The battle has begun to heat up! Now, they're firing at each other with everything they've got, and their pokemon are starting to knock each other out; it seems Alden and Anabel have moved past the fun exchange of ideas, and have decided to really start going at it, facing off against each other and defeating each other with as much power as they can! Hopefully they'll find this exchange to be just as fun, but knowing those two, I'm sure they will. Remember to review!

KedharS: Probably why they can control their harmonia so well. Marion's pretty chill, too, I think she could give Anabel a run for their money. And she's also pretty capable with her harmonia. How interesting, I wonder if there's a connection there.

Aquahaze675: Better to be lucky than good.

Rowlets and Oshawotts: Probably. Anabel and Alden are the same, they both love fighting with everything they have, after all. If there's one thing they can't be matched in, it's certainly their fighting spirit.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 608

"Go, Mimi," Alden said, sending out his Mimikyu.

"Mimikyu!" Mimi chirped, landing on the ground. The tiny pokemon's fake head bobbed up and down as she stared up at the other Ghost type floating above her.

"A ghost on ghost matchup," Alden explained. "Both our pokemon can beat the other using super-effective moves! I think that's a pretty exciting way to trade things off. See which one of our pokemon can inflict more damage on the other, until one of them can't take it anymore! A no-holds-barred slugfest! What do you say?"

"What do I say?" Anabel asked, their face brighter than the sun. "I think I'm in love, that's what I say! That sounds like the most fun thing in the whole freaking world! Let's do it!"

Vic ground her teeth together in frustration.

"Hey, also, Anabel, can you use that move you used before?" Alden asked.

"Oh?" Anabel blinked, confused. "Oh, you mean imprison?"

"Exactly," Alden nodded. "I feel a little annoyed that I wasn't able to beat it last time. So I want to see if Mimi will be able to overcome that restriction. Since she's a Ghost type too, there should be a decent amount of overlap between their moves. But don't get confused; unlike Eifa, Mimi's a physical attacker, so you won't be able to have such a one-sided victory."

"Well, it definitely sounds fun," Anabel nodded, their eyes shining. "Well, you heard the man, Margie! Use imprison!"

"What's he doing?!" Cynthia scowled. "Why would he willingly request that Anabel's Mismagius use imprison! Didn't he see what happens? That puts such a restriction on him! That makes no sense, I don't get it."

"Are you questioning the Commander?" Vic demanded, turning to glare at Cynthia. Cynthia flinched, knowing better than to piss Vic off. But before she could say anything, Ross came to her defense.

"Come on now, Vic," he said, giving her a placid smile. "She was just asking questions, it's no big deal." He turned to Cynthia. "As for your question, isn't it obvious? The Commander also enjoys fights that come with restrictions like this. Unlike someone like Tommy who would complain about a match not being fair-"

"Hey!" The tan student interjected with a scowl.

"…The Commander can find fun in any battle against a challenging opponent, and that person certainly meets those qualifications," Ross said, ignoring Tommy's protests. "Personally, I think it's a rather interesting idea, I might use it myself…"

Red symbols began to trace themselves around Mimi's disguise, matching the glowing symbols shining off of Margie's spectral body. The seals were placed, now it was time to see if Mimi would be able to fight through it.

"Okay, Mimi, let's start with swords dance!" Alden ordered, assuming that Anabel wouldn't have taught their Mismagius a move like that, if she could even have learned it. His assumptions were quickly proven correct as Mimi waved her stick around, boosting her attack stat.

"Margie, let's use reflect," Anabel ordered. While Mimi boosted her strength, Margie's rubies began to shine, and a crimson barrier appeared in the air around her, protecting her from the Mimikyu's incoming attack.

"Confession time," Alden admitted. "This isn't exactly a fair game."

"Oh?" Anabel raised their eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"I already know one move that your Mismagius doesn't know," he sheepishly explained. "Mimi, use shadow claw!"

"Mimikyu!" Mimi charged forward, shadows erupting from beneath the faded cloth of their disguise. The shadows shifted into the form of a large and dangerous-looking claw that swung towards Margie as the small pokemon approached.

"Oh, don't you mind that!" Anabel laughed. "It's not a big deal at all!" Anabel focused their harmonia, the energy running through them surging into Margie. But they weren't asking Margie to defend or dodge, or even trying to boost her strength for a counterattack. Instead, they wanted Margie to boost her speed!

You get what I want, Margie? Anabel asked, focusing their mental strength and connecting with their partner, who understood their wishes.

Margie shot forward, darkness coursing through her. She was faster than Mimi, which allowed her to attack first. And this attack was the move foul play; she drained energy from her adversary, borrowing Mimi's boosted attack stat to make her attack.

Margie struck Mimi with a blast of darkness, turning the pokemon's own strength against her. But it had no effect. Rather, Mimi's Pikachu disguise took the brunt of the blow, the cloth faux head breaking and tilting down at an awkward angle as it protected Mimi. This allowed Mimi to continue her attack, swinging her claw and striking the red barrier wrapped around Margie, the tough shield baulking under the force of the blow.

"So that's your Mimikyu's disguise ability, huh?" Anabel noted with a smile, their eyes sparkling excitedly. "It's quite an annoyance, if I have to admit. Like swinging at air! But we've got a defense of our own!"

"For now," Alden admitted. "Mimi, smash through it!"

"Mimikyu!" Mimi pushed her claw forward, breaking through the reflect and slashing against Margie, the Ghost type letting out a cry of pain.

"How much more can she withstand?" Cynthia demanded, stunned at how much that Mismagius had already endured.

Anabel felt similarly. They could feel that Margie didn't have long to go. But that was fine, that was something they could work with, actually!

"Here's a fun one!" Anabel chirped. "Margie, use pain split!"

"Mismagius!" Margie's eyes flashed red and the ruby on her chest began to shine. Red light began glowing around Mimi, and energy surged from her body and into Margie's.

"In case you didn't know, pain split is quite a fun move!" Anabel explained. "It's one of my favorites! Both pokemon pool their HP together, and then split the total between the two! That way, both pokemon's health is evened out!"

"No way!" Cynthia gasped. "But… But Mimi was at full health, and that Mismagius had almost fainted! That's no fair!"

"It lets both trainers keep going, no matter how much damage one takes!" Anabel chortled, their eyes sparkling. "This way, we get to keep going at it until both of our pokemon have fainted! Not a bad method for slugging it out like a real fight, don't you agree, Commander?"

"I love it," Alden grinned. "This way, our pokemon can keep fighting until they both go down! Now, Mimi, hit her with your shadow claw again!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Anabel said, shaking their head. "Don't forget, Margie's still faster than your Mimikyu! Now Margie, let's disappear!"

"Mismagius!" Margie wailed, her body glowing with a dark red light as she vanished into a curtain of shadow, disappearing from the battlefield.

"Phantom force, huh?" Alden grinned, looking around, anticipating where the Mismagius would strike from. "Good thing I already knew shadow claw would have worked thanks to Corin, otherwise I might have tried that one already."

"Maybe I shouldn't have used imprison, then," Anabel mused thoughtfully. "It might have been fun, to see our pokemon play tag by disappearing and popping around, trying to strike at each other while they were hiding."

"But this is fun too," Alden countered. "Fighting at a disadvantage like this really gets me excited! Come on Anabel, when's she gonna pop up?! I can't wait any longer!"

"Ooh, Alden, you're so impatient, I love it!" Anabel grinned. "Okay, sure thing! Margie, it's your time to shine!"

"Mismagius!" Margie growled, appearing from the shadows above Mimi. She struck Mimi with a powerful blast of ghostly energy, but the smaller pokemon wasn't bothered by it. Instead, Mimi took the blow, swinging her claw and slicing into Margie with the shadow claw attack she had avoided earlier before.

"Unfortunately, Margie doesn't quite have the physical attack to really pull it off," Anabel admitted. "But it's fine! Margie, shadow ball!"

"Mismagius!" Margie formed a ball of shadows that crackled crimson, heading straight at Mimi and hitting her hard, the ghostly attack exploding and sending the small pokemon flying back. Mimi rolled across the ground and quickly righted herself, banging her stick against the floor in frustration as she dashed at Margie again.

"That speed's a problem, Mimi, but it's nothing we can't overcome," Alden assured her. "Even with harmonia she's not that much faster than you!"

"True, but she can also do stuff like this," Anabel warned him. "Dark pulse!"

"Mismagius!" Margie sent a wave of darkness surging towards Mimi. But Alden had a trick up his sleeve himself.

"Mimi, shadow sneak," Alden ordered. "Anabel, you outsped her before, but take a look at this!"

"Mimikyu!" Mimi chirped, sinking down into the shadows. She surged towards Margie, and emerged from the shadows, raising her claw, striking Margie in the chest and knocking her out of the sky. Mimi withstood the dark energy and prepared another attack, hitting her in the face with shadow claw one final time, knocking her unconscious.

The crimson symbols etched on Mimi's body faded away now that her opponent was unconscious, and she felt her power returning.

"Ouch," Anabel pouted, holding their sore cheek. "Looks like you definitely raised the better Ghost type, Alden, I'll give you that. We fought to our best, firing attack after attack, but your Mimikyu came out ahead. Return, Margie."

Anabel recalled their unconscious Mismagius, and switched to their next pokemon. "Kyth, let's see if a Steel type is a better match!"

Anabel sent out their next pokemon, a mighty Metagross that made the battlefield shake as they landed on the ground, roaring loudly.

"Metagross!" Kyth growled, lunging at Mimi.

"Not bad," Alden grinned. "A Metagross is definitely a powerful pokemon, this one's gonna be pretty difficult, Mimi. But I think we might be able to pull it off!"

He turned to Anabel and gave them a coy wink. "I think we've got a move up our sleeve that you're going to love."

"Oh, that's what I want to hear!" Anabel grinned. "Okay, Kyth! Let's start things nice and easy! Use bullet punch!"

"Metagross!" Kyth raised their arms, lifting themselves off the battlefield with magnetic energy, and shot towards Mimi, unleashing a barrage of punches from their four limbs.

"MIMIKYU!" Mimi wailed in pain as Kyth wailed on her, knocking her backwards.

"Not good," Cynthia murmured, shifting nervously in her seat. "Mimi is taking some serious damage from those attacks!"

"Fairy types are weak to the Steel type," Maddi said, frowning. "But it's not out of the realm of possibility for her to win. Because Mimi is also a Ghost type, which means that she can strike back against the Metagross with Ghost type moves that are super-effective against the Psychic type pokemon."

Cynthia sighed in relief, happy that it wasn't impossible. Even so, Mimi was certainly taking a lot of damage. She was flung against the floor, picking herself up, panting, weakened but not down for the count.

"So where's this secret weapon of yours, Alden?" Anabel called out to him. "I'm just dying to see it, don't keep me waiting now, I can't stand a tease!"

Alden cracked a smile.

"Well, if that's what you're after," he shrugged, "then I suppose we might as well indulge, don't you think, Mimi?"

"Mi… Mimikyu," Mimi weakly replied. Her body began glowing a deep purple, spectral light dancing around her. Then, Kyth's body began to glow with a shadowy light as well.

"Mimi, use pain split!" Alden ordered. At that order, Anabel's eyes widened as large as dinner plates and their jaw dropped in shock. Light shot out of Kyth and moved into Mimi, the two pokemon combining their remaining HP and splitting the difference, which resulted in Kyth's HP being reduced down to just over half of what it was, while Mimi got a nice healthy refill, restoring her wounds.

"Yeah!" Vic cheered, jumping out of her seat. "How do you like the taste of your own medicine, huh? Excellent work, Commander!"

But Anabel wasn't paying her any mind.

"…You sly dog!" Anabel grinned. "You knew all along what pain split did, because you Mimikyu knew it, too! I had no idea! Well, color me red in the face, it looks like I got caught with my pants down on that one! Kyth, feeling a little drained?"

"Metagross," Kyth boomed, their energy indeed much lower now that Mimi had siphoned some of it away to restore herself.

"Well, there's no need to worry, that's why I'm here!" Anabel assured them. They began focusing their harmonia, tapping into some of the power that they were keeping on reserve. They weren't used to being pushed to this level where they had to use the full force of their harmonia, because that usually resulted in fights going a little too short for their tastes. But the Commander was an opponent that could handle it. Their lilac-colored hair danced around a little, its natural waviness swirling in a wind that couldn't possibly have existed. Kyth began to glow, feeling the incredible surge in their psychic energies as they flew towards Mimi.

"Watch out Mimi, they're coming in fast," Alden warned. "Quick, time for another move that they've seen before! Use phantom force!"

"Mimikyu!" Mimi bubbled, disappearing into the shadows as Kyth charged her, their meteor mash attack striking nothing but thin air.

"Oh, now you're just being rude," Anabel said, giving him a mocking pout. "Using my own moves against me! Well, we'll just have to brace ourselves! Kyth, use iron defense! And don't worry, I'll give you a nice little top-off as well!"

Anabel focused their harmonia, strengthening their Metagross's defenses as the Steel type pokemon used iron defense as well, their body glowing bright silver as they hardened their metallic exterior. Anabel grinned, looking around, feeling the strength of their pokemon. "Any time you're ready, Mimi! I'm confident that Kyth can take it! Wanna test it out?"

"Not a bad idea," Alden agreed. "Mimi, go!"

"Mimikyu!" Mimi emerged from the shadows and sent a blast of shadows up through her stick, striking Kyth from below with a powerful Ghost type move.

Anabel winced in pain, clutching their stomach and nearly doubling over. Even with the boost to Kyth's defenses, that one hurt. But unfortunately for Mimi, it didn't hurt nearly enough. In fact, it didn't even move the bulky pokemon one bit.

"Kyth," Anabel grinned, having just come up with a fabulous idea, "use iron head."

"Metagross," Kyth rumbled, their body covered in a silvery sheen. They raised their legs up into the air… and dropped right down upon the Mimikyu attacking them from below. Kyth hit the ground with a loud "clang", the sound of metal against metal screeching through the room as everyone winced in pain. But it wasn't loud enough to drown out the cry of pain from Mimi, who was trapped beneath the heavy Steel type.

"…That should be enough," Anabel ordered, Kyth levitating theirself off the ground, revealing Mimi's disguise, pressed flat, the pokemon herself having been mashed into unconsciousness by the mighty Metagross's bulk. Anabel turned to Alden, flashing him a beaming smile. "That was a press of 1212.5 pounds, even heavier than Norton! Mimi took a lot of damage from that one, sorry. But I couldn't resist when I saw you gave me the perfect setup."

"…Well, that was certainly an unexpected development, I'll give you that," Alden said, resisting the urge to chuckle at the crazy way Anabel had just knocked out his Mimikyu. "Return, Mimi, you did your best. But that's a pokemon with a good deal of defense, and we'll have to use a pokemon that can break through it."

"Give it your best efforts," Anabel grinned. "Kyth's quite a fine pokemon, I'll have you know."

"That's definitely true," Alden agreed. "If memory serves the last time you used a rather heavy pokemon, Finn was able to knock them off their feet. Let's see if he can handle things this time, sound good?"

Alden tossed out his next pokeball, Finn emerging with a roar.

"Well, last time Norton was weak against your low kicks," Anabel reminded him. "Kyth, you'll find, isn't as susceptible."

"That's definitely true," Alden agreed. "But they're a lot more susceptible to another type of move that's a little more Finn's specialty! Finn, earthquake!"

"Swampert!" Finn roared, raising his hands and slamming them onto the ground, sending a tremor through the ground, the room beginning to shake as shockwaves battered against Kyth, dealing them damage. But that didn't last long.

"Metagross!" Kyth roared, electricity crackling through their body. They lifted themselves up into the air via electromagnetic charges directed towards the metal battlefield, floating into the air, negating the effectiveness of the Ground type moves.

"Sorry, but we were prepared for that," Anabel grinned. "Now, Kyth, use zen headbutt!"

"Metagross!" Kyth said, their body glowing blue as psychic energy wrapped around them. They flew towards Finn, psychic power burgeoning at the front of Kyth's face, ready to slam into Finn. But Finn was prepared. He jumped out of the way, avoiding the bulky pokemon before Kyth could hit him.

"Playing tag? No problem!" Anabel shouted. "Kyth! Agility!" Anabel focused their harmonia, their head throbbing a little as they pushed their power to the max, boosting Kyth's speed with their harmonia at the same time Kyth increased their speed with agility, turning to quickly pursue Finn, aiming at him from behind.

"Finn, use hydro pump on the ground!" Alden shouted, thinking fast. Finn turned his head down as he ran, firing a blast of compressed water that hit the ground, blasting him up into the air. Kyth soared past, flying below him, Finn falling towards the Steel type pokemon. "Then, hit them with your muddy water attack!"

"Swampert!" Still airborne, Finn raised his arms and bracken water danced around them. With a swing he sent the waves crashing towards Kyth, covering him in the muddy water and getting him nice and slick.

"Metagross!" Kyth turned, heading straight at Finn as the pokemon landed on the ground, panting, still weakened from his previous fights with Anabel's pokemon. He narrowed his eyes and let out a roar of challenge, and Anabel could feel what the pokemon was thinking.

It brought a smile to their lips.

"A game of chicken, huh? That's the way you want to play it? Well, sure thing, Finn! The strongest Water type attack you've got, boosted with that Torrent of yours, let's see how it matches up against Kyth's full-power zen headbutt! Go, Kyth!"

"Metagross!" Kyth roared, slowing down slightly as Anabel focused their harmonia purely into attack; no boosts to the special defense, no, Anabel wanted to settle this in one move! They wanted a clash between Finn and Kyth, and this was the perfect way to do it! With the health both pokemon had left, it was certainly going to be close.

"Sounds like a plan, Finn," Alden agreed, adding his own consent to the equation. "Use your hydro pump again, with maximum power!"

"SWAMPERT!" Finn opened his mouth wide, a deep blue aura surging around his body as his Torrent triggered, boosting the strength of his Water type moves. He fired a blast of compressed water right at Metagross, nearly the size of Finn's own head.

Kyth collided with the blast of water head-on, pushing through it with the force of their zen headbutt attack. They barreled through the pressure, pushing forward inch by inch as the move wore down their health.

"Oh, man, I'm on the edge of my seat," Cynthia said, leaning forward intently, not sure which pokemon would emerge the victor. "This is so tense!"

"These two really love their exchanges of power," Scott chuckled.

"It's obvious!" Vic snorted snootily. "The Commander's the one who's going to win! I've fought against that tin can myself, no way it can withstand a direct hydro pump attack like that!"

But in spite of Vic's insistence, Kyth was still making progress. They tore through the water, moving more and more, and quicker, too, gaining momentum as Anabel pumped them full with more power from their harmonia.

"You're almost there, Kyth!" Anabel cried. "Do it! Full power!"

"Metagross!" Kyth broke through the water and smashed into Finn, slamming into his chest and knocking him backwards. Finn let out a roar of pain as he fell back, hitting the ground hard with a thud, the attack knocking what remained of his health away.

But his efforts had not been in vain. Kyth tumbled with Finn as they collided, rolling across the ground, not having enough energy to stay floating any longer. The force of the hydro pump had been devastating after all, Kyth having enough power to break through and strike Finn, but not enough to remain standing after they did.

Kyth crashed, just as unconscious as their opponent. Both pokemon had been knocked unconscious by the other, a draw.

Anabel and Alden exchanged glances, and burst out laughing. Of course it would end in a tie, how else could a direct match of power between the two go? They recalled their pokemon, and prepared to send out their next pokemon to fight.

This battle's heating up! More pokemon are fainting, now both trainers only have three pokemon left? Who will win in the end? They're definitely doing their best, that's for sure. This match is only going to get more fun for the two of them!