What could the fallout of Sylvia's surprisingly quick victory have on the students on campus? What about the other members of the Eight Leaders? We'll have to find out!

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Sylvia is the queen of underhanded tactics and preparing unconventional strategies.

TREBOR.E: Wow indeed.

KedharS: It's called tactics. A technique that Sylvia is a master of, scummy as it may be.

Hellraiserphoenix: Wow indeed.

JoshGamerV: But don't you just love to hate her?

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 154

The day after Mirar's Title Defense Challenge, the campus was in a huge upset. Although he wasn't often thought of, Mirar had been a member of the Eight Leaders for all four of his years at school, and most students at least knew of him, even if they would not be able to recognize him walking through campus. Because of this, the knowledge of what had happened, how the title defense match had ended in a single exchange of moves, with Sylvia Driscoll winning by a technicality, had spread like wildfire. It was all that the students were talking about.

But no one was talking about it more than the other members of the Eight Leaders. There were a lot of objections internally among their ranks, several of them feeling that Mirar didn't deserve to be stripped of his title under circumstances like these.

"Come on, this is bogus!" Raizer Volt muttered, storming down the hall, Dokukage following after him. Raizer was so annoyed, his blonde hair was standing on end. The two members of the Eight Leaders were heading to an appointed meeting of the Eight Leaders to discuss the recent change in the roster, and how it would affect their duties moving forward. "That battle didn't get me hype up at all! Are we really going to be acknowledging such a lukewarm victory? On a technicality, no less?! A battle is supposed to be electrifying, not some sort of excuse for winning by exploiting loopholes!"

"…It was Mirar's fault," Dokukage replied. "He scored a great many victories over past challengers with this strategy. But because he could not diversify his tactics, someone else showed up to take advantage of his predictability. This would have happened sooner or later."

Raizer grumbled, but could at least see where Dokukage was coming from, even if he didn't want to acknowledge Sylvia winning in such a way. As the only other member of the Eight Leaders to attain his position through a title defense challenge, the idea of someone else getting their position through an unscrupulous exploitation of that system was like an affront. It didn't help that Sylvia Driscoll's neutrality was… questionable. Raizer had resigned from his position as the president of the Pokemon Fight Club and given his position to Callie Crawford just so he would not have to worry about any hint of conflict between his duty as one of the Eight Leaders and his connection with his older brother. But Sylvia didn't seem to have that same compunction; in fact, it seemed readily apparent that she was intending to use position to benefit the Phantom, and make use of her influence to overthrow the power dynamics on campus.

Raizer was not the only one bothered by this turn of events.

Alcea and Gabrielle were also headed to the meeting, and in the meantime were discussing the concerns that they have over the current situation. Gabrielle in particular seemed exceptionally troubled by it. Alcea was concerned as well, but not nearly to the extent that Gabrielle was; all Alcea could do was inquire as to what Gabrielle knew about what was going on with Sylvia and her plans, as well as the Phantom.

"I honestly don't know," Gabrielle said, shaking her head. "I wasn't privy to all of the Phantom's plans. I only knew about the plan to get over and kick out Gerard from the Pokemon Gym Leader Training Club. I knew that Sylvia was planning something, and that she intended to use the Title Defense Challenge in order to win herself a position among the Eight Leaders, but I had no idea that she would use a Shedinja to exploit Mirar's strategy of copying his enemy's tactics. And of course, I don't know what the next step of her plan is…"

"Plan? What plan could that be?"

Alcea and Gabrielle turned to see Sylvia standing behind them, a smile on her face. Specter floated beside her, smiling smugly at the two older students.

"Sylvia Driscoll," Alcea said after a pause, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh, such a cold look," Sylvia said, strolling up to Alcea. "No 'bonjour' for me, Alcea?"

Alcea set her mouth into a thin line, coaxing a giggle out of Sylvia. Sylvia turned her attention to Gabrielle next.

"And as for you, why not smile, Gabrielle? Wasn't this the plan all along? To get me onto the Eight Leaders? Or are you still bitter about failing the Phantom and not being able to defeat Gerard? Don't worry your head about that! You didn't fail one bit! In fact, we had expected you to lose from the very start! You should be happy you played your role so perfectly! It's hardly a reason to turn tail and jump ship to Alcea's side of things. There's always the chance to come back to our side, you know~"

"The Phantom has no interest in order in the school," Gabrielle said, her tone cold and her eyes piercing. "I don't have any intention to further support someone who is only interested in self-promotion, and doesn't care one whit for the future of this institution."

"So you were just using us?" Sylvia cried, wiping away her crocodile tears. "How could you? And here I thought we were friends!"

Gabrielle glared at her, Sylvia throwing back her head and laughing.

"I won't allow this," Gabrielle coldly declared. "I will raise my objections at the meeting. The Eight Leaders are a noble organization and a foundation of this school's dignity. To allow a puppet of an unofficial faction to serve them in any capacity…"

Alcea held her hand up, stepping between the two.

"I won't go as far as her," Alcea said, her tone cold as ice, "but I will also oppose this. Rather inappropriate, is it?"

"What a pity," Sylvia sighed, shrugging. "And here I thought we could all be friends."

She walked past the two girls, and placed her hand on Gabrielle's shoulder.

"No need to worry, Elle," Sylvia purred. "My ambition is not so meager to be satisfied with being the puppet of someone else."

Alcea and Gabrielle followed Sylvia into the meeting room, the three girls taking their seats. With their presence, all of the Eight Leaders were in attendance.

"Well, let's begin," Gerard said, his tone rather reserved compared to how he usually addressed them. "Because this is an emergency meeting, there's only one issue up for discussion. In that sense, this is less an official meeting of the Eight Leaders, and more of a greeting to our newest member."

Sylvia, seated in the position of the Second Leader, leaned back and smiled.

Alcea and Gabrielle glanced at one another, Gabrielle rising from her seat.

"I'd like to voice my objection to this change in our lineup," she began, leveling a glare at Sylvia. Sylvia smirked back at her.

"You have that right," Gerard agreed. "But keep in mind that the faculty approved of her challenge, which is a tacit acceptance of her position with her victory. What is the basis for your objection?"

"Bias," Gabrielle declared. "I do not believe that she is capable of serving the needs of the position when at the same time being allied with Richard Valon, the Phantom. It's clear that he intends to use her position here to subvert our authority and-"

"No need to worry about that," Sylvia purred. "I've cut off all my ties with the Phantom. Honest~"

"Liar," Gabrielle coldly replied, shooting her a glare. Sylvia's only response was a cattish smile.

"I see," Gerard said, glancing at Sylvia. "Raizer, do you have anything to add? You were faced with a similar conundrum when you joined, considering your ties with your older brother."

"Well, yeah, but I was willing to give up my position and any ties to Alden's group," Raizer objected. "I don't think we can just accept Sylvia on her word that she isn't working with the Phantom."

"What about Elle, then?" Sylvia asked, glancing at the black-haired girl as Gabrielle took her seat. Gabrielle looked at her with confusion.

"…What do you mean?" Gabrielle asked, confused. "And don't call me Elle."

"Gabrielle also worked with the Phantom and his organization," Sylvia tattled, smiling. She was clearly having a blast with this. "In fact, she plotted with them to attempt to oust Gerard from his position as the president of the Pokemon Gym Leader Training Club. Why is it acceptable for her to remain as a member of the Eight Leaders, but you object to my application?"

Gerard scowled, glaring at Gabrielle. Gabrielle sunk down into her seat, feeling uncomfortable.

"…She raises a valid point," Gerard stated. "It seems that there have been other members of this group acting inappropriately in regards to the positions of the daevas."

"I think it's important to acknowledge their presence," Sylvia interjected, seizing control of the topic. "It seems you guys are just trying to maintain a status quo. But I think that's the wrong way to go about doing this. Whether we like it or not, tensions among the daevas are only increasing. For the sake of maintaining order in the school, don't you think it would be better for us to consider-"

"Are you suggesting that the Eight Leaders officially join with one of the factions?" Dokukage asked, narrowing his eyes. A rather notable display of his emotions, considering his face mask left only his eyes visible.

"All I'm saying is that we shouldn't dismiss the possibility so out of hand," Sylvia smiled, shrugging. "I think it's worth discussing, at the very least."

"Sylvia, that is not your place," Gerard reminded her. "Nor is it the topic up for discussion."

"Fine, fine," Sylvia shrugged, ceding defeat. "Then are there any other objections? If not-"

"I object to that entire process!" Raizer interrupted, glaring at her. Sylvia scowled, irritated at being interrupted again. "I don't think that you've adequately proven your worth in taking Mirar's place on this council!"

"I agree," Callie said, frowning. "I think that the Title Defense Challenge is a method for testing a trainer's ability to stand against a member of the Eight Leaders in battle."

"Exactly, exactly!" Raizer agreed, clapping his hands. "She won by a trick! And she didn't even win, she tied!"

"By the rules, a tie is still a win for the challenger," Dokukage reminded him. "Mirar was unable to adequately defend his position, and that's why Sylvia was chosen to replace him."

"But it was a trick!" Raizer protested.

"You might not agree with the method, but the result was still the result," Sylvia crowed. "It's not my fault that Mirar chose such a high-risk battling method. I merely exploited an obvious weakness in my opponent's strategy and in the test itself, and used it to seize a victory."

Sylvia narrowed her eyes and smirked.

"Or is your objection on the basis that you're also a trainer who only uses a single pokemon?"

Raizer glared at her and rose from his seat, cracking his knucles. Specter hissed back at him.

"Sit down, Raizer," Gerard said harshly. "This isn't the time for that."

Alcea glanced at Gerard, a frown on her face. She had remained silent throughout this meeting, content to watch events, as she was well-aware that there were no other valid objections she could raise. Whether she liked it or not, the school had approved of Sylvia's appointment onto the Eight Leaders, and that made this discussion less of a place to raise formal objections and more of a forum to raise their grievances and induct Sylvia into an understanding of her duties and her responsibilities. It was highly unlikely that anything brought up here would actually result in Sylvia's application being rescinded and Mirar's position being reinstated.

But even factoring in all of that, she was still a little put off by what was happening. Not just because of her personal objections, but by how accepting Gerard seemed to be of these circumstances. Gerard had been a staunch objector to the Phantom's activities, and this most recent incursion against him should have only exacerbated his objections. And yet he was behaving rather rationally, even reasonably. It was something that made her feel uneasy, as though he knew something that the rest of them did not. And Alcea was not someone who liked being in the dark.

"While the issue of Sylvia's association with the Phantom is questionable," Gerard said, glancing down at a piece of paper in his hands, "and certainly worrisome, it is something that we can address later on. Until then, Sylvia, while you are a member of the Eight Leaders, it is essential you comport yourself as such. That means that your conduct must be beyond reproach, no fraternizing with the Phantom or any members of his faction in a way that could call your loyalties into question. You must make your loyalty to maintaining order in this school your top priority, understood?"

"Of course," Sylvia purred, smiling a big, broad smile that told everyone in the room that this was absolutely not going to be the case, but until she actually slipped up, there wasn't really any way they could call her on that.

"Now then, there is one other issue to bring up," Gerard said, frowning. "The newest member of the Eight Leaders."

"Well, isn't that me?" Sylvia asked, smiling. Gerard shook his head.

"That isn't what I mean," Gerard said. "Mirar was intended to retire upon his graduation, along with Rafe. Because of that, we had appointed two new members to take their places after the fact. Because of the sudden change in duties and personnel… we find ourselves forced to make another choice about the next member of the Eight Leaders."

Alcea's eyes widened. She hadn't even considered that. After the Fall Festival Tournament, they had two students to be appointed, Akira Saroyan and Elaina Bishop. Choosing between the two had not needed to be an issue at the time, but in these circumstances, now only one of them would be appointed, whoever would be taking Rafe Crawford's slot as a member of the Eight Leaders.

Alcea glanced at Rafe, who was smiling the same placid smile he always wore. He hadn't said anything during the meeting, but now the situation required his participation.

"So we're choosing between Elaina and Akira, is it?" Alcea asked, frowning. Gerard scowled, and nodded his head.

"This sounds interesting," Sylvia said. "I've got some experience with both of them. Do you mind if I give some feedback?"

"…Of course," Gerard said. "This is an important decision about the future of the Eight Leaders, after all." A future unrelated to the daevas, as well, so perhaps she can be trusted to be objective…

"I think Elaina Bishop should take the spot," Sylvia said, Gerard raising his eyebrow in surprise. He was not the only one shocked by Sylvia's sudden support of Elaina Bishop as the next position, Alcea was equally shocked by this move, speaking up for the first time that meeting.

"Why would you support Elaina Bishop to be appointed to the Eight Leaders?" Alcea demanded. Sylvia's initial response was a smile, and then a shrug.

"…Whether or not Akira is the better choice remains to be seen," Sylvia replied. "But regardless of who is the most fitting, I most certainly think that Elaina will make for the more… interesting nomination, wouldn't you agree?"

"This isn't a game," Alcea snarled. "This involves the future of our school! You need to take this seriously!"

"Oh, I'm taking this deathly serious," Sylvia replied, narrowing her eyes. "You haven't actually fought Elaina yourself, have you, Alcea?"

"Th-that's…"

"None of you have, have you?" Sylvia continued. She glanced at Gerard. "Well, maybe one. Regardless, I'm the only one with first-hand knowledge of just how devastatingly powerful her abilities are. I think that if we truly have the best interests of this school in mind, we need a member of the Eight Leaders with unquestionable power to keep the student body in line. Especially in the wake of the coming power vacuum when Valon and the other daevas graduate next year. We need a firm hand… and I think that in comparison, Akira, sadly, is rather… flaccid."

She cackled at her own bad joke, while Gerard eyed her with a newfound appreciation… and suspicion. She was making all the arguments he had made for Elaina's appointment when the topic had been broached before, but now doing it from a far less biased position. While he appreciated the support, he recognized it for what it was: a ploy to get into his good graces.

"Furthermore," Sylvia added, "from what I hear, Elaina has woken up from her coma, has she not?"

"She has," Gerard acknowledged. "In fact, one of the major concerns in our last discussion was the nature of her medical state, and whether or not she would recover from her injuries or be forced to drop out of school. But with that issue behind us, and no other major objections…"

"Excuse me," Rafe said, everyone in the room turning to him. "It comes to mind the idea that all of a sudden, rather than appointing new members, the issue becomes a matter of appointing who will be my successor among the Eight Leaders."

"…That is one interpretation," Gerard admitted.

"In that case, I believe that I would like to weigh in on my position between which of these students are more qualified to take my spot," Rafe stated. Gerard narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what Rafe had planned.

"…Before, you had made it a point to hold no position on the subject, I believe," Gerard said.

"I've changed my mind," Rafe said. "After a conversation with my good former peer, Mirar."

Rafe glanced at Sylvia and gave her a courteous smile.

"Before your match, Mirar came to me, and gave me this letter."

Rafe reached into his pocket and withdrew a piece of paper. He handed it to Gerard for his approval.

"I, Mirar Christian, in my position as Second Leader among the Eight Leaders and with full support of noted faculty, do officially appoint Elaina Bishop as my successor upon my withdrawal from my position among the Eight Leaders, should not other extenuating circumstances exist." Gerard read. He shrugged his shoulders. "So what?"

"Mirar's word doesn't hold any weight here, he's only a former member," Sylvia replied. "I'm the Second Leader now."

"Oh, I did not intend to question the legitimacy of your position," Rafe reassured her. "But the paperwork has already been filed. Elaina Bishop was appointed as Mirar's official successor. And as such, Akira Saroyan is my official successor."

Callie smiled. She knew exactly what her brother meant. Gerard did too. He was less than pleased. Sylvia was practically fuming.

"So in that case, with Mirar no longer being a member of the Eight Leaders…" Alcea murmured, a smile crossing her face.

"His nominee, and Elaina Bishop's status… is, how shall we say, questionable," Rafe explained. "With that in mind, I believe it is only appropriate to continue with the paperwork as it stands, letting Akira serve as my replacement."

"What's the point of that?" Sylvia asked, frowning. "Why even write something like that? It's meaningless! Why bring it out now?!"

"Simple," Rafe said, smiling. "You didn't catch Mirar as unprepared as you thought you did."

"…What?" Sylvia asked, her eyes widening. The cat-like smile on her face fell off for the first time, much to the satisfaction of Alcea and Gabrielle.

"Mirar knew fully well what your plan entailed, but he couldn't do much about it," Rafe admitted. "Consider this his… contingency plan."

"You're lying!" Sylvia said, shaking her head. "He wouldn't have gone through with it if he knew!"

"He had to," Callie interrupted her. "It's the rules."

"You thought you were being clever, but Mirar used your ploy to appoint Akira as the next member of the Eight Leaders," Rafe explained. "I don't know what you had in mind by backing Elaina… but unfortunately, it won't happen."

Sylvia said nothing. Alcea glanced at Gerard, and was surprised again. Although he had fought so strongly for Elaina's nomination, he seemed to be taking this revelation with a surprising degree of decorum.

"Understood," Gerard said, nodding. "Akira Saroyan will be the next member of the Eight Leaders, upon Rafe's retirement. If there are no objections, than we shall conclude the meeting here."

There were no objections, save Sylvia's sulking face. The Eight Leaders rose from their seats, and evacuated the room, leaving only Sylvia and her Shuppet behind.

"Hmm…" Sylvia mused, raising one of her black-painted nails to her lips in contemplation. With no one else around, her scowl disappeared, replaced by her usual expression of playfulness. "So Akira's going to be the next member of the Eight Leaders, instead of Elaina…"

Sylvia thought back to the final match of the Fall Festival Tournament, or more specifically, its conclusion, and the actions of a certain redheaded reporter who had so desperately run to his side after the injuries he sustained from Elaina.

Sylvia's smile widened. If her suspicions as to the relationship between Akira Saroyan and Dakota Evans were to prove correct, then this had all the makings of something that could turn out to be even more entertaining than Elaina's appointment.

"Either way, Akira is going to be one of my fellow leaders next year," Sylvia licked her lips and rose from her seat, heading out of the room with Specter following behind her.

So I suppose there's no harm in seducing him, now is there?

Akira Harem +1, it seems. The formation of a new power couple between two members of the Eight Leaders is on the horizon!