Time to continue the battle, let's see what Val knows about "Anja Karzat" and what she has to tell Blake on the topic. Will Blake be able to defeat her? 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

DJ Dib Dab: Nah, you're good. I liked answering it.

Pokemonking0924: Who can say? I'm not sure if Sarah will be a useful trump card or not for Blake's purpose though. It would be rather… dangerous, to say the least.

Kunoichi69: Nah, those are a little too nice.

KedharS: What do you mean?

ConfusedCradily: Val is about as vicious as it gets. She's as evil as they come.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Val probably has a contingency or two for Sarah, I'd wager. She's certainly no fool.

Guest: She certainly is.

Tambry96bj: We'll have to see.

Thunder Fire:

1. Yes she is.

2. Nah, it's a Samurott with approximately the same ability.

3. They see a lot of things to wince at.

4. Weird.

5. Neither. Val first showed up in this arc.

6. It's on an island… somewhere. Geographically it doesn't really matter.

7. Weird, it should be there, right at the top.

EESDESESESRDT6: Yup, she quite loves despair, especially inflicting it on others.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 259

Blake's mind went from blind anger, to shocked confusion, to stunned silence, and then to a burning anger that surprised even him.

"That name… how did you…"

"That's a look in your eye…" Val purred. "I think you have a pretty good idea… exactly what I'm talking about, wouldn't you agree?"

Kate didn't though. The Blake in front of her… it was nothing like the Blake she knew. The darkness clouding his face… the anger in his voice… where was the kind, considerate boy she'd learned to care for in the past months? It was like he had been twisted, corrupted by Val's influence, and yet… there was something else. Something primal and furious, that sent a shiver down her spine.

"That reminds me, I hear you've been looking for a certain someone, isn't that right?" Val smirked. Blake's eye twitched. "That's right, I know all about it. In fact, she and I get along swimmingly, did you know? Oh, you must have heard it at least mentioned, right?"

Val's ruby red lips pulled back into a wide smile, her eyes shining with a taunting allure.

"The Children of the Oracles?" Val questioned. Kate's heart skipped a beat. She'd heard that name… recently!

"Wait!" Kate cried. "But aren't they… those people are terrorists, why would…"

"You know how it is," Val yawned, not even sparing Kate a glance. "Everyone's gotta have a hobby. Lucky for me, my class trip happened to coincide perfectly with a little… business trip of sorts."

So she was one of them, Blake understood. Those people that Sango had talked about. And if she knew about Anja Karzat, about her…

"You have harmonia," Blake confirmed.

Val rolled her eyes and snorted.

"Please. Like I would bother with something like connecting to my pokemon. No, we just have… some common interests, that's all. 'Peace in our world' and all that stuff."

"You," Blake said, his voice incredulous. "You want world peace."

"Well… peace in MY world," Val shrugged. "Close enough."

"You know, don't you?" Blake demanded, narrowing his eyes. "You know where I can find her."

"So you are chasing after her," Val smirked. "Like a meek little puppy. How cute."

Her eyes were shining with glee as she said the word Blake was waiting to here.

"Yes."

Val nodded her head.

"I know exactly where she is."

Blake's blood went cold. That meant… so close. He'd been looking for so long, and now…

"Where?" Blake demanded, the rage in his voice causing Kate to flinch. Blake stormed towards Val with hatred in his eyes. "Where is she?!"

"There's that darkness," Val licked her lips. "I knew it was hiding there somewhere, under that veneer of civility…"

Blake wasn't sure what he would do. Images and scenes were flashing through his mind, all of them tinged in red. He didn't want to… did he want to hurt her? He needed her to tell him.

Before Blake could decide what to do when he closed the distance, his path forward was cut off.

"Krow!" Crow landed in front of him and swung his wing, Blake stepping back in surprise. Right… they were in the center of a battle.

"No, no, that's not right," Val smirked, wiggling her finger from side to side. "We're still fighting."

Blake seethed, glaring at the woman.

"What? You want to know where she is?" Val crooned. "I can tell you… but that wouldn't quite be fair, now would it?"

"You…" Blake's tone was a guttural growl, and Val was just loving it.

"Tell you what? Let's make a deal!" Val grinned. "You want to know where she is? Well, I can tell you… if you win, of course."

Blake blinked, his head clearing for a moment in surprise. That was… wait.

"What are you talking about?" Blake demanded, suspicion in his voice. Kate also wanted to know what she meant by her words.

"It's as simple as this," Val said. "You wanted me to apologize to Kate, right? If you manage to defeat me? Well, how about this? Instead of my little apology to Kate, I want you to leave her out to dry. Sound good? No apologies, no nothing. Just forget all about that, and let's move forward. I win, my old terms still stand. You win, and I'll tell you everything you want to know about your… you know."

Kate blinked, her mouth falling open.

"Wh-what?"

"We're beyond you, Kate," Val smirked, looking at the girl. "Well? What do you think, Blake? Just forget about her. You know exactly what you want, so why not pursue that, instead?"

"Blake…" Blake and Kate glanced at each other. Kate could see the conflict in his eyes. Clearly, whatever it was that Val knew… he wanted to know. She could see that want in his eyes. He had started this fight for her… but could she really hold him to it? She didn't know who this "Anja Karzat" was, but she knew that whoever she was, Blake was looking for her, and she didn't want to be holding him back.

At the same time… Blake knew that betraying Kate this way… he'd just be tossing her aside for his own interests, and he couldn't imagine doing that to her. But… but it was…

Could he really abandon this chance, after he had come so close?

Blake turned away from Kate, shame on his face, and looked past the Honchkrow and into his trainer's shiny, wicked eyes. Seeing her smile told him everything he needed to know, he made his decision in an instant.

"If I beat you… you'll keep your promise and apologize to Kate, understand?" Blake asked.

Val blinked, clearly miffed that Blake hadn't taken her up on her offer.

"Are you sure? This could be your only chance at finding her, you know," Val warned. Blake shook his head, and scowled at her.

"Blake!" Kate cried, Blake glancing back at her.

Kate looked like she was about to cry. Seeing the pain on his face made her own pain seem a lot less significant right now. She didn't give a damn about Val's apology. The "Val" that she knew had never existed to begin with. Blake… whoever this woman was, Blake had chased after her, looked for her for so long, and she couldn't… she couldn't make him give it up for her sake. That would make her into the same selfish, horrible person she'd used to be.

She wanted him to defend her… but she also understood that he couldn't.

"It's okay," Kate said, though the pain in her face and the tears in her eyes said that it certainly wasn't okay. But it was necessary. "You don't have to hurt… for my sake. Take the deal, Blake, please, it's fine, I promise. I won't-"

"No," Blake rejected her request, shaking his head. He turned and glared at Val, and… smirked. "It's not about that."

"Eh?" Kate blinked.

"You…" Blake took another step towards Val, Crow raising his wing in a warning.

"Color me surprised," Val scoffed. "Still pretending to be so noble. Caring for someone else? Please."

"Taking your deal would be pointless," Blake replied. "Whatever you have to say, I'm quite certain it will be nothing but a lie."

"Oh? How rude," Val smirked. "Why would you think something like that?"

"Why?" Blake scoffed. "There is no 'why'. You are simply that sort of trash."

Val's smirk widened, her eyes glinting dangerously.

"I see you understand quite well," she replied. "And you're quite right, you know. Fair enough then. So shall we continue the match?"

Blake returned to his position, and as he passed her Kate could still feel danger radiating off of him. She gulped. She wanted Blake to win, but at the same time she was feeling quite worried… just what was Blake feeling right now?

This is all my fault, she regretted. If I had just stayed in the hotel and not gone out tonight, then none of this would be happening…

Blake's penalty for losing wasn't even crossing her mind. She didn't give a damn about Val and Blake boning right now. She just hoped he'd come out of this thing at least somewhat sane and rational.

"Well?" Val called out to him. "Send out your next pokemon, Blake! Unless, of course, losing your Scizor has made you unable to develop an adequate counter?"

Blake glared at her, and reached down to his belt, throwing out a pokeball.

The small Ruru emerged, landing on the cobblestones, chittering. She glanced up at Blake. Like Weiss, she was worried about her trainer's mental state. But she'd been with him for a much shorter period of time, so she didn't have nearly the same depth of concern. All she could tell was that Blake wanted to defeat that person across from her, and that was enough.

Val's eyes widened. This was unexpected.

"What's wrong?" Blake asked, narrowing his eyes. "Not expecting Ruru?"

Val's smirk faded, her face warping into a scowl.

"Ruru! Thunder wave!"

"Jol!" Ruru's fur began crackling with electricity, a pulse shooting out from her body. Crow flapped his wings and took to the sky, just barely managing to avoid the attack.

Just as I thought, Blake noted. What she had heard had been entirely about his original team of pokemon, from before he came to the academy. From before… then. But Ruru… Val clearly had been caught off-guard by the little electric bug.

"Looks like you're not the only one with some surprises up your sleeve," Val smirked. "But don't think that'll be enough! Crow, dark pulse!"

Unwilling to venture closer to the small spider, Crow opened his beak and fired a compressed beam of dark energy. But Ruru was faster than even Weiss, and a much harder target to hit. She scurried to the side, avoiding the blast easily.

"Electro web," Blake ordered. Ruru turned her rear towards Crow, spraying a large blast of webbing at the flying pokemon. The large net coursed with electricity, and several more were fired off at the bird as well.

"Crow!" Val shouted. The Honchkrow opened his mouth and fired another blast of darkness, tearing the first of the webs to shreds, but two more followed it.

Val cursed, Crow wasn't able to destroy all of them. He raised his talons, and sliced through the rest with several night slashes, but unfortunately…

"HOONCH!" Crow crowed out in pain, electricity coursing through his body, the large bird pokemon falling towards the ground. Crow was able to right himself, but he'd taken significant damage from the electric move.

"Now, thunder wave again," Blake ordered. Ruru sent a wave of electricity out, striking Crow's feathers and paralyzing him.

Val clicked her tongue in frustration.

"You were fast, and you stole Weiss's swords dance," Blake growled, glaring at the girl. "But paralyzed, that offensive power and speed won't be able to do much."

"Gloating already, huh?" Val laughed. As if to echo his trainer's conviction, Crow raised his head from the ground and fired a dark pulse faster than Ruru could have expected, hitting her directly.

"Jolt!" Ruru skidded backwards, crying in pain. Crow cackled, disappearing into the shadows.

"Faint attack, huh?" Blake growled. "Ruru! Watch your back!"

"Jolt!" Ruru chirped, the small pokemon focusing her multiple eyes in different directions.

Honchkrow are used to coming from above, so…

"Above you!" Blake shouted. Ruru glanced up just as Crow reappeared, claws filled with darkness. Ruru opened her mouth and fired an orb of electricity, striking the bird in the chest.

"KROOOOW!" Crow wailed in agony, tumbling from the sky.

"Ruru!" Blake cried. "Perfect! Just a little more, take her down!"

"Joltik!" Ruru shouted in agreement, feeling in tune with what her trainer wanted. She wanted to take this pokemon down, just as much as he did. And now, it was right in front of her…

Electricity coursed across Ruru's fur, and her body began glowing with a golden-white light.

"Ruru?" Blake's anger paused for a moment as he saw Ruru begin to glow. Her small body began to enlarge, her legs getting much bulkier and an additional pair erupting from her body. The light died down, and standing in front of Blake, no longer a small little dot on the ground, was Ruru in her brand new form.

"Galvantula…" Ruru's high-pitched squeaking had turned into a deeper, louder growl. Her six eyes blinked, looking around at her newly readjusted surroundings. She'd gone through a major growth-spurt, and her bigger body was a little more unwieldy. But at the same time, she felt something more significant.

Electricity coursed through her furry body, discharging it in crackles and surges of power.

"Gal!" Ruru cried, discharging electricity through her fur and into the ground, shocking the motionless Honchkrow.

"Honchkrow!" Crow cried, roused into action by the painful jolts of electricity.

"What a convenience!" Val spat. "But don't think that'll be enough! Crow! You need to get to the air!"

"Honchkrow!" Crow nodded, spreading his wings. His speed was greatly reduced thanks to the debilitating stiffness brought on by the paralysis, but he could still fly. And fly he did, soaring up into the sky, where he could rain down on Ruru from above.

"Galvantula!" Ruru could feel the power running through her body. She'd wanted to help her trainer win this fight. She didn't know Blake, her trainer, all that well. She was one of the newest additions to his team. But he had always taken special care of her, and made sure to brush her small little body and keep her nice and happy. Her smaller body couldn't really do much to help him, she was just another member of his team. But now, now she could…

Ruru opened her mouth.

Now she could really help him win!

"GAAAAAAAAAAAL!" Ruru let out a loud, high-pitched shriek, a rough, chittering sound infused with power. The bug buzz attack rang in Crow's ears, the pokemon letting out a screech of pain. The sonic attack rang out over the plaza, shattering windows and nearly deafening the humans listening to it. It was so disorienting, Crow couldn't remain in the air. Deafened and confused, the large bird plummeted out of the sky, crashing into the bricks.

Ruru turned and released a massive blast of webbing over the battlefield, her new sticky web attack pinning Crow to the ground. Ruru chittered angrily, releasing another discharge of electricity that fried Crow even further, the large bird overloaded with electricity and knocked unconscious.

"Well now, I must say, that was… surprising, to say the least," Val shouted, her ears still ringing. She shook her head, recalling the zapped bird. "I didn't… factor in a powerful electric type into my plans. Or another strong bug pokemon. You really got me with that one! But then, it does always pay to be vigilant."

Val shrugged, returning her pokeball to her belt. She took out a third one, tossing it between her hands, eyeing the large spider with interest.

"Still, I've got an ace up my sleeve, too," she explained. "Come out to play, Beel."

Val tossed the pokeball into the air, and it broke open to reveal a large pokemon.

The bulky dark type landed in the mass of webs, growling at Ruru. His dark body was covered in a twisted mass of black hair, tight and compressed and wrapped around him like thick muscles, leaving only room for his green face to stare out at the night. His crimson eyes glistened with malice and he flexed his hair "muscles", letting out a bellow of rage.

Kate gulped, staring at the large pokemon. Something about it was just… unnerving. She'd never seen a pokemon like this before.

Blake wasn't sure what this pokemon was, either.

"You like?" Val smirked. "He's quite a ferocious boy. My normal trump card isn't suited for an area like this, but Beel? He's prepared for quite a bit. Want a little hint, Blake? He's a Grimmsnarl, a dark/fairy. If only you had a steel/bug pokemon, you'd find yourself with quite a good counter."

Val put a look of false realization over her face.

"…Oh, that's right. You did. Well, I'm sure you have some other trump cards, right? I heard you've got a big, scary dragon up your… oh. Wait, that won't work either, will it?"

Val's lips curled up into a wicked grin. There had been some hiccups, but so far it was going all according to her plans. Without his Scizor, Blake didn't have a pokemon that could give her ace an even fight. And an uneven fight was exactly the kind she loved most.

"Well, Beel? Ready to get started?" Val asked.

"GRIIMMMM!" Beel snarled, ripping the webbing from his feet and storming towards the large bug pokemon in front of him.

So Val's played her trump card! And not only that, we've learned that she's one of the Children of the Oracles, and has a connection with Anja Karzat! What could this mean for Blake and our other heroes? Will Blake be able to find the person he's been searching for all this time?