With Alcea's victory over Olivia, we now move onto the final round of the Coolness Competition, Alcea vs. Sango! Who will win? What will the final match be like? Let's find out!
KedharS: It's certainly an interesting story for sure.
Thunder Fire: Well, the Ranger occupation had a whole franchise of games and they still don't get much respect either, so it might not help.
MikySP: There are plans for all sorts of things. Welcome back.
Rus0804: Kate, simply because she's more toxic in general.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 755
"Wow, that was a really amazing battle," Cynthia whistled, squirming in her seat excitedly. "I can't wait for the finals! Heck, let's just forget about the Toughness Competition and end things after the final match, I'm so excited!
Blake suppressed a smirk. That was a rather Cynthia thing to say, alright, and he had to admit that she was right. With how engaging this particular competition was, it was easy to forget that this wasn't the climax, there was still one more competition that followed this.
Kate, on the other hand, seemed to have completely forgotten that, and was cheering at the top of her lungs like all Alcea had to do was win this last battle, and she would have won the entire Miss Pokemon Academy Contest.
"Come on, milady!" Kate shouted, even though Alcea was nowhere to be seen, "you can do it, we believe in you! You can do this, you got this!"
Blake smiled. Of course Kate would be cheering so intensely for Alcea, even if the other girl wasn't around. She was just that kind of girl, of course, and a part of him understood the impulse she was feeling. After all, if he was in the same position as her and it was Aya up there in the final match, he would be cheering his heart out himself, he was rather certain. So yeah, he could see where she was coming from.
As for the girls themselves, although they could not hear the cheers of excitement outside, waiting patiently in their dressing rooms, they still felt the impulses to learn as they waited for the final round to begin.
The two girls couldn't have had more different point of views about the upcoming battle, either.
Sango was nervous. She was going to be entering the final round of the Coolness Competition, and was feeling her imposter syndrome in full swing. Did she really belong on that stage? No, of course not. Lila should have absolutely defeated her. Or, if not Lila, no, Ayame should have won way back in the first round.
As it stood, what was she even doing? She had fought her hardest, and even though she wasn't a total novice in battles anymore, she was still facing off against Alcea Vermeil, of all people, the strongest female trainer on campus. She was a lovely girl who had gotten this far with her skill and ability.
Meanwhile, Sango had only reached the finals because she had the benefit of relying on Kanone Harker's powerful Samurott, a pokemon who had easily managed to destroy any foe she had come across.
Sango felt really guilty for what she had done to Lila's Ribombee, and found herself in a position that she didn't feel entirely comfortable dealing with. She hoped that things wouldn't get this out of control in her match against Alcea.
She had a five minute break before the match began, and she wanted to spend that time getting on the same page with Sammy to make sure that everything was going to go okay. Another outburst like that, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to handle it.
"Sammy," Sango said, pressing the button on the pokeball and releasing the Samurott out into the room. "We need to talk."
"Samurott," Sammy said calmly, standing back on her hind legs and looking Sango in the eye. She waited patiently, quite smart for a pokemon. That kind of made this more awkward for Sango, who wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to interact with the pokemon. She let out a sigh and shook her head, slumping back down on the couch.
"Sorry, I'm not sure how to deal with stuff like this," she admitted, rubbing her temples in frustration. "But the way you acted against Lila, that wasn't okay, Sammy, okay?" She pleaded. "You're a strong pokemon, a really strong pokemon, so…"
"Samurott," Samurott grunted, nodding in agreement. Sango sighed. This was going to be a long process, it seemed.
"Look, I know you probably don't mean to be so… dangerous," Sango tried again. "But you're a really tough pokemon, and not every pokemon can match up against your strength, Sammy, so when you're dealing with someone weaker than you, you can't just go out of control like this, okay? You're strong, so you have to protect other pokemon."
That was the kind of girl Sango was. She loved pokemon, and she believed that it was the duty of a strong pokemon to look out for those that were weaker than them. She wanted to protect young pokemon, and honestly…
She kind of envied Sammy. Such a strong pokemon. She wasn't a battler, but a part of her wished she had access to a pokemon of her caliber in the field. She could easily picture the pokemon rushing in and leaping in front of weakened pokemon, fending off attackers with her shell blades as she looked out for other pokemon.
But right now, there wasn't the time to deal with possible ideas of Sammy rescuing and protecting other pokemon. It was more important to focus on the fact that they had a battle coming soon, and it promised to be a tough one.
Unlike Ayame and Lila, who were girls that, while skilled, weren't suited for battles (rather like Sango) Alcea was a battle expert.
Sango sighed, and buried her face in her hands, peeking up at the calm Samurott. "Just… just be careful, okay?" She pleaded. She knew that this coming match was going to be difficult, even though Sammy was really strong. And she knew that Alcea was probably not going to be all worried and nervous about the coming battle the same way that she was. She was probably looking forward to it, in fact, if anything else.
And Sango was right on the money. Unlike her, Alce was waiting patiently in her dressing room, preparing for her battle against Sango. And rather amusingly, Alcea probably had more confidence in Sango's abilities than Sango did. And yes, part of that was due to the fact that she was seeing things through the lens of Sango using one of Kanone's pokemon, his strongest pokemon, she didn't underestimate the girl, either.
Alcea had underestimated Olivia and it had nearly cost her the battle. So as she sat on the couch and stared in the mirror, waiting for the announcement for the next round, she thought over how Sango had fought against her opponents in the first two rounds, and began to prepare. The girl might not have much experience, but she certainly had a good head on her shoulders, that was something Alcea expected would make things tricky.
There was something else that she was concerned about. Because of the regulations of this competition, she couldn't give Venus another grassy seed for the final round, because she had used it against Olivia, and that meant she was going in at a disadvantage. But she wasn't concerned. This was going to be an exciting match, and she was certainly looking forward to it. A smile spread across her lips as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.
"Quite an interesting matchup, is it?" She asked no one. Her, the queen of queens, the strongest female trainer at the pokemon academy, facing a girl who wasn't even in the battle course, a first year student who barely ever battled with pokemon herself, in the final round of a tournament? It was the sort of situation that defied belief. But it was definitely the kind of match that made got Alcea's heart pounding in her chest all the same.
And it didn't hurt that she would be fighting in front of Kanone Harker, either. It was the sort of situation that made her heart roll over, dancing around in excitement as she prepared for her match. She wanted to show him that she was a tough trainer worthy of his respect, and fighting against Sango and winning in front of him, defeating his own Samurott, was the perfect way for her to do that. It was something she couldn't help but smile about.
"Alright, ladies!" Lukas's voice rang out over the loudspeaker, drawing the attention of Sango and Alcea. "It's time for the final round of the Coolness Competition to begin! Can I get my two competitors to come out onto the stage, please?"
Sango and Alcea glanced at their reflections in the mirrors, sighed, and rose to their feet. Sango recalled Sammy to her pokeball and the two trainers headed out to the stage.
They reunited on the battlefield. Sango wore a tense expression on her face, while Alcea waited calmly for her in turn.
"This shall be quite some match, is it?" Alcea murmured, a tight smile on her face. Sango gulped, and nodded, trying to look tough and confident.
"Y-Yeah," she agreed, nodding. "This should be something, alright," she said. "Now, um… go, Sammy, let's do this thing!"
Sango tossed out her pokeball, and Sammy emerged with a roar, standing up on her hind legs and drawing her shell blades, glaring angrily at Alcea.
"Oui, excellent," Alcea said, nodding. She took out a pokeball of her own. "Venus, let us give her a dance worth remembering for this climactic battle!" With a flourish, she tossed it into the air, a swirl of petals erupting from the ball capsule. Venus emerged and landed on the ground, roaring at Sammy.
"Sammy, let's start things out strong!" Sango ordered. "Use swords dance!"
"Samurott!" Sammy nodded, raising her swords and clashing them together over her head, strengthening her attacking stat.
"Oui, as expected," Alcea said, nodding. "But don't think that will be enough! Venus, use sunny day! To seize the advantage!"
"Venusaur!" Venus bellowed, nodding her head. She flexed the large flower on her back, sending an orb of light up into the air and illuminating the entire battlefield in a warm glow of sunlight. She glared at Sammy, her body surging with energy, and she lunged forward, boosted by the speed of her chlorophyll, preparing to attack.
Sango scowled. She knew that, in spite of being a Water type pokemon, Sammy didn't have any ability to use rain dance. It just wasn't the kind of move that Kanone had ever taught to his pokemon. Which made things more inconvenient right now.
"Kanone's Samurott does not know rain dance, is it?" Alcea asked, cracking a smile. "I know that quite well, because I've watched all of his matches."
"Yeah, way to go, milady!" Kate cheered. "Make use of your knowledge of Kanone's pokemon team to help defeat her!"
She had no sense of irony, not realizing at all that this was the exact same kind of situation that Olivia had just been using against Alcea, and she had been complaining about it the entire time, hypocritically decrying what she now cheered for.
Blake kept his mouth shut, not about to comment on the hypocrisy of the situation. With a sigh, Blake shook his head and watched the match, cheering for Sango, though not nearly as loud as the excited Cynthia was.
"Sammy, use aqua jet to dodge," Sango ordered. Venus lowered her head and fired a powerful solarbeam at Sammy, who coated her body with water and leapt to the side, avoiding the overwhelming light beam, which flew harmlessly past her and crashing into the protective screen. Sammy lowered her head and charged forward, raising her blades. "Now, aerial ace!"
"Samurott!" Sammy roared, raising her blade and disappearing, reappearing behind Venus and swinging her sword down upon Venus's back, striking her intensely.
"VENUSAUR!" Venus roared in pain. If not for the health she had drained away from Olivia's Garchomp, she might have been knocked out with just that blow. But as it stood, she wasn't so weakened, and was more than able to fight back.
"Venus!" Alcea snapped. "Power whip!"
"Venusaur!" A large vine extended from Venus's flower and she turned her body, whipping it towards Sammy and threatening to knock her over.
"Sammy, dodge!" Sango called. Sammy jumped back, avoiding the swing of her vine, but only by a short margin. "Now, counterattack with another aerial ace!"
"We won't let you," Alcea snarled. "Grass whistle!"
Sango gasped in shock. "Grass whistle?!" That hadn't been something she had calculated.
Kanone whistled himself, pleasantly surprised. "My, that's quite an interesting decision, not bad, Alcea, I wouldn't have expected you to use a move like that."
Venus took a deep breath and exhaled, and sent a whistling wind through the bushy leaves on her back, a calming sound ringing across the battlefield and catching Sammy's ears, causing her eyelids to become heavy. She felt weary, falling forward and landing on her forelegs, letting out a massive yawn as her drowsiness got the better of her, forcing her to fall into a deep sleep.
Alcea maintained a look of composure on her face, but she still wiped her sleeve against her brow. She smiled confidently. "Grass whistle… not a move I use often, is it? Sleep powder is usually more effective. However, when I watched your match against Lila, I knew that it would not be the correct move. For your Samurott, who can easily snatch all the motes of powder out of the air before they can strike, using sleep powder would be pointless, is it?
Sango had to agree, shrugging her shoulders. Alcea's smile grew wider. "However, grass whistle is a way to put your pokemon to sleep, is it?"
"Fair enough," Sango agreed, nodding. She tried really, really hard to look flustered and irritated, because she didn't want Alcea catching onto what she had planned. "But don't think this is over just yet! You haven't won!"
"Oui, I will not let my guard down," Alcea said, nodding. "Venus, use synthesis to recover your health while we have the chance," she ordered.
"Venusaur," Venus nodded, her body shining bright green. She began absorbing energy from the sunlight, increasing her strength. She began to recover her health, believing herself to be safe from the pokemon she was fighting.
She and Alcea were both to discover that this was far from the case.
"Now, Sammy!" Sango shouted. Sammy's eyes sprung open and she leapt to her feet, drawing her blades and growling, charging for Venus.
"What?!" Alcea gasped in disbelief. "Venus, dodge!"
"Not a chance, your Venusaur's still gathering energy from he sun," Sango grinned. "Sammy, use aerial ace!"
"Samurott!" Sammy disappeared, reappearing behind Venus and raising her blade, slashing Venus across the back. Venus let out a pained roar, stumbling forward as the light around her body disappeared, her healing cut drastically short.
"I've been watching your battles, too," Sango grinned. "And before the matches started, I gave Sammy a lum berry, knowing that if I somehow made it into the finals, it was almost certainly going to be you that I fought against. What do you think?"
Alcea cracked another smile. "I am honored to receive such high praise and understanding from you, this match is quite excellent, is it?"
Sango smiled back. "Oui," she said, not intending to sound mocking but rather an honored use of Alcea's words. "Now, Sammy, hit her again!"
"We won't allow that," Alcea said. "We're still faster than you, is it? Solarbeam!"
"Venusaur!" Venus growled, lowering her head and tilting her flower towards Sammy as the pokemon approached. She fired a blast of compressed light from the flower on her back, burning through the sky towards Sammy.
"Samurott!" Sammy roared in pain as the solarbeam pierced her in the chest, knocking her backwards. It was a severe hit, but not a fatal one. Sammy was more than ready to keep battling, her blades twitching in her hands as she charged at Venus, preparing to knock her down.
She disappeared, and reappeared behind Venus, swinging her blade for another powerful aerial ace attack. But this time, Venus was prepared. A green barrier of light sprung up around her, and Sammy's sword bounced off of it. The pokemon's protect attack had worked perfectly.
"Not bad," Sango nodded. "Sammy, get back, keep your distance. Then, use air slash!"
"Samurott," Sammy nodded. She leapt back, landing in front of Sango, and swung her sword at full force, sending a sharp blade of wind at the Grass type pokemon. Venus leapt to the side, dodging the wind slash, and fired off another solarbeam at Sammy.
The two pokemon traded attacks as they kept their distance from one another, the clock ticking down. Then, Alcea changed tactics. "Grassy terrain," she ordered, setting up a home field advantage. Venus let out a roar, glowing green and releasing energy down into the battlefield, causing greenery to sproud up all around her ass he avoided another air slash from Sammy.
"With grassy terrain, we can take another quick boost," Alcea grinned. "Now, use grass whistle and put that Samurott back to sleep! Her lum berry tick can only work once, after all," she ordered. Venus let out a whistle, the whistling winds blowing through the sky and threatening to make Sammy drowsy again.
Sango scowled. She wasn't about to accept that! If Sammy fell asleep, there wouldn't be anything that either of them could do. Fortunately, Sango had a strategy of her own. "Sammy, protect!" She ordered. Sammy created a bright blue barrier that surrounded her, blocking out the sounds.
"Excellent," Alcea said, nodding. "But you can't hide behind that barrier forever. So what will you do next? A plan to win, is it?"
Sango did have one, a plan to win. She hadn't been counting on that grass whistle to mess things up, but she still had her own tactics. "Sammy!" She called. "Use aerial ace!"
"Samurott!" The barrier coming down, Sammy disappeared, and reappeared in front of Venus, raising her blade and swinging it at Venus.
Just as Alcea had expected. "Grassy glide!" She ordered, and Venus shot forward, slamming into Sammy before she could strike with aerial ace. Sammy let out a roar of pain as she was knocked back, rolling across the ground.
Sammy sprung to her feat and prepared to strike, but Alcea was once again proving that experience was more than a match for a strong pokemon. She was already preparing a solarbeam, firing it off just as Sammy regained her footing. The Water type pokemon was barely able to dodge the attack in time, panting in exhaustion. She was strong, but fighting continually like this was tricky, especially without Kanone at her side to guide her.
Sango was talented, but compared to Kanone she was little more than a child when it came to pokemon battles, much to Sammy's irritation.
"This is quite an excellent match," Alcea mused, unable to keep the smile off of her face. "Oui, certainly worthy of the final round, is it? But unfortunately, this is where it must end."
In spite of the situation she was in, Sango couldn't help but smile. She could certainly understand what Blake and Cynthia liked so much about pokemon battles.
Sango and Alcea are really tough! But which one of them is going to emerge the victor? The climax of the Coolness Competition comes next chapter!