The Smartness Competition comes to an end with this chapter! Which girl will win the Pokemon Jeopardy game? How will the point totals in the Miss Pokemon Academy Contest end up being divided? It's sure to be an exciting climax!

KedharS: You say that, but sometimes it can be a little too much for the heart to bear.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: The pokedex entries are seriously wack, lmao.

Pokemonking0924: I definitely have some ideas of fun events. Will we see some in the next rounds? Let's find out.

Rus0804: Thank you for the feedback, it's much-appreciated.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 740

A quick look at the scoreboard told quite a story.

Sango: 26 points

Ayame: 16 points

Olivia: 15 points

Alcea: 13 points

Darla: 11 points

Gabrielle: 8 points

Serefina: 7 points

Lila: 4 points

Thanks to her daily double, Sango had nearly twice as many points as anyone else. And one look at the remaining answers on the board painted quite an interesting picture.

Pokemon Species, Pokemon Fashion, Pokemon Health, Pokemon Battles, and Evolution, were all completely filled in. And the other categories weren't far behind. Only 4 and 5 from Pokemon Moves and The Pokedex Says… remained, The Pokemon World and Economics both had three open slots, and Pokemon Myths and Legends, with 2 through 5 still on the board, was the category with the most available. In total, there were only 14 questions left. And while there were certainly a lot of points still on the board, it looked difficult to catch up to Sango's lead.

"Sango, what category do you want next?" Lukas asked, resisting the urge to snicker as he thought about what she had said.

"Uh… The Pokedex Says… for 4 points," Sango shrugged, her enthusiasm in this game quickly running thin.

"Okay, got it!" Lukas nodded, reading the next question. "It happened one morning – a boy with extrasensory powers awoke in bed transformed into this pokemon!"

Another hushed silence fell over the audience. What… what was that supposed to mean? There was a pokemon that had been transformed from a human? What?

Serefina slapped the buzzer. "What is Kadabra?" She asked, a little shaken. It had been some time since she'd heard that story, and the thought that it was real still struck fear in her chest. She was so shaken she barely paid any attention to her

"Kadabra are people transformed into pokemon?" Sango asked in disbelief.

"No way, Darla, right?" Lila asked frantically, turning to her friend for reassurance. "That can't be real, no way!"

Darla shrugged her shoulders, looking a little sick to her stomach herself.

"That's… really fucking weird," Ayame said, shaking her head in disbelief. "I mean, there's no way that a person could transform into a pokemon!"

No one really had any reassurances to offer. It was just something that was written in the pokedex. The Milotic Dome fell silent.

Lukas coughed. "Well, yes, let's move on. Congratulations, Serefina, what do you want next?" He asked.

"O-Oh," Serefina said, a little shaken. "Um… The Pokedex Says… for 5 points, I guess, finishing that category off."

Lukas nodded, silently grateful that this was the last of these disturbing categories about pokemon and the increasingly creepy and gross entries in the pokedex. "To protect its trainer, this pokemon will expend all its psychic power to create a small black hole."

Another silence fell over the crowd.

"A black hole?" Ayame exclaimed. "A fucking black hole, are you kidding me?!"

The buzzer sounded.

"I know, I know!" Lila said, bouncing up and down in her seat excitedly. "A Gardevoir! What is Gardevoir? Like my Anya! I thought that was, like, so totally cool when I heard about it, don't you think? It's awesome!"

Secretly, Lila was actually horrified by the knowledge she'd read and secretly hoped that her Gardevoir would never do something like that, but the ditzy persona she wore was the kind of girl who would react to something like that with complete unawareness.

"Uh… Gardevoir… can make black holes?" Cynthia asked, going pale in the face as she stared forward, her eyes glazing over. "That… That's not true, right?" She asked, looking warily around for confirmation. Suddenly, evolving Rose wasn't looking like such a great idea.

"I-I guess?" Maddi said, a little shaken herself.

"W-Well, yes, you're right, Lila," Lukas said, nodding. "Now, that's all for that category! Now, what do you want next?" He asked, turning to the idol desperately. Lila was still perky, even though she was cringing inside, barely even feeling like celebrating moving up into second.

"Let's go… The Pokemon World! For 3 points," Lila decided.

Lukas nodded. "This oft-forgotten chain of islands located near Kanto is home a wide variety of locations including Memorial Pillar."

It was Gabrielle, of all people, who got that question right.

"What are the Sevii Islands?" She asked.

Surprised, Lukas nodded. "Correct," he said.

"Whoa! How'd you know so fast?" Lila asked, amazed.

Gabrielle didn't reply. But the truth was, she had visited the Sevii Islands before, particularly Four Island. She had done a lot of training in Icefall Cave to master her Ice types.

"Pokemon Moves for 4 points," she declared.

"This move forces all pokemon in battle to consume their berries," Lukas said, which surprised Sango. A move that forced a pokemon to eat it berry? That was… something, alright. She didn't know what to think about that, and knew she had no idea what the move was.

But someone did, and that someone was Alcea, much to Olivia's displeasure.

"What is teatime?" Alcea asked. Olivia's eye twitched. She'd had no idea, but clearly Alcea knew it because she was such a fan of tea. And now she had taken the lead again with 17 points, passing Ayame and moving into second place.

"Of course her highness would know all about a move like that," Kate boasted, smiling smugly. Blake rolled his eyes.

"That's right, Alcea, now, what's next?" Lukas asked, turning to her eagerly.

"Finishing the category, is it?" Alcea smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Pokemon Moves for 5 points."

Lukas nodded. "This move is raises the defense stat of all Grass type pokemon on the field by one stage!" He read.

Olivia clenched her jaw. Of course. Of fucking COURSE it was a question like that. It was that kind of day, after all. A question about Grass type pokemon? Of course Alcea would know the move and get it right. She was already 2 points ahead of Olivia, and with this she would scoot up to 7? Completely unforgivable, Olivia couldn't stand it! No way, no fucking way!

She seethed at Alcea, using every trick she knew to maintain her professional disposition and keep from snapping.

But Alcea, unbelievably, looked shaken. While masterfully keeping her composure, anyone who got a good look into her eyes could see that she was completely in the dark.

"I… do not know," she admitted. "I have never heard of a move such as this. Oui, to think that there are still so many things about Grass types that I do not know, it brings a smile to my lips," she said, smiling brightly.

Olivia had no idea what she was going on about, but she was pleased that Alcea hadn't been able to answer the question. Alcea might have been happy about not knowing, and Olivia was just happy that she had failed.

The problem was, she had no idea what move this was, either, so she couldn't get ahead of Alcea right now. In fact, it seemed like no one had any clue what the move was. The eight girls sat in the stands, letting an awkward silence fall over the stage for what felt like the hundredth time since the quiz show began.

"…No one knows the answer?" Lukas asked. He was a little surprised, but not that much. After all, this question was intended to be a bit of a stumper, a very rare and obscure move. But then, if the Queen of Roses didn't know the move, would any of them? He was about to let the question pass by and have Alcea choose another, when a buzzer rang from the most unlikely source out of all of them.

"What is… flower shield?" Lila asked, trying to sound unsure. "I think that's it, right?"

"Uh…" Lukas's jaw dropped. He checked his notes to confirm. Mentally, Darla groaned, and buried her face in her hands. "Yeah, that's… right."

"I knew it! It's a Fairy type move, so I knew it sounded familiar! Wow, I can't believe I got that right!" Lila giggled. That made two 5 point questions she had answered now, enough to put her up to 14 points, just under Olivia.

Of course, Lila had known right away what move it was, and had only given up the disguise because the silence was growing unbearable. But whatever, it was her turn again. "Okay, um… so it's either Pokemon Myths and Legends, or the Pokemon World, or Economics? Those all seem really hard… oh, but I bet Economics for 2 points will be easy, right?" She said sweetly, trying to draw attention away from the obscure question she'd just shown everyone.

"Yes, well, this question is quite simple. This shiny scale is considered very rare, especially among maniacs," Lukas said, throwing off his shakiness and getting into the questions again.

Lila tapped her chin with her finger, and pretended not to know. Olivia snapped it up immediately.

"What is a heart scale?" She said, scoring 2 points and moving up to 17, tying with Alcea. She just needed another point to come out ahead, and she wasn't going to stop there. She was going to shoot past Sango's score and come out on top. "Now, Economics for 4 points!"

Lukas nodded. "Although a common mode of transportation, you won't find this going for any less than 1 million poke!"

Ayame snatched that one up, to Olivia's chagrin. "What is a bicycle?" She asked.

Sango's eyes bulged. Bikes were that expensive?! She'd had no idea, her father had given her one for one of her birthdays and she'd kept it, albeit thinking it was just another attempt at him to win her over with a gift instead of be there to celebrate with her. But it cost him 1 million poke? That defied belief! Maybe she had been a little harsh on him.

"Alright, second place again!" Ayame cheered, and Olivia didn't mind as much as she thought she would. She still cared for her friend, after all, and it was nice to see her so happy.

"So, Ayame, what question do you want next?" Lukas asked. Ayame studied the board. The remaining questions were Economics for 5, which was absolutely not happening, The Pokemon World still had 4 and 5, which was more reasonable, and Pokemon Myths and Legends, which still had 2 through 5 available. And honestly, Ayame wasn't sure she could answer anything for any of those categories higher than a 2, so that's what she aimed for.

"I'll take Pokemon Myths and Legends for 2," she decided.

Lukas nodded. "Although it is known as The Legendary Pokemon, this Fire type pokemon is not, in fact, regarded in the greater historical community as a legendary."

It was Serefina who snatched it up. "What is Arcanine?" She asked.

"Correct," Lukas nodded. "Arcanine, the Legendary Pokemon, which is really just a big old fluffy doggo. Serefina, what's next?"

Serefina thought. "I'll take The Pokemon World for 4!" She decided.

"Located on an island city, this ancient shrine is said to be where all life began!" Lukas said.

Darla slapped her hand down fast as a wink. "What is the Cave of Origin?" She asked.

"Correct!" Lukas nodded. "Darla, you have the board!"

"Pokemon Myths and Legends for 3," Darla said automatically. She'd shot up to just ahead of Lila, and was going to cement her lead right now. If there was one category that she was an expert in on this board, it was legendary pokemon.

"These two pokemon play a central role in the legends of Johto, recaptured in a children's book 'The Maiden of the Sky'," Lukas declared.

Ayame shot her hand to the buzzer so fast Lukas had barely finished speaking.

"I know this one!" She exclaimed. "My mom read it to me all the time! What is… um… um… um…"

Ayame quickly realized that, although she had read the book countless times growing up, the names of the pokemon themselves were a distant memory. Like an idiot, she had slapped the button without thinking.

The buzzer sounded, and she lost nearly all the points she had gained earlier, falling down to 17, which tied her up nicely with Olivia and Alcea.

"It's okay, Aya!" Blake called from the audience. "You did your best!" He encouraged her.

Darla rolled her eyes and pressed her own button, actually knowing the answer. "What are Ho-Oh and Lugia?" She asked.

"Yeah, them!" Ayame said, gasping in realization.

"Correct!" Lukas said, nodding. "Darla, you still have the board."

"Keep going," she grinned, nodding eagerly as she rose to pass all three of them and take second for herself. "Pokemon Myths and Legends for 4 points."

Lukas read the next question. "This story describes a great pokemon, so feared that ancient people divided its power among golems and sealed it away in a sacred temple in Sinnoh."

Darla knew immediately. Although it was a legend from the Sinnoh Region, the 'golems' in question that had been sealed away were also a deep part of Hoennian lore, although few knew that outside of the Draconid. "What is the Tale of the Titan?"

"Correct," Lukas said again, and Darla rose in the points once more. She was now at 22 points, one more right answer and she would take first!

"Pokemon Myths and Legends for 5 points!" She declared triumphantly.

Lukas read the final question for the category. But as he did, he realized once again that it wasn't one that he wrote. Someone had slipped in a different question, but he couldn't back off now. "These ancient stones were legend to have fallen from the heavens. Containing within them the power of the elements, it is said that any who collect them will have power to exceed that of any pokemon in creation."

Blake's eyes widened in shock. No way, that was impossible! Who the hell would ask a question like that?!

Darla caught herself from slapping the button. Her stomach turned. She knew the answer, because of course she did. But she couldn't just say it! Not here, not in front of everbody! She glanced cautiously at Lila, who stared back at her with an innocent, clueless expression. Darla closed her hand and pulled it back to her chest, glancing down. No, she couldn't expose Lila to something like that. She couldn't say anything about what she knew.

Sango also knew the answer, but like Darla she wasn't about to say it. She had no idea where that question had come from, but talking about the Oracles right here, in front of everyone, that was completely-

A buzzer shook her from those thoughts.

"What are the Oracles?" Gabrielle asked. Sango and Darla looked at her in disbelief. But Gabrielle's face was an expressionless mask. She had absolutely no concerns about the Oracles getting out. Right now, it was about striking at the Phantom and his organization. It didn't hurt either that she just reached 16 points with that question.

"…I guess that's right," Lukas said, checking the answer. "Okay, Gabrielle, the board is yours."

The board was shrinking fast, and with it were Olivia's chances of coming out ahead. Right now, there were only two slots left. The Pokemon World for 5 points, and Economics for 5 points. If Olivia got both of them right, it would be her win, but she didn't have control over the board. And even though she had faith in her knowledge of economics, and of the Pokemon World, her doubts were starting to eat away at her.

But she quickly shook her head. No, there was no time for doubts. This was the chance for victory, for seizing control of the game and decimating Alcea.

"I'll take The Pokemon World for 5," Gabrielle said, intending to finish off the category. Lukas nodded.

"In the Johto Region, deep within this place is a secret spring, and within that spring it is possible to catch the rare and sought-after pokemon Lapras."

Ayame scowled. She should know this! She should absolutely know this, because she was from the Johto Region! But unfortunately, she did not. And to Olivia's frustration, she didn't either.

But one person did, a girl here who loved Ice types more than anyone, and had always dreamed of owning a Lapras of her very own. The very same girl who had chosen the category herself, in fact, Gabrielle Breaux.

"Where is Union Cave?" She asked, and Lukas congratulated her.

"Yes, that's right!" He said. "Union Cave indeed!"

Gabrielle almost smiled. With 5 more points, she was now at 21, shooting up into third past Ayame, Olivia, and Alcea.

And with that, there was no longer any chance of Olivia winning. All she could hope for now was to overcome Alcea and Aya, and tie for second with Darla.

"There's only one answer left on the board, so we'll go with this," Lukas said, turning to the board. "Economics for 5!"

Olivia prepared herself, ready to provide the question for whatever economics answer there was.

Lukas read the answer. "A list of all pokeballs capable of being purchased."

Olivia felt it all come crumbling down. She knew most pokeballs. But all of them? Could anyone know ALL of them?

It was Serefina who slapped the buzzer.

"What is Pokeballs, Great Balls, Ultra Balls, Dive Balls, Dusk Balls, Luxury Balls, Net Balls, Nest Balls, Quick Balls, Repeat Balls, and Timer Balls," Serefina listed off.

Everyone stared at her in amazement.

"…What?" Serefina said, blinking in confusion. "I'm a Pokemon Breeder. People come to me with their pokemon in all sorts of pokeballs, with various effects. It's essential to know which ones do what and are capable of housing pokemon in what environments so that I can advise them on how to best properly care for their pokemon?"

When she put it like that, it made a lot of sense. A LOT of sense. But Sango was still amazed that she could repeat all of those things from memory.

"That's correct!" Lukas declared. Serefina got 5 points, inching her just above of Ayame, Olivia, and Alcea with 18 points. "And with that, this round of the contest, the Smartness Competition, is over! Let's take a look at the scores of our competitors!"

Lukas turned to the board, showing the scores of everyone.

Sango: 26 points

Darla: 22 points

Gabrielle: 21 points

Serefina: 18 points

Ayame: 17 points

Olivia: 17 points

Alcea: 17 points

Lila: 14 points

Olivia was irate. She had come very low, and hadn't even managed to beat Alcea. But at least, the arrogant bitch hadn't beaten her, either. She was looking forward to the next rounds, where she could hopefully demonstrate her real skills.

"Now, we'll split the contest points for the girls between them, judging based on their placement," Lukas continued. "But interestingly, we have a three-way tie! Now, let's show how it works! In first, Sango will get 10 points! Darla will get 8, then Gabrielle will get 6, Serefina 5, Ayame, Olivia, and Alcea will get 4, and then Lila will get 2, since she came in last! And with those points added to the girl's totals…"

The scoreboard changed drastically.

Olivia: 22

Alcea: 22

Darla: 18

Sango: 15

Ayame: 14

Lila: 9

Gabrielle: 8

Serefina: 7

Sango had jumped up quite a bit, now in fourth. If she kept going like this… would it be possible for her to win after all?

No, she shook those thoughts from her head as Lukas announced that they would be moving onto the next round.

So, things are heating up! We'll move onto the third category next chapter, but for now, let's appreciate Sango's rise towards first! Will she be able to do it?!