Everything has come down to the luck of the draw. Will Casey's metronome result in an attack that allows him to take out the last of Tracey's health? Or will he use a move that Tracey will be able to counter, knocking him out and bringing Anabel down to their last pokemon? The battle is getting closer and closer to the climax, what's going to happen? Hopefully, this match will have a fitting conclusion! Review!
Another thing to note. I am currently entering a contest on the website Honeyfeed. The goal of the contest? Writing a webnovel! I'm currently splitting my time between that contest and writing this story, meaning I'm spending most of the day writing, lol. If at all possible, I'd love for people who are appreciating my story here to go to that site and check it out. That story also features a Blake Harker, though not the Blake Harker we're familiar with! (It just makes it really easy to go back and forth) And don't worry, it is most certainly NOT an isekai story… where Blake and Sylvia are isekai'd into another world… though in hindsight, that would have been an AMAZING storywriting decision on my part as I'm just now realizing. Shoot. Kinda blew that one. Oh, well. I've posted the link to my story on my profile, so if you're interested in reading something I've written in a non-pokemon capacity, a serious fantasy series about students at a magical school, then please give it a look. Every little bit helps. And although I will continue to give this story my all, I may end up making that story a priority as the contest has a deadline to finish by. Can I write an entire webnovel by September 5th? Well, if I've proven anything, it's that daily updates are not a challenge for me! Wish me the best of luck!
Also, in more pokemon-related news, the Nomination Round for the Pokemon Academy Best Girl Competition has begun! Here are the current nominees! If there is anyone else that hasn't been nominated yet, be sure to nominate them! We've already got more girls nominated than last time, I think! Interesting! The competition is heating up!
Currently Nominated: Ayame, Carrie, Cynthia, Elaina, Kate, Kitty, Maddi, Marion, Nikita, Olivia, Sango, Sylvia
Rosealine gold: This battle has certainly gone longer than I expected. What can I say? Those two were just having too much fun!
KedharS: Thank you for the submissions, even if you're one over.
Rowlets and Oshawotts: Nice to see Sylvia getting some appreciation, compared to last year.
Just a Bad Writer For Fun: Good choices all around. Glad you nominated Kate, I agree, she hasn't had much to do this year. That will change eventually, but at the same time, her importance in the story kind of fluctuates.
Aquahaze675: Better to be lucky than good.
Thunder Fire: Thank you for the votes.
JoshGamerV: Glad to see more people are coming around to appreciate Sylvia's role in the story and her character.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 611
Everyone watched Casey's finger waggle tensely, the audience at the edge of their seats in the bleachers. Anabel had resigned theirself to whatever would come, and Alden did the same, his Sense going wild with excitement. Whatever the outcome was, one of the pokemon one battlefield was going to faint with this move.
"Oh man, I can't wait!" Cynthia groaned, squirming in her seat. She SWORE that Anabel was dragging this out intentionally, just to get them worked up! It just wasn't fair! Cynthia pouted, silently begging Anabel to just use the move already.
"Alakazam!" Casey declared, his finger shining. He swung his spoon forward… and a beam of psychic energy shot out of the spoon, right towards Tracey.
So that's it, Anabel sighed in defeat, keeping a smile on their face nevertheless. Fate's decided this is as far as Casey will go.
Tracey saw the psybeam and shot forward, the Psychic type attack doing nothing against her Dark typing. She pushed right through it, raising her fist and striking Casey in the face, knocking the Alakazam over.
"Ala…!" Casey grunted in pain, losing consciousness as the last reserves of his health drained away. Anabel nursed their cheek, shaking their head.
"You did your best, Casey," they smiled. "Rest up easily, friend. Return."
"Whoa," Cynthia breathed. "Even with those odds, they still couldn't do it! Now, Anabel only has one pokemon left, and the Commander has three!"
"It's what they deserve!" Vic crowed, crossing her arms in front of her chest and holding her head up triumphantly. "Face it! The Commander is the strongest there is! He can handle whatever you throw at him, no problem!"
"She's really insufferable, isn't she?" Cynthia muttered under her breath. Maddi snickered a little, Vic not hearing Cynthia's words over her own haughty laughter.
"Well now, I'm in a bit of a pinch, aren't I?" Anabel grinned, scratching their head sheepishly. "We fought our hardest, but I'm already down to my last pokemon! That's a shame… this battle has been such a blast, I don't want it to end so soon!"
"It has been exciting," Alden agreed, cracking a smile. "I haven't had this much fun before… fighting someone of your caliber, it has my Sense going wild! I can't stand it, I want more! So come on, send out your last pokemon, Anabel! Let's finish things off with the kind of intense showdown that will leave us both with no regrets!"
"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Anabel agreed, lifting their ultra ball into the air. The golden stadium was bathed in bright light, and with a might roar their last pokemon emerged from the ultra ball.
"SALAMENCE!" The large dragon flapped his wings, roaring again, Cynthia's eyes going wide as saucers. It was a Salamence! She knew all about the strength of such a powerful pokemon, having seen Blake's Salamence rampaging. Anabel had one as well?! This just turned the match into an even more amazing spectacle! What a pokemon deserving of the climax! All thoughts of Blake's situation were banished from Cynthia's mind as she rose from her seat, cheering.
"Well, that's quite a menacing foe," Alden said, smiling.
"Isn't he just?" Anabel purred, narrowing their eyes, which flashed with the light of harmonia. "My Bolas is quite a pokemon, just you watch. Bolas! Use dragon pulse!"
"Salamence!" Bolas opened his mouth, flames and lightning crackling together in a powerful orb of destructive power. He spit the shockwave of energy at Tracey, the quick pokemon just barely managing to dodge out of the way. The dragon pulse exploded behind her, sending the Cinderace tumbling forward.
"Tracey, agility," Alden quickly ordered. In her condition, Tracey would need to dodge, and dodge fast. But more importantly, he needed to switch her out before that Salamence could get another attack off. With her speed and her health being what they were, passing those boosts off to another pokemon was the most Tracey could hope to accomplish in this situation.
"I'd advise you not to underestimate our speed, Alden," Anabel said coolly, their harmonia flaring up. "After all, playtime's over now. Now, we're getting the exhilaration of a real fight, isn't it wonderful? Bolas! Crunch!"
"Salamence!" Flying with a speed that Alden couldn't believe, Bolas charged at the escaping Cinderace, opening his mouth wide. He bit down hard on Tracey's shoulder, his sharp fangs digging deeply into the pokemon's fur.
"CINDER!" Tracey howled in pain, stumbling forward, but Bolas refused to let go. He tightened his jaws even more, until Tracey crumpled, unable to keep going. Only when the pokemon had fainted did the mighty dragon finally let go.
"That's… quite the powerful pokemon," Alden said, recalling Tracey to her pokeball.
"Impressed?" Anabel asked, raising their eyebrow. "He's what you might call a trump card. No tricks, no fun plays, nothing but pure power. And you haven't even seen the best part of it. Show them, sweetheart."
"SALAMENCE!" Bolas threw back his head and let out a roar so loud the entire room began to shake, energy surging around him.
"What's that?" Alden gasped, his eyes widening in excitement.
"Bolas has the ability called Moxie," Anabel explained, crossing their arms in front of their chest and grinning. "That means each time he defeats a pokemon in battle, his attack stat rises! The more of your pokemon he beats, the stronger he gets! What do you think? Is a pokemon of this caliber worthy of being the final pokemon in this exciting battle?"
"Yeah, you're god damn right he is!" Alden agreed, his Sense burning like crazy. "A pokemon that strong, used by a trainer of your level, with harmonia… this is exactly what I've been looking for! Finding a way to win will be the greatest challenge out there!"
"That's the spirit!" Anabel cheered.
"Jaune, you're up next! Be careful, your opponent is tough!"
"Vikavolt!" Jaune buzzed, emerging from his pokeball. He'd taken some hits in the match already, but he was still ready to keep going. The only question was whether or not he would have the strength to even give that Salamence a good run for his money.
"Saving the best for last, huh?" Anabel asked. "Sounds like a plan to me! I can't wait to see what you and Corin have prepared! …But that's a little rude, I suppose. My apologies, Jaune. Bolas and I will treat you like the worthy opponent you are! Now go, Bolas! Use rock slide!"
"Salamence!" Bolas flapped his wings, massive rocks appearing in the air around him. The stones tumbled down like rain upon the Bug type pokemon, threatening to bury Jaune under a heap of rubble. But Jaune was smart. He might not have had the speed, but he and Alden had been in situations like this before.
"Vika!" Jaune moved from side to side, creating multiple copies of himself that filled the air, the rocks tumbling down and harmlessly smashing through several of the decoys, leaving the real Vikavolt uninjured.
"Nicely done, Jaune! You've given us an opportunity! Now, use thunder wave!" Alden cheered, giving Jaune a thumbs up.
"Vikavolt!" Jaune buzzed, electricity surging through his body. He directed a powerful current through his mandibles, his copies releasing a blast of electricity as well that created an entire electrical field that swallowed up Bolas, paralyzing him.
"Ah, always the tingles," Anabel giggled, their body twitching a little. "I just can help it, you get me all zapped up! I'm shaking! But did you really think that paralyzing Bolas would be enough to change the odds in your favor?"
"More like I'll take whatever advantage we can get," Alden replied. "Now Jaune, use thunderbolt to zap them again!"
"Vikavolt!" Shifting gears from paralyzing to real electrocution, Jaune began to build up more electricity in his mandibles, preparing to let it loose.
"Nice strategy! But let's clear things up a little," Anabel countered. "Bolas, sweep those copies away with your heat wave!"
"Salamence!" In the center of a cluster of Vikavolt, Bolas focused his power, Anabel directing their harmonia to boost his special attack as much as he could. With a flap of his mighty wings, Bolas sent a wave of hot air surging through the battlefield, hitting the duplicates and roasting them, the copies fading away as the heat injured the real Jaune as well. It had only taken a few wingbeats, and Bolas had already found his target.
"Endure it, Jaune!" Alden shouted.
"There is one advantage," Ross noted. "Vikavolt normally have a higher physical defense than special defense, and thanks to the magic room those stats are flipped. So now he's slightly better suited to endure that Salamence's special attacks."
"But not the physical ones," Maddi reminded him. "Which are its specialty."
"Well, let's focus on the positives of right now," Cynthia pouted. "Come on, Jaune! You can do it! That Moxie ability didn't boost his physical attack, right? So strike back!"
"She's right, Jaune!" Alden called. "Thunderbolt!"
"VIKAVOLT!" Jaune released the blast of lightning he had stored up in his mandibles, firing a powerful bolt that struck Bolas, the Salamence roaring in pain.
"Not a bad move!" Anabel grinned. "But Bolas won't go down so easily! Now go, Bolas! Tear that Vikavolt apart with your dragon claw!"
"Salamence!" Bolas flapped his wings and shot towards Jaune, raising his claw to slash at the other pokemon.
But thanks to the paralysis that he had been struck with, Bolas wasn't moving as fast as he was used to, meaning Jaune was able to dodge the attack with a boost from agility. He zigzagged to the side, evading the slash, quickly taking Bolas's back.
"That's the way, Jaune!" Alden grinned. "Right now, we're the faster pair! That attack stat is nothing if it can't hit! Now, time for a new trick! Use rain dance!"
"Rain dance?" Cynthia asked, surprised. She was expecting another electric attack, like thunderbolt. But rain dance? That was a surprise.
"Vikavolt!" Jaune spun through the air, zigzagging back and forth as he did, summoning large rainclouds up overhead, gathering around the ceiling. The clouds split open and rain poured out, drenching the battlefield and the audience.
"Aww, man!" Scott groaned, pulling on his shirt. "These duds are meant for warm times, not a rainstorm!"
"Rain, huh?" Anabel murmured, brushing their hair back with one hand as they held the other out, catching some rain droplets. They turned to look at Alden, offering him a wry smile. "So that's your plan, Alden. Quite a fun idea, I'll give it you. But don't think we'll let you! Bolas, use hurricane to blow that bug away!"
"Hurricane? Now?!" Cynthia gasped. She went pale. Hurricane plus harmonia. That was a combination that Cynthia feared quite a bit.
"Uh oh," Maddi gulped.
"Thanks for the rain, we'll make great use of it!" Anabel laughed, their harmonia surging. "Now go, Bolas!"
"Salamence!" Bolas flapped his wings, the wind around him swirling and raging with intensity, spinning into a massive tornado of rain. The mighty hurricane swept across the battlefield and swallowed Jaune whole, battering him from all sides.
"Jaune!" Alden cried.
"VIKAVOLT!" Jaune's wail echoed from within the spout of rain, feeling the destructive force of the hurricane tearing him up.
Anabel closed their eyes. They were going to give Alden all they had, after all. It was only what he deserved. They focused their harmonia, directing all of it into that powerful attack. The hurricane grew large and more intense as Bolas continued to flap his wings, Jaune completely lost within the whirling column of wind.
"Vikavolt!" Jaune broke free from the hurricane, however, managing to escape. He was battered pretty badly, but he'd managed to get out.
"While the wind was striking him, I ordered him to use charge," Alden explained, cracking a smile. "With charge, his special defense stat rises even more! And that's not all. I'm sure you know all about charge's other ability, don't you, Anabel?"
Anabel's eyes flashed with excitement and they nodded their head, smiling eagerly. That meant this was going to be good. "Careful, Bolas! This one's gonna hurt!"
Anabel focused their harmonia, trying to protect their partner the best that they could. Bolas was going to need it if he was going to make it through this intact!"
"Salamence!" Bolas roared, bracing himself in anticipation.
"Well, you wanted it, you got it!" Alden declared, raising his hand. His Sense was going wild, he felt just like Raizer ordering his Zeraora to attack his opponents with a devastating lightning blast. "Jaune! Hit him with your thunder! Maximum power!"
"VIKAVOLT!" Jaune took the energy that he had built up, and released it up into the sky in a massive discharge. The storm clouds began to crackle with electricity, making use of the current Jaune had released to build up a powerful payload of their own.
"This is it," Anabel grinned in spite of theirself.
"Oh man!" Cynthia said, her eye wide. "This is going to be so frigging epic! Come on, Jaune! You can do it! Give it everything you've got!"
"Vikavolt!" Jaune buzzed. Lightning flashed and thunder crashed, and a massive bolt of lightning fell from the sky, dropping down on Bolas's head. The bolt was larger than the Salamence himself, engulfing him in an unbelievable amount of lightning. The stadium was already shining a bright gold, and with that burst of power it was glowing even brighter.
But when the light finally died down, what many people had been hoping for had not come to pass. There was no charred Salamence, lying unconscious on the ground and crackling with electricity, having been defeated by the devastating power of thunder.
Bolas was injured alright, that much was for sure. But he was far from defeated.
In fact, he was just plain mad.
"Hoo boy," Anabel breathed, gasping out. Taking that thunder attack… well, it had nearly given them a heart attack! They had seen their life flash before their eyes, no joke! Shaking their head, Anabel took a moment to catch their breath, focusing their harmonia and calling out to Bolas.
"SALAMENCE!" Bolas roared, raging forward. His body was still charged with electricity and he was covered in bad electrical burns, but between the two pokemon he was still in the better shape of the two.
"How does he have that much power left over?!" Cynthia gasped in amazement.
"Harmonia is… really tough," Maddi murmured. As she said that, throbbing pain shot through her eye and she winced, but managed to shrug off the passing pain. She glanced at Vic and saw Vic was wincing as well. Whether from feeling some sort of connection to Anabel's harmonia or general concern for the Commander, Maddi couldn't hazard a guess.
"Tear him down, Bolas!" Anabel shouted. "Dragon claw!"
"Salamence!" Bolas raised his claw and brought it up into Jaune's stomach, swinging his claw and flinging the injured Jaune downwards, the Vikavolt crying out in pain. Jaune tumbled through the air and Bolas flew after him, draconic energy surging through his body as he unleashed another dragon claw, smashing Jaune into the ground.
"Vi…ka…" Jaune gasped out in pain, letting out a choked buzz and flapping his wings pitifully, succumbing to his injuries. He lost consciousness, Alden nodding to him sympathetically. Jaune had fought hard, but it wasn't enough to win.
"You did enough, Jaune, rest up," Alden smiled, recalling his exhausted Vikavolt. "Thank you for paralyzing that Salamence. That's more than enough. Leave it up to me and Corin." Alden turned to Anabel, his Sense roaring with excitement. He couldn't wait! This was the perfect arena, the perfect set up. Both he and Anabel had one pokemon left. Both of their pokemon had taken some serious injuries, but they were both able to keep going.
"We both have one pokemon left," Anabel said, thinking the same thing that Alden was. "Corin vs. Bolas. What a match," they breathed.
Anabel turned to look at the audience, and smiled.
"Our audience looks excited too, if a little waterlogged," Anabel giggled, the rainclouds finally starting to part now that they'd unleashed all their power into the thunder. "Want to give them a match worthy of the climax of this amazing battle?"
Alden grinned. "You read my mind, Anabel. Let's do this! Corin! Come back out! This is the final showdown!"
"Lucario!" Corin howled, emerging from her pokeball. Her aura surged and she glared at the mighty dragon, panting. She was still exhausted and injured from her battle against Anabel's Alakazam earlier, but she was more than ready to fight.
"Yeah! Come on, Corin!" Vic shouted. She'd been silent for a little bit, ever since that thunder attack had hit. But now her praise for the Commander was back in full force. After all, he was going to be the victor, now that Corin was out!
"Looks like we're both a little weak," Anabel noted. "But right now… Bolas is a little bit stronger than your Lucario is, sorry Corin!"
"SALAMENCE!" Bolas roared, landing on the ground and spreading his wings, energy surging around him as his attack rose once again.
"Thanks, of course, to Bolas's lovely Moxie ability," Anabel crooned. "That makes two boosts to his attack stat! And now, Bolas! Use roost!"
"Salamence!"
"Oh, roost, that's not good," Maddi murmured.
"That lets them restore their Salamence's health!" Cynthia gasped worriedly. Bolas nestled down and began to recover from their wounds, glaring angrily at Corin.
"What now, Alden?" Anabel called out to their opponent. "You can press your advantage now, while we're recovering, or you can take the opportunity to recover yourself, and get back a little bit more of Corin's strength. Sound good? Choose whatever you like!"
Alden glanced at Corin, who nodded.
"Obviously there's only one correct choice!" Alden grinned. "Corin! Use dragon pulse!"
Anabel grinned. They figured he would choose that option.
"Lucario!" Corin raised her paws, forming her aura into a surge of blue lightning mixed with blue flames, forcing the elements together into an orb of draconic energy. She fired the attack at Bolas as the Salamence was trying to heal himself, Bolas letting out a cry of pain. Shrugging off the wound, he flapped his wings and took to the sky, flying towards Alden.
"That's your choice, as we expected!" Anabel grinned. "The battle's where the fun is, after all! Now go, Bolas, take them down!"
"Bring it, Anabel!" Alden shouted back, his Sense going wild. "Win or lose, Corin and I are going to give you a match that you'll never forget!"
The climax to the battle comes next chapter! Everything comes to an end there! Who will win? Alden? Or Anabel? This battle has been one of the longest of the series, both trainers giving it everything they have! And which one will emerge the victor? We'll just have to find out!