With the interlude party out of the way, we can finally get started on the final matches of the tournament! It took longer than I had thought to get through, but the climax of the tournament arc begins right now!

KedharS: It's more insight and depth into Sylvia's character, you can consider that to be important.

Rosealine gold: You'll see.

Aquahaze675: Sylvia is a rather complex character for someone so simple. She's someone who lives her life by her own code, and that just happens to come into conflict with our protagonists thanks to her desire to live an interesting life.

Thunder Fire: I'll keep that in mind.

JoshGamerV: Sylvia exists beyond good and evil. She can do good, or evil, all for the sake of seeing something interesting.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 375

"Blake! Blake! Blake!"

Blake awoke groggily from his semi-sleep to the sound of Cynthia shouting his name while shaking him. Sleeping had… not gone well. After the party ended, he went to go get his Skorupi back from Kate. The problem was, it was already really late, and raising a baby pokemon that needed to be given medicine every two hours or it would start crying, well…

Let's just say that Blake was happy that he was done with his tests, because there was no way he would get any studying done.

"Cynthia, don't, or…" Blake managed to mutter out.

"SKOOOOORRRU!" Skorupi wailed.

"Blake… I swear to god if you don't shut your baby pokemon up, I'm gonna throw you out the window," Reiner held his pillow over his ears as he tried to get what few bits of sleep he could.

"All night…" Nick groaned from across the room.

"Oof, yeah, raising baby pokemon are rough," Cynthia agreed, kneeling down next to the Skorupi's makeshift bed. Blake climbed up began giving the pokemon its medicine, the way he had two hours ago, and two hours before that.

"So your egg hatched into a Skorupi, huh? It's cuter than I would expect, and- wait! That's not why I came here!" Cynthia gasped. "Dude, did you see the update?"

Blake stared blearily at her. He could barely see two feet in front of him.

"Update?"

"On the tournament, you nimrod! The final rankings have been posted!"

Cynthia grabbed her phone and showed it to him.

"They've set up the final pairings! And we've both gotten in! And not only that, take a look!"

Blake checked the campus website on her phone.

POKEMON TAG TOURNAMENT FINAL RESULTS! FINAL PAIRINGS DETERMINED!

Caelia Auburn and Cynthia Fafnir vs. Sango Akana and Maddison Whitmore

Elaina Bishop and Blake Harker vs. TBD

"…TBD?" Blake asked, confused.

"Hey, wait a second," Reiner said, sitting up, fully awake now that they were discussing tournament results. "What does it mean by 'to be determined'? What does it say about me and Julia? Did we get in or not?"

"Uhum, um… about that…" Cynthia had an anxious look on her face. "Scroll down?"

Blake scrolled down.

"Due to an unprecedented occurrence in the results, two teams have achieved the same number of wins and the same number of losses. We cannot use the preliminary results to determine which team will advance to the final slot, so both teams will receive a notification that they are to arrange an elimination match that will be observed by an authenticated tournament supervisor. The students who will be participating in this final qualifying match are:"

Julianna Keruz and Reiner Zollern vs. Katherine Kuroso and Nikita Willow

Reiner frowned. He climbed down from his bunk and waked over to the night stand where his phone was charging and checked it. Indeed, he had a notification from the campus account that he and Julia were going to be fighting against Kitty and Nikita today, scheduled for 3 PM. It was scheduled to be held at The Grand Coliseum, which was a surprise because that arena was reserved for special occasions. Even the actual finals of the tag team tournament were going to be held on a battlefield outside the ballroom so the guests of the end-of-the-year party could watch from the balcony.

"So Julia and I are fighting…"

"Hey, maybe you guys can get into the finals after all!" Cynthia encouraged, though it was clear that her heart wasn't in it. There was a Donphan in the room no one was addressing, and that was the situation with Julia and Kitty. Since she had been let out of the hospital, Kitty had stopped eating meals with them, and stopped coming over to visit. It seemed that her tension with Julia had spread to the rest of the group, and now she wasn't even returning their text messages.

"Is Julia still…"

Blake wasn't sure if he was asking Reiner or Cynthia, or who would know better.

"She's been kinda surly recently," Cynthia said. "She's really worried about Kitty. We all are."

"She hasn't been spending a lot of time hanging out with me outside of matches, either," Reiner said. "It's like… I don't know. But she's really tense and upset recently. Hopefully… hopefully things won't go so badly between the two of them."

"They've been avoiding each other for a while now, but now they're going to be fighting each other," Cynthia said. "I hope… hopefully that they'll be able to work things out, right? And if, you know, the two of them fight, when it's over, well… maybe it'll go back to normal?"

Blake frowned. Not even Cynthia seemed to believe in her hopeful words. Blake had been the most worried for Kitty, but every time he had tried to contact her, she hadn't said anything to him, she'd just ignored him. Now, he wasn't sure that things would go back to the way they were, no matter who was going to win.

"We can only hope," Blake said. They weren't words that were very reassuring.

"…But hey, at least, well, at least I'm fighting against Sango's team, right?" Cynthia said. "That's a good thing, isn't it? It should be a good match! Then, if you win your match and we win ours, it'll be you and me in the finals! Just like the Fall Festival Tournament!"

"Yeah, maybe," Blake said, nodding.

The rest of the day was rather tense. Reiner had contacted Nikita, but Nikita told him that Kitty wasn't interested in talking right now, she was busy training. Julia was in a similar condition, telling him through text that she didn't want to see him at the moment, she was preparing. She would be there for the tournament, but she wanted the rest of the day to herself.

In the meantime, Julia was getting ready.

Finally… I haven't spoken to Kitty in a week… I've been giving her space, like she wanted, but now… Julia was petting the Sharpedo she was looking after, staring absentmindedly into the dusky water. Since seeing the tournament matchups that morning, she had a lot on her mind.

"Thinking hard?" Marion chirped, coming up behind her.

"…Yeah," Julia said, nodding, snapping out of her daze. "I'm fighting Kitty this afternoon…"

"Are you ready for it?" Marion asked.

"If I lose to her, she'll be fighting against Blake, and Elaina Bishop," Julia said. "If she fights Elaina, then she could get put in the hospital. Fighting already takes so much out of her… she won against Nick and Will, and THAT was enough of a strain. Against someone like Elaina, she might…"

"…Is it your responsibility to keep her from that?" Marion asked.

"Wh-what?" Julia asked, wiping her eyes, which had become misty for some reason.

"Kitty is trying her hardest. She wants to fight not only you, but also Elaina and Blake. She knows the risks, and is prepared for them. Do you really feel like you need to keep her from that?"

"I'm not going to let her get hurt!" Julia asserted. "No matter what, there is no way that I'm going to let Kitty get herself in trouble if I can stop it! Okay?!"

Marion said nothing for a long while, staring at Julia.

"If that's what you think is right, then. Good luck, Julia. But if I can give you one piece of advice for your fight?"

"What?" Julia asked.

"Fight her all-out," Marion said. "Don't go easy on her or look down on her. You've seen what she can do. If you really want to win, if you want to keep her from fighting Elaina, then you can't go easy on her."

"Yeah, I know," Julia said. "I'll put up the best fight I can without hurting her, don't worry."

Julia checked her phone. It was almost time for the match.

"Thanks for the advice, Marion. Gotta go."

Marion watched after Julia, an uncomfortable look on her face. Julia hadn't heard a word she'd said.

I can't do anything, not really… Marion felt a wave of bitterness rise up. Kitty wasn't returning her calls. She didn't like feeling this powerless, but there really was nothing she could do.

"Wait, Julia!" She called after the girl, Julia pausing and glancing back at her in curiosity.

"One last thing before you go."

Julia had a lot to think about on her walk to The Grand Coliseum. She was worried for Kitty, and she needed to focus on how to defeat her. She was so lost in thought, she didn't realize she was there until Cynthia called out to her.

"Cynthia? What are you all doing here?" Julia asked. Cynthia, Sango, Blake, and Nick had come up to greet her. Cynthia and Blake were both holding their baby pokemon, and Silver was floating over Sango's head.

"Well, duh, it's a big spectacle, and you're one of the stars!" Cynthia laughed. "Of course we're gonna come watch! Reiner's already inside, getting prepared!"

It was finally starting to sink in for Julia that she was going to be fighting on the large stage of The Grand Coliseum, the most sought-after battlefield in the school.

"Are there… other people? You know, people going to watch?" Julia asked tensely.

"…There are a decent chunk of students here to watch, yeah," Sango said, nodding to other students who were entering the coliseum. "Even though this isn't actually the finals, I guess… I guess they still want to check it out. It's a major tag team battle at the biggest stadium on campus, and with finals over it's not like there's anything else to do."

Julia scowled. That was just great. All these people watching Kitty's fight. She really hoped things would go okay. The last thing she wanted was for Kitty to end up being labeled as a freak and treated the same way that Elaina was.

The only way to keep Kitty safe is to beat her, Julia knew. She turned away from her friends with a flick of her hair and stormed into the stadium.

"G-good luck!" Cynthia called after her.

"Yeah, we'll be cheering for all four of you!" Nick said.

Julia wasn't listening to their words, though. She was already focusing on the match that was to come. She met Reiner outside the entrance to the stadium.

"Hey, Julia, you ready to-"

"Let's go," Julia coldly replied. The look in her eye must have been terrifying, because she could see Reiner shiver.

"R-right," Reiner said. He followed Julia out into the stadium, glancing around. Julia might have been solely focused on the match ahead, but Reiner's eyes were turned to the filling seats in the bleachers, a bunch of students that would be focused on them.

I hope Kitty doesn't hurt someone, or herself, Reiner thought. Like Julia, Reiner was also worried about Kitty becoming an outcast.

Cynthia, Sango, Nick, and Blake all sat together at the side of the stadium, watching intently.

"Hey, guys."

Callie came up to them, wiggling her way between Blake and Nick.

"Oh, Callie! You made it!" Nick said, his face brightening.

"Yeah, end of the year stuff is a bitch for us Eight Leaders," Callie sighed. "I just wish you were up there. You totally deserve to be in the finals, you know!"

"It's fine, Callie, I don't mind," Nick said, laughing. "I lost to both of their teams, after all, so they definitely are the ones who belong there."

Callie huffed in frustration.

"It's probably for the best, anyway," Callie muttered. "After all, 'she's' the one doing the judging."

"Huh? Who?" Nick asked, confused.

"Aren't Darla and Lila going to be doing commentary?" Blake asked, surprised.

"Nope."

A familiar deep voice made Blake's face light up, and he turned to see Ayame walking down the aisle, waving to him.

"Aya! I thought Olivia had a private box for stuff like this?"

"W-well, she does," Ayame said, smiling bashfully. "But, I wanted, to, you know, sit with you."

Blake scooched over, patting the seat next to him, Callie shoving him in the side in irritation. Ayame squeezed in.

Cynthia waited all of two seconds before she said something obnoxious.

"So how are you guys' travel plans going?"

Ayame and Blake turned bright red. Sango shot her a withering glare as she cackled.

"So what was that about Darla and Lila?" Blake asked, getting back on topic.

"The faculty decided they would be going with someone else," Ayame explained. "For the better, anyway, Darla and Lila are getting prepared for tomorrow, and they took the day off."

That was a more tactful thing to say than "Lila was hungover and Darla was nursing her."

"More specifically, a certain someone said that it would be better for the school's image if a member of the Eight Leaders was the one judging this match, since it was a preliminary qualifier," Callie said. "I didn't think it was needed, but…"

"A member of the Eight Leaders?" Sango asked. "Who-"

"Welcome, everyone!" A certain annoying voice called out over the loudspeakers, sending a wave of sour expressions over Blake and the others.

Sylvia Driscoll strolled into the announcer's box, microphone in hand.

"Today, we're holding a special qualifying match! This is quite an unprecedented event! As you know, the Winter Tag Team Tournament is drawing to a close, with the final matches tomorrow! You all tried your hardest, but there were some who stood head and shoulders above you common rabble!" Sylvia ignored the angry murmurs and kept going. "The semifinals and finals are tomorrow, but before we get there, we need to figure out who the final team of the Final 4 is going to be! Two teams have the same score, down to the number of matches! So today, we'll figure out which one of them is the strongest! Who deserves to make it into the semi-finals, and who will see their hopes of being named the best tag team be dashed?!"

Sylvia held her hand up and gestured to the lest side of the stadium.

"Over here, we have Katherine 'Kitty' Kuroso, and Nikita Willow! Both of them have come a long way since the tournament began! Kitty, who had lost multiple matches, and Nikita, who didn't even participate in the Fall Festival Tournament! No one expected either of them to get as far as they did, and yet here they are, fighting to qualify for the finals! And for the other team…"

Sylvia smiled, turning the other direction and gesturing to Reiner and Julia.

"These two have a deep connection with our other team! Reiner Zollern is a skilled trainer, and in spite of his poor showing in the Fall Festival Tournament, he's still a notable freshman trainer. But that's not all! He's also Nikita Willow's boyfriend, clearly here to prove that he's the one wearing the pants in the relationship!"

"Hey!" Reiner exclaimed.

"But the real one to watch is Julianna Keruz!" Sylvia continued. "Once, she and Kitty were the closest of friends. But that relationship turned sour when Julia slept with Kitty's boyfriend-"

"WHAT?!" Julia exclaimed.

"I've NEVER had a boyfriend!" Kitty shouted.

Sylvia rolled her eyes and raised her hand, flapping it open and closed like a mouth as she ignored the girls' protests.

"Now, they are bitter enemies, who seek nothing but the defeat of the other! Who will win this grudge match? The talented and skilled Julia? Or Kitty, who no one really expects much of anything out of, and isn't really that good of a trainer in comparison? We'll have to see! This will certainly be an…" Sylvia trailed off, smiling at the fuming Kitty, "…interesting match, to say the least."

"Good luck you guys!" Cynthia shouted.

"Vulpix!" Aud shouted as well, not really knowing what was going on but following her trainer's lead. Cynthia smiled and petted the pokemon sitting in her lap in response.

"Then let the match begin!" Sylvia sat back in the announcer's box and smiled, excited to see how things would unfold.

"Julia, are you ready for this?" Reiner asked, glancing at his partner as they stepped into the box.

Julia nodded.

"I'm ready. This is an important match, after all."

Julia narrowed her eyes.

"So I'm going to do my best."

"H-hey, Kitty, about the match…" Nikita glanced at her partner worriedly. For the last week, Kitty hadn't seemed like herself. She had been so focused on winning and defeating her opponents. She had seemed so… so cold. And Nikita had grown increasingly uncomfortable about the fact that not only was Kitty seeming to take more damage from her harmonia since the change in her character, but she was almost uncaring about the fact that it had happened. Before the tournament had begun, her roommate had been all sweetness and softness. Right now…

"We're going to win," Kitty said. She wasn't smiling, not even the cute little small smile that she sometimes wore. She wasn't looking worried or shy the way she usually did. Her face was hard and cold, like the only thing that mattered was winning. Her eyes her flashing with determination, which would normally be fine…

But Nikita didn't like that look. Kitty ignored her, walking to the fighting box by herself as Nikita worriedly trailed after her.

"…Yeah… but there's other things, too," Nikita whispered. These were their friends (and in Nikita's case, boyfriend) that they were fighting, and Kitty was acting like none of that even mattered. It wasn't like she expected her to go easy or anything, but…

Maybe just not act so hostile?

She hoped Kitty's mood would improve with the match, but Sylvia's words made that seem unlikely. Nikita had noticed Kitty's harmonia would get stoked the more she wanted to win, or more specifically, prove her strength. And it seemed clear that Sylvia was going to delight in tormenting the girl and attacking her skills, all to goad her.

For a brief moment, Nikita considered surrendering, or at the very least, not fighting. But no, that would just aggravate the girl more. It wasn't like she was hoping Julia and Reiner would win, but…

She just wanted Kitty to go back to the way she was before.

"Larosa!" Kitty said, sending her Growlithe out immediately. The dog pokemon snarled angrily in anticipation of her first opponents.

When Kitty sent out Larosa first, that was a signal to Nikita for who she should use herself.

"Magnolia, go," Nikita said, sending out her Bellossom. With Magnolia's grassy terrain and Larosa's flame wheel, they had set up many a trap for their opponents and badly damaged many a pokemon with a sea of flame.

"Hold up!"

Kitty and Nikita paused, confused.

Sylvia scowled, not interested in her little performance being interrupted. She turned to see whose voice it was.

"Hiya! Sorry, sorry!" Marion Rivers skipped up to the announcer's box, much to the surprise of everyone there. "I meant to come right away, but I got a little caught up in fishing in the middle! Sorry!"

"What are you doing here?" Sylvia asked.

"I'm gonna be doing some commentary, too!" Marion said, showing the official order to Sylvia. "See, there's this thing, a pokemon in my custody was left in the trainer's care, and I need to be here to keep an eye on it, so… oh, and also, if you could…"

Marion whispered some stuff to Sylvia that no one heard.

"…Uh, what? Why would I do that?"

"Because it's gonna be interesting, silly!" Marion chirped. "Don't you want to see an interesting match?"

Sylvia smiled. Marion was speaking her language. She turned back to the microphone.

"Sorry for that little delay!" Sylvia said. "There's been a slight change of plans! Marion Rivers is going to be joining me in the commentary! And also, rather than the normal boring stadium, the match will be held on one of the special fields! Now, if you two would recall your pokemon, we can get started for real.

"Magnolia, come back," Nikita said, gesturing for her Bellossom to return to her side. Kitty didn't even give a verbal command. Her eyes flashed, and Larosa turned and ran over to her. With the battlefield cleared, the arena began to rumble, shifting into one of the stadiums.

"Water Field 3: Bridge Intersection Field!" Sylvia declared.

The battlefield was replaced by a large pool of water, with platforms joined to each other by a series of wood bridges in an intricate connection of pathways. Magnolia and Larosa ran onto one of the bridges, waiting for their opponents to be sent out.

Reiner could see that there was a fire and a grass pokemon on the other side of the field. Normally, that would mean Scipio would be a good choice, but he was wary of using his best pokemon too early. Instead, he should probably use one of his normal powerhouses.

"Weaver, go," Reiner said, sending out his Zangoose. The normal pokemon dashed onto the bridge, raising his claws as he approached the enemy pokemon.

"Okay, Julia! Now's your chance!" Marion called. Julia nodded in agreement.

"Fang!" Julia shouted, holding up a sparkling blue dive ball and throwing it into the air. From the ball, a large Sharpedo emerged, landing in the water and snarling at the opposing pokemon.

"A Sharpedo?!" Nikita gasped.

"Where'd you get that?!" Reiner asked, never having seen that pokemon before.

"Julia has a Sharpedo? Since when?" Cynthia asked, surprised.

"I guess that's why Marion changed up the field," Sango said, rolling her eyes.

"It should be an interesting match," Ayame said. "Right, Blake?"

But Blake was too focused on Kitty and the match to hear her. Bad memories of his sister flashed back through his mind.

Kitty… please stay in control, he silently pleaded, hoping Elaina's prediction was wrong.

The qualifying match begins! Who will make it to the semi-finals and fight against Elaina and Blake? What will be the outcome of this match? Will Kitty keep things under control? Will Julia manage to get through to her?