" Darla asked in confusion.
"Huh?" Lila said, tilting her head to the side.
"What I mean is," Oscar explained, "I wish to withdraw from the match."
This response was met with a series of shocked gasps followed by a chorus of boos.
"Hey, come on!"
"That's no fair!"
"Don't just throw the win away!"
"Fight it out, damn it!"
"Don't be such an Akira!" (This one came from Dakota)
"Come on, you call this a show?" Darla exclaimed.
"Don't let it end here!" Lila said, frowning in disappointment.
"Oscar, what's the meaning of this?" Blake asked.
"The reason I entered this tournament was to have the chance to fight against you and bring out your power, Blake, but otherwise I'd prefer to be left to myself. I have no desire to win the whole thing. And while I would like to finish things… this isn't the time."
"Like I'm going to accept this!" Blake exclaimed, shaking his head. "Come on! You only used five of your pokemon! You can still keep fighting, right? Don't just give up because you're losing!"
"I do have one more pokemon," Oscar said, nodding, staring at the pokeball on his belt as he returned Bellsprout to his pokeball, "but to use him in the state I'm currently in… would be problematic. I fought you the best I could, but I'm afraid I don't have the strength to keep going. This is my loss."
Blake grit his teeth and shook his head in frustration, but there was nothing he could do, Oscar was already walking off the battlefield.
"…So that's it?" Julia asked, frowning.
"That's not fair!" Sango said, shaking her head. "How can Blake be satisfied with winning like this?"
Sorry to have to cut our battle short, Blake, Oscar said to himself as he headed out of the stadium, but even though I wanted to give you my best it seems that I don't have the strength to keep going. I'll make it up to you with another battle someday… but for now, there are more pressing matters at hand, and I can't afford to let myself fall just yet.
So Blake won… in a way. But he isn't that thrilled with it, and don't think I would be, either!