The match continues. Kitty is falling more and more, losing more and more of herself. Will she be consumed by her harmonia completely? The feelings of turmoil that everyone has now, seeing her like this, what will their reactions be? Will Julia be able to get through to her? Remember to review!

KedharS: A very dark place, I'm sorry to say.

Rosealine gold: In short order.

Thunder Fire: Seems to hold true, let's see if it turns out that way.

JoshGamerV: Bad is an understatement.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: I'm glad you could finally catch up! Welcome back! I don't know where to start with addressing everything you just said, so for now, just welcome back!

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 378

"Whoa… I had no idea that Kitty was so… ruthless," Cynthia said, stunned by the sheer power she was displaying. "Makes me regret all those times I teased her."

"It's like when I fought her," Nick said solemnly. "She sort of went wild… she lost it."

"But that… that wasn't as bad as this, right?" Callie asked, looking nervously down at her fellow short friend.

Sango had a similar inkling to Nick. She had also seen Kitty, for lack of a better word, "lose herself" like this, and it had been thanks to Marion that she was able to pull herself back.

"I think it's… our fault," Sango said.

"Huh? Our fault? How? Because I teased her?!" Cynthia winced, glancing at Kitty's pained face and then back to Sango. "I-I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's because… Kitty…" Sango didn't really know what the girl was going through, but she had an inkling. She'd faced her own insecurities recently when it came to her friends being pokemon battlers and her feeling out of place, on the outside. For Kitty…

"I think Kitty has felt insecure around you guys," Sango said quietly. "Especially Julia."

"Insecure? I know Julia is taller and her boobs are bigger, but-"

"It's not always about that!" Sango snapped, startling the redhead. Cynthia clammed up and quit it with the jokes.

"…Sorry."

"What I meant was… when I fought Kitty, it… it was like she wanted to be stronger," Sango said. "But not just stronger… when we fought, I hurt her. Through her harmonia, I caused her a lot of pain. And I was scared, so I stopped fighting her for a moment, I was ready to surrender, because I wasn't sure that I was willing to fight if it meant hurting a friend."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with that," Nick said.

"But Kitty… Kitty thought that I was looking down on her, like I was pitying her," Sango clarified the issue, shaking her head. "And I guess I kind of was… but the point is, Kitty sort of… snapped. When she thought I was looking down on her, her harmonia began to go out of control. And looking at the way she's been reacting to Sylvia's taunts… I think maybe… maybe Kitty wants us to treat her like an equal, you know?"

"Don't we?" Cynthia asked. "I know I do."

"Well, I know I didn't," Sango said. "I worried about her, and that was kind of like looking down on her. I wasn't respecting her dedication as a pokemon trainer, to risk putting her body on the line. And I think… I think that's why she's sort of been acting cold to Julia. Julia always babies Kitty and tries to take care of her, protect her… so maybe Kitty feels like Julia doesn't see her as an actual trainer but someone to be protected… that would make anyone feel insecure, right?"

"I think I know what you mean," Nick said, remembering Kitty's outbursts the week before when she fought against him and Will.

"So that's what this is about?" Cynthia asked. "Kitty's going mental like this because she just wants Julia to acknowledge her?"

"It's the harmonia," Blake said, the pain in his voice startling the others.

"I thought so…" Sango winced.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Callie asked, confused. "Kitty has harmonia? What?"

"Blake, are you thinking…?" Ayame's face was pale. She reached out her hand and grabbed Blake's, knowing what he was thinking.

"It's the same," Blake bitterly groaned, biting his lip. "It's the same as her."

"Blake, Kitty isn't-"

"Gwen was the same way," he interrupted Ayame. "She was sweet and nice, and then… her desire to get stronger… so that she could protect me… it twisted her into someone who I could barely even recognize."

I failed. I failed again. I'd already experienced this with Gwen, and I thought that this time, this time I could keep her from slipping away, from losing herself… but I was wrong. I took harmonia too lightly. I knew what was happening, but I was happy to leave her in Marion's care, thinking that would solve everything, and now here she is. Forgive me, Kitty.

Reiner knew that there was only one pokemon he had that could fight that power that Kitty had just demonstrated.

"Scipio, go," Reiner sent out his Armaldo, the strongest pokemon he had.

Nikita was feeling a lot less sure about what she should do. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to win anymore. Right now, she just wanted Kitty to go back to the way she was. The tournament didn't matter anymore.

But at the same time, if she just gave up and didn't do anything… that could be even worse. She had learned a lot about harmonia by studying Kitty, and from what she'd heard from others she knew that it was an ability that was problematic for a person's mental state. Kitty, clearly, had declined significantly from the girl who Nikita knew, to the point Nikita could barely even recognize her. Right now, she was so lost, Nikita didn't know if she should leave. She was so vulnerable right now, no matter how tough she seemed to be acting… If even Nikita turned her back on her, what would that do to Kitty's mental state? She might go even further over the edge, and Nikita wouldn't allow that. So even if she didn't care about winning, even if her presence wasn't wanted, she would at least help Kitty out.

Kitty wants to fight Julia. She wants to beat Julia, she clearly wants Julia to recognize her strength. Which means she doesn't want Reiner to get involved, like she told me. Following Kitty's orders made Nikita feel uncomfortable with this whole thing, but with the way things were, she knew that Kitty wasn't going to be soothed. Her only hope was that if Kitty managed to defeat Julia, maybe that would be enough. Maybe that would cause her to go back to normal, and that was what was most important. Winning doesn't matter. What matters is Kitty. So I'll do as she asks and take Reiner down, to let Kitty have her little duel with Julia. Whether she wins or loses, either way… fighting Julia might be the only thing that will get her to stop.

"Chomper, go," Nikita said, sending out her Totodile. The water pokemon's large jaws spread in a big smile and he hopped into the water.

Marion perked up at this. She'd been losing motivation due to a mixture of lack of fish pokemon and the much more serious regret over what she could see in Kitty's harmonia now, poisoned and black and filled with stress and anger and bitterness. But the Totodile brightened things a little bit.

"Marisa!" Kitty's harmonia flashed and she commanded her pokemon to use dazzling gleam, a blast of pink light shooting out from her body. Invictus had blocked the path for the light beams before, but with nothing to protect her Luna would have nowhere to run.

"Luna, use faint attack!" Julia ordered. As the lights struck Luna with powerful shocks, she disappeared, reappearing above Marisa. She swung down at the pokemon with her claws, but with Kitty's eyes Marisa was able to see it coming. She turned as she took the attack, and hit Luna head-on with a moonblast, sending the dark pokemon flying into the air.

Luna was knocked over the water and clean off the battlefield by the force of the fairy attack, hitting the dirt hard, unable to rise. Marisa shook off the faint attack, panting, Kitty's harmonia giving her another surge of energy. A smile spread across Kitty's face as Julia recalled her Umbreon. She had defeated Julia's second pokemon, and with the rush of harmonia pumping through her she felt like she was on top of the world. Just a little more! Just a little bit more!

Kitty was so lost in the rush of harmonia, she and Marisa didn't even notice Scipio lumbering towards the pink pokemon, claws raised and glowing with silver light as he prepared to strike with a metal claw.

"Chomper!" Nikita shouted. A blast of water erupted from the pink mist hovering over the pool, hitting Scipio in the face and doing a little bit of damage, Scipio stumbling back. Kitty snapped out of her daze, her eyes widening. She'd nearly gotten caught off-guard by Reiner a second time!

"Leave me alone!" She shouted, Marisa firing a moonblast that hit Scipio in the chest and knocking him over.

"Armaldo!" Scipio groaned. He picked himself back up, glaring at Kitty.

"I just want to fight Julia!" Kitty screamed, at the end of her rope. "Reiner, just leave me alone!"

"You heard her," Reiner said, glancing at Julia. "What's your answer?"

"I don't even understand what's going on anymore," Julia said, utterly stunned by Kitty's behavior. She had been acting odd before, but… it was like her friend was possessed.

Possessed by harmonia… she bitterly added.

"Kitty!" Julia shouted.

Kitty blinked, holding her head, looking to Julia for the first time.

"Wh-what?" She asked.

"Why are you doing this?" Julia asked. "I… I've been trying to understand what's going on with you for weeks. Marion asked me to take care of my Sharpedo, so that I could get closer to it, to understand it, all so that I could understand what was going on with you better! But… but I still don't understand. What… what is it that you want? Why… why can't we be friends again? Why are you so… like this?"

Julia couldn't even begin to describe what "this" was. The way Kitty was acting, lashing out violently at Reiner, her partner Nikita, and even Julia herself, letting loose her pokemon's power to the point where she was ignoring the damage that was being dealt to her… It was like she was becoming more and more like Elaina.

"You don't understand!" Kitty snarled. "You… you could never understand!"

"Then help me understand!" Julia begged. "Please, can't you… can't you just let me know what I can do?"

"You don't need to do anything," Kitty said. "Just fight. Then, when I defeat you, I'll show you how strong I am!"

"That… that's it?" Julia said, stunned. "That's what this is about? You just… you just want to prove how strong you are?"

Kitty narrowed her eyes and they flashed with anger.

"'Just'?"

"That isn't what I-"

"This is why I said you could never understand!" Kitty shouted. "Someone strong like you, with your Houndoom, and your talent, compared to someone like me, someone who couldn't do anything but lose… but now, now I'm not going to lose! Now, you won't look down on me, or think that I'm some useless burden!"

"I never thought of you that way!" Julia cried. "You're my friend, Kitty! I only wanted to help, I only wanted to keep you safe, I-"

"I don't need you to keep me safe," Kitty interrupted her. "Back then, Julia… back when my harmonia first awakened, I asked myself 'why?' I didn't understand. 'Why me?' Why was I the one who was given this power, and the pain that came with it? I hated it at first, but now I realize what the point of it all was. This power, it was given to me so that I could become strong."

"Kitty," Marion interrupted over the speaker, startling the girls. "Kitty, that… that's wrong. You know it's wrong. Harmonia is a part of you."

"I know it is," Kitty smiled a smile that was a shadow of her sweet former self. "I wanted to become stronger, to show you what I could do, to help you see that I didn't need to rely on you anymore. And my harmonia listened to me! I've only grown stronger and stronger since I opened up to it!"

"Kitty, can't you see what's happening?" Julia exclaimed. "That harmonia of yours, it's starting to poison you!"

"I'm not like Elaina!" Kitty shouted, stomping her foot in frustration. "Why do you keep butting in?! Acting like you know what's best for me?! Like I can't take care of myself?! I won't lose myself to this power, go wild and destroy everything around me, even hurting my friends! Is that what you think of me, Julia?!"

Kitty was crying now, hearing Julia's rejection of her power was like a slap in the face.

"It's… I know you wouldn't," Julia said. "I just… I'm scared, Kitty."

"You're scared of me?"

"No, I'm scared for you! I'm scared… I don't know what I'm scared of, all I know is that you're scaring me! The way you're acting, it's like the Kitty I care about is gone!"

"She is," Kitty coldly replied. "That Kitty was shy and weak. She didn't have the courage to do anything right, she was too afraid to step forward and get strong on her own. But I've changed, Julia, I've grown. I'm not that sad, scared little girl who was hiding behind you, I've become someone who can stand up against you and fight you, and then I'll defeat you, and you'll see! You won't need to be worried about me anymore, and then, and then…"

Kitty's head was hurting to much figure out what would happen after she won.

That's fine, you just need to get stronger, stronger than you are now. Voices were echoing in her head, voices that sounded like her own, sounded like Marisa's, sounded like nothing she'd ever heard of before. She screamed, drowning out the voices, her harmonia surging up.

"Sylveon!" Marisa lunged at Scipio, energy glowing from her body. She blasted him with a barrage of light, blinding the rock pokemon and causing him to fall back into the mist-covered water.

"Kitty…" Julia gasped.

"Forget about Reiner," Kitty growled. "Forget about Nikita. Send out Roden, Julia. Let me fight him! And then when we beat him, you'll see!"

Julia had no idea what had become of her dear friend. Who she was looking at right now, she was Kitty, and yet… there was a darkness, a rage that Kitty had never shown her.

This… this is my fault, Julia admitted to herself, guilt washing over her. Maybe if I had noticed that something was wrong… maybe that would have changed something. Maybe I could have helped her feel better, feel like she wasn't weak… maybe if I hadn't acted like I knew what was best for the both of us, she wouldn't have ended up like this…

Julia felt her face grow wet with tears.

"Reiner…" Julia's voice was more cracked than she'd wanted it to be.

"What?" Reiner asked, glancing at her.

"Recall Scipio," Julia begged. "Please."

"Huh? What are you-"

"Right now… Kitty… she's like this because I failed her. I thought I was doing the right thing, but… I was just making things worse. And now, I don't know if there's a way to get through to her."

"The why do you want me to-"

"I think… if I can fight her myself, then that might… maybe I can get through to her somehow. I don't have harmonia, but even without it, I can see… I can feel that Kitty wants to fight me. No one else, just me. So… can you drop out of this fight? Just have this be me against Kitty. Please."

"If you lose, that's it for us, then," Reiner said. "We'll lose the match and won't make it into the finals."

"If I lose here… then there won't be a point of getting into the finals anyway," Julia said. "Forget Elaina and Blake, forget Cynthia, Sango… if I can't get through to Kitty, if I can't reach her somehow, then I don't even care. I know that's not fair, but…"

"It's fine," Reiner agreed. "I… I want to help her too. She's not just your friend, Julia."

Julia glanced at him, her tearstained eyes wide with surprise and gratitude.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Any clue how you're going to get through to her, then?" Reiner asked. "I've got a bad feeling that if you beat her right now, she's just going to get even more enraged. And don't tell me you're planning to throw the match so that she'll feel better, because I've got a sinking feeling that a patronizing move like that is going to be even worse."

"Kitty wants me to fight, she wants me to see how strong she is, then I'll do it," Julia said. "It might kill me to hurt her, but if that's what it takes to save her… then I'll do it. I was trying to save her from Elaina… but I actually needed to save her from herself."

"No plan then, got it," Reiner said.

Julia nodded. "If we lose, it's my fault."

"Damn right it is," Reiner agreed. He held up his pokeball and pointed it to the water, recalling his Armaldo.

"Oh? What's this?" Sylvia asked, confused why Reiner was recalling her pokemon.

"I'm dropping out," Reiner announced. "I don't want to keep fighting anymore. I'm leaving the match up to my teammate."

"Even with that Armaldo?" Sylvia laughed, clapping her hands. "Well, I definitely didn't see that one coming! Excellent, I love it!"

"Nikita, what about you?" Reiner asked, looking across the battlefield at his girlfriend. He turned to Kitty. "Kitty, forget the tag team part. You really just want to fight against Julia one on one, right? Then do you mind if Nikita and I drop out? You two can settle the rest of this yourselves."

"Reiner, that's not-"

"Fine," Kitty said, smiling, her eyes shining.

"But Kitty-!"

"Nikita, this is what I want," Kitty said. "I don't need you to defeat Julia. I don't want your help! I just want to fight, to win, and to show her how far I've come."

Kitty turned to Nikita.

"And I don't need your help for that."

Nikita's heart ached to hear such cruel words coming from a girl she considered a friend.

"I just… I just wanted to help," Nikita whispered, heartbroken.

"Do you think I can't win on my own?"

"No, I-"

"Then you can help me by staying out of my way." Kitty didn't mean her words to come out that harshly. She didn't think that Nikita was useless, she understood full well that she wouldn't be standing here now if not for Nikita's help. But right now, Kitty needed to defeat Julia. On her own, without Nikita or Reiner getting in the way. She would apologize later.

"…Okay then," Nikita said, nodding. She hadn't really wanted to fight anyway. She'd only sent out Chomper because she thought that she might be able to help, and wanted to show Kitty her support. But if Kitty was saying that she didn't need Nikita's help, there wasn't really any point in Nikita continuing to fight.

Nikita recalled her Totodile, resisting the urge to break into tears. Surely Kitty didn't really think she was useless, right? No, no, it was just… just something that she'd said without thinking, because she was in the heat of battle and caught up with her harmonia. Nikita stepped off the trainer platform to watch from the sidelines, torn up inside. She didn't know what she wanted from this, to be honest. She wanted Kitty to go back to normal more than anything, win or lose. Would Kitty winning bring her back? Or would Julia beating her manage to knock some sense into her?

She honestly didn't know who to root for right now. A look across the field into Reiner's eyes told her that her boyfriend was going through the same dilemma.

"Well now, this is quite interesting!" Sylvia announced into the microphone. "Per the wishes of our competitors, this match is going to end a little differently! Rather than a tag battle between teams, both Nikita Willow and Reiner Zollern have withdrawn from the match! So this match will be resolved between Kitty and Julia! Whichever one wins, their team will be the one to qualify for the finals! Those are the rules now, because I've decided! Because it's more interesting that way!"

"I'm glad you agreed with this, Julia," Kitty smiled. "This is what I've wanted all along. You and me, to settle things, so I could show you how strong I've really become. Now, let's finish things up like this, okay? Send out Roden! I want to defeat him with my own hands!"

"I said I'll fight you, just like you asked," Julia said, narrowing her eyes and taking Roden's pokeball off of her belt. "I hope you won't regret it."

The battle reaches the climax! Will Julia be able to defeat Kitty? Or will Kitty overwhelm her with the power of her harmonia? And no matter who wins… will it be able to bring Kitty back?