The battle between Val and Blake begins! Will the wicked Val emerge triumphant? Or will Blake be able to protect Kate's honor… and his own? Remember to review!
Pokemon Academy Best Girl Elimination Round is still going strong! Keep those votes coming, a few girls are pulling ahead, but things aren't done just yet! We've still got a good chance of girls getting into the final 5! The poll is on my profile, so go cast your votes there!
Nominated: Sango, Cynthia, Elaina, Kate, Dakota, Ayame, Marion, Kitty, Serefina, Madison, Alcea
KedharS: Hopefully he will.
ConfusedCradily: Val is an underhanded bitch. No redeemable personality here, not one bit. No worries, come back when you like.
Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Nah, what's the long-winded paragraph? I want to read it!
Pokemonking0924: Pretty apt description. A pure black soul is about as close to Val as you can describe. And of course Kate doesn't deserve it.
Tambry96bj: Yup, Val is as bad as it gets.
DJ Dib Dab: When you asked what type would suit her I was like "okay she's a dark specialist but how do I reveal that without tipping off that she's an evil bitch?" Also, it's not fair to compare her with Sylvia. Sylvia does whatever she likes to entertain herself, but she's not malevolent the way Val is. Val gets enjoyment from the despair of others, in Sylvia's case the despair of others may result in her entertainment, but the despair isn't the end goal like it is for Val.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 258
"Shall we begin then?" Val smirked, tossing a pokeball from hand to hand. She and Blake were standing across from one another in the center of the plaza, a quick hop over the fence from where they'd been sitting. Kate was watching from her seat with a worried expression on her face. "I've got to be going soon, so let's just stick with three pokemon each, alright?"
Blake glared at the girl, his eyes narrowing. Her smile widened and her eyes began shining with glee.
"Now that's the look I wanted to see. Well okay then lover. Elesdee! Come out!" Val let her pokemon drop to the ground, and from within her first pokemon emerged. It was a Muk, but it was like no Muk Kate had ever seen before.
"What is that?" Kate gasped. Normally, a Muk was a big pile of gooey, stinky purple sludge. But this one was… different. Its body was a dark, sickly green, and filled with streaks of color, yellows and pinks blending in a bizarre pattern. Small crystals grew out of its body, shimmering in the street lights. Unlike other Muk, its body did not seem to be dripping, and it gave off no odor.
"It's a Muk, you dumb girl," Val rolled her eyes. "I thought you knew all about poison types."
Kate flinched.
"B-but it…"
"I have no use for such a filthy, ugly thing like the ones you enjoy," Val said. "But this one… this is a special pokemon, from Alola. Never seen a poison type like it, I'm sure. Its beauty suits me, wouldn't you agree? Regular Muk… with their stench… they suit you far better."
Kate winced, looking down. Val and her special Muk cackled.
"Keep talking," Blake growled, pulling a pokeball off of his belt. "I'll make sure to shut you up soon."
"Oh, I'd love to see it," Val licked her lips. Kate winced. Blake seemed… angry. An anger that she'd never seen, not even during her match with him. It was… scary.
"Weiss," Blake growled, throwing the pokeball out. His Scizor emerged, claws clicking.
"Awesome, Weiss!" Kate made a small cheer. With Weiss out first, the Muk's poison moves wouldn't be able to do much of anything.
"What? A bug/steel type?" Val gasped. "But that's no fair! You can't just counter me so easily!"
Val put a mocking pout on her face, as though she were truly frustrated. But that cruel light in her eyes was still there.
"Weiss, use flash cannon," Blake ordered.
"Scizor!" Weiss said, holding up his pincer. A beam of compressed light shot out of it, hitting the Muk in the center of its bulky body.
"Oh no! Elesdee!" Val wailed, her smirk not breaking in the slightest. "Crunch!"
The Muk lumbered forward, rolling across the bricks, her mouth opening wide to bite down on Weiss. But Weiss wasn't slow enough to let that happen. He darted to the side, staying out of reach of the bulky poison type. The Muk spun around, swinging her large arm and slapping Weiss in the side, knocking him back but not causing much damage.
Kate's heart soared. This was great! Muk was a bulky, close-range pokemon, and Weiss's speed made it so that she would never be able to land a decent blow. There were long-range attacks available, but they were all poison type moves, they would have not effect.
"Weiss, keep up your distance," Blake ordered. "We need to tear that thing down."
"Scizor," Weiss looked worriedly at Blake. He hadn't seen that level of anger in his trainer's face, but he was willing to follow orders. Weiss skidded away, flapping his wings, positioning himself a good distance away from the Muk. He raised his pincers, and fired two compressed beams of light.
"MUuuukKK!" Elesdee bellowed, blown back by the attacks. Dark markings burned into the Muk's gooey hide, quickly absorbed by more of the toxic sludge. She glared angrily at Weiss.
"That just isn't playing fair," Val pouted. "Elesdee, can you do something about that?"
"Muk!" Elesdee raised her right hand, which began glowing.
"Sciz!" Weiss was preparing another flash cannon, when his entire body froze and the light in his pincers died down. He couldn't move.
Blake realized that the Muk had used disable freeze Weiss in place, stopping his movements and preventing him from using flash cannon again.
"No more pesky long-range moves," Val said. "Now, where were we?"
Elesdee surged forward, raising her arm, opening her mouth wide. She engulfed Weiss with her huge frame, burying him in sludge. Even if Weiss was immune from the poisonous contact with the toxic pokemon, his body was immobilized, everything from his shoulders down was pinned by the Muk.
"Muk!" Elesdee slammed her fists down onto Weiss's face, smashing him repeatedly with the large crystals.
"Weiss, iron defense," Blake ordered.
"Screech," Val countered. Elesdee opened her wide mouth and let out a deafening screech so loud it broke Weiss's concentration. The pokemon couldn't move his arms to cover his ears, leaving him susceptible to Elesdee's screams.
"Weiss!" Blake shouted. "Iron head!"
Weiss's head turned solid like steel just as Elesdee brought her fist down onto it.
"Muk!" Elesdee recoiled in pain, taking major damage from punching Weiss's hardened face.
"Now, use bullet punch!"
Weiss's pincers began vibrating at high speed, generating friction that began to heat up Elesdee's body. He slammed his claws against her underside over and over, forcing the pokemon off of him with several rapid blows. The minute he was able to move even a little, Weiss shot out from under Elesdee and took to the sky, wings beating rapidly.
"What? Stay up there forever?" Val laughed. "You won't be able to make me pay like that, you know!"
"Weiss! Bullet punch again, and this time go for the eyes," Blake ordered. Weiss nodded, and shot forward at high speed, raising his claws. He unleashed a flurry of attacks at the Muk's face, the pokemon not fast enough to shield herself from all the blows.
"MUUUUUK!" Elesdee let out another screech attack, weakening Weiss's defenses. Weiss stumbled back, holding his pincers over his ears to try and block out some of the deafening noice.
Elesdee took the opportunity to push forward, opening her large mouth and biting down on Weiss's torso, swallowing him all the way up to his chest and clamping down hard. Weiss was no longer able to escape the large pokemon pinning him down.
"Bite… tighter," Val murmured, licking her lips. She was enjoying watching the fast pokemon squirm.
"Weiss, x-scissor," Blake ordered.
"Scizor!" Weiss raised his claws and swung them down hard in two arcing blows, hitting Elesdee hard in the face.
"Muk!" Elesdee cried, her mouth loosening as she moaned in pain, her eyes clenching shut. Weiss's wings began glowing silver, and he broke free, slamming his wings in Elesdee's face, knocking her backwards.
Elesdee slid backwards and collapsed at Val's feet, sinking down within herself. Her eyes were closed and she let out a final groan of pain, losing consciousness with a smile on her face.
"…Oh, no, she lost," Val pouted, recalling her Muk. "That Scizor of yours is as good as I heard."
Blake blinked. What did she just-?
"Oh well, time to move on!" Val cackled. "Crow!"
Val threw another pokeball into the air. In a flutter of black feathers, a large bird took to the sky, blending into the night. The pokemon was a Honchkrow, flying overhead, the white plumage on his chest the only thing Weiss could see.
"Weiss, x-scissor," Blake ordered. Weiss panted, looking back at him, nodding his head. He flew up after the Honchkrow, raising his pincers.
"An aerial battle, eh? Well, I don't think Crow will lose this one. Crow! Use night slash!"
Crow's talons began pulsing with dark energy, and he flew straight at Weiss, holding his wings open and his claws extended.
Pincers met talons in a collision of power, and as a bug type move Weiss should have been the one with the edge. But it didn't end up playing out that way. Weiss was overpowered, his arms flung aside easily as Crow's talons dug into his hide, raking across his chest and doing serious damage to his weakened defenses, knocking him down towards the ground.
"Weiss!" Blake cried, Weiss hitting the ground painfully, bouncing across the bricks. Weiss, trembling, attempted to pull himself back.
This doesn't make sense… Blake thought, paying attention to Weiss, who just a minute ago was fighting at full strength. Now, his strong attack had caused barely any damage. The effects of the screech accounted for the increased wounds to Weiss's body, but why had his attack failed?
"What's wrong, Scizor?" Val crooned. "Feeling a little weak in the knees? Some performance issues? Can't… get it up? Well, considering who your trainer is, I suppose that makes sense… Crow! Dark pulse!"
"Honchkrow!" Crow shouted, opening his beak and firing a beam of concentrated dark energy at Weiss. Weiss rolled out of the way and spread his wings, flying out of the path of the dark attack.
"Flash cannon," Blake ordered, Weiss's disabling having worn off. Weiss raised his pincer and fire a beam of light at the Honchkrow.
"Couldn't fight head-on, so back to range, eh?" Val laughed. "Counter with dark pulse, Crow!"
"Honchkrow!" Crow opened his mouth, firing another beam of darkness. The two energy attacks collided in the air, a beautiful contrast of light and darkness burning in the night sky. But the light wasn't fighting back as strongly as it could have. Weiss's flash cannon was simply too weak, the dark pulse pushing through it, ultimately overwhelming the steel move and striking its owner directly, knocking him back.
"Scizor…" Weiss coughed, stumbling back to his feet, panting. Blake narrowed his eyes. Something clearly wasn't right. That Honchkrow might have been powerful, but Weiss was no pushover. And yet the dark pokemon was throwing him around like a ragdoll, his attacks were having no effect.
"Weiss, are you okay?" Blake asked.
"Sci…" Scizor winced in pain, shaking his head. He looked at his pincer. Weiss could also feel that something was wrong. But he didn't know what. He just felt so… weak. "Scizor…"
"What did you do?" Blake growled, glaring angrily at Val.
"Me?" Val opened her eyes wide, placing her hand over her breast in mock surprise. "I've done nothing! I'm just an innocent young lady, what do you think I could have done to your precious Scizor?"
Blake growled, and Val's expression shifted to her usual smirk.
"Well, not me… exactly. Let's just say that my dear like Elesdee left him with… a parting gift."
Blake blinked. Kate's eyes widened in realization.
"Blake!" Kate shouted. "The Muk must have used memento!"
"Memento?" Blake glanced at her.
"It's a move that some poison and dark pokemon can learn," Kate explained. "The user faints, and in exchange, the attacking power of the other pokemon is completely drained away, like a curse."
That was an apt comparison, it was a lot like when a ghost pokemon used the move curse.
"So you didn't just sap Weiss's defenses with screech, you also drained his strength," Blake growled.
"What can I say?" Val smiled, shrugging. "I like watching your pokemon squirm. Should have noticed earlier, honest. Or did you think your Scizor was just so good that you were able to take out my Elesdee without much of a struggle?"
Blake scowled. It had been a problem, but it wasn't that problematic. Weiss was weakened, but only due to the special moves of Val's pokemon. All he needed to do was recall Weiss, and give him some time to rest. That would get his stats right back up to snuff.
"Weiss," Blake called, holding up Weiss's pokeball. "Return!"
"Did you really think I'd just let you leave?" Val snorted. "Crow! Mean look!"
"Honchkrow!" Crow cawed, flying low. His crimson eyes began glowing, a spectral gaze piercing Weiss down to his very soul, immobilizing him. Blake couldn't recall him.
"There's still fun to be had," Val said. "You can leave once the festivities are done."
"Weiss," Blake said. "If we can't escape, then we've got to fight back. But in your present state, your stats are too low to do damage. You know what to do, right?"
Weiss nodded, staring across the plaza at the Honchkrow, who was perched on the ground in front of Val, vainly preening his feathers.
"Then use swords dance," Blake nodded. Weiss raised his pincers and began spinning, sharpening his claws to increase his attack.
"Perfect!" Val cackled, dark light shooting out of Weiss and draining his strength. The light suffused Crow, increasing his power.
"Weiss!" Blake cried, seeing Weiss stumble and fall forward, panting, his strength once again sapped.
"Mmmm…" Val murmured, taking a deep inhale, smiling. "That's the stuff…"
"What's going on?" Kate wondered.
"Weiss!"
"Scizor…" Weiss glared at the strengthened Honchkrow, a fury that had begun to compete with his trainer's burning in his eyes.
"A little move called snatch," Val explained, eager to tell Blake just how she had completely shut off his avenue to fight back. "When Crow uses it, all those nice little moves to strengthen your pokemon? Well, I'll be the one reaping those rewards, thank you very much."
"What?!" Blake gasped. He'd never even heard of a move like that!
"No swords dances, no agility, no iron defense," Val counted them off. "You can't raise your stats any further than they are now. And right now, well… you're pathetic. You can't run. You can't fight back…"
Val licked her lips, smiling eagerly at the crippled Scizor.
"You can't do anything but lose! Crow! Use night slash!"
Crow spread his wings and took to the sky, flying towards Weiss. Dark energy began glowing in his talons, his strength boosted by the stolen swords dance.
"Weiss! You gotta dodge, and then…" Blake's voice trailed off. He wasn't sure what "and then" would be. Weiss's attacking ability was shot, his defenses were shot, and he couldn't swap out for a better matchup.
With no other orders and his strength starting to wane, Weiss flew from Crow, the dark pokemon in hot pursuit. Weiss was fast, but so was Crow. And without agility, Weiss couldn't outfly him.
Weiss winced, an aching pain surging through his side. His wings paused momentarily and he nearly dropped out of the sky before regaining control… and that was all that Crow needed. Crow sliced into Weiss's back with his talons, digging in deep with the powerful dark move.
"Scizor!" Weiss wailed in pain, Crow clenching him tightly. Darkness shimmered around the Scizor, Crow flapping his wings and taking to the sky, holding onto him. With a turn, Crow spun around and plummeted towards the ground at high speed.
"Weiss!" Blake shouted. Weiss struggled against Crow's tight grip, driving his pincers into the bird pokemon's body and wings again and again. But his attacking power was too weakened, his blows were like bug bites to the large bird.
"Honchkrow!" Crow crowed in victory, spreading his wings and skimming over the plaza, slamming Weiss into the brick ground.
Crow flew overhead, circling around the unconscious pokemon and crowing in victory.
"Weiss…" Blake winced in sympathy for his weakened pokemon. He recalled Weiss to his pokeball.
"That was nice enough," Val smirked. "Sorry, Blake. Looks like your strong little partner wasn't enough. That's your best pokemon, right? That's why I gave special care to defeat him."
Blake didn't know what was going on. Val was acting like… like she knew him? But she didn't go to their school. He'd never seen her before.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Blake demanded. "You're talking like you've got all this planned out, who the hell are you?"
"What do you mean?" Val asked, smiling innocently at him. But those eyes were anything but innocent. "Isn't this the first time we've met?"
Kate looked worriedly at Blake. She wasn't sure what the hell was going on.
"I think you just went through a lot of trouble to take out one of my best pokemon," Blake said, frowning. "And I think that's something you were aware of already."
Val smirked.
"Well, you're a paranoid one," she said. "What. I get you all mad with your righteous indignation, and then send out my dear old Muk, the perfect pokemon for your Scizor to easily counter, then use her as a pawn to drain your best pokemon's stats and follow up with the perfect pokemon to finish her off with?"
Val's smile grew wider.
"But where would I come up with an idea like that? How could little old me have known anything about what kind of pokemon you use, and which ones are your strongest and weakest? Hmm… I wonder…"
Val tapped her chin in a mockery of contemplation. Her eyes widened as she faked having a realization. She smirked.
"Oh, right. What was it again? Yes. NOW I remember."
"An. Ja. Kar. Zat." She sounded out the syllables, her eyes widening with glee at the expression on Blake's face.
My, now THIS is a twist. It seems Blake isn't in the best state of things.