This has been a long, grueling battle. Blake and Elaina have given everything they have, both with their pokemon and their emotions and willpower. Who will emerge the victor? Will Blake manage to reach Elaina, or will Elaina destroy everything in her path, including, ultimately, herself? The tense battle reaches its thrilling conclusion!

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Time to see what the end result is. Blake vs. Elaina.

KedharS: Well… not exactly the same thing.

Rowlets and Oshawotts: Not gonna go exactly the same, I promise.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 725

"So you have an affinity for Flying type pokemon it seems."

Gerard was escorting a young Elaina down Mt. Hokulani, back to safety. He noted that not only was she carrying a Rowlet in her arms, but that a Minior hovered around her as well.

"I-I guess…" Elaina mumbled.

"If you don't mind me saying, you seem rather troubled," Gerard said. "May I ask what you were doing out there? Mt. Hokulani during a meteor shower isn't exactly the best place for a young lady to find herself."

"…Ran away," Elaina muttered. "I couldn't… stay where I was."

"Oh? And why not?" Gerard asked. He knew a little something about feeling like he couldn't stay where he was.

"I… hurt people," she said quietly. She glanced warily up at this stranger. Why was she telling him these things? Maybe she just wanted someone to talk to, someone who could let her know that she wasn't alone.

Gerard looked at the little girl. There was something about her. Maybe the color of her hair, or the light in her eyes, but there was something that reminded him of his sister. And those painful memories stung the wounds still open in his heart.

"…I hurt someone too," he said quietly. "Someone I cared about."

"But I won't do it again!" Elaina insisted. Fear had grabbed her heart. Last night, she thought that she would spend her entire life alone with pokemon, worried she might drive people off again. But when she'd made that wish, and this boy, Gerard, had found her, she knew that she wasn't alone anymore.

But if he thought she might hurt him, then he'd leave her, too. And right now, the thought of that was terrifying.

"Hey, I didn't mean-"

"I wished," Elaina explained frantically, "I wished on a shooting star… no, I mean…" She turned and looked at the Minior hovering over her head, feeling the warmth coming off the pokemon. Their body was encased in a cold, hard shell, but inside through her connection to them she could still hear their voice. "I wished for a future where I could be happy. Where I… where I didn't have the power to hurt others. And this Minior, they appeared… to grant me that wish…"

She glanced back at Gerard and forced a smile onto her lips, tears rolling down her cheeks. "So they're… they're my hope!"

"…I see," Gerard said, nodding quietly. He didn't much care about this hope of hers, or the idea that she might hurt him. But what she mentioned before, that power… it made him curious. But he didn't press the question. "Well. Until then, do you want to come with me?"

Elaina's eyes widened. She had hoped that he wouldn't object to her tagging along, but… to actually be invited to join? Her heart skipped a beat. "Yes!" She practically shouted. "Please!" She blushed, and regained her composure. "…If… If you're okay with it, I mean, I wouldn't… well, yes!"

Gerard smiled. "Good. Then let's go." He held out his hand to her again, and this time Elaina didn't hesitate to take it.

That day… Elaina remembered, her vision going blurry as her skull throbbed with pain, that day… everything changed for me. I found a place to belong, a place… where I could work to improve myself, and reach that future. Hope… Hope brought that future to me. And I won't let anyone get in the way of me reaching it!

She ignored the fact that her body felt like she'd been slammed into a wall by a Machamp. Her harmonia was rushing through her, the high coursing through her system and suppressing any pain she might be feeling.

"Hope!" She shouted. "HOPE!"

Her Minior was in terrible condition. Taking that endeavor attack head-on had been devastating. They had fallen to the ground just like that night so many years ago, the impact cratering the ground. In the center of the dent lay her pokemon, injured more than they ever had been before. The hard shell covering their body had cracked and chipped away, large chunks having slide off to reveal Hope's core, bright blue like the sky and glowing softly.

"Minior…" Hope buzzed, floating up shakily. They were still conscious, injured as they might have been, which was more than Cory could say. The Crawdaunt had likewise fallen from the sky, but had not withstood the impact, losing consciousness as he bashed against the sharp stones.

"Thank you, Cory," Blake said quietly, returning Cory to his pokeball. "Leave it to Weiss to do the rest, you can sleep for now."

"This fight… whoa…" That was all Cynthia could say. Everyone in the audience was stunned to silence, seeing Elaina having fallen so far. She had been dominating Blake with her Minior, but as Cynthia knew quite well, one good endeavor could turn everything around.

"Blake's winning-!" Kitty couldn't help but cheer, even though she knew how much pain Elaina must be in. The girl's harmonia was jagged and rough, reduced to small embers and gusts, which she was desperately trying to fan back into a flame.

"Blake!" Ayame shouted, regaining her voice. Even if he couldn't hear her, even if her words might be a distraction, she needed him to know, now, more than ever, that she was here for him, and supporting him completely. She hoped that would give him the strength to do what needed to be done, and win this battle.

Gerard himself was flabbergasted. It didn't seem possible. Elaina… she was his. She was perfect, undefeatable. She had defeated Sylvia Driscoll, Akira Saroyan, she might even be strong enough to defeat him, he had never doubted her abilities, not once.

And yet, Blake Harker of all people was able to push her this far? Not only was her final pokemon critically injured, but from where he stood it appeared as though her psyche itself was just as badly beaten down, practically torn asunder. Even if she managed to win in this state, could it even be counted as winning?

Gerard shook the doubts clear of his mind. What was this? Even if she managed to win? Unthinkable! Elaina would win, there was no other option! He wasn't about to let her give in so easily! "Elaina!" He bellowed. "This isn't over yet! You can defeat that Scizor of his!"

But his cries fell on deaf ears. Everything beyond Hope's voice was lost to Elaina, her focus was drawn solely into the battle itself.

It was Sango who first noted the obvious.

"Hey, Cynthia, look at that…" Sango said, squinting her eyes and pointing at Elaina. "Isn't there something going on with Elaina?"

"Uh, yeah, where have you been?" Cynthia said, rolling her eyes. "She's been acting nutso all day, shouting and- hey, wait, you're right! Her mask, it's…"

"It's cracked," Sango said, nodding. "Just like her Minior. See? That endeavor attack was so strong, it blew apart the shell that was covering them."

Indeed, Hope's inner core was exposed. But only one person here could guess at what that meant, and it was Ayame.

"It didn't just lose its shell," Ayame said, narrowing her eyes as she studied the floating pokemon. "Its condition has changed completely."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Cynthia asked, glancing at Ayame.

"Look at the way its moving," Ayame said, pointing at the pokemon. "It's so much slower now."

"Well, after a hit like that, I'd be moving slowly too," Cynthia said.

"No, not what I meant," Ayame said, shaking her head. "It's just… the natural way it's moving, it seems to have slowed down… and since this is the trick room, that means that it must have sped up, isn't that right? And from what I can see, its defenses have fallen, while its attacking stats have risen…"

"It must be the shell," Reiner guessed. "That thick shell covering the pokemon… it's started to crumble away. And that probably means that its defenses have lowered, while its speed and attack have increased."

"Then if its speed has risen, then that means Blake still has a chance to win!" Cynthia cheered. "Weiss can definitely outspeed it now!"

Blake knew this was true, but that wasn't where his attention was focused. He didn't give a damn about the battle itself right now, at the moment, he was primarily concerned with that fact that Elaina looked like she was in rough shape, and most importantly, her mask…

"Your mask, it's cracked," Blake said, snapping Elaina out of her fugue. Disbelieving, she reached up and ran her fingers across the surface of her mask. Even through her glove she could feel the thin cracks along its surface, and she gasped.

"N-No, that's… how?" Elaina asked.

"It's just like I thought," Blake said. "Your harmonia is connecting you to your Minior, and that Minior, your Hope, that's where you've placed the last of your walls! As their shell breaks away, your harmonia is reflecting that onto your mask. So if I want to break that mask off of you, then I'm going to start with your Hope! Weiss! Do it!"

Blake flung his pokeball into the air, and sent out his final pokemon. Weiss emerged with a growl, the sharp stones digging into his scales. He landed on the ground and narrowed his eyes, glaring at the floating pokemon in front of him.

"Weiss, that Minior is the symbol of Elaina's despair, her inability to move past that mask!" Blake shouted. "If we want to get through to her, then we have to start by finishing it off, right here and now! Go, use bullet punch!"

"Scizor!" Like a flash, Weiss shot forward, raising his pincer. The fact that Hope's speed had sharply risen now that their shields were down meant that they were unable to dodge the attack, and felt the full brunt of Weiss's pincer chipping away against their surface.

"Hope!" Elaina gasped. More cracks spread across her mask. She felt a wave of horror roll across her. For all she could strengthen Hope with her harmonia, it wasn't making a difference. She needed to strike back, now! "Stone… Stone edge!"

"Minior!" Hope cried, focusing their energy and tearing stones up out of the ground. They flung the stones at Weiss, but there was no use.

"Weiss, dodge it!" Blake shouted. "And use swords dance!"

"Scizor!" Weiss nodded. He turned and danced around the stones, boosting his attack stat as he evaded Hope's barrage. Elaina watched helplessly as Weiss began to overpower her pokemon, and it felt like Blake was starting to overpower her.

Lose… am I actually… going to lose?

Elaina couldn't lose. If she lost, then what was the point of her? Gerard… Gerard was all she had left. He needed her, just the way she was. She was safe with Gerard. She didn't have to face the pain and fear of stepping out into the world without her mask, not as long as she was with him. She knew he only cared about her as a weapon, but…

Another piece of her mask broke off.

She was fine with that.

"Min…" Hope took another barrage of bullet punches from Weiss. They weren't able to withstand this pain, not for much longer. Elaina's harmonia was stronger than ever, but her willpower was shot; the boost to Hope's stats had drained away to just a few small strands.

"You won't… throw me away?" Elaina had asked. "Even though I'm a freak? Even though I might hurt you?"

"Of course not," Gerard had told her. "Your power is amazing. With that strength, you could win any battle, against anyone. Why would I ever throw you away?"

If I lose here… then I'll have nothing. Elaina felt her heart start to break into pieces. She couldn't lose Gerard, too, she couldn't lose her last refuge.

But she was going to lose. She could see that. Maybe… Maybe if she was stronger, if she could draw out the strength from somewhere deep inside, but… she was just so weak now. She didn't know why Blake's words were cutting her down, but…

It's over. Everything is over.

Weiss's next punch scored a critical hit. A massive fragment of Hope's shell was torn away, revealing more of their sky blue core. And with it, a large fragment of Elaina's mask was broke off, and she winced at the bright sunlight as her left eye was revealed.

Tears rolled down her cheek.

Elaina didn't want to face what was coming. She didn't want to face a world where she was alone, without Gerard, without anyone, with no hope to look forward to. She could see it clearly now. Gerard was all she had left besides her pokemon…

And Gerard would have no use for a weapon who couldn't win.

"…So this is the end…" Elaina whispered, closing her eyes. She connected to Hope, feeling that warmth of her pokemon one final time. She didn't care about the pain burning through Hope, or the pain she felt herself going through. None of that would matter in a few seconds.

Looking back at Gerard one final time, she could see the shock and disbelief in his eyes. He was disappointed in her, of course she was.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, not sure if he could hear her or not. "In the end… I couldn't become the weapon you wanted me to be."

She had apologies for Blake, as well. Apologies that he could hear. "And I'm sorry too, Blake… you thought you could save me, but… in the end, there's nothing you could have done. There's no saving someone like me. I'm too far gone."

She smiled, even though he couldn't see it.

"Hope… please, let me end things here," she pleaded. She closed her eyes and sent every last shred of harmonia she had into her partner.

Hope began to glow.

"Weiss, get back!" Blake shouted. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he could feel the massive amount of power building up. "Elaina! What the hell is going on?!"

Elaina gave him silence as her answer. But then she said one final whisper, that against all odds managed to reach Blake's ears. "If I'm going to end up in an empty, hopeless future, then I would rather be dead."

It was Akira who shouted it first.

"She's using explosion!" He cried.

"Explosion? Why? Isn't that just throwing the match?" Cynthia asked, confused.

"Maybe she's trying to end things in a draw…?" Reiner wondered.

It was Sango who put the pieces together. And it wasn't a pleasant picture.

"Guys… Elaina's still… connected to her pokemon with her harmonia, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, but…" Kitty's blood went cold. "NO! Elaina, don't!"

"What?! What's going on?!" Cynthia asked, starting to freak out a little herself at Kitty's reaction.

"She's sending all of her harmonia into her pokemon, in order to make that Minior explode!" Kitty exclaimed. "But… But with how strong the connection they have, the force of that explosion, it's going to kill her!"

Sylvia raised her eyebrow and smirked. Well, that was an interesting twist. She'd expected that Elaina's reaction to Blake defeating her would be serious, but she hadn't expected her to go that far. Suicide by pokemon attack, quite a play.

"EVERYONE! GET BACK!" Alcea shouted, and Callie immediately jumped into action herself. Everyone scattered, getting as far away from the stadium as they could get, with two exceptions.

"Elaina, what the hell are you doing?!" Gerard exclaimed. But his voice went unheard.

"Blake! Blake! Get out of there!" Ayame didn't back away, she only got closer. She pounded against the trick room, begging him to come back, but he wasn't even looking her way.

"Ayame! Get back here!" Sango grabbed her by the wrist to try and pull her away, but Ayame shook her hand free and kept pounding. She didn't give a damn, if Blake was going to get caught up in this explosion, then she would do the same. She wasn't going to leave him.

Elaina had given up caring about the possible backlash. Her one last regret was that Blake would get caught up in this. Blake had tried to help her, but she had pushed him back until the end. Maybe, maybe if things would have been different, it didn't have to end this way. But she'd gone too far, there was no way to just live a normal life like he wanted her to. Now… she just hoped that Blake would understand what was happening. That he would have Weiss jump back, protect himself somehow.

There was a strange sense of clarity in the end. Behind her eyes, there wasn't darkness. There was only light. The light and warmth of her pokemon's love, as she waited for the end to come.

Something strong slammed into her, but it wasn't the force of Hope's explosion. Her eyes snapped open as the rest of her mask broke away, her body crashing into the wall of the trick room, which broke apart as she was thrown into the grass.

Her connection with Hope was severed and the explosion roared, dazing her with a deafening crash as light flashed above, nearly blinding her.

When the dust settled, she couldn't believe she was still alive. Not only was she still alive, but… she was warm.

"Wh… What…?" She whispered, staring numbly up at the sky. "What… happened?"

She turned and looked down at the warm pressure covering her body, and let out a startled gasped. It was Blake. He'd shielded her with his own body.

"Blake?" She asked in disbelief. He leaned up, pressing his hands beside her head. There was no mask between them anymore, they were staring at each other face to face.

He was crying.

"Don't say that!" He pleaded. "Don't ever say that you would rather be dead!"

She couldn't believe he had protected her. She'd wanted to end things simply, but now… she sat up and looked past him as he shifted to sit next to her. Weiss was standing, arms raised, badly damaged. He had shielded them both from the explosion with his body. Hope lay motionless in the remains of the battlefield.

"I… I'm still alive…" Elaina whispered. She felt so weak, completely drained. "What… I…"

She saw the remains of her mask in the grass and gasped, pushing Blake back. "My mask-!"

"You… You're Elly, aren't you?" Blake asked. Elaina's blood went cold. She turned away from him and began to shake.

"I… I…"

"I remember faces," Blake said. He reached out and tenderly touched her face, turning her back to him. "I knew it before, and now… I know for sure."

Elaina trembled weakly. She looked down and shook.

"It's okay, Elaina, you don't have to worry anymore," Blake whispered. "You don't need to rely on that mask. You're free, now. You can be safe."

She didn't have her mask. She looked around. Everyone was staring at her. She felt naked, exposed, and yet… she didn't have the strength to fight back against it.

"…Elly?"

Elaina's head shot up and she turned to look at Sango, who was approaching her. She looked a little dirty, having been thrown back by the explosion with Ayame, but she wasn't looking at her with disgust or hatred, just… confusion.

Finally, the eyes that Elaina had been dreading. Gerard's eyes.

But it wasn't disgust or disappointment she saw there. Just shock and relief. It wasn't quite the look of acceptance she had been hoping for, but it was more than enough. She trembled, tears rolling down her eyes, and leaned forward, throwing her arms around Blake. She started to sob, holding him tightly.

"Uwaaaaaah!" She wailed.

Everyone watched Elaina sob in silence. From where they stood, she didn't look like a monster or a witch. She just looked like a sad, scared little girl crying her heart out.

So the battle has reached its conclusion. Blake managed to win, and defeat her pokemon, breaking apart her mask and shattering down her walls. But what will come from this? What will be the fallout? We'll have to see.