So, what will the aftermath of Gabrielle and Gerard's battle end up being? Will Gabrielle be okay after her major loss?
Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Gabrielle might have some ideas of her own. Maybe she'll work with the Phantom, maybe with someone else…
Hellraiserphoenix: Hopefully she'll find a way to get back on top. She's not nearly as bad as Gerard, after all.
22jakai: Thanks for finding that! Yeah, I know it was a water/steel, which is why it would have so many advantages over Diancie, but I guess I wrote ice/steel since Gabrielle's the ice leader, and I just sort of got caught up in the flow. If you find more stuff like that, please, let me know!
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 132
Gabrielle ran through campus, the tears in her eyes blurring her vision. Ignoring where she was going, she crashed head-on into someone else, a girl who let out an "ow" as the two fell into a heap in the grass.
"What's the big idea?!" The girl exclaimed. Gabrielle wiped her eyes clean and stood up, looking down on the girl. She was younger, a first or second year judging by her lack of an armband. She was slender with a petite chest, but tall. Her hair looked like a tangled nest of twigs strewn atop her head, tickling the sides of her cheeks, and her face carried a look of scorn whose unpleasantness seemed to be a default. She had piercing green eyes that were leveled at Gabrielle, flashing with anger. But as the girl got a closer look, her eyes widened in realization and her mouth fell open. The look of awe reminded Gabrielle where she'd seen this particular underclasswoman before.
"You're Gabrielle Breaux!" The girl exclaimed.
"And you're… Alcea Vermeil's serving girl, right?" Gabrielle asked, helping her to her feet.
"Call me her pupil!" Kate scowled. "Why did you crash into me like that?! Weren't you looking where you were going?!"
"I could ask the same of you," Gabrielle replied. Kate blinked, and her face turned red.
"Uh… nevermind!" She said, shaking her head frantically.
"Very well," Gabrielle said, lowering her head. "I apologize. Now I must be off…" She turned to walk away, but felt a hand on her shoulder. Gabrielle bristled, glancing back to see the girl's eyes now giving her a look of concern.
"Are you okay?" Kate asked.
"I'm fine," Gabrielle curtly replied.
"Then why have you been crying?" Kate asked. Gabrielle blinked, wiping her eyes.
"You're mistaken." She shook herself free from Kate's grip again, turning to walk away.
"Oi! You stuck up-!" Kate exclaimed, running around Gabrielle and grabbing hold of her. "You think I'm just gonna ignore someone when they're clearly crying right in front of me?!"
"Let me go," Gabrielle said, shaking herself free again.
"At least talk about it with someone!" Kate exclaimed. Her expression was pained. "Don't hold it in… or else… it'll just hurt worse."
Gabrielle's expression was unreadable. She blinked, and then frowned.
"Even if I would… to speak to someone who works under Alcea Vermeil is unthinkable."
"What the heck?!" Kate exclaimed. "Her highness has nothing to do with this! What's your problem with her, anyway?! Why do you hate her so much?!"
"Hate? I have none."
"Then why?"
"She is someone that I refuse to lose to," Gabrielle replied, her tone so cold it gave Kate chills. "I won't give her a chance to look down on me by showing her, or you, such a pitiful face."
"And you're so stubborn about it that you won't even respond to someone reaching out to you?" Kate asked.
"I don't need your help," Gabrielle nodded.
How prideful… Kate noted. It's like she's locking herself in an icy shell… she's too afraid of other people looking down on her to risk opening up to anyone…
She's so much like I used to be.
"That's it!" Kate snarled, grabbing Gabrielle by the wrist and dragging the older girl with her.
"Let me go!" Gabrielle said.
"Your clothes are soaking wet, and you're crying. Do you have anyone else to go to right now?!"
"No, but-"
"Then this conversation is over!" Kate said. She didn't let Gabrielle go until they were in her room.
"I'll give you a change of clothes, in the meantime, get undressed.
"Don't order me-"
Kate glared at her, Gabrielle flinching. How dare this sophomore order someone like her around like this?!
Nevertheless, she proceeded to remove her uniform, soaked from the battle, and change into a dry set of clothes Kate provided.
While Kate went downstairs to do the laundry, Gabrielle looked around her room. On Kate's side of the room, there were several posters of Alcea, back from her pro days, the most notable thing. The girl was quite the slob, ironic considering who she idolized, but the potted plants on her windowsill were lovingly maintained nonetheless. And beside the girls' bed, on her nightstand… a framed picture of Alcea as well, wearing a broad smile.
Of course she'd command this kind of adoration in her peers and pupils… Gabrielle thought, picking up the picture and staring wistfully at it. She's amazing, after all…
Nothing like me…
"Nice picture, huh?" Kate's voice came from behind her, Gabrielle jumping slightly.
"I guess…" Gabrielle shrugged, setting it back down where she'd found it.
"So do you want to say what's going on?" Kate asked, frowning. "I promise, I won't tell anyone. Not a soul. But you need to talk to someone. That someone… can't it be me?"
Gabrielle inhaled, and sighed, sitting down on Kate's bed. She began to tell Kate everything.
By the time Gabrielle's story was over, Kate felt like she needed a stiff drink. And as a minor, she didn't drink.
"That's… my god…" Kate said, shaking her head. "Are you… are you serious?"
"It's awful," Gabrielle nodded.
"We… we need to tell someone. Her highness, the faculty, someone…"
"You can't," Gabrielle coldly replied. "You promised."
"But… but Alcea needs to know this!" Kate said. "She's been working against Gerard, too! Don't you see? If she heard what you had to say, then-"
"You want me to go seek comfort in Alcea's arms?" Gabrielle demanded. "Admit that I wasn't talented enough to stop Gerard on my own?"
"But… Alcea needs to hear this!" Kate said, shaking her head. "Someone needs to tell her, so she can do something... If you won't do it, then…"
"'Needs' you said?" Gabrielle's face twisted into a cold smile. She rose to her feet, brushing her black hair behind her ear, her blue eyes sparkling. "Fine then. Take me to her, if you would."
"Really?" Kate asked, her eyes brightening. "Then you'll talk with her? Work together with her? That's great!"
"I have a condition." Gabrielle said. "I want her to beg me."
"…What?" Kate asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I want her to beg me," Gabrielle repeated. "Come to me seeking out the information that I can offer her, hat in hand, and I'll let her know what she wants to know. And anything else… my tears… my loss… will be kept between you and I. Those are the conditions for my cooperation with Alcea. Understood?"
Kate clicked her tongue in frustration. She didn't like the idea of Alcea lowering her head like this, but at the same time, she felt a certain level of empathy for Gabrielle's situation. It seemed that the only way she would be willing to help them was a method like this, where she would be able to conserve her pride. Kate sighed, and nodded her head.
"I'll see if she'll go for it," Kate agreed. "Until then, do you mind waiting in the Gardening Club building while I explain the situation? It's not far away."
"Yes," Gabrielle nodded. "That will be fine."
Knowing her highness, she'd gladly do it for the sake of the students… but at the same time, I don't want her to do it… Kate shook her head, knowing that this was just more of her own selfish pride. If only I knew what exactly it was that Gabrielle was thinking, then maybe I'd have a better idea of what she was really after… but if this works out, then her highness will gain a powerful ally with Gabrielle…
Gabrielle's expression was that of a blank slate, but inside she was all smiles. She'd lost her battle that day, but getting to see Alcea… getting Alcea to come to her to help, and acknowledge how much she needed someone like her… that was going to make everything much better. And working with Alcea, she was certain that she'd be able to mold this school into a proper place for shaping the minds of pokemon trainers ever, like it was meant to be from the very beginning.
Kate glanced at Gabrielle as the two exited her room, Kate going down to get Gabrielle's long-since-dried laundry. She was still wondering what was on Gabrielle's mind, but at least she was more than slightly relieved that Gabrielle apparently didn't hate her highness, at the very least. And that was always a place that they could start.
Kate and Gabrielle entered Venusaur Hall, and the clubroom of the Gardening Club. Alcea was somewhere else, presumably in the adjoining Roselia Garden, so Kate asked Gabrielle to wait patiently while she went to go find her. A few minutes later, Alcea and Kate entered the room, Alcea sitting across the table from Gabrielle while Kate prepared tea for them.
"Bienvenue, Gabrielle," Alcea welcomed her. "Kate says you have something you wish to discuss?"
Gabrielle nodded her head.
"I have information on Gerard… and the Phantom, Richard Valon."
Alcea's eyes widened.
"Verite?! Please!" Alcea rose from her seat, her eyes shining. "Please, tell me everything you know!"
Gabrielle blinked, her cheeks flushing.
"O-Of course. That is why I am here, after all," Gabrielle said.
What happened to making her beg? Kate mentally asked the woman, irritated.
"When I heard that you were working against Gerard… and the Daevas… I knew of course that I should lend a hand in this matter," Gabrielle said, smiling slightly.
Liar.
"I am very grateful," Alcea said, smiling. "in truth… I had thought you hated me…"
"N-nonsense," Gabrielle said, turning her nose up at the idea. "If I did, then I would not be here now, would I?"
"I suppose not," Alcea said, shaking her head.
"Then, er… if it's okay with you, could I come here and have tea again?" Gabrielle asked.
"Why yes, of course," Alcea smiled. "That would be lovely, is it?"
Kate glanced back and forth between the two of them, and at the look of adoration shimmering in Gabrielle's eyes, a look that was totally out of place with what Kate had known about her. The pieces had all begun falling into place.
No way… Kate's mouth fell open in spite of herself and she shook her head slowly. No… way… she was so prideful… and withdrawn… and yet with her highness acting like this… she's now so open… is it possible? No, not only that, it totally makes sense…
Gabrielle is totally freaking hot for her highness!
Yeah, when I think about it that way, her attitude up until now does start to make a bit of sense… she's just too prideful to be honest with how she feels… she's just a frigging tsundere, damn it. I can't believe that someone would be that closed off and dishonest about their feelings.
Blake's face popped into her head, and she quickly erased it.
Yeah, someone like that is just frigging annoying, why can't she just be honest with herself? She demanded with absolutely zero self-awareness. Kate let out a sigh, and placed a cup of tea in front of each of the girls.
"Then what is it you wish to tell me?" Alcea asked, reaching out and taking a sip from her cup.
"This is more about the Phantom than it is about Gerard," Gabrielle admitted. "But it involves both of them. To start, I guess… it would be when I first got to know Gerard… back when we were in the Pokemon Gym Leader Training Club together… and I realized the kind of man he was. He was always a better trainer than me… and so I kept trying to increase my ability to surpass the both of you. Gerard, because of the kind of man he was, and you, because… nevermind."
Kate had a sinking suspicion she knew what Gabrielle was talking about.
"You know Gerard almost as well as I do," Gabrielle said. "You said as much in our last… tea party."
"You said you weren't going to stand against him," Alcea reminded her. "Changed your mind, is it?"
"Back then, I was already working on a plan of my own… with the Phantom," Gabrielle said. "I had hoped that the success of the plan would result in Gerard's disgrace…"
And then you would praise me for it, she silently added.
"In the end, though, our plans failed. Elaina's coma and the resulting battle with Kanone was a positive turn we didn't account for, but in the end… I was unable to accomplish what needed to be done. The Phantom wanted me to defeat Gerard once and for all, but that pokemon of his…"
"Pokemon?" Alcea asked.
"It was called Diancie," Gabrielle said. "It was unbelievably powerful…"
Alcea's eyes widened. Kanone had mentioned something about a legendary pokemon… could this pokemon be the one he had spoken of? If so…
"A legendary pokemon, is it?"
"Wh-what?" Kate gasped. "A legendary pokemon?!"
"It's possible," Gabrielle agreed. "Its strength was certainly legendary…"
"If so, then I do not have the time to spend worrying about my own state of affairs," Alcea frowned. "This may be both good and bad for us…"
"What?" Gabrielle asked.
"If Gerard is using a legendary pokemon, he will be difficult to beat, I am sure," Alcea said. "Which means we may be able to regain our standing with the student body. That should secure our position for the time being."
"But then that leaves Gerard in power," Gabrielle said, shaking her head.
"Oui, that is very bad," Alcea agreed. "But still better than the resulting chaos if too many people begin challenging us for our positions."
Gabrielle smirked.
"Are you afraid of losing?" She asked. "That isn't like you, 'milady'."
"Oui, but all we have to do is win, is it?" Alcea replied. "The bigger concern is the atmosphere on campus… the Daevas are beginning to struggle… at times, I even wonder if Gerard's words… of a strong, unified central power… were not wrong."
"The words are strong," Gabrielle agreed. "But Gerard is wrong. Someone like that who sees pokemon as tools… he's wrong."
"Oui," Alcea nodded, smiling warmly at Gabrielle. "I think so, too."
Gabrielle took a sip of tea to hide how flustered she was, nodding her head back.
"The bigger concern if the Phantom," Gabrielle said. "Gerard is one man… but the Phantom…"
"You were working with him, though, right?" Kate interrupted, the two juniors shooting her cold looks. "I-I'm sorry, it's just… can we really trust you?"
"Kate, that is…"
"She is right," Gabrielle said. "I would be surprised if my words were to be trusted. In truth, I joined the Phantom because our goals were similar. At least in as far as removing Gerard from power. He was the one who came to me with his idea. But now… since I failed… or even worse… if I was meant to fail from the start… it's likely that I'll be thrown away. That's how I feel, at any rate. A tool that's served its function."
Alcea calmly nodded.
"And I do know some details about his other plans," Gabrielle said. "Now that my attempt to stop Gerard has finished, I don't have any further connection with them. Rather… I was hoping that after the Daevas graduated… we would be able to step in and fill that resulting power vacuum ourselves. But with Gerard here… he's likely planning on seizing power on his own."
"Will you help me stop him?" She asked, staring into Alcea's eyes. "I believe I am capable of defeating Gerard on my own, given time and preparation. But if you lend me your strength, then I believe we will be able to take control of the Eight Leaders from him."
I wouldn't have expected her to ask for help, Kate thought, her eyes wide with surprise. This is going much better than I expected.
"Don't get me wrong, I am not asking for your help," Gabrielle said, retracting her previous statement. "Rather, I am offering you my help, since you seem to be so desperately in need of it."
Ah, that's more like it.
"…With an offer like that, then I can't help but accept," Alcea said, nodding her head. She extended her hand out to Gabrielle. "Oui, if you wish to lend me your ability, I would be most grateful, Gabrielle."
"C-call me Elle, if you want," Gabrielle said, lowering her eyes back to her tea cup. Her heart was pounding with excitement at the idea of her worthy rival coming to her for help, even though that was not even remotely what was really happening here. Just watch, Alcea Vermeil… I'm going to show you just how talented and powerful I really am… I'll make you acknowledge me, whatever it takes!
Gabrielle reached across the table and shook Alcea's hand.
So, Gabrielle and Alcea are joining together? Could this be the formation of a powerful new alliance? Or a new power couple, if you will?