The battle continues! Due to the Commander and Anabel's mutually shared love of fighting and pushing their pokemon to their limits, Anabel's Alakazam has struck a mighty blow against Corin with a powerful focus punch! Will Corin be able to withstand it, and fight back? There's nothing at stake in this battle but the love of the fight itself, how will it go? Remember to review!

KedharS: Yep. Gerard just can't understand stuff like that.

Rowlets and Oshawotts: I don't know, it seems pretty lighthearted to me. Neither one has anything at stake, they're just fighting out of an enjoyment of the fight.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Exactly! Pokemon battles mean different things to different people, and that's why the Commander wants to create the Battle Frontier so badly! A facility where people can battle for whatever reason they choose, as much as they want! Including himself, of course.

Shivam9999: Unfortunately I don't think I'll be holding another Pokemon Academy Best Girl in July. We'll probably push it back to August. It completely slipped my mind with all the other stuff lol.

Aquahaze675: Yep. They really get along perfectly, it's nice to see.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 605

"ALAKAZAM!" Casey shouted, swinging his fist into Corin's chest.

"Lucario!" Corin gasped out in pain, her heart practically exploding from the force of the blow. In spite of her boost to her defenses she was launched backwards, flying through the air and crashing into the far wall.

Alden gasped in shock, whirling around and calling out to her. "Corin! Corin are you okay?!"

"Lu… cario…" Corin coughed out, falling to the ground. She curled up and clutched at her chest, breathing hard and struggling to stand.

"What was up with that?!" Cynthia exclaimed, jumping to her feet in shock. "That… that was super powerful! That was amazing, that was-!"

Remembering that she wasn't supposed to be enjoying herself, Cynthia quickly sat back down and hung her head, turning bright red with shame.

"…That was okay I guess," she muttered, and Maddi let out a silent breath in a sigh.

"Woooooo!" Anabel panted, snapping out of their harmonia state and wiping their forehead. "That was a real rush! I'm a little exhausted, to be honest! What do you think? Was that the most amazing thing you've ever seen, or what?!"

"Corin, are you okay?" Alden called to his partner, only half-listening to his opponent. "That punch looked like it hurt quite a lot!"

"Lu… ca… cario…" Corin panted, finally rising to her feet. Her eyes were bleary and she was limping a little, her shoulder drooping on the side of her chest where the punch had landed. But she was still able to walk.

"It was a super-effective hit, so it makes sense that it was taxing for her," Anabel said sympathetically. "Go on, Commander! Heal her up, and then I'll let you get a free hit in! You definitely deserve it, helping me test out my focus punch! It was the first time I've ever gotten to use it in an actual fight against another pokemon, most of the time my opponents just break our concentration and that's that! But you guys were awesome!"

"Glad we could help," Alden said, smiling a little more now that he could tell that Corin wasn't too badly injured. "Corin, use life dew to restore your health, okay?"

"Lucario," Corin nodded, still a little winded. She closed her eyes and held her hands up, a blue light shining around her as water gathered on her fur, shimmering the same bright color as her aura field. The water wrapped around her and soothed her wounds, quickly healing her back up to full health as Anabel and Casey waited patiently.

"I still don't get it," Maddi muttered, shaking her head. "Why is the Commander indulging them like this? And why are they just letting him heal up? If it were me, I wouldn't waste any time and I would just get right into the battle and take out my opponent."

"That's just the way those two are," Scott said, crossing his arms over his gut and chuckling a little. "Both of 'em can see that a battle is all about fighting with everything you've got. They're on the same wavelength, like two peas in a pod, those two. Communicating with their pokemon, understanding each other on a deeper level than any of us could ever hope, they really are a perfect pair of opponents, that's for sure."

Vic didn't like the sound of that one bit. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and sunk down into her seat, sulking.

Cynthia looked at Anabel's and Alden's smiling faces and felt a twinge of envy in her chest. It reminded her of how she and Blake used to get along, back when they battled for fun like the rivals that they were. Before things had gotten so complicated between them.

And thinking about Blake was a reminder to her that he was gone now, and that right there was enough to make her start tearing up. But this wasn't the time to cry! Anabel had asked her to watch the match, and even though she was trying not to enjoy herself, she was still going to do what her new friend asked and watch the fight for her.

And okay, maybe it was okay to at least enjoy it a little bit, maybe? Blake wouldn't begrudge her that, of course he wouldn't. Seeing the two of them, like this, it really did make her wish that she could battle against Blake again.

She swore that the minute he came back, she was going to have a fun and casual match with him, just like the old times. To show that there weren't any hard feelings.

"Awesome, she's looking great!" Anabel said, giving a big thumbs' up. "Okay, you ready? Because we're totally ready! Come on, give us your best! Casey and I want to take the strongest move you've got on you, sound good?"

"Uh… are you sure?" Alden asked, glancing at Corin uneasily. "I mean, if that's what you want, I'm all for it, it's certainly going to be an exciting exchange. But the thing is, well…"

Alden looked cautiously at Anabel, who smiled innocently back at him.

"…Are you sure that you'll be able to withstand it? Because of your harmonia, I mean. You'll feel the same damage that your Alakazam will, right?" He asked. "I don't think that's such a good idea, you might seriously get hurt."

"No need to worry about that," Anabel assured him, waving their hand dismissively. "Our harmonia won't give in to something like that, Commander. And besides, we've got some defenses of our own, just like that iron defense of yours!"

On cue, a bright golden barrier of light sprang up around Casey as he raised his spoons, using light screen to block against the upcoming special attack.

"So that's your plan, huh?" Alden asked. "Well, if you think that'll be enough, then I hope your faith in your harmonia isn't mistaken!"

Anabel grinned back.

"And I don't want you going easy on me, either!" They called back to him. "I know that steel beam attack of Corin's is your best move, so I don't want a dark pulse or anything like that! Show me that steely resolve of yours, Commander!" They gave Alden a wink, and then closed their eyes, their harmonia flaring up.

"Alakazam!" Casey growled, his eyes glowing gold. He raised his spoons and channeled the harmonia power Anabel shared with him, boosting the massive force field's defensive power, in preparation for the incoming attack.

"Well, you've convinced me at least, Anabel!" Alden said, his eyes sparkling. He glanced at Corin to see if she was up for it. Even if she was fully restored to health, she'd fought quite hard already, she might not have the stamina to keep going.

Of course, meeting his pokemon's eye, and sharing a smile with her, they both knew this wasn't the case.

"Lucario," Corin nodded, not even needing him to issue an order. She turned towards Casey and held her hands in front of her, closing her eyes. A bright blue aura began to wrap around her body as she built up her power, the light gathering in her palms and growing brighter and brighter.

The aura around Corin intensified in power, to the point where it was so bright that it was blinding. Everyone winced, shielding their eyes.

"Yup, the Commander really likes going all out," Scott chuckled, readjusting his sunglasses. "Needed to buy a pair of these just to make sure I don't miss a second of it."

Vic had retrieved a pair of sunglasses of her own and slipped them over her eyes, watching Corin with excitement. She didn't like the insinuation that the Commander and Anabel were flirting with each other through their pokemon's exchange of powerful moves, but like Scott she absolutely was NOT going to miss a second of the action!

Of course, she was the only member of the Commander's inner circle to have that foresight, it seemed like no one else even really cared.

"Steel beam!" Alden shouted.

"LUCARIO!" Corin sent all of her aura power into the massive beam of light, firing it right at Casey with all the strength she had. She continued to feed energy into the attack as the beam struck the golden barrier, with an effect that was quite reminiscent of a flamethrower striking a bubble. The light screen burst and the beam slammed into Casey, the Alakazam crying out in pain as the burning ray of light engulfed him.

"Aaaargh!" Anabel screamed, their body shaking as they fell to their knees.

"Alakazam!" Casey was blown back by the blinding attack, smashing into the far wall. The wall began to dent outwards, which was shocking considering how heavily it was reinforced.

Corin kept pumping energy into the attack, feeling her own strength start to flag. The blinding light died down as her aura began to fade, and she stumbled back, panting, dropping her arms. She was having difficulty standing, the attack having drained not only her aura, but also shaved off half of her health. She would be out of commission for quite some time.

But she was in better condition than Anabel's Alakazam was. Casey struggled to stand, his body covered in burns. But he could only keep upright for about a minute without the energy from Anabel's harmonia, and Anabel theirself was also feeling drained.

"It seems… I drastically underestimated… just how powerful… that move was…" Anabel panted. "Even my… harmonia… was barely… enough…"

Anabel turned to see Casey, who was still holding on, even just barely. They let out a sigh, turning their attention back to the Commander.

"Commander, I think… that's enough of that," they coughed out, holding their side. They weren't technically injured theirself, but apparently Casey must have broken a few ribs from that exchange. "Casey won't be able to take much more, and neither will my harmonia. Do you mind… we calling a stop to this right now… and getting back to a normal fight…?"

Alden took a glance at Corin. He could see that she was in pretty bad shape herself. She could definitely benefit from a break. Turning back to Anabel, he nodded in agreement.

"That sounds like a plan," Alden said, holding up his pokeball and calling back his Lucario. "Come back, Corin. You can take some time to rest up, okay?"

"Lucario…" Corin murmured, slumping over and nodding reluctantly as the light pulled her into the pokeball.

"Good, I'm glad…" Anabel giggled. "We got a little… reckless with that one, didn't we?" Their giggling turned into laughter and they raised their pokeball and called Casey back, relaxing a little as the connection with their Alakazam was broken, meaning the pain they were feeling was beginning to lessen.

Anabel turned back to the Commander and gave a sheepish laugh. "Yeah, we got a little carried away. But no regrets! I definitely had fun, didn't you, Alden?"

Alden was smiling in spite of himself. He nodded, his eyes shining. That exchange of powerful moves, dealing as much damage to each other as they possibly could, that was exactly what a battle was supposed to be! Corin might have gotten injured, but their Senses were roaring wildly, Alden just as excited to keep fighting as his Lucario.

The two met their eyes, and began laughing.

To the stunned audience, they looked like a pair of lunatics, laughing madly after that crazy exchange of power.

"I'm surprised that neither pokemon fainted after those moves," Cynthia admitted. Dealing with that much power… she'd been watching from the stands in the Phantom Cup, but seeing it up-close and personal was another matter altogether. She was quickly realizing how much the Commander was holding back in his training matches with her.

"They're both strong," Maddi nodded in agreement.

Cynthia gulped. She still had a long way to go before she got anywhere close to this level. It made her feel insignificant… but also a little excited.

She wished that Blake were here to share this feeling with. He would understand, she just knew that he would, he might even feel the same way that she did.

She might not have his heart, but she still believed that she knew it quite well herself.

"So, what about you, Anabel?" Alden asked, sobering up slightly. "I'm only getting more and more excited, are you rested up and ready to keep going? I know that harmonia can be pretty taxing, so if you still need a little-"

"Pfft, are you kidding?" Anabel laughed, shaking their head. Their eyes were shining brightly. "I've never been more ready! I'm not like most people Alden, for me, a battle just gets my drive going even fiercer! It's the same with you, right?"

Alden smiled at that. "Yeah, you really are one of the best opponents I've ever faced, and this battle has barely even started. I'm grateful that you wanted to test out my strength. So what do you think so far? Have I lived up to your expectations?"

Anabel's face was brighter than any of them had ever seen it. They nodded as eagerly as they could, their hair bouncing all over the place. They were practically shivering their cheeks were so flushed with excitement.

"This is more than I ever could have expected," Anabel said, their eyes taking on a glassy stare. "This, the exhilaration, if fights in your Battle Frontier can thrill me like this, then I know I won't regret joining you one bit. Commander… you really are the perfect partner for me, I've never felt a battle as stimulating as this! Eava, go!"

Anabel couldn't hold it in anymore, they threw their ball into the air, their Weavile emerging from it, scraping her claws together as she landed on the ground, staring eagerly at the Commander as she felt Anabel's harmonia connect to her, filling her with the excitement to begin fighting. Anabel sighed, calming down a little and looking up eagerly at the Commander, their eyes daring him to send out his next pokemon.

Cynthia was about to say something when she paused. She felt a wave of malevolence rolling through the stands. She glanced to her right, past Maddi, and saw Victoria emanating an aura that sent a shiver down her spine. She was sitting in her own juices, fuming at the sight of Anabel and the Commander bonding.

Cynthia kinda got it. Vic was hot, sure, but so was Anabel. And Vic might have known the Commander for years, but he was already connecting with Anabel in a way that Cynthia had never seen him and Vic do. Vic knew him for a lot longer, she cared about him so much, and yet it seemed that he was all eyes for the newcomer.

Not that Cynthia would have any idea what THAT felt like, no sir.

"I remember that Weavile from your match against Vic," Alden mused. "She's a quick one. If you want to match us with speed, that can be arranged! Tracey, go!"

Alden threw his next pokeball out, Tracey leaping out and landing on the ground, smiling and dashing straight for Eava.

"Faster than that," Anabel laughed. "Eava!"

"Weavile!" Eava shot forward, smacking Tracey in the face with her claws, startling the rabbit pokemon. Tracey stumbled backwards, flinching from the fake out, giving Eava time to ready her next attack with Anabel's urging from their harmonia.

"Have a taste of our power-up punch!" Anabel cheered. Eava pulled her fist back and punched Tracey hard in the stomach, Tracey coughing out in pain.

"Weav," Eava smirked, feeling her strength already rising. Not only did power-up punch boost her attack stat, but she was also riding high on the sensations of her trainer's harmonia. If Tracey wasn't going to fight back, then she'd just lash out again!

But Tracey had already regained her bearings and was ready to fight back for real. When Eave swung down with her fist, Tracey was already gone; jumping up and kicking Eava in the face with her quick attack, knocking the Weavile back as Tracey quickly dashed out of range of the Dark type pokemon's claws.

"Not a bad reaction time," Anabel grinned, rubbing their sore nose. "But now you've left yourself open, right Eava?"

"Weavile!" Eava nodded. Just as Tracey came to a stop, turning and preparing for her next attack, she was caught off-guard when Eava used a priority move of her own. Massive chunks of ice broke against Tracey's face, the Cinderace yelping in pain.

"Ho, not bad," Maddi murmured. "Normally, and Ice type move wouldn't cause much damage to a Fire type. But thanks to her Libero ability, Cinderace is now a Normal type since the last move she used was quick attack."

"It's a really cool ability," Cynthia agreed. "I wish one of my pokemon had it…"

"It's an amazing ability," Maddi corrected her, her spirits rising a little at the sight of Cynthia getting so invested. "In fact, part of the reason I agreed to work with the Commander initially was out of fascination with that Cinderace of his."

"Really?" Cynthia marveled, turning to Maddi in surprise. "You never told me that!"

Maddi shrugged.

"It wasn't anything major," she replied. "And it definitely wasn't the only reason, just… it's curious, you know? I specialize in pokemon types, so to see a pokemon that can so easily change her type to fit her opponent… it's really fascinating."

Maddi resisted the urge to let her parents' genetics background seep into her interests, but even she couldn't help but admit she was curious about what it was that made pokemon with the Libero ability able to type change.

"Gotta say, we didn't see that one coming," Alden admitted. "It looks like we've gotta be a little careful ourselves!"

"I noticed when your Cinderace was fighting in the trick room against that Rock type trainer with the whiney voice," Anabel explained. "It's a lot harder for that Libero ability of hers to work properly if your opponent can react to it, outspeed her before she has a chance to change her type to a more favorable matchup."

Anabel's eyes twinkled and their harmonia surged.

"And between my harmonia, Eava's natural speed, and her selection of moves, it shouldn't be too difficult to make something count."

"Well now," Alden smiled back, nodding to Tracey. She knew what that nod meant, and returned it. "If you want to have a match of speed after that last exchange of brute strength between our pokemon, then it looks like you'll get your wish, right Tracey?"

"Cinderace!" Tracey nodded, kicking off the ground, flames wrapping over her legs as she used flame charge to boost her speed.

"That's the attitude I'm looking for!" Anabel cheered in agreement, their eyes flashing lilac as they ordered Eava in turn. "Let's show them some real speed next, Eava!"

Anabel and Alden are still butting heads with their pokemon, testing each other's skill. And both of them like what they see. With their abilities pretty well-matched, I wonder who's going to win? Or, with their love of battling so all-encompassing as it is… will either of them win?